"Is that so?"
"Miss Jiang, you are indeed a clever woman. You know to find all sorts of reasons to comfort yourself. For example, you never asked why I brought Little Fishie back with me. You are used to hiding problems that you do not wish to delude yourself into. You know how to protect yourself, but in reality, you are just too deceiving yourself. "
Zhou Shufen's eyes were sincere. As she stared at Jiang Ruolan's expressionless face, she could also see the tenacity within her eyes that was slowly crumbling.
"Miss Jiang, think for a moment… A woman wanted to tie down a man who doesn't love you with the shackles of marriage, isn't this act of stealing someone else's happiness?" Zhou Shufen chuckled and continued, "Actually, to you, it's just a matter of having someone to protect you in your life. Don't you think that Qin Gengxin is more suitable for you? To me, Xian Zihao is not only the man who was once inseparable from me, but he is also ��"
At this point, Zhou Shufen didn't say anything else, but her eyes seemed to be implying something.
Jiang Ruolan didn't say anything. Xian Zihao had once said that Zhou Shufen's daughter had nothing to do with him. No matter how much he had hidden from her, she at least believed that as long as Xian Zihao told her the truth, it wouldn't be a lie.
"I suddenly don't understand." Jiang Ruolan looked at the confidence in Zhou Shufen's eyes with a smile that was not a smile, "Since you're so confident, why didn't you try to talk to Zihao about this, instead spend so much effort on me? Don't you think that you're looking for the wrong person?"
Zhou Shufen paused for a moment before changing the topic. "Because Zihao is a responsible man, and because you don't intend to let go of him, using the shackle of marriage to tie him with you. I'm just advising you to let go of him as soon as possible and not get yourself into this mess."
Jiang Ruolan stared fixedly at Zhou Shufen, her expression unchanged.
"I am curious as to why Miss Zhou broke up with my husband that year and why she suddenly appeared five years later, trying to break up his marriages?"
In any case, neither her courage nor her personality allowed her to submit to all these appearances. Women were easily influenced by the occasional sentence or two, and she needed a stronger heart to maintain her marriage.
Zhou Shufen only smiled. "Break up his marriages? On the night my grandfather came back to H City, Zihao went back to the venue. Do you know why he came back? That night, my helper, whom I hired at the Household Service, was distracted for a moment, and Xiaoyi took this chance to disappeared without a trace. That night, due to a number of nearby roads and parks being impassable, Zihao went through heavy rain to find her."
"Later on, Xiaoyi would often use the hotel phone to call him. She's only five years old, but she already knows Zihao's cell number by heart. Did you know what Xiaoyi called him? She called him daddy." Zhou Shufen looked straight at Jiang Ruolan and chuckled.
"Then, one day, around 1 am. Little Fishie suddenly had a high fever. She cried and wanted Zihao. She wanted to find her father. Zihao was there in half an hour. He sent Little Fishie to the hospital and only left after the fever subsided after two to three hours. So Miss Jiang, do you really think I'm trying to break up your marriage?"
Zhou Shufen interrogated her with harsh words, shooting her mercilessly like an arrow.
Jiang Ruolan's heart ached instantly. She kept staring at Zhou Shufen, trying to find any trace of her lie. Even the slightest flaw could be her salvation.
But no, Zhou Shufen's expression was still so magnanimous, as if everything she said was the truth.
Right now, Jiang Ruolan was the third party trying to ruin other people's happiness. It was as if she was the one who needed to have self-awareness.
That night Xian Zihao went out and came back drenched from the rain, the phone calls he often took, the silences, the looks she couldn't see through, the heartache and guilt that he was trying to hide, the occasional look in his eyes, and that night he went out at once in the morning, he didn't return until nearly five in the morning. The phone's line that was occasionally busy and the natural and intimate text 'Zihao, see you tomorrow.'
Jiang Ruolan once thought, Xian Zihao's trust, his care, his love, his tenderness and tolerance, all those beautiful things, was so worth for her to strive for…
She did her best to protect this marriage because she thought it was worth it…
Jiang Ruolan thought that she should believe in him anyway. She just didn't think that there was a need to pursue things further. Her trust and growing reliance had, in the end, made her own foolishness appear.
Jiang Ruolan's face was gradually turning pale, almost the same as Zhou Shufen's face when she almost lost too much blood. In an instant, she realized that Zhou Shufen's face was similar to hers.
Jiang Ruolan secretly clenched her fist to suppress all the emotions that welled up in her heart. She said, "Miss Zhou's bleeding has already stopped. I think Dr. Li is about to arrive, why do you go downstairs?"
However, Zhou Shufen was neither impatient nor wanted to leave. She continued to sit there calmly, lowering her head to look at her wrist. "Actually, the sudden injury I had today and the fact that I would chat so much with you was indeed beyond my expectations. However, since I have already had such an opportunity, I feel that it would be better to get right to the point."
Jiang Ruolan's expression was resolute as if she was not affected by her words. Zhou Shufen faintly frowned, the smile on her face faded a little, but her tone was firm. "Miss Jiang, do you really think Zihao care about you? Do you see through him? Did he tell you anything about his past? Did he tell you the real reason he came back five years ago? He only rational and respectful to you and yet you can't feel what he's thinking of you?"
"Miss Jiang, do you really know him? Do you know how he spent his days creating Xian Corporation? Who was by his side? No one was truly unimpeded in a smooth sailing life. In his most difficult times, who would accompany him through it? Did you know that he had been busy with the company's matters and had not slept for several days without eating for two or three days straight? As a result, he suffered from stomach problems and could not eat spicy food. He could not eat beef and had any contact with meat. Have you ever seen him vomit late at night when his stomach is at its worst until he finally vomited blood and falls unconscious in the bathroom? Do you know all these?"
"Miss Jiang, I was was indeed a very proud woman. Everyone spoiled me ever since I was a child, and the fact that I was Senior Zhou's granddaughter, confirmed the height of my life. I thought it would be very difficult for me to find a man I would like until Xian Zihao appeared in my life. I was too young back then and felt that life needed stimulation and that our relationship needed constant passion, but he seemed to have everything under his control, always so unhurried. At that time, I only felt that I didn't have much of a place in his heart. I thought that I wasn't important to him, but in the end, I committed the biggest mistake a woman should not have done. I tried to find a way to test him, but in the end, I failed."
Zhou Shufen suddenly let out a sigh. "I finally saw him angry. I finally realized how terrifying Xian Zihao was. He would never hold a grudge for too many small matters, but at the same time, he could be so cold and heartless. He always loved me. Five years ago or five years later, I will always have a place in his heart." Zhou Shufen looked up with mixed emotions. "When I found out that Zihao was married, I finally know what's the meaning of pain. But when I received your picture from a friend and saw your face, I knew why he chose you."
Zhou Shufen closed her mouth and didn't say another word. Her bright eyes stared at Jiang Ruolan with sincerity.
Jiang Ruolan's heart at this time was rippling with a big wave. She held back her tears and find out that at this point, she even regretted wanting to hear these words. She could not bear it in the slightest.
What should she do?
Give up? Run away? Should she admit defeat just by hearing words from Zhou Shufen?
Xian Zihao had been the one standing in front of her for so long, shielding her from the wind and the rain. When she got used to it, she realized that her thorns had almost been flattened. But this time, whether it was retreating or crying, it was useless. Had she already been forced into a corner and reached a dead end?
Jiang Ruolan took a deep breath and left the room. She went downstairs with Zhou Shufen. They were still walking down the corridor when they heard the sound of a car coming from outside. It must be the doctor.
When they reached downstairs, Senior Zhou and Old Man Xian, including everyone, quickly surrounded Zhou Shufen.
"How is it? Why it took you so long? "Old Man Xian's voice stopped when he saw the wound on Zhou Shufen's wrist that had indeed stopped bleeding. His eyes showed some surprise as he turned his head to look at Jiang Ruolan and then looked back at Senior Zhou. "Oh, Senior Zhou, it seems that our worries just now were unnecessary."
"It's good that you're fine, it's good that the bleeding has stopped!" Senior Zhou nodded. He immediately pulled Zhou Shufen towards him. "Come, let grandpa have a look."
"Oh, Senior Zhou, Dr. Li is here!" Zhan An, who hadn't come out all this time, walked over with two dishes in her hand. It seemed like she had dug up some vegetables from the backyard of the Xian Residence.
Zhou Shufen was surrounded by the crowd. Jiang Ruolan was pushed to the side. She quietly let them push her away, pretending not to notice the apologetic smile Zhou Shufen threw at her.
She could feel that Zhou Shufen's apology was from the bottom of her heart, not an act. She was thanking herself for helping her stop the bleeding, and she was also very sorry that she had caused everyone to ignore her (Jiang Ruolan), who had saved her life.
Ridiculous, isn't it?
Zhou Shufen thought that she was generous.
Her sadness quickly spread. It was because her heart was already so fragile.
Weak or not…Everyone would suddenly have a glass heart when faced with a situation like this.
At this moment, Jiang Ruolan finally noticed that Old Man Xian had raised a dog at some time. It was hard to tell the breed it from, and the dog looked like it had been trained by a professional. It was lying not far from her feet with a pair of black, white, and invisible eyes while staring at her viciously.
