Even with one leg broken, Yan Liang could not help but thing that this will definitely make her the butt of jokes. So when her mother asked her how she was, she bit the bullet and said everything was fine.
“The situation at home is bad”, her mother could not help but air out her grievances.
As the nurse was bandaging her feet, the resultant pain distracted her so she asked the nurse to stop. “What happened?”
Her mother said anxiously: “Your father always wanted Xu Ziqing and Zhou Cheng together. Today the child has clearly said she will not marry him. Earlier she was prevaricating, saying it’s too early but now it seems her mind is set.”
This was not how Xu Ziqing usually acted, if she clearly refused, wouldn’t this disappoint both father and Zhou Cheng?
Yan Liang thought this was a good outcome, she was secretly pleased, but unfortunately that could not be displayed in front of her mother so she put on a worried tone to ask “Then?”
“Then what, then, your father was very upset.”
“Oh.”
Dissatisfied with her daughter’s attitude, Yan Mu said “ Why are you not worried?”
Yan Liang wondered aloud: “Why should I be worried? I am not the one being forced to marry.”
Yan Mu sighed helplessly “Although he is capable, Zhou Cheng will always be a driver’s son. Your dad would like to promote him, even to the position of a general manager. It is not a threat if Zi Qing is stuck with him. Now…”
Yan Liang silently smiled. Her mother was so calculating..how will that help?
Xu Jin fu’s love for Xu Ziqing will always allow Ziqing to have the upper hand.
Her mother went on and Yan Liang was in no mood to listen anymore. She said “Let me come back” to end the conversation
She stayed in the hospital for one night. No one had come to visit and Yanliang was also happy with the quiet.
But she did not realise that she would find it most difficult in the middle of the night when the pain was keeping her awake. There was no one to talk to and she sat like an old patient in the bed, listening to the nurse’s footsteps in the corridor outside
Perhaps the nurse’s monotonous footsteps aroused a desire in her heart, or the night outside made people think of strange things. Whatever it was, Yanliang finally got her mobile phone to call a number she hadn’t called in weeks.
Half of her was thinking, Xu Ziqing’s refusal will certainly make the trip quite frustrating for her, would it not have been a good opportunity for her?
The other half, however, proudly scorned the idea. When an idea finally prevailed, Yanliang quickly set aside the opposing thought, she did not want to give herself room for regret.
It was a long night.
It was a long distance international call.
“Hello?”
Yan Liang thought for a long time, and finally she just said: “Are you okay?”
Since she was so hesitant, Zhou Cheng was also smart enough to guess: “You know everything?”
“……” “…”
“……” “…”
“Repeatedly trampled by the same woman twice, is it worth it?”
“Not worth it, but ….. I cant help it.” Zhou paused, Yan Liang understood him so well she could make out from his sigh how depressed he was.
Yan Liang finally did not utter any words of comfort; after all, in her bones she felt that the man deserved to be sad: “Aren’t you feeling cheapened ?”
“Can love make you feel cheap?”
Yan Liang could not help but look up and close her eyes, her mouth gulping for air like a fish out of water gulping for oxygen. Only then, could she control her emotions
“Once I am back, we will get drunk. Buck up, you are invincible!”
Yan Liang hung up the phone.
If he deserved to be depressed, wasn’t she even more pathetic? Yan Liang laughed. In the empty ward, only her laughter could be heard. The more she laughed the more her heart sank, sank to the bottom, into the dust..
“Sometimes laughter is worse than crying.”
Suddenly a cold voice broke the silence.
Yan Liang was surprised.
Looking towards where the sound came from, she saw the door was half open, a figure gracefully standing there. In the mixture of light and darkness, the emotions on his face were difficult to understand, but the eyes were still gleaming..
“Jiang Yu Nan?”
The man approached her.
“What are you doing?”
Jiang Yu Nan was much more casual than her: “I came to see if the little lion was asleep.”
“I hate this nickname.”
“I like it.” Saying this, he moved the table in front of Yan Liang,a take-away carton placed on top, “It’s still hot. Eat.”
Seeing her motionless, Jiang Yu Nan laughed: “Do you want me to take apart the chopsticks, open the cover and deliver this to your hands before you eat?”
Yan Liang only watched him quietly.
He actually opened the lid, prised the chopsticks apart, and put the bowl in Yan Liang’s hands.
She still did not move, Jiang Yu Nan frowned at her: “Of course, I do not mind feeding you.”
Yan Liang frowned as well.
Jiang Yu Nan picked up the
plastic spoon, actually scooped the porridge with the spoon and put in his mouth , waited for a while , then suddenly came towards her.
His lips were on hers, she ducked.
She should have kicked him out earlier, now she could only complain: “Are you sick?”
“If you want me to feed you, of course I get to choose how I feed you.”
His deadpan delivery angered her and she lifted the pillow to throw at him. He ducked.
Yan Liang was livid: “Take away the food. This ward is paid for with my money and you are not welcome here!”
Her wrath left Jiang Yu Nan unperturbed. He cleared the table and put a paper contract on the table.
“After reading this, if you decide to welcome me, it will be too late.. .” ”
Yanliang suspiciously stared at him, then her eyes moved to the file.
She was familiar with this document. This was the strategic cooperation agreement drawn up for Johnny Weill long back.
Yan Liang hurriedly looked up the distribution of benefits provision. Within seconds, her attitude had changed. First she was surprised, then felt confused. Uncertain, she raised her eyes to Jiang yu nan, thought of something, panicked and skipped to the last page to see the signature of Johnny Weill.
A familiar voice sounded near her ear: “I got such a good deal for your father, how are you going to reward me?”
Yan Liang shook her head, laughing. This was just incredible, she still could not believe her eyes. “How did you do it?”
“This business had dragged on for so many months, Jonny Weill would be more anxious than us. Although Xu Jinfu valued this cooperation, after all, after his stroke, nobody knew how this was going to be dealt with.
After I came to New York he was tracking every move. Yet it seemed that I had only come here to play. Then suddenly you broke your leg, and you were crying to return home. I was also worried about you and would only follow you back. Chances were, you woukd have to rest for a few months. Perhaps you would not come to New York in the future. When Jonny was so anxious, he came to me. As long as he was anxious, we would get the bargaining advantage.”
Yan Liang thought for a long time before she understood.
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
Yan Liang heard the question, slowly put down the contract, hesitated a moment before looking up at him.
Using psychological warfare in the business field, this man was truly scary.
What about the future? Will he be her strong enemy, or a powerful helper?
There was no point guessing about the unknown future, the only thing that Yan Liang could do was to pick up the chopsticks, put the porridge in her mouth and smile ,”Tastes good”.
*** ***
The next day they set off for the return journey, after all how could Jiang Yu Nan dare to ignore her ‘crying’ to return?
The last time it was only Yanliang, Jiang Yu Nan and Lee secretary. In the return flight, a team of colleagues, all part of the
negotiating team were also with them, the atmosphere was much more harmonious.
Yan Liang, sitting on the sidelines, listened to the vice president vividly describing the events the day before when the negotiations continued till late evening.
“By the time we left the building, it was late at night and everyone was too excited to sleep. We intended to have a celebration dinner that night, but Jiang Yu Nan disappointed us and left immediately.”
“Celebration banquet is indispensable, we must have it.”
Then someone asked: “Why was Jiang Yu Nan so anxious to leave at that time?”
“He said something about meeting a friend.”
“Seems like an important friend.”
Yanliang had been silently listening, at this time, she obviously felt a bit uncomfortable.
Subconsciously she wanted to do something else to bury this feeling
She chose to wear headphones to listen to music.
Just seconds before she put on the headphones, she heard Jiang Yu Nan.
“Yes, for me, that person is a very important person.”
*** ***
More than ten hours later, the plane landed.
As people passed out of the plane, Yan Liang felt embarrassed as she walked too slowly with her crutches.
Once they were out of the gate, she took her luggage, with Lee Secretary by her side helping her. As she started walking, she realised that, unknowing to her, Jiang Yu Nan had also slowed his pace so that they were walking side by side. Soon they were quite a distance behind the other collaeagues. He did not touch her, or hold her, he was cold as always, but she still felt a slight discomfort with him at her side.
Suddenly seeing her colleagues stop in the front, Yan Liang was happy to divert her attention to something else.
Unfortunately, the opposite happened, the eyes of her colleagues turned towards her, and they seemed to get more attention.
As the colleagues withdrew, she realised what was drawing their attention.
Xu Ziqing had come personally to pick them up.
Her heart sank.
Xu Ziqing soon came to her side, looked up and down Yan Liang,her eyes fixed on the plaster cast in the leg. Raising her brows, she said with a really distressed voice “How did this happen?”
Xu Ziying reached out a hand to help her, but Yan Liang quietly moved her hand away.
Xu Ziqing smiled with embarrassment.
Miss Yan Liang’s temper and bad attitude to her sister was well known to her colleagues. Now seeing this scene for the first time, many of them gave a sympathetic look to Xu Ziqing, some chose to stay out of things, and some turned their heads away, embarrassed.
Xu Ziqing, perhaps in order to ease the embarrassment,also turned sideways. It seemed as if only at this time, she became aware of Jiang Yu Nan’s presence.
So she politely called out: “Jiang Yu Nan.”
Jiang Yu Nan nodded at her with a smile.
Yan liang quietly watched the interaction of these two people.
She knew Xu Ziqing, knew that Xu Ziying at this moment was looking at Jiang Yannan’s eyes –
Her sister had used her as an excuse to meet Jiang Yu Nan.
Now Xu Ziqing had sinister intentions of getting close to this dangerous but extremely useful man, and she was hiding those intentions behind a sweet and pretty smile.
Yan Liang stood aside silently, a faint smile of ridicule on her lips.