Suddenly awake, Yu Tang tried her best to suppress the trembling in her voice, and finally...
Ivan was the only one among them who didn't know the true relationship between the boss and Miss Yu.
Miss Yu is the eldest brother's aunt, so according to seniority, isn't she his great-aunt? Therefore, although he and Yu Tang are about the same age, Ivan has great respect for Yu Tang.
On her way to the nursing home, Yu Tang passed by the apartment building where the old lady lived. She glanced in the direction of the building, but ultimately suppressed the urge to go and see her. She couldn't cause any more trouble for the old lady.
When she arrived at the supermarket, Yu Tang bought not only couplets but also some oranges, as she wanted to bring good luck in the new year.
Back in the car, Yu Tang gave Ivan a plump orange: "Wishing you a prosperous and successful new year."
Ivan didn't have a deep understanding of Eastern culture, and he spoke English better than Chinese. He tilted his head and looked at the orange in his hand, a little puzzled by Yu Tang's four words, "Everything is a good orange."
Seeing that he didn't understand the pun, Yu Tang awkwardly explained, "Ju (桔) and Ji (吉) sound very similar, and their pronunciations are also somewhat alike, so 'Wan Shi Da Ju' (万事大桔) is a pun on wishing you all the best."
"I understand, thank you, Miss Yu!" Ivan happily accepted the gift. He thought to himself, "This young lady is just like any other girl her age, but I don't know why her smile is always so faint, as if nothing can truly make her happy."
He had seen Yu Tang truly happy before. When the boss took her to the underwater restaurant in Malta, Miss Yu's eyes were always sparkling as she followed behind the boss, drinking a milkshake. It was precisely because he had seen that he knew Miss Yu was not happy at all at this moment.
The sanatorium was quieter than usual, with only a few doctors and nurses on duty.
Ivan helped Yu Tang set out candies, nuts, and fruit on the table. Ivan also brought some fireworks from the car. Chen Diao and the others would also come over to celebrate the holiday that evening.
Yu Tang looked at her brother on the hospital bed and sighed softly. To make the room a little more quiet and prevent it from being too deathly silent, Yu Tang turned on the television. The new Prime Minister, Somsak, was delivering his New Year's address.
The changes this year have been tremendous. Her brother fell seriously ill, and her relationship with Yu Chaoxian deteriorated irreversibly. She went to university in a foreign country and experienced several escapes. When she returned to Taicheng, a city she thought she knew very well, the prime minister had changed.
It seems like everything around us is changing rapidly, but my brother and those beautiful memories remain in the same place.
Yu Tang was filled with countless thoughts.
Ivan could see Yu Tang's sadness even through the glass, but he didn't understand her feelings at all. He could only report to his boss that Miss Yu had cried because of the scenery.
The landline phone on the table suddenly rang. Yu Tang went over to look at the caller ID; it was "Curry Fish Balls." Yu Tang used to order curry fish balls from this restaurant when she was at the sanatorium, so she had their number saved.
That's strange, why would the shop call her?
When the call connected, it was surprisingly Uncle Guan's voice!
Guan Zhongpeng's own phone was being tapped, and if he called, Chen Diao would definitely find out immediately. Fortunately, Guan Zhongpeng knew that Yu Tang liked this curry fish ball restaurant, and he learned at the funeral that Yu Tang would be coming to the sanatorium early in the morning to spend New Year's Eve, so he came up with this idea and used the owner of the curry fish ball restaurant's phone to call during lunchtime.
That way, even if someone other than Yu Tang answers the call, he can immediately hand the phone to his boss and let his boss speak.
"Hello?"
Upon hearing Yu Tang's voice, Guan Zhongpeng's heart skipped a beat. He could finally tell Yu Tang the truth!
"Miss Tang, is Young Master Yu with you now?"
Yu Tang keenly sensed that Guan Zhongpeng definitely didn't want Yu Chaoxian to know what he was about to say. She glanced at Ivan outside the glass door and told Guan Zhongpeng to wait for her.
She said to Ivan at the door, "Ivan, I ordered curry fish balls and curry crab for delivery. Could you wait outside for a while and bring them to me?"
After all, this sanatorium is not a place that ordinary people can enter.
"Okay." Ivan quickly went out to wait for the takeout.
Next, Yu Tang listened quietly to Guan Zhongpeng's words, as if she were a walking corpse.
“Miss Tang… the person who caused Uncle Yu to fall into a coma was Young Master Yu! In order to take over the base's weapons business, he deliberately spilled Uncle Yu's medicine, putting it out of his reach. If Uncle Yu had taken the medicine in time, he wouldn't be in a coma and in a vegetative state now…” Guan Zhongpeng’s words were full of regret. “I should have told Miss Tang earlier, but Young Master Yu threatened me with my mother’s life, so I couldn’t tell you the truth. I still have this recording on my phone. I was at the base at the time, and there were cameras recording it, but they destroyed it. However, I copied the audio beforehand…”
As the recording played, a hissing noise was followed by Yu Chaoxian's voice.
"Dad, you know what, my little aunt smells pretty good?"
"You, you beast! She's your aunt! You can't touch her..."
Suddenly, the sound of medicine being spilled rang out, followed by a "crash" as a glass shattered. Yu Tang heard Yu Chaoxian's disdainful tone: "It's outrageous of you to take a liking to your own stepmother, and I, as her son, am naturally no better. Wanting to have a taste of my own aunt isn't a big deal. Besides, you told me to cultivate a good relationship with her over the next two weeks. If I actually did, you'd be unhappy again."
As Yu Chaoxian finished speaking, Yu Tang heard her brother's rapid, painful breathing, followed by the sound of him collapsing heavily to the ground.
Chen Diao's voice was muffled, as if he were asking Yu Chaoxian whether he should call an ambulance now.
Yu Tang's pupils suddenly contracted, her ears rang, and her blood seemed to freeze in an instant. Before her eyes lay her brother lying pale on the hospital bed.
Just then, the ward door suddenly opened, and Yu Tang looked at the tall figure coming towards her—Yu Chaoxian had heard from Ivan that Yu Tang had cried, so he came back early and was now walking towards her.
The man who watched helplessly as his father fell to the ground but chose not to help was right across from her, slowly unbuttoning his cuffs and loosening his tie.
He walked closer to her step by step.
Yu Tang's breathing trembled violently, her fingers gripped the phone tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
"Young Master Yu deliberately got close to you at first to lower Uncle Yu's guard." The voice on the phone continued, while the man's footsteps were already close at hand.
Yu Chaoxian's shadow was elongated by the light, first enveloping half of her body, like a silent net.
Yu Tang staggered back half a step, as if seeing Yu Chaoxian for the first time. The shock, fear, and hatred in her eyes erupted like a volcano, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
Yu Chaoxian noticed her unusual behavior and approached her with a slight frown. Hearing from Ivan that she had been crying, he knew without a doubt that it was because of Yu Yanting.
She looked up, gazing into his deep eyes. How good was he at pretending, or was he simply heartless, able to come to the sanatorium with such composure after committing such despicable and inhuman acts?
Yu Tang recalled that bloody video again. Regardless of whether the video was fabricated or real, in Yu Tang's mind, Yu Chaoxian was already such a ruthless and inhuman demon!
"Whose call was that?" Yu Chaoxian had already come up to her, the corners of his lips still bearing that half-smile, but the warmth in his eyes had quietly faded, replaced by a sharp scrutiny.
Yu Tang tried her best to suppress the trembling in her voice. She finally understood that this play had to be performed until the very last moment.
She said into the phone, "Yes, the curry fish balls and curry crab I just ordered, how long until they arrive? Okay... please deliver them as soon as possible, thank you."
A second before Yu Chao reached out first, Yu Tang pressed the hang-up button, ending the call.
"Okay, stop crying." Yu Chaoxian reached out to pull her into his arms. Yu Tang was all smiles when she came, but after just one morning apart, she looked so dejected, her eyes red like a rabbit's. In the end, it was all Yu Yanting's fault; even in her coma, she caused him trouble.
However, as Yu Chaoxian approached, Yu Tang reacted instinctively, abruptly swatting away Yu Chaoxian's hand, unwilling to have any contact with him.
Her brother was his father; their blood relation was even stronger than that between her and her brother. She couldn't understand how Yu Chaoxian could pretend to be so calm, without the slightest regret or guilt, and without even a trace of guile or evasion on his face.
Yu Chaoxian looked at the hand that had been slapped away, its knuckles still maintaining the arc of its previous touch. The force of Yu Tang's slap wasn't actually that great, but it felt like an invisible boundary had suddenly appeared between the two of them.
The hand that had been slapped away slowly retracted, and Yu Chaoxian gently rubbed his palm with his fingertips, his lowered gaze locking onto her. If Yu Tang was crying because of Yu Yanting, then he hadn't seen her cry like this on the previous visits.
Yu Chaoxian's gaze fell on the phone call again. He had just seen the caller ID read "Curry Fish Balls." Ivan was waiting outside for the delivery person to come over, so there was no problem.
Ivan came in carrying takeout. Yu Chaoxian looked at him and asked, "Who caused this?"
This question stumped Ivan, who quickly shook his head like a rattle-drum: "No, it wasn't me, I was getting takeout!"
Yu Tang spoke up at the right moment: "It has nothing to do with Ivan, I'm just not feeling well."
Yu Chaoxian frowned, unsure if he was feeling unwell but didn't know to see a doctor. "Where do you feel unwell? Call the doctor over."
The man had taken a step closer, his shadow completely enveloping her. "No need," Yu Tang said, her breath trembling slightly, looking down. "It's menstrual cramps."
Yu Chao glanced at the spicy crab and asked Ivan to get her a bowl of hot soup.
"Can I go to my room to rest for a while?" Yu Tang didn't want to be alone with him.
Just as Yu Chaoxian was about to accompany her upstairs, his phone rang. Remembering how he had annoyed her with his earlier phone call and seeing her red, tear-filled eyes, he figured it would be good for her to rest, so he waved for her to go back to her room upstairs.
"Yu Tang".
As soon as Yu Tang went upstairs, she heard the man calling her, so she had no choice but to turn around.
"Stop crying, you hear me? Come down and have some soup later." Yu Chaoxian's voice was low and deep, without any hint of anger, yet it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.
"I know." Yu Tang held back the sob in her voice.
After Yu Tang went upstairs, Yu Chaoxian answered Mickey's call.
"Boss, the man has been locked up."
Yu Chao first looked up at the second floor, hummed in agreement, and then shifted his gaze to the phone, "Go and look up another number for me."
Yu Tang recalled that stormy night; this sanatorium held too many unpleasant memories.
Whether Yu Tang wants to remember or not, as soon as she enters this room, those memories will flood her mind.
She still remembers the time when she was being chased by her brother's enemy, Li Xiang. She and Yu Chaoxian hid in a villa, and Yu Chaoxian guarded the building, preventing those people from getting any closer to her. On the rooftop of Maerzhou, Yu Chaoxian fell from the sky on a helicopter and saved her from that pervert. And when the helicopter was blown up in the air, Yu Chaoxian jumped down from mid-air with her in his arms.
Almost every time, Yu Chaoxian risked his own life to save her.
At the time, she thought that Yu Chaoxian was a person who valued family ties very much, which is why he saved her time and time again and did not abandon her. It was these things that gradually made her lower her guard against Yu Chaoxian.
The person who first accused Yu Chaoxian of harming her brother was Liang Jiaqi, but at that time she actually believed Yu Chaoxian so much that she went directly to ask him. If Yu Chaoxian said it wasn't true, then it definitely wasn't true.
Yu Chaoxian, who gave a negative answer at the time, looked completely calm, with no sign of anything amiss or guilt. She also found the idea of a child harming his father to be too absurd, so she hadn't thought about it carefully at all.
Now that the facts and evidence are before her, Uncle Guan would never lie to her. The truth came just in time, like an icy blade in the dead of winter, piercing her chest unexpectedly, and awakening Yu Tang's nerves that had been almost numbed by warmth.
Trapped in such a distorted relationship, she was in unbearable pain. She had no ability to take revenge on Yu Chaoxian, nor did she want to. She only wanted to leave him, forever and ever.
Thinking this, Yu Tang opened her phone, tapped Victor's number with practiced ease, and then exited. Yu Tang didn't know how many times she did this every day.
A sound came from outside the door. Yu Chaoxian pushed open the door and saw her looking at her phone. As if sensing Yu Chaoxian's gaze, Yu Tang's hand trembled, and she pressed the send button on the message.
Seeing him bring the soup over, she said, her face pale, "I have no appetite and don't want to drink it."
"Take a couple of sips before lying down." Yu Chaoxian pulled out her phone and threw it on the table.
Every time he looked at her, Yu Tang couldn't guess what would happen after his silent gaze.
Afraid that he might suddenly want to look at her phone, Yu Tang quickly brought over the soup and drank it, but her gaze remained fixed on Yu Chaoxian's face. Seeing that his gaze seemed to be looking at her phone, she slightly moved closer to him, blocking the phone behind her.
Yu Tang changed the subject, handing over the soup: "Would you like to try some? It's pretty good. Isn't your throat dry? This will soothe it."
"Drink yours." Yu Chaoxian raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased with Yu Tang's concern.
Yu Tang had no appetite, but she quickly finished the soup, hoping that Yu Chaoxian would leave soon after she finished it.
“Mickey and the others will be coming over tonight,” Yu Chaoxian said, putting his arm around her waist as she leaned closer. “Didn’t you want to see fireworks? Let them set them off for you.”
“Okay.” Yu Tang nodded obediently.
Yu Chaoxian gently stroked her soft hair, kissed her forehead, and told her about his itinerary: "Tomorrow I'm flying to Yehai. When I get back, we'll go to Italy for a vacation. After that, you'll be starting school. Are you going home or to the base these next few days?"
The order for Ye Hai was for weapons from Xu Yu'an. He went there in person to meet with the leaders of Ye Yin Sai. Since the Yu family had stepped forward to help the Yin Sai armed forces, the Yu family's merchant ships would have unimpeded access to Ye Hai from now on.
"Can't I stay here and keep my brother company?"
Yu Chaoxian was too lazy to argue with her about these things, and he hadn't planned to take her along anyway, so he readily agreed: "Okay." Mickey would be staying here anyway.
Chen Diao's knocking was very untimely, but Yu Tang was quite grateful that Chen Diao had arrived in time.
Yu Tang shrank back under the covers. Yu Chao tucked the blanket around her as he left and went to the balcony outside.
Watching Yu Chaoxian's figure leave, Yu Tang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly deleted the message.
The message she just sent to Victor was very simple, only three words: 【Daniel?】
If Victor really is Daniel, then Yu Tang only needs to send these three words, and Victor will definitely understand.
Yu Tang had hesitated before, but upon learning the truth about her brother's coma, all she wanted was to get away from Yu Chaoxian completely and forever. She didn't want to see him again, even in death.
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