The Down and Out CEO’s Pursuit of Her Wife [GL] - Chapter 16

After putting her phone down, An Ruoning’s tightly clenched hands remained locked together, but her rigid back finally slumped a little. Having someone else to help, especially someone as capable and reliable as Jian Qing, gave her a sense of reassurance.

Soon, Jian Qing and Ye Zhefeng arrived at the hospital at the same time. Ye Zhefeng’s black-rimmed glasses were slightly askew, and the back of his shirt was stained with sweat. Jian Qing, on the other hand, walked calmly in her high heels. Aside from the absence of her usual relaxed smile, she remained as poised and elegant as ever.

“Ruoning!” Ye Zhefeng scanned the crowd anxiously. Upon seeing An Ruoning, he abandoned all pretense of composure and rushed toward her in a panic.

An Ruoning sprang up from her seat, waving to them as she moved to meet them.

“I’m so sorry. There were so many patients scheduled for surgery since it’s Saturday, and I was stuck in the operating room. I didn’t even know you were at the hospital until Jian Qing came to find me.” Ye Zhefeng tried his best to suppress his worry and focus on delivering his apology sincerely, but he couldn’t stop glancing toward the operating room.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let Ye Xiang eat ice cream this morning, and maybe we walked too fast at the park. I definitely shouldn’t have taken him on the roller coaster,” An Ruoning’s brow was clouded with distress. Aside from guilt, she felt nothing but more guilt.

Jian Qing walked over to Ye Zhefeng’s side, patting both An Ruoning and Ye Zhefeng. “Oh, enough, stop apologizing and blaming yourselves. How is little Ye Xiang? What did the doctor say?”

“Ye Xiang fell unconscious on the way to the hospital,” An Ruoning bit her upper lip hard, pausing for a moment. “The doctor only said he needed immediate surgery. We don’t know anything else yet.”

“I see… I see…”

After hearing this, Ye Zhefeng unconsciously drifted toward the operating room door.

The three of them waited in silence for a few minutes before Ye Zhefeng suddenly realized something. He turned to Jian Qing and An Ruoning to express his gratitude. “Thank you both for today. I can handle things here, you two should head back.”

An Ruoning insisted, “I’m staying too!”

Ye Zhefeng replied, “There’s no need. You’ve had a long day, go home and get some rest.”

“I’m not tired,” An Ruoning countered.

The air grew stagnant again under their mutual politeness and stubbornness. Jian Qing stepped forward, wedging herself between them. “Taking care of a patient is physically draining. Since Ye Xiang isn’t out yet, let’s get something to eat first. You’ll need the energy to look after him later”

“Right, you two haven’t eaten yet, have you? You guys go ahead. I don’t have much of an appetite, so I’ll wait here for Ye Xiang.” As he spoke, Ye Zhefeng reached for his wallet.

Jian Qing knew exactly what he was doing. She pressed his arm back down while linking her arm with An Ruoning’s, offering her suggestion before An Ruoning could refuse. “How about this: I’ll take Ruoning to eat, and we’ll bring back a takeout meal for Zhefeng. Zhefeng stays here on guard so he can help if anything comes up with Ye Xiang. Is that okay with you two?”

“Yes, that would be a big help. Thank you,” Ye Zhefeng nodded in gratitude.

Just as An Ruoning was about to speak, Jian Qing used a bit of force and pulled her away.

Once they left the hospital, Jian Qing’s pace lightened, and she teased An Ruoning, “The father is worried about his own son, why are you making such a fuss?”

An Ruoning stammered, “I… I just wanted to help…”

“Wait!” Jian Qing suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed on An Ruoning’s right ankle.

After walking those few steps, fresh blood had seeped through An Ruoning’s right ankle, leaving a bloody mess around the opening of her shoe. Jian Qing immediately pulled a band-aid from her bag, tore it open, and crouched down by An Ruoning’s feet.

“I’ll do it myself!” An Ruoning absolutely did not want Jian Qing doing this for her. She quickly pulled Jian Qing up, grabbed the band-aid, turned around, and applied it herself.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Jian Qing’s expression was no longer relaxed.

“It’s fine~ It doesn’t hurt~” An Ruoning tried to soothe her, but Jian Qing’s face remained solemn. An Ruoning forced a smile. “Really, it doesn’t hurt. Now that the band-aid is on, I can’t feel a thing~”

“Silly girl!” Jian Qing pursed her lips and led An Ruoning slowly toward the parking lot. “Walk slower. I have sneakers in my car, change into them first, and after we eat, I’ll drive you home.”

“I’ll change, I’ll change,” An Ruoning said with a pleasing smile. “But, I want to stay and look after Ye Xiang tonight. Also… let’s just buy three takeouts… Dr. Ye is tired too, I want to get the food to him as soon as possible…”

Jian Qing folded her arms, her lips pouting high.

An Ruoning took her arm and gave it a little shake. “Please?”

Jian Qing didn’t move an inch, her eyes just darting over An Ruoning. Seeing her like that, the corners of Jian Qing’s mouth wanted to curl up. She held her breath and looked away. “Don’t look at me like a little rabbit staring at a big bad wolf. You know I… can’t handle that…”

“Oh, okay.” An Ruoning retracted her hand and stood up straight and serious.

Is An Ruoning’s head made of wood? Jian Qing nearly choked on her own breath. “I told you not to look like that and you actually stopped… Why aren’t you this obedient any other time?”

An Ruoning suddenly didn’t know where to put her hands, clutching the seams of her trousers awkwardly. “I…”

Jian Qing sighed, “Fine, fine, forget it. I never expected a girl like you to know how to flatter or play along anyway. Change your shoes and let’s go get food~”

When they returned to the hospital, Jian Qing was carrying three lunch boxes. She handed one to Ye Zhefeng, who was still pacing in front of the surgery doors, and kept the other two as she led An Ruoning to a deserted corner of the floor.

Jian Qing found a clean seat for An Ruoning, opened one of the boxes, tore open the sauce packet, and poured it evenly over the rice. She then opened the utensil pack, took out a spoon, scooped up a bit of rice, a piece of meat, and a few peas, and held it to An Ruoning’s lips.

An Ruoning stared at Jian Qing, dazed. This was the first time Jian Qing had shown this level of intimacy. An Ruoning wasn’t sure what the gesture meant, and even if it meant nothing, she was truly embarrassed to be hand-fed.

Jian Qing kept a smile on her face but put the spoon back into the box. “Can’t feed you, have to eat it yourself?”

An Ruoning took the container and placed the other box in Jian Qing’s hands, sidestepping the sensitive issue. “You need to eat too, it’ll get cold if you leave it.”

“OK~” Jian Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. The minor unpleasantness passed, and she began to focus on her meal.

An Ruoning, however, couldn’t let it go. Early this morning, she had resolved to cut everything off cleanly. If she allowed Jian Qing and herself to continue in this ambiguous way, it would be too shameless. She couldn’t bring herself to string someone along, not even a stranger, let alone someone who had protected her for so long.

An Ruoning put down her lunch, took a deep breath, and spoke tremulously, “Jian Qing…”

Jian Qing replied, “Hmm? What is it? Why the long face?”

An Ruoning said, “I’ve thought about it for a long time… I still want to be alone…”

Jian Qing slowly lowered her spoon, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and fell into a daze.

Is she very sad? An Ruoning’s heart tightened.

Suddenly, Jian Qing leaned in, eyes closed, moving toward An Ruoning’s lips…

“Jian” Ye Zhefeng had just found them. He hadn’t even finished calling her name before witnessing the moment Jian Qing tried to force a kiss on An Ruoning.

Jian Qing was forced to stop, but when she opened her eyes, she discovered that An Ruoning’s forearm was already blocking her own lips.

So… even without Ye Zhefeng’s interruption, An Ruoning had already put up her guard against Jian Qing.

Am I… that terrifying? Do you… loathe me that much? A sharp pain shot through Jian Qing’s chest.

An Ruoning immediately lowered her arm and hung her head, not daring to look at Jian Qing again. Jian Qing blinked slowly, and two tears fell into her lunch box.

The rapid tap-tap-tap of heels echoed as Jian Qing fled the area with her head down. Ye Zhefeng wanted to stop her, but seeing her crying so miserably, he weighed his options and decided not to interfere.

An Ruoning’s eyes also turned red as she despondently packed up the two lunch boxes.

Ye Zhefeng said, “Ruoning, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you two…”

An Ruoning shook her head gloomily, “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who let her down.”

Ye Zhefeng stepped forward and took the boxes from her hands. “Go after her!”

An Ruoning hesitated, “I…”

Ye Zhefeng urged, “Go! No matter how big the problem is, you need to sit down and talk it out calmly.”

An Ruoning looked in the direction Jian Qing had run, her eyelashes fluttering repeatedly. She was responsible for the mess she made, and she had to be the one to end it. She ran!

She found Jian Qing in her car. Just like the time after she met Mu Shan, Jian Qing was slumped over the steering wheel sobbing, though her shoulders were shaking much more violently this time.

An Ruoning stood quietly by the car door until Jian Qing finally looked up. An Ruoning leaned down and asked through the closed window, “Are you okay?”

Jian Qing took a pair of sunglasses from the glove compartment, put them on, opened the door, and stepped out, facing away from An Ruoning.

An Ruoning stroked Jian Qing’s arm, apologizing in a soft, gentle voice. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be sad, I’m not worth your tears.”

Leaning against the car door, Jian Qing’s tone was somewhat indignant. “Who says you aren’t worth it!”

An Ruoning smoothed her hand down Jian Qing’s back, making her tone even gentler. “Actually, I have many flaws, so many that I don’t dare to be with anyone. I would only hurt whoever I’m with. You’ve been so good to me, I don’t want to hurt you…”

Jian Qing wiped the tears from under her sunglasses and muttered, “What kind of garbage logic is that…”

An Ruoning said, “I haven’t even figured out how I’m supposed to live in this world, how could I bring happiness to someone else?”

“Giving you happiness would be enough for me, I don’t need you to do anything for me…” Jian Qing sniffled, turned to lean over the car, and buried her head in her arms, whispering to herself, “Why am I embarrassing myself in front of this girl again…”

An Ruoning replied, “We are both girls, how can one person always give and the other just do nothing and wait to be loved? I’m just afraid my personality, and my… emotions… will affect your life.”

“Personalities and emotions, no one is perfect, everyone has issues.” Jian Qing buried her head deeper. “Am I not the same? I can’t control my emotions either, I have flaws too. Knowing you don’t like me, yet still hovering around you every day, saying things I shouldn’t say, doing things I shouldn’t do… it must be a burden for you, right?”

“No! Not at all!” An Ruoning denied it instantly.

Jian Qing turned to look at her. The girl’s eyebrows were practically knitted together, yet she was still denying it. “Sigh, let’s leave it for today. I’m too emotional, don’t take it to heart.”

An Ruoning insisted, “I’m not, it’s all my fault.”

Jian Qing said, “Alright, let’s stop talking about this. I have to go back to the office to work overtime. You go back and stay with Ye Xiang, but don’t overwork yourself. Let Zhefeng do the work, he’s a grown man and Ye Xiang’s biological father, he should be doing it. If you’re still at the hospital tomorrow, I’ll come by after work.”

An Ruoning started, “You…”

Jian Qing interrupted, “Go back. What happened today is over, you’re not allowed to think about it, okay?”

An Ruoning whispered, “…Okay… Don’t work too hard.”

Since Mu Shan’s last visit to Baguo Entertainment, Mr. Wei and the HR department had been calling her almost every day. The HR staff had likely been trained by Mr. Wei, as they had learned to talk in circles just like him. They didn’t mention her resignation much, instead chatting about daily life like old friends, ensuring the company didn’t lose contact with her for a single day.

Today, however, it was Mu Shan who called Mr. Wei first.

Mr. Wei was naturally overjoyed to receive a call initiated by Mu Shan, but he was also on edge. If she was calling to resign again, all that friendly chatter would have been for nothing.

So, the moment he picked up, he scrambled to take the initiative. “Hello, Director Mu. What a coincidence, I was just about to call you with some good news. I just met with the big boss of Beibulun China, and they were very enthusiastic. They didn’t look down on our company at all and are very interested in our project.”

Mu Shan said, “I see. By the way, Mr. Wei, about me returning to work…”

“We’ve already hired several new people, the whole company is just waiting for you, Director Mu!” Mr. Wei cut in, terrified she would say she wasn’t coming back.

Mu Shan replied, “Oh, okay. Then I’ll start on Monday, does that work for you, Mr. Wei?”

Mr. Wei’s hand shook, causing tea to splash out of his cup. This was a massive win; he really was on a lucky streak lately. “It works, it works! We’ll have a proper get-together on Monday, the whole company!”

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