Returning - Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Regret
When Ji Sui pulled his car up to the hospital entrance, he spotted Zhao Yu sitting on the flower bed terrace in a daze from a long way off.
The car horn sounded twice, but she didn't react at all. He had no choice but to pick up his phone and call her.
Seeing the caller ID, Zhao Yu glanced toward the entrance and immediately headed over. After climbing into the passenger seat, she smiled at him while fastening her seatbelt. "Sorry about this, I'm troubling you again."
"It's no trouble. I just happened to be handling some business nearby." Ji Sui's gaze fell upon her haggard face. "Insomnia again?"
Zeng Xu had already told him on the phone—she hadn't slept the entire night.
Zhao Yu smiled faintly. "It's fine. I took the medicine again just now, at the maximum dosage Dr. Zeng specified. I should be able to fall asleep soon."
Ji Sui turned the car around, but Zhao Yu said, "The Xinghe Hotel is fine, no need to take a detour for me."
"You're not going back?"
Zhao Yu gave a bitter smile. "He's probably still waiting outside my door. I don't want to see him."
The car drove on for a long stretch. Calculating that the medication's effect should be kicking in by now, Zhao Yu finally allowed herself to stop forcing herself to stay alert. She leaned against the seat back, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
Ji Sui turned his head to look, reaching out to turn the AC up one notch. But ultimately, he didn't go to the hotel; instead, he returned to his own residential complex.
She was in a deep sleep. After parking, he called her name several times with no response. Knowing she had only managed to fall asleep with the aid of medication, he didn't try to wake her further. Instead, he simply picked her up directly from the car.
While entering the elevator, something fell from her coat pocket. Carefully holding her, Ji Sui crouched down to pick the item up. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a tube of external-use gynecological ointment, specifically for treating redness, swelling, and chafing in the intimate area.
His gaze involuntarily drifted to her chest, but she was wearing a sweater with a slightly higher neckline, revealing nothing.
Only after placing her on the bed did he, driven by some inexplicable impulse, reach out and pull her collar down slightly. Sure enough, he saw numerous marks still lingering there, not yet faded.
His eyes, always so calm and undisturbed, suddenly flickered with a trace of anger in that moment.
When Zhao Yu woke up, it was already nearing evening. Unsurprisingly, the first thing she saw was the familiar guest room where she had stayed twice before.
She had already guessed Ji Sui wouldn't take her to a hotel. After all, she'd stayed at his place twice now; a third time didn't make much difference. The only thing was that after falling asleep, she truly hadn't woken up midway.
There was no need to ask—she knew it must have been that man who carried her from the car to here. Thinking of this, the corners of her lips curved up in satisfaction.
Ji Sui was already busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. The sight of such a tall, robust man wearing an apron, skillfully chopping vegetables on the countertop, was surprisingly harmonious.
She stared blankly for a good while before the man inside finally noticed her and smiled. "Awake?"
Zhao Yu smiled awkwardly. "Sorry… was I sleeping too deeply? You couldn't even wake me up by the time we got to the hotel?"
Ji Sui smiled as well. "I figured since you finally managed to fall asleep, I shouldn't disturb you. I took the liberty of bringing you here again. I hope you don't mind."
"I should be the one saying I hope you don't mind. I keep troubling you."
Zhao Yu stepped forward to grab the other apron, intending to help him, but he refused, insisting she go rest in the living room.
She sat on the living room sofa and opened WeChat. As expected, she saw countless text and voice messages from Xue Zi'ang. Unfortunately, she didn't even have the patience to read them carefully. After a casual glance, she directly exited the chat.
However, outside her apartment door, Xue Zi'ang was still sitting on the ground with no regard for his image, waiting obsessively.
From morning until evening, he hadn't even had a sip of water. Neighbors had come out to look several times, and someone even advised him, saying the owner probably wasn't home and suggesting he go back first. But he still refused to give up.
He'd sent countless messages on WeChat, his eyelids already beginning to droop from staring at the phone screen, yet he still hadn't received a single reply.
The fact that she hadn't blocked him on WeChat was now his only remaining hope.
When Xue Zhan stepped out of the elevator and saw him in this state, his anger flared even hotter. "If only you'd known this day would come, why did you do it in the first place?"
Xue Zi'ang looked up, staring at him listlessly. "Why are you here?"
"You weren't answering your phone, so I came in person to fetch you." Suppressing the strong urge to kick him hard, Xue Zhan said sternly, "Get up! The whole family is waiting for you. Have you forgotten what day it is?"
"I'm not going back." Xue Zi'ang, acting like a stubborn child, hugged his knees and looked at him pitifully. "I want to wait for Zhao Yu."
"You think she still wants to see you?"
This time, Xue Zi'ang fell silent.
After a moment of silence, just as Xue Zhan was about to grab him by the collar and haul him up, he suddenly asked, "Uncle, did you bring her straight here last night?"
The answer was clearly yes; otherwise, Xue Zhan wouldn't be standing precisely on this floor right now.
Before Xue Zhan could answer, he asked again, "Then… did she say anything to you?"
"She was crying that hard. Do you really think she could say anything?"
Xue Zi'ang's expression dimmed. "She really… cried? That heartbroken?"
"What do you think? Yesterday I helped her buy medicine. You should know what kind of medicine it was." Xue Zhan shot him a cold glance. "The good deed you did."
Xue Zi'ang grabbed his hair in frustration. "I drank too much, I really didn't know it would turn out like that…"
Xue Zhan scoffed lightly. "Do you know that 'doing something stupid while drunk' is the most ridiculous excuse? Someone who's truly blackout drunk is incapable of doing anything at all."
Xue Zi'ang had no rebuttal.
He had to admit, he hadn't been drunk to the point of unawareness last night. At the very least, he knew the person was Zhao Yu, knew he wanted her, and even now could vaguely remember the scenes of unrestrained indulgence with her the night before.
How had he failed to control himself?
"Where did you go last night?" Xue Zhan still looked down at him expressionlessly. "Was it related to Xu Miao? I had someone ask around and heard she was getting married yesterday."
Xue Zi'ang paused, then nodded. "She canceled the wedding."
"So you abandoned your own girlfriend and ran off?" Xue Zhan was angered to the point of laughter. "Xue Zi'ang, you sowed this evil yourself, now bear the consequences."
"I wasn't…" Meeting his uncle's sharp gaze, Xue Zi'ang guiltily averted his eyes and murmured, "After they announced the wedding cancellation, she disappeared. No one could find her. I was afraid something might happen to her, so…"
But Xue Zhan had no patience for his explanations. He merely raised his wrist to check the time and said in a deep voice, "Come back with me. Don't send the old man to the hospital again."
Xue Zi'ang hesitated, then obediently stood up. Having sat for too long, his legs had gone numb. The moment he stood, he stumbled, nearly falling in an undignified heap.
Xue Zhan didn't help him either. He turned and walked away, only speaking again by the elevator. "When I left last night, she said something to me."
Xue Zi'ang's face filled with urgency. "What?"
"She begged me not to tell the old man about what happened last night." Xue Zhan looked at him coldly. "She was afraid you'd get beaten again."
Xue Zi'ang's hand holding the phone tightened abruptly. He turned his head to look at the still tightly shut apartment door, a warmth spreading behind his eyes.
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