There were some complicated emotions in her eyes. Zhou Shufen took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Ruolan, saying, "It seems that you have really worked hard in the dark to maintain this marriage. You have it so easily."
"I don't seem to understand Miss Zhou's words. My marriage is legal; my relationship with Zihao is very harmonious. We have been married for almost half a year, and now we going to have children. This is clearly a very normal life and for you to say that I work hard in the dark, it was such a laughable matter."
"Actually, Miss Zhou, if you really have enough free time, you should spend more time with your daughter and you shouldn't use her sickness to pave the way for your future. In this life, there are some things that you can't just abandon and take back whenever you wanted to."
The moment Jiang Ruolan mentioned Little Fishie, Zhou Shufen's face instantly turned pale. The hand holding the wine glass tightened as a trace of valor filled her eyes.
"If Little Fishie really has less than half a year left in her life, should you really let her stay in the hotel by herself and be watched over by those nannies that you hire? The problem between you and her biological father may not be known to many, but everything is already unfair to Little Fishie. Will you keep lying and continue to use her until the end of her life? She's just a five-year-old child. Is the daughter you gave birth more important, or is the old relationship you once abandoned?"
Due to her pregnancy, Jiang Ruolan was especially sensitive to children. She couldn't help herself from throwing these words down to Zhou Shufen's face.
Zhou Shufen's face was pale and there was a hint of pain in her eyes. She bit her lower lip and glared at Jiang Ruolan. After a long while, she finally said hoarsely, "She doesn't know that she's sick. How can I treat her like usual after knowing she's sick? I just want her to live the same life as before. If this is just a mild illness, I won't feel afraid. I just want my daughter to leave her life happily. It's better for me treating her like that rather than crying all day!" Zhou Shufen's shoulders trembled a little, "Jiang Ruolan, everyone has their own way of thinking. From our perspective, we do indeed hate each other, and you also have the means to be evenly matched with me. That day at your wedding, your slaps, I, Zhou Shufen, will remember it for the rest of my life. One day, I will let you know what regret is."
"When you are certain that Xian Zihao has deep feelings for you, don't forget to look at your face in the mirror. See how much we look alike!"
With that, Zhou Shufen left. Looking at her straight back made Jiang Ruolan think of herself for a moment. Xian Zihao had always been giving her courage, always letting her regain her confidence. So, no matter what Zhou Shufen said, Jiang Ruolan only believed what she felt with her heart.
Someone walked by and accidentally bumped into the wine glass in Jiang Ruolan's hand. The wine spilled on Xian Zihao's suit jacket worn by her.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" The man immediately took a napkin and wanted to wipe it for her.
Jiang Ruolan smiled politely. She took the napkin and said, "It's fine. I'll do it myself."
She looked down at Xian Zihao's suit jacket and sighed.
While wiping the stain, she walked towards Old Man Xian and looked around the room. Xian Zihao was nowhere to be seen.
Old Man Xian saw her wiping her jacket, so he asked, "What's wrong? Did you spill something?"
"Yes, a glass of wine." Jiang Ruolan wiped the jacket a few more times and then smiled at Old Man Xian while holding a wet napkin. "Grandfather, it's already late. Why aren't you going back to rest?"
"If you're tired, you should go to bed earlier and don't have to keep thinking about coming down to accompany me. Didn't I get someone to book a room for you?" With that, the Old Man pointed to the back, "Zihao went there. You guys came a long way from F City to Beijing and haven't had much rest. You both should go to bed early."
Sure enough, as he was speaking, Xian Zihao walked in from the back corridor of the hall. When he saw Jiang Ruolan with Old Man Xian, he walked to her side and caught a glimpse of the stain on her jacket. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Just now, there was a Deputy Director of the Audit Office with the surname Duan came to see me. He said that he wanted to give us a copy of Tang Yin's real work." Jiang Ruolan raised her head and whispered in a voice that only he could hear. "The item was too valuable, so I did not dare to accept it and rushed back to our room under the excuse that I was pregnant. Did I make the right decision?"
She was afraid that she would cause some trouble, so she told him directly.
Xian Zihao nodded calmly as if he was used to this kind of thing. "The Audit Office has been busy preparing for something lately. They really can't accept my interference." The corner of his lips curled up as he grabbed her shoulders with both hands and pulling her jacket to her body. "Go up and rest. There's still more than an hour before it's over. You don't have to come down."
After he said these words, his attentive gaze turned serious again, as if he was thinking of how to deal with Vice Chief Duan's arrival in Beijing. The bribery was not surprising, but it angered Jiang Ruolan to see it happening in front of her face.
"If you see any suspicious people you don't know in the future, just ignore them and go to sleep."
Jiang Ruolan nodded. She was indeed tired, so she didn't say anything else. Xian Zihao walked her back to the elevator and she went back to the sixth floor.
When she got back to her room, she was tired but didn't want to sleep. She picked up the suit jacket that had been wet with champagne, examined it carefully, and then took it straight to the bathroom. She put it under the sink and tried washing it.
Since there was no washing machine in the hotel room, Jiang Ruolan had to clean this jacket by herself. After she washed it and wrung out the water, she found a hanger in the closet and hung it by the window.
Not long after, Xian Zihao returned. Jiang Ruolan was still fiddling with the jacket.
She immediately felt warmth behind her back.
Xian Zihao gently hugged her from behind and kissed her ear. "Why did you do that?"
"Your suits are made of very good material. I was worried that the wine couldn't clean up, so I decided to wash it by hand. But why does it become so wrinkled after washing?" Jiang Ruolan raised her hand again and tugged at the collar.
Xian Zihao gently pulled her hand down until her body was turned away. He couldn't hold back his laughter. "Don't you know that suits can't be washed in the water?"
"Huh?" Jiang Ruolan's eyes widened.
"Huh, what? Idiot, you need to dry clean these clothes."
She had ruined a good suit, but Xian Zihao seemed to be in a good mood. Her eyes were filled with a pained smile as she looked at his eyes that were completely devoid of any anger.
Previously at Greenville Residence, Jiang Ruolan had thought that most of Xian Zihao's clothes would be taken out by the domestic helpers. She hadn't washed his clothes nor his suit before and this was her first time hearing that suits could only be dry cleaned.
"Doesn't that mean …" She felt embarrassed and turned her head to look at the suit. "I've just wasted a good suit."
Xian Zihao didn't care about the suit. He smiled, bent down his head, and peck on her nose. Jiang Ruolan couldn't help but blush when she saw the amused expression on his face.
"There are still a lot of things to do tomorrow, so let's just leave the suit there. Don't think about it anymore." He patted her shoulder teasingly.
Jiang Ruolan pouted and had no choice but to take a shower. However, after she had showered and went to sleep, she looked at the wrinkled suit in front of the French window and was still upset. She estimated that this suit's price was at least ten thousand yuan and her heart was bleeding.
