“How did you hurt your knee?” Jiang Huaixu asked.
Rong Shu shook her head weakly. She didn’t want to explain. “It’s nothing.”
Jiang Huaixu didn’t press her.
Silence fell over the hospital room.
After a while,
Rong Shu spoke. “Professor Jiang, I want to take the baby abroad with me.”
Jiang Huaixu looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Resting a hand over her belly, Rong Shu gazed up at the ceiling. “I don’t feel safe leaving the baby with the Sheng family.”
“The Sheng family wants this baby now. How are you going to take her away?”
That was true.
What could she possibly do to take her away?
Old Madam Sheng still cared very much about this baby.
There was no way she could take her.
Jiang Huaixu stood and came over to tuck the blanket around her. “All right, don’t work yourself up over it. The most important thing right now is to recover and take care of yourself.”
Qi Yanzhao came in with a nurse.
The nurse was going to apply medicine to Rong Shu’s knee.
So the two men left the room.
Qi Yanzhao asked, “What happened between her and Sheng Tingchen today?”
“I don’t know,” Jiang Huaixu replied.
Qi Yanzhao sighed regretfully. “Ah, it looks like Rong Shu’s about to be kicked out by Sheng Tingchen. Guess who I saw him with today?”
Jiang Huaixu looked at him.
Qi Yanzhao gave him a meaningful smile. “Take a guess.”
Jiang Huaixu stared at him without saying a word.
Qi Yanzhao nudged him with his arm. “Come on, guess!”
Jiang Huaixu looked away, not bothering to indulge him.
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
Qi Yanzhao stopped teasing him. “An Qingyue, the Young Miss of MK Group.”
Jiang Huaixu showed no reaction at all. Qi Yanzhao was surprised. He studied Jiang Huaixu’s face, wishing he could press his eyeballs right up against it.
Jiang Huaixu put a hand on his face and pushed him away, looking disgusted. “Don’t get your spit on me.”
“You really don’t have any reaction at all.”
Jiang Huaixu shot him a sidelong glance, looking at him like he was an idiot.
Qi Yanzhao gave up completely and sighed. “Ah, no wonder you’re our upright, unshakable Professor Jiang, so noble and pure. You turned Miss An down, while Sheng Tingchen treats her like a treasure.”
“…”
The nurse opened the door and came out.
Rong Shu planned to spend the night in the hospital.
Jiang Huaixu arranged for a caregiver to look after her.
When he learned she hadn’t eaten yet, he ordered dinner to be brought up shortly.
Jiang Huaixu gave Rong Shu a few more instructions, then left the hospital with Qi Yanzhao.
Rong Shu rested in the hospital overnight, and by morning she was feeling much better. The nurse had applied medicine to her knee; with her belly so big, it was difficult for her to do it herself.
Jiang Huaixu came to see her early that morning, bringing breakfast.
“How are you feeling?”
Rong Shu smiled. Her complexion had improved considerably. “I’m fine now. Thank you, Professor.”
“Good. Have some breakfast first.”
Rong Shu ate.
Jiang Huaixu handed her the black down jacket he’d brought. “It’s cold outside. Wear this for now.”
The jacket was his, but it fit Rong Shu well.
They left the hospital.
She got into the car.
Rong Shu needed to return to the villa at Qianshui Bay. She still had to get her luggage and phone, and she couldn’t keep living there now.
They arrived at the villa.
It was already nine o’clock.
Sheng Tingchen should have left for work by then.
After dropping her off, Jiang Huaixu left; he had an important meeting shortly.
Rong Shu said goodbye to him.
She went inside.
She saw Sheng Tingchen coming downstairs. He still hadn’t gone to the office.
Rong Shu froze in place. She looked up at his expressionless, handsome face, her heart suddenly filling with dread. He descended step by step, his imposing presence making each footfall seem to strike her heart. She could hardly breathe.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he showed no intention of acknowledging Rong Shu.
Rong Shu suddenly said, “I lost control of my emotions last night.”
Jiang Huaixu was right. Picking a fight with Sheng Tingchen would do her no good. There were only two months left, after all. An amicable divorce was best; she shouldn’t make things any uglier.
“I can finish the paperwork today, and I’ll complete the handover as soon as I can.”
Sheng Tingchen gave her a cool glance but didn’t answer. He walked straight toward the dining room.
After he left,
Rong Shu let out a breath and turned toward the sofa. She looked at the stack of documents she had thrown into the trash can, sat down, and set the bin on the coffee table. She took out the papers, then put the bin back where it had been.
She leafed through them. They were all obsolete documents. He had made her organize them just to teach her a lesson.
Rong Shu carried the documents back to her room.
The door was still locked.
She went to the dining room to find Liu Lihua.
Liu Lihua glanced at Sheng Tingchen. He said nothing, which she took as permission. She walked over to Rong Shu, glaring at her as she passed.
Rong Shu went into the room.
She picked up her phone first and saw several missed calls from Pei Lanhua and her father.
Rong Shu called Pei Lanhua right away.
“Why didn’t you come home last night? You didn’t answer your phone, either. We were worried sick.”
Rong Shu made up an excuse, not wanting them to worry.
“I’ll come back tonight.”
Pei Lanhua didn’t ask anything else. “All right.”
After hanging up,
Rong Shu changed her clothes. She would have to return the clothes another day. Holding the documents and pulling her suitcase, she got ready to leave for the office.
As soon as she reached the living room, she heard Wu Fang say respectfully, “Madam, you’re here. Sir is still having breakfast.”
Rong Shu stopped. She saw Shen Yurong in an elegant cashmere coat, exuding an air of refinement. She took it off, and Liu Lihua accepted it with both hands.
Shen Yurong noticed Rong Shu.
Rong Shu came back to herself, stepped forward, and greeted her. “Madam Sheng.”
Previously, Rong Shu had privately called her Mom once. Shen Yurong had gone cold and said, “In front of outsiders, fine. But in private, don’t call me Mom. I haven’t accepted you as my daughter-in-law.”
Just then,
Sheng Tingchen came out of the dining room and saw Shen Yurong. “Mom, what brings you here?”
“Go take care of your business. I want to speak with her.”
Sheng Tingchen said nothing more and went upstairs.
Shen Yurong sat on the sofa.
Rong Shu stood before her, silently waiting for Shen Yurong to scold her.
Shen Yurong glanced coldly at Rong Shu’s protruding belly. “You may be carrying Tingchen’s child, and the Old Madam may care about her great-granddaughter, but that doesn’t give you the right to throw your weight around here.”
Rong Shu lowered her eyes and listened in silence. There was no doubt Liu Lihua had complained about her.
“Look at yourself, from head to toe. What about you could possibly be worthy of Tingchen? And you still don’t know how to behave.” Her voice was harsh, her anger and disgust completely undisguised.
The more Shen Yurong looked at her, the more irritated she became. She had never imagined that her son would marry a woman like this and have a child with her.
If the Old Madam hadn’t cared about this granddaughter, Shen Yurong would never have agreed to let the child stay.
Rong Shu clenched her fingers, head bowed and eyes lowered, and didn’t say a word in reply.
Standing nearby, Liu Lihua seized the chance to fan the flames. “She probably thinks she can use the child to secure her status. Now she even dares to talk back to Young Master.”
Shen Yurong’s face darkened. She fixed her gaze on Rong Shu. “As if you deserve that!”
Wu Fang brought over tea and refreshments. “Madam, please calm down. Don’t let someone so ungrateful upset you and make yourself ill.”
“Rong Shu, I’m warning you: if you keep causing trouble, once the child is born, you can get out!”
“…”
Rong Shu finally raised her eyes, emotion surging in them. “I know I’m not worthy of the position of Young Madam Sheng—”
She had barely begun to answer back when Shen Yurong picked up a teacup and splashed the tea straight into her face.
As Sheng Tingchen came downstairs, he saw it happen.