Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Gu Zechuan, You're Truly Pitiful Early the next morning, Chu Tang was woken up by a phone call. She groggily pressed answer, her voice thick with sleep. "Hello? Who is it?" "Ruan Chutang, you need to come to the hospital and see Zechuan." Lin Chenan's urgent, worried voice came through the phone. "Zechuan almost died, did you know?" The moment Chu Tang heard Gu Zechuan's name, irritation welled up inside her. She'd already been exhausted from last night's ordeal, and now she'd been woken up before she'd had enough sleep, only to find it was about Gu Zechuan of all things. Chu Tang was thoroughly annoyed, her temper flaring. She snapped, "If he dies, just collect his body. Let me know when the funeral is—for the sake of our past relationship, I'll send his mother a generous gift." With that, Chu Tang hung up without caring how Lin Chenan might react, and put her phone on silent. Jiang Shixu was stirred awake by the commotion. Under the covers, the man tightened his arm around Chu Tang, his voice low and magnetic. "Stay and sleep with me a little longer." Chu Tang nuzzled into Jiang Shixu's embrace like a clingy little kitten. The two of them squeezed together in the same warm blanket, holding each other as they slept. It was as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them. No matter how fierce the wind and snow raged outside, it had nothing to do with them. ... By the time Lin Chenan made the call, Gu Zechuan was already awake. The call was Lin Chenan's own initiative—he knew what was going through Gu Zechuan's mind. Gu Zechuan clung to a faint, unrealistic hope. He desperately wanted to know: if Chu Tang learned he'd almost died, would she worry about him? Would she come to see him? So this call was made with expectation. He had Lin Chenan put it on speakerphone. Yet, when Chu Tang heard he'd almost died, she didn't offer a single word of concern. Instead, she said such heartless things. Gu Zechuan's hands clenched into tight fists, veins bulging on the backs of his hands. His face was pale as paper, his lips completely bloodless. Lin Chenan put away his phone and swallowed hard. He expected Gu Zechuan to explode in a rage, so he barely dared to breathe. However, Gu Zechuan didn't fly into a frenzy like he usually did. After a long silence, he said flatly, "Leave. Let me be alone for a while." Just as Lin Chenan stepped out of the ward, he ran straight into Chen Wan. Lin Chenan was surprised—Chen Wan had actually come all the way to Ancheng. Chen Wan's face was full of worry. "How is Zechuan?" Lin Chenan let out a sigh and shook his head helplessly. "He's in a bad way." "What happened to him? How did he end up in the hospital during a nice trip?" Lin Chenan said, "It was freezing last night, snowing too—minus five or six degrees. He was wandering the streets alone in a thin shirt, and eventually collapsed in the snow. A passerby brought him to the hospital." Chen Wan frowned. "Why would he do that?" Lin Chenan hesitated, as if about to speak but stopping himself. Gu Zechuan hadn't said a word, but Lin Chenan could probably guess—it was all for Ruan Chutang. The place where he'd collapsed last night was in Linyuan Ancient Town, and Ruan Chutang and her boyfriend were there too. How was he supposed to explain that? It was a real headache. Back when Chen Wan had first returned to the country, Gu Zechuan and Ruan Chutang hadn't broken up yet. Gu Zechuan had spent his days fooling around with Chen Wan, disregarding Chu Tang's feelings. Now the tables had turned—it was his turn to face the consequences. They say men are born actors, and Lin Chenan thought that was absolutely true. Gu Zechuan's current state wasn't necessarily because he loved Ruan Chutang that deeply. It might just be pure performance, trying to win Chu Tang's sympathy and make her soften and come back. As for Chen Wan, Lin Chenan actually looked down on her from the bottom of his heart. Back then, Chen Wan knew full well that Gu Zechuan was with Ruan Chutang, yet she still shamelessly threw herself at him. Knowing someone was taken and still playing the third wheel—what kind of decent person could she be? Thinking of this, Lin Chenan suddenly felt it wasn't so hard to say after all. In a flat, indifferent tone, Lin Chenan said, "It's probably because of Ruan Chutang. You know she has a fiancé now, and they're quite loving. Zechuan saw Ruan Chutang and her boyfriend in the ancient town last night, got triggered and lost it. He wandered around alone for a long time in the middle of the night, and then collapsed." "Ugh." Lin Chenan let out a heavy sigh, putting on a look of deep anguish. "You have no idea—he nearly didn't make it. If a passerby hadn't found him in time and brought him to the hospital, we might never have seen him again." With that, Lin Chenan secretly glanced up to observe Chen Wan's expression. Chen Wan's face went white in an instant. She murmured, "For Ruan Chutang?" Lin Chenan sighed. "Yeah. Tell me, isn't he just pathetic? Sigh—only knows to cherish something after losing it..." Chen Wan trembled with rage, her voice rising sharply. "Are you saying he'd throw away his life for Ruan Chutang?" A passing nurse frowned and reminded her, "Ma'am, this is a hospital. Please keep your voice down." Chen Wan's face flushed from white to red—from anger. She shoved open the ward door. "Gu Zechuan! What do you mean by this?" Lin Chenan curled his lips, his gossipy eyes peeking sneakily into the ward. "Bang—" The door slammed shut. The next second, a fierce argument erupted from inside the hospital room. "You're still thinking about Ruan Chutang? Gu Zechuan, how can you face me after this?" Gu Zechuan sneered coldly. "Do I owe you anything?" Chen Wan demanded angrily, "What do you mean by that?" "The things I did with you before were wronging Chu Tang. Now I've thought it through—I can't keep going on like this. Chen Wan, don't come looking for me anymore. I'm afraid Chu Tang will be upset." "Hahahahaha! Gu Zechuan, are you still living in a dream?" Chen Wan laughed, half-crazed. "Afraid Ruan Chutang will be upset? Does she care about you even a little? You're ready to die for her, but has she ever shown you any concern? Has she even come to see you once?" Those words struck like a sharp blade, stabbing deep into Gu Zechuan's heart. "Get out! Get the hell out of here!" Gu Zechuan shouted in a fury, screaming like a madman. The sound of things being thrown and smashing echoed from inside the room. Chen Wan watched Gu Zechuan lose his mind, her eyes red as she sneered, "Gu Zechuan, you're truly pitiful." With that, she turned and left. Chen Wan opened the door to find Lin Chenan still there, and the two came face to face unexpectedly. Lin Chenan awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Uh, I left something inside. Just came back to grab it." Chen Wan ignored him, lowering her head and hurrying away. The door to the hospital room was left open, and Lin Chenan peeked inside. Tsk. The floor was a mess—someone was in a fiery temper.