Chapter 44: Missed, So Be It

The little moments with Chen Yu, the happy times with Zhong Xiaoyang, the arguments the night before divorcing Chen Yu, the sweet kisses with Zhong Xiaoyang—all flashed through her mind.

She shook her head, afraid to think further—it gave her a headache.

At that moment, WeChat sent a message: a location from Chen Xu, which Zhong Xiaoqin knew was a hospital—where she'd had her abortion. There was also a video of Chen Yu lying in bed, waving his hand to stop Chen Xu.

Chen Yu's appearance—plaster casts, bandages, black eyes and swollen face—terrified Zhong Xiaoqin.

She grabbed her bag and rushed to the hospital.

She arrived in a panic, asked around, and found Chen Yu's ward.

She opened the door and saw Chen Yu's miserable state; she stood frozen in the doorway, lost in thought.

Hearing the noise, Chen Yu and Chen Xu both turned to look at Zhong Xiaoqin standing at the door.

Seeing two swollen, bruised faces, she didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

But when she met Chen Yu's eyes, Zhong Xiaoqin finally burst into tears—"Wah!"

Patients and family members in the hallway outside wondered what was going on, peering curiously at the door.

Without a word, they started crying; the brothers were utterly helpless, not knowing what to do.

Luckily, a nurse on patrol passed by, saw the crowd gathered, and came over to check.

She dispersed the onlookers, explained the brothers' condition, and ended with: "They'll be fine in two or three months—no disability, no need to worry." That reassured Zhong Xiaoqin.

After giving a few more instructions, the nurse left, closing the door behind her.

The three inside stared at each other, unsure what to say.

"Sister-in-law, don't zone out. Let me tell you—my brother…"

Then Chen Xu's eyes darted, and he began recounting their heroic deeds—from receiving the news in Europe all the way to now, lavishing praise on Chen Yu.

After finishing, he gave Chen Yu a look, made an excuse, and hobbled off on his cane, leaving them alone.

The atmosphere grew awkward; neither knew what to say.

After a long pause, Zhong Xiaoqin spoke first: "Thank you."

"Nah, no need. Do we even need to say that much?"

"Then why didn't you tell me? Don't you know how dangerous that was? What if something had happened to you?"

Chen Yu, embarrassed, said: "I was afraid if you found out and I failed, you'd just be disappointed for nothing."

"You always do this—never tell me anything. Isn't that why we're where we are today?"

Hearing this, Chen Yu looked at her with faint surprise and, despite the pain, forced a wide smile.

Seeing Chen Yu's strained grin, Zhong Xiaoqin felt uneasy, but then she remembered the turmoil of the past weeks: "Actually…"

She paused, then continued: "You didn't have to do this."

The words she was about to say stuck in her throat; Chen Yu kept smiling, silent. One reason: his heart ached a little. Another: Chen Yu had made his meaning perfectly clear—Zhong Xiaoqin understood it.

Though he knew her well enough to suspect she spoke without malice, the word "unnecessary" still pierced him. The words on his tongue, he swallowed back hard.

Seeing Chen Yu like this, Zhong Xiaoqin was furious, yet her thoughts were tangled.

Before, when Chen Yu ignored her, she screamed and raged. Now that he'd gone this far for her, she found it wasn't as joyful as she'd imagined.

She sighed, and said nothing more.

Zhong Xiaoqin gave Chen Yu a few more instructions, exchanged some awkward small talk, then left.

Watching her disappearing back, Chen Yu lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Maybe it's easy to say "I love you" to someone you don't love—but it's hard to say it to the one you truly love.

Chen Yu didn't know if what he felt for Zhong Xiaoqin was true love; years had dulled the question of love or not. But he had feeling—he'd realized that on the plane.

"How was it? How was it?" Chen Xu had been waiting outside. As soon as Zhong Xiaoqin left, he couldn't hold back his curiosity and limped in.

Seeing Chen Xu's eager face, Chen Yu rolled his eyes and grumbled: "Not good."

Before Chen Yu even spoke, Chen Xu understood from the eye roll alone.

Knowing Chen Yu was in a bad mood, he stopped pestering him and chatted with a girl on the other bed.

After a while of silence, a knock came at the door; both turned to look.

Wang Yan walked in, looking at their swollen faces: "How's it going? You okay?"

"Boss Wang, what are you doing here?" Seeing their boss, Chen Yu struggled to sit up, wincing in pain.

"Enough, enough, lie back down. You're like this and still being polite?"

He sat in the chair beside the bed and said: "You're the company's hero—I had to come see you myself to feel at ease."

"Boss Wang, you're too kind. I'm fine—just need a few months to recover, might delay work."

"Nonsense. Do you think I'm that heartless? On the contrary, I'm giving you a bonus. You've secured a great situation for the company."

He patted Chen Yu's shoulder: "Rest well. Don't leave until you've gained three pounds."

When Wang Yan entered, Chen Xu froze, instantly standing up. He remembered this man—the most powerful person he'd ever encountered. He never imagined his idiot boss was Wang Yan. Watching Wang Yan speak to Chen Yu, he opened his mouth several times but couldn't speak.

Wang Yan signaled Chen Yu not to explain, then looked at Chen Xu beside him.

"You're Chen Xu, right?"

Before Chen Yu could speak, Chen Xu hurriedly said: "Boss Wang, it's me—Chen Xu. Don't you remember me?"

Wang Yan looked at him, puzzled.

Chen Xu realized—he'd been beaten into that swollen mess, no wonder he wasn't recognized.

He explained: "Gu Jia—Sister Gu. I used to drive for her."

Wang Yan's face lit up: "Ah, you. I didn't recognize you—I thought it was a coincidence with the name."

"Didn't expect you two are brothers."

He turned to Chen Yu: "So you know Gu Jia too?"

Chen Yu nodded: "Yeah. My ex-wife was Gu Jia's classmate."

Wang Yan noticed how naturally the word "ex-wife" was used, and smiled slightly: "Then I get it—you're Zhong Xiaoqin, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's her! Does Manager Wang know her?"

"She's been staying at my place these past two days. What do you think?"

He knew about Gu Jia's situation; Zhong Xiaoqin didn't tell him, but Chen Xu did, and he hadn't thought much of it.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoqin has caused you trouble."

Wang Yan didn't press further; if he said he wouldn't interfere, he wouldn't.

"Enough. Now that we're all friends, no need for formalities. I already hired a caregiver to look after you. Don't worry about anything else—your expenses during this time are covered by the company."

He turned to Chen Xu beside him: "Still driving for Xu Huanshan?"

Chen Xu nodded, a suspicion quietly forming in his mind.

"You're included in this too. If you don't want to keep working for him, come work with your brother. Let him arrange it—you'll learn more."

"Thank you, Manager Wang! Thank you, Manager Wang! Don't worry—I'll work hard!" Chen Xu was overjoyed; after all, this was better than driving—it was a promotion, and working under his brother couldn't be worse.

"That's all. Take good care of yourselves. I have other business—I'm leaving now."

He didn't let Chen Xu see him off; as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yan left.

He hadn't come because of Zhong Xiaoqin—it was purely coincidental.

He came simply to check on Chen Yu.

Out of sentiment and principle, as his boss, he ought to visit an employee like Chen Yu, who made outstanding contributions.

Besides, Chen Yu shouldn't have suffered such serious injuries in the first place. If it was because of him, and Chen Yu ended up with lasting damage, he'd be to blame.

Leaving the hospital, Zhong Xiaoqin walked down the street, burdened with worries.

Zhong Xiaoyang lost his job for her.

Chen Yu suffered heavily for her.

She didn't know what she should do.

She sent a message in the group, inviting her two best friends out to talk—she'd been cooped up at home for two days and was stifling.

Luckily, Wang Manni was off today and was bored too; she replied instantly, agreeing, and suggested going to her ex-boyfriend's coffee shop.

Gu Jia had no problem at all—she was feeling perfectly free right now. She drove straight to pick up Zhong Xiaoqin and headed to the location Wang Manni had sent.

The three sisters reunited.

Wang Manni introduced her ex-boyfriend, Jiang Chen, to the two.

After Jiang Chen left, Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin hurriedly asked: "What's going on? You never mentioned him before."

"It's been a while. We were all busy and never got together, so I didn't bring it up."

Wang Manni told Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin how they met, recounted their past sweet love story, and mentioned that Jiang Chen was still single.

Gu Jia smiled as usual; Zhong Xiaoqin looked regretful: "That's such a pity—is he still waiting for you?"

Wang Manni, however, wasn't bothered. When Liang Zhengxian returned to Hong Kong, it was one thing—but now Liang Zhengxian had come here to build his life for her, and she was utterly content: "What's lost is lost. Since we can't go back, I should cherish who's right in front of me."

"Enough about me. Congratulations, Xiaoqin—you've finally been cleared."

"Ugh, don't even bring that up."

Gu Jia asked curiously: "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy the truth came out? What's bothering you?"

"Well, it's like this—Zhong Xiaoyang did all this for me..."

After explaining everything, Zhong Xiaoqin said: "Now I'm stuck between them—I don't know what to do."

"Zhong Xiaoyang's still spreading rumors that we're dating."

Gu Jia frowned after listening but said nothing.

Wang Manni, brimming with confidence, said bluntly: "Then just date him properly."

"You've already agreed to Zhong Xiaoyang, and you're divorced from Chen Yu—why are you still clinging to the idea of going back?"

"Love fears indecisiveness—it hurts everyone involved, yourself included."

Zhong Xiaoqin listened and thought deeply.

Gu Jia felt Wang Manni had some point, but not the whole truth.

"Alright, alright, don't think about it anymore, Xiaoqin. Let's talk about something happy."

"Mm, alright," Zhong Xiaoqin sighed helplessly.

"Ding. Ding. Ding."

Zhong Xiaoqin glanced at her phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Okay, okay."

"Thank you."

Gu Jia asked: "What's up?"

"My landlord says I can move out."

"See? How convenient," Wang Manni said. "All you need to do now is go pack up and move."

"Do you need any help?" Gu Jia asked.

It wasn't that she was pushing Zhong Xiaoqin out—she just knew the atmosphere at her place was strange, and Zhong Xiaoqin was uncomfortable staying there.

"Not much to pack—I can handle it myself."

The three sisters exchanged a few more words, then parted ways.

Back at her home with Chen Yu, Zhong Xiaoqin stared at the familiar yet alien furnishings, silent for a long time.

Coming to her senses, she walked through the house and began packing her things.

After packing his own things, Zhong Xiaoqin added some of Chen Yu's daily necessities and clothes—this had been agreed upon earlier.

Zhong Xiaoqin cast one final glance at the home she knew so well yet now felt strange in, then walked away without looking back.

Chen Yu was quite pleased to see Zhong Xiaoqin come to bring him things.

"Xiaoqin, thank you."

Zhong Xiaoqin didn't respond; after a pause, she said, "Chen Yu, the landlord just called me about the apartment I found—it's ready for me to move in."

Chen Yu's body stiffened. He hesitated for a long while, wanting to say something—but what would be the point? Even though he had long known this was coming, facing the outcome now still made it impossible to accept calmly.

He forced a smile: "Alright, I understand. Stay safe."

He knew his expression must look terrible right now.

Zhong Xiaoqin glanced at Chen Yu, then turned and left.

Chen Xu tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible—he had watched the whole thing from start to finish and knew Chen Yu was in bad spirits.

He didn't want to meddle anymore; this wound was far worse than the minor one in the original plot. If even this didn't work, what was there left to say?

That afternoon, Zhong Xiaoyang received a tearful call from his mother, far away in Northeast China, telling him something had happened at home—his father had been taken away for investigation.

Without asking for details, he immediately bought the nearest flight ticket and flew back home.

Upon seeing his mother, utterly lost and helpless, and learning the full story, he still had no solution.

Their family's patron—his own second uncle—had also been taken away; otherwise, his father wouldn't even have been targeted.

Though he didn't know the exact details of what went wrong in his family, he had a general sense—he knew his father was likely finished.

The company had been sealed, bank accounts frozen. Former business partners, relatives, and friends—all feared being implicated and kept their distance.

All his mother and he could do was wait for the final outcome; they could do nothing else.

After coming to terms with it, he comforted his mother for a while—this blow was simply too great.

He had no time to care about Zhong Xiaoqin; he began worrying about his future life.

Not to mention anything else—he'd spent all these years learning nothing, only chasing girls and flirting, never finding time to study.

Aside from motorcycles, which he'd studied out of personal interest, he was basically useless at everything else.

You couldn't deny it—his hobby was genuinely useful. Modifying a motorcycle wasn't cheap, but with this skill, Zhong Xiaoyang could make a living.

Liang Zhengxian's situation was much the same.

Since moving into Wang Manni's place and eating a few meals with her, he'd spent nearly all his tens of thousands just to maintain his image.

With no income, he could only wait to die—whether he could adapt or not, he had to go out and find work.

One must admit, Liang Zhengxian had once stood at a high place.

So even after falling, his perspective still surpassed many others'.

Combined with the mindset cultivated since childhood, he managed to land a well-paying job in Shanghai, despite the fierce competition.

Of course, it was still finance—the investment banking field he had previously worked in and knew well.

For a while, he performed quite well. But after some time, he began feeling uncomfortable.

By now, Wang Yan, Wei Zhijie, and the helpers they'd brought in had nearly destroyed the Liang family.

Those who could flee had long escaped overseas; no one cared about Liang Zhengxian's fate.

This circle wasn't small, but it wasn't large either—the news of the Liang family's collapse had spread everywhere.

Despite Liang Zhengxian's constant avoidance, he still inevitably ran into former friends. The gap in status and position was unimaginable.

Those he met occasionally mentioned the matter to other friends; everyone knew the Liang family had fallen and that Liang Zhengxian had been cast out, but no one expected him to still be around here—and to meet him again in this way. So they all treated it as a joke, then stood together on the Liang family's ruins and sighed.

Word spread until even colleagues and superiors who once wouldn't have deigned to look at Liang Zhengxian now knew.

Though not to the extent of Zhong Xiaoqin being cursed by everyone, people stared at him like a monkey—this pressure and torment could rival Zhong Xiaoqin's. And he was a proud man; how could he endure others pointing and whispering? The harm was too great.

Finally, Liang Zhengxian couldn't hold it in anymore.

One day, exhausted, he returned to Wang Manni's rented apartment.

Wang Manni, just back from gathering with her sisters, hadn't expected Liang Zhengxian home so early. She happily came over to help him take off his shoes and coat.

"Why are you home so early today?"

Looking at her beautiful face so close, he forgot his exhaustion and swept her up in his arms.

Caught off guard, Wang Manni let out a startled "Ah!"