As soon as he left, the crowd erupted in commotion. Some people thought that Zhuang Yan was acting impulsively and that he would shamelessly go to the Xia family to apologize and beg for forgiveness once his anger subsided.
It's no wonder they think that way. After all, everyone in the industry has witnessed Zhuang Yan's pursuit of Xia Wan over the past three years. He's always at her beck and call, doing whatever she asks, as obedient as a dog. How could he possibly just call off the engagement like that?
Furthermore, given the cooperative relationship between the Zhuang and Xia families, it's unlikely that the two would break off their engagement.
The Xia family doesn't care, but the Zhuang family is the main concern. They are now completely dependent on the Xia family for cooperation. If the Xia family gets upset and cuts off the cooperation, the Zhuang family will suffer huge losses. If the shareholders make a fuss, Zhuang Yan's position as heir will be in jeopardy.
As a second-generation rich kid, without the support of his family, he is nothing. Is Zhuang Yan really willing to give up this huge business?
The more defiant Zhuang Yan is now, the more miserable he will be when he admits his mistakes later. This matter with the Xia family is not so easy to let go of.
Zhuang Yan drove off directly from the parking lot. Just as he got into the car, his father, Zhuang Zhongming, called.
"Zhuang Yan, you get back here right now and apologize to everyone..."
Zhuang Yan calmly said, "Why should I apologize? What did I do wrong? Shouldn't Xia Wan be the one apologizing?"
Upon hearing this on the phone, Zhuang Zhongming flew into a rage: "What right do you have to demand an apology from Xia Wan? Zhuang Yan, I'm warning you, we can't afford to offend the Xia family. You'd better be obedient and sensible. You're 23 years old, not a child anymore. You should prioritize the bigger picture. Why didn't you discuss it with us before announcing the annulment of the engagement? Do you even care about your parents? You've never given us a moment's peace since you were little. You've even made your mother faint. Are you trying to drive her to her death?!"
"If you're so angry you faint, you should go to the hospital, not tell me."
"How dare you talk to me like that? If you don't come back today, then get out and never come back!"
"Okay, I'll hurry up and pack." After saying that, Zhuang Yan hung up the phone. A little while later, Zhuang Chongming called again, but Zhuang Yan blocked him so as not to disturb his driving.
He returned to his apartment building. The apartment wasn't big; it had three bedrooms, a living room, and two bathrooms. He and Xia Wan lived there.
Although it was a marriage between wealthy families, he did pursue Xia Wan for three years. Xia Wan's attitude towards him changed from indifference at the beginning to treating him like a friend. Although she wasn't particularly enthusiastic, the two could at least live together and never had any conflicts or arguments.
Behind this "peace" was Zhuang Yan's forbearance and accommodation. During the year they lived together, Zhuang Yan did everything, big and small, all by himself, playing three roles in one person.
Xia Wan doesn't like eating takeout, so Zhuang Yan learned to cook. She's a bit of a clean freak, so Zhuang Yan keeps the house spotless.
Xia Wan didn't like to let Zhuang Yan do many things, but she was too lazy to do them herself, so she left everything to Zhuang Yan. For example, Zhuang Yan almost always washed her clothes by hand. Not only did he have to wash them clean, but they also had to be wrinkle-free. After washing and drying them, he would even use a fragrance diffuser on them.
Needless to say, Xia Wan is a picky eater with a refined palate. She doesn't like this or that, and he spent a long time researching her diet before he could satisfy her. Therefore, no matter how tired he was from work, he would always come home on time to cook.
It is said that marriage requires two people to maintain it, but being with Xia Wan is entirely due to Zhuang Yan's efforts. Zhuang Yan couldn't help but think of the medical report he received in his previous life. In addition to the most serious stomach cancer, he also had heart and lung failure. It can be said that all his internal organs were diseased.
He took good care of Xia Wan, his family and children, and ensured his elderly parents passed away peacefully, but he failed to take good care of himself.
Zhuang Yan didn't have many belongings. When she packed away her daily necessities, they were all in pairs, and Xia Wan's shadow was everywhere.
Zhuang Yan only took his clothes and some of his valuables, throwing away things like the couple's mugs and slippers he had bought.
He took less than he threw away. Zhuang Yan asked an aunt who collects recyclables in the property management group and called her to come and collect them. The things he bought for tens of thousands of yuan back then can't even be sold for two hundred yuan now.
Before leaving, Zhuang Yan touched the engagement ring on his body. He opened the box and glanced at it. The engagement ring that should have been on Xia Wan's hand was now thrown into the trash can.
With a flick of his wrist, the weight that had been pressing down on his shoulders vanished instantly, and Zhuang Yan smiled from the bottom of his heart: "Goodbye, Xia Wan."
Zhuang Yan withdrew his gaze, dragged his suitcase, and left.
...
Hospital.
Xia Wan suddenly felt a pang of fear. She instinctively reached for her phone, but couldn't find it after searching for a while.
Lying on the hospital bed, Gu Qian asked, "Are you looking for your phone?"
Xia Wan then realized that in order to focus on spending time with Gu Qian, she had given her phone to Gu Qian and turned on the do-not-disturb mode.
"If you want the phone, I'll give it to you; if you want to leave, I won't stop you."
Xia Wan shook her head: "I just wanted to see what time it is."
Gu Qian took out his phone and glanced at it: "It's almost 12 o'clock."
If she hadn't come to the hospital today, she should be going around toasting Zhuang Yan at each table right now.
Xia Wan's visit here was entirely impromptu; she didn't intentionally break her promise. At eight o'clock in the morning, she received a call from Gu Qian's agent, who told her that Gu Qian had accidentally fallen while filming a wire-worked fight scene and that his condition was serious. Upon hearing this, she immediately took a car to the hospital.
Gu Qian's injury wasn't serious; he just twisted a bone and couldn't film for the next few days, so he had to rest in the hospital.
Xia Wan originally planned to leave after watching him, but it was 300 kilometers away, which would take three hours by car, and she would be late to get back.
Given that it was also Gu Qian's birthday today, Xia Wan chose to stay almost without hesitation.
It's an engagement party, not a wedding. She's not here, but the Xia family and Zhuang Yan will cover for her. She can just explain it to her when she gets back tonight. No matter what, Zhuang Yan will definitely understand.
We'll make it up to them by having a proper wedding banquet on the day of the wedding.
Xia Wan's thinking was very simple. In her understanding of Zhuang Yan, he was a man who was easy to get along with, had a good temper, and always went along with her. No matter what mistakes she made, he would never blame her.
Everyone around her said that Zhuang Yan was head over heels in love with her. She wouldn't use the word "simp" to insult Zhuang Yan. She was willing to marry Zhuang Yan because he was too good to her. She had a very comfortable year living with him, so she didn't mind extending the time.
It was noon, time for lunch. The lunch that Xia Wan had her assistant arrange had arrived. Since this place was remote and there were no five-star hotels, the assistant could only order takeout from a highly-rated restaurant.
The single ward was quite spacious and had everything one could need. Since Gu Qian had injured his leg and had difficulty moving around, his assistant moved the table to the bedside and set out the food.
These are all dishes that Xia Wan likes to eat. Xia Wan glanced at them and saw that the dishes looked pretty good and delicious. She picked up her chopsticks, took a few bites, and then put them down.
Gu Qian put down his chopsticks and looked at her: "The food doesn't suit your taste?"
"I'm not hungry right now, and I don't really want to eat." This was a lie to Gu Qian. Her eating habits were normal; she would get hungry at mealtimes. The reason she didn't want to eat now was simply because the dishes weren't as good as Zhuang Yan's.
She wasn't such a picky eater before, but ever since she got together with Zhuang Yan, he's spoiled her and she's become increasingly picky, which is really not a good habit.
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