Chapter 82

Halfway through her sentence, the caregiver's voice suddenly choked up: "Your mother-in-law is suddenly having difficulty breathing, and Dr. Shan is giving her emergency treatment."

"Child, please come quickly, you might still be able to see your mother-in-law one last time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's hand holding the phone suddenly trembled uncontrollably, and the phone slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

But instead of picking up his phone, he rushed into the living room cabinet to get his car keys.

Seeing his sudden loss of composure, Xiang Wan seemed to have guessed something, picked up her phone from the ground, and said into the phone, "Hello? This is Xiang Wan."

Although she didn't go to the hospital often, the caregiver recognized her and heard her voice: "Are you the young lady?"

"Grandma Chen Yan has been taken into the operating room and is undergoing emergency treatment. She might..."

She wasn't a doctor and didn't dare to be too certain, but just from Dr. Shan's serious expression and the department heads who rushed over to participate in the rescue after receiving the news, she could guess that the situation wasn't very optimistic.

Unlike Chen Yan's panic and helplessness, Xiang Wan appeared exceptionally calm. She said "I understand" into the phone and then stopped Chen Yan, who was about to leave with his car keys.

“Chen Ruilin, you’re not in the right condition to drive right now.” Seemingly realizing her tone was too harsh, she sighed. “Besides, the car in the garage is out of gas.”

"That van in the parking lot should have a full tank of gas. I'll drive you there." She then asked for his opinion, "Okay?"

"good."

Xiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll go upstairs to get the car keys. You go back to the bedroom and put on a coat. It's autumn now, and the temperature difference between day and night is big."

Chen Yan seemed to have completely forgotten how to think; he did whatever she said.

He walked mechanically toward the bedroom, but felt a warmth coming from behind him.

Xiang Wan hugged his waist from behind, her voice gentle yet reassuring: "Don't be afraid."

Although she knew this day would eventually come, when it actually arrived, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for him.

Chen Yan couldn't help but feel his eyes redden, but because he had his back to her, she couldn't see his reddened eyes.

He went to put on his coat, while Xiang Wan went upstairs to get the car keys for the van.

However, just as she got the keys and was about to go downstairs, she received a phone call.

She was somewhat lost in thought as she looked at the words 'Director Shan' written on the label.

According to the caregiver, Dr. Shan should be in the process of resuscitation at this time, and his phone call would prove that the resuscitation was over.

As for the result...

Xiang Wan answered the phone: "Hello?"

"Miss Xiang, I'm sorry..."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "We'll be at the hospital soon."

Chen Yan stood in the lobby, looking at her in the middle of the stairs: "Who made the call?"

Xiang Wan was momentarily at a loss for words. She walked up the stairs to him and looked at him for a long time before saying, "Two minutes ago, Grandma stopped breathing."

Chen Yan didn't speak, but slumped on the sofa. He lowered his head, and she couldn't see his expression, but just by the involuntary trembling of his body, she could feel his collapse and helplessness.

Xiang Wan didn't know how to comfort him: "I'll go to the parking lot and drive over now, wait for me..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Yan grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

He didn't say a word, but the single tear on his neck clearly conveyed his sadness.

Xiang Wan's heart clenched tightly. She put her phone and keys on the sofa and hugged him tightly.

Only after Chen Yan's body stopped trembling did she gently push him away: "I'll drive the car over, you wait for me in the yard."

After saying that, she picked up the car keys from the sofa and walked towards the parking lot.

After Xiang Wan left, Chen Yan sat alone on the sofa, looking somewhat dejected, and even his eyes were lifeless.

He was so engrossed in his memories of his mother-in-law that he couldn't even tell if it was reality or a dream, until a tremor on the sofa pulled him back to reality.

He glanced at the source of the vibration and realized that Xiang Wan had forgotten her phone. Since the call might be from the hospital, he scanned the screen.

However, this fleeting glance sent chills down his spine, making his blood run cold and even causing his fingers to tremble slightly.

The screen was on for only three seconds, but that was enough for him to see the message...

Just like the red bean and lotus seed soup from that day, it was also a text message sent by Jiang Juncang.

[Xiang Wan, when you said you liked me, were you serious?]

A second later, the other person sent another message: "I like you too."

The phone was locked, and only instant messages could be seen. Chen Yan looked at the screen, which had gone dark again, and inexplicably picked up Xiang Wan's phone.

He knew her phone had no password, so he didn't even need to unlock it; he easily opened her screen.

Chen Yan clicked into Xiang Wan's WeChat account, opened her chat window with Jiang Juncang, and looked at the conversation. His mind went blank, and he felt as if he were suffocating.

Their last message was from when Jiang Juncang thanked her for recommending red bean and lotus seed soup, but the next message was from Xiang Wan to Jiang Juncang: "I like you."

And it was posted just five minutes ago.

Five minutes earlier, when he was holding her and crying, he was overwhelmed with grief over the news of his mother's death, and she was also holding him and comforting him... but at the same time, she was also flirting with Jiang Juncang.

If she likes someone else, why does she have to demean her feelings for him?

Chen Yan was puzzled, and only felt a deep sadness. He tried to stand up, but felt that his body was somewhat out of his control, causing him to fall onto the marble.

The cold marble seemed to chill one to the bone, but he felt it was nothing compared to his frozen heart.

On the other side, Xiang Wan waited in the car for a while, but Chen Yan didn't come out, so she came back to look for him.

Seeing him sitting on the marble floor, she frowned and walked over to help him up: "Chen Ruilin, are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Yan looked at Xiang Wan who had returned, but then brushed her hand away: "Xiang Wan, let's break up."

"……What?"

Seeing that he seemed a bit agitated, Xiang Wan assumed that the death of his mother-in-law was a huge blow to him, so she wasn't angry: "Why do you want to break up?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan looked at Xiang Shuhan, who seemed puzzled, and assumed she was pretending to be naive: "I just saw the messages you sent to Jiang Juncang."

What message did I send to Jiang Juncang?

Seeing that she wouldn't admit it, Chen Yan's expression became even more pained. After all, she was someone he had liked for almost ten years. He wanted to maintain the last bit of dignity, so he handed her her phone and gestured for her to look for herself.

On the other side, Xiang Wan was initially a little confused, but when she saw the confession she had sent to Jiang Juncang, she froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Because she didn't even send that message...

Yet it appeared brazenly in her chat window with Jiang Juncang.

She was certain she hadn't sent such a message, especially not just five minutes ago.

If it weren't for that twist of fate, Xiang Wan really couldn't imagine who could have done such a thing.

She glanced at the chat box, then looked up at Chen Yan, who was facing away from her, and for the first time felt utterly speechless.

Moreover, the scene before her inexplicably reminded her of Zhou Chengze in her past life. Was his flirting with Zhou Xinyi his true intention?

Or will she, like she is today, be manipulated like a puppet by the author behind the scenes, burdened with unfounded accusations?

Xiang Wan felt strange. She looked at Chen Yan's cold profile and wondered whether she should explain. But with the facts right in front of her, would Chen Yan choose not to believe the evidence and instead believe her?

She felt the answer was no; at least, if it were her, she probably wouldn't believe it either.

But she still explained, though it sounded incredibly weak: "Chen Ruilin, I didn't send that message, and it's you I like."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan neither said whether he believed it nor not, but the expression on his face was more painful than crying, showing both struggle and despair.

Why that particular time?

His voice was very soft, and Xiang Wan didn't quite hear him: "What?"

Chen Yan looked into her bloodshot eyes, her gaze filled with pain and struggle: "Why did you have to tell someone you liked him when I became an orphan again?"

"Is it because no one is standing up for me?"

He spoke the last half of the sentence almost in a breathy voice, but it pierced Xiang Wan's heart, and for no reason reminded her of the night in her past life when Chen Ruilin buried his mother-in-law alone.

He used the last five thousand yuan he had to buy a coffin, but couldn't afford a burial plot, so he dragged his mother-in-law in the coffin for a day and a night before finally getting her back to Lijia Village.

That night, he emptied the soil in the yard and then filled it back up, and he was all alone from beginning to end.

Now, in his eyes, she has also 'betrayed' him, and he is still all alone.

Xiang Wan was speechless, and seeing him break down, her eyes also became slightly red.

She remained silent as he berated her, but Chen Yan felt no relief whatsoever; instead, he felt even more distressed. He looked at her with questioning eyes, but his voice was full of grievance: "Why did you recommend Zhaiji's red bean and lotus seed soup to him?"

"..." Xiang Wan was speechless, only offering a weak apology, "I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry—" he almost screamed, then the next second he was as powerless as a kite with a broken string, "That would make me really believe you like someone else..."

"..."

Chen Yan was about to leave after speaking, but Xiang Wan stopped him from behind: "You're too emotional, you can't drive. I'll take you to the hospital and then come back."

He didn't turn back: "At least today, Xiang Shuhan, I don't want to see you."

"..."

After he left, Xiang Wan sat blankly on the sofa, staring at the flour all over the floor, somewhat lost in thought.

They were just bickering and joking around not long ago.

She opened her phone, wanting to check the message she had just sent to Jiang Juncang, but noticed a multimedia message from an unknown number.

She glanced at it; it was sent by the caregiver.

[Ms. Xiang, this is a video I took of Grandma Chen Yan a week ago. She said that if... she passed away, I would send it to this phone number.]

Xiang Wan remained silent for a long time before finally opening the video...