Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Jealous? (New) "Brother, I—I wasn't paying attention and accidentally knocked over the wine glass. I'm sorry, I'll clean this up right away." Xu Jingxuan crouched down to pick up the glass shards on the floor. Her low-cut dress exposed the cleavage on her chest directly in front of Jiang Shixu. Jiang Shixu's face darkened as he averted his gaze, his tone already dripping with impatience. "Get up. Go home right now." Xu Jingxuan reached for the glass shards with her hand, then suddenly let out a startled cry. Her finger had been cut, and bright red blood dripped down in steady drops. She stood up feebly, pressing her lips together in a pitiful pout. "Brother, I've been cut by the glass. Can you take me to the hospital first?" Jiang Shixu's gaze dropped, sweeping over Xu Jingxuan's wound. "There are band-aids and disinfectant alcohol at home. Handle it yourself." "Can't you take me to the hospital? It really hurts." Jiang Shixu curled his lips in a mocking tone. "By the time we get to the hospital, the wound will have healed on its own." "..." ... The next morning, unable to reach Jiang Shixu by phone, Elder Mrs. Jiang called his special assistant, Lin Sen, instead. "Is Shixu busy?" Lin Sen replied respectfully, "Elder Mrs. Jiang, the CEO just finished a meeting." "Put him on the phone." Jiang Shixu glanced at him sideways. "Grandmother?" Lin Sen nodded and handed the phone over. The old lady's tone was still fairly gentle. "Shixu, your sister is sick—quite seriously. She's hospitalized right now. I'll send you the address and room number. Find some time to go see her." "Grandmother." Jiang Shixu cut in coldly. "If she's sick, go find a doctor. Why come to me? I don't know how to treat illnesses." Elder Mrs. Jiang steadied her emotions and kept a pleasant attitude. "Just this once. She's your sister, after all. It's not out of line to visit her in the hospital when she's sick, is it?" "Shixu, what happened at the family dinner last time was my fault. I apologize to you. Yesterday, Xuanxuan was very ill. I went to see her at the hospital today, and she looked utterly haggard. Seeing her like that truly broke my heart. Xuanxuan misses her brother. Just go to the hospital and see her—do it for my sake, will you?" With it put that way, and with the always-dominant Elder Mrs. Jiang swallowing her pride to apologize proactively, Jiang Shixu—since she was, after all, his own grandmother—took the out she offered and agreed to find time to visit. ... At the hospital. Jiang Shixu walked into the inpatient ward carrying the nourishing soup that Elder Mrs. Jiang had sent over. Inside the room, Xu Jingxuan lay there with an IV drip, her complexion somewhat pale. She did look genuinely ill. Seeing Jiang Shixu enter, a flash of delight crossed Xu Jingxuan's eyes. "Brother, you came." "Mm." Jiang Shixu set the insulated container on the table. "What illness? Is it serious?" "It's the flu—pretty bad. I had no appetite today. I ate a little and threw it right back up." "This is nourishing soup Grandmother had made." Jiang Shixu pointed at the insulated container. Xu Jingxuan glanced at the container, then lifted her gaze to Jiang Shixu. "Brother, my left hand has the IV in it, and my right hand was cut by glass last night. It's not convenient. Could you feed me the soup?" Jiang Shixu's brows were cold, his eyes colder. "Where's the caregiver?" "She stepped out on an errand." Knowing Jiang Shixu was coming, she had deliberately sent the caregiver away. Jiang Shixu nodded. "I'll call another caregiver for you." Afraid of provoking Jiang Shixu's annoyance, Xu Jingxuan didn't push the feeding request again. Before long, the caregiver returned and fed Xu Jingxuan the soup. The IV bag was empty as well, and a nurse came over to remove the needle. Jiang Shixu spoke up. "I'll head back now. Get some rest." "Wait—" Xu Jingxuan hurriedly spoke. "Brother, I want to go out and get some sun. Could you take me?" The request wasn't excessive. Jiang Shixu hesitated for a moment, then agreed. "Let's go." The ward door opened, and Xu Jingxuan walked out ahead. "Brother, I knew you still cared about me. You're so busy with work, yet you still made time to visit me, and you even made me soup. I'm really happy." Jiang Shixu followed behind Xu Jingxuan as they walked out. Xu Jingxuan's words were strange. He had just clearly said the soup was made and delivered at Grandmother's instruction—why would she claim he made it? He had just stepped out of the ward and hadn't yet had time to dwell on it when his peripheral vision suddenly caught the figure of someone standing at the door of the neighboring ward. Jiang Shixu froze abruptly, his pupils constricting sharply, as if struck by a bolt from the blue. "Tangtang?" Jiang Shixu's voice trembled. Chu Tang turned at the sound, her gaze meeting his. Seeing Xu Jingxuan in a hospital gown beside Jiang Shixu, Chu Tang's brow furrowed slightly. Jiang Shixu strode over in two steps, his tone urgent. "Tangtang, what are you doing here?" The girl was wearing a hospital gown, her face pale. "You're sick?" Jiang Shixu grabbed Chu Tang's hand. "Why didn't you tell me when you got sick?" Chu Tang lowered her lashes, her voice very soft. "You've been busy lately. I didn't want to add to your troubles." Pain flickered in Jiang Shixu's eyes. "How could that be adding to my troubles? Your matters are more important than anything." Chu Tang gently withdrew her hand. "I'm fine. Don't you have things to take care of? Go ahead." She was referring to Xu Jingxuan. Chu Tang knew that Xu Jingxuan harbored secret feelings for Jiang Shixu, and Xu Jingxuan's hostility toward her was obvious. There was no way Jiang Shixu didn't know. Chu Tang told herself over and over again in her heart—no matter what, Xu Jingxuan was Jiang Shixu's sister, and it was perfectly reasonable for a brother to visit his sick sister at the hospital. She couldn't be petty, couldn't get jealous over nothing. But still, her heart felt sour. The moment she thought about Jiang Shixu taking time out of his busy schedule to come to the hospital to see Xu Jingxuan, and even personally making soup for her, that bitter, astringent feeling simply couldn't be controlled. Jiang Shixu placed both hands on Chu Tang's shoulders. "Tangtang, you're sick. I'm not going anywhere—I'll stay here with you." He turned to Xu Jingxuan and said, "Since the caregiver is back, have her accompany you downstairs to get some sun." With that, ignoring whatever expression Xu Jingxuan wore, Jiang Shixu took Chu Tang's hand and walked into the ward. The ward door closed, leaving only the two of them inside. "Tangtang, when did you get sick?" "Just the past couple of days." "What happened?" "Just a mild flu, nothing serious." Jiang Shixu led Chu Tang by the hand to sit on the hospital bed. "From now on, you must tell me about things like this right away, okay?" Chu Tang lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together. "I didn't want to hold you back from work." Jiang Shixu always had endless patience when facing Chu Tang. "I told you, it won't hold me back. You'll always be my number one priority." He paused, his eyes brimming with a smile. "Besides, I work so hard to earn money precisely so I can spend it on my wife. If I can't even keep my wife by my side, then what's the point of all that money?" "Hmph." Chu Tang puffed out her cheeks. "We're not even married yet—why are you already calling me 'wife'?" Jiang Shixu's voice was utterly delighted. "Either way, my wife will only ever be you. You're bound to marry me eventually—what's wrong with calling you that a little early?" Remembering what Xu Jingxuan had just said, Chu Tang felt a knot in her chest. "Is that so? Then why didn't you make soup for your wife?" Jiang Shixu caught on and explained patiently: "She was making things up. Grandma called today specifically to ask me to come to the hospital to see Xu Jingxuan. I didn't want to come at first, but Grandma swallowed her pride and apologized, saying she was wrong about what happened at the family banquet, and asked me to do her this favor—to come see Xu Jingxuan." "As for the soup, Grandma had someone prepare it and deliver it to the hospital entrance, where they handed it to me. How could I have made it myself?" Chu Tang said nothing. "Jealous?" The man's tone sounded utterly pleased. "Tangtang is jealous because of me."