21. Scars on the knees

Wen Xueyan ignored Song Tiancheng and walked straight out of the hospital.

Song Tiancheng turned around and chased after her, his face filled with anxiety and resentment: "Xueyan, let me explain! Just five minutes, no, three minutes!"

He reached out to grab her wrist, his fingertips almost touching her fair skin.

As if she had anticipated this, Wen Xueyan suddenly flung her hand away, the movement swift and decisive. The setting sun happened to brush past her profile, illuminating her tightly pursed lips and the fleeting annoyance in her eyes.

"Song Tiancheng, this is the hospital entrance." She lowered her voice, her tone as cold as the frost of an autumn night. "I don't want to argue with you here."

This scene was witnessed by President Cheng as he turned around. He and Xu Junhang were still in the lobby on the first floor, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

He saw Song Tiancheng try to pull Wen Xueyan away, saw the moment her fair wrist was about to be grabbed, and saw her resolute determination to shake him off.

An unnamed anger surged into Cheng Boyan's heart, and he almost subconsciously took a step forward, his fist clenching quietly at his side.

At that moment, he had an impulse to pull the persistent man away from her and, if possible, to deliver a punch.

However, Xu Junhang was right beside him, and besides, Song Tiancheng and Wen Xueyan were still officially divorced. Cheng Boyan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse. Xu Junhang tried to pull him away, but he quickly took out his phone, turned the phone case away from Xu Junhang, pretended to answer an emergency call, and stopped in his tracks, staring directly at them.

"Mr. Li? You said there's a problem with the project data?" He said to the phone that hadn't been answered, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for himself and Mr. Xu to "hear" him, but in reality, all his attention was focused on the slender figure not far away.

If Song Tiancheng makes another move, Cheng Boyan plans to rush in regardless of the consequences, and then come up with an excuse afterward.

Over there, Wen Xueyan caught a glimpse of President Cheng and President Xu out of the corner of her eye, and quickly calmed down.

Wen Xueyan lowered her voice: "Look back, President Cheng and President Xu are in the hospital lobby. Do you want the whole company to know we're staging a divorce farce?"

Song Tiancheng froze, instinctively turning around, and sure enough, he saw the two bosses standing not far away.

“This is a public place,” Wen Xueyan added coldly, “There are surveillance cameras. Don’t even think about hitting me again.”

"I drank too much that day..." Song Tiancheng hurriedly explained, "I promise I won't hit you again! Where have you been staying these past few days? When are you coming home?"

“Your promises are useless,” Wen Xueyan interrupted him. “Mom just had surgery and needs to rest. You should be in the ward, not causing trouble here. Remember to go to court next month.”

Without waiting for his response, she turned around nimbly.

Song Tiancheng touched his nose dejectedly and headed towards the hospital.

Cheng Boyan watched her leave safely, and only then did his tense jawline relax slightly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

The strong urge to protect her that Cheng Boyan felt gradually subsided.

He discovered that Wen Xueyan, though seemingly delicate, was able to handle difficult situations with calm and rationality.

Cheng Boyan put away his phone, which was "on a call," and said calmly to Xu Junhang beside him, "Now that the call is over, let's go upstairs."

The two walked side by side into the hospital's VIP ward area. A faint smell of disinfectant filled the air, and the environment was quiet and solemn.

Dr. Smith, having just finished his routine check-up, greeted them as they entered, saying, "Mr. Cheng, Mr. Xu. Ms. Xu's vital signs are very stable today, and all indicators are within the normal range. Although there are no signs of her waking up yet, brain activity monitoring shows subtle but positive fluctuations compared to before."

He adjusted his glasses, his tone serious but not pessimistic, "We still stand by our previous assessment. Given her current condition, there is indeed a chance she will wake up in the future, possibly very soon. She will need patience and continuous, meticulous care."

Cheng Boyan stood quietly by the hospital bed, gazing at Xu Junxian lying on it. Her face was calm, as if she had simply fallen into a deep sleep. Cheng Boyan planned to have his lawyer submit a divorce proposal before filing for divorce.

After the visit, the two left the hospital together. As dusk settled, the chill of the autumn night gradually crept in.

Once inside the car, Xu Junhang casually remarked, "Wen Xueyan is indeed very dedicated to her work and has outstanding abilities, especially in her understanding and control of technical details, which is top-notch among those with similar qualifications. She is quick to learn and grasps concepts immediately, and clients have praised her."

President Cheng kept his eyes fixed ahead, gave a faint "hmm," and remained impassive.

Xu Junhang changed the subject slightly, with a hint of probing: "However, this female employee is a bit strange."

Cheng Boyan's tone remained calm and indifferent: "Oh? What's strange about it?"

“A few days ago it was raining heavily and I was working late. I noticed she didn’t have an umbrella, so I offered to give her a ride. She initially refused, but eventually gave in and got in the car.”

Xu Junhang recalled, "When we arrived at Huihai Shopping Mall, she asked to park, saying she lived in the residential area behind the mall. But that was land developed by my dad's group, and it was demolished into ruins last month, so it's uninhabitable. I asked her about it at the company the next day, and she said she had just moved and remembered the address wrong."

Cheng Boyan understood instantly.

It wasn't a matter of misremembering the address. It was simply Wen Xueyan's cautious and thorough approach.

She was carefully protecting their relationship so that no one would notice.

Any unnecessary exposure could cause trouble before the divorce proceedings are fully completed.

An indescribable feeling spread through Cheng Boyan's heart.

She was so thoughtful, bearing the pressure alone, yet never complaining to him or asking for anything. These days, Cheng Boyan was busy with work and business trips, and Wen Xueyan didn't mention it at all.

Cheng Boyan simply commented, "Perhaps they just don't want to trouble their colleagues. Some people are just more independent."

Xu Junhang glanced at him, smiled, and didn't continue the topic, instead changing the subject to business.

Back at the group headquarters, Cheng Boyan and Xu Junhang discussed the budget for the next quarter's projects. Then, Cheng Boyan drove back to his apartment in Jinglan Peninsula alone.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows lay a dazzling cityscape at night, yet the room felt empty and desolate. He took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie, but the longing for Wen Xueyan in his heart grew ever stronger.

He picked up his phone and dialed that familiar number again.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. Wen Xueyan's voice came from the other end, accompanied by the soft sound of keyboard typing in the background, sounding calm and professional: "Hello."

"Still at the company?"

"Yes, there's still a technical report that needs final verification, and it needs to be submitted tomorrow." Her voice didn't reveal much emotion, only a hint of fatigue.

"Still working overtime so late? Have you had dinner yet?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if he hadn't expected him to ask that: "...I ordered takeout."

Cheng Boyan's deep voice, gentle yet reassuring, gently touched Wen Xueyan's eardrums through the receiver: "It's very late. Shall I drive over to pick you up? I'll wait for you in the underground parking garage downstairs at the company. Come down when you're done. I'm driving a new car today; nobody at the company knows the license plate number."

Wen Xueyan held her phone, her fingertips relaxing slightly in the meticulous protection it offered. "Okay," she replied softly, a single word releasing all the strength she had been putting on. She had worked overtime all day, including trips to and from the hospital; she was actually very tired.

Half an hour later, his message came concisely: "Arrived. License plate number is..."

Ten minutes later, the elevator doors opened in the underground parking garage.

Wen Xueyan walked out, went to the black sedan, opened the door, and quietly sat in the passenger seat.

"Are you hungry?" Cheng Boyan looked straight ahead and asked gently. "Would you like to eat out or go home? I've also asked the cleaning lady to prepare some food."

"Go home."

The apartment was warmly lit. Several light dishes were laid out on the dining table.

Wen Xueyan took off her trench coat, revealing a light gray shirt underneath, which made her neck appear even longer and her skin as smooth as jade.

She wasn't full from the takeout, so she sat down to eat.

In the silence, she suddenly spoke, her voice calm: "I received a notice from the court that the divorce proceedings will be held next month because Song Tiancheng refuses to go directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce."

She didn't ask about Cheng Boyan's situation because she knew his side was even more complicated.

Cheng Boyan paused, picking up food with his chopsticks, and then said, "Have you not been staying here these past few days? Do you want to move to a newer place? I transferred 100,000 yuan to you, why did you return it?"

"The landlord has already repaired the roof and signed a six-month contract. We'll change it when it expires."

After the meal, Wen Xueyan went to wash up.

When Cheng Boyan came out in his bathrobe, Wen Xueyan was sitting in front of her dressing table. During her stay, she noticed that Cheng Boyan had prepared several sets of clothes for her, from underwear to outerwear, so she no longer needed to wash and dry them overnight.

At this moment, her silk nightgown outlined her delicate shoulder straps, her wet hair was disheveled, and water droplets occasionally rolled down and disappeared into the smooth curves of her back.

He walked over, embraced her from behind, gently pressed his chin against the top of her head, and kissed her slightly cool shoulder and neck.

Later, when Cheng Boyan's warm palm moved up her calf and gently lifted the silk skirt, his gaze froze.

His movements stopped immediately.

A large patch of purplish-blue bruises on Wen Xueyan's left knee and thigh stood out starkly against her snow-white skin.

He remembered that although Wen Xueyan had an arm injury last week, she did not have any injuries on her knees.

Cheng Boyan's face suddenly darkened: "Did Song Tiancheng hit you again? Does he want to die?" His voice was tense, filled with icy anger.

Welcome all readers, teachers, and darlings to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.

I love it so much, I can't get enough of it!

What happened? This shouldn't be domestic violence, right? Mr. Cheng is so gentle!

I shouldn't have read the serialized version; waiting for updates is too agonizing. Please update soon!

It's so beautiful. Write more!

It's so beautiful, I love it!

Thank you for your comments, readers! Feel free to leave more messages!

Thank you for your comments, readers! Feel free to leave more messages!

Thank you for your comments, readers! Feel free to leave more messages!

Okay, okay, thank you for your comments, readers! Feel free to leave more comments!