Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Tangtang, What Exactly Happened at the Equestrian Center This Afternoon? Ruan Chutang followed the rescue team as they headed out. Zhou Xueluo and Chen Yuanyuan hurried over as well. Chen Yuanyuan ran up to Chu Tang's side in a few quick steps and asked urgently, "What happened?" Chu Tang's mind was a blur, and her expression was somewhat dazed as she replied, "I don't know either. Xu Jingxuan just asked me to teach her how to ride. We were riding along fine when Xuebao suddenly went berserk. Xu Jingxuan was thrown off, and she looks pretty badly hurt." Zhou Xueluo frowned in thought. "Xuebao gets a routine check-up every month, and we even did a special examination before bringing him out today. All the indicators were normal. How could he suddenly go berserk?" Chen Yuanyuan clenched her fists. "Could Xu Jingxuan have pulled something? I remember she only wanted Brother Shixu to teach her at first, didn't she? She never really liked you, so why would she suddenly ask you to teach her?" Zhou Xueluo said, "The staff have already gotten Xuebao under control and given him a sedative. They'll run some tests on him in a bit. Tangtang, don't blame yourself. This has nothing to do with you." Hearing this, Ruan Chutang thoughtfully gazed in the direction the rescue team had disappeared. In her mind, she recalled the strange smile Xu Jingxuan had worn right before the accident. Her intuition told her that Xu Jingxuan was definitely connected to what had happened. But... Why would she do such a thing? Thinking of the look Jiang Shixu had given her earlier, Chu Tang felt she might have found the answer. But wasn't Xu Jingxuan afraid of risking her life by doing something like this? Just to create a rift between Jiang Shixu and herself, Xu Jingxuan was willing to go this far? This was only their second meeting, and Xu Jingxuan was already willing to risk her own safety to scheme against her! Chu Tang was deeply shaken. This Xu Jingxuan was a complete lunatic! ... Inside the ambulance. Xu Jingxuan's face was deathly pale, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking quite pitiful. She called out to Jiang Shixu beside her in a whining voice, "Brother, it hurts so much..." Jiang Shixu comforted her softly, "We'll be at the hospital soon. Let's see what the doctor says." Xu Jingxuan's tears fell as she sobbed weakly, "It really hurts so much. The moment I fell off the horse, I was so scared... Brother... I was so afraid I'd never see you again..." She clung tightly to Jiang Shixu's hand, her sobs coming in fits and starts. "Brother, did I cause you trouble? Wuwuwu... We were all having such a good time today, and then I had an accident. Wuwuwu... Brother, am I a troublemaker?" "Don't say that." Hearing her words, a look of tenderness welled up in Jiang Shixu's eyes. After all, she was a girl he had watched grow up. Though not his biological sister, she was dearer to him than one. "Alright, stop crying." Jiang Shixu's voice was gentle as he coaxed her. "We're almost at the hospital." Xu Jingxuan sniffled and whimpered, "When Brother comforts me, it doesn't hurt anymore..." Jiang Shixu reached out and gently patted her head. "Still acting like a little kid, just like when you were young." At the hospital. The doctor took X-rays of Xu Jingxuan and ran some tests. Her injuries weren't extremely severe—a fractured coccyx, soft tissue damage, a slight dislocation of the elbow joint, and multiple abrasions on her body. Fortunately, there was no internal organ damage. The doctor said it was a stable fracture, and about a month of hospitalization and treatment should be enough for recovery. After the examination and medication application, the nurse administered a painkiller injection, and Xu Jingxuan, who had been constantly complaining about the pain, finally quieted down. Chu Tang followed to the hospital. Just as she reached the ward entrance, she heard Xu Jingxuan's coquettish voice coming from inside, talking to Jiang Shixu. In a sweet, syrupy tone, she said, "Brother, my arm is in a cast and it's hard for me to eat. Won't you feed me?" Chu Tang stopped in her tracks. She hesitated inwardly. Would it be inappropriate to go in right now? Jiang Shixu's voice came through. "I'll call a nurse to come over." Xu Jingxuan refused to let it go and continued to coax, "Oh, no, I don't want that. I want Brother to feed me personally. Why won't Brother do it?" Jiang Shixu soothed her gently, "Be good. You're not a child anymore. Besides, I have a girlfriend now. I'm about to get engaged to Tangtang soon, so I should maintain proper boundaries at times like this." Chu Tang's heart stirred slightly. She hadn't expected Jiang Shixu to refuse Xu Jingxuan's request because of her. Hearing this, Xu Jingxuan's tone suddenly changed—no longer soft and sweet, her voice rose several notches. "Do siblings need to maintain boundaries too? Brother, so Ruan Chutang is really that petty and narrow-minded? She caused me to fall off the horse, and instead of caring about me, you're refusing me because of her?" Ruan Chutang turned around, preparing to leave. She wasn't thick-skinned enough to force herself in where she wasn't welcome. Since Xu Jingxuan didn't want her there, there was no need for her to go in. Jiang Shixu's voice carried a hint of anger. "Jingxuan, I've told you before—Chu Tang will be your sister-in-law in the future. You are not to be so disrespectful to her!" At that moment, a nurse carrying an IV drip walked up to the ward entrance. Seeing Ruan Chutang, the nurse said, "Excuse me, please move aside." The two people in the hospital room turned their heads simultaneously and saw Ruan Chutang at the door. Ruan Chutang let out a sigh and walked in behind the nurse. Xu Jingxuan's disgust was undisguised. "What are you doing here?" Almost at the same time, Jiang Shixu also spoke up. "Tangtang, you're here." The nurse inserted the IV needle into Xu Jingxuan's arm. Xu Jingxuan stared coldly at Ruan Chutang, her gaze like sharp needles, stabbing viciously at Chutang. Ruan Chutang remained composed and unyielding, meeting Xu Jingxuan's eyes directly, and said in a cold voice, "You're saying I caused your fall from the horse?" Xu Jingxuan had expected Ruan Chutang to be nervous and flustered after her fall, but she never imagined her reaction at this moment would be so calm. That was somewhat unexpected. However, Xu Jingxuan didn't lose her composure either. She played her act to the end, not immediately responding to Ruan Chutang's accusation. Instead, she turned her head to look at Jiang Shixu, looking pitiful and on the verge of tears. "Brother, I know I left a bad impression on Sister Ruan when we first met. Today at the stables, I thought Sister Ruan would be my future sister-in-law, so I wanted to get close to her..." Tears welled up in Xu Jingxuan's eyes. "I asked Sister Ruan to teach me horseback riding because I wanted to spend more time with her and close the distance between us." "I didn't expect her to hate me so much. When she wasn't paying attention, she suddenly kicked the horse hard, and it bolted off like it had gone mad. I was truly terrified." Xu Jingxuan, fully in character, accused through her tears, "Sister Ruan, I can understand if you don't like me, but we have no grudges against each other. Why would you want to harm me like this?" At this point, Xu Jingxuan paused and looked up to gauge Jiang Shixu's expression. Jiang Shixu's brows furrowed slightly, but his tone wasn't harsh. He asked Ruan Chutang, "Tangtang, what exactly happened at the stables this afternoon?" Under the blanket, Xu Jingxuan's hand that wasn't in a cast clenched tightly into a fist. Brother actually didn't believe her! Why was he so gentle with this Ruan Chutang? Back in middle school, when some girls bullied her at school, her brother directly had the school expel those girls. In high school, when some thugs harassed her, her brother sent people to beat those thugs up severely, sending them all to the hospital. In college, when a perverted creep stalked and secretly photographed her, her brother had someone cripple that man's hands. Now, she had been "bullied" by Ruan Chutang to this extent—covered in injuries, in the hospital with a cast and IV drip—and her brother didn't immediately blame Ruan Chutang. Instead, he asked Ruan what had happened? Jealousy raged wildly in her heart. Xu Jingxuan wished she could rush up right now and beat Ruan Chutang to a pulp.