Chapter 82: Chapter 82

When the phone rang, Pei Che woke up. His head hurt, and he felt weak all over. Without opening his eyes, he heard Shen Jianian’s voice and thought he was still dreaming.

He was reluctant to shatter the hard-won dream, longing to hear her voice forever.

It wasn’t until the voice stopped that he opened his eyes and met Shen Jianian’s serene gaze, realizing it was not a dream—she was on the phone with someone.

Guessing who was on the other end of the call wasn’t hard.

"You’re awake?" Shen Jianian reacted first, stood up, her face just as indifferent as last night when confronting him, "The bar waiter couldn’t reach your family, so they called me. Now that you’re awake, have your family come over soon. I’m leaving now."

Without waiting for his response, Shen Jianian picked up her bag and left.

Pei Che called her name with reddened eyes, reaching out to grab her, not wanting her to leave, but he forgot about his injuries. Losing balance, he fell off the hospital bed, his fingertips only brushing against the hem of her clothes.

"What are you doing?!"

Shen Jianian turned back to see him fall heavily to the tiled floor, startled and flustered, she shouted in anger.

She dropped her bag and wrapped both arms around his to help him up, but she lacked the strength. After several tries, she couldn’t lift him and was about to press the button for the nurse, but he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

"Little Nian, don’t go, don’t leave me, please?" Pei Che disregarded the pain in his body and held her tightly, fearing she would disappear the moment he loosened his grip, "Without you, I don’t know what meaning there is left in living. Tell me, what should I do?"

Shen Jianian pressed her lips together, not responding to his desperate pleas.

With a hoarse voice, Pei Che repeatedly begged her, "I’ll do anything as long as you don’t leave me."

"Let go, I’ll call the doctor." Shen Jianian said angrily, "Do you want to die here?"

No matter what she said, Pei Che refused to let go. She had to pry his fingers open; in his weakened state, he couldn’t resist, and she stood up to press the call button by the bed.

Soon, a nurse came in.

"How did you fall?" The nurse was startled, "The patient has a head injury, thirteen stitches, there’s a risk of a concussion, he can’t afford another injury."

Shen Jianian felt a pang in her heart—thirteen stitches...

"Please, help out." The nurse called to her.

Shen Jianian cooperated with the nurse to get him back on the bed.

The nurse exhaled a breath and instructed her, "I’ll get the doctor to come and check on him, you watch over him and don’t let him move around again."

Shen Jianian resigned to staying in the hospital room to wait for the doctor to arrive, looking at Pei Che whose face was now paler after the ordeal, "I already made things clear last night."

Pei Che turned his head slightly towards her, staring straight at her, asking only one question, "Little Nian, do you still love me?"

Shen Jianian suddenly pressed her lips tightly and didn’t answer his question.

Pei Che asked again, "Can you forget the twenty years of feelings between us?"

Shen Jianian still did not answer.

"We grew up together, everything about our growth is within each other’s eyes and hearts. Can you really let it go just like that? I can’t. I could never forget it in my lifetime. If we’re destined to not be together, living in this world would be no different than being a walking corpse."

He spoke a long string of words, and by the end of the last word, he burst into a violent cough, looking as if he was about to die.

Shen Jianian’s heart was flipped upside down by his words, the deliberate coldness on her face cracked, "Stop talking, save your strength."

Pei Che eased his cough that was about to burst his lungs. He was afraid if he didn’t say some things now, he’d never have the chance again, "Little Nian, I’m willing to give up everything of the Pei Family, let’s find a livable city and live a carefree life, alright?"

Shen Jianian was dazed for a moment, shaking her head, "No."

There was no going back for them long ago, it was him who didn’t see it, or maybe he did see it but couldn’t accept the fact of losing her.

"Pei Che, you just returned to the country, you’re just not adjusted to reality yet. As time goes by, you’ll move on." Shen Jianian turned her back, and just as the doctor arrived, she wouldn’t have to face him anymore, "I’m leaving."

As the nurse following the doctor entered the room, she noticed Shen Jianian with tear-streaked cheeks, puzzled, and upon hearing her say she was leaving, she mumbled subconsciously, "What about the patient?"

He still couldn’t be discharged and needed care.

Shen Jianian heard the nurse’s words but didn’t look back, gripping her bag handle tightly, resolutely walking out of the hospital room, out of the inpatient building, until she was outside the hospital.

The cold wind blew, drying the tears on her face, leaving only tense skin, like a mask covering her face.

Shen Jianian didn’t return to Rose Manor, wandered aimlessly outside for a while, and at half-past eleven, took a taxi to East Ke Building.

It happened to be lunchtime, employees were getting off work preparing to go out for a meal. Shen Jianian was the only one, disoriented, waiting in front of the elevator, needing to go against the tide of people going up.

The president’s exclusive elevator arrived on the first floor, and the elevator Shen Jianian was waiting for also arrived.

The door opened, and what appeared was a packed group of people, pouring out like sardines. Those passing by Shen Jianian couldn’t help but glance at her.

The girlfriend of the big boss, who wouldn’t be curious?

There were quite a few rumors in the company about how Mr. Chen pampered this girlfriend who was seven or eight years younger. Seeing the real person, those hearsay rumors gained some credibility.

No wonder Mr. Chen was so captivated by her, just a fleeting glance at that face was astonishing, like a fairy descending to earth, beautiful and graceful, even without expression she was so striking, hard to imagine how beautiful her smile would be.

Ignoring their scrutinizing gaze, Shen Jianian stepped aside, waiting for the crowd to disperse before entering.

On the other side, a group of people walked out of the exclusive elevator, five or six men in suits surrounding an elegant, noble man, those men slightly inclined their heads, engaging in low conversations with the man in the middle.

It was Fu Jichen and a few company executives.

Fu Jichen occasionally nodded in agreement, his gaze inadvertently glancing towards a place, was the slender figure that just entered the elevator Shen Jianian?

His step paused, and those who had followed him out of the elevator also stopped, puzzled, looking towards the employee elevator at the boss’s line of sight.

They didn’t find anything unusual.

Fu Jichen wanted to further confirm, but the elevator doors had already closed, preventing any view inside.

"Mr. Chen, what’s wrong?" An older executive curiously asked.

Fu Jichen shook his head with a smile, and the group exited the company building, getting into several cars.

Qu Mo started the engine, just about to drive off when Fu Jichen suddenly raised his hand to signal a wait, then fished his phone out from his pocket to call Shen Jianian.

He thought he hadn’t mistaken—it was Shen Jianian.

He had called her after ten this morning, and she was still at home asleep, why did she come to the company suddenly, hadn’t he given her a day off?

Shen Jianian had just reached the secretary’s office, set down her bag at her workstation, and receiving Fu Jichen’s call, she held her forehead with one hand, lowered her head, and weakly said, "Hello."

"You came to the company?" The man’s rich voice in her ear asked.

Shen Jianian raised her head, looking around, thinking Fu Jichen had seen her, but after scanning around, she couldn’t find his shadow, "Mm, came over."

"Why not rest at home a bit longer?"

In the car cabin, Fu Jichen crossed his legs and leaned back in the seat, his features softening, shedding the stern and proper expression he had in the meeting room.

Qu Mo absentmindedly listened to his boss talking to Shen Jianian, pulled out his phone to casually check the news, diverting his attention.

Shen Jianian said on the phone, "Rested enough, wanted to see if there was anything I needed to do at the company."

"Have you had lunch?"

"No." Shen Jianian sounded a bit down, "Had a late breakfast, not hungry yet."

"Want to come down and eat a little more with me?"

"No." Shen Jianian cautiously and softly declined, "I can’t eat."

Fu Jichen chuckled, not insisting. He planned to pack some food and bring it to her post lunch.

After hanging up, Fu Jichen casually ordered, "Let’s go."

Qu Mo stared at the phone screen for a moment, not moving.

For the first time, he ignored his boss’s order, which was quite unusual, Fu Jichen coughed lightly, seeing him looking at the phone, his cold and stern face showing displeasure, "What are you looking at?"

Qu Mo hurriedly put away the phone, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and started driving, contemplating, and then hesitantly said, "Mr. Chen, there’s something..."

Fu Jichen furrowed his brows, looking impatient, "Then say it, stop beating around the bush."

"Miss Shen and that person from the Pei Family got on the news, just now." This was a personal matter and not in the business realm. Qu Mo wasn’t sure if bringing it up counted as overstepping, so after speaking, he felt a bit uneasy inside.