Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Can We Make Up? Ruan Shaodong and Yang Xuelian arrived at the base soon after. Yang Xuelian held Ruan Jiaojiao in her arms, crying uncontrollably. "Wuwuwuwu my baby... Mommy thought she would never see you again... Mommy thinks about you every day, dreams about you every night. Baby, Mommy was so worried about you..." Ruan Chutang stood to the side watching, tears silently streaming down her face. These past few days, the moment she closed her eyes, she would see that madman Fu Yuanzhou tormenting her little sister. At night she would have nightmares—dreaming of Fu Yuanzhou pouring gasoline on her sister, trying to burn her to death, dreaming of him telling her to trade her own life for her sister's. Seeing this scene, even a tough man like Ruan Shaodong's eyes reddened. He had a thousand words he wanted to say, but when they reached his lips, all that remained was, "Jiaojiao, Daddy missed you so much too." After the family of four finished crying, the observant Yang Xuelian noticed that Ruan Jiaojiao's mental state wasn't good. Her eyes red, she said, "Jiaojiao already had psychological trauma from the first kidnapping, and now she was kidnapped again and taken to Country A, nearly losing her life. I'm worried about her..." She couldn't continue speaking. Ruan Jiaojiao wasn't even nine years old, yet she had experienced two kidnappings. How could such a little girl withstand this relentless succession of shocks? Her mental state would definitely be affected. Dark circles shadowed Ruan Shaodong's eyes. He hadn't had a single good night's sleep since his youngest daughter was kidnapped. At this moment, Ruan Shaodong's face was haggard and exhausted, his gaze at his youngest daughter filled with guilt and worry. "I'll contact the best psychiatrist right away." Chu Tang said, "I'll also ask my friends to help find the most authoritative child psychologist available. Auntie, Jiaojiao will definitely get better." Yang Xuelian let out a heavy sigh. "I hope so." Jiang Shixu and Liang Jinwen were outside discussing matters. When the Ruan family came out, the two parties crossed paths. Jiang Shixu's gaze landed on Ruan Chutang. Their eyes met—Chu Tang's eyes were red, having just been crying. A trace of heartache flickered in Jiang Shixu's eyes. Ruan Chutang pressed her lips together and silently looked away. Yang Xuelian had originally wanted to say "thank you" to Jiang Shixu, but the moment she remembered that if it weren't for him, her precious daughter wouldn't have been kidnapped, those words of thanks simply wouldn't come out. Ruan Shaodong shot Jiang Shixu a displeased look, his eyes cold. Jiang Shixu's expression remained composed as he greeted politely, "Uncle Ruan." "Don't call me uncle—I can't bear it." Ruan Shaodong said with a hint of sarcasm. Jiang Shixu didn't take offense. He merely gave a slight nod and asked, "Is Jiaojiao alright?" That question only made Ruan Shaodong angrier. He let out a cold snort. "Thanks to you, she nearly lost her life." "..." Jiang Shixu lowered his eyes, guilt written on his face. "I'm very sorry." Liang Jinwen, standing nearby, wanted to say something, but without Jiang Shixu's permission, he didn't dare interject on his own. Faced with Jiang Shixu's humble apology, Ruan Shaodong wasn't buying it. A fire burned in his chest. His face darkened as he said coldly, "What use is an apology? Can a simple 'sorry' heal the harm done to Tangtang?" Jiang Shixu remained silent. Ruan Shaodong let out another "hmph" and stormed off with Ruan Jiaojiao in his arms. Yang Xuelian said nothing and followed behind him. Ruan Chutang followed as well. As she passed Jiang Shixu, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Tangtang..." Chu Tang stopped and looked up at him. "Is there something else?" Jiang Shixu's eyes were deep, pain seeping through them, his posture humble. "Can we make up?" Chu Tang froze. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. It took her a long moment to react, frowning as she asked him, "What are you talking about?" Make up? At this point, how could they possibly make up? Setting aside the fact that Old Mrs. Jiang didn't like her and strongly opposed them being together—even if, by some miracle, Old Mrs. Jiang agreed to them being together, she still couldn't reconcile with him. Between them stood Ruan Jiaojiao and her kidnapping case. Both she and her sister had nearly lost their lives. Ruan Shaodong now harbored a deep hatred for the Jiang family. Even if she still had lingering feelings for him in her heart, there was absolutely no way she could make up with him. So even though she had learned the truth about why Jiang Shixu broke up with her from Fu Yuanzhou's men—learned that the female celebrity he was rumored to be involved with was actually his cousin, learned that she held a very important place in his heart, so much so that he was willing to risk his life to save her—she never brought up the idea of reconciliation. She could no longer turn back. There was no longer any possibility between them. Chu Tang had thought Jiang Shixu understood this clearly. But looking at him now, it seemed he still harbored unrealistic hopes in his heart. Chu Tang's heart suddenly ached. The truth was, she also found it hard to accept this ending. But this was a dead end. She was trapped within it, her body and mind tormented, yet utterly helpless. It was true that Jiang Shixu had rescued Ruan Jiaojiao. But the fact remained—if it weren't for Jiang Shixu, Ruan Jiaojiao would never have been kidnapped in the first place, would never have been in mortal danger. If it weren't for Jiang Shixu, she wouldn't have become the entry point for Fu Yuanzhou's revenge against Jiang Shixu. Seeing Ruan Chutang silent with lowered eyelids, Jiang Shixu's eyes reddened at the corners, his throat dry and bitter, his heart aching as if it were about to suffocate. After a long while, Chutang heard her own hoarse voice: "We can't go back, Jiang Shixu. We can never go back." The grip on her wrist suddenly tightened, then gradually loosened bit by bit. Finally, Jiang Shixu let go of Chutang's hand. The man's eyes were pitch black, like an unfathomable abyss, emotions surging beneath the surface, layer upon layer, rippling with pain. Chutang didn't look into Jiang Shixu's eyes. She said nothing more. When Jiang Shixu released her hand, she fled in panic as if granted a pardon. In the cold wind. The man stood motionless like a statue. He lowered his eyes, and beneath his distinct, well-defined lashes, a single tear slipped down silently. Soundless. Unnoticed by anyone. In the early spring when grass grows and orioles sing, all things revive, brimming with life. New buds sprouted on roadside branches, flowers in the garden bloomed in competition, gentle breezes and fine rain nourished the earth—everything was thriving. Yet Jiang Shixu's world was lifeless, desolate and withered, reduced to nothing but black and white. ...... When Jiang Shixu learned that Ruan Jiaojiao had developed mental problems, he immediately contacted the world's most authoritative psychiatrist and even flew over overnight to personally invite her. When Ruan Shaodong found out, he merely curled his lips coldly. The doctor arrived in Jiangcheng and went to treat Ruan Jiaojiao as soon as she recovered from jet lag. When Jiang Shixu brought the doctor to the Ruan residence, Yang Xuelian did offer a polite but distant "thank you." Ruan Shaodong was the same as always—unwelcoming toward Jiang Shixu. The doctor was highly professional and experienced. After her initial consultation, she quickly provided a treatment plan and proactively offered to stay at the Ruan residence to be with Ruan Jiaojiao day and night for her treatment. The middle-aged female doctor with blonde hair and blue eyes said in English: "For a child, a familiar environment and familiar people are conducive to treatment, so I don't recommend sending the child to a hospital or care facility. Staying at home for treatment is best. If it's convenient, I can stay here to treat her." Ruan Shaodong replied in fluent English: "Of course it's convenient. Please stay, and thank you, Doctor." The doctor nodded and said with a smile: "You're welcome. As doctors, we naturally hope the child can recover quickly as well." Seeing that everything was settled, Jiang Shixu said, "Then I'll be going now." Ruan Shaodong's attitude remained ice-cold, as if he hadn't heard at all, not even glancing at him. It was Yang Xuelian who responded: "Alright, take care." Jiang Shixu looked at Ruan Chutang. His gaze was full of lingering affection and deep longing. But Ruan Chutang lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. Jiang Shixu's heart ached. He withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked toward the door. Only after the man turned away did Chutang lift her eyes to look at him. The man's back radiated loneliness and desolation. Chutang's breath caught. Her eyes stung and ached.