Zhan Rong Xuan arrived at the hospital room and saw Fu Xiao Si and Shen Yi standing by the door, looking toward the bed. Still uneasy, Zhan Rong Xuan walked to Xu Yueyao’s bedside and stared at her large, mushroom-like head.
Suddenly, he felt someone touch his hand. Looking down, he saw Xu Yueyao’s small hand sneak out from under the blanket, gently stroking his hand back and forth. Zhan Rong Xuan looked up at her and saw her secretly open one eye, playfully winking at him.
Just then, Zhan Feng entered and said to Zhan Rong Xuan, “Zhan Shao, Fu Zheng and Shen Yan are here.”
Zhan Rong Xuan glanced at Fu Xiao Si and Shen Yi and said, “Let them in.”
Hearing this, Xu Yueyao slowly woke up, touching her head weakly as she asked, “Where am I?”
Zhan Rong Xuan calmly watched her performance. “In the hospital.”
Seeing her awake, Fu Xiao Si hurried forward and asked, “Xu Yueyao, how are you feeling?”
Zhan Rong Xuan frowned, giving him a sharp look. This kid really doesn’t know his place.
At that moment, the hospital room door opened, and Fu Zheng and Shen Yan entered, followed by An Zhiyi. Xu Yueyao looked at An Zhiyi in surprise, wondering why she had come too.
It turned out that after Fu Xiao Si and Shen Yi took Xu Yueyao to the hospital, Wu Haolin and Xiao Beichen grew increasingly worried. They tried calling them, but no one answered. Rumors about Zhan Shao’s ruthlessness made them fear that Fu Xiao Si and Shen Yi might have been killed in a fit of anger. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became. After school, they called Fu Zheng and Shen Yan separately to explain the situation.
Fu Zheng had originally gone to pick up An Zhiyi for a date. Just as he met her, he received Wu Haolin’s call, so they came to the hospital together.
When Xu Yueyao saw An Zhiyi, she immediately looked up at Zhan Rong Xuan. Seeing no reaction from him, she felt slightly relieved. But noticing An Zhiyi staring intently at Zhan Rong Xuan, her heart leaped into her throat. Without thinking, she reached out and held Zhan Rong Xuan’s hand. Successfully capturing his attention, she deliberately put on a coquettish, dependent act. This left Zhan Rong Xuan, a straightforward man, frozen in place, wondering if she had hit her head too hard.
“Zhan Shao, I apologize. This is Xiao Si’s fault. Whatever compensation Miss Xu wants, the Fu family will provide it,” Fu Zheng said, seeing Xu Yueyao’s head wrapped like a large dumpling. He glanced at Fu Xiao Si, his face darkening, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Feeling his brother’s disappointed gaze, Fu Xiao Si lowered his head.
Shen Yan also saw Xu Yueyao’s pitiful state. Grabbing Shen Yi’s arm, he pushed him in front of Zhan Rong Xuan. “Rong Xuan, Miss Xu, I’m not joking. You can deal with this however you see fit. The Shen family won’t say a word against it.”
Knowing Shen Yan wasn’t joking, Fu Xiao Si anxiously said, “This has nothing to do with Shen Yi. It’s all my fault. Zhan Shao, Xu Yueyao, if you want to punish someone, punish me.”
Shen Yi had remained silent the whole time, but upon hearing Fu Xiao Si’s words, his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly averted his gaze, lowering his head to hide the affection in his eyes.
Zhan Rong Xuan truly had no liking for this kid and was about to lose his temper when Xu Yueyao gently scratched his palm. “Zhan Shao, you’ve all misunderstood. They didn’t bully me. I accidentally rolled down the stairs myself. I should thank Fu and Shen for taking me to the hospital.”Fu Xiao Si looked at Xu Yueyao with disbelief after hearing her words. Even Shen Yi stared at her in astonishment. Although they hadn’t pushed her down themselves, it was because of them that she had suffered such an undeserved misfortune. Fu Xiao Si’s heart stirred with excitement, wondering if Xu Yueyao might also have some feelings for him. Could she possibly like him a little too? His thoughts raced wildly.
Fortunately, Xu Yueyao couldn’t read minds. If she knew Fu Xiao Si would twist her words so badly, she should have just let Zhan Rong Xuan kill him. Her real intention was to make peace with Fu Xiao Si and get him to stop targeting her.
Despite Xu Yueyao’s words, Fu Zheng and Shen Yan didn’t believe her at all and were both eager to compensate her.
“Shen Yi owns a hotel near your school. As compensation, I’ll have him transfer it to your name as soon as I return,” Shen Yan said. A hotel meant nothing to him, but Xu Yueyao was Rong Xuan’s woman, and he had to give Rong Xuan an explanation.
Xu Yueyao swallowed hard upon hearing this. Was this how wealthy families operated? Giving away hotels? She was ecstatic inside—she loved this kind of style. But outwardly, she still said, “No, I can’t accept it. How could I take such an expensive gift from Shen? My injury really wasn’t his fault.”
A hotel meant nothing to Shen Yi. He also knew about his older brother’s relationship with Zhan Shao, so whatever his brother said went. He spoke up, “Miss Xu, this is my sincere gesture. Please, you must accept it.” The young man’s voice was clear, cool, and gentle, like the soft, soothing flow of a clear stream.
Xu Yueyao suddenly thought he was quite handsome too—fair and tender, like a little puppy. Still, she pretended to hesitate, saying, “This really isn’t appropriate.”
The men present might not have noticed, but An Zhiyi, being a woman herself, couldn’t ignore the joy in Xu Yueyao’s eyes or the excitement in her voice. A mocking smile curled at the corner of An Zhiyi’s lips, her eyes filled with disdain. As luck would have it, Xu Yueyao looked up just then, and their eyes met, bright and clear. An Zhiyi awkwardly smoothed her hair and lowered her head, while Xu Yueyao gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly. It seemed they were destined to clash, fated to be at odds—she truly, truly disliked her.
Fu Zheng knew the whole incident was Fu Xiao Si’s fault, and he didn’t want to make an enemy of the Zhan family either. He knew he had to give them an explanation today.
“I will transfer 10% of Fu Corporation’s shares to Miss Xu’s name. I hope Miss Xu won’t refuse and will forgive Xiao Si.” Fu Zheng looked at Zhan Rong Xuan as he spoke, though his words were meant for Xu Yueyao.
This time, not only was Xu Yueyao shocked, but even Fu Xiao Si stared at his brother in disbelief. An Zhiyi was so startled she covered her mouth with her hand.
Though Xu Yueyao was greedy for wealth, she still had a bit of sense. She glanced at Zhan Rong Xuan, knowing Fu Zheng’s real target was him. The Fu Corporation at this point wasn’t yet the future top tycoon of the capital—it wasn’t even as influential as the Shen family. Perhaps Fu Zheng thought she was Zhan Shao’s beloved and wanted to use her to climb onto the Zhan family’s powerful tree.
Xu Yueyao felt uncomfortable, unwilling to be used by the male lead. But 10% of Fu Corporation’s shares was incredibly tempting, especially after seeing An Zhiyi’s flustered reaction—she wanted it even more.
She tilted her head and glanced at Zhan Rong Xuan, her beautiful eyes filled with emotion—neither entirely joyful nor entirely reproachful. In her dark, ink-like pupils flickered a sense of dependence, as if to say, “I’ll listen to you. I’ll do whatever you say.”Zhan Rong Xuan’s slender fingers poked her big mushroom head: “Why are you looking at me? Whether to forgive them is up to you.”
“I don’t blame them,” Xu Yueyao said to Fu Xiao Si and Shen Yi. She truly didn’t hold it against them.
“Alright, since Miss Xu has forgiven Xiao Si, I will transfer the shares to Miss Xu tomorrow. We won’t disturb Miss Xu’s rest any further. We’ll take our leave now.” After speaking, Fu Zheng looked at Zhan Rong Xuan, nodded to him, and led Fu Xiao Si out.
An Zhiyi looked at Zhan Rong Xuan, hesitating to speak. She didn’t know if this person was her big brother or not. She noticed Zhan Rong Xuan staring intently at the wound on Xu Yueyao’s arm. Touching the peace buckle hidden beneath her clothes, she turned away with a heavy heart.
Lost in thought, An Zhiyi walked down the hospital corridor and brushed past Chen Shen. Chen Shen seemed to recognize something and turned to look, staring at her retreating figure in a daze. Could she truly be an old acquaintance?