Chapter 35 Brother Song, help me make it happen...
Chu Song put away his phone expressionlessly.
The neon lights outside the car window flashed past his slightly tired but still stern profile.
After finally finishing more than half a month of non-stop work, he stepped into his home before dark, which was a rare occurrence for him.
On the shoe cabinet in the entryway, a pair of high heels lay there crookedly, bearing the marks of their owner's hasty escape.
"Ah Song is back?" Aunt Yu came out of the kitchen upon hearing the voice. "The food is ready. Shall we eat now?"
Chu Song changed into slippers, her gaze sweeping over the unsightly high heels: "She's back?"
"She's back," Aunt Yu said in a low voice, full of worry, "She looks terrible, and her eyes are red, like she's been crying. When we ask her what happened, she won't say anything..."
Chu Song's mind flashed back to Chu Yi's complaint phone call, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'll go take a look." He strode towards the bedroom.
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The headache felt like countless needles were pricking him. Xie Tang rubbed his temples hard, but he couldn't relieve the throbbing pain that went deep into his bones.
In all her years in the industry, she had never lost control of even the most bizarre and complex cases.
But her mother's resolute resistance and Qin Wu's foolish "concern" were like two blunt knives repeatedly cutting into her nerves, making her angry and disappointed.
She knew all along that her deal with Qin Ruhai couldn't be kept secret, but why did it have to happen on the eve of the surgery, when she almost saw hope?
Qin Wu's appearance easily pushed her months of painstaking efforts and compromises to the brink of collapse.
How could she not hate that?
"hiss……"
The more I think about it, the worse my headache gets.
An unvented rage surged through her chest, threatening to tear her apart.
There were a few knocks, and then the door was pushed open.
Chu Song stood at the door, his deep gaze fixed on her.
Xie Tang slowly sat up, concealing the disheveled look on her face: "...Why are you back?"
"I'm done with work." Chu Song casually draped his tie over the back of the chair and sat down on the bed.
His gaze lingered on her slightly swollen eyelids, and he asked calmly, "Have you been crying?"
Xie Tang subconsciously turned her head away, avoiding his scrutiny: "...I didn't sleep well."
A clumsy lie.
Chu Song didn't press further, but simply looked at her, his deep eyes seemingly able to see through her disguise: "What do you need me to do?"
Straightforward and simple, yet it made Xie Tang's heart clench.
He had asked the same question when he signed that cold prenuptial agreement.
At that time, she drew a clear line and rejected everything.
Is it too much to ask now...?
She hates crossing boundaries. Just like Gu Chang's feelings for her should have been his secret. Now that the secret has been exposed, it's hard for them to remain just 'friends'.
But Mom's surgery... the knife is hanging over her head imminently... what should she do?
Chu Song did not urge her, but simply watched her quietly, seeing her delicate brows furrowed tightly with worry.
"Brother Song, could you..." Xie Tang took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and finally raised her head to meet his unfathomable eyes, "...see my mother?"
The voice was pleading, "Help me... to cover up a lie."
Chu Song lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering for a moment on her clenched, white knuckles.
He then raised his eyes and nodded slightly: "Okay, but we need to eat first."
Xie Tang was stunned.
He... just agreed like that?
So decisive?
What about all those tumultuous struggles she just went through?
The silence at the dinner table was broken by the shrill ring of a cell phone.
It was Li Zan, his voice filled with panic: "Sister! Something terrible has happened! Aunt... Aunt has arranged to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow! I tried my best to stop her, but I couldn't!"
Xie Tang's mind went blank for a moment, and the headache that had just subsided exploded again!
She abruptly pushed aside the bowl and chopsticks, grabbed her phone like a gust of wind, and rushed out of the house, forgetting even to change her slippers.
Chu Song watched her hurried disappearing figure and sighed almost inaudibly.
He put down his chopsticks, got up and walked to the entrance, quickly changed into his leather shoes, and picked up his car keys.
His gaze fell on the pair of messy high heels on the shoe cabinet. Without hesitation, he bent down, picked them up, and strode toward the garage.
As soon as Xie Tang rushed out of the building, the cold wind made her shiver, and she realized that she was still wearing slippers.
An embarrassment instantly washed over me.
"Change into them." Chu Song's deep voice sounded from behind.
He placed the shoes he was holding beside her feet.
Xie Tang looked down at the pair of high heels that had been brought to her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She quietly changed her shoes and whispered, "...Thank you."
The car drove off smoothly.
In the enclosed space, Chu Song's voice came clearly: "Have you figured out how to cover up the lie?"
Xie Tang took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and quickly organized her thoughts: "Just tell my mother... my deal with Qin Ruhai was just a trigger. You're marrying me not because of that deal, but because..."
She tried to maintain her composure, but her heart was pounding in her chest. Her hands, resting on her lap, clenched tightly as she forced back the immense embarrassment and uttered the three words: "...You like me."
Chu Song looked at Xie Tang's seemingly calm but barely concealed nervous expression and felt a surge of emotion.
He knew that Xie Tang would never have agreed to the deal with Qin Ruhai if it weren't for her mother's illness.
Thanks to her agreement to the marriage of convenience, his plan was able to proceed smoothly.
Seeing Chu Song remain silent, Xie Tang grew increasingly uneasy and said urgently, "I'm sorry, I know this request is abrupt. But I..."
"It's nothing," Chu Song interrupted her, his gaze falling on her awkwardly clasped hands. "It's just a matter of a few words, not difficult at all."
Inside the ward, Xie Shuang was stuffing clothes into her bag, while Li Zan paced anxiously beside her, saying, "Auntie, please wait a little longer, Sister Tang will be here soon!"
“As long as she keeps this deal going, I won’t have a moment’s peace! If she really cared about me, she shouldn’t have had this wicked idea in the first place! Doesn’t she know what kind of person Qin Ruhai is? I’d rather die of illness than have her make this kind of sacrifice for me! I can’t watch her jump into a fire pit!”
“Sister Tang made the wrong choice, but you can’t punish her like this. She’s worked herself to the bone for the past four years, you know how hard it was for her… She wanted you to live a good life…” Li Zan’s voice choked up.
Xie Shuang was in tears: "It's my fault, it's all my fault for dragging her down..."
Just as Li Zan was at a loss, Chu Song and Xie Tang walked in.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had seen a savior: "Sister Tang, you've finally arrived!"
Xie Shuang turned around at the sound and met Chu Song's gentle gaze. He was a young man with an outstanding temperament.
“Hello, Auntie,” Chu Song nodded politely. “I wonder if you still remember me. I am Chu Song.”
Xie Shuang hurriedly wiped away her tears and forced a smile: "I remember..."
"Would it be convenient for us to talk alone?" Chu Song turned to Xie Tang, giving her a reassuring look.
Xie Tang still had worry in her eyes, but Xie Shuang had already spoken up: "Tang, you should go out first."
Xie Tang had no choice but to retreat to the outside of the ward with Li Zan.
In the corridor, Li Zan had already learned from Xie Shuang about Xie Tang's "marriage." He asked softly, "Sister, is he... treating you well?"
Looking back on this period, Xie Tang recalled that the two of them had a peaceful and tacit understanding in their interactions.
"Yeah, it's good, there's no constraint."
Li Zan looked at her, his tense expression easing slightly.
He knew that Xie Tang was rational and independent, and what she needed most was understanding and support, not frivolous romance.
At least according to her, Chu Song was a good person to her.
The waiting time felt exceptionally long.
After Li Zan returned, Xie Tang paced alone in the hospital garden, chewing gum anxiously.
Half an hour later, she turned around to go back to the ward, but bumped into an embrace that smelled of cologne.
The man caught her arm just in time.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Gu Chang looked at her gently, holding a large bouquet of carnations in his hands.
"What are you doing here?" Xie Tang took a step back.
"I was visiting an elder, and I heard your mother is also in this hospital, so I stopped by to see her..." Gu Chang handed her the bouquet of flowers, "It's for your aunt."
"Thank you." Xie Tang was feeling irritated and was just about to accept the gift when she saw Chu Song walking quickly towards her.
She immediately went up to him: "Brother Song, how did the talk go?"
Chu Song did not answer immediately, but instead looked at Gu Chang.
Gu Chang watched him approach Xie Tang and reluctantly called out, "Brother."
"Have you come to see your aunt?"
"Um."
"Go ahead." Chu Song took the carnation from Xie Tang and handed it to Gu Chang. "It's not good to go empty-handed."
Gu Chang's face was grim as he watched Chu Song take Xie Tang's hand and turn to leave.
Chu Song walked very fast and hurriedly, her high heels clapping as she strode to keep up.
Only after entering the underground parking lot did she ask, "How did it go?"
Chu Song stopped and smiled slightly: "Don't worry, she's agreed to the surgery."
Xie Tang was pleasantly surprised but still had doubts, "How did you convince her?"
"The process isn't important. The result is that she's stopped making a fuss and can accept treatment with peace of mind, right?" Chu Song avoided the details.
Xie Tang nodded, suppressing the urge to ask further questions, hoping to learn something from her mother.
After a night's rest, Xie Tang recovered and went to the hospital early in the morning with an insulated food container.
She and her mother have always been close, and they have had their arguments. Each time, her mother would give her a way out. This time, Xie Tang lowered her head first and admitted that she shouldn't have made the deal with Qin Ruhai.
Xie Shuang sighed: "It's good that you know you were wrong."
“But if I had to do it all over again, I would still do the same thing,” Xie Tang said frankly.
A look of heartache and helplessness flashed in Xie Shuang's eyes. In the end, the mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled, and yesterday's argument dissipated like the wind.
Taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, Xie Tang asked casually, "Mom, what did Song-ge say to you yesterday?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"You're telling me it's different?" Xie Tang laughed.
“Nothing special.” Xie Shuang’s gaze drifted into the distance, tinged with emotion. “The last time I saw Xiao Song, he was eleven, and you were only eight… In the blink of an eye, you’re both married. I feel like I haven’t even figured out how I’ve lived my life, and I’m already old…”
“You’re only fifty-two. If you can live to be a hundred, you still have forty-eight years left!” Xie Tang held her mother’s hand.
“Living that long isn’t good either,” Xie Shuang shook her head with a smile. “Besides, how can anyone live that long…”
"Then live to be eighty!" Xie Tang said firmly. "Once we get through this, you can live however you want after that, okay?"
"Okay," Xie Shuang replied, her eyes shining.
The surgery was scheduled for the next day.
Xie Tang stayed at the hospital with his laptop and a change of clothes, handling urgent work on the spot.
After Xie Shuang was wheeled into the operating room, Xie Tang's anxiety had nowhere to go. She habitually started chewing gum again, her cheeks aching from chewing. During this time, she also received a call from a client urging her to update her on the case.
Li Zan brought takeout beef brisket noodles with him, and even added extra beef brisket.
He saw that she had only eaten a few bites before putting down her chopsticks. "Sis, why don't you eat some more?"
"Wait a minute." Xie Tang popped two more pieces of gum into his mouth. He felt too uneasy to talk without chewing something.
"The soup noodles don't taste good when they get cold, and the aunt's surgery will last at least three or four hours..."
Seeing Li Zan nagging, Xie Tang said, "Zan, if you have something to do, go back to the law firm. You don't need to stay here."
“I’m not leaving,” Li Zan replied. “My mom specifically asked me to come and keep you company.”
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