Chapter 37 The Young Lady in the Wheelchair 37: Xi Congshuang, don't sleep!

At the end of summer, Chairman Xi held a meeting to mark her resignation. Although she knew the outcome was clear, she still held the meeting.

The CEO of Xi's Group will be elected by a show of hands from the shareholders. After that, Chairman Xi will step down and gradually relinquish power.

At first, the scene was quite intense, with Xi Pingxian and Xi Hanran locked in a fierce battle of words, each sticking to their own version of events.

However, a considerable number of people remained silent, observing the situation.

At the height of the controversy, Chairman Xi's assistant said, "Then, those who support Xi Pingxian, please raise your hands."

A significant number of people in the meeting room raised their hands; these were all people Xi Pingxian knew. Many others remained silent.

Xi Pingxian didn't seem surprised. She divided the votes in her favor into three parts. She had quite a few supporters, so she still had a chance.

The election continued even after the votes were counted.

Xi Congshuang then spoke up: "I don't think I need to be nominated. I withdraw from the election for the position of CEO of Xi's Group."

These words shocked everyone. It was something that could have been settled with just a nod, yet she handed it over to someone else.

Xi Pingxian, sitting opposite, was even more surprised. These days, Xi Congshuang had been coming to the company despite her illness, all for the position of CEO.

What does it mean to give up at the last minute?

Despite the many gazes, Xi Congshuang remained calm and said, "I am not in good health and I am afraid I am not up to the task. I vote for Xi Hanran."

What's even stranger is that those who support Xi Congshuang didn't seem surprised at all, presumably because they had already discussed it beforehand; the only one unaware was Xi Pingxian.

The outcome was self-evident.

Xiao Wang, who was left in the assistant's office instead of attending the meeting with Ni An, brought a large bag of ice cream to the office floor.

She was frantically distributing the ice cream from Xi Congshuang's office.

Xiao Wang was generous, showering everyone with gifts like a freeloader: "Don't be shy, everyone, come and have afternoon tea."

"Wow, I want the chocolate flavor."

"Has Xiao Wang struck it rich lately? He's treating everyone to such expensive ice cream?"

"Do you have vanilla flavor? Oh, thank you, Xiao Wang~"

Xiao Wang almost wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking, "Please stop asking, just eat quickly, finish before the boss shows up!"

Xiao Wang smiled and said, "Oh, no, no, actually I took it from President Xi's refrigerator. She's been avoiding spicy food lately, so she told me not to waste it and to share it with everyone."

"I see."

"Thank you for the afternoon tea, Mr. Xi."

"Opening champagne halfway through? How pretentious." Someone muttered, and Xiao Wang's ears twitched.

Xiao Wangxiu appeared and snatched the ice cream from his hand: "Eat it or don't, stop talking nonsense."

The employee was furious: "You..."

Xiao Wang stuffed the ice cream into his pocket: "What, you're not happy? I can eat two ice creams by myself and I don't have menstrual cramps, so what?"

staff:"……"

Xiao Wang looked at another employee, who quickly waved his hand and said, "I didn't answer him, I didn't."

The employee who promptly distanced himself from the situation successfully saved his Häagen-Dazs business.

Being able to afford it is one thing, but whether you're willing to buy it and eat it is another matter entirely.

Besides, we're just colleagues, not very close. Who would be so foolish as to publicly agree with someone who talks about higher-ups?

Xiao Wang then walked away with the empty bag.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he walked down the corridor, relieved that he had finally finished distributing the food.

Xiao Wang still feels lingering fear when he recalls the scene before his boss left the office.

At that time, Xi Congshuang was looking for ice cubes in the refrigerator to put into her coffee. When she opened the refrigerator door, she found it full of popsicles and ice cream.

These are all things that Cheng Zhishu loved to eat, and they were things she had been asked to replenish regularly. However, since Cheng Zhishu left, everyone has tacitly agreed not to mention her.

However, there is an exception: when the boss suddenly calls Xiao Shu's name and finds no one responding, she pauses for three seconds, then continues working.

At that moment, Xi Congshuang, holding a coffee in one hand, stared blankly at the refrigerator, her polite smile vanishing.

Xiao Wang, who was passing by: "!"

At that moment, Xiao Wang seemed to see thick black smoke emanating from the boss.

Oh my god! Oh my god!

Forgot that Xiao Shu wouldn't be coming to the company anymore, and still stuffed the boss's fridge full of ice cream as usual!

This is like dancing on the boss's minefield!

Xiao Wang felt his soul leave his body on the spot, as if he had seen the end of the world.

Unexpectedly, Xi Congshuang closed the refrigerator, stopped drinking her coffee, and left with Ni An.

Left behind in the office to clean up the mess, Xiao Wang could only stand there sullenly, saying "What's wrong with my young lady?" while packing the ice creams into bags and taking them out to distribute.

*

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out, with most people surrounding Xi Hanran to offer their congratulations, creating a lively atmosphere.

Xi Pingxian suddenly stood up and followed Xi Congshuang.

Xi Pingxian quickened her pace to walk alongside Xi Congshuang and asked, "Are you content with this?"

Xi Congshuang said, "Why am I not reconciled? This was the ending I had envisioned."

As she spoke, she looked straight ahead. Xi Pingxian looked at her for a long time and couldn't see any reluctance in her expression; in fact, she seemed quite satisfied.

The corridor was covered with a thick carpet, which absorbed the sound of heels. It was at this moment that she realized Xi Congshuang had changed a lot.

Her temperament is completely different from before; she prefers to plan carefully before acting and is no longer impulsive.

He was still not satisfied with just letting Xi Pingxian go: "I didn't know you had a hobby of doing things for others."

It seems that everyone always forgets one thing: Xi Congshuang is indeed a patient.

The day she would be going into the operating room was not far away. Xi Pingxian somehow found out that Xi Congshuang was going to have surgery. She was thinking that if Xi Congshuang succeeded in taking over, she would take advantage of her vulnerability during her surgery.

It's not difficult to temporarily sideline her; once the door is opened, things are usually easy to resolve.

Even if Xi Congshuang were stupid, she wouldn't dare to ask Chairman Xi for help; that would be a sign of her incompetence.

Who knew she would take such an unconventional approach, relinquishing the position of CEO and completely disrupting Xi Pingxian's plans.

Xi Congshuang: "It's not too late for you to know now."

After saying that, she accelerated the wheelchair, and Ni An, wearing flat shoes, quickly followed, skillfully and swiftly.

Xi Pingxian: "..."

Wearing eight-centimeter stilettos, she couldn't keep up at all.

Instead of causing trouble for others, you've only caused trouble for yourself.

After the meeting ended, Xi Congshuang did not leave the company immediately. Instead, she took a cup of coffee that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and opened the refrigerator door.

This time, she searched through the mostly empty refrigerator for a long time before finally finding the ice she needed.

Watching her pour the frozen ice into the coffee, Xiao Wang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xi Congshuang's back was not emitting any black smoke.

To everyone's surprise, she looked at the refrigerator while holding her coffee, and after a while, Xi Congshuang turned around and asked, "Ice cream, is it all gone?"

Xiao Wang: "..."

What's wrong now, my young lady?

Weren't you just staring at the refrigerator with an expression that said you wanted to blow it up?

Why are you looking for ice cream as soon as you get back from a meeting?

Xiao Wang hurriedly asked, "What flavor would you like to eat? I'll go buy it right away."

Xi Congshuang: "Blueberries."

Xiao Wang: "I'll go buy it right now."

Just as she stepped out of the office, she suddenly remembered something and turned a corner toward the break room.

She took out the ice cream she had just snatched from the ungrateful person from the refrigerator, thinking to herself that the shop owner really knew how to pick things; the box she snatched just happened to be blueberry flavored.

After waiting for five minutes, Xiao Wang finally brought the box of ice cream into the office.

Xi Congshuang finished eating before leaving the company.

No one knows what she was thinking when she ate ice cream while looking out the window.

After that day, Xi Congshuang stopped coming to the company altogether and completely returned to staying indoors.

Only Xi Congshuang's assistant, Ni An, could occasionally see her, not in the Wenhai area as everyone expected, but at the hospital.

After a long time, Xi Congshuang returned to the place filled with the smell of disinfectant and changed into a soft, pure white hospital gown.

When Ni An knocked on the door and came in, the early autumn sunlight shone into the room and onto the hospital bed. The person leaning against the bed was fair and translucent, gazing at the large trees outside the window whose treetops had turned yellow.

Seeing this scene, Ni An felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

It's as if her boss really became a fragile snowflake, melting as soon as the sun shines on her.

The person behind her couldn't resist taking a few steps forward and standing by the window to look outside.

After a while, Xi Hanran turned around and asked, "What's outside? Why are you so engrossed in looking at it?"

Ni An: "..."

Atmosphere, oh atmosphere! Executive Xi, don't you even consider the atmosphere?!

Xi Congshuang's pale lips moved slightly: "I'm watching the trajectory of the falling leaves."

Xi Hanran: "?"

This doesn't sound like something someone who wants to live would say.

"Imagine yourself hanging on a hang glider, unable to fly steadily," Xi Congshuang added calmly.

Xi Hanran: "That thing is still in Wencan's warehouse, so don't even think about it. To be honest, I'm afraid of heights, and I would never try it even if you killed me."

Xi Congshuang nodded: "I know."

Xi Hanran almost wanted her assistant to throw away the fruit basket she brought: "Knowing that you still gave away a hang glider and an instructor!?"

"..."

Xi Congshuang shifted her gaze to the window, but Xi Hanran couldn't stand it and walked up to her, blocking her view: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xi Congshuang slowly lay down and pulled the blanket over her head: "I'm sleepy."

Xi Hanran was so angry that she wanted to pull off her blanket and make her get up and start arguing again, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to do it and left quietly.

In the living room of the hospital suite, Xi Hanran pulled Ni An aside and asked, "With her mental state, can she really make it through the surgery?"

That damned Xi Congshuang kept the risks of the surgery a complete secret. If Xi Hanran hadn't accidentally seen the medical records, no one would have known what she was doing.

Why go through the pain of surgery with such a high failure rate?

But if you put yourself in Xi Hanran's shoes, and someone advised her to give up, she probably wouldn't agree either.

Ni An was also helpless and could only say, "The boss has made his decision, and Chairman Xi has no choice but to accept it."

Xi Hanran couldn't sit still. She paced around the room and then asked, "That child, there's still no news of him?"

Ni An looked even more helpless and shook her head: "The boss said it's what she should do, and we can't blame her."

"..."

Xi Hanran was visibly more irritable. If Xi Congshuang had seen this, she would have said: "Executive Xi, you are so unsteady. It's a waste of all the training I've given you."

That damned Xi Congshuang! She's clearly her aunt!

She had no idea what had happened between Cheng Zhishu and Xi Congshuang before Cheng Zhishu left. The two, who were usually so close, managed to refrain from contacting each other.

Anyway, she can't understand it.

*

As the surgery date drew closer, Xi Hanran visited the hospital more frequently, as if she were the one going under the knife.

She's just naturally lacking in attention to detail; the areas where she should be attentive aren't exactly like this. But the atmosphere was so obvious that even someone with a thick skin should have noticed.

She held back for a long time, but couldn't hold back any longer: "Why aren't you nervous at all? You're going into surgery in three days, and you..."

Xi Hanran didn't know what to say next.

Xi Congshuang leaned on the table with one hand: "I've been there too many times, I'm used to it."

"Please don't call the operating table a lecture platform, okay?" Xi Hanran peeled an apple like a caregiver, the apple in her hand getting smaller and smaller until it was almost just the core.

Not only was it incredibly ugly, but it was also incredibly small. She was too embarrassed to give it to the patient, so she ate it herself.

When the nurse came in for rounds, she gave her a rather speechless look, thinking to herself, "Does this person have a grudge against Miss Xi? How can she eat fruit while the patient watches?"

Xi Hanran was still happily munching on her apple while the nurse patiently asked Xi Congshuang questions.

On the day of the surgery, Xi Hanran was so nervous that she was practically out of her mind and blurted out whatever came to mind.

She said to Xi Congshuang, "You, you, you have to be okay, or I'll send your cat to work at a cat cafe for the rest of its life and won't let anyone redeem it!"

Everyone present: !

What a terrifying threat!

Xi Congshuang glanced at her, and Xi Hanran thought her threat had worked, when she heard her ask, "Executive Xi, how old are you?"

"puff…"

Someone chuckled to themselves.

Xi Hanran said with a serious face: "Your moral blackmail won't work. You have to behave yourself, or I'll really send the cat to a cat cafe."

Xi Congshuang closed her eyes, lying on the transfer bed, unable to bear the sight.

Xi Hanran caught up with him a few steps: "Even if you come back and give me a glider coach for a football team, that would be fine. I can afford to support him with my current salary!"

Later, Ni An rushed over and grabbed Xi Hanran: "Boss, don't worry, I will definitely stop Xi from doing such a terrible thing as sending Nao Nao to work in a cat cafe for the rest of her life!"

After realizing what had happened, Xiao Liu expressed strong condemnation: "How could you be so cruel to a kitten? It's only a little over a year old!"

"..."

Xi Congshuang closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see this group of shameful people.

The transfer vehicle was pushed all the way to the operating room. The people who had been arguing stopped and all fell silent, beginning a period of waiting.

Not long after, Ms. Xi arrived late. She was stuck in traffic on her way and was unable to personally escort the person inside.

A few minutes later, she also sat down and waited quietly.

Across time zones and the other side of the ocean, a emaciated woman was taken into the operating room, forcing her family to stop.

Flora couldn't sit still at all; even though the doctor repeatedly assured her, she was still very worried about the people inside.

After a moment of clarity amidst her chaotic thoughts, Flora slowly turned her gaze to the other side, where a person sat silently with their head bowed.

She stayed in country M to attend university, which wasn't difficult for the Wen family to manage. Moreover, Wen Lingwang had finally found his child and only wanted to give her the best; he wished he could pluck the stars from the sky and give them to her.

Furthermore, Cheng Zhishu is not one to be looked down upon; she forced herself to adapt to the environment and integrate into the school atmosphere, and is now highly regarded.

A few days ago, she took leave from school to visit her mother in the hospital.

Unexpectedly, Wen Lingwang was flattered by Cheng Zhishu's initiative to come.

She thought the other person wouldn't want to come, and she was prepared to wake up and not find her child beside her. She was overjoyed when the other person came.

Wen Lingwang felt deeply sorry for what happened in the past and apologized to Cheng Zhishu more than once, saying that she had failed to protect her back then.

Cheng Zhishu didn't know how to react. She kept repeating "it's okay" to reassure the frail woman.

While comforting her, Cheng Zhishu wondered what would have happened to her if she hadn't come.

Will she never wake up, just like Flora feared most?

In the silence, someone broke the silence.

Flora: "Actually, yesterday, the head of the family summoned a lawyer and witnesses to amend the will. If something happens to her, everything she owns now will be inherited by you."

Cheng Zhishu: "..."

She knew she should react, and after struggling for a while, Cheng Zhishu said softly, "Yes, thank you for telling me."

After that, there was no further conversation.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly. The pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital assaulted all five senses. Occasionally, a nurse speaking a foreign language would hurry by, and then the corridor would fall silent again.

In the face of life and death, everyone is equal.

Even Wen Lingwang, who possesses countless assets, is no exception. Finding her biological child not only rekindled her vitality but also brought her a sense of relief.

The sudden disappearance of a long-standing emotional knot in one's heart is not necessarily a good thing for a patient suffering from a serious illness, and Flora's worries have never diminished in the slightest.

What startled her even more yesterday was that Wen Lingwang, who suddenly asked her to bring in a lawyer and witnesses, had a rosy complexion and bright eyes, as if time had turned back ten years.

But she had no choice but to find the person Wen Lingwang wanted.

Suddenly, Cheng Zhishu grabbed her other arm and let out a sob that she could no longer hold back her tears.

Flora was startled; she heard the sound of tears falling.

Cheng Zhishu's vision blurred, and the knuckles of her hand gripping her arm turned white from the force. For some reason, a suffocating heartache spread through her heart.

It seems something happened without her knowledge, and she is heartbroken.

Before she could even react, tears were already streaming down her face.

Flora asked, "Are you sad? Because of the head of the family? She'll be alright."

She was initially worried, but when Cheng Zhishu arrived, she knew that the head of the family would definitely pull through.

Cheng Zhishu couldn't stop crying, wiping her face vigorously with both hands and shaking her head.

"I don't know, I don't know, I really don't know, but I'm so sad..."

"..."

Flora was at a loss. Since meeting Cheng Zhishu, she had only seen Cheng Zhishu with red eyes when boarding the plane, but she had never seen Cheng Zhishu cry.

I was about to take out the tissues I brought and hand them to her, but she choked up and took out a handkerchief from her pocket, put it on her eyes, and let her tears soak them.

Flora silently put away the tissue and stood to the side in silence.

Cheng Zhishu silently shed tears, occasionally letting out a suppressed sob.

The handkerchief, once washed clean, never had a chance to be returned.

When she walked out of the Xi family's gate thinking she had nothing, there was a neatly folded handkerchief in her pocket.

These were the only two things she brought with her; the other was a necklace she wore around her neck.

Even after a long time, Cheng Zhishu still feels heartache every time she recalls that night because of the look in his eyes.

If I move any closer, it will only annoy people, so I might as well leave it as it is.

The surgery lasted an exceptionally long time, from dawn until dusk, and just as night was about to fall, the operating room door was finally opened.

Dr. Xu, pale-faced, walked out of the door. Long surgeries are tiring for doctors, and she could fall asleep anytime if given a reclining chair.

However, she still couldn't sleep, as she had to deal with questions from the patients' families.

Facing pairs of eager eyes, Dr. Xu removed his mask and replied, "The surgery was successful. The next step in the diagnosis will have to wait until Miss Xi wakes up."

Having said all that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and stopped pressuring the doctor to ask further questions.

Xi Congshuang was transferred back to her ward. She had just undergone surgery and was not allowed to visit for the time being.

The others could only peek through the observation window at the sleeping figure inside. Her chest was rising and falling weakly; she was still weak after the surgery and needed rest.

Everyone initially thought things were going well, believing they would see Xi Congshuang wake up the next day and then get the test results.

Whether or not I can stand up, as long as I'm alive, that's all that matters.

However, three days passed without Xi Congshuang showing any signs of waking up.

She slept peacefully like Sleeping Beauty, and no magic could awaken her.

The brave warrior who had the courage to push through the thorns was on the other side of the ocean, nowhere to be found, unable to wake her with a kiss.

The waiting time was agonizing; even the red apple, which was so angry it refused to log on, appeared and slowly landed by the bedside.

It cannot control Xi Congshuang's consciousness and behavior, but monitoring her vital signs is still very easy. As everyone can see, her vital signs are weak.

There is a risk of death at any time.

There are also patients in the world who survive the surgical period but not the recovery period; this is a high-stakes gamble with their lives at stake.

What if the host dies in the mission world?

Red Apple really didn't know how to solve this problem; the Supreme God hadn't told it, and it was truly a headache.

Suddenly, the red apple perked up its drooping wings and stared intently at a certain spot.

In its eyes, the faint vital signs suddenly underwent a significant change.

It then gradually rose, and at this point, the red apple stopped looking at the virtual panel and instead looked at the profile on the pillow. The long eyelashes trembled, and the sleeping person finally opened their eyes.

With her smoky gray eyes staring blankly into the void, Xi Congshuang was still oblivious to the outside world. The ward was very quiet, and there was no caregiver to stimulate her senses.

Seeing that she was about to close her eyes again, Red Apple couldn't help but say, "Don't sleep! Don't sleep, Xi Congshuang!"

It flapped its wings and flew up, almost as if it wanted to slap Xi Congshuang's face to wake her up and drain the water from her brain.

I finally managed to sign this host, and even though he's a bit disobedient, please don't die!

————————

[Pink Heart][Pink Heart]