Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Six

“Then why do you keep coming back to me?” she said angrily. “You only want my body? Because it’s new? Because no other man has touched it? So one night wasn’t enough?!”

“Ziling, it’s not that bad.”

“Then what is it?”

“I like living with you,” Jiang Jie could only say. “I don’t want to live alone anymore.”

“I don’t want to live with someone who doesn’t love me.”

“Ziling!” Jiang Jie grew angry. Had everything gone back to square one? After all this talk, was he just wasting time?

“Come back when you’ve truly thought it through!” Bai Ziling opened the car door and stepped out without hesitation, rushing into the rain. They had said everything clearly now. Whether there would be a chance depended entirely on Jiang Jie’s decision.

As soon as she received Di Zhiwei’s call, Bai Ziling immediately ran down the mountain crying. She never expected Jiang Jie to have a car accident—because of the rainy, slippery road and his anger, she didn’t know how badly he was injured, but she knew that if anything happened to him, she would…

Regret and sorrow for the rest of her life.

Fortunately, the airbag protected him, so although the car was completely destroyed, he suffered only minor injuries.

Yu Siqi only learned of Jiang Jie’s accident from the scrolling news ticker on TV. At once, she and Cen Shi rushed to the hospital—she had to see him in person to feel at ease.

Aside from cuts on his face from shattered windshield glass, Jiang Jie was otherwise unharmed.

“You look fine!” Yu Siqi sighed in relief. “The TV news ticker made it sound so dramatic.”

“Don’t believe the TV. I’m perfectly fine,” Jiang Jie said, sitting on the hospital bed. “Where’s Cen Shi?”

“He’s parking.”

“He doesn’t mind you coming to see me?”

“He knows the person I love is him. He won’t be jealous.”

“So I’m not a threat to him?” Jiang Jie sneered. “Beware—I might take you back from him.”

“Would you really try to take me back from Cen Shi?” Yu Siqi joked with him. “If only you’d rushed to the courthouse to stop us from getting legally married, maybe…”

Because the hospital room door was slightly ajar and voices could be heard, Bai Ziling didn’t immediately push it open. Hearing Jiang Jie’s voice—no sign of being on the verge of death—she paused outside, knowing eavesdropping was wrong, yet unable to stop herself.

“Would you leave him and run to me?” Jiang Jie asked with a smile.

“Possibly.”

“Really?!”

“Who told you to never show up and stop me?” Yu Siqi winked at him. “I did have feelings for you.”

“You should’ve said so sooner.”

“You’ve always been so confident, convinced no man could ever surpass you, so I was just a duck cooked in your pot. But Jiang Jie, women need to be coddled, need attention from the men they love. If you’d shown even a little more care back then, I wouldn’t have…”

“What if I changed now? Do we still have a chance?” Jiang Jie asked, feigning humility.

“Yes! Of course we do!” Yu Siqi replied with exaggerated surprise.

Covering her mouth with her hand, Bai Ziling refused to cry. She turned and began walking—but driven by a desperate urge to flee from heartbreak, she broke into a run, tears streaming uncontrollably.

“Yu Siqi, aren’t you afraid Cen Shi will divorce you for saying that?”

“He’s not here.”

“So you’re just teasing me?”

“Aren’t you just saying it casually too? Why did you have this accident?” Yu Siqi suddenly asked seriously. “Your driving has always been flawless!”

“Rainy, slippery road,” Jiang Jie mumbled.

“That’s only part of it. What else?”

“I… wasn’t paying attention.”

“Why? You were driving on a mountain road in a downpour and you weren’t paying attention? Are you playing with your life?”

“Yu Siqi, have a little compassion.”

“You don’t deserve any.”

“You’ll make my injuries worse.”

“You don’t even have any ‘injuries’!”

As they bickered, Cen Shi entered. He was a refined man with an artist’s aura—never aggressive, never domineering—but his eyes were profoundly deep.

Cen Shi nodded to Jiang Jie. He had always felt guilty toward this intense man, but since Jiang Jie had never caused trouble or tangled with Siqi, they had essentially no connection.

“Thank you for coming to see me,” Jiang Jie said without resentment.

“It’s only right.”

“Yu Siqi has never regretted her choice. That… I have to admire you.” He had no lingering bitterness. Perhaps heaven’s design had its own reason.

“I simply love her as best as I can,” Cen Shi said simply.

“Cen Shi…” Yu Siqi’s eyes grew moist with emotion.

“Don’t cry. I just saw a beautiful woman running away in tears!” Cen Shi teased, his eyes filled with tenderness as he gazed at his wife.

Yu Siqi immediately beamed.

But Jiang Jie’s reaction was different—he felt as if struck by lightning, his breath nearly stopping. He immediately stared at Cen Shi, tense and alarmed.

“You saw a beautiful woman running away crying? You… are… sure?” Jiang Jie’s voice trembled with anxiety.

“Yes! I saw her run past the door. She was stunning, breathtaking—impossible not to look twice!”

“Cen Shi, you actually…” Yu Siqi pretended to be angry.

“She was crying like a river of tears—that’s what caught my attention.”

“Don’t you dare!” she pouted playfully.

But Jiang Jie had no interest in their banter. Amid Cen Shi and Yu Siqi’s startled exclamations, he leapt off the bed and dashed out of the room. It must be Bai Ziling—but why had she run away crying?

Why?

She didn’t know who she had crashed into, but she didn’t care. At this moment, she cared about nothing.

“Bai Ziling…” Di Zhiwei held her shoulders, his face filled with pain. “It’s my cousin… he…”

“I hope he rots in hell!” she spat. “Why did you call me?” she cried, glaring at him. “What does his car accident have to do with me?”

“But I thought…”

“Who asked you to meddle?!” She collapsed into Di Zhiwei’s arms, sobbing. “He’s been playing me since day one—not a single moment has been real!”

“No way.”

“I actually thought…” Bai Ziling pressed her face against his chest, weeping uncontrollably. “I thought he had no one else in his heart—even though she’s married, he still…”

“Who is this woman you’re talking about?” Di Zhiwei was truly clueless.

“I hate him!”

“Bai Ziling, there might be a misunderstanding. My cousin…”

“Don’t you dare mention that heartless man again!”

“You’re crying like this…” Di Zhiwei didn’t know whether to hold her or push her away—he could only gently wrap his arms around her shoulders. He’d never faced such a situation, never seen a woman weep so utterly broken. What had she seen? Where was his cousin?

And just as they spoke, he arrived. Seeing this scene, Jiang Jie’s heart turned icy. It was Bai Ziling—come to see him. This moment at the hospital entrance drove him mad.

“Let her go!” Jiang Jie barked.

Di Zhiwei merely spread his hands, looking innocent. After all, the beautiful woman had thrown herself into his arms—he hadn’t asked for this!

Bai Ziling, half in spite, half determined to make him give up, clung even tighter to Di Zhiwei, defiant.

“Why should he let me go?” Bai Ziling wiped her tears secretly, turned, and forced a sweet smile.

“Ziling, have you misunderstood something?”

“What do you think I misunderstood?”

“I don’t know what you misunderstood, but I advise you to let go of Zhiwei right now—or…”