Chapter 4 Squeeze in Shen Ci. He has class in the afternoon, so he'll eat with her...
Shen Ci had classes in the afternoon, so he left after having lunch with Shen Li, leaving Shen Wenyuan to stay in the ward to take care of her. When Jiang Huaichuan pushed the door open, Shen Wenyuan was looking at documents on a tablet. Hearing the noise, he looked up.
Their eyes met in mid-air, then they looked away without saying a word.
Jiang Huaichuan rushed to the bedside, bent down and looked at Shen Li's peaceful and gentle sleeping face. He gently placed his palm on Shen Li's chest, feeling the heartbeat under his palm, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the past few days, Jiang Huaichuan has done this action countless times. The first night, he didn't dare to sleep at all, staying up all night with his eyes open, holding Shen Li's wrist the whole time, feeling her pulse. In the following two days, although Lu Mingxuan forced him to sleep for two or three hours, as soon as he woke up, Jiang Huaichuan would leave the cot and silently sit next to Shen Li, pressing his palm against the heart that had recently stopped beating.
Ten minutes later.
"Shall we go outside and talk?" Shen Wenyuan turned off the tablet.
Jiang Huaichuan nodded.
This floor consists of VIP wards, each of which is a suite. Because of the large area, the ward doors are far apart.
"What's going on?" Shen Wenyuan pushed up his glasses, leaned against the wall, and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Xiao Li didn't tell me, but I think it's the same if I ask you."
Jiang Huaichuan was silent for a few seconds. His voice sounded hoarse and dry from not resting for several days: "Someone sent a divorce agreement to Shen Li. He saw it and thought it was my idea."
"Divorce agreement?" Shen Wenyuan keenly sensed something was wrong. He said with certainty, "You signed other agreements behind our backs."
Jiang Huaichuan recounted everything that happened five years ago before they got their marriage certificate, and as expected, he received a glare from Shen Wenyuan.
"Don't tell me you can't tell Xiao Li likes you." Shen Wenyuan thought to himself that if this bastard said "yes," he wouldn't mind giving him another punch. It's just a pity that Xiao Ci wasn't there, so he missed a kick and let him get away with it.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaichuan's eyes darkened. How could he not know? He wasn't blind. Shen Li's gaze was full of love, and her peach blossom eyes shone so brightly that it made one's heart tremble.
If the marriage was indeed based on mutual benefit, then after living together for many years, he had long since fallen in love with Shen Li.
Jiang Huaichuan thought the two of them had long been in love, but he never expected that their hasty marriage would make Shen Li walk on thin ice for 5 years.
After marriage, Shen Li was tolerant in every way, and the two never quarreled. Surrounded by the happy marriage created by Shen Li's constant concessions and compromises, Jiang Huaichuan was already immersed in it and completely forgot about the agreement from five years ago, which gave others an opportunity to take advantage of him.
"Who do you think it could be?" Shen Wenyuan asked, getting back to the point.
Jiang Huaichuan: "According to Shen Li, this document was mixed with other documents in the file bag. I put the document in there when I left work on Friday. I'm sure this document wasn't in there at the time."
Shen Wenyuan frowned: "Between Friday after get off work and when Xiao Li saw the divorce agreement, who could have accessed this file package of yours?"
Normally, Jiang Huaichuan's document bag is carried by his assistant Song An or Shen Li. The documents inside are numerous and important, even related to the development of the Jiang family. Song An and Shen Li are very careful and never let them out. Even when they go to a karaoke bar after work on Fridays, Shen Li still carries it with her.
Shen Li didn't drink at all and was perfectly sober. He kept the file bag under his hand, so even if one of Lin Hui's three men made a move, they definitely wouldn't be able to touch it.
Then… Jiang Huaichuan let out a short, mocking laugh.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang, I'm your new driver, Xiao Wang. I'll be driving for you for the time being. Please feel free to give me your instructions."
In the underground parking lot, a slightly overweight middle-aged man stood beside his car, bending over and greeting Jiang Huaichuan. His smile was somewhat awkward, and his right hand nervously rubbed the seam of his trousers.
This is the person who drove Uncle Wu during the time he was recovering from his broken bone.
When large corporations hire drivers, they conduct thorough background checks before hiring to prevent the candidates from being planted by competitors or enemies. These checks go into details such as the hospital the candidate was born in, the kindergarten they attended, and their interpersonal relationships.
Driver Xiao Wang was put on the job only after undergoing a thorough screening.
Thinking of this, frost settled in Jiang Huaichuan's eyes. There were traitors in the personnel department.
Shen Wenyuan understood: "There's progress?"
Jiang Huaichuan nodded and took out his phone to send a message to Song An.
"If you need any help, just let me know. Don't let him get away with this. If all else fails, leave it to me." Shen Wenyuan straightened up, patted Jiang Huaichuan's right shoulder twice, and revealed a ruthless smile on his face, which resembled Shen Li's seven parts.
Seeing this, Jiang Huaichuan silently took half a step back, staring at Shen Wenyuan's face speechlessly: "Can you stop smiling like that? You don't look like a good person."
Shen Wenyuan's lips stiffened, and he laughed and cursed, "Get lost!"
The next second, Shen Wenyuan's phone rang. After reading the message, his face turned ashen. "I'm not talking to you anymore. Go inside and keep Xiao Li company. Mom and Dad are back."
Since he took over the group, Shen's parents have been going on vacation, often away from home for ten days to half a month at a time. When Shen Wenyuan heard about Shen Li's accident, his mind went blank, and he only remembered to notify his parents after Shen Li was wheeled out of the emergency room.
Inside the ward, Shen Ci stopped Shen Wenyuan from making the phone call, saying that his parents were getting old and his mother was in poor health. He was afraid that if they told him, the two of them wouldn't be able to handle flying back in the middle of the night. Besides, Xiao Li was out of danger, so he suggested that they keep it a secret for now.
Upon hearing this, Shen Wenyuan thought it made sense, so he joined in "aiding and abetting the evildoer" and kept the matter a secret. Unexpectedly, the secret was exposed simply because Shen Li didn't like Shen's mother's post on WeChat Moments for a day. Shen's mother, who was over fifty years old, directly called from overseas in the middle of the night to chase after him, demanding to see her youngest son.
Mr. Shen, who is adept at setting traps for his competitors in the business world, can't utter a single word when facing his own parents.
Suddenly, Shen Wenyuan seemed to remember something, quickly opened the photo album and pulled out a class schedule, his face instantly darkening.
[Shen Wenyuan: Did you know Mom and Dad would be back this afternoon, so you ran away?]
[Shen Wenyuan: Don't hide! I know you're looking at your phone. You clearly didn't have class this afternoon.]
A few seconds after the message was sent, Shen Ci replied with a picture, taken of the podium, showing an old professor with a white beard speaking passionately.
Shen Wenyuan deftly opened the image, zoomed in for a closer look, and then—
[Shen Wenyuan: Fuck you! This is from yesterday, the time on it is all wrong!!!]
[Shen Wenyuan: Collecting Corpses (JPG)]
More than ten kilometers away, Shen Ci, sitting in the library, turned off his phone, his face full of surprise.
Sure enough, when it comes to using others as scapegoats, we can discover an unprecedented level of observational ability in humanity.
The only flaw in this seemingly flawless photo is a tiny, blurry string of time numbers in the lower right corner of the smart screen behind the old professor…
Taking advantage of his height, Jiang Huaichuan watched the whole thing. Just as he managed to pull up a smile, he heard Shen Wenyuan's sinister, ghost-like voice drift over: "Don't you dare gloat, or I'll expose your contract with Xiao Li."
Jiang Huaichuan instantly straightened the corners of his mouth.
Shen Wenyuan rolled his eyes, put away his phone, turned around and waved: "I'm leaving. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."
"Okay," Jiang Huaichuan said. "Thanks."
After this ordeal, all the health and vitality that Shen Li had cultivated over the past year was wasted, and he was back to square one.
The two elders of the Shen family dragged their eldest son by the ear and came directly from the airport. When they arrived, Shen Li was still asleep.
Shen's mother held Shen Li's hand by the bedside, her eyes red from crying. She kept muttering about how her child was so unlucky, wondering if she had done something terrible in her past life and was now being punished by her child.
After only half an hour, Shen Wenyuan forcibly took Shen's mother, who was in poor spirits, back to rest.
——
As night fell, a small, warm yellow lamp was turned on in the ward. When Shen Li woke up, the last bottle of saline solution had just finished dripping. He felt someone touching him and saw Jiang Huaichuan bending over to remove the IV drip.
This skill was honed over the past few years. Shen Li's immune system is weak, and she easily catches colds when the seasons change. Hospitals are crowded with patients during seasonal changes, making it easier for viruses to accumulate and spread. So, unless it's a serious matter, she would have a doctor come to her home for treatment. However, doctors also have their own work and can't always wait until the IV drip is finished before leaving. Therefore, this task fell to Jiang Huaichuan, who works from home.
Jiang Huaichuan moved swiftly, supporting Shen Li's hand with his large palm, tearing off the excess tape with his right hand, pinching the end of the IV drip and gently pulling, while pressing his left thumb onto it.
Seeing a little bright red seeping from the medical tape under his thumb, Jiang Huaichuan's already furrowed brows furrowed even more. He subconsciously pinched Chen Li's fingertips, felt the coolness, and then opened his large hand to completely enclose them.
The next second, the fingers in his palm twitched slightly, and Jiang Huaichuan looked up in surprise, immediately meeting Shen Li's tea-brown pupils.
"Awake?" Jiang Huaichuan's voice was very soft.
Shen Li remained silent, staring intently at Jiang Huaichuan.
Jiang Huaichuan thought Shen Li wanted to say something, so he leaned closer. The next second, Shen Li's fingertips touched the corner of his mouth.
"How did you get like this?" Shen Li's weak voice was filled with obvious heartache. Although she knew that her older brother had punched Jiang Huaichuan when she woke up in the morning, she was still shocked to see Shen Li in person.
Jiang Huaichuan's lips were already bluish-purple, and the bruises on his noble face looked out of place.
Seeing the heartache in Shen Li's eyes, Jiang Huaichuan's heart softened instantly, a bittersweet feeling filling his chest. What had he done to deserve this?
Jiang Huaichuan gently placed Shen Li's hand on his cheek and said softly, "It just looks more serious, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Touch it, and it will help you heal faster."
Shen Li opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking at the man in front of her in disbelief, unable to believe that these words came from Jiang Huaichuan's mouth.
Did that punch hit his head...?
Before Shen Li could make a move, Jiang Huaichuan was already rubbing his face against Shen Li's palm, saying, "Are you hungry? Lu Mingxuan said you can only eat liquid food. I heated up some millet porridge, and I'll help you up to eat some, okay?"
Jiang Huaichuan hadn't mentioned it, so Shen Li hadn't felt anything until he did.
After finishing his millet porridge, Jiang Huaichuan tidied up his things and sat on the stool by the bed to read documents. Shen Li wanted to read with him, but he refused.
Jiang Huaichuan said sternly, "You are physically weak right now and cannot exert yourself."
So Shen Li leaned against the headboard, set up a small tablet in front of her, and obediently started watching variety shows. After watching for only a few minutes, she saw a familiar figure.
Shen Li asked in confusion, "Why did He An go to Animal World?"
Animal World?
President Jiang was completely baffled.
Really? Didn't this person recently say they were going to participate in some travel variety show, and they even told them not to watch it?
Jiang Huaichuan curiously leaned closer and fell silent.
Jiang Huaichuan: "Should I talk to President Lu and ask her to take my younger brother back to inherit the family business?" At least he'll still be alive.
On the screen, Lu He'an, wearing flashy pink shorts and holding a sausage, was being chased all over the village by three dogs, two chickens, and a goose.
A dog running on all fours, a chicken flapping its wings and taking flight, a goose wiggling its tail as it runs, plus Lu He'an running away in terror at the front—the visual impact is overwhelming.
"Aaaaaah! Sister Ming, help!!! Ah!"
The next second, Lu He'an fell to the ground in the yard with a thud, giving the audience an early New Year's greeting.
Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Li: ...No wonder they weren't allowed to watch.
Shen Li quietly switched to a different variety show. For a moment, everything was peaceful and serene. Jiang Huaichuan would look at documents for a while, then look at his wife's pleasing appearance, and occasionally make some small gestures with his hands. Although Shen Li was helpless, she tried to push him away a few times but failed, so she could only give in helplessly.
As a result, President Jiang became more and more anxious as he looked at the documents in his hands. An hour later, he signed his name, threw the documents aside, kicked off his slippers, climbed onto the hospital bed, and squeezed in with his wife.
At this moment, Shen Li was already feeling drowsy. Noticing the movement beside her, she opened her eyes blankly and mumbled, "What are you doing? This is a hospital."
"Squeeze in, squeeze in, there'll be room to sleep." Jiang Huaichuan carefully avoided the wires of the electrocardiogram monitor, pulled Shen Li into his arms, took a deep breath, and looked satisfied.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com