Chapter 121: Chapter 121

The elevator doors chimed, and Cheng Jin, having completed the discharge procedures, came over to fetch Shen Jianian. From a distance, he saw her talking to a frail woman and paused, not wanting to disturb them.

Shen Jianian noticed Cheng Jin waiting and decided to say goodbye to Zhou Ruo.

"Little Nian..." Zhou Ruo noticed she wasn’t speaking, assuming she was still holding a grudge over the slap from the previous day and wasn’t willing to tell her anything. "What will it take for you to tell Auntie?"

As she spoke, she grabbed Shen Jianian’s hand and moved it towards her own face to slap herself.

Shen Jianian was startled, quickly withdrawing her hand to avoid actually hitting her. She composed herself and said, "Ah Che did call me that night."

Zhou Ruo stood frozen, eyes full of hope as she looked at her. "What did he say?"

"He said for you to take care of yourself."

In the end, Shen Jianian still lied. She couldn’t bring herself to utter cruel words to this mother, who was exhausted and mentally shattered for her son, even though she once considered her an enemy.

Zhou Ruo was stunned for a moment, then began to cry and laugh, "Really? Did he really say that?"

"Yes." Shen Jianian tried to maintain a calm tone to uphold this lie, "So, please take care of yourself."

Zhou Ruo covered her face, sobbing, her frail shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She was plunged back into deep sadness, "If he asked me to take care, why would he be so cruel to abandon me? He’s my only child. Without him, what’s the point of me living?"

Shen Jianian looked up at the corridor ceiling, the lights glaring, holding back the urge to cry, one hand resting against the wall.

Standing for so long made the injured leg feel numb with pain.

Cheng Jin watched Shen Jianian from afar, and seeing this, he came over to support her arm, gently saying, "The doctor said your knee is severely injured, so you should save some strength these days and not stand for too long."

Watching Zhou Ruo sob in pain, Shen Jianian felt troubled inside, knowing that no amount of consolation would help her unless Pei Che appeared safe and sound in front of her.

"Aunt Zhou, please take care."

Shen Jianian’s eyes stung as she said this and then looked at Cheng Jin, indicating it was time to leave.

As the two of them walked into the elevator, Zhou Ruo still stood there, and a maid nearby approached to comfort her. She hunched over, crying helplessly.

The driver drove the car to the hospital building, and Cheng Jin carefully helped Shen Jianian down the steps and into the car.

After a while, hearing no movement beside her, Cheng Jin turned to look. Her face was turned towards the car window, and the tear stains at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible in the sunlight.

Cheng Jin sighed softly. Although he hadn’t known Miss Shen for long, just from his observations these days, he could tell that she was burdened with many unresolved heartaches.

She always seemed gloomy and seldom truly happy.

The few times she had genuine smiles were when she was with him.

At eleven thirty, the car returned to Yunding Palace, and before entering the door, Shen Jianian heard the loud noise of knocking and hammering from inside the house.

Cheng Jin opened the door and helped her inside.

In the living room, several workers in gray uniforms were wielding large hammers, smashing the tiles on the stairs, with over a dozen steps already destroyed.

Shen Jianian was completely stunned, "Why are the stairs being taken apart?"

Cheng Jin helped her to sit on the sofa and had to raise his voice over the loud sounds, "Sir mentioned it on the phone last night, saying the stairs weren’t good and should be redone."

Upstairs, workers were removing tiles, while downstairs, workers were laying new ones. They divided the work efficiently and quickly.

Shen Jianian unconsciously covered one ear, looking confused. Why was the staircase being renovated out of the blue...

Her thoughts weren’t complete before a playful voice from last night’s hospital room replayed in her mind, "Can’t walk properly, blame the uneven road."

However, today he removed that uneven "road" and was paving a new one.

Shen Jianian’s expression was very complex, feeling indescribable emotions because she casually mentioned it, and he actually went to the trouble of hiring workers.

She glanced at the stairs, realizing the work had already started, and stopping it now seemed futile.

"Is it very noisy?" Cheng Jin handed her a cup of hot water and went to tell the workers to stop, and instantly, the surroundings quieted down. Shen Jianian put down the hand covering her ear.

Cheng Jin returned to Shen Jianian’s side and said, "Let’s have lunch here first. Another house owned by Sir has already had cleaning work sent over this morning. It’s not often lived in, so there’s quite a bit of cleaning to do, but it should be ready by the afternoon for us to stay for a few days until the renovations here are complete."

What more could Shen Jianian say but nod her head.

After lunch, resting for a bit, Cheng Jin received a call saying the cleaning was complete and the place was ready for them to move in anytime.

Cheng Jin went upstairs after putting away the phone, and after a while, came down from the elevator pushing two 28-inch suitcases containing Shen Jianian’s clothes for the next few days.

The driver came in from outside, helping to carry the luggage and load it into the trunk.

Cheng Jin assisted Shen Jianian into the car, heading to the new residence: "Don’t worry, someone will stay at the villa to supervise construction and take care of the cats and dogs."

Cheng Jin knew her well; she was about to say she’d make time to come back and prepare food for the cats and dogs, but hearing this, she felt relieved.

About a 40-minute drive, the car entered a new upscale community.

Cheng Jin glanced outside, noticing that the greenery wasn’t as nice as Yunding Palace, but it was clean and tidy. She smiled, saying: "It’s my first time here too, I’ll have to find my way around."

The car drove directly to the underground garage, parking in a private spot.

The driver got out first, removing the luggage from the trunk.

Cheng Jin and Shen Jianian got out afterwards, with the driver leading the way: "The elevator is this way."

The three of them entered the elevator, and the driver pulled a card from the pocket of his jacket, placing it on the sensor and pressing the button for the 26th floor.

The elevator ascended slowly, stopping on the 26th floor.

The one-elevator-one-apartment design maximized the residents’ safety and privacy.

The corridor was wide enough to ride a bicycle, paved with dark gray wave-patterned marble tiles, cleaned to a spotless shine, reflecting light, slight echoes resounding as they walked.

The black front door was imposing and spacious, framed with silver edges, adding a touch of technology.

The driver pushed the two suitcases inside, and having nothing else to do, said to Cheng Jin: "I’ll head down first. Call me if you need anything."

Cheng Jin: "Alright."

Shen Jianian stepped into the house, her first glance attracted by the panoramic glass window in front, offering a broad view of the vast azure sky and floating white clouds. A plane streaked across the sky, leaving a long white trail. Below, the buildings rose and fell, like mountains viewed from above.

Yunding Palace leaned towards tranquility, with a more beautiful environment, whereas here exuded opulence and luxury.

This was a spacious duplex apartment. Cheng Jin inspected the first floor, signs of cleaning evident everywhere. Fresh flowers were set on the dining table, the refrigerator packed with enough groceries for a few days.

"Jianian, do you want to rest for a while? The master bedroom seems to be this way."

Cheng Jin pushed open one of the doors, glancing inside. The dark gray large bed was already made, complete with a big cushion.

Shen Jianian indeed felt a bit sleepy, finding some loungewear from the suitcase to change into, before laying down on the bed.

Cheng Jin fetched a thermos and placed it within her reach, considerately saying: "Remember to drink plenty of warm water. Call me if you need anything."

A large window made the bedroom bright and airy; before leaving, Cheng Jin used the remote to close the curtains, dimming the light to make it suitable for sleeping.

Shen Jianian: "You should rest too, you’ve been busy all morning."

Cheng Jin smiled: "I’m not tired, I’ll go to the kitchen later to make some soup."

The room fell into silence as the door closed.

Perhaps unused to the new place, Shen Jianian adjusted several positions but couldn’t fall asleep, the pain in her leg stronger than last night’s.

The previous medication had analgesic effects, but as it wore off, a wave of sharp pain ensued.

Shen Jianian picked up her phone, browsing through her frequently used apps when the screen suddenly changed—a call from Fu Jichen came in.

"Hello?" She answered the call while lying on her side.

"Have you arrived at the new place?" Fu Jichen’s deep voice came from the other end, "Do you like it?"

Shen Jianian didn’t answer the question directly, instead asking: "Did you really take down the stairs at Yunding Palace?"

"Is there a problem?"

"I fell by myself, it’s not the path’s fault."

Fu Jichen laughed over the phone: "Using my words against me?"

Shen Jianian pursed her lips, changing the topic: "Are you busy?"

"Just finished, about to have lunch." As he finished speaking, there were two knocks on his end, he moved the phone a bit away and said, "Come in."

Probably his assistant bringing in his meal, Shen Jianian checked the time on her phone—it was almost two, and he was just having lunch, indicating he was really busy.

"I won’t disturb you, go have your meal." Shen Jianian didn’t put the phone back to her ear, speaking towards the screen and pressed the hang-up button.

Taking the lunchbox from Song Fang, Fu Jichen was momentarily stunned as the call ended, he smiled wryly and put down the phone to focus on eating.