Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules - Chapter 24

Xu Zhen paused mid-bite, her face flashing with surprise. “She was the one who found me?”

Assistant Lu gave a slight nod, her tone firm. “President Jiang was very worried about you. As soon as she got the news, she dropped everything and rushed over. By then, it had already been over two hours since the incident. She was frantic, and when people are panicked, they tend to act recklessly.”

“Later, don’t tell President Jiang I secretly revealed the truth to you. She’d scold me for being indiscreet.”

Assistant Lu was skilled at reading people and manipulating emotions. At the very least, after hearing her words, Xu Zhen felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Guilt, remorse, and a faint, barely noticeable flicker of secret delight.

Alphas had strong physiques, but Jiang Ruan had spent half the night in the water all because of Xu Zhen’s deliberate disappearance. The thought weighed heavily on her. This time, luckily, nothing serious had happened. But what about next time?

Xu Zhen chewed slowly, lost in thought. Jiang Ruan might like her, but Xu Zhen had assumed it was only for her body—her exceptional beauty and youthful appearance.

Was that not the case?

The Alpha’s hidden feelings quietly surfaced at this moment, and Xu Zhen couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.

Her mood lifted, her expression becoming noticeably brighter and livelier than before. Assistant Lu quietly let out a sigh of relief.

“Xu Zhen! Zhenzhen! Sis Xu!” A voice suddenly shouted from outside the hospital room, followed by a figure barging in, laden with bags of gifts. “Are you okay? You really scared me!”

Zhao Jue plopped down beside Xu Zhen’s hospital bed. “You have no idea how terrified I was when I saw the news this morning!”

“Honestly, you don’t even need the money, why push yourself so hard? I’ve told you before, just let the stunt doubles handle the dangerous scenes. There’s no need to do them yourself.”

Zhao Jue had always been a chatterbox. Give her a piece of pork belly, and after a few sentences, it’d be reduced to minced meat.

Xu Zhen rubbed her temples, her ears already aching. “Got it, got it. Enough already.”

“You think I’m annoying now?” The Beta glared. “I’m just worried about you. No, you have to hear me out.”

If Xu Zhen had to listen to Zhao Jue’s endless rambling, she might as well ascend to the heavens right then. Hurriedly, she changed the subject. “What have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen hide nor hair of you.”

“If I hadn’t gotten hurt, you wouldn’t even have come to visit, would you?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? That’s cold.” Zhao Jue pretended to be offended before sighing dramatically. “My girlfriend just gave birth two months ago. I’ve been busy taking care of her during her postpartum recovery.”

Xu Zhen and Assistant Lu both turned to look at her. “Congratulations.”

“Heh heh.” She grinned foolishly. “My baby already promised me, once the child is weaned, she’ll divorce the father immediately, leave the kid with his family, and live a simple, sweet life with me.”

“Guess I’ve finally made it through the hard times.”

Assistant Lu’s expression gradually shifted into something uneasy.

Xu Zhen couldn’t help but look exasperated. “Please speak Chinese that I can actually understand.”

“Don’t misunderstand her, she had no other choice. Her family is pressuring her relentlessly to marry, even threatening suicide. What else could she do? They’re her parents who raised her; she couldn’t just watch them actually die.”

Xu Zhen had no rebuttal and finally forced out a dry, “Good luck to you.”

“Enough about me. How are you doing?” Zhao Jue sized her up. “At least your complexion looks decent—a small mercy in all this.”

“Yeah,” Xu Zhen echoed, her mind drifting back to Assistant Lu’s earlier words.

Noticing her distraction, Zhao Jue couldn’t hold back. “What’s really going on between your partner and that Xing… whatever her name is?”

Sensing the private nature of the girl talk, Assistant Lu tactfully slipped out of the room.

“It’s nothing, probably a misunderstanding.” Xu Zhen glanced up at Assistant Lu’s exit before calmly adding, “They don’t seem involved.”

“Probably? Don’t seem?” Zhao Jue crossed her arms, exasperated. “You’re hopeless—a certified lovesick fool.”

She fumed, “I never approved of your whirlwind marriage in the first place.”

“How long had you even known each other? What did you truly understand about her character or background? That Jiang Ruan is cunning—she took advantage of your youth and inexperience to rope you in.”

“And now that she has you, she doesn’t even cherish you.”

As Zhao Jue criticized Jiang Ruan, Xu Zhen couldn’t help defending her. “You’ve got it wrong. She’s actually a good person—not as awful as you think.”

Zhao Jue: “?”

The beta looked at her like she’d seen a ghost. “You—unbelievable!”

She rolled her eyes. “What kind of spell has she cast on you? You’re beyond saving.”

“Even zombies wouldn’t eat a lovesick brain like yours.”

Xu Zhen pressed her lips together and fired back, “Aren’t you the same?”

Silence fell. The two “zombie-rejected lovesick fools” stared at each other until Zhao Jue finally sighed. “We’re just unlucky betas.”

“Falling for lofty alphas and omegas might be the fate of every ordinary beta like us.”

Xu Zhen had no comeback. “Let’s stop jabbing at each other’s wounds. Talk about something happier.”

Zhao Jue racked her brain before dishing out gossip about everyone they knew.

Xu Zhen listened with relish, finishing her meal just as Zhao Jue wrapped up. As they cleared the dishes, raised voices erupted outside.

“Apologize to her. Say you’re sorry.”

“Jiang Ruan, you think I orchestrated this, don’t you?” Xing Yan’s voice trembled with indignation.

Jiang Ruan’s tone was low. “The evidence points that way, at least for now.”

Xing Yan laughed bitterly. “‘For now’? After twenty years, you still don’t know me? Do you really think I’m the jealous, petty type?”

Jiang Ruan remained silent, while Xing Yan seemed infuriated. “With my intelligence, why would I openly send someone to frame her? Have I lost my mind?!”

Xing Yan’s voice was loud, causing Xu Zhen and Zhao Jue inside the room to instinctively hold their breath.

“What’s gotten them arguing?” Zhao Jue watched with amusement, unwilling to miss the drama. “Could it be that the person from last night really has something to do with her?”

As Zhao Jue was still speaking, the hospital door was abruptly slammed open with a loud bang. Xu Zhen turned to look—Xing Yan, seething with anger but restraining herself, locked eyes with Xu Zhen. The sharp clicks of her high heels echoed as she strode forward, reaching Xu Zhen’s bedside in an instant.

Zhao Jue instinctively stood up, shielding Xu Zhen with a wary expression. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Xing Yan shot her a cold glare before shoving Zhao Jue aside forcefully. “Get lost.”

Zhao Jue stumbled, quickly moving away from Xu Zhen. Seizing the opportunity, Xing Yan leaned in, looming over Xu Zhen as she demanded through gritted teeth, “Do you expect an apology from me too?”

“Speak.”

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