Returning - Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Vortex

"Just got you back and you're leaving again? Stop right there!"

Facing the old man's furious shout, Xu Chengyan simply said casually, "Something urgent."

Today was his little niece's sixth birthday. The whole family had gathered at the old family villa to celebrate the little princess, and he, who hadn't shown his face for days, was forced back by dozens of phone calls. But he merely made an appearance before his family, then with a dark expression, walked out on his own again. Even the old man couldn't stop him.

"Why waste words? Just find someone to beat him up and he'll behave," on the lawn outside, Xu Chenghe was making a call with a roguish demeanor. "If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll really think Young Master here is easy to bully. Tell them to beat him half to death for me. If he's not crippled, my name isn't Xu..."

Before he could finish, his phone was snatched away. He was about to curse, but when he saw it was Xu Chengyan, he quickly swallowed the profanity: "Big Brother."

Xu Chengyan said flatly, "If there's an issue, let the police handle it."

Xu Chenghe was stunned for a long moment before suddenly bursting into laughter: "No way, Big Brother, you're telling me to call the cops?"

Xu Chengyan looked at him coldly: "Yes."

As if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, Xu Chenghe pointed at him, doubling over with laughter: "Did you take the wrong medicine? When did you become a champion of justice? Should we get the Donghai Public Security Bureau to hire you as their ambassador?"

Xu Chengyan hung up the call and unhurriedly slipped the phone back into Xu Chenghe's pocket: "If I ever catch you laying hands on people recklessly again, don't blame me for disowning you as my brother."

Seeing the sharpness in his eyes, although Xu Chenghe felt defiant inside, he dared not say more. He could only suppress his grin and nod obediently.

But Xu Chengyan hadn't gone far when he heard Xu Chenghe muttering behind him: "Either his brain's been kicked by a donkey, or someone put a curse on him."

Xu Chengyan paused, but did not turn back to teach that unrepentant brat a lesson. He was simply dazed for a moment. What was he doing just now?

Although he disliked using violence himself, Xu Chenghe had been willful since childhood, and using force to solve problems was routine for him. As long as it didn't go too far and lead to fatalities, the Xu family seldom interfered.

Yet in that instant just now, he had actually thought of Zhao Yu again.

Wasn't her ordeal the result of exactly this kind of violence? Whether the Zhuang family or the Xu family, who had the right to casually teach people a lesson like that? If Xu Chenghe followed through with this beating, would it create another Zhao Yu?

Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu... these past few days, he had been unable to eat or sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of that woman.

Thinking of the horrific sight of her tumbling down the stairwell, thinking of her heart-wrenching cries, thinking of the resolute way she had tried to end herself, thinking of her state like a living corpse after being resuscitated, thinking of the agony of losing her uterus, thinking of how she was tormented day and night by hatred and self-blame, thinking of just how much she must hate him in her heart.

He didn't know how things had come to this point, how a woman could linger in his mind, impossible to dispel.

Perhaps it was because he had never experienced such defeat before, believing himself the hunter, only to end up as someone else's prey in the palm of their hand. He couldn't accept it.

Perhaps it was because that woman was indeed highly skilled in her methods, with acting so superb he couldn't help but feel a measure of admiration.

Perhaps it was also because, for the first time, he had understood a woman's tragic experience so clearly, experiencing her pain firsthand, which made him feel more sympathy for her, and also prompted more reflection on his own usual behavior.

Or perhaps, just as Xu Chenghe said, there was simply something wrong with his brain.

When he returned to the hospital, the liquid meal that had been placed on the table since morning remained completely untouched.

Before, in the ICU, at least they could use nutrient drips. But now that she had been transferred to a regular ward, her refusal to eat or drink clearly showed she intended to just die like this.

"Zhao Yu." He stared fixedly at the woman on the bed for a long while before finally uttering a low sigh. "What if I really turned myself in?"

Seeing no reaction from her, he continued: "Don't you find me disgusting? Didn't you say Zhuang Yiqing and I are birds of a feather? Then you should be hoping not just for her to go to prison, but for me to have a bad end too, right?"

Yet the moment these words left his mouth, he knew how ridiculous he was.

She had never taken him seriously at all. Now these words only revealed his own wishful thinking and self-importance.

Xu Chengyan raised the corner of his mouth in a self-deprecating smile. All the feelings of failure in his life, it seemed, stemmed from this woman.

At dinner time, Shang Lu prepared fresh congee and steamed egg custard again, but Zhao Yu still wouldn't eat a bite, wouldn't say a word.

Shang Lu, helpless, helped tuck in her blanket and gently held her hand, which was still receiving an IV: "I understand your feelings. I also know we are being too selfish, but can you... try, just a little? Perhaps everything really can slowly get better?"

"Before, when I felt life was worse than death, you gave me hope. You accompanied me through that hardest period. Now, I want to have that ability too. You also promised to travel with me. Can you give me that chance?"

Because of the constant IV, the back of her hand was a bit cold. Shang Lu carefully warmed it with his palm, pulled the blanket over both their hands, brushed aside the stray strands of her hair with his other hand, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Do you remember when we first arrived in America four years ago? You said it was your first time abroad, and I asked if there was any place you wanted to go. You said whenever you had time, you wanted to visit Lisbon. Too bad I was always busy with work and never had time to go with you. That was my fault. I want to make up for that regret now. Is it still not too late?"

Her fingers under the blanket moved. Shang Lu carefully held them and looked up to see her reaction, only to find she had already turned her head away, a glint of tears flickering in her eyes.

"What are you doing taking two tutoring jobs at once? Can you handle it?"

"Making money, duh. Time, well, you can always squeeze some out. When I've saved up enough to become a little rich woman, I'll take you on a graduation trip. Let's agree in advance, your graduation trip has to be with me first. Even Zhuang Ye can't steal you from me."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to bear leaving Song Xuan by then."

"Tch! Who would miss him? Men are like clothes, sisters are like limbs. For you, I'd streak naked!"

"How is that possible? This sister here has done her homework. We can not only go abroad, but to the most expensive place in Europe. Of course, we'd have to go somewhere a bit cheaper. I saw netizens recommending it, and Lisbon in Portugal seems pretty good."

The dialogues of the past echoed incessantly in her ears. Zhao Yu closed her eyes, tears welling up more and more, until finally her entire body was trembling slightly.

Xiao Jin still didn't know, but she had also been working hard all along for that graduation trip. Her scholarships, the money she earned from part-time jobs—her mother didn't want her to contribute to the household, so she had saved it all. She had even wanted to surprise Xiao Jin then, but Xiao Jin couldn't wait for them to graduate.

Seeing her like this, Shang Lu slowly released his grip and silently withdrew from the hospital room.

Rather than refusing to eat, drink, or speak, seeing her able to cry and vent made him feel much more at ease instead.

Ji Sui stood at the doorway and looked inside for a moment, then turned and walked back to his own hospital room.

Perhaps everyone else held a special significance for Zhao Yu, more or less capable of stirring certain emotions in her.

As for himself, he couldn't even figure out what their relationship was, and it seemed he had been of no help to her whatsoever. The only thing he could do was pray for her in his heart, hoping she could gradually get better.

Night fell, and lamplight streamed in from outside the window, illuminating Zhao Yu's pale face and the tear tracks that had not yet dried upon it.

After staring blankly at the window for a long time, she realized there was someone in the room.

She could hear his breathing, and could even clearly identify who it was.

"I know," Zhuang Ye sat on the floor leaning against the bed, legs curled up, very close to her, but not daring to touch her. "I'm the one least qualified to tell you to keep living."

"If you are determined to go, I will also... go with you."

Her hand under the blanket clenched the bedsheet. Zhao Yu did not turn her head, nor did she speak. She only slowly closed her eyes, letting the tears continue to slide down.

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