Chapter 201

Chapter 201: A Bouquet of Flowers Meng Yaqin lunged forward, ready to throw a punch. A Wen grabbed her arm and pressed firmly on an acupoint. Meng Yaqin let out a sharp "Ouch!" and stumbled back two steps, her face scrunching up in pain. She rubbed the arm A Wen had pressed with her other hand. Her entire arm had gone numb. "What did you do to me?" Meng Yaqin's grimacing expression was utterly comical. "Numb, numb, numb—it's so numb!" Some of the bystanders watching couldn't even hold back their laughter. "Get lost." A Wen stared coldly at Meng Yaqin, a chilling glint flashing in her eyes. Meng Yaqin shuddered, feeling that this woman looked absolutely terrifying. Just a couple of casual presses from this woman, and her entire arm had gone numb. Just then, the hospital's security personnel arrived. "Break it up, break it up. No loitering." Several security guards in uniform dispersed the crowd of onlookers. The spectators scattered. "Miss, are you alright? Do you need me to call the police?" A security guard said to Ruan Chutang with utmost respect. They all recognized Miss Ruan. The day Miss Ruan was transferred to the hospital, the head of their security department had told them that the big boss's daughter was recovering there. He'd even shown them her photo so they could recognize her, telling them to be observant, greet the boss's daughter when they saw her, and do whatever she asked. The moment Meng Yaqin heard the security guard address Ruan Chutang as "Miss" with such deference, she instantly understood what was going on. "This is your family's hospital?" Meng Yaqin shrieked. Chu Tang gave a faint, wry smile. Instead of answering Meng Yaqin, she said to the security guard beside her, "No need to call the police. Just 'escort' this lady out of the hospital." "Yes, Miss." Meng Yaqin was dragged out by the security guards. She struggled and shouted, "I'm not leaving! Let go of me!" After Meng Yaqin was thrown out, Yu Jiaojiao finally snapped back to reality. She stared at Ruan Chutang in shock and said, "Chu Tang-jie, this... this is a hospital run by your family?" Chu Tang hummed in acknowledgment. Yu Jiaojiao wanted to ask what they'd meant earlier about Gu Zechuan and the Gu Group going bankrupt, but she glanced at Chu Tang's expression and decided not to bring it up. That must have been a painful memory. Better not to ask. ... The next morning, Chu Tang got up and wanted to step outside for some fresh air. The moment she opened the door, Chu Tang froze. There, lying quietly on the ground in front of her hospital room door, was a blooming bouquet of Freud roses. Chu Tang picked up the flowers. She looked inside the bouquet but found no small card. Who had left these flowers? A figure surfaced in her mind. Chu Tang's breath tightened slightly. Was it him? Had he come to the hospital? When? Chu Tang held the roses, lost in thought. Could someone have left them at the wrong door? After all, there wasn't even a card attached. Chu Tang wasn't sure the bouquet was even meant for her. Should she ask? But their relationship was awkward right now. If it wasn't Jiang Shixu who'd sent them, wouldn't asking him be like protesting too much? Chu Tang carried the bouquet to the nurses' station on the same floor. The nurse on duty saw Chu Tang approaching, put away her phone, and greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Miss." "Good morning." Chu Tang asked, "Did you happen to see who left this bouquet outside my door this morning?" The nurse nodded and replied, "It was a gentleman." "A gentleman?" Chu Tang looked puzzled. "What did he look like?" At the mention of that gentleman, the nurse's eyes lit up. Her tone was excited as she said, "He was tall and handsome—his face was even better-looking than a celebrity's!" "Did he wear glasses?" Chu Tang asked again. Tall and handsome gentlemen—Chu Tang could only think of Jiang Shixu and Lu Shuci. Lu Shuci wore glasses; Jiang Shixu didn't. The nurse shook her head. "No. He was wearing a black shirt and looked very aloof." Chu Tang had a pretty good idea now. That would be Jiang Shixu, then. But if he'd come all the way to her door, why hadn't he knocked? Why hadn't he come in to see her? Chu Tang asked the nurse again, "When did he come?" "About half an hour ago." "I see." Chu Tang thanked the nurse and turned to walk back. She was staying in a premium VIP ward. The room originally had fresh-cut flowers for decoration. Chu Tang took out the wilting flowers from the vase and replaced them with the Freud roses Jiang Shixu had sent. Freud roses were rich in color—bold, passionate, and full of vitality. They also carried a very romantic flower language: "You wander carelessly through my dreams, turning my heart into a garden filled with fragrance." After arranging the flowers, Chu Tang thought about what the nurse had said—that Jiang Shixu had come half an hour ago. At the thought of a certain possibility, Chu Tang's breathing quickened. Could he still be here? Once the thought took root, she couldn't stop herself from wanting to find out. Chu Tang pushed open the door and hurried toward the elevator lobby. It was seven in the morning. The sunlight was already beginning to blaze. Chu Tang, wearing a light purple short-sleeved solid-color dress, hurried out of the elevator and ran toward the open-air parking lot outside the hospital. A few minutes later. Chu Tang caught sight of that familiar figure and slowed her pace. Jiang Shixu indeed hadn't left yet. The man was leaning against the front of his Cullinan, head lowered, a cigarette held between his fingers. Wispy white smoke curled upward before slowly dissipating into the air. Jiang Shixu hadn't noticed Chu Tang standing not far away, watching him. He was lost in his own thoughts, far removed from the noise of the world. The morning sunlight spilled over him, softening the cold, hard lines of his profile. She hadn't seen him in days. Chu Tang's breath caught, and she took a few more steps forward. Jiang Shixu looked up casually and met Chu Tang's eyes. He seemed to freeze for a moment. The next second, he stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. Chu Tang didn't like the smell of smoke. Jiang Shixu never used to smoke. Recently, many things had happened in the Jiang Family. After handling matters at home, Jiang Shixu had to deal with company affairs, going nonstop day and night without any time to rest. And then there was his relationship with Chu Tang... He missed her so much, yet due to real-world circumstances, they couldn't go back to how they once were. Every time he thought of Chu Tang, his heart ached with a dull, suffocating pain. Smoking and drinking helped ease the discomfort a little. But excessive drinking would make him lose his composure, and Jiang Shixu didn't like that. So whenever his longing had nowhere to go, he would smoke. Chu Tang approached Jiang Shixu, and the man instinctively stepped back. "Don't come closer—there's a smell of smoke." A smell you don't like. Jiang Shixu lowered his gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Sorry, I was feeling suffocated and upset, so I smoked to relieve the pressure." He was afraid Tangtang would dislike the smell of smoke on him. "It's fine." Chu Tang looked at Jiang Shixu and said softly, "Thank you for the flowers you sent. They're beautiful." The man's voice was low and deep. "I'm glad you like them." Chu Tang opened her mouth, wanting to ask him why he hadn't knocked and come in to see her. But the words were on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't bring herself to say them. Jiang Shixu, however, seemed to see right through her. He spoke up on his own: "I was afraid of disturbing your sleep, so I didn't knock." Chu Tang hummed in acknowledgment. Silence stretched between them. Neither knew quite what to say for a moment. After a while, Chu Tang spoke. "Then I'll head back first. Drive safe on the road." "Mm, okay." Jiang Shixu's gaze was gentle. ... That evening, Chu Tang received a phone call from Zhou Xueluo. "Tangtang, are you free right now? There's something I want to talk to you about." Zhou Xueluo's tone sounded very serious and earnest, which surprised Chu Tang a little. They were so close—why couldn't she just say it directly? "I'm free. What's wrong?" Chu Tang replied. Zhou Xueluo paused for a moment, as if weighing her words. "Tangtang, do you still remember Shu Mingyue?" Shu Mingyue? Why would Xueluo suddenly bring up that person? Chu Tang replied, "I remember her. We know each other, but we're not close. Didn't she go abroad?" "Yeah, she did go abroad before. But now she's already back in the country." "I see. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Zhou Xueluo was silent for a moment before speaking. "She came back this time with her sights set on Shixu-ge." Chu Tang froze, saying nothing, waiting for Zhou Xueluo to continue. Seeing that Chu Tang wasn't responding, Zhou Xueluo decided to just say it all in one go. "Seven years ago, before she went abroad, she confessed to Shixu-ge. A few days ago, I met with her, and she told me that this time she's back to pursue Shixu-ge." The room was bright as day. On the small round table by the hospital bed, the fresh roses gave off a faint, lingering fragrance. After Zhou Xueluo finished speaking, Chu Tang stared blankly at the bouquet of roses, lost in thought.