Qi Wan was silent for two seconds.
“President Jiang, you were normal just now.”
Jiang Yuan exhaled a warm breath from his lungs, closed his eyes, and made a gesture.
Qi Wan understood and started the car toward the office building.
The ventilation in the car was turned off, making the interior somewhat stuffy.
Jiang Yuan felt his breathing gradually grow hot, though it wasn’t unpleasant.
Replaying the sensations of smell, sound, and touch from just now, he looked at the note over and over again.
From the neat handwriting, he seemed to see again her slender fingers holding the pen.
He even felt a trace of jealousy toward that pen.
If—
If he could also be touched so gently by her?
Stop dreaming. She was too clean.
He would only stain her.
……
The black Rolls-Royce with completely tinted windows was highly recognizable.
Whenever it drove through the campus, everyone would carefully avoid it.
When the car stopped under the office building, the school board member had already been waiting for a long time.
He hurried forward with a flattering smile and opened the door himself.
“President Jiang, you’re here.”
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly.
The note clenched in his palm was already burning hot, and he still couldn’t bring himself to let go of it.
He glanced back once toward the dormitory building before turning to go upstairs.
As the second-largest shareholder of the Griffin Group, Jiang Yuan listened expressionlessly to all the reports from the others, lightly tapping his finger.
When he finally spoke, there was not the slightest trace of the gentleness he had shown earlier when talking to Yan Sui.
No disguise remained—only his usual impatient tone and cold, hoarse voice.
He mercilessly pointed out every flaw and every hidden self-interest.
Everyone was on edge, yet no one dared to refute him.
The final reform proposal was decided by him.
And signed.
The school board member carefully brought the document to him.
“President Jiang, this document still needs… your father’s signature.”
Jiang Yuan gave a cold “mm” and did not take it.
Qi Wan took it instead, nodded to the others, and followed him out.
The meeting room finally relaxed slightly.
The board member wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Every time they had to send documents for President Jiang to have his father sign, it was the most stressful moment.
Back in the car, Qi Wan glanced at Jiang Yuan’s expression and asked quietly,
“Are we going to the hospital now?”
“Yes.”
On the top floor of the city’s best private hospital,
in a luxurious suite-like ward, a middle-aged man in a wheelchair sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, silently looking outside.
Even though he had aged and was now pale and thin from illness,
his sharply carved features still showed how stunning he must have been when he was younger.
Footsteps sounded behind him. He didn’t turn around, only curled his lips slightly.
“I’m still alive. Did I disappoint you?”
“Indeed,” Jiang Yuan said, throwing the document in front of him. “Jiang Yuzhou, sign it.”
Jiang Yuzhou picked it up and glanced through it.
“Not bad.”
“I’m not here to hear your opinion,” Jiang Yuan said without looking at him.
Jiang Yuzhou smiled.
“Unfortunately, I am still the largest shareholder. Whether you want to hear it or not, you have to.”
Jiang Yuan closed his eyes briefly and said nothing.
Jiang Yuzhou studied his face.
His dark gaze slowly wandered over him, as if searching through memory for something familiar.
Those eyes—once filled with unbearable pain—stirred again like a cold night wind.
He murmured, “A-Yuan, smile for me. When you smile, you look the most like her.”
Jiang Yuan could no longer suppress it. His eyes reddened.
“Jiang Yuzhou, my mother has been dead for so long—why can’t you let her go? Can you be any more disgusting?”
The middle-aged man blinked, unbothered, and even laughed softly.
“Yes. I loved her too much.”
Jiang Yuan’s fingers clenched uncontrollably, pain flashing through his palm before he forced them open again.
“Love her? By forcing her to death, and not even letting her body or ashes go?
“Don’t try to provoke me into killing you. I won’t let you die.
“I will make sure you live—suffering more and more each day. Father.”
Jiang Yuzhou’s expression twisted with something between anger and pain. He gasped, voice hoarse like a lingering curse.
“Jiang Yuan, my son, you carry my blood.
“You are a madman just like me, beyond forgiveness.
“When you meet the one you truly want,
“you will do the same as I did.
“You will destroy everything.”
A sharp pain exploded in Jiang Yuan’s temples.
His back stiffened, and the taste of blood rose in his mouth.
He grabbed the signed documents and left without looking back.
At the door, he stopped and said word by word,
“I am not like you.
“At least I know I am a madman.
“So I will cut it off at the source. I will never take a single step forward.”
Back in the car,
Jiang Yuan frowned tightly.
A migraine caused flickering lights and waves of nausea in his vision.
He fumbled for aspirin and brought it to his lips.
Jiang Yuzhou’s words turned into ringing in his ears.
He was right.
They were the same kind of person.
Ruthless, obsessive, pathological madmen.
But he would never become like him.
Never—
knock knock knock.
Suddenly, a light tapping sounded on the car window.
Before he could take the medication, Jiang Yuan barely opened his eyes—and the word “get lost” stuck in his throat.
Outside the window, a little girl peeked in curiously.
Even though she knew people outside couldn’t see inside, Jiang Yuan instinctively adjusted his expression.
He sat up slightly and took a deep breath.
The window slowly rolled down.
Yan Sui smiled sweetly.
“Mr. Jiang, what a coincidence.”
“I just put my things back in the dorm, went to sign in for a class activity, and came out.
“The hospital is very close to school, so I came to visit my brother. I didn’t expect your car to be here too.”
Her bright eyes tilted toward him, noticing his even paler face.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Jiang Yuan curled his fingers slightly, glanced at her quickly, then lowered his eyes.
“No. I also came to visit someone.”
“Oh, that’s good~ Mr. Jiang looks very tired. You must rest well and drink warm water~”
She waved at him sweetly. “I’ll head in first. See you.”
Only after she turned away did he dare to look up.
He stared at her back hungrily until she disappeared from sight.
How could someone’s voice be this pleasant?
His ears felt itchy—itching all the way to his heart.
Jiang Yuan exhaled and looked at the aspirin in his palm.
Strangely, the headache seemed to ease a little.
He tossed the pill aside and, after a moment of silence, still got out of the car.
It was just a coincidence. Not like he was following her.
He just wanted to see whether that so-called brother had been behaving.
He stepped into the hospital again.
At the same time, Yan Sui walked toward Lin Qi’s ward.
Along the way, she casually took a fruit plate someone had left outside another room to throw away.
People here were wealthy; there was always too much fruit, and throwing it away was wasteful.
She adjusted the arrangement of the fruit neatly.
Checked the time.
About ten minutes left until Lin Jian and the others brought Lin Ran over.
Perfect timing.
She pushed open the door, her delicate face full of concern.
“Are you okay? I brought you some fruit.”
Lin Qi looked up, surprised and happy.
“I’m fine. I was just about to be discharged. Why are you here?”
“I was worried about you,” she said softly, sniffing. “I feel like all of this is my fault.”
Her red-tipped nose and moist almond eyes looked pure and fragile.
Lin Qi couldn’t look away.
Just as he was about to speak, she picked up a piece of strawberry and fed it to him.
His face instantly turned red.
At that moment—
Yan Sui’s fingers suddenly tightened.
Without warning, that familiar chilling sensation of being watched returned.
Again.