Chapter 120: Chapter 120

Later, without knowing how, Shen Jianian fell asleep. The next day, when she woke up, the person beside her had already gotten up. The light in the bathroom was on, and he was inside washing up.

The door to the ward was gently knocked twice.

Considering that Fu Jichen wasn’t dressed and it was inconvenient for him to see anyone, Shen Jianian carefully moved her injured leg, got out of bed, limped to the door in slippers, and unlocked it.

The person outside was Song Fang, holding a silver-gray paper bag. He looked up and saw Shen Jianian, showing no surprise, and smiled, "Sorry to disturb, these are clothes for Mr. Chen. Could you please hand them over to him? I’ll wait for him in the car."

Shen Jianian took the paper bag from his hand.

"Why are you up?" Fu Jichen’s voice came from the bathroom.

Shen Jianian closed the door and turned around, seeing his slightly furrowed brow, she raised the paper bag, "Your assistant came to bring you clothes. He said he’d wait for you in the car."

The ward was unlit, the only source of light coming from the bathroom, casting a hazy look on Shen Jianian’s sleepy face. Fu Jichen walked over to her, took the paper bag, tossed it onto the sofa, and scooped her up into his arms, placing her back on the bed a few steps away, "It’s still early, sleep a bit more. Aunt Cheng will come over this morning to care for you. Be good and don’t make me worry."

Shen Jianian was tucked in by him. She couldn’t help but yawn, her voice a little blurred, "Can’t I be discharged today?"

"You have two more bottles of IV this morning. If you don’t want to stay in the hospital, let Aunt Cheng handle the discharge after the IV is done." He spoke while taking a shirt out of the bag and putting it on.

The dark gray shirt made him appear both elegant and spirited.

He didn’t shy away and, right in front of her, undid the bath towel at his waist, put on trousers, buckled his black belt, grabbed a tie, and went to the bathroom to tie it in front of the mirror.

When he came out, his aura was completely different, with a sharp and imposing presence of someone in authority.

Shen Jianian, initially quite drowsy, watched as he orderly tidied himself up and gradually lost her sleepiness.

Fu Jichen finally put on a suit jacket, buttoned the front, raised his gaze slightly towards the bed, and, seeing her bright eyes, smiled and asked, "Why aren’t you sleeping?"

Shen Jianian suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, slightly avoiding his gaze, "I’ll sleep after you leave."

"Did I disturb you?" Fu Jichen returned to the bathroom to turn off the light, "I’ll leave soon."

With the only light source gone, the ward darkened instantly. Shen Jianian couldn’t see him, but she could hear his footsteps approaching the bed.

Fu Jichen fumbled in the dark for his watch and phone on the bedside table, lighting up the screen, showing it was just past six, "You keep sleeping, I’m leaving."

At the moment the screen lit up, Shen Jianian saw his face shrouded in the subtle glow, his eyes lingering. She instinctively grabbed the hand hanging by his side.

Fu Jichen didn’t see her move, only felt a warm grasp on his fingers, he paused before intending to turn away.

The phone screen went dark again, and the space went pitch black once more. He leaned in closer, asking, "What’s the matter?"

Shen Jianian didn’t know why she held onto him either. At that moment, she just wanted to. Hearing his question, she released his hand, saying lightly, "Be safe on the road."

He responded and then left the ward. As the door opened, a sliver of light from the corridor spilled in for a moment, then the door closed gently, returning the room to darkness.

The surroundings were silent, Shen Jianian lay flat on the hospital bed. The bed that felt cramped last night now felt spacious and even somewhat cold, almost empty.

She closed her eyes and it took a while for her to fall asleep.

When the nurse came to check on her, Shen Jianian woke up. Cheng Jin came in with the nurse, her eyes full of concern and a warm smile, "Has the fever gone down?"

Yesterday, she was really frightened. Turning back, she saw Jianian fall from the six or seven steps of the staircase, stopping only at the last step, unable to move for a long time.

Luckily, Qu Mo, who brought her back, hadn’t gone far. A phone call brought him back to take her to the hospital.

On the other hand, it was Qu Mo who notified him. It was said that he was still in a meeting at the time, but he immediately announced the meeting was over and rushed over from the company.

"I feel okay." Shen Jianian sat up, stuffing a pillow behind her, and leaned against it.

The nurse took her temperature, it was over thirty-seven degrees, still a slight fever, reminding her, "There are two more bottles of IV later. Try to eat some breakfast."

Shen Jianian nodded and thanked her.

After the nurse left, Cheng Jin approached with a thermos, "Master ordered last night that more breakfast items be prepared by the chef today. Being sick, you should eat more to replenish nutrients. Even if you have no appetite, you have to eat."

Shen Jianian smiled in agreement, getting out of bed to wash up in the bathroom. Cheng Jin, worried, supported her.

Around ten in the morning, Cheng Jin went to handle the discharge procedures.

After only staying one day, there wasn’t much to pack. Shen Jianian changed into her own clothes, sitting on the neatly made hospital bed, waiting for her, with her injured leg resting on the bed sheet.

The sun came out, and sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping her as if wrapped in a quilt, warm and cozy.

Shen Jianian squinted, basking in the sun for a while, waiting for Cheng Jin but she didn’t come, so she got up and slowly walked out of the ward.

The VIP ward floor was relatively quiet, with a few healthcare personnel passing by, leaving behind low murmurs: "Isn’t the chairman of the Pei Family under fifty? How did he suddenly have a stroke, sigh..."

"He was hospitalized once before, maybe his body didn’t recover, couldn’t handle the stress."

Shen Jianian leaned her back against the wall, staring blankly at the nurses as they walked away, ensuring she hadn’t misheard, they were talking about the Pei Family’s chairman.

Looking around Beicheng, how many Pei Families could there be?

The elevator arrived on this floor, the doors opened, and out walked a frail, tall woman, followed by a maid.

Shen Jianian inadvertently met Zhou Ruo’s gaze, recalling the scene at the funeral yesterday, instinctively wanting to avoid her, but it was too late.

Zhou Ruo handed the examination report to the maid and walked straight towards her.

Shen Jianian looked at her. Just one day had passed, yet she seemed even more haggard, wrinkles piling up on her face, bags under her eyes sagging, and a sore on her lip corner had burst, forming a dark brown scab. As she approached, one could see the intertwining red blood vessels in her eyes.

Her mental state was extremely poor, lacking any semblance of a graceful lady.

Shen Jianian opened her mouth, not knowing how to address her.

"Little Nian." Zhou Ruo was the first to call her, holding her hand, her gaze lingering on her face, lowering her stance, "It was Auntie’s fault yesterday, I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on you."

As Zhou Ruo spoke, her eyes reddened uncontrollably, "I know, Ah Che’s death has nothing to do with you. Ah Che is my son, he’s been stubborn by nature since childhood, never looking back on something he’s set his mind on. It’s my fault, I’ve let him down, and you as well."

Shen Jianian stiffened.

Compared to being scolded, she couldn’t stand Zhou Ruo apologizing to her in such a lowly manner.

"I feel very sorry for your parents, but I still have to explain that I really didn’t know about it beforehand." Zhou Ruo knew she shouldn’t bring these things up with her, hearing them might make her resent the Pei Family even more, unwilling to interact with her, "I’ve been married to Pei Fengnan for decades. Even if I’m not privy to everything, I can infer a thing or two. Perhaps this was not his intention, whether you believe it or not."

Shen Jianian didn’t interrupt her, filled with doubt. What does she mean by it wasn’t Pei Fengnan’s intention? Could someone have forced him to harm his own friend?

Even if that were the case, could he devastate another’s family?

No excuses could undo the tragedy already wrought, nothing said could make it right.

"The fact is, whether intentional or not, evil deeds inevitably bring retribution." Zhou Ruo’s gaze was desolate, and thinking of their current condition filled her with sorrow, "He fainted once before, yesterday after returning from the funeral, he was no longer fine, there’s no one else to rely on at home, it’s retribution."

She kept repeating the word "retribution," her expression gradually losing focus.

Shen Jianian didn’t utter a word throughout.

After Zhou Ruo finished speaking endlessly, her eyes fixed on Shen Jianian’s face, the grip on her hand tightened, her voice tinged with a pitiful plea, "Little Nian, for the past good relations Auntie had with you, please tell me if Ah Che said anything before he died."

Shen Jianian thought, this was the real reason she stopped her.

However, before Pei Che resolved to die, he indeed left no words for her.

How could she bear to speak such a truth?