Chapter 10 You've gone astray, but don't worry, it's all for you...
He Yanzhou didn't show up at the hospital until the third day, having informed Zhu Xu beforehand.
Zhu Xu did not want to trouble the other party again, but she was unconscious that day. Later, she heard from the nurse that a man in a suit had handled the admission and payment, and had also helped hire a caregiver.
She was restless and didn't know how to explain what happened that day. She wondered if she had used him. He was such a shrewd person that he must have seen through it, otherwise he wouldn't have come back.
But by noon, he still hadn't appeared.
After lunch, Zhu Xu slowly got out of bed and went to the corridor to move around. She had moderate traumatic brain injury, and even with vigorous activity, she still felt slightly dizzy.
At the end of the corridor is a window, which faces the empty parking lot in front of the hospital. There's not much of a view.
But the window was opened slightly to let in some air.
Zhu Xu leaned closer and took two deep breaths; the cool air entered his lungs and felt very comfortable.
She leaned against the windowsill and looked outside for a while, then opened her phone and typed a long message to Jiang Rao, telling her about her recent situation.
After sending the message, he asked Zhu Luan about Zhu Zhen's situation.
Suddenly a hand reached out from above and slammed the window shut.
Zhu Xu looked up, followed the hand to look behind her, and slowly turned around. He Yanzhou was looking at her with a smile.
He still carried a chill that rushed towards me.
Zhu Xu paused for two seconds, then smiled and said, "You've come."
He Yanzhou took a half step back: "Are you alright?"
Zhu Xu nodded.
He Yanzhou glanced at her, then placed a fruit basket on the windowsill: "These are freshly arrived pomegranates from the fruit shop. The owner highly recommended them, saying that girls like them."
Zhu Xu turned to look at the fruit basket, which contained sweet oranges, honeydew melons, guavas, and green grapes—all fairly common fruits. In the middle were two pomegranates, each larger than a fist, red and plump, and they certainly looked fresh.
Zhu Xu responded enthusiastically, "I was just craving something sweet, thank you."
"polite."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Thank you."
He Yanzhou, with his hands in his trouser pockets, chuckled, "You just said that."
"It's to thank you for taking me to the hospital that day." Her forehead wound itched, and she rubbed it with her index finger. "And for the hospital expenses these past few days, I'll transfer the money to you later."
He Yanzhou said, "No rush."
Zhu Xu nodded, paused for a moment, and then remembered to invite him in: "Come in and sit for a while."
"No, I'll just say a few words and then leave."
Zhu Xu said apologetically, "You must be very busy. I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way."
"It's on the way, I'm heading to the airport." The inpatient ward was quite warm, and He Yanzhou, with his coat draped over his arm and unbuttoning his suit jacket, said, "But I don't have much time later, I'll be leaving Lincheng for a while, so I wanted to make sure you're alright before I left."
It was a very polite expression of concern, but Zhu Xu's breath hitched for two seconds.
She looked up, and the dark clouds outside the window had dispersed at some point, with a few rays of sunlight falling on her chin and shoulders, while tiny dust particles danced around her.
He Yanzhou looked at her and said, "My cousin works at this hospital. I just went to say hello, and he will help take care of your situation."
Zhu Xu didn't know what to say. Time and time again, without realizing it, he had incurred many favors from him.
She leaned against the windowsill, looked up, and nodded to him.
He Yanzhou smiled and looked out the window, past her. The sky was pale blue, the buildings were gray, everything was the pale color of winter, but the sunlight was much brighter than when he came.
He raised his chin: "The weather's cleared up."
Zhu Xu slowly turned around, unconsciously squinting her eyes. Sunlight streamed onto her face, and a warm breath filled her nostrils. She felt a little dazed; she had been in a terrible state the whole way, but thankfully she was still standing here unharmed.
Soon, Zhu Xu turned back, a faint smile still playing on his lips, and looked up, meeting He Yanzhou's gaze.
He gazed at her for a moment, then checked the time by pulling up his sleeve: "It's time to go."
"Okay." Zhu Xu straightened up slightly.
"You look great," He Yanzhou said. "I wish you good luck from now on."
He didn't mention anything else.
Zhu Xu was sincerely grateful to him, and such a blessing made people look forward to it even more.
Before leaving, He Yanzhou helped carry the fruit basket back to the ward. By the time she slowly moved back, he was nowhere to be seen. He must have been really busy, coming and going in a hurry.
She went back to bed and lay down for a while. The nurse helped change her dressing, and the caregiver had already washed some green grapes and strawberries and placed them on the bedside table.
She ate some food and felt a little sleepy when Jiang Rao hurriedly walked into the ward carrying two bags.
Before she could even speak, Jiang Rao burst into tears.
Zhu Xu patted her casually, and after she cried for a while, he comforted her, "It's okay, I'm fine."
Jiang Rao remained silent, gently flipping up the collar of Zhu Xu's hospital gown—her neck wound was small but deep, only a few centimeters from the major artery; if she had been stabbed then, the consequences would have been unimaginable; she also had injuries to her arms and shoulders, a two-centimeter open wound on her forehead, and a moderate concussion.
Jiang Rao, who was usually quick to anger, seemed even more vulnerable than Zhu Xu at this moment: "Just how hard have you been to be so cruel to yourself?"
Zhu Xu smiled and said, "We have video evidence, police dispatch records, and injury assessment results. The court should issue a divorce decree soon."
“But didn’t you think about what might happen if you did this…” She couldn’t finish her sentence.
"No, it won't happen." Zhu Xu took her hand and squeezed it gently twice. "You remember that coffee shop on the pedestrian street? We used to go there often. Looking out the window, the police station is right on the corner. If you call the police, they'll arrive very quickly."
"You're gambling with your life."
“It’s all in the past,” Zhu Xu said. “I’m still about 70 or 80 percent sure. I didn’t arrange to meet him at home because such a secluded space could easily get out of control; he might even kill me if he went crazy. It’s just that… now that I’ve become a ‘celebrity,’ it’s affecting the other people in the coffee shop as well.”
Zhu Xu smiled helplessly.
Jiang Rao said, "For strangers, what they eat next and which mall has a sale are more important. They treat these things as entertainment and won't bother to remember them."
Zhu Xu nodded.
Jiang Rao touched her face, looked around, and saw that the single ward was clean and tidy with brand-new facilities. The full-length glass window provided plenty of natural light, and the curtains and walls were decorated in a light, airy blue tone, which did not feel oppressive. The caregiver was a woman in her fifties who was quick and efficient. She washed some fruit and brought it to Jiang Rao. After exchanging a few polite words, she picked up the kettle and took the opportunity to leave the ward, leaving them plenty of space.
Zhu Xu leaned back, glanced at the two bags on the table, and tried to lighten the mood: "People usually bring fruit and flowers when visiting a patient, what are these?"
Jiang Rao put down the fruit and opened the bag to show her: "What's the use of buying flowers? I got you a pair of slippers, soft-soled, more comfortable than the ones in the hospital; you probably didn't prepare face wash and lotion, right? We bought them together last time, they're still unopened; and underwear, washed but haven't had time to wear, we're about the same size, it's definitely more comfortable than disposable ones..."
It also contains facial cleansing wipes, sanitary napkins, nail clippers...
Jiang Rao kept talking.
Zhu Xu turned his face away, not daring to shed tears in front of others.
She has always kept herself in a hard shell. Because she lacked care since childhood, she couldn't bear even the slightest kindness from others, and her only response was to feel guilty.
"Is it my fault for keeping it from you?" she suddenly asked.
Jiang Rao was interrupted. After a moment's thought, she shook her head and said, "It's not my fault."
"I'm sorry, Jiang Rao."
"Don't say that." Jiang Rao put the items back into the bag one by one and said softly, "You've already told me, haven't you? It doesn't matter whether you told me sooner or later. Our relationship isn't based on exchanging privacy. You don't need to have so many concerns."
Zhu Xu opened his mouth.
Jiang Rao quickly pressed her hand to her lips: "Don't say 'thank you,' I'm leaving now!" Seeing Zhu Xu's brows relax, she withdrew her hand and sighed: "I just feel a little sorry for you facing all this alone."
Before Zhu Xu could continue to be moved, she changed the subject: "Liang Haiyang is a beast in human form, worse than an animal. As a human being, he completely lacks all human characteristics..."
Jiang Rao's mouth moved like a machine gun, getting more and more excited as she cursed, and it lasted for more than five minutes.
Zhu Xu's injuries were slowly improving. Two days later, during rounds, an unfamiliar doctor accompanied the attending physician. He was tall and thin, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, with his hands in the pockets of his white coat, standing at the back of the group.
After the attending physician had finished his questioning and exchanged a few words with him before leaving, he stepped forward and nodded to Zhu Xu: "You're recovering very well in all aspects. There shouldn't be any problems, and you can be discharged next week."
Zhu Xu nodded.
He smiled and said, "Rest well, and there shouldn't be any lasting effects."
Zhu Xu: "Okay."
He paused for a moment, then added, "If you need anything, you can ask a nurse to come find me. My surname is He, and I work in the cardiology department."
Zhu Xu straightened his back involuntarily, belatedly realizing what was happening. This person had strong facial features: thick eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and a high nose bridge. Upon closer inspection, he did indeed bear some resemblance to He Yanzhou, especially in his eyes. However, his temperament was refined and gentle, unlike He Yanzhou's powerful and unpredictable aura.
Zhu Xu: "You are..."
The other person smiled and nodded: "Yanzhou specifically instructed me before he left that there is a friend here, and asked me to take good care of him."
Zhu Xu thought it was just polite talk, but He Yanzhou actually asked his cousin for help: "Actually, it's nothing. I shouldn't have troubled you."
"It's okay, go and rest."
Over the next few days, Dr. He would come over during rounds, exchange a few simple greetings, and then consult with the attending physician to order some tests.
Jiang Rao also came to visit every day without fail, accompanying her downstairs for fresh air and a chat, sneaking a smoke, and then secretly buying some roasted sweet potatoes and roasted gluten from the hospital entrance.
That day, she sent Zhu Xu a set of room booking information. It was for a resort hotel in Beidao City, which had just opened and had very attractive promotions.
Jiang Rao said, "The advertisements looked good. The hotel is very large, with fairytale-themed rooms and couple-themed rooms. There will also be a fireworks show on New Year's Eve. We originally planned to go there for a few days as a family of three, but Liu Chuang got a big order, so it fell through."
"...You want to give it to me?"
“Your business with Liang Haiyang should be settled by now. Just go out and relax,” Jiang Rao said with a smile. “If you don’t mind a fairytale-themed room.”
Zhu Xu browsed the resort hotel's webpage and became somewhat interested: "Then I'll transfer the money to you."
Consider it a divorce gift to you.
Despite saying that, Zhu Xu still transferred five thousand yuan to her and snatched her phone to receive it.
A week later, Zhu Xu was discharged from the hospital.
Consult a lawyer immediately regarding divorce proceedings.
Liang Haiyang is being held in a detention center, and many things need to be handled there.
The steps were tedious, but thankfully it went smoothly.
Two months later, as the year drew to a close, all of this had finally settled down.
There was no wind that day, and when the sun rose, it was as if spring had arrived early.
Zhu Xu walked down the steps, carefully put away the hard-won documents, opened the map on his phone, and found that the dessert shop he frequented was two or three kilometers away.
She hailed a taxi and went over.
This is the old town, with many narrow roads and one-way streets.
The driver wasn't from this area and wasn't familiar with the roads. Even with the navigation on, I could still hear a sweet voice prompt: "You have deviated from your course, but don't worry, we have replanned your route."
Zhu Xu was stunned.
It took a little longer to get to the dessert shop, but luckily there was the last raspberry cake on display in the glass case.
The shop assistant was on the phone, and she waited patiently for a while.
Soon after the call ended, the little girl looked slightly annoyed, unsure of what to do with the chocolate blessing plaque in her hand.
Zhu Xu: "Hello?"
The salesperson immediately switched to a smiling face; "Hello, what would you like to buy?"
"I'd like a raspberry cake."
"Okay." The shop assistant, who was originally wearing disposable gloves, took them off and was about to throw them into the trash can along with the blessing plaque, but then paused and turned to Zhu Xu and said, "Miss, you can have this blessing plaque. Other customers canceled their orders, so if you don't mind."
The white chocolate label has the cute words "Full of Good Fortune" written on it.
"I don't mind."
"Okay, just a moment." The clerk stuck the sign on the cake, carefully packed it up, and handed it to her, smiling sweetly, "Then I wish you all the best and lots of good fortune in the future."
In an instant, Zhu Xu's tears flowed freely.
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