Returning - Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Birds of a Feather

After being spoon-fed the entire bowl of congee by Ling Jianwei, and seeing Xu Chengyan still standing before her bed in utter silence, Zhao Yu felt she had underestimated this man's capacity for composure.

She had thought someone as proud as him would fly into a rage upon learning the truth—that he had been deceived and used.

Looking up at him, she asked, "Do you want to talk to me alone?"

Xu Chengyan didn't speak, but the answer was obvious.

Zhao Yu said, "All of you, go out first. I'll have a chat with him."

Xue Zhan and Ling Jianwei had no objections, but Xue Zi'ang refused, looking as if he genuinely feared Xu Chengyan might strangle Zhao Yu to death. In the end, it was Xue Zhan who spoke: "Relax. President Xu is a gentleman. He wouldn't lay hands on a woman—let alone a critically injured one."

The remark sounded like a deliberate warning aimed at him.

Xu Chengyan let out a disdainful scoff. After the others had left, he finally said to Zhao Yu, "I'll give you a chance to explain."

Even now, his manner remained impossibly arrogant.

Zhao Yu couldn't help but chuckle softly. "What do you want me to explain? That I had no choice? That the Xue family threatened me? That I really couldn't bear to lose you, so I agreed to sabotage your wedding to Zhuang Yiqing? Or perhaps…"

"Zhao Yu!" Detecting the thick sarcasm lacing her tone, Xu Chengyan felt the anger he had just suppressed flare up fiercely once again.

Zhao Yu smiled and continued, "Actually, President Xu, why do you even need me to explain? Can't you just assume whatever you're most willing to believe? You could even say to me with your usual overbearing flair, 'How much did they pay you? I'll give you double. Stay with me, no need for you to sell your life.' That would suit your status, wouldn't it? An unattainable, superior man, grandly waving his hand and making people kneel before money. Draping yourself in the skin of a gentleman, you could even smugly think you had mercifully saved a poor, desperate soul who had no other choice."

His unclenched jaw clamped tightly shut again. Gritting his teeth, he glared at her. "Don't think I actually won't lay a hand on you."

Zhao Yu sneered. "Of course you'd dare. What's your status? A noble, superior man with power and influence. Killing someone would be as easy as turning over your palm for you, wouldn't it?"

He had come, righteously and justifiably, to demand answers, yet her resentment and hostility far outweighed his own. Xu Chengyan's fists clenched involuntarily as he stared coldly at her.

At that moment, Zhao Yu's phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, she wasn't surprised. She simply answered it calmly.

"Where are you?" Ji Sui's voice was hoarse. His tone alone conveyed how utterly devastated he was. It seemed he had already learned the truth.

Zhao Yu smiled. "I'll send you the address. Come yourself. Xu Chengyan is here too."

Hearing his name mentioned, Xu Chengyan couldn't help but feel curious about the person on the other end. Meeting his gaze, Zhao Yu said with complete candor, "Ji Sui. My boyfriend."

Xu Chengyan's expression changed drastically again. Even his fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Zhao Yu smiled. "You want to know why I deceived you? It's simple. I want Zhuang Yiqing to wish she were dead."

That final sentence hit him like a barrage of heavy punches landing one after another square in his chest. Xu Chengyan suddenly couldn't breathe. Every organ inside him seemed to ache dully.

His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at her. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

It wasn't for money. It wasn't because she had no choice. It wasn't even because of him—Xu Chengyan as a person.

He didn't understand why, among all the deception and exploitation, this particular reason alone was so unbearably hard for him to accept.

Zhao Yu smiled. "You know what? I really was quite reluctant to ruin your wedding to Zhuang Yiqing. You two are so perfectly matched—handsome man and beautiful woman, equal social standing, both with power and influence that can blot out the sky. And both of you make me feel… utterly disgusted."

His teeth ground audibly. Xu Chengyan stepped forward and grabbed her chin, cutting off the words she was about to say. "Disgusted? What qualifications do you have to be disgusted by me? When you came running to beg me to fuck you, why weren't you disgusted then? When you were sleeping with so many men, why weren't you disgusted then? When you took my money time and time again…"

Grabbing the bank card from under her pillow and throwing it at him, Zhao Yu laughed coldly. "Your dirty money—every last cent returned to you. I was afraid using it would shorten my lifespan."

The sheer force of the movement tore at her wound. Zhao Yu instinctively gritted her teeth, but beyond that piercing pain, she felt something damp seeping out from her shoulder.

Seeing her clench her jaw, Xu Chengyan's hand reflexively released her. His gaze dropped to her shoulder, and he noticed red liquid gradually soaking through the white hospital gown, spreading outward point by point, much like vivid plum blossoms in winter.

Startled, Xu Chengyan reached out to check her wound, but his hand stopped abruptly mid-air just before touching her shoulder.

"Zhao Yu, do you hate me that much?"

Clearly, he should be the one hating her. He should be the one burning with rage. Why was she the one harboring such immense hostility toward him instead?

"You and Zhuang Yiqing are birds of a feather," Zhao Yu said, staring blankly at the blanket in front of her. "You both believe money can solve everything. You're both superior, high-and-mighty people. Our worthless, lowly lives mean nothing to you."

Watching the glimmer of tears in her eyes, Xu Chengyan felt his overwhelming fury dissipate once more, without him even realizing it.

Seeing the bloodstain on her clothing still slowly spreading, he took two deep breaths. In the end, he reached out and pressed the call button on the headboard.

Only when the doctor arrived did the three people waiting outside realize something had happened in the ward. Xue Zi'ang rushed in, furious and ready to punch Xu Chengyan again, but Zhao Yu stopped him. "That's enough."

Xue Zi'ang halted. Xu Chengyan looked at Zhao Yu in a daze, but she only said flatly, "It wasn't his fault. I did it to myself."

The female doctor knew better than to ask questions or make comments. She silently undid Zhao Yu's collar to examine the wound that had just received a fresh dressing.

"Minor reopening, slight bleeding. It needs treatment. Don't move around recklessly anymore, or it'll require re-suturing."

Glancing at the men around her, whose tension was palpable, she could only say, "All of you, go outside. Don't interfere while I treat the patient's wound."

Outside the ward, after a long silence, Xu Chengyan finally asked, "What grudge does she have against Zhuang Yiqing?"

Neither Xue Zhan nor Ling Jianwei answered. Instead, it was Xue Zi'ang, who had been wanting to hit him all along, who scoffed coldly. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

The entire corridor sank back into silence. Only when the doctor emerged did Xue Zi'ang and Ling Jianwei leap up from their chairs simultaneously. But before they could take a step, the doctor added, "She says she wants to be alone for a while."

When Ji Sui arrived, he was met with the sight of four men sitting in a row, not a single word exchanged among them.

The presence of Xue Zhan and Xue Zi'ang no longer surprised him, but upon seeing Ling Jianwei, he was clearly taken aback.

Ling Jianwei looked equally stunned. "Brother Ji Sui, you… how are you here? Zhuang Ye already knows about Xi Xi?"

Xu Chengyan looked up in astonishment, while Ji Sui stood frozen in place.

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