He woke up
She stared at the person at the door, watching him getting closer and closer.
"You are too willful..." She shook her head, "So many people in the company are waiting for you, can you please stop messing around?"
Zhuang Yu'an reached out and pressed her into his arms, his arms gradually tightening: "If I can't even take care of you, what's the point of me meeting other people's expectations? I said, you will always be my first priority."
Zuo Xiao held back her tears and murmured, "You're putting a lot of pressure on me by doing this... What if something happens to you?"
"Baby, you really did have a nightmare, didn't you?" He patiently guided her. "What kind of dream was it? Tell me, okay? It won't be scary if you tell me."
Zuo Xiao didn't want to say it, fearing that if she spoke out, some mysterious force would hear her and her words would come true. "Don't ask anymore..." she said sullenly. "Anyway, you must obey me and stop overdrawing your health like this."
Zhuang Yu'an kissed the top of her head and said, "Then from now on, I'll be in Beijing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and in Taiyuan on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This way, you don't have to travel back and forth."
Zuo Xiao was taken aback. She wasn't familiar with Zhuang Yu'an's work style, but she knew he spent nearly half his time meeting with various people, and that he frequently traveled. Many tasks could be handled remotely, but for those essential meetings, those that required in-person encounters—could they really be accommodated within his schedule? Could the model he described actually work?
Suddenly remembering something, she pulled away from his embrace, looked into his eyes, and asked, "Isn't it time for you to go to Canada? It's been postponed for more than half a month, right?"
Zhuang Yu'an was silent for a moment, then said, "Because of Luffy's accident, the company's normal operations have been affected. There are more important and urgent matters to deal with than the construction of the Canadian factory. Therefore, after discussion, the board of directors decided to postpone the Canadian factory project."
"How long will it be delayed?"
“To be determined. When the company is back on track, we will restart.”
Zuo Xiao took a deep breath and said, "So, you plan to stay here with me forever?"
"I'm not going to waste time with you." Zhuang Yu'an explained, "Luffy is the co-founder of the company and my best friend. Even if you're not here, I will..."
Zuo Xiao interrupted him: "You will also disrupt your normal work schedule and spend most of the week in Taiyuan to work, right?"
"Don't worry," he said confidently, "where I work will not affect the normal operation of the company."
"Wouldn't it?" Zuo Xiao questioned. "If shareholders knew that the listed company they invested in was clearly in a critical development period, but the boss spent most of his time away from home with his girlfriend, what do you think they would think and do?"
Zhuang Yu'an fell silent again. After a moment, he said firmly, "I won't lose sight of the main point."
Zuo Xiao looked at him in disbelief, finding it absurd. But his eyes were so serious and determined that she felt deeply powerless.
"Whatever you want." She lowered her eyes and chose to give in. "Your company has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you want." After saying that, she fell on the bed.
A series of chuckles sounded behind him. After a moment, he lay down beside her and said, "This feels really good."
Zuo Xiao turned over and glared at him. Zhuang Yu'an looked at her with a smile, then turned his gaze to the ceiling.
"Jinghao used to say I was a selfless person, never caring about myself, and that I should have my own life..." He chuckled, "Now that I'm so willful, I can finally say I'm living for myself, right?"
Zuo Xiao really thought about it for him. Was he doing this for himself, or for her? Perhaps both. As he said, love is never about giving; the process of loving is about fulfilling and satisfying oneself.
"I'm getting ready to go to the hospital." She sat up. "Do you want to come with me, or do you want to work here?"
Zhuang Yu'an smiled and stood up, holding her waist. Just as he was about to speak, his cell phone rang. He said angrily, "Looks like I'll have to work here."
Zuo Xiaoheng glanced at him and headed straight for the bathroom. She had been crying all morning, and her eyes were probably swollen now. She had to find a way to get some first aid so she wouldn't make a fool of herself when she went out.
Just as I reached the bathroom door, Zhuang Yu'an's trembling voice came:
"Luffy..." He took a deep breath and steadied his trembling voice, "He's awake."
Zuo Xiao was struck by lightning. She turned around and asked in disbelief, "Really?"
Through tears, Zhuang Yu'an walked towards her and hugged her tightly. Their two bodies trembled in unison. He kissed the top of her head and murmured, "He's awake, just woke up... Thank God, he's awake..."
Half an hour later, the two of them, led by the nurse, entered the ward one after the other.
Her heartbeat was deafening, and Zuo Xiao felt weak all over and walked slowly. Zhuang Yu'an stepped forward and supported her.
The sound of an electrocardiogram echoed regularly in the quiet room, and Luffy's face gradually grew larger before his eyes. He was still wearing an oxygen mask, and his eyes were still closed.
Zuo Xiao was puzzled and looked at Zhuang Yu'an blankly. He was calmer than her and turned to look at the nurse next to him.
The nurse withdrew her gaze from Luffy's face, then waved her hand and took them a few steps away. She whispered, "The patient may have fallen asleep again. He just woke up and his body is very fragile and tired. It's normal for him to be awake for a short time."
Before leaving, she reminded him, "Keep quiet for a while so as not to disturb the patient's rest. You can talk when he wakes up, but he probably can't speak yet... Be careful not to make him too emotional."
Zuo Xiao and Zhuang Yu'an sat side by side beside the hospital bed, silently watching the person on the bed. As they watched, Zuo Xiao's tears began to fall again. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, wondering why her tear glands had become so developed. She cried so easily, and today had hardly stopped.
Zhuang Yu'an turned his head and looked at her with gentle and encouraging eyes. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were red.
The two sat like this quietly for more than an hour, until Luffy's pale and thin eyelids trembled slightly, and then struggled to slowly open.
Zuo Xiao's shoulders suddenly shook and his eyes opened wide.
"Luffy...Luffy..."
As she called out in a trembling voice, Luffy's dark eyes slowly turned, shifting from distracted to focused. Zuo Xiao clearly saw the trembling in his pupils, and tears immediately fell.
"You're awake..." She cried and laughed, "Welcome back..."
Luffy's eyes trembled, and the corners of his mouth twitched a few times. A slight whimpering sound came from his throat, as if he was struggling to speak. Zuo Xiao remembered the nurse's instructions and quickly said, "Don't worry, don't worry... I know you have a lot to say right now, but the nurse said you can't speak yet and shouldn't get too excited. Can you just calm down for a while?"
She paused, then smiled with tears in her eyes, "We still have a long way to go. If you have anything to say, we can talk later. I'm here, and I'm listening. Did you understand what I just said? If you do, blink, okay?"
Zuo Xiao looked into his eyes carefully and saw that he blinked very carefully and hard.
"That's great!" Zuo Xiao was so happy that his heart was flying. He couldn't help but talk to him as if he were a child. "You are amazing!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, and after a moment his gaze turned to Zhuang Yu'an. His eyes turned cold and his brows frowned slightly.
Zuo Xiao felt a little embarrassed and said, "Actually, Zhuang Yu'an came to see you often during the time you were in a coma."
However, Luffy still looked unhappy, so she tentatively said, "Let's try again and use the number of blinks to represent different meanings, okay? Um...Are you unhappy that Zhuang Yu'an is here? If you're happy, blink once, if you're unhappy, blink twice."
Luffy didn't hesitate and blinked twice.
Zuo Xiao suppressed his laughter and said, "Then I won't bring him here this afternoon." Just as he finished speaking, Zhuang Yu'an coughed lightly. Zuo Xiao turned around and saw that he looked depressed, and couldn't help laughing out loud.
At this time, the nurse came in and said, "The patient's father is here."
Zuo Xiao frowned: "I see." He lowered his head and said to Luffy, "I'll leave first. I'll come to see you in the afternoon."
Luffy looked unhappy, blinking his eyelids repeatedly. Zuo Xiao had a guess in his mind, so he deliberately called the nurse over and asked Luffy in front of her: "Do you want to see your parents? If you do, blink once, if you don't, blink twice."
Luffy blinked twice decisively.
This confirmed her suspicions. Zuo Xiao turned to the nurse and said, "As you can see, his parents staying here for too long might be emotionally disturbing and detrimental to his recovery."
The nurse's face showed a strange expression. She looked down at the patient and said, "I understand."
The two walked out of the ward and ran into Luffy's father. Zhuang Yu'an took the initiative to greet him and called him "Uncle Lu". The other party smiled and nodded at him, saying, "Thank you for your hard work during this period."
Another week has passed in the blink of an eye. Buds are sprouting on the willow branches by the roadside; spring has truly arrived.
Luffy went from being unable to speak to being able to utter a few simple syllables at a time, and then to being able to speak short sentences. His oxygen mask was also replaced with a nasal cannula. Zuo Xiao still visited him twice a day, chatting with him for a while and leaving when he was tired and fell asleep.
The conversation continued to revolve around trivial matters, never touching upon the core question of why he had driven up the mountain drunk. On the one hand, Zuo Xiao felt that this was the most painful thing in Luffy's heart, and it was not appropriate to talk about it right now; on the other hand, she was afraid that the answer really was related to her...
If Luffy had truly died for her once, how could she prevent him from dying for her a second time?
If Luffy asked her to do something she couldn't do, how could she refuse?
That evening, she returned to her hotel room, her mind full of thoughts. Zhuang Yu'an was sitting at his desk, engaged in an online meeting. Data charts were projected on his laptop screen, and CFO Feng Tiancheng's voice came through the microphone.
"In the first two months of Q1, the company's revenue only grew by less than 2 percentage points year-on-year, and marketing ROI continues to decline. If this continues, our first half-year report will be very ugly!"
Zuo Xiao tiptoed towards the bedroom and was caught by Zhuang Yu'an's gaze halfway. He smiled and nodded at her. Zuo Xiao didn't want to eavesdrop on business secrets, so she quickly quickened her pace and locked herself in the room.
Zhuang Yu'an's voice drifted faintly through the wall. He announced that the new CMO would officially start next Monday, praising his experience and capabilities. He expressed confidence that his arrival would significantly improve marketing ROI. He then urged the marketing department to intensify promotional efforts for the peak spring travel season. Zuo Xiao didn't hear the rest of the conversation, having drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, it was night outside the window, and lights were flickering. Zhuang Yu'an was sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing at her intently, his eyes filled with indescribable tenderness and affection.
"What time is it?"
"Just after half past seven."
"So late?"
She was about to sit up when his body sank down. His left hand passed through the back of her neck and he held her and lay down.
"Take a break and go out for dinner at eight, okay?"
The two of them lay in silence for a while, and Zuo Xiao expressed his doubts: "I just heard you say that the new CMO will be in place soon. Is he replacing Luffy?"
Zhuang Yu'an didn't hide anything and said, "Yes. Luffy's awakening is just the beginning. The road to recovery will take at least half a year. I already started asking headhunters to find someone last month."
Zuo Xiao could fully understand his decision, but he still had some concerns: "Do you think Luffy will feel that the company doesn't need him anymore?"
Zhuang Yu'an was silent for a moment and said, "He doesn't need the company anymore."
Zuo Xiao didn't understand, so he continued, "Do you know why Luffy started a business with me?"
Zuo Xiao thought of a media interview she had read and said, "You two were college classmates, you share similar interests and a deep foundation of trust, and he is optimistic about your entrepreneurial plan."
"That's only part of it, a very small part."
Zhuang Yu'an paused for a moment and said, "Actually, Luffy has had a tendency to be world-weary for a long time. He felt that life was boring, that there was nothing he had to do, and that he didn't know where he was going. It was a deep sense of meaninglessness... This state tormented him for a long time, and he even cut his wrists once."
The words "cut wrists" made Zuo Xiao's heart skip a beat, and her breathing suddenly stopped. Zhuang Yu'an, sensing her panic, rubbed her arm and continued, "Later, he called 120 and saved himself. So you see, he still had the desire to live. He just needed something to fill his life, some goals to drive him forward, even if only temporarily, to help him gradually build a sense of value and meaning."
"So I intentionally mentioned to him many times: I wanted to start a business, make a lot of money, and give my sister a good life. Then, the summer after my junior year, I asked him what his plans were after graduation. He offered to start a business with me to help me realize my dream. We even set a goal right there: to take the company public."
Zuo Xiao was deeply shocked by Luffy's lost life, the unknown secrets behind this entrepreneurial story, and Zhuang Yu'an's deep friendship and good intentions towards his friend.
Zhuang Yu'an continued, "It turns out that Luffy is a friend who keeps his promises and a trustworthy partner. He has devoted himself wholeheartedly and worked hard for the goals we set together for seven years. Without him, the company would not have been able to grow so quickly."
"You too." Zuo Xiao hugged him tightly and said sincerely, "He is lucky to have a friend and partner like you."
Zhuang Yu'an fell silent. After a long moment, he spoke bitterly, "I used to think so, but now I don't..."
Zuo Xiao frowned and said, "You feel like you betrayed him and snatched me away from him? But you know very well that this is not true... I only got together with you after breaking up with him and making sure I no longer loved him. It wasn't you who snatched me away, but I chose you."
Zhuang Yu'an was silent for a moment, then said, "Listen to me first, maybe you will have a different opinion."
Zuo Xiao listened quietly to him. "Two years ago, I realized we were about to achieve our goal and that he needed a new purpose in life, like a North Star to guide him. So I planned to work with him to set a new, more challenging goal for the company's future development that would interest him. That way, we could continue to move forward together... But last fall, he told me he had found a new goal."
Zhuang Yu'an's breathing tightened, and his arms tightened, pressing her deeper into his arms. "He said he wanted to build a happy family with the woman he loves. That's his next goal, and it's also what his grandfather told him before he died."
Suddenly, that memory flashed through Zuo Xiao's mind, and then a forgotten corner suddenly lit up.
No wonder Luffy told her such sad stories and worries after his grandfather passed away, and suddenly became extremely serious about their relationship. Not long after that, he proposed to marry her... It turned out that he regarded her as the North Star in the vast wilderness, and such a call was obviously more powerful than love.
"So now you know why I feel so guilty about snatching you from him." Zhuang Yu'an's tone was full of self-blame. "I knew you were the ladder on his cliff, and in a sense he needed you more than I did, but I selfishly took you for myself..."
The more he spoke, the heavier his tone became. "I'm a villain, a despicable and shameless villain... What's more terrifying is that I don't regret it at all... If the price of maintaining my noble character is that I must lose you, then I would rather be covered in dirt..."
"No, no..." Zuo Xiao held his face and told him seriously, "The fact that you think this way just proves that you're not a mean person. Truly despicable people wouldn't reflect on themselves the way you do, wouldn't set such a high moral standard, and certainly wouldn't take all the responsibility and blame on themselves."
She lowered her head and kissed his lips: "Promise me not to be so hard on yourself, okay? Otherwise, if you set your moral bottom line so high, wouldn't my cold and resolute attitude towards Luffy be even more unforgivable?"
Zhuang Yu'an was stunned for a moment, then kissed her.
After a moment, he broke the kiss and told her, "I never thought you were cold. You just rely less on intimacy than others, and you don't bother to pretend or show concern. Besides, when it comes to breaking up, I don't think it's better to keep lingering than to break off completely."
Zuo Xiao was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I've figured it out. You just have a filter for me. Even if I sell you out one day, you'll always say I have other reasons."
Zhuang Yu'an was amused by her. He rubbed his cheek against her head and said in a sweet voice, "Sell me to you, okay? From now on, I'm yours."
"You wish." Zuo Xiao grabbed his ear and said, "You sell and buy by yourself? Then wouldn't my work be in vain?"
Zhuang Yu'an laughed so heartily that she suspected that she had not used enough strength, so she squeezed him harder - he groaned and then laughed even louder.
She was unhappy, so she suddenly turned over and sat on his legs, bent over, and bit him through his shirt.
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