Shu Yang couldn’t help but shiver, her gaze toward Shang Shiyan growing even more complicated.
She really hadn’t expected this—she’d thought a man like Shang Shiyan only had his career on his mind.
He would surely choose an equally career-driven, ambitious leading lady.
The two of them would complement each other and ascend to the pinnacle of power, even if there was no love between them.
But if he truly liked Zhizhi, then what about the rumored Miss Qiao of the Qiao family?
The rumor that the Shang family was to form a marriage alliance with the Qiao family had long been widespread and known to all.
Shu Yang bit her lip, worrying that she might be overthinking things.
Could a cold-blooded businessman like Shang Shiyan really devote himself wholeheartedly to loving one person?
“I have things to do. I’m leaving first.”
Before Shu Yang could react, Fu Yuan had already taken his leave.
In the long, narrow corridor filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant, only she and Shang Shiyan remained.
Facing the man before her with his grim expression, Shu Yang nervously twisted her fingers.
She felt as though even the invisible air was steeped in a deathly silence.
The cold, sharp aura the man unconsciously exuded was enough to crush her breath.
She fidgeted, rubbing her hands together, racking her brain for something to say to break the deadlock—when the sound of approaching footsteps rescued her.
Looking up, she saw Shang Shiyan’s assistant walking toward them—
Clutched in his arms was a teddy bear as tall as a person.
The man’s suit-and-tie appearance and the teddy bear’s adorable clumsiness simply didn’t match no matter how you looked at it.
The bear was big and soft, terribly difficult to manage.
Duan Yang hoisted it over his shoulder, and the bear’s paw slipped without warning, landing squarely in front of his face and blocking his view.
“Aw, come on! This paw…!!”
Watching the man struggle to free a hand and set it back, only for it to droop down again immediately—
Unable to see where he was going, the man’s steps began to wobble unsteadily.
Shu Yang: …?
Was this guy here to be a clown or what?
Before she could finish her inner commentary, the man had already reached Shang Shiyan and respectfully handed over the teddy bear.
Watching the oversized plush toy being held in Shang Shiyan’s arms, Shu Yang’s delicate, finely arched brows knitted together, her eyes filled with utter bewilderment.
Yet the man seemed completely oblivious to how incongruous this all was.
He even walked toward the hospital room with a perfectly composed expression.
Shu Yang stood frozen in place, unable to snap out of it for a long while.
As if she’d lost her soul, only her feet mechanically following along.
This world was truly too surreal.
The hospital room was dim, the curtains drawn tightly shut.
Their special material let not a sliver of light through, and all the room’s lights were turned off.
Only a single warm yellow lamp remained lit, just enough to see by.
Shu Yang looked around—though this was a hospital room, it was fully equipped with every amenity, and even more high-end than usual.
As she drew closer, she noticed the room lacked the pungent disinfectant smell of the corridor; with a careful sniff, she could even detect a faint woody fragrance.
“The room has been scented with agarwood. President Shang gave special instructions, saying it would help Madam calm her mind.”
Duan Yang’s lowered voice reached Shu Yang’s ears.
Madam?!
She hadn’t expected that Shang Shiyan, who seemed so cold and indifferent as if he cared about nothing, would be so thoughtful toward her precious best friend.
The next second, her gaze landed on the hospital bed, where her dear best friend lay wrapped tightly in bandages, eyes shut.
Her palm-sized face looked even thinner, like a porcelain doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
Shu Yang covered her lips, the emotions she had been holding back all along finally breaking free as tears streamed down her face.
“Zhizhi…”
The moment the words left her mouth, her voice choked with sobs.
But before she could even get close, Shang Shiyan stopped her with a warning glare.
His icy gaze swept over her like a biting wind, and Shu Yang felt a chill run down her spine.
She couldn’t help but shiver, intimidated by the man’s oppressive aura, and could only stare pitifully at her best friend.
Shu Yang opened her mouth to say something, but the next second, her words were cut off by Shang Shiyan’s movements.
She watched as he walked to the bedside and placed a life-sized plush toy at the head of the bed.
His movements were slow, as if afraid of waking the sleeping girl.
The careful, almost reverent way he moved left Shu Yang utterly dumbfounded.
Was this really the legendary business tycoon Shang Shiyan—the man known for being cold, indifferent, and utterly uninterested in women?
She was just about to pick her jaw up off the floor when the next scene left her even more stunned.
Shang Shiyan slowly straightened up, reached out to adjust the IV drip, and checked the flow rate of the fluid.
Noticing it was a bit fast, the man furrowed his brows slightly and skillfully slowed it down.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward the hospital bed, and only when he saw that the sleeping girl’s expression hadn’t changed at all did he let go.
Shu Yang watched as Shang Shiyan naturally tucked the blanket around her best friend, his movements so practiced they seemed repeated a thousand times over.
Fu Yuan’s words flashed through her mind, and she actually found herself thinking they made an inexplicably perfect match.
Realizing where her thoughts were going, she frowned.
Crazy. She was going crazy!
Before she could kick those wild thoughts out of her head, the girl who had been sound asleep on the bed suddenly stirred.
The next second, she started coughing violently, as if something was choking her.
The sound was so harsh it seemed like she was coughing up her entire lungs.
Her throat, already injured and raw from the surgery tube, hadn’t even begun to heal.
Now, with the violent coughing, the pain was even more excruciating.
Meng Zhi’s tears spilled uncontrollably, and the feeling was hardly any better than death itself.
Suddenly, a broad hand with searing warmth gently rested on her back, patting her softly to help ease her discomfort.
Seeing this, Shu Yang refused to be outdone and reached out her hand.
But just as it hovered in midair, Shang Shiyan beat her to it, and she could only watch as he handed over a glass of water.
“Drink some water to soothe your throat. It’ll help you feel better.”
Shang Shiyan’s tone was like coaxing a child, his gaze fixed on Meng Zhi without straying for even a second.
Watching her take the cup and drink, her complexion visibly improving, the man finally let out a breath of relief.
After she set the cup back down, he once again beat Shu Yang to it, grabbing a tissue to wipe her mouth.
His meticulous movements were as if he were handling a rare treasure, afraid of causing any harm.
With all the tasks taken from her, Shu Yang awkwardly retracted her hand that was still hovering in midair.
She pretended to casually touch the tip of her nose.
“She was fine just now—why is she coughing so badly? Nothing’s wrong, is there?”
Afraid that Meng Zhi might overhear and overthink, she deliberately lowered her voice so only Duan Yang beside her could hear.
“Dr. Fu mentioned this situation. When the missus was brought in for emergency treatment, the situation was urgent and there was no time for a full examination, so the doctors didn’t know she had a congenital issue with her trachea. The first intubation failed, causing injury to the trachea. She needs proper rest and recovery…”
As Duan Yang answered, his gaze kept flickering toward Shang Shiyan.
Seeing his increasingly grim expression, his voice grew weaker and weaker until it became inaudible.
Shang Shiyan’s gaze toward Meng Zhi remained unchanged, but the heartache hidden in his eyes deepened.
If it weren’t for Shang Ye and Chu Qinyan, how could Meng Zhi have suffered like this?
The man’s hand gradually clenched into a fist, and the aura around him turned cold and fierce.
A sharp chill and thick malice flashed through his eyes.