Chapter 87 She knelt down with a thud.
Yang Shuhua stood at the door of the ward and looked through the glass window in the door. The room was empty.
There was a "click-clack" sound of keyboard typing inside, from which Yang Shuhua concluded that Chen Jiashu was working inside.
This was the fourth time she had stopped outside the ward.
She arrived in Lanchuan three days ago to visit her three children. Two and a half months have passed in the blink of an eye, and she misses them very much.
When the taxi passed by Jia Shu's company, she thought it was on her way, so she asked the driver to stop and planned to go upstairs to say hello to Jia Shu.
As soon as she stepped into the lobby, a familiar figure brushed past her arm. By the time she could see clearly, she only caught a glimpse of Qin Qiao, who was on the phone, already disappearing into the elevator.
Only a frantic last word lingered in the air: "I'm coming right away."
The turnstile blocked Yang Shuhua's way, and the young receptionist gently asked her who she was looking for.
The receptionist has changed; it's not the one with glasses from before. Yang Shuhua said she wanted to see Chairman Chen Jiashu, and when the receptionist learned she didn't have an appointment, she immediately led her towards the booth area.
Yang Shuhua hesitated as she took out her phone from her purse, about to call her daughter, when she glanced up and saw the Bentley that Chen Jiashu often rode in drive past the building entrance, obviously just coming out of the underground parking garage.
She walked towards the door without thinking, but as soon as she stepped out of the revolving door, she saw the car suddenly stop by the roadside flower bed.
The driver hurriedly walked around, but before he could even open the car door, it was pushed open from the inside.
Jia Shu climbed out of the car and immediately bent over to vomit.
Qiaoqiao followed closely behind and got out of the car, standing beside him and patting his back. Jiashu's sunglasses slipped off as he vomited and fell to the ground.
What's wrong with Jia Shu? With this question in mind, Yang Shuhua held back for an hour before finally dialing her daughter's number.
Qiaoqiao was reluctant to talk about it, but she couldn't resist Qiaoqiao's repeated questioning, so she finally arranged to meet her at the coffee shop downstairs from the hospital.
It turns out that Jia Shu's glaucoma has flared up again.
Fortunately, the intraocular pressure has stabilized.
But when Yang Shuhua suggested visiting Jiashu, Qiaoqiao suddenly teared up and became emotional, saying that it was all her fault and begging her not to appear in front of Jiashu again.
They sat in a semi-open booth. The café was deserted in the early morning, except for the staff, and no one noticed this corner.
My daughter has always been understanding. Yes, she deserved to die for that, and she never dared to ask for forgiveness. But all she wanted was to say sorry to Jia Shu in person.
“This way…” she said in a hoarse voice, “…it will make me feel a little better.”
What she really wanted to say was that perhaps her apology would make Jia Shu feel a little better.
Upon hearing this, Qiaoqiao glared at her, her eyes burning with anger: "You want to feel better? Yang Shuhua, what right do you have to feel better... If it weren't for you, how could Jiashu have been kidnapped, how could he have been missing for a month! He... his left eye, all because of you! He's completely blind!"
As if struck by lightning, Yang Shuhua froze on the sofa, her ears filled with a deathly silence, save for a buzzing sound.
Suddenly, the sound of wheels rolling came from nearby. Yang Shuhua turned her head in the direction of the sound and saw a nurse pushing a medicine cart walking towards her.
A clear, gentle voice came from inside the door:
"Ms. Yang, please come in."
*
Chen Jiashu invited Yang Shuhua to sit on the sofa, then, leaning on his cane, slowly walked around from behind his desk. He went to the insulated box in the corner, opened the door, took out a bottle of mineral water, and then turned around and walked unhurriedly towards the sofa.
Yang Shuhua did not sit down immediately. It wasn't until Chen Jiashu approached the coffee table that she leaned forward slightly and took the water bottle from his hand: "Jiashu, I came... to see you."
"We originally planned to return to Jiang City on May 6th, because Qiaoqiao was going to sweep her father's grave," Chen Jiashu said, reaching out to the sofa armrest to confirm the location before sitting down on the single sofa.
He gently placed his white cane against the wall to stabilize it, straightened his posture, and turned his face towards Yang Shuhua.
Yang Shuhua's slightly awkward figure was clearly reflected in the lenses, while Chen Jiashu's lips curved into a perfectly symmetrical smile beneath his sunglasses.
Yang Shuhua looked away and gently placed the bottled water on the glass coffee table. After a moment's hesitation, she looked back at Chen Jiashu and got to the point:
"Jiashu, I came to the hospital... to apologize to you. I don't ask for your forgiveness, I just hope that you and Qiaoqiao won't have any grudges because of me."
She blinked her sore eyes, her tone sincere and guilty: "I'm sorry, Jia Shu... I lied to you."
As you listen to Yang Shuhua's voice, her face appears in the boundless darkness. Her face always carries a gentle smile, and every time she appears, she seems to be enveloped in a soft, warm glow.
"Ms. Yang, I want to ask you for the truth."
His expression was calm, his voice low and hoarse: "During those years, did you feel that Qiaoqiao suffered because she married me?"
Yang Shuhua took a deep breath and confessed frankly: "...Yes. I...at that time, I did feel that Qiaoqiao was wronged."
“You know what the situation was like at the time… The sky was falling, we had no money, and Qin Lang was so sick… You appeared like a savior and took on the responsibility of the family. You supported Qiao Qiao’s education and were busy with everything. All our relatives and friends said that Qiao Qiao’s boyfriend was one in a million, loyal and devoted.”
Chen Jiashu rested his arm on the armrest, his expression remaining calm, and listened attentively with his head slightly turned.
Yang Shuhua always felt ashamed in front of this child. Her vision blurred and trembled, her throat felt choked, and she struggled to breathe.
She forced herself to calm down and continued, "But... when I look at Qiaoqiao, I can't help but get stuck in a rut. I'm afraid that my daughter is only with you because of this immense debt of gratitude. I keep thinking that if this hadn't happened, my Qiaoqiao... might have been able to take an easier path instead of carrying such a heavy burden of debt from the start. That's why... I feel that she has been wronged."
“Jiashu, to be honest, I accepted your kindness with a clear conscience, but I also felt that it was too heavy. So after your divorce, I felt more relaxed than ever before. Even when others praise my daughter, I can proudly tell them that my daughter got to where she is today through her own hard work.”
She seemed to see Chen Jiashu's eyes blink slightly behind his sunglasses, and Yang Shuhua's tears instantly welled up, wetting her cheeks. She couldn't control herself: "Last year when you reunited, I worried day and night that what I had done would be discovered. I was afraid that Qiaoqiao would hate me, afraid that the children would think that their grandmother was a vicious old woman, and even more afraid that you would know... that you used to call me 'Mom' like that... I don't deserve it at all..."
The forced smile on Chen Jiashu's face vanished like the tide. He stood up, his tall frame trembling slightly, as he leaned on the sofa for support.
Looking at the child she had deeply hurt, Yang Shuhua was overwhelmed by a wave of immense regret. She had betrayed Jia Shu's most sincere feelings.
Yang Shuhua hurriedly got up, quickly walked around the coffee table, and knelt down beside him with a thud.
“Jia Shu”.
"What are you doing?!"
Chen Jiashu was instantly stunned. He immediately bent down, reached out to support her shoulders, and then grasped her upper arm to help her up.
"Get up!" His every word trembled.
"Auntie, I'm so sorry." Yang Shuhua choked back tears, filled with regret. "Please let me kneel for a while."
"Get up!" Chen Jiashu growled, driven to desperation. "I don't need you to do this! Do you understand?"
The trembling echo reverberated in the room.
But apart from that, Yang Shuhua didn't know what else she could do to make up for the harm she had caused to the child.
If she hadn't broken them up, the children would have had a father, Qiaoqiao would have had a husband... and Qiaoqiao wouldn't have missed the years when Jiashu was imprisoned and his eyesight deteriorated.
Even Jia Shu's eyes might not have turned out like this. It's all the evil she sowed. Qiao Qiao is right; her wickedness is outrageous and unforgivable.
"Jiashu, listen to me."
Yang Shuhua insisted on kneeling and not getting up. She grasped Chen Jiashu's arm and looked up at his slightly twitching face: "I'm not asking for your forgiveness... I only ask you... to accept my kneeling. Let this sinner... to catch her breath a little. Then I'll leave and never disturb your lives again."
Chen Jiashu grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her upwards, but she was determined not to get up, her legs too weak to exert any strength.
Chen Jiashu was on the verge of a breakdown. "Get up! Stop acting!"
His shout cut off Yang Shuhua's sobs.
He used to be able to see her acting for him, but now that he can't, does he still have to act?
Who made her kneel? Did she think that kneeling would absolve her of all her mistakes?
Acting... Yang Shuhua suddenly realized that her actions had only increased Chen Jiashu's psychological burden.
What is she doing?
How can you force this child like this?
Yeah... why should she think she can feel better?
Having thought it through, Yang Shuhua was about to get up, but Jia Shu thought she wanted to do something else. Forced into a corner and unwilling to endure her kneeling, he slammed both knees on the ground, completely enraged: "Enough!"
Immediately afterwards, Yang Shuhua was completely stunned.
A frozen silence fell over the room until Chen Jiashu felt a void on the bridge of his nose. He reached up and touched the bridge of his nose, only to find that his sunglasses were gone.
And he wasn't wearing a prosthetic eye...
Then came the crying... Yang Shuhua's crying came again, intermittent and horrifying.
Suddenly, her icy fingers touched his face, and she said cautiously, "Jiashu... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."
A chill ran down his spine; he didn't know if it was from Yang Shuhua's touch or from the fact that he was now exposed. The next instant, Chen Jiashu covered his left eye, his body trembling uncontrollably, his emotions completely out of control: "Get out! Get out of here!"
"Get out!!"
The room was filled with his trembling, panicked roars.
Doctors and nurses who rushed over upon hearing the noise pushed open the door and came in.
As the door opened, Yang Shuhua picked up the sunglasses and returned to Chen Jiashu. She half-squatted down and placed the sunglasses in Chen Jiashu's right hand.
The man's face was ashen, and he gripped the temple of his glasses tightly, ordering sharply, "Let her out!"
"Get her out of here immediately!"
Yang Shuhua was asked to leave the ward by medical staff. She walked into the elevator, sobbing uncontrollably, and took out her phone to call her daughter when her elbow was bumped by a man wearing a medical mask who was rushing in.
The phone flew out of her hand.
It crashed onto the marble floor with a loud bang.
In the instant she lowered her gaze, Yang Shuhua caught a glimpse of the man's fierce eyes out of the corner of her eye, which struck her heart hard.
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