Su Mumu clutched the shirt over Gu Beichen’s chest. It seemed accidental, her hand happening to land right on the back of Jiang Yousheng’s hand, but the force was by no means light.
“Cousin, your friend is too much. You can say what you want about me, but you cannot insult Beichen. He is not an illegitimate son.”
“I won’t allow you to bully him like this.”
The back of Jiang Yousheng’s hand stung with a burning heat. The sound of the slap had been crisp, as if it had landed right on her face.
“My apologies,” she said, looking at Gu Beichen.
Gu Beichen’s mother had been forced by his father to conceive him. He truly was different from Su Mumu and her mother.
Su Mumu leaned against Gu Beichen, her eyes rimmed with red as she whispered, “Beichen, I feel unwell. My chest hurts so much…”
“This matter won’t just be brushed aside,” Gu Beichen said darkly. He looked at Lin Yang, pronouncing each word with a deceptively calm tone. The calmer he sounded, the greater his temper. He scooped Su Mumu up and left first.
Lin Yang stared after him, fuming with rage. “President Gu, since you’re already engaged to Su Mumu, then let Sheng Sheng go! What do you mean by getting engaged to someone else while still dragging her along? Don’t tell me you plan to marry one and keep your ex-wife as a mistress?”
“Actually, you should be paying alimony, but what’s the deal with kicking Sheng Sheng out of the company?”
That question hit Jiang Yousheng right where it hurt. She wanted to take this chance to break free from Gu Beichen. He was throwing welcome parties for Su Mumu, taking her to every social event, and high-profilely announcing their engagement. Meanwhile, he had tried to hand Jiang Yousheng over to another man, kicked her out of the office, and reneged on the shares he promised. Now, none of the companies she applied to would take her because Gu Beichen had sent word out to blacklist her.
What exactly was he trying to achieve by backing her into a dead end? The Jiang family was bankrupt, and she wanted a fresh start, but Gu Beichen wouldn’t allow it. He kept her penned in by his side, letting everyone know they were divorced yet staying together without remarriage. He knew perfectly well that he was her only reliance in Haicheng now. Yet, for Su Mumu’s sake, he had turned her into a laughingstock once again.
Gu Beichen stared at Lin Yang and let out a cold sneer. “Jinghuai, control your woman.”
“Brother Beichen, don’t be angry.” Zhou Jinghuai walked over with a grim face to pull Lin Yang away. “Stay out of this.”
Zhou Jinghuai forcibly dragged Lin Yang out.
“Let go of me! Zhou Jinghuai, we’re breaking up!” Lin Yang swung her bag, hitting him on the shoulder.
Zhou Jinghuai let out a frustrated laugh. “You’re breaking up with me over Jiang Yousheng? Lin Yang, you’re out of your damn mind!”
Hearing their shouting, Jiang Yousheng followed them out in a panic. “Yangyang, don’t be impulsive.”
“President Zhou, Yangyang is just joking. You two go on home; I’ll catch a cab back to my place.”
“Yangyang.” Jiang Yousheng was worried they might actually break up over this.
Lin Yang calmed down, shook off Zhou Jinghuai’s hand, and told her, “I’ll drive you back.”
“I’ll take a taxi. You and President Zhou need to have a proper talk. Don’t break up over a small thing; a woman like Su Mumu isn’t worth it.”
Lin Yang knew she was worried. “I understand.”
“Call me when you get home.”
“Mhm.”
She watched as Lin Yang got into Zhou Jinghuai’s car and left. Jiang Yousheng stood at the hotel entrance, letting the cold wind blow against her for a moment. Just then, a car pulled up in front of her.
“Secretary Jiang, President Gu told me to take you to the hospital.”
“Miss Su has been hospitalized. President Gu wants you to go and apologize.”
Jiang Yousheng didn’t hesitate; she got straight into the car. If he was asking for an apology, there was still room for negotiation.
“What’s wrong with Su Mumu?”
Jiang Huai replied, “Heart disease.”
So she really was sick? Jiang Yousheng’s brows arched. “Well, that’s karma.”
But with Gu Beichen around, Su Mumu wouldn’t die. He’d probably already found a heart donor.
“Miss Su’s blood type is quite rare, so they haven’t been able to proceed with surgery yet.”
Jiang Yousheng couldn’t care less about Su Mumu; she hoped she’d die on the operating table. “If I apologize, will Gu Beichen let Yangyang off the hook?”
Jiang Huai remained silent, which meant it wouldn’t be that easy. “President Gu said it depends on your performance.”
Jiang Yousheng forced a smile. It was just an apology, wasn’t it? She had endured a year of humiliation by his side; what was one more bow and a few words? As long as it didn’t involve Yangyang, Jiang Yousheng could discard her pride.
They arrived at the super VIP ward. Su Mumu was in a hospital gown, her face pale; she did indeed look quite ill.
“Cousin, why are you here?”
Jiang Yousheng sneered. “Can you stop calling me that? My aunt doesn’t have a daughter like you.”
“Beichen… my chest feels so tight!” Su Mumu immediately clutched her heart, looking as if she were at death’s door.
Gu Beichen’s gaze pierced through her like a blade. “Jiang Yousheng, I brought you here to apologize.”
“If you have no sincerity, then get the hell out.”
A sharp pang of pain shot through Jiang Yousheng’s heart.