Chapter 15

Chapter 15: I Won't Forgive You Unless You Come and Apologize After hanging up the phone, Ruan Chutang carefully thought back over what had happened tonight. Why would Chen Wan sneak into her room while she was taking a shower? It definitely couldn't be just to look around, as Chen Wan had claimed. Chen Wan must have had some ulterior motive. Ruan Chutang walked around the room, carefully inspecting the furnishings. Aside from the shattered porcelain doll, everything seemed to be the same as before—nothing out of the ordinary. Then, her gaze landed on the glass of milk on the bedside table. Ruan Chutang had a habit of drinking a glass of warm milk before going to sleep. The milk had been heated and brought up by the housekeeper before she took her shower, meant to be drunk afterward. And the porcelain doll had also been placed on that same bedside table before it was broken. Since Chen Wan had broken the doll, that meant she must have lingered near the bedside table while she was in the room. That glass of milk had very likely been tampered with by Chen Wan. ... Jiang Shixu arrived in Haicheng three hours later. By the time Ruan Chutang received his call, Jiang Shixu was already on his way to Jingheyuan Villa. At that moment, Ruan Chutang was tossing bags of unwanted items she had packed a few days ago into the trash bins outside the villa. "Shixu, I'm not staying here tonight," Ruan Chutang said as she walked back toward the villa while on the phone. She still had a lot of things to throw out, and since the housekeeper had already retired for the night, she didn't want to trouble her—she'd just do it all herself. Jiang Shixu didn't ask any questions, simply replying with a single "Okay." Ruan Chutang asked again, "Have you booked a hotel?" Jiang Shixu named a hotel. "Alright, I'll book a room at that same hotel too. Let's meet there later—no need to come all the way here. Just head straight to the hotel." She planned to clear out all her belongings tonight and leave this villa with her luggage. It was time to say goodbye to Gu Zechuan. Ruan Chutang placed her suitcase in the trunk and took out her phone to book a room online, only to discover that the hotel was fully booked. After checking, she learned that a major exam was being held at a school nearby tomorrow, and nearly every hotel within a few kilometers was completely booked. She searched around and found only one low-end inn with a vacancy. Ruan Chutang scrolled through the reviews and frowned at the photos and negative comments. One of them read: "The soundproofing is terrible. In the middle of the night, the couple next door 'cooking' was so clear it was like a live show right in front of me. I was so fired up I couldn't sleep all night." Ruan Chutang understood what that meant. Her court hearing was at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and driving there would take about three hours. Factoring in time to freshen up and eat lunch, she needed to be up by ten in the morning at the latest. It was already past eleven at night now, and she still had to meet Jiang Shixu. There wasn't much time left for rest. If noise kept her awake in the middle of the night, she'd definitely be drowsy tomorrow. After thinking it over, she sent Jiang Shixu a message. [That hotel has no vacancies, and the nearby ones are all booked too. Shixu, could you help me book a room?] The regular rooms at those upscale hotels were sold out, but they usually kept luxury suites reserved for VIP guests. After all, Jiang Shixu was the young master of the Jiang family and the CEO of the Jiang Group—booking a room would be easy for him. Jiang Shixu replied quickly. [My room is a penthouse suite—a duplex with two bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. If you don't mind, you can come over and stay for the night.] Ruan Chutang hesitated for a moment. She hadn't seen Jiang Shixu in over three years. Wouldn't it be a bit awkward to stay together the very first time they met? But if she didn't go, where would she find a room at this hour? A duplex, though... that might actually work. Two separate rooms, upstairs and downstairs, fairly far apart. After agonizing for a few minutes, Ruan Chutang agreed. Just as she was about to step on the gas and start the car, she suddenly received a message from Gu Zechuan. He sent several photos. Chen Wan's hand was wrapped in layers of gauze, looking quite serious. [Ruan Chutang, you've really gone too far this time. Get to the hospital right now and apologize to Wanwan.] [I won't forgive you unless you come and apologize. If you apologize nicely, you can keep living in the villa.] Ruan Chutang let out a cold laugh. Without replying, she decisively blocked and deleted Gu Zechuan. ... At the hospital, Gu Zechuan stared at the glaring red exclamation mark on his phone screen, his eyes cold and sharp, a handsome face clouded with darkness. "Ruan. has enabled friend verification. You are not yet on their friend list. Please send a friend request first. You can chat once the request is approved. Send friend request." Ruan Chutang had actually deleted him! Gu Zechuan's brow twitched, anger surging in his chest. Getting bold, huh. She'd even learned how to delete contacts. Chen Wan, lying on the hospital bed, noticed Gu Zechuan's grim expression and couldn't help asking, "Zechuan, what's wrong?" Gu Zechuan pulled his thoughts back, composed himself, and replied coldly with a dismissive, "Nothing." Chen Wan asked no further questions. Her beautiful eyes fixed steadily on Gu Zechuan, she looked delicate and vulnerable. "Zechuan, is my hand ruined? Will I never be able to play the piano again?" Chen Wan had studied piano before. The prestigious music academy she went abroad to attend was one of the most renowned in the world. Before returning to the country, she had started running an account on a wildly popular short-video platform in China. By now, she had accumulated over a million followers, making her something of a minor internet celebrity. Hearing this, Gu Zechuan's expression softened, a hint of sympathy and tenderness flickering in his eyes. "No, the doctor said it's just a superficial wound. Nothing serious—you'll be fine in a few days." Chen Wan looked sorrowful, on the verge of tears. "Really? Zechuan, you're not just trying to comfort me, are you?" Gu Zechuan reached out and ruffled her hair. "No." Chen Wan lifted her gaze to meet his eyes and asked in a pitiful, aggrieved tone, "Zechuan, if—I mean, just hypothetically—if my injury were more serious and I could never play the piano again, would you forgive Ruan Chutang?" Gu Zechuan's dark eyes turned deep and unfathomable, his voice cold. "Don't even talk about it being more serious. Even with the injury you have now, if she doesn't apologize to you, I won't forgive her. If you really could never play the piano again, I'd make her pay." Tears glistened in Chen Wan's eyes. She rested her head on Gu Zechuan's shoulder and said in a soft, coaxing voice, "Zechuan, I knew you were always the best to me." Gu Zechuan held Chen Wan in his arms, but his mind was on Ruan Chutang. Just now at the villa, he'd said he never wanted to see her again. Had that been too much? But she had hurt Chen Wan first—she was the one in the wrong! Her deleting him as a friend was just her way of waiting for him to come and coax her. But this time, he didn't want to. ... Ruan Chutang arrived at the hotel lobby and immediately spotted Jiang Shixu. He was dressed in a black shirt and trousers, which perfectly showcased his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. His features were sharp and clean-cut, with deep brows and handsome eyes. He looked no different from three years ago—still so devastatingly handsome it was almost criminal. Beside him stood a man in a suit, a head shorter, who looked like an assistant. When Jiang Shixu saw her, he strode over urgently with his long legs and took the suitcase from her hand. "Tangtang, are you okay?" Ruan Chutang pressed her lips together and replied softly, "I'm fine." "President Jiang, I'll head down first, then." The assistant beside Jiang Shixu said respectfully. Jiang Shixu nodded. The top-floor suite of the five-star hotel was luxuriously decorated with a wide, open view. Standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, one could overlook the entire nightscape of the coastal city. "Tangtang, do you want to stay upstairs or downstairs?" Sharing a space with such an extraordinarily handsome man made Ruan Chutang nervous and uneasy. "I... either is fine." She thought she heard a low, soft chuckle, and she didn't dare lift her head to meet Jiang Shixu's eyes. Then she heard his deep, gentle voice say, "Then you take the upstairs room. Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything." A suspicious flush crept onto Chutang's cheeks. "Okay."