Chapter 106: But He’s Lucky, He Met You
Duan Zhixi was amused by Jiang Su’s words, her eyes curved, making her look even gentler and more approachable.
“What’s wrong with the young master of the Jiang family having a bit of a temper?” The Jiang family, whom even the Huo family feared, having a spoiled youngest son with a temper is perfectly normal.
Jiang Su was speechless; he thought Duan Zhixi would speak up for Huo Qing Yan.
“I’ve heard about what happened between you two,” regret and apology appeared on Duan Zhixi’s face. “I’m sorry, Jiang Su. It’s my fault for not raising Qing Yan well, causing you to suffer.”
Jiang Su’s expression turned serious.
He understood; this was probably why Duan Zhixi wanted to see him.
Duan Zhixi’s gaze shifted from Jiang Su’s face, becoming distant.
“People actually have an instinct to sense danger. When I married…,” she paused here, seemingly unwilling to mention Huo Zhen Heng’s name.
After a moment, she continued: “Before I married Qing Yan’s father, although he acted very gentle and gentlemanly, I vaguely felt that he was different from ordinary people. But I still married him. I thought I could change him.”
“I was too young, blindly confident back then. I didn’t know that he was essentially a devil, that he would never change!”
“At first, he only tormented the household servants for fun. Qing Yan was very young then, but he was very smart. Qing Yan secretly gathered evidence to report him without anyone knowing. But he was still discovered. After that, his target became Qing Yan…”
Duan Zhixi practically gritted her teeth as she spoke.
Jiang Su listened in shock: “So, to protect Huo Qing Yan, you asked for a divorce from that man, wanting to leave him?”
Duan Zhixi gave a barely audible “mm”: “I’m a mother, and I want to protect my child.”
Then, there was a long silence.
She should have protected Huo Qing Yan properly but ended up being his biggest burden.
Although she didn’t continue, Jiang Su felt the weight and oppression.
“Aunt…” Jiang Su spoke, wanting to comfort her.
As if she knew Jiang Su would comfort her, she quickly interrupted him: “Thank you, Jiang Su.”
She was a negligent mother and didn’t deserve comfort.
Tears welled up in Duan Zhixi’s eyes: “All these years, my biggest fear was that Qing Yan would become like his father. But he’s lucky; he met you.”
“I didn’t do anything. Huo Qing Yan’s nature is different from his father’s.” All those years, he had simply been shamelessly hanging around Huo Qing Yan.
Duan Zhixi didn’t argue with him, only saying gently: “You’re a good child. Aunt hopes you’ll be happy.”
She said all this only to express her apologies and gratitude to Jiang Su.
She didn’t persuade Jiang Su to reconcile with Huo Qing Yan.
She was understanding and gentle.
What would Huo Qing Yan have been like if he had grown up normally by his mother’s side?
Would he have been gentle like his mother?
The thought only flashed through his mind.
After talking for a while, Duan Zhixi looked tired.
Jiang Su said goodbye: “Aunt, I’ll come see you again when I have time. You should get better soon. Huo Qing Yan… he needs you.”
“Mm.” Duan Zhixi replied softly.
Jiang Su reached the door and looked back.
The woman on the bed was as thin as if a gust of wind could blow her away, her gaze vacant, lacking vitality.
Jiang Su furrowed his brows slightly and pushed open the door and went out.
Huo Qing Yan was waiting outside the ward. As soon as he heard the door open, he turned around and looked at Jiang Su: “Finished talking?”
Huo Qing Yan looked much thinner, pale, but his deep eyes were not as deep as usual; he seemed much lighter.
For a moment, Jiang Su couldn’t tell if Huo Qing Yan was better or worse.
He looked at Huo Qing Yan for a moment and asked: “Have you had dinner?”
Huo Qing Yan honestly answered: “No.”
“Let’s go.” Jiang Su said and walked ahead.
“Where to?” Huo Qing Yan asked.
“To eat.”
“Didn’t you already eat…”
“Are you eating or not?”
“Eating.”
…
Jiang Su took Huo Qing Yan to a private restaurant that Jiang Ying had taken him to before.
He ordered several signature dishes for Huo Qing Yan.
Jiang Su had already eaten; he only occasionally picked up a chopstick of food and then put down his chopsticks to watch Huo Qing Yan eat.
After their candid conversation, their interaction seemed more comfortable and relaxed.
Huo Qing Yan ate slowly and attentively.
The lighting in the small private room was warm-toned, warm and quiet, illuminating Huo Qing Yan’s face, making him look gentle.
Aunt Duan said, “What’s wrong with the young master of the Jiang family having a bit of a temper?”
And what about Huo Qing Yan?
As the sole heir to the Huo family, he should have been a gifted prodigy.
Yet, he was crushed into the mud by his own father.
Jiang Su felt sorry for him.
And suddenly felt a little relieved.
Perhaps he could still be friends with Huo Qing Yan.
Suddenly, Huo Qing Yan looked up at him: “Why are you staring at me?”
Jiang Su had been staring at him, making him feel a little…
Jiang Su lightly said: “I think you’re quite handsome too.”
That “too” was very meaningful.
Huo Qing Yan’s eyes showed questioning.
Jiang Su said with a smirk: “Aunt Duan said you told her I’m handsome.”
A crack appeared in Huo Qing Yan’s unchanging expression. Gradually, a suspicious blush appeared on his pale face.
Jiang Su propped his chin, watching him with interest: “Huo Qing Yan, you’re so old, and you’re still embarrassed?”
Huo Qing Yan denied it quickly: “I’m not.”
But his expression didn’t look very convincing.
Jiang Su solemnly responded: “Oh.”
But his serious expression only lasted a few seconds before he burst out laughing.
Huo Qing Yan: …
“I’m full,” he put down his chopsticks.
…
When paying the bill, Huo Qing Yan took out his wallet, took out a card, and was about to hand it to the waiter.
Jiang Su, taking advantage of his healthy hands and feet, grabbed Huo Qing Yan’s wrist with one hand and took out his phone to pay with the other.
Huo Qing Yan’s other hand was still bandaged and couldn’t move, so he could only watch helplessly as Jiang Su paid.
After paying, Jiang Su turned around and saw Huo Qing Yan’s face was tight, and he didn’t seem very happy.
Jiang Su reached out, took the card still in his hand, picked up his wallet, and put the card back in.
Then, he slowly put his wallet back in his pocket: “You pay next time.”
Next time?
Huo Qing Yan’s eyes lit up instantly, a smile curving his lips: “Okay.”
Jiang Su turned to leave, a slight smile on his lips.
As soon as Huo Qing Yan and Jiang Su went out, Jiang Ying came out from behind a nearby screen, looking thoughtfully in the direction they left.
It seemed that her younger brother and Huo Qing Yan’s relationship had improved a lot.
______________
Chapter 107: Little Seven Didn’t See His Grandmother’s Last Moments, You Know?
Huo Qing Yan still had a smile on his face when he returned to the hospital.
Zhou Fu hadn’t seen Huo Qing Yan this happy in a long time.
“What did Mr. Huo and Mr. Jiang eat?” Zhou Fu knew that Huo Qing Yan and Jiang Su had gone to eat.
Huo Qing Yan was in a good mood and said with a smile: “A private restaurant.”
Then, he added: “You can try it sometime if you have time.”
Zhou Fu smiled: “Okay.”
Huo Qing Yan went into the ward to see his mother.
His mother was still weak and often fell asleep after waking up for a while.
Huo Qing Yan sat down by the bed without speaking to disturb her.
She suddenly woke up and, seeing Huo Qing Yan, asked: “Where’s Jiang Su?”
“He took me to dinner and went home. I just got back,” Huo Qing Yan seriously reported to his mother.
After listening, Duan Zhixi teased: “He took you to dinner? Did he pay?”
Speaking of this, Huo Qing Yan felt a little bitter: “He said I can pay next time.”
After saying this, he laughed first.
Duan Zhixi also laughed, talked to him for a couple more sentences, and then fell asleep.
Huo Qing Yan sat quietly by the bed for a long time.
Although he didn’t know how long it would take for his mother to recover, compared to before, this was already very good, wasn’t it?
Jiang Su said, “Everything will slowly get better.”
Jiang Su was right.
Everything was slowly getting better.
…
Coming out of the ward, Huo Qing Yan immediately saw Jiang Ying chatting with Zhou Fu.
She was holding a bouquet of flowers.
Jiang Ying was wearing a black dress, her shoulders straight, her feet in high heels, her curly hair carefully styled, elegant and capable.
Jiang Ying had always disliked him.
But she suddenly appeared here.
“Mr. Huo.” Jiang Ying turned her head, a smile on her face.
Huo Qing Yan quickly walked over: “Miss Jiang.”
“My mother had some friendship with Aunt Duan. As a junior, I came to visit…”
Jiang Ying glanced at the ward behind him: “But I seem to have come a little late. Is Aunt already asleep?”
Huo Qing Yan didn’t interact much with Jiang Ying.
But he had heard of many of Jiang Ying’s deeds.
Among the younger generation of the Jiang family, every single one of them was capable.
And they were all eloquent.
Huo Qing Yan knew that Jiang Ying’s visit wasn’t just to visit his mother.
He calmly said: “My mother just fell asleep, but if she knew you had come to visit her, she would be very happy.”
Jiang Ying smiled and asked: “Can I go in and see her? I won’t wake her up.”
Huo Qing Yan nodded.
Before entering, Jiang Ying took off her high heels. Huo Qing Yan wanted to stop her, but Jiang Ying handed him the flowers and walked in barefoot.
Jiang Ying was the same age as Huo Qing Yan. Unlike Jiang Su, she had been attending various banquets with adults since she was little. She had seen Duan Zhixi many times at banquets when she was a child.
In her youth, she had wanted to be a gentle woman like Duan Zhixi.
But a young girl’s thoughts change every day, and she ultimately didn’t become a woman like Duan Zhixi.
If it hadn’t been confirmed, Jiang Ying would hardly believe that the woman in the bed was the once-envied socialite, Duan Zhixi.
This made her sigh.
A very faint sound came from the other side of the bed.
Jiang Ying looked up and saw that Huo Qing Yan had, at some point, arranged the flowers she had brought in a vase.
He placed the vase on the bedside table and gently adjusted a few stems.
Smart people are adept at everything they do.
Even something he should have been clueless about, like arranging flowers, couldn’t stump him.
This Huo Qing Yan didn’t seem as cold and hard as before; he had a touch more humanity.
…
Jiang Ying didn’t stay in the ward for long.
They both left the ward, and the door was gently closed.
Jiang Ying put on her shoes and her expression became serious: “Mr. Huo, can we talk privately for a moment?”
Huo Qing Yan: “Okay.”
The VIP ward suite had a dedicated meeting room.
Huo Qing Yan closed the door: “Please feel free.”
Jiang Ying sat on the sofa and heard Huo Qing Yan ask: “Would you like some water?”
He only had water here.
Jiang Ying nodded slightly: “Thank you.”
Huo Qing Yan poured two glasses of water, one for Jiang Ying and one for himself.
Jiang Ying picked up her glass and slowly took a sip.
“Mr. Huo must be very tired lately, right?”
Huo Qing Yan looked up at her: “Miss Jiang, feel free to speak your mind.”
“Speak my mind…” Jiang Ying curved her lips slightly: “Mr. Huo, do you want to guess what I want to talk to you about?”
“It must be something related to Jiang Su.” He had no business dealings with Jiang Ying; the only thing they could talk about was Jiang Su.
Jiang Ying gently put down her water glass: “Being smart is a good thing, but sometimes being too smart can be counterproductive.”
She spoke very slowly, delaying the entry into the main topic.
Huo Qing Yan was usually impatient with others, but since Jiang Ying was talking about Jiang Su, he patiently listened, showing no impatience.
Jiang Ying looked at Huo Qing Yan.
From a businessman’s perspective, Huo Qing Yan was impeccable.
But at this moment, she was just a sister.
There were some things Huo Qing Yan should know.
She decided to be the bearer of bad news.
“Little Seven didn’t see his grandmother’s last moments, do you know?”
Huo Qing Yan knew how close Jiang Su was to his grandmother.
Because Jiang Su often mentioned his grandmother to him.
Huo Qing Yan suddenly looked up, feeling inexplicably panicked.
His voice trembled, a tremor he hadn’t noticed himself: “Why?”
Jiang Ying had expected Huo Qing Yan to react like this and wasn’t surprised. Her voice was soft: “You’re so smart, think carefully.”
The human heart is the most difficult thing to fathom. When heartless, it can be cold and hard; when affectionate, it becomes soft.
When it becomes soft, one must be prepared to endure pain.
Jiang Ying’s words were like a bolt from the blue.
She asked him to think carefully.
It was related to him.
Huo Qing Yan’s face was pale, his blood draining away: “That night, Jiang Zhao Yu called me…”
Smart people understand things quickly. He had almost guessed the cause and effect, but he didn’t have the courage to say it.
But Jiang Ying didn’t intend to let him off.
“That’s right, it was because Little Seven’s grandmother was critically ill. We couldn’t reach Little Seven, so we called you.
You should know that Little Seven is stubborn. That night, Jian’an Mountain was snowed in, but he didn’t want us to worry about him and you anymore. He didn’t call us to pick him up.
The power went out at the hot spring resort in the middle of the night. Big Brother called Little Seven; before he could finish speaking, the signal cut out. Later, Aunt Zhao told us he had gone to the hot spring resort with you. Then, Li Chuan drove there and picked up Little Seven at the foot of the mountain, but it was too late…”
Jiang Ying deliberately didn’t mention Jiang Su walking down the mountain.
She wanted Huo Qing Yan to think for himself.
She wanted Huo Qing Yan to understand what he had done to Jiang Su!
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