“You… you’re awake!” Zhu Shanshan was stunned; she hadn’t expected Qiao Xudong to wake up at this moment.
“He’s awake, he’s awake!” Zhu Shanshan hurried to the doorway and called out loudly; she wanted to let the Qiao family know that Qiao Xudong had woken up.
Qiao Xudong was in excellent physical condition; his muscles hadn’t atrophied much. When he climbed out of bed, he felt a bit weak but otherwise fine. Qiao Xudong wanted to go out; he needed to find out exactly what was going on between Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen.
When Aunt Qiao and the others learned that Qiao Xudong had woken up, they were all overjoyed. When they found out he intended to go see Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen, they all tried to dissuade him—after all, he had only just woken up—but Qiao Xudong was determined to go.
“Xiaotong will handle it,” Qiao’s mother said. “It’s no big deal; you really shouldn’t go.”
Qiao’s mother was worried something might happen to Qiao Xudong, since he had only just woken up.
“I have to go,” Qiao Xudong replied.
Over the past few days, Qiao Xudong had heard plenty of gossip from Zhu Shanshan, and Qiao Yitong had mentioned it as well. Qiao Xudong felt he simply had to go—he couldn’t not go.
With so much going on, Qiao Xudong couldn’t pretend he knew nothing about it; he had to handle the situation properly. Only then could he feel at ease.
Qiao Xudong didn’t know what others were thinking, but he knew exactly what he himself was thinking.
Qiao’s aunt and the others had no choice; they simply had Qiao Xudong go to the Murong family in a wheelchair.
At the Murong residence, Old Master Murong and the others were surprised to find that Qiao Yitong didn’t seem to care that Murong Yuchen had a split personality.
“No wonder you always acted like two different people before. I told you, there’s something wrong with you,” Qiao Yitong said, patting Murong Yuchen’s arm.
“Yes, there is something wrong,” Murong Yuchen’s secondary personality nodded.
Seeing Qiao Yitong’s reaction, Murong Yuchen’s secondary personality decided against causing a scene. He had originally planned to go find Ms. Murong and track down the person who leaked the news to the newspapers; he couldn’t let those people get away with it so easily.
When Qiao Xudong arrived, he saw that Murong Yuchen and Qiao Yitong were getting along just fine, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Qiao Yitong was stunned; she hadn’t expected Qiao Xudong to wake up at this moment.
“Wow, big brother, you’re awake!” Qiao Yitong exclaimed in surprise.
Qiao Yitong had originally thought Qiao Xudong wouldn’t wake up for a few more days. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to wake up sooner; it was just that, in the original story, Qiao Xudong didn’t wake up this quickly.
“Would it have been appropriate to stay asleep any longer?” Qiao Xudong asked.
“It certainly wouldn’t be appropriate. If you don’t wake up soon, Second Brother will start thinking he’s going to take your place,” Qiao Yitong said. “I don’t really like Second Brother.”
“If you don’t like him, you don’t like him,” Qiao Xudong said, glancing at Murong Yuchen and then back at Qiao Yitong. “If you don’t like him, then let’s call off the engagement.”
So what if Murong Yuchen was Qiao Xudong’s friend? At a time like this, Qiao Xudong naturally had to take his sister’s side. He couldn’t possibly speak highly of Murong Yuchen right now—he didn’t know what else Murong Yuchen might be hiding from him. What if Murong Yuchen had some other major flaw?
“It’s fine. If we don’t get along, we can always get a divorce after we’re married,” Qiao Yitong said. “Big Brother, you weren’t woken up by him, were you?”
Qiao Yitong reached out and gently poked Murong Yuchen. This wasn’t exactly a trivial matter.
“He… this concerns the rest of your life,” Qiao Xudong said.
“Big brother, if I wanted a divorce, would you stop me?” Qiao Yitong asked.
“Of course not,” Qiao Xudong replied.
“Then that settles it, doesn’t it?” Qiao Yitong said.
Qiao Yitong didn’t ask Qiao Xudong why he’d come over as soon as he woke up; her older brother was obviously just looking out for her.
As for this latest news, Qiao Yitong didn’t pay it much mind. The Murong Group was a family business, so Murong Yuchen had absolutely nothing to fear. If those people didn’t want to partner with the Murong Group, then so be it.
Qiao Yitong knew those people didn’t care whether Murong Yuchen had a split personality; what mattered to them was whether Murong Yuchen could help them make money. If Murong Yuchen could help them make more money, they’d keep their mouths shut. If Murong Yuchen can’t make them money—regardless of whether he’s sick or not—they’ll find a way to kick him out.
Murong Yuchen’s secondary personality stood before Qiao Yitong. He wanted to speak, but he didn’t dare say much. At this moment, he knew better than to overstep, lest he displease Qiao Xudong.
“If it weren’t for Tongtong, I wouldn’t even want to be friends with you,” Murong Yuchen’s secondary personality blurted out.
Qiao Yitong gave a light cough. Yes, she was that important.
“You guys…” Qiao Xudong was speechless; he never imagined his friend could be so shameless.
Yun Ruozhu had long known that this incident might not cause much of a stir; what he’d been counting on was that Qiao Yitong would be unhappy and break up with Murong Yuchen.
Yun Ruozhu hadn’t expected Qiao Yitong to actually side with Murong Yuchen. He wondered what exactly Murong Yuchen had that he didn’t—why Qiao Yitong was so determined to be with him. Was it just because Murong Yuchen was the head of the Murong Group? Was it because he didn’t hold the reins of his own company that Qiao Yitong didn’t want him?
Qiao Yitong wasn’t concerned with any of that right now; she knew she had to resolve the immediate situation first—that was more important than anything else.
Qiao Xudong had woken up, and the reporters were once again planning to cover his story.
Whether or not Murong Yuchen had a split personality—a news story about it would be nothing special. Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen haven’t called off their engagement, which shows that the Qiao family trusts Murong Yuchen.
Qiao Xudong was in a wheelchair, leading some to speculate whether he was paralyzed from the waist down. For now, Qiao Xudong ignored the reporters; the Qiao family would hold a press conference when the time came.
Qiao Yitong returned to the Qiao residence with Qiao Xudong. Murong Yuchen wanted to tag along, but Qiao Xudong wouldn’t let him.
At the Qiao residence, Zhu Shanshan was staying there, wondering if Qiao Xudong had no intention of being with her. The other members of the Qiao family hadn’t brought up the matter of Zhu Shanshan yet, but as soon as Qiao Xudong returned, Zhu Shanshan was the first thing on his mind.
Qiao Xudong had to go find Zhu Shanshan; he couldn’t just leave her there like that.
“You don’t have to marry her,” Aunt Qiao said bluntly.
Even with Grandpa Qiao present, Aunt Qiao still said this. It wasn’t that she was disrespecting Grandpa Qiao; she was simply worried about her son’s future.
“I’ll marry her,” Qiao Xudong said. “Mom, I’m marrying her not only to be responsible to her, but also to be responsible to myself.”
Just as Zhu Shanshan was about to step before the Qiao family, she heard Qiao Xudong’s words. Zhu Shanshan was stunned; she hadn’t expected Qiao Xudong to actually take responsibility for her.
“I…” Zhu Shanshan opened her mouth to say she didn’t need Qiao Xudong to take responsibility for her, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Zhu Shanshan did indeed like Qiao Xudong and had thought about marrying him, but this wasn’t something she could decide on her own.
“It’s only right to take responsibility,” said Old Master Qiao.
“Perhaps it was fate that my eldest sister-in-law wouldn’t have to live as a widow, which is why my eldest brother woke up,” Qiao Yitong remarked.
Qiao Xudong didn’t have such deep feelings for Zhu Shanshan, but he knew what was best for him. He couldn’t very well push Zhu Shanshan away now that he’d woken up.
This time, having lain unconscious in bed for so long, Qiao Xudong had come to realize that a suitable partner would suffice.
Zhu Shanshan wasn’t particularly bad; she was actually quite acceptable.
If Qiao Xudong looked for someone else, she might not necessarily be any better than Zhu Shanshan. Zhu Shanshan wasn’t a spiteful person; she hadn’t said anything unkind while he was unconscious—after all, human nature is most vulnerable to trials. While Qiao Xudong was unconscious, Zhu Shanshan could easily have said hurtful things to him.
When Qiao Xudong heard what Zhu Shanshan said, he didn’t think she was particularly bad, nor did he think she was particularly good; rather, he believed she was suited to be the matriarch of the Qiao family. Zhu Shanshan is someone who knows her limits. If she were to change in the future, it wouldn’t matter—they could always get a divorce; it’s not as if divorce were impossible.
As for the family’s assets, they could draw up a prenuptial agreement.
Qiao Xudong cared more about the Qiao Group than about himself. From childhood onward, the family upbringing he received had always emphasized caring for the family and doing what was best for the family. As the future head of the Qiao Group, Qiao Xudong had to consider many factors.
Meanwhile, Qiao Xunan was out drinking with friends. He’d just gone through a breakup; he was heartbroken and miserable. Even with such a major crisis unfolding involving his younger sister, Qiao Xunan didn’t even think to try to resolve the situation.
Qiao Xunan wasn’t exactly drunk; he was still lucid. Then, he got back together with Jiang Wan’er, and they slept together.
Qiao Xunan cared more about himself than about the Qiao Group, nor did he care much about the other members of the family.
As for Qiao Xuxi, he was abroad accompanying a friend at a race; he didn’t compete himself, fearing his mental state wasn’t up to it. Qiao Xuxi was preparing to return to China—not because he’d heard about Murong Yuchen’s situation, nor because anyone had told him that Qiao Xudong had woken up yet—but because his childhood sweetheart was about to marry someone else. That was the real reason he was preparing to return.
The novel Qiao Yitong had written in her past life was just that cliché—full of all sorts of hackneyed plotlines. She’d seen others’ works become huge hits and wanted to give it a try herself. The result was that she lacked the skill to develop the characters or weave the story effectively; in the end, hardly anyone read it—only a handful of die-hard fans who’d always followed her work kept reading. Even when Qiao Yitong’s work flopped, those fans stuck with it.
Now, when Qiao Yitong saw Aunt Qiao nod, she knew she would nod. There might have been a few other twists along the way, but the final outcome would have been the same.
After all, Zhu Shanshan had stayed by Qiao Xudong’s side while he was unconscious, and Aunt Qiao was somewhat superstitious.
Aunt Qiao had once seen someone who couldn’t have children adopt a child, and that person soon had a child of their own. But once that person felt they had their own child, they gave up the adopted one—and as a result, their biological child died shortly afterward. Everyone said it was the adopted child who was destined to have younger siblings, not that the person was destined to have children.
“You two are sisters, after all, so it’s easier for you to get married,” Aunt Qiao said. “It’s better if your sister and her family don’t come to our house too often.”
Grandpa Qiao, however, didn’t object—he harbored some resentment toward the Zhu family. Grandpa Qiao had, after all, kept his promise by arranging for his old friend’s granddaughter to marry into the Qiao family.
When Zhu Shanshan’s older sister learned that Qiao Xudong had woken up, she was naturally displeased. She demanded that Zhu Shanshan return home so she could go to the Qiao family herself.
So Zhu Jiaojiao spoke to her parents again, urging them to go to the Qiao family and bring Zhu Shanshan back. “Daddy, Mommy, they haven’t officially married yet—it doesn’t count. When the time comes, just say that Shanshan insisted on going, and I had something come up at the last minute so I couldn’t make it, which is why she went instead.”