Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Has He Really Stopped Caring? The sky was just beginning to lighten at the horizon, and the faint glow of dawn gently fell on Chu Tang's face through the glass window, illuminating her pale and haggard features. Chu Tang had sat by the window all night, only dozing off against it as dawn broke. Her sleep was restless, broken by several dreams involving Jiang Shixu, each one jolting her awake multiple times. In the last dream, she saw Jiang Shixu and Li Lanxi standing before her, hand in hand. Jiang Shixu's eyes held a smile, his face radiating happiness, as he told her he was getting married and asked her to remember to attend his wedding. Chu Tang cried in the dream. When she woke, tear tracks were still on her face. The housekeeper knocked on the door outside. "Miss Ruan, are you awake? Lunch is ready." Chu Tang wiped her tears, walked to the door, and pulled it open. "Auntie, you go ahead and eat first. I need to take a shower and change before coming downstairs." Seeing Chu Tang's haggard face and dark circles under her eyes, the housekeeper hesitated before asking, "Miss Ruan, did you not rest well last night?" The housekeeper didn't check Weibo, didn't know about Jiang Shixu's scandal, and was unaware that the Jiang and Ruan families had previously been engaged but had now called it off. She simply assumed that Mr. Jiang and Miss Ruan were in a romantic relationship. Mr. Jiang had been very attentive to Miss Ruan, specifically instructing her to take good care of the young lady. Seeing Miss Ruan looking so unwell, she asked out of concern. Chu Tang was exhausted. She had only slept five hours, and even that was fragmented. "I'm fine, don't worry." The housekeeper didn't press further, only saying, "Then go take your shower first. I'll keep the food warm in the pot so it doesn't get cold." "Mm, thank you for your trouble." "Don't be so polite, it's all part of my job." The housekeeper turned and went downstairs. Chu Tang closed the door, leaned against it, and slid slowly down until she was sitting on the floor. Her phone was full of missed calls and text messages. She scrolled through them one by one—none were from Jiang Shixu. Chu Tang hadn't eaten since last night or this morning, and she had stayed up all night. Her body was now pushed to its absolute limit, weak and limp all over. Her face was so pale it was bloodless, as if she had fallen seriously ill. She leaned against the door, her fingers gripping the phone going numb. A call came in. It was Ruan Shaodong. Chu Tang remembered he had said yesterday that he would send someone to pick her up today, so she answered. On the other end of the line, Ruan Shaodong's voice was gentle and low, carrying a father's concern and heartache. "Tangtang, how are you? Have you been eating and sleeping properly?" Chu Tang's nose stung, and her lashes grew damp again. She said hoarsely, "I'm okay, nothing serious." Ruan Shaodong paused. This child was clearly lying. Just from her voice, he could tell she was doing terribly. She definitely hadn't slept well last night, hadn't eaten properly either—her voice was weak and listless, so frail it broke his heart. Sigh. Ruan Shaodong sighed inwardly, his heart aching. He steadied himself before speaking again. "Tangtang, the press conference ended this morning. We've officially announced the dissolution of the engagement. I've already sent a car to pick you up. After you finish lunch, come home." Chu Tang's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she stayed silent, only letting out a weak "Mm." "Then go eat. Dad's hanging up now." Ruan Shaodong knew his daughter was hurting and needed time alone, so after saying what he needed to say, he hung up considerately. Chu Tang sat on the floor for a long while, recovering her strength, before dragging her exhausted, numb body into the bathroom like a walking corpse. Downstairs, the housekeeper dialed Jiang Shixu's number. Jiang Shixu had given the housekeeper his private number specifically so he could be the first to know about Chu Tang's situation. "Hello, Mr. Jiang, this is the housekeeper looking after Miss Ruan. Miss Ruan's mental state has been very poor since yesterday. I'm not sure what happened, but she didn't eat dinner last night, and she skipped breakfast this morning too. I just went to call her and saw she looked terrible, with dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn't slept all night." Jiang Shixu was silent for a moment, his voice rough. "Find a way to get her to eat something." "I've made all of Miss Ruan's favorite dishes. She said she'd come down to eat after her shower." The housekeeper paused, then added, "I really think Miss Ruan is in a bad state. Would you like to come check on her?" "..." Jiang Shixu's lips were set in a rigid line, his voice laced with exhaustion. "No. Someone will be picking her up today." "Oh, oh, alright then." ... Chu Tang came downstairs after her shower. The housekeeper set the food on the table. "Miss Ruan, these are all your favorites. You didn't eat last night or this morning—you must be starving by now, right? Eat up." "Thank you." Chu Tang had no energy, her eyelids heavy, and her head throbbing from severe sleep deprivation. "Then you go ahead and eat. I'll go clean up the kitchen." Chu Tang looked at the table full of steaming, fragrant dishes, but she had no appetite. She took two sips of soup, then opened her phone to check WeChat and her messages. Still nothing from Jiang Shixu. The nanny had said that Jiang Shixu instructed her to take good care of Chu Tang and to report any issues to him immediately. So he should already know what state she was in by now, right? Why was there still no word from him? Had he truly stopped caring altogether? Chu Tang lowered her lashes, a bitter ache stinging behind her eyes. ...... At the Ruan family villa. The moment Chu Tang stepped through the door, Ruan Jiaojiao rushed over. "Sister, you're finally home! Jiaojiao missed you so much!" Chu Tang forced a faint smile and reached out to pat her younger sister's head. "Sister's back to keep you company." "Yay!" Ruan Jiaojiao beamed with joy. Yang Xuelian stood nearby, her eyes filled with concern. "Tangtang, are you alright?" "I'm fine." Yang Xuelian didn't press further. "While you were away, we had your room cleaned every day. Go on up and take a look." "Mm." "Sister, I'll go with you!" Ruan Jiaojiao grabbed Chu Tang's hand, her voice crisp and bright. "Jiaojiao, sister is very tired and needs to rest. How about Mommy plays with you downstairs?" Yang Xuelian gently pulled Ruan Jiaojiao back, speaking softly. Ruan Jiaojiao pouted, her chubby baby face etched with displeasure. "No! Sister hasn't been home in so long. I want sister to play with me." Yang Xuelian patiently coaxed her in a gentle tone. "Be good, Jiaojiao. Sister is home now, so you can see her anytime. Let her rest first—once she's well-rested, she'll have the energy to play with you." The little girl looked up at Ruan Chu Tang, her gaze pausing for a moment. "Sister, why do you have dark circles under your eyes?" Chu Tang, dazed and listless, replied weakly, "I didn't sleep well." Hearing this, Ruan Jiaojiao stopped clinging to her and said sensibly, "Then sister, go sleep first. You can play with me after you wake up." "Jiaojiao is a good girl." Chu Tang's head throbbed painfully, her eyes dry and gritty, her body utterly exhausted. She climbed the stairs with unsteady, dragging steps.