Chapter 39 The Reason: "The person you're looking for isn't me"...
39
Chen Jie was still praising Fang Huaixu, but Meng Yao couldn't listen to any more. She had caught the more crucial point in his words: if Fang Huaixu really left the charity banquet to go back to the group for a meeting, then he couldn't possibly have been in the lounge at that time!
This possibility made her heart pound. She quickly interrupted Chen Jie's rambling, her voice trembling with urgency: "Okay, okay, I know all that. I want to confirm one thing first: are you sure that Fang Huaixu went straight to the group meeting after leaving that day? And wasn't with anyone else? Like... a female companion or something?"
Chen Jie was taken aback by the question, blinked blankly, and then shook his head firmly: "No, Mr. Fang spent most of that day with me. The meeting lasted until after 8 p.m., and after it ended, I went straight home to wait for you..."
Although he didn't understand the purpose of the question, he still honestly began to act: "If you need it, I can adjust a simple itinerary and driving record for you right now..."
The last trace of doubt was dispelled by Chen Jie's frank attitude, and Meng Yao was instantly overwhelmed with immense joy and a sense of relief.
It wasn't him, it really wasn't him!
A surge of motivation rose within her, an indescribable impulse making her blood boil. She could wait no longer: "No need, Assistant Chen, I'm not going back! Quickly find out where he is now, I'm going to find him!"
Chen Jie was surprised by her sudden change, but seeing the renewed light in her eyes, he was also excited: "Okay! President Fang must have gone to the hospital to treat his wounds. I'll take you there now!"
The car immediately turned towards a nearby private hospital, but they were still a little too late. The doctor said that he had just finished bandaging the wound on Fang Huaixu's arm when he was called away for an emergency video conference at the company, and he should be in a meeting at the company now.
Meng Yao teased the workaholic for his antics, and the doctor reassured her that the injury wasn't too serious and that with proper care, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But Fang Huaixu was injured because of her, so her heart was in her throat. She was worried about his injury and couldn't wait to see him.
The two immediately turned back to Tianmu Group. When they were almost there, it was rush hour and they were stuck in traffic. Meng Yao didn't want to miss them again, so when she saw that they weren't far away, she simply got out of the car and rushed over.
As she walked into the familiar headquarters building, besides feeling excited, she also inexplicably felt a sense of nervousness, like being close to home.
Just as she was about to reach the elevator, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.
A woman stood in the middle of the hall, repeatedly making phone calls. Judging from her furrowed brow and the way she dialed repeatedly, she was in trouble.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't have time to care about others right now, but that familiar face still made her stop in her tracks.
That woman was the same one I had glimpsed in the lounge earlier.
Her heart sank, and the joy that had just risen was instantly frozen: Why was she here?
Suppressing her surging emotions, she decided to step forward and strike up a conversation, asking in as calm a tone as possible, "Hello? Are you... looking for someone?"
The man looked up as if he had seen a lifeline and took a few steps closer to her: "Do you work here? I have something I wanted to ask you. Do you know someone named Fang Huaixu?"
Despite being mentally prepared, her smile still froze: "You... what's your relationship with me?"
The woman hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyes somewhat embarrassed: "We were lovers before, but for some time now, I don't know why, I suddenly can't contact him anymore..."
Meng Yao felt as if her heart had been struck by a hammer, and a chill spread throughout her body.
She didn't know what to say, feeling like she was about to be driven crazy by her fluctuating emotions.
She is determined to hear the truth today; she will not run away from it.
But considering Fang Huaixu's injury, which was sustained while protecting her, she didn't want to cause him any more trouble if he wasn't in good condition. So, for now, she could only calm the person in front of her down, go find Fang Huaixu to ascertain the situation, and then decide on her next move.
After thinking it through, she took a deep breath and explained, "He's probably not at the company right now. How about this, I'll leave you my contact information, and I'll message you when he's here?"
"Not here? How is that possible?" The woman suddenly became agitated. "I see now, you're in cahoots with him, aren't you? I've checked everything clearly, his car just came back, it's definitely still in there!"
The woman's friendly expression vanished, and she sat down on the sofa, saying, "I don't care what you say, I'm not leaving until I get an explanation!"
The scene was awkward for a moment, and Meng Yao had a terrible headache. Just as she was thinking of other solutions, Chen Jie, who had parked his car, rushed over. He was stunned for a few seconds when he saw the scene in front of him: "President Meng... haven't you gone to see President Fang yet?"
As soon as he said that, the woman immediately exploded: "President Fang? Oh, so you do know him!"
"No..." Meng Yao rubbed her temples, unable to explain herself. She hadn't expected Chen Jie to suddenly appear and cause trouble.
Chen Jie sensed something was off, stepped between the two, and asked the man, "Who are you?"
"I'm here to find Fang Huaixu," her eyes sharpened as she stared intently at the two of them. "Don't worry, I'll make a scene. At worst, it'll be ugly for everyone!"
Meng Yao sighed somewhat resignedly, but Chen Jie seemed to suddenly understand something and nodded knowingly: "I understand. You're here to see President Fang, right? It's alright, he just finished a meeting and is resting upstairs now. Let's go up together."
The woman and Meng Yao both widened their eyes at the same time. The woman reacted first: "Okay! Take me up."
Meng Yao was completely baffled. She couldn't understand why Chen Jie would agree to bring this person, who was clearly there to cause trouble, up there. But since she had already said it, and Chen Jie was so calm, she simply gave up trying to figure it out.
So the three of them went upstairs with their own thoughts and soon arrived at Fang Huaixu's top-floor lounge.
When the door opened with a "ding," Meng Yao's heart jumped into her throat. She stepped in and saw Fang Huaixu sitting on the sofa flipping through documents, his injured right arm resting on the armrest, the white gauze starkly visible.
Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Meng Yao, Chen Jie, and another person who came in aggressively. A clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes. After a moment's thought, his attention was still focused on Meng Yao first: "Has something gone wrong again?"
"No..." Meng Yao had thought of many questions to ask before she came, but when she actually saw his tired face and injured hands, she couldn't utter a single word.
She changed the subject somewhat awkwardly, gesturing to the woman behind her: "Worry about yourself first, someone's here to see you."
However, when she turned around, the woman's reaction was even more astonished than Meng Yao's. She looked the person on the sofa up and down, her tone full of suspicion: "You are... Fang Huaixu?"
Fang Huaixu seemed to have become accustomed to such expressions. He sighed calmly, exchanged a glance with Chen Jie, and then seemed to understand something. A helpless smile appeared on his lips, and he said clearly, "Yes, I am indeed Fang Huaixu, but madam, if I'm not mistaken, the person you're looking for is not me."
Meng Yao was stunned for a moment, then looked at her with a confused expression: "Isn't he the person you're looking for?"
A hint of embarrassment and lack of confidence flashed across the woman's face: "I'm not stupid! Although he looks a bit like him... he's definitely not him."
After saying that, she seemed flustered by her previous rudeness and clearly wanted to leave immediately: "I'm sorry, I might have made a mistake..."
Fang Huaixu spoke first, stopping her: "It's alright, and you shouldn't be the one saying sorry. This isn't your problem."
At the same time, Chen Jie stepped forward and handed the phone to the woman to show her the screen, explaining in a calm tone: "This should be the person you are looking for. His name is Fang Yanxiu, and this is his usual contact number."
“No need for that trouble,” Fang Huaixu interrupted, frowning and looking exhausted. “Just take this young lady there. He only got back the day before yesterday, so he should still be home by now.”
Chen Jie then quietly watched as the woman asked for her opinion. Looking at the familiar, handsome, and arrogant face on the screen, the woman, though filled with suspicion, hesitated for a moment before agreeing: "Okay, please take me there, thank you..."
Chen Jie smiled politely and quickly left with his men.
Only Meng Yao and Fang Huaixu remained in the lounge.
The air seemed to freeze. Meng Yao roughly understood the situation, looking guiltily and blankly in the direction the two had left, and then glanced at Fang Huaixu.
Fang Huaixu assumed she was asking about what had just happened, so he naturally began to explain: "Please excuse me, that lady was looking for my half-brother, Fang Yanxiu. My brother is usually... a bit unreliable and doesn't live a very proper life. Because we don't get along very well, he often uses my name to cause trouble outside."
He spoke gently, turning his back to get a cup of hot water as he spoke, as if he remembered something: "The reason why the front desk used to stop you last time was also because of this."
So that's how it is...
A wave of immense embarrassment and belated relief washed over Meng Yao. She felt both guilty and happy. She had actually misunderstood Fang Huaixu for so long and said so many hurtful things. Fortunately, Fang Huaixu wasn't a bad person.
Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, and she felt too guilty to look him in the eye.
Fang Huaixu slowly walked over and stopped at a safe distance from her. He placed the water in his hand on the table and quietly pushed it in front of her. His gaze swept over her slightly damp clothes and hair: "Chen Jie will need some time to take her there. Why don't you take a shower here, change your clothes, and rest for a while? You're prone to catching a cold. I'll wake you up when she arrives."
He remained as calm as ever, making meticulous arrangements while maintaining a deliberate sense of distance.
Meng Yao took the water glass, her cool fingertips gradually warming up from the warmth. To her, no amount of hardship mattered now that the misunderstanding had cleared up. She looked up, her voice even softer: "Do you... want to go back now?"
Fang Huaixu was slightly taken aback. He had never heard her speak in such a tone before. Seeing her hesitant and reluctant expression, he assumed she was afraid of him. After misunderstanding her meaning, he took a half step back and said in a cold voice, "I won't do anything. If you're worried, I can leave and arrange another room for you."
Seeing him avoid her like the plague, Meng Yao became anxious: "You! That's not what I meant..."
Fang Huaixu clearly couldn't understand, and Meng Yao's inner thoughts were also quite complex. Heaven knows whether he was hiding now because he was angry about the previous argument, or because he was tired and in a bad mood.
Anyway, she has sorted out her feelings now. If he is still angry because of the argument, she can just apologize, admit her mistake, and lay everything out on the table. She is not incapable of backing down.
However, her gaze first fell on her disheveled appearance. She really didn't want to talk to the person she liked looking like this, so she simply went along with him: "I'll take a shower first. I have something I want to tell you later. I wonder... if you have time?"
Fang Huaixu paused inexplicably, and after hesitating for several seconds, he seemed to make a difficult decision: "Okay, let me see if I have any suitable clothes for you to change into."
Meng Yao watched him walk to his room, feeling both flustered and sweet: thankfully, Fang Huaixu had always been the way she saw him, just as she had seen him, a gentle and strong person. She never expected that even being able to like someone like him up close would make her feel so happy.
She hadn't forgotten how to explain things to Fang Huaixu later, but just then, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly came from the room.
It sounded like something breaking. Meng Yao rushed over without thinking and saw Fang Huaixu kneeling in front of the wardrobe. There was a broken ceramic vase at his feet. He was using his uninjured hand to support himself on the wardrobe door, as if he wanted to stand up, but he seemed a little weak.
Meng Yao anxiously stepped forward: "Are you alright? How did you suddenly fall?"
"It's nothing... I just bumped into it by accident and I'm cleaning it up," he tried to explain, but his voice could no longer hide his weakness.
Meng Yao only noticed when she got closer that his face was unusually pale, his forehead was covered in fine sweat, and his breathing was rapid and unnatural.
She quickly went to help him up, but he tried to get up and move away. She chased after him and pressed him down. Unexpectedly, the moment her hand touched his skin, Meng Yao felt an alarmingly high temperature that made her involuntarily shrink back: "Wait a minute, you... how come you have such a high fever?"
Author's Note: I've caught a cold, everyone take care! Things have slowed down at work lately, so I'll try to get back to daily updates! [Okay]
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