Seeing this, Zhou Wanning suddenly felt that Lu Jinzhou wasn’t particularly interested in her—rather, it was just his twisted sense of amusement.
He was toying with the two sisters, manipulating them at his whim.
He wasn’t even afraid of Zhou Leyu finding out about his affair with her.
He enjoyed the thrill of playing with others, relishing the control he held over their lives.
Zhou Wanning clenched her fists.
She couldn’t let someone like him control her life.
She quietly slipped out of the hospital room.
But as soon as she stepped outside, she saw Lu Jinzhou’s assistant, Fang Chen, standing there.
“Miss Zhou, Mr. Lu said you’re not to wander off.”
Zhou Wanning glanced through the glass window on the door. The man turned his head slightly, casting a dark, seemingly casual glance in her direction.
She shivered. Did this man have eyes on the back of his head?
“I was just going to ask the doctor about my father’s condition.”
Fang Chen nodded. “I’ll accompany you. I know the attending physician.”
Zhou Wanning: “…”
The doctor said there was nothing serious, and her father could be discharged after a week’s stay.
When she returned to the room, the others were still chatting, but she didn’t want to go back in.
However, Fang Chen was still outside, and she knew he would follow her.
Zhou Yusen had taken time off work to come, but with so many people around, he felt he wasn’t needed and decided to return to the office.
The ones with the most free time were Mother Zhou and Zhou Wanning.
“Wanning, you’ll stay here tonight to keep watch.”
Zhou Wanning, who had been called out, responded with a soft “Mm.”
“Auntie, I’ve already arranged for a male caregiver. That way, even if Uncle needs to use the restroom at night, it’ll be more convenient.”
Mother Zhou expressed her gratitude and politeness once again.
“Then Wanning can stay here tonight too. She can keep your father company and chat with him. My blood pressure is a bit high, so I can’t stay up late, or I would’ve stayed.”
Zhou Wanning noticed Lu Jinzhou’s expression darken noticeably.
But as a child, staying with an ill parent was perfectly normal. Besides, this way, she wouldn’t have to face Lu Jinzhou.
For now, it seemed Lu Jinzhou wouldn’t do anything to her in front of the Zhou family. “Alright, I’ll stay and take care of Dad.”
Mother Zhou nudged Zhou Leyu. “Leyu, look at the time. Why don’t you accompany Jinzhou to get something to eat? Your sister and I will handle things here.”
Zhou Leyu lowered her head and asked for Lu Jinzhou’s opinion. “Jinzhou, what would you like to eat?”
What would he like to eat? He felt like eating gunpowder.
Lu Jinzhou stood up. “Eat whatever you want. Uncle, Auntie, I’ll take my leave now.”
Zhou Wanning pursed her lips. This man definitely had a performative personality.
Before leaving, he glanced at Zhou Wanning once more, only to find that she didn’t care at all about his coming or going.
After Lu Jinzhou left, Zhou Wanning finally let out a sigh of relief.
Nothing felt more relaxing than this moment. Her nerves, which had been tense for so many days, could finally unwind.
The caregiver Lu Jinzhou had arranged arrived quickly—a man in his forties.
Mother Zhou also felt tired and, thinking that Father Zhou was fine, said, “Wanning, you stay with your father. I’m going home first.”
Father Zhou was a bit displeased. “Are you really going to make Wanning stay?”
“What’s wrong with her, as your daughter, taking care of you?”
“You’re my wife. It’d be more convenient if you stayed.”
But Mother Zhou was adamant. “What’s inconvenient about it? Just ask the caregiver.”
“Wu Wanjun!”
“Why are you calling me? You just can’t stand the thought of me going home to rest properly, can you? You always care about your daughters, but you never think about me. What if my blood pressure spikes?”
“Dad, it’s fine for me to stay. Let Mom go back and rest properly.”
Father Zhou watched Mother Zhou leave with a silent sigh, complaining to Zhou Wanning, “Ever since Le Yu got a boyfriend, your mother has become obsessed. She thinks Lu Jinzhou is rich, so she wants to become a wealthy lady right away. Especially since this time, when your mother and I went on a trip, it was arranged by Lu Jinzhou.”
“Lu Jinzhou arranged your trip?”
Father Zhou nodded, “Yes, everything was covered—food, drinks, and accommodation. He even gave Le Yu 100,000 yuan to give to your mother so we could buy things we liked.”
“Where did you and Mom go?”
“Thailand. It was quite nice there, though.”
Zhou Wanning thought they had just traveled domestically. She never expected Lu Jinzhou to arrange a trip abroad for them.
“I told your mother to return the money, but she insisted it was Lu Jinzhou’s way of showing respect to his future mother-in-law. She even said that amount of money meant nothing to someone like him.”
100,000 yuan really was nothing to Lu Jinzhou.
But Mother Zhou’s greed…
“Ah, I can’t control your mother anymore. By the way, Wanning, is that Luo Shuhang really that despicable? I never noticed before. He used to give your mother gifts quite often.”
Zhou Wanning frowned, “Luo Shuhang gave Mom gifts before?”
Father Zhou nodded, “Through a matchmaker, he gave your mother some jewelry and small gifts. Later, your mother thought he was a decent person and agreed to let you date him.”
So that was it. She had wondered why Mother Zhou suddenly insisted she be with Luo Shuhang. It turned out she had been swayed by his gifts.
“Don’t ask your mother about this. She told me not to say anything.”
How could Zhou Wanning ask? She knew exactly what kind of person Mother Zhou was.
She’d probably just scold her again.
“I know. I won’t ask. Luo Shuhang and I have already broken up. It’s all in the past now.”
Father Zhou sighed again, “I thought you’d met a good person, but who knew he’d turn out to be such a scoundrel? Don’t be sad, my girl. He wasn’t meant for you.”
“Mm, I’m not sad.” If you don’t love someone, you won’t feel sad.
During dinner, the caregiver offered to go out and buy food, saying Fang Chen had already arranged for it to be reimbursed.
Zhou Wanning felt this wasn’t right. Even if he was doing it for Zhou Leyu, her father was injured and hospitalized. They couldn’t let Lu Jinzhou pay for everything.
“I’ll transfer you the money. I’ll cover all the meal expenses from now on.”
The caregiver seemed hesitant.
“If you won’t accept it, then you don’t need to go buy the food. You take care of my dad, and I’ll go buy it myself.”
Reluctantly, he accepted Zhou Wanning’s money.
Father Zhou looked at her approvingly, understanding her thoughts.
He agreed with her approach. “Later, ask Le Yu if we can move out and switch to a regular ward.”
The cost of a VIP ward wouldn’t be low. Ordinary families wouldn’t stay in such a room.
“Alright, you can ask Le Yu. But if she gets upset, don’t push it too much. Just stay here peacefully.”
After all, this was Lu Jinzhou’s way of showing respect to his future father-in-law.
At 8:30 p.m., Lu Jinzhou sent Zhou Wanning a WeChat message.
【Come downstairs to the parking lot.】
She pretended not to see it.
Ten minutes later.
【If you don’t come down, I’ll come up and ask your dad about us.】
Zhou Wanning glared angrily at the message.
She could almost picture Lu Jinzhou’s smug face.
“Dad, I’m going downstairs for a walk.”
Father Zhou didn’t suspect anything. “Go ahead.”
Zhou Wanning dawdled for over ten more minutes before finally making her way to the parking lot.
In the evening, the hospital parking lot had many empty spaces.
She spotted the black Bentley parked in the corner at a glance.
As soon as the car door opened, she was pulled inside.
Before she could even settle into her seat, a pair of strong hands restrained her movements, and warm lips pressed fiercely against hers.
“Mmm, you… don’t…”
A large hand gripped her chest. “Ningning, you’re being so naughty.”