Chapter 203 Not Letting Her Leave
After a short while, the door was opened.
Lu Rang was wearing a dark gray silk bathrobe, his hair was slightly damp, as if he had just washed up, and his face was still somewhat pale.
He saw Shang Wu outside the door, a fleeting, complex emotion flashing in his eyes, which was then quickly replaced by his usual indifference.
Is something the matter?
His voice was somewhat hoarse and carried a sense of detachment.
Shang Wu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but she forced herself to explain her purpose: "Sister You said she had an urgent matter to attend to and had to leave, so she called and asked me to come and change your dressing."
Lu Rang stared at her for a few seconds, then stepped aside to make way, neither saying yes nor no.
He turned and walked to the living room on his own, sitting down on the sofa, which could be considered tacit approval.
Shang Wu and A Ying exchanged a glance, and Shang Wu told A Ying to wait outside the door before going inside.
Sure enough, there were ointments, gauze, and a doctor's prescription on the coffee table.
Shang Wu picked up the form and looked at it, trying to make her voice sound professional and calm: "Sister You said she needs to change your dressing. Are you available now?"
Lu Rang did not answer. He simply turned his back to her and silently untied the belt of his robe, pulling it down to his waist to reveal his back, which was wrapped in gauze.
His broad back had smooth lines, but at that moment the gauze was particularly glaring.
Shang Wu's heart began to race involuntarily.
She tried to ignore the striking male body before her, composed herself, stepped forward, and carefully removed the old gauze.
The scalded skin, exposed to the air, even had blisters in some places, making it look more alarming than it had in the restaurant.
Shang Wu's fingers trembled slightly as she tried to be as gentle as possible, using a cotton swab to apply the ointment little by little.
Her movements were very gentle and focused, as if she were afraid of hurting him.
Throughout the entire process, Lu Rang remained silent and did not utter a single sound.
But Shang Wu could feel his burning gaze, reflected through the glass of the decorative painting opposite, firmly fixed on her.
The gaze was no longer the initial icy coldness, but instead carried a deep, indescribable focus, almost as if it could see right through her.
Shang Wu felt extremely uncomfortable, her palms were sweating, and she couldn't help but speed up her movements, quickly and carefully re-wrapping the gauze.
"Okay," she said softly, as if she had completed a difficult task and instinctively wanted to escape. "You get some rest, I'll go first..."
"I can't sleep."
Lu Rang suddenly spoke, his voice still hoarse, but carrying an undeniable air, interrupting her farewell.
He didn't pull up his robe, maintaining that slightly vulnerable posture.
Shang Wu paused, standing still: "Do you need me to call a doctor for you? Or, would you like some milk to help you sleep?"
Lu Rang slowly turned around, his bathrobe draped loosely around his waist, and looked directly at her, repeating, "I can't sleep."
His tone was flat, devoid of emotion, yet inexplicably carried a stubbornness.
Shang Wu's heart skipped a beat.
What did he mean by that? Did he want her to stay?
No, that's impossible.
Shang Wu immediately dismissed the absurd thought that had flashed through her mind.
He hates her, he despises her, how could he possibly want her to be with him?
He was probably just in pain and irritable, and simply wanted to mess with someone, or rather, he wanted to make things difficult for her and get revenge on her in this way.
Yes, that must be it.
She couldn't afford to be delusional anymore.
Shang Wu took out his phone, his tone becoming businesslike.
"If you can't sleep, I'll find someone to keep you company, so you won't be bored."
Lu Rang frowned almost imperceptibly, seemingly not understanding her meaning.
Shang Wu quickly dialed the phone and walked to the side to whisper a few words.
Less than five minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Shang Wu went to open the door, and standing outside was Cheng Zhou, who looked unwilling.
Cheng Zhou glanced at Lu Rang inside the room, and his face immediately darkened.
Shang Wu seemed to have seen a savior and turned to Lu Rang, saying, "Let Cheng Zhou accompany you. You two should have more to talk about. I've fulfilled Sister You's request."
Lu Rang looked at Cheng Zhou, who was standing at the door with a wary expression, and then at Shang Wu, who was clearly relieved and eager to push him to someone else.
The gentleness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by icy coldness.
Lu Rang's face darkened visibly, and the air pressure around him dropped sharply.
He abruptly pulled up his robe, tied the belt, stood up, and walked step by step to Shang Wu, his gaze cold.
"Shang Wu, is this how you handle Sister You's request?"
"You're pushing me onto another man?"
"Are you so eager to distance yourself from me? Don't you even have a basic sense of responsibility?"
His questions grew colder and harsher with each one, carrying obvious anger and a hint of barely perceptible hurt.
Is this still Lu Rang?
Shang Wu was completely bewildered by his questioning and stood there dumbfounded.
Cheng Zhou immediately stepped forward, shielding Shang Wu behind him, and looked back at Lu Rang with displeasure: "Lu Rang, why are you taking your anger out on A-Wu? She's not your servant!"
Lu Rang ignored him completely, his eyes fixed on Shang Wu behind Cheng Zhou.
The air froze instantly, filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Shang Wu was stunned by Lu Rang's sudden outburst of anger, especially by his last question, which carried an accusation she couldn't comprehend.
Despite their interactions over the past two days, Lu Rang clearly didn't want to pay any attention to her or have any contact with her.
Shang Wu subconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, trying to explain, "That's not what I meant. I just felt that it wasn't appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in a room so late at night. Sister You just left, I..."
"What's inappropriate?" Lu Rang interrupted her, his sharp eyes piercing her directly. "Didn't you say you didn't care about me at all? Didn't you stop liking me? Since you're so clear about your conscience, what are you afraid of?"
His tone was aggressive, every word sounding like he was interrogating her, or perhaps mocking himself.
That faint sense of grievance swept through Shang Wu's heart again, making her even more confused.
What does he want? He's the one who's engaged to someone else, and now he's talking to her like she's abandoned him?
Cheng Zhou couldn't stand it anymore and said coldly to Lu Rang, "A-Wu came to see you out of kindness, not to listen to your tantrums! What obligation does she have to stay and keep you company?"
Lu Rang finally turned his icy gaze to Cheng Zhou, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "This is between her and me. What right do you have to interfere? The new protector of flowers?"
"You!" Cheng Zhou's expression changed.
The conflict was on the verge of escalating.
"Enough!"
Shang Wu suddenly spoke up, interrupting the tense atmosphere between the two.
She felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Lu Rang's injury was caused by her, and Lu You's words of entrustment still echoed in his ears.
She really couldn't just wash her hands of it.
She took a deep breath and gave Cheng Zhou an apologetic yet pleading look: "Cheng Zhou, thank you, but it's alright now. You can go back first. I'll stay a little longer and make sure he's alright before I leave."
Cheng Zhou frowned, clearly very worried: "A-Wu, you don't need to..."
"It's really nothing." Shang Wu forced a smile. "Thank you for making this trip."
Cheng Zhou glanced at her, then gave a cold look at Lu Rang, whose face was still gloomy, and finally sighed helplessly.
"Okay, I'll be downstairs then. Call me immediately if anything happens."
He deliberately emphasized the last sentence, as if warning Lu Rang.
...
After Cheng Zhou left, only Shang Wu and Lu Rang remained in the suite.
The atmosphere became more subtle and tense.
Lu Rang didn't say anything more, but sat back down on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest, but the low pressure around him did not dissipate.
Shang Wu sat far away on another single sofa, looking down at her phone, trying to minimize her presence.
Time ticked by, and silence spread through the air, broken only by the faint sound of each other's breathing.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Wu's phone suddenly rang, breaking the suffocating silence. It was an unfamiliar number.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked to the corner of the living room to answer the call.
Hello, who is this?
A cold, hard voice came from the other end of the phone.
It's Qianjue.
Is the young master with you?
Shang Wu's heart skipped a beat.
How did Qianjue know that she and Lu Rang were here?
Shang Wu glanced subconsciously at Lu Rang on the sofa. He still had his eyes closed and seemed undisturbed by the phone call.
She gripped her phone tightly and lowered her voice: "How did you end up here looking for someone? I haven't been in contact with Lu Rang for a long time, don't ask me."
Shang Wu tried to distance himself from the situation.
She didn't take the initiative to contact Lu Rang, nor did she want to become someone who broke her promise and approach Lu Rang again.
Their meeting was accidental and didn't need to be known by the Lu family.
Qianjue's tone was firm and demanding: "We can't contact him. His usual phone is out of service. Location tracking shows he was last seen in the hotel area. Miss Shang, the young master's health is unstable. Please tell us the truth!"
Is your physical condition unstable?
Shang Wu felt a pang of guilt when she recalled his pale face and the wound on his back, but she felt more annoyed by his perceived offense.
Why should she be interrogated?
Her tone turned cold, tinged with impatience and aloofness: "Where Lu Rang is and what he's doing is none of my business. I have no obligation to report his whereabouts to you. You've got the wrong person!"
Qianjue wanted to say something more.
Shang Wu quickly hung up the phone, but when she turned around, she found that Lu Rang had already opened his eyes, and she wondered if he had heard something.
Her breathing became slightly labored.
The call from Qianjue reminded her once again.
She shouldn't have come here and had any further entanglement with Lu Rang; it went against their previous agreement.
She should completely disappear from Lu Rang's world.
Shang Wu clenched her fists and stared coldly at Lu Rang.
"There's no one else here, so I'll just say what I really want to say."
"Now that you're engaged and have found the woman you love, I'm at ease. It's best for you to look forward. Anyway, we won't have any contact in the future. Even if we meet again because of Sister You, just treat each other like strangers."
"Thank you for shielding me from the hot soup tonight. I'll just consider it a good deed you did. I'll pay your medical expenses, and I'll have Aying help you apply the medicine later."
"goodbye."
Shang Wu finished speaking in one breath, without looking at Lu Rang's reaction, and turned to leave.
Lu Rang suddenly spoke up behind her.
"Shangwu".
Shang Wu paused, then turned around.
Lu Rang's eyes were as dark as ink, and his brows were solemn, just as they had been when they first met.
He asked slowly, "Don't you like me at all anymore?"
Shang Wu's heart sank, and her fingertips curled up.
dislike……
How could she not like it?
Their relationship has never had any problems; it was always external factors that kept getting in the way.
She asked herself honestly that she had never wronged anyone in her life, except for Lu Rang, with whom she had been repeatedly hurt since they became entangled.
Now that Lu Rang has new people around him, this is the best outcome.
Whether she's in pain or sad, she's destined to go in the opposite direction from Lu Rang.
The feeling of being pushed apart from Lu Rang was so powerless, and there was no way to resist it.
Shang Wu looked at the floor.
"Lu Rang, you're already engaged, is there any point in asking me this question?"
She curled her lips into a sneer, raised her eyes, and said mockingly, "I betrayed you and hurt you, and even after all this, you still can't forget me, can you?"
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