Volume One, Chapter 20: What I Fear Most Is That You Will Leave Me

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Shao Shanshan stood by the hospital room door the entire time. When Gu Moting returned and passed by, she stepped forward to call out again, but Jiang Qiong stopped her first. Gu Moting didn’t even glance at her and walked straight past.

After Gu Moting left, Jiang Qiong stepped aside and smiled at Shao Shanshan. “It’s already late, Miss Shao. You should head back.”

Shao Shanshan’s eyes reddened as she turned to go into the hospital room, just as Zhuang Jian came out. “Miss Shao, Miss Xiao Tao is already resting.”

Seeing Zhuang Jian appear, Jiang Qiong gave him a look, signaling him to take over here, then turned and quickly left.

Shao Shanshan said plaintively, “Senior, are you mad at me?”

Zhuang Jian smiled faintly. “In recent years, President Gu rarely loses his temper.”

It was true—Gu Moting’s emotions were unnervingly stable, or rather, he scarcely showed any emotion at all.

Zhuang Jian continued, “If I have to mention something that did upset him, it would be this afternoon when Lu Xiaoqian hurt Miss Xiao Tao.”

Shao Shanshan sobbed, “Then why has he been ignoring me these past few days? I helped him sort out the Su Xiaowu situation. That should be a good thing.”

Bringing up that matter again—

Zhuang Jian rubbed his temples. “Miss Shao, you took that matter away from me. Although you helped… I reminded you repeatedly that President Gu wanted to pay double compensation, but you only gave fifty thousand. Giving fifty thousand might have been okay, but you even went over to President Gu to boast about it, proudly saying you gave an extra twenty thousand…”

Oh my goodness!

Shao Shanshan snapped, “Zhuang Jian! Weren’t you the one who got the call and rushed over when you heard Xiao Tao was trying to break into the sanatorium? How come it became that I snatched it away from you?”

Zhuang Jian retorted angrily, “Miss Shao, if you want to bring that up, it was in the hallway when you stopped to listen while I was on the phone, and suddenly blocked me! Didn’t you urge me to hurry up and find Xiao Tao, saying you’d handle Su Xiaowu’s matter so I could rest easy? But after that, I don’t know what you said to Su Xiaowu, but she blocked President Gu’s number, making calls and messages impossible. President Gu originally planned to take Miss Xiao Tao to apologize in person later! It was me who told President Gu, since you already gave an extra twenty thousand, just consider it even and move on. If we took Xiao Tao there, and the other side found any reason to scold her, that wouldn’t be good for her mental growth. That’s how this matter was closed!”

Shao Shanshan glared, fuming, “I say one thing, you say so much! Fine, I was being meddlesome, okay!”

Zhuang Jian snorted, “You promised double, but only gave fifty thousand. You even went to President Gu to blow your own horn. And because of that, it caused me trouble. And now you’re mad at me…”

Shao Shanshan flew into a rage and turned to leave.

Suddenly stopping, she looked back at him.

“That petty Su Xiaowu—her stuff was worth thirty thousand, we compensated her fifty thousand, she earned an extra twenty thousand and still thinks she’s at a loss! And she actually dared to block Senior?!”

Zhuang Jian quickly raised his hand. “No, no, Miss Shao, please stop. It’s all over now!”

“There’s one more thing,” Shao Shanshan frowned. “Do you know why Senior suddenly left the sanatorium gate this afternoon?”

Zhuang Jian really didn’t know. “Did that happen?”

Shao Shanshan paused, as if a memory flashed before her eyes. “Almost forgot—the father and daughter!”

“What father and daughter?”

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Shao Shanshan spoke to herself, “It was Zhu Lizhen!!”

Zhuang Jian: “What?”

At that moment, Zhu Lizhen suddenly rushed up, blocking her and letting that father-and-daughter pair escape.

So, Zhu Lizhen knows that father and daughter?

Shao Shanshan looked at Zhuang Jian. “Take good care of Xiao Tao. When she wakes, remind her that Aunt Shanshan misses her dearly.”

After saying this, Shao Shanshan grabbed her bag and hurried off, making a call to Zhu Lizhen on the way.

She called several times, but the line was always busy, then just a busy signal.

Shao Shanshan gritted her teeth in the elevator. That big idiot Zhu Lizhen must have blocked her.

Clutching her phone tightly, a trace of malice flickered in her eyes.

All these recent troubles were because of Zhu Lizhen.

It certainly wouldn’t have made Senior so angry over that trivial Su Xiaowu matter.

What truly upset Senior was Lu Xiaoqian’s appearance.

Because of Lu Xiaoqian, the long-dead Su family was dragged back before Senior!

That Zhu Lizhen!

What business did Su Xiaxia’s biological mother have here? Why did she meddle and interfere, keeping her locked away in that sanatorium?

Fine! Zhu Lizhen, you blocked me, huh? Just you wait—I’ll teach you a lesson!

*

Just past eight in the morning, Su Qiuyu was woken by knocking.

Through the peephole, she saw a female delivery person.

Su Qiuyu hesitated for half a second, then Zhu Lizhen’s voice sounded outside: “I hear footsteps, open up, Xiaoyu, it’s me!”

The door opened, and Zhu Lizhen slipped inside at once.

She yanked off her helmet, gasping sharply, “Mom, that was suffocating.”

Seeing the room full of cardboard boxes, Zhu Lizhen’s heart sank. “No, no, Xiaoyu, I don’t want you to leave.”

Su Qiuyu poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Zhu Lizhen gulped it down, wiped her mouth. “No choice. Senior is all-seeing and all-knowing. I’m afraid he’s watching me. That big demon lord—do you know how terrifying he is? My brother looks dazzling in public but turns into a tiny Calamity in front of Senior!”

Su Qiuyu pursed her lips with a faint smile, tying up her hair as she headed to the bathroom.

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Just after squeezing toothpaste, Zhu Lizhen leaned against the door with a cup of water, looking pitiful. “Xiaoyu, don’t go, please. Are you really leaving?”

“Not yet. Haven’t found my mom.”

“Ah, I don’t even know where she is.”

Su Qiuyu looked at Zhu Lizhen in the mirror. “Zhenzhen, I’m going out soon. Why are you here?”

“I just missed you,” Zhu Lizhen said nervously. “Yesterday Senior came to my house. What scared me most wasn’t his aura, but that you might leave.”

Su Qiuyu smiled, lowering her head to brush her teeth.

Zhu Lizhen sighed, “Xiaoyu, even brushing your teeth looks beautiful.”

“Cough, cough…” Su Qiuyu nearly choked, then rinsed and turned to ask, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“You going to make it for me?”

Su Qiuyu smiled. “Okay, but you have to wait a bit.”

She put soaked yellow soybeans, red beans, black beans, and rice into the blender, adding a few pieces of yellow rock sugar, then started frying eggs and making sandwiches.

Half an hour later, she brought out soy milk and sandwiches, placing Zhu Lizhen’s portion in front of her.

While eating, Su Qiuyu kept scrolling on her phone, taking notes.

There were many people named Jiang Hongfang, not all the ones she was searching for. She needed to screen carefully.

Zhu Lizhen’s eyes caught an old Chinese medicine practitioner named Jiang Hongfang. Suddenly she said, “In three days, my grandma will turn eighty. She wants to celebrate with her twin sister. Two elderly ladies, lifelong sisters, even their wrinkles match perfectly. Xiaoyu, I want us to be like this too—when we’re old, playing together every day, seeing the old medicine doctor, soaking our feet, doing acupuncture!”

Su Qiuyu smiled brightly. “Sure, no problem!”

Suddenly, Zhu Lizhen’s phone rang.

“Hey!” she said, “Speaking of grandma, she’s calling me now.”

She answered: “Hello, my dear grandma—”

On the other end, Zhu Pingxi shouted, “If you don’t answer my calls, how will I reach you?! Where did you run off to so early!”

Zhu Lizhen was shocked. “Tiny Calamity!”

“Why did you put someone else’s mother in a sanatorium?!” Zhu Pingxi was furious. “Answer me!!! Wait, who did you just call Tiny Calamity?!”