Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules - Chapter 23

The sensation of weightlessness was unbearable.

The blurred scenery around her began to rapidly shrink and fade into the distance as she fell.

The unfamiliar extra had immense strength, and the spot where Xu Zhen had been pushed throbbed with pain.

After flailing her limbs in panic for a moment, Xu Zhen forced herself to calm down and quickly strategized how to handle the sudden crisis. Her mind raced, and based on the perpetrator’s earlier confession, her first suspicion fell on Xing Yan.

But within moments, Xu Zhen dismissed the thought.

Given the Omega’s proud and intelligent nature, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to hire someone to commit such a reckless act in public. If Xu Zhen emerged unscathed, it would be one thing but if anything happened to her tonight, Xing Yan would never be able to distance herself from the fallout.

Her reputation, her image everything would be ruined.

The moment her body hit the water, Xu Zhen realized with sharp clarity: someone was trying to use Xing Yan to kill two birds with one stone.

This wasn’t just an attack on her, it was also an attack on Xing Yan. Or perhaps had Xing Yan been the real target all along? Xu Zhen held her breath, waiting until the momentum of her fall slowed before swimming upward with all her strength and gasping for air.

What a clever move killing two birds with one stone.

Chaos had already erupted on the shore. At Assistant Lu’s insistent demands, people were rushing toward the lake with flashlights, some even stripping off their jackets to dive in for a rescue.

Xu Zhen, still submerged, rolled her eyes before decisively turning and swimming away in the opposite direction.

She couldn’t let herself be rescued so easily. She needed to escalate the situation until it became impossible to cover up, forcing everyone to take notice. Xu Zhen was no pushover in fact, when it came to settling scores, she had no shortage of underhanded tactics up her sleeve.

Xu Zhen was a strong swimmer.

Though Bai Zhen’s health had been frail, she had never skimped on Xu Zhen’s education. Sports, musical instruments, calligraphy, whatever talent Xu Zhen showed, Bai Zhen had spared no expense in enrolling her in lessons.

Thanks to that, Xu Zhen now had the skills to save her own life.

The lake was vast, its far shore invisible in the darkness. The hazy night further obscured visibility, making the water seem endless and unnerving.

Xu Zhen swam swiftly and calmly, deliberately avoiding the crowd.

After a while, fatigue began to set in. She paused, scanning her surroundings until she spotted a hidden hollow in the bank and slipped inside. Thick foliage outside concealed her completely.

Curling up, she sat down. Her soaked clothes clung to her, and even the slightest breeze sent chills straight to her bones.

Goosebumps erupted across her skin. She peeled off her wet garments, wrung them out with force, and put them back on.

Without her phone, Xu Zhen had no way to contact anyone. Peering through the dense greenery, she leaned against the rocky wall behind her and gazed up at the bright moon hanging in the night sky. A thought surfaced unbidden.

Had Jiang Ruan received the news yet?

Would she even be worried?

Snapping out of it, Xu Zhen let out a self-deprecating laugh before pushing the swirling thoughts aside and simply letting the wind brush over her.

On the shore, panic had taken hold. Several staff members who could swim had gone into the water, but none had found any trace of Xu Zhen. By now, Assistant Lu’s expression had gone beyond “terrifying.”

Today was her first day working by Xu Zhen’s side. Just that morning, she had confidently promised to handle all work and personal challenges for her. Yet in less than twenty-four hours, Xu Zhen had fallen into the water and gone missing, her fate unknown.

Assistant Lu’s anger burned in her chest, ready to erupt at any moment.

“Call the police!” She suppressed her fury as she glared at the director. “It’s cold, and the water’s freezing. If she isn’t rescued tonight, you can expect a lawsuit!”

The director trembled, thoroughly frightened.

Assistant Lu’s presence was overwhelming, and he didn’t dare defy her. He hastily dialed emergency services. Once the call went through, he turned to her helplessly, panic in his voice. “Is… is this enough?”

Assistant Lu didn’t answer. Instead, she walked away and coldly dialed Jiang Ruan. “President Jiang, something’s happened to Madam…”

Xu Zhen sat idly for a while, unable to tell what time it was. But she was getting sleepy.

She hadn’t slept well the night before, and during the day, she had been spinning like a top, rushing between three or four different locations. A yawn escaped her as exhaustion crashed over her like a swarm of locusts.

Maybe I should just sleep for a bit, she thought.

By the time she woke up, it would probably be close to dawn. Then she could swim back to the crew and pretend she had been floating in the water all night… Lost in these thoughts, Xu Zhen quickly drifted into unconsciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, her mind was blank., it took a full ten seconds for her thoughts to reboot.

Staring at the stark white ceiling above her, Xu Zhen suddenly realized wait, hadn’t she fallen asleep in a hollow by the lake last night? As her senses sharpened with wakefulness, the strong scent of disinfectant hit her nose.

This is a hospital, she concluded with certainty.

Damn it. She grimaced. Her plan had been completely derailed, and she had no idea what was happening outside now.

Xu Zhen tried to push herself up, but the moment she moved, a splitting headache struck her as if rats were gnawing at her brain. Reluctantly, she gave up.

Before long, the door to the hospital room opened. Xu Zhen turned her gaze toward it and saw Jiang Ruan, her face pale.

Jiang Ruan froze for a second upon seeing Xu Zhen awake, then quickly approached. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Her tone was stiff, almost cold. Xu Zhen’s heart prickled like a needle had jabbed it. “No, I’m fine,” she replied flatly, staring straight at the Alpha. “Why are you here?”

“I heard something happened to you.” Jiang Ruan didn’t hide the truth. “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”

“Anything.” Xu Zhen actually had no appetite, but she wanted to send Jiang Ruan away, so she listed a few random things.

Jiang Ruan acknowledged each request and made a call but she didn’t leave. Instead, she lingered by the bed, clearly intending to stay. The attention made Xu Zhen deeply uncomfortable.

She and Jiang Ruan had never shared moments like this—warm, tender, like something out of a drama. Growing up without her father and mother’s presence had left her unaccustomed to someone doting on her like this.

It felt awkward. Her whole body prickled as if she’d rolled into a patch of cacti.

But as Jiang Ruan spoke on the phone, Xu Zhen noticed something her voice was hoarse, thick with congestion.

Had the Alpha stayed up all night too?

Xu Zhen pondered silently, keeping the question to herself.

After making the arrangements, Jiang Ruan put down her phone. “There’s nothing seriously wrong with you, just a bad cold from catching a chill. They gave you an IV when you were first admitted, and your condition has improved significantly now.”

“Don’t worry about outside matters. Just focus on resting in the hospital these next couple days.”

“Alright.” Xu Zhen nodded without objection. After such a major incident, it would be unreasonable if Jiang Ruan didn’t step in to handle things for her.

Having said what needed to be said, Jiang Ruan fell silent. The two sat quietly together for a while until the Alpha was called away by a phone call.

“I need to handle some work,” she told Xu Zhen.

Xu Zhen waved her off to attend to her duties, and Jiang Ruan promptly left the hospital room without further delay.

Only after the woman had left did Assistant Lu quietly appear, bringing the food Xu Zhen had requested. While Xu Zhen ate, the assistant subtly observed the beta’s expression.

Seeing that Xu Zhen seemed completely unaware and showed no curiosity about how she’d been rescued the previous night, the assistant deliberately remarked, “Last night, when President Jiang received news of your fall into the water, she immediately flew over in a helicopter.”

“When they couldn’t find you for the longest time, she jumped into the lake from the exact spot where you’d fallen in. She stayed in the water searching in all directions until dawn, when she finally found you unconscious beneath some aquatic plants.”

“If not for President Jiang, we’d probably still be completely clueless even now.”

Support