Chapter 36 The Young Lady in the Wheelchair 36: A Kiss
"You work hard all year, only to lose everything in one fell swoop. Do you know what you've done?"
"What is the magic of the contrasting rich girl persona that makes you so obsessed?"
The red apple pondered and pondered, trying to find a reason to lessen its heartache, completely unaware that emotions are inherently uncontrollable.
The system got annoyed as soon as it saw Xi Congshuang deep in thought by looking out the window.
Stop being so mysterious, just answer me!
Xi Congshuang nodded: "I know."
Judging from her expression, she was completely unyielding. Red Apple was really about to lose her temper. She said earnestly, "Go out now and tell Cheng Zhishu that you agree to let her stay. Try to calm her down first."
Red Apple was afraid that her idea was too optimistic and things might not go as planned, so she did some calculations and found that the method was feasible.
It urged again, "She only has this one knot left in her heart, and her Honkai value will soon be reduced to zero."
Xi Congshuang became a silent mountain again, standing indifferently between light and shadow.
The red apple doesn't understand humans; it only feels sorry that the hard-won collapse value has suddenly returned to its original position. If it were a human, it would have developed high blood pressure long ago!
But it also knew why this human had come.
The system explained the consequences: "If you continue to work passively like this, in ten years... no, starting from now, in nine years you will die. Not only will you die here, but you will also die in your world. Aren't you scared at all?"
Shouldn't someone who originally had everything in the world be most afraid of losing everything?
Xi Congshuang, with an air of unwavering resolve, said nonchalantly, "Ten years, isn't that pretty good? I should have died long ago; I've gained ten years for nothing."
"..."
You, Xi Congshuang, you don't pronounce "nine" correctly, do you?
The system didn't quite understand before. Actually, Xi Congshuang was quite cooperative, but why did every doctor say that Xi Congshuang was avoiding medical treatment?
Now it's finally the doctors' idea that this person only cooperates superficially, speaking politely and courteously, but in reality, he does things his own way.
And yet, in front of it, they started working passively with an air of seriousness!
Red Apple played its trump card: "Aren't you afraid that if I take you away right now, all the money you earned over the past ten years will be for nothing?"
Xi Congshuang, who had remained unmoved until now, finally reacted. Her smoky gray eyes flickered, and she met Red Apple's gaze, slowly revealing a smile.
It wasn't sarcasm or mockery, but rather a display of confidence and composure.
Xi Congshuang: "If you could, you would have done it long ago. The fact that you haven't done it yet means you can't do it."
At that moment, the red apple thought it heard the whispers of demons from hell.
Red Apple: "..."
How awful! How awful! How awful!
She was right. Isn't that clever? Why have you been doing so many stupid things lately?
In the end, the red apple was so angered by Xi Congshuang that it disappeared. It had a feeling that if it stayed, more things would happen that would cause the system to collapse.
The main thing is that it's currently in hibernation time, and it should be dormant. Even the most important things can only be discussed tomorrow.
After the system disappeared, Xi Congshuang took out her phone, and the screen lit up. It was already late at night.
Based on the past patterns of red apples, we can estimate the earliest and latest times when they appear and disappear.
"The minimum amount of sleep required per day is five hours, and most of the time it is eight hours."
This is different from the system Xi Congshuang knew from the novels she read before. It is not equipped with a punishment program and cannot take strong measures. When encountering an uncooperative host, it can only verbally persuade him.
After washing up, Xi Congshuang also fell asleep with a heavy heart.
She didn't sleep well today. She felt like she lay there for a long time before she felt a little sleepy, but she woke up again soon after.
It was already bright outside the window; summer days are always long and nights are short.
"I've been thinking about this all night, and I really can't figure out what you're thinking," Red Apple said to Xi Congshuang beside her pillow.
Xi Congshuang checked her phone; it was exactly five hours. She asked, "You just arrived?"
Red Apple: "Yes."
It continued, "Life is truly precious, and life is short. Why do something you'll regret because of a moment of impulse? Just agree to her request."
I really don't understand what Xi Congshuang is trying to do.
After getting up with Xi Congshuang, she was then locked out of the bathroom. Red Apple raised her voice and continued talking, determined to annoy him to death with her nagging until he gave in.
However, all of this was in vain. Xi Congshuang remained unmoved by its nagging, while Red Apple was exhausted.
During this period, it has tried countless methods: threats, crying, persuasion, and even moral blackmail.
No matter what skills the system used, none of them were of any use against Xi Congshuang!
While handling her work, Xi Congshuang asked, "Aren't you going to talk about it?"
Red Apple: "Tell me, tell me, I'm a little tired right now, let me rest."
Xi Congshuang glanced at the time at the bottom of the computer screen, then continued working on the keyboard, completely ignoring the voice from the Red Apple logo.
In the past few days, Wen Hai has fallen into an unprecedented silence.
I didn't think much of it before, but now that Cheng Zhishu's lively presence is gone, I realize just how quiet Wenhai had been.
When it was time to eat, Xi Congshuang went downstairs to eat, and she was the only one at the large rectangular dining table.
Flora, who was worried about her family from abroad, had no appetite. She then received news that the head of the family was seriously ill. She wished she could split herself in two, leaving one half here and the other half back to the hospital bedside in the United States.
Cheng Zhishu threw a tantrum, refusing to see anyone, especially Xi Congshuang.
During dinner, Xiao Liu brought down a plate that had barely been touched, which Xi Congshuang noticed.
"You don't want to eat?" Xi Congshuang asked.
Xiao Liu, holding a tray, shook his head: "She didn't open the door."
Xi Congshuang tossed the hot towel she had used to wipe her hands back onto the table: "There's a refrigerator in her room with plenty of food stored up, so you don't need to worry."
"..."
These words made Xiao Liu hesitate several times, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
The situation continued into the third day, and Xi Congshuang's attitude remained unchanged.
In the guest room, Flora, who had finally received good news, breathed a sigh of relief and went to find Xi Congshuang again.
She said sincerely, "Thank you. Although this will make her very sad, the head of the family really needs her."
Xi Congshuang, silently sensing the quietly rising collapse value, stared coldly over.
"Current Honkai value: 40."
Flora forced herself to continue, "But time can't wait any longer."
When she's in a hurry, Flora temporarily forgets her fluent Chinese grammar and mixes up words.
To this, Xi Congshuang simply said, "Get out."
Flora went out again. She had a feeling that Xi Congshuang was in a very bad mood and that if she stayed any longer, she would be scolded.
*
That evening, when Xi Congshuang saw the food again, perfectly intact and now cold, she finally couldn't resist anymore.
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, Xiao Liu asked, "Miss... this...?"
“She hasn’t eaten for days, so make her a new, easily digestible meal,” Xi Congshuang said. “Tell her that if she doesn’t eat, I’ll have someone break the lock and let Flora in.”
Xiao Liu: "..."
Not to mention Xiao Liu, even Nao Nao has to quiet down in this atmosphere, no longer running around with the cat toy in his mouth, making the house noisy.
This time, Xiao Liu brought back a meal that was mostly empty.
People who haven't eaten for a long time tend to have less appetite, so this portion size is within a reasonable range.
Xi Congshuang put down her almost untouched rice bowl and went upstairs.
Xiao Liu led the people out to clean up the leftovers, staring at the almost untouched food with a worried expression: "Why isn't anyone eating it?"
Afterwards, he shared the food with his colleagues.
All the ingredients are top-quality; keep having extra meals!
*
In the next room, Cheng Zhishu left only a night light on and wrapped herself completely in a soft blanket.
The phone, tossed aside, buzzed and went completely black; it had been abandoned by its owner for too long and finally ran out of power.
Cheng Zhishu shuddered, almost thinking it was a message from Xi Congshuang. She peeked out and saw that the phone was off before she felt relieved.
The ball on the bed slowly shrank back inside.
She felt once again that the room was too big, and although it was still the height of summer, she felt cold all around.
She felt she should think about something or talk to someone about it, but her mind was so chaotic that she didn't want to do anything.
Suddenly, Cheng Zhishu heard a loud thud from next door, as if something had fallen to the ground.
She wondered if she had misheard and listened intently in the silence.
It's unlikely, but what if it happens?
After a few dozen heartbeats, she threw off the covers, quietly opened the balcony door, carefully climbed over the railing, and peered into the room through the gap in the curtains.
This wasn't the first time she'd done this, and she was still very nervous.
The indoor lighting was not very bright. A wheelchair was overturned on the ground. Cheng Zhishu was startled and subconsciously reached out to pull the door, but she couldn't move it.
The balcony door was locked by Xi Congshuang, so she couldn't get in from there.
Without thinking twice, she returned to her room, opened the door, and turned the doorknob on Xi Congshuang's door.
She rushed into the room, and the scene beside the bed caught Cheng Zhishu's eye.
Her slender back snaked like a snake, and her long, fair legs hung limply, curving like snake tails. She tilted her head back, stretched out her hands to grab the handles beside the headboard, and struggled to pull herself onto the bed.
The scene shocked the still bewildered Cheng Zhishu, who stood there stunned for a few seconds.
Hearing the door open, Xi Congshuang pulled herself onto the bed with all her might, saying without turning her head, "Don't help me, I can do it myself."
"..."
Cheng Zhishu's outstretched hand froze in place, and she stood helplessly to one side, unsure of what to do.
She didn't want to leave.
But if she stayed, she wouldn't know what to do.
Looking at those legs casually placed on the bed by Xi Congshuang, it revealed a sense of self-abandonment.
A bittersweet feeling spread through Cheng Zhishu's heart, making her even more upset.
She understood that in front of Xi Congshuang, she always acted like a child throwing a tantrum.
Even her way of resisting was childish; she could only go on a hunger strike, but she really had no other way.
"Why do you insist that I leave?" Cheng Zhishu asked again.
She didn't want to leave here at all, not even for a second.
The young girl's love had just begun, and it was at its most intense. She was fearless and reckless, but who knew she would run into such a wicked person.
Xi Congshuang looked up at her, her gaze carefully tracing her face.
Time flowed by quietly, her gaze seemingly tangible.
Cheng Zhishu sensed it and seemed to receive tremendous encouragement, finally letting out the words she had been suppressing for so long: "Xi Congshuang, I like you."
With each word she spoke, Cheng Zhishu moved a little closer to her, bent down, and stared into her eyes.
"I know I'm still young, but I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xi Congshuang raised her hand, grasped the back of her neck, and pressed her head back, her warm lips touching hers.
Neither of them was satisfied with just a superficial taste. Cheng Zhishu was guided to open her lips and go deeper, letting out a soft moan with her eyes closed.
In the quiet room, the two, one sitting and one standing, kissed as if no one else was around.
Cheng Zhishu couldn't take it anymore and raised her hand to press down on Xi Congshuang's shoulder. Sensing the danger, she wanted to back away, but was pressed down on her lower back by another hand, not allowing her to retreat.
Forced downwards by her slender waist, Cheng Zhishu lifted one leg and pressed it against the bed, leaving a deep mark.
Xi Congshuang's pajamas had a wide collar, which was rubbed and opened by the infatuated man, revealing her beautifully shaped collarbone.
Without anyone noticing, Cheng Zhishu's fingers were pressed on Xi Congshuang's collarbone, unconsciously sliding and tracing its shape.
The delicate touch fascinated her, and her heart pounded.
The hand that was pressing on the back of Cheng Zhishu's neck slid down, supporting Cheng Zhishu's chin, and gently licked her palate.
"Ugh..." Cheng Zhishu frowned slightly, her waist felt numb, as if she had been electrocuted, and she was about to lose her kneeling position.
The other hand, which was originally pressing against the bed, was also raised and placed on Xi Congshuang's right shoulder. Her body kept sinking down, almost turning into a puddle of spring water.
Cheng Zhishu, who was in a state of despair, opened her eyes and looked at Xi Congshuang's face with her watery eyes.
It turned out that Xi Congshuang had never closed her eyes. Her eyes were slightly closed, and the ash turned into a deep black, like a cold abyss.
Cheng Zhishu was startled and abruptly pushed Xi Congshuang away.
Xi Congshuang's back slammed against the headboard, her breathing still ragged, her chest heaving.
The lingering warmth on her lips served as a powerful reminder of what they had just done: she had confessed her feelings, and they had kissed.
But the result was not what Cheng Zhishu wanted.
Wiping the water droplets from her lips, Cheng Zhishu asked in a hoarse voice, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Forget about me." The voice that answered her was also hoarse.
"..."
Cheng Zhishu's vision blurred instantly: "Xi Congshuang, I beg you not to abandon me so cruelly."
This was the second time she had addressed Xi Congshuang by her given name.
Her hand, hanging by the bedside, almost reached out to rise, but she ultimately held back; she couldn't keep Cheng Zhishu now.
"Why did you reject me in this way?" Cheng Zhishu has been asking too many questions lately. People who always have questions are doing so because they never get answers to their questions and can only ask them repeatedly in confusion.
Xi Congshuang could only sit on the bed, watching her thin back tremble uncontrollably as she tried to curl up into a ball.
She was only a step away, but she couldn't even stand up and hug her. She was a broken snake, dragging her powerless tail and barely clinging to life.
Xi Congshuang then said, "Forget about me."
With her brown eyes fixed on Xi Congshuang, her eyes reddening, Cheng Zhishu said, "No."
Forgetting me is the best choice for you.
This is a female protagonist who can overcome any setbacks, and besides, she is an accident in this time and space.
Cheng Zhishu gritted her teeth and repeated, "No, I'd rather die than."
For some reason, Xi Congshuang felt relieved upon hearing these words: "Then hate me, hate me forever."
Until the moment you hate the support that makes you come back, whatever the outcome, you'll be willing to accept the consequences.
In the past, Cheng Zhishu always entered her room quietly, but this time she slammed the door shut and went downstairs.
The next day, Cheng Zhishu left the Xi family in a huff, taking nothing with her, not even her cat.
Xi Congshuang sat on the balcony, her gaze following the two figures as they left.
The other person did not turn around until their figure disappeared behind the trees and onto the shaded road, where they could no longer be seen.
"Meow!"
After being well-behaved for several days, Nao Nao finally couldn't stay still and started barking loudly at home, trying to get someone to play with it.
He ran to Xi Congshuang's room while calling out to her.
She hadn't closed the door today, and the plump white cat twisted its waist and slipped in smoothly through the gap.
"Meow--!!"
Xi Congshuang turned around upon hearing the sound and beckoned to it: "Come here."
The cat couldn't hear, but it could understand hand gestures. It rushed over and jumped onto Xi Congshuang's lap.
Fortunately, Xi Congshuang had no feeling in her legs, otherwise she would have been crushed by the white cat.
Nao Nao twitched its pink nose and sniffed at her, meowing incessantly.
Xi Congshuang raised her hand to touch her head, and Naonao started snoring comfortably, her blue eyes narrowing.
"I'm sorry, Nao Nao, I made your owner leave. She may never come back to me."
"Mmm."
"If we're lucky, we should be able to see her again in ten years."
A distant roar echoed as a flight, its destination unknown, sped across the sky overhead, disappearing into the clouds.
Xi Congshuang looked up and touched the longevity lock around the white cat's neck with her fingertips. She hadn't expected that Cheng Zhishu would leave the cat behind.
"Honkai value +10, current Honkai value 50."
*
"No, you're just letting them go like that?"
What do you want?
A few days later, Xi Hanran returned from her business trip and, upon learning of the matter, couldn't help but ask about it.
Actually, Xi Hanran didn't intend to do anything, but she was shocked that the child adopted by Xi Congshuang was a lost child from a Chinese family living far away overseas.
The head of the family is still seriously ill, and her vast fortune will definitely be handed over to Cheng Zhishu.
It's a bit long, but that's roughly the gist of it.
However, there was one thing she couldn't understand: "Becoming the Crown Princess in one step is something that everyone dreams of, so why isn't she happy about it?"
Xi Congshuang ignored her.
Xi Hanran tried to speculate: "That's strange. If someone were chasing after my dad to give him money and saying things like Miss Feng, he would be so happy that he wouldn't even recognize his own mother."
"This is an incredible windfall!"
After thinking about it carefully, Xi Hanran added, "I would do the same."
“…” Xi Congshuang.
So she's the heroine who makes a glamorous comeback ten years later, waving her hand and bankrupting the Xi family, while you're just a fragile egg in a collapsed nest.
People are always different.
Xi Hanran noticed her gaze and turned to look at her: "What kind of look is that?"
She wasn't in the mood to joke around with Xi Hanran. With her fingertips resting on the armrest of her wheelchair, Xi Congshuang said, "I will be taking a leave of absence from headquarters for a while under the pretext of medical retirement. You will take over the projects I have on hand, and Ni An will help you."
Xi Hanran: "?"
Xi Congshuang: "Things are basically arranged. It won't be too difficult to do them well. This is a good opportunity to make a contribution."
Those who hadn't yet recovered from the previous incident stared blankly at Xi Congshuang.
Startled by her gaze, he asked the question that had been bothering him.
Xi Hanran: "Since you say so, why don't you do it yourself and make a name for yourself in front of everyone?"
The entire Xi family now believes that a disabled leader will emerge in the future, and they are already used to it, just waiting for Chairman Xi to give the order for Xi Congshuang to take over.
At this critical moment, Xi Congshuang actually wanted to push away the things she was doing?
Could he really be so heartbroken that he's given up on everything?
Xi Congshuang often struggled to understand Xi Hanran's thought process. She patted her wheelchair and asked, "What am I?"
“Patients,” Xi Hanran added, “patients who are scheduled for surgery in the fall.”
Not many people knew about this news; apart from Wenhai's staff and the attending physician, even Chairman Xi wasn't entirely aware of it.
Xi Congshuang was unusually patient: "Grandma is not far from retiring behind the scenes. She has enjoyed all of this and is ready to retire and live in seclusion."
"Don't you want to become the head of the Xi family?"
"I can support you."
"..."
To be honest, no one could refuse such a statement, and Xi Hanran couldn't help but feel excited.
Xi Congshuang retorted, "Isn't the best care you can give a patient right now to take over all her work and do all the work for her?"
In this way, in the eyes of others, Xi Congshuang was outmatched and Xi Hanran had the upper hand.
By the time Xi Pingxian realized what was happening and pushed away Xi Congshuang's resistance, the competition was already over.
After a while, Xi Hanran finally realized what was happening and accepted Xi Congshuang's conditions.
She has always wanted to control the Xi family, even if Xi Congshuang is standing behind the scenes, she is still willing to do so.
Xi Hanran was dumbfounded: "No way, Xi Congshuang, you still have the mood to think about these things?"
"Then what should I think about?"
Xi Hanran: "Uh..."
Xi Congshuang voiced the answer in her mind: "Being sentimental, refusing to take medicine, eat, or exercise, and waiting for the doctor to tell me that I don't meet the requirements for surgery?"
Xi Hanran hadn't thought about the second half, and Xi Congshuang didn't need to be so thorough in her considerations.
Please show a little sadness, so I can have a chance to comfort you!
Xi Hanran: "..."
Sometimes she really thought Xi Congshuang was terrifying.
*
Just as Xi Congshuang had said, not long after, Chairman Xi called her in for a talk. When they parted, it was clear that Chairman Xi looked surprised and regretful.
But she was helpless. Having grown accustomed to Xi Congshuang's strategic brilliance, she was so overwhelmed with surprise and relief that she forgot she was still a patient.
Her body simply couldn't handle the demanding work.
Afterwards, Xi Congshuang temporarily left the Xi family under the pretext of illness and returned to her life of staying at Wenhai without ever leaving the house.
No one knew what she was doing; the only news was that her condition had worsened.
Before the news could spread, Xi Congshuang, looking radiant, reappeared before everyone, shattering the rumors and leaving Xi Pingxian wondering what she was up to.
Every now and then, Xi Congshuang would return to the company to make a public appearance, and today happened to be one of those days.
She changed her clothes and maneuvered her wheelchair downstairs. Recently, she added rehabilitation steps, which even made it difficult for someone as patient as Xi Congshuang.
Upon seeing Xi Congshuang appear, Xiao Liu and others brought out breakfast, presenting it to her one item at a time.
After wiping her hands with a hot towel, Xi Congshuang picked up her chopsticks and ate her breakfast quietly.
She usually finishes breakfast in about half an hour, wipes her hands with another clean, hot towel, and prepares to leave.
The servants stepped forward to collect the remaining items.
Suddenly remembering something, Xi Congshuang stopped and pointed to the dish she had picked up the most times.
"Zhi Shu should like this. Make another batch, when she wakes up..."
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone looked at the woman in the wheelchair in surprise.
Xi Congshuang realized something and frowned, saying, "Don't make this dish again."
Today is not the weekend, it's just the end of summer vacation, and Cheng Zhishu is not at home.
She must be confused; she said those things out of the blue.
"Yes, miss."
A voice answered behind her, and Xi Congshuang maneuvered her wheelchair toward the garage.
Unaware of what was happening inside, Li Mi had been waiting there for a while. She took long strides, opened the car door, and stood to the side, holding onto the wheelchair handle.
After Xi Congshuang got into the car, she folded up her wheelchair, walked to the driver's seat, got in, and drove towards the company.
While waiting at the traffic light, Li Mi glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of her eye. Xi Congshuang in the back seat turned her head to look out of the car, the seat belt clasp in front of her, her profile calm.
And so life went on, day after day, seemingly unchanged from before.
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System: Give me peanuts! [Angry]
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