Chapter 57

Chapter 57: A Hug and It Won't Hurt Anymore Gu Zechuan's words were like a spell, echoing in Chu Tang's mind and disturbing her peace. So much so that when Chu Tang came to the hospital to visit Jiang Shixu the next day, she seemed preoccupied and distracted. "Tangtang, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Shixu asked. The girl's eyelashes fluttered, and she turned her face away, refusing to look at him. "That... what's the deal with that Chen Jingsu?" Jiang Shixu let out an ambiguous smile. "Jealous?" Chu Tang tried her best to act like she didn't care, puffing out her cheeks. "I'm not. I've just never heard you mention her before, so I'm asking." Thinking about how that woman had kidnapped Ruan Jiaojiao and tried to stab her to death, Chu Tang's jealousy was compounded by a few more degrees of anger. "Where did you pick up that bad romance? Why is she so crazy?" Jiang Shixu waved at Chu Tang. "Tangtang, come here." Chu Tang obediently walked over and sat down beside his hospital bed. Jiang Shixu took her hand, his expression serious. "She was my high school classmate. She pursued me fervently once, and I clearly rejected her. Later, she ended up at the same university as me. During university, she continued to pursue me, but I never gave her any hope." Chu Tang lowered her eyes and pouted. "That's it?" Jiang Shixu pinched her cheek. "That's it. I barely even spoke to her. I didn't even add her contact information." Chu Tang was silent for a moment, then said, "Then why could she persist for so long? Ten years—that's not ten days, and it's not ten months either." Jiang Shixu smiled helplessly. "How would I know? Everyone around me knows how cold I was to her. In ten years, we barely exchanged a few words." Chu Tang leaned her face closer and let out a "hmph." "A few words is how many?" Jiang Shixu laughed. "Just five, six, seven, eight sentences or so..." "What did you say that warranted so many?" Chu Tang looked like she was being unreasonable on purpose. Jiang Shixu saw it all and only found her jealousy adorable. His eyes were filled with an affection so thick it couldn't dissolve, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Nothing much. It was just in high school when she confessed the first few times—I said a couple of sentences to reject her. After that, we almost never spoke again." "Really, you felt nothing at all in your heart?" Ruan Chutang was half-convinced. "She's pretty good-looking." "No." Jiang Shixu gazed at Chu Tang with deep affection. "There's already someone in my heart. There's no room for anyone else." Chu Tang asked knowingly, "Someone else? Who?" Jiang Shixu's eyes held a smile. "What do you think?" Chu Tang mumbled vaguely, "If you don't say it, how would I know?" In Jiang Shixu's eyes, her behavior was nothing but coquettishness, so adorable it melted his heart. How could Jiang Shixu withstand that? His voice carried a smile. "There's no one else but you." Chu Tang looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. "When she confessed to you, that was high school. How old was I then?" There was no way he could have liked her back then, right? Jiang Shixu said, "In high school, I had no intention of dating." At that, Chu Tang suddenly grew curious. She met Jiang Shixu's eyes, blinking her beautiful almond-shaped ones, and asked him, "Speaking of which, when did you start liking me?" Jiang Shixu thought back. "At first, I really did see you as a little sister. As for when those feelings changed, I can't say for sure." Chu Tang refused to give up. "There's no rough timeframe?" "If I had to say, it was probably when you were in high school. When Liang Yuda harassed you and I beat him up, only then did I realize belatedly that my feelings for you seemed to have become something different." Chu Tang pressed her lips together. "You hid it really well." Jiang Shixu ruffled Chu Tang's fluffy hair. "I had to wait for you to grow up." At that, a trace of sadness surfaced in his eyes. "The moment you graduated from university, I went to ask your father about a marriage alliance. But you were unwilling and even ran away from home." Chu Tang guiltily shifted her gaze away and mumbled, "I... at that time, I thought my dad was sacrificing me for the company's interests. How was I supposed to know you'd been planning this all along? You never told me. I was so wronged..." Jiang Shixu suddenly put on a pitiful expression. "Ouch, my wound hurts." Chu Tang panicked and quickly lowered her head to check the wound on his waist. "What's wrong? Did you bump it by accident? Let me call a nurse to take a look." Jiang Shixu pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of Chu Tang's head, his voice low and gentle. "A hug and it won't hurt anymore." Chu Tang laughed. "Fine, you're teasing me." "No." Jiang Shixu gently stroked her silky hair, one stroke at a time. "It really hurts. Be a good girl and let me hold you, and then it won't hurt anymore." Chu Tang buried her head in Jiang Shixu's embrace, feeling his presence. ... Gu Zechuan returned from a drinking party and walked into the hotel lobby when someone suddenly called out to him. "Gu Zechuan." He turned his head toward the voice and saw an unfamiliar young woman. The woman was decked out in head-to-toe designer brands. "Who are you?" Gu Zechuan's eyes were full of confusion as he walked over and asked her, "Do we know each other?" The woman leaned against the sofa, lifting her head slightly to look at him. "You will soon." Gu Zechuan sat down on the sofa across from her. "Who are you?" The woman smiled. "Xu Jingxuan, the adopted daughter of the Jiang family." "The Jiang family?" Gu Zechuan frowned. "Jiang Shixu's family?" "That's right." Xu Jingxuan smiled. "How about considering a partnership with me?" Gu Zechuan was puzzled. "What kind of partnership?" Xu Jingxuan curled her lips. "Breaking up Jiang Shixu and Ruan Chutang." Gu Zechuan looked at her suspiciously. "Why should I trust you?" "Heh." Xu Jingxuan let out a light laugh. "Because the person I love is Jiang Shixu, and no one wants to break them up more than I do!" Xu Jingxuan handed him a business card. "I know you've been looking for investors recently. Contact this person, and he will invest in your Gu Group." "But..." Xu Jingxuan added, "The condition for you to get this investment is to cooperate with me in breaking up Jiang Shixu and Ruan Chutang." Gu Zechuan took the card and glanced at it. "Even if you don't invest, I'll find every way to break them up. Chu Tang can only be mine!" Xu Jingxuan curled her lips. "Then, President Gu, happy cooperation?" Gu Zechuan looked thoughtful. "Let me go back and verify your identity first, then I'll get back to you." "Fine." Xu Jingxuan showed her WeChat QR code. "Add me, and we can stay in touch anytime."