Returning - Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Beyond Expectation

When Zhao Yu woke, the sky was already dark, and her fever had subsided.

With medication, injections, and IV fluids, it would have been difficult for such a minor illness not to improve.

Perhaps even that vigorous bed exercise with Xue Zhan, which had made her sweat quite a bit, had been beneficial to her recovery.

The room's light was on. Turning her head, she saw Xue Zhan sitting at the desk, clad in a sharp suit, the picture of propriety—a completely different person from the somewhat rough man he had been in bed earlier.

As if sensing her gaze, Xue Zhan, who had been working on his laptop, looked up and said coolly, "Awake?"

Zhao Yu watched him silently, saying nothing, her eyes just as calm and unruffled as they had been beneath him.

Xue Zhan remained silent as well, meeting her gaze, his face devoid of any expression.

After a long while, Zhao Yu forced herself out of bed and walked to a cabinet on the other side of the room to retrieve her thermos.

She was still wearing her previous nightgown. The area between her legs seemed to have been wiped clean, free of that sticky fluid.

Her throat was parched. She drained the entire thermos of water before speaking coldly. "I recall that Director Xue's room is not here."

Xue Zhan continued to look at her, then suddenly smiled faintly. He stood, picked up his laptop, and walked out, speaking not a single word to her the whole time.

Zhao Yu did not leave her room, nor did she eat anything, nor discuss work with Xue Zhan. Yet, the next morning, she still appeared punctually in the conference room, handing him the prepared materials.

Seeing her indifferent expression, clearly unwilling to acknowledge him, Xue Zhan remained expressionless and silent, merely waiting patiently for the meeting to begin.

Over the following days, their interactions followed this same pattern. They cooperated professionally, yet all communication was wordless. She refused to speak a single sentence to him, and he did not utter a single extra word.

The return trip was on Monday, the last day of the Qingming holiday. They arrived in Donghai at nine in the evening. Xue Zhan had a driver to pick him up, and Zhao Yu could have joined him, but she chose to take a taxi directly from the airport back to her apartment, still not speaking to Xue Zhan.

Yet the next morning, she appeared punctually at her workstation, looking haggard and dazed. Wang Qi and Xia Nan, who had been ready to pry for gossip about the business trip, took one look at her and tactfully decided not to disturb her.

When Xue Zhan arrived, his first glance was also toward Zhao Yu's workstation. Seeing she was already there, the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight curve again, but he acted as if she did not exist, not sparing her a second glance, and walked straight into his office.

By now, everyone sensed that the atmosphere between the two was off, assuming the business trip had gone poorly and they had quarreled.

During lunch, Xia Nan, who had gone to the first floor to pick up a delivery, walked in with a mysterious air. "I ran into a total hunk on the first floor."

Wang Qi glanced at her calmly. "Is our company short on handsome men? What's the big deal?"

"He's not from our company." Xia Nan glanced at the open door of Xue Zhan's office and deliberately raised her voice. "And he's here looking for Zhao Yu. He says he's her university classmate. Wow, with looks like that, could he be another one of your suitors, Sister Zhao Yu?"

Unlike the others, whose faces immediately lit up with gossip, Zhao Yu's expression changed in an instant. She asked Xia Nan in a lowered voice, "Where is he?"

"In the lobby on the first floor." Xia Nan continued toward Xue Zhan's office, still animated and speaking loudly. "He asked me to let you know, said he'd wait for you downstairs until you agreed to see him. Oh my God, so devoted..."

The rest of her words were cut off by Zhao Yu, who had bolted up and covered Xia Nan's mouth with her hand.

Once Xia Nan quieted down, Zhao Yu released her hand, took a deep breath, and said, feigning composure, "Don't make things up. It must be an old classmate who heard I work here and came to ask for a favor. You guys keep eating, I'll go downstairs and see."

With that, she rushed toward the elevator, but Xue Zhan's voice suddenly rang out. "Have him come up."

Zhao Yu froze, her shoulders tensing. She stood rigid for two seconds before slowly turning around, still feigning calm as she looked at Xue Zhan.

Xue Zhan smiled, a rare occurrence, and said to Wang Qi, "Since he's here to see Assistant Zhao, notify the front desk and let him up. This floor is spacious enough for him and Assistant Zhao to catch up."

Wang Qi had also keenly sensed something unusual about Xue Zhan, but she attributed it to jealousy. Smiling, she responded and prepared to make the call.

Zhao Yu grabbed Wang Qi's wrist. "That won't be necessary. It's not appropriate to let outsiders wander freely into the company. I'll just go down to see him."

Wang Qi thought this was Zhao Yu acting out of spite against Xue Zhan but dared not make the decision independently. She could only look to Xue Zhan for instructions.

Xue Zhan's smile vanished. He said coolly, "Let him come up. Assistant Zhao will wait for him right here."

Zhao Yu gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. The look she directed at Xue Zhan finally revealed a hint of anger.

Wang Qi obediently called the front desk with the instructions. Then, with silent mutual understanding, the others quietly withdrew, leaving only Zhao Yu and Xue Zhan on the floor.

Ignoring Zhao Yu's glare, Xue Zhan leisurely seated himself on the sofa, waiting with an air of composed certainty.

Soon, Song Xuan's figure appeared in their view. The moment she saw him, a tremor involuntarily ran through Zhao Yu's body. Observing her reaction, Xue Zhan's lips curled into another smile.

Before Song Xuan could approach, Zhao Yu rushed toward him, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him away. "Let's talk outside."

Song Xuan did not move. He merely regarded her with icy detachment.

Xue Zhan sat with his legs crossed and arms folded, leaning back against the sofa, watching in silence.

Zhao Yu was so frantic she was near tears, desperately tugging at Song Xuan's arm. "This is a workplace. If we need to discuss personal matters, let's go somewhere else."

Song Xuan finally noticed Xue Zhan on the sofa. After a brief pause, he suddenly laughed, his tone laced with mockery. "What? Scared your boss will find out you're a murderer?"

At these words, Zhao Yu's body jolted violently. Xue Zhan, who had been prepared to watch a drama unfold, was also taken aback.

Zhao Yu's voice trembled. "What... did you say?"

Song Xuan's gaze was frigid as he fixed it on her. "Zhao Yu, I'm asking you. Where did your name come from? Why did you change it to this?"

Zhao Yu bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears. Her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, but she remained silent.

Song Xuan pressed on. "Xiao Yu has been dead for four years, and you don't even dare to visit her grave. What exactly are you feeling guilty about?"

Hearing the name "Xiao Yu," Xue Zhan was momentarily stunned again. He finally sat up straight, looking at Zhao Yu with a mix of astonishment and suspicion.

Zhao Yu was already trembling uncontrollably but still managed, in a fragmented voice, "I... I'm not... not guilty. I was in the US before and couldn't come back, so I..."

"And now? You're back, and you still refuse to go see her? You said you had a business trip over Qingming—how could it be such a coincidence?"

"I really was on a business trip. I wasn't in Donghai." Tears streaming down her face, Zhao Yu turned around and looked at Xue Zhan, her shoulders shaking. "Director Xue... Director Xue can confirm it. For those three days, I truly wasn't in Donghai."

Song Xuan sneered. "Stop making excuses. When you said you were going to the US, I thought you couldn't handle your mother's and Xiao Yu's deaths and wanted to get away from this place. I even told Xiao Yu's parents that I understood. But now... hah, what a joke. It turns out it was because you caused their deaths. You feel guilty."

Zhao Yu shook her head vehemently. "I didn't. I didn't cause their deaths. Their deaths were an accident, an accident..."

"Then tell me, why did the three of you fall down the stairs together for no reason? Why did both of them die on the spot, and only you survived? Was it really just a misstep, like you claimed back then?"

Zhao Yu bit her lip so hard it was white, unable to speak.

Song Xuan remained relentless. "I'll ask you one last time. Is Xiao Yu's death connected to you? Four years ago, was it truly an accident, or..."

"It wasn't me, it wasn't..." Zhao Yu had completely broken down. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't... lose my temper on purpose. I didn't mean... for them... to get hurt. I didn't know it would turn out that way. I just accidentally pushed Xiao Yu a little. I was just... we usually fooled around like that all the time. I didn't expect her to fall down the stairs. I tried to grab her, I wanted to save her. My mom tried to save her too. But... but we all fell down. I never imagined they... would never come back..."

Song Xuan's eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling just as much. He enunciated every word. "So, you pushed her. As expected, you are a murderer."

"I'm not... I'm not... I didn't mean it..."

"If it weren't for you, how could Xiao Yu have..."

"Enough!" A sudden, low shout cut off Song Xuan's unfinished sentence.

Xue Zhan rose from the sofa, walked over to Zhao Yu, and slowly crouched down to help her up. He looked coldly at Song Xuan. "Get out."

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