Li Chonglou had no idea Xu Lie had misunderstood him.
Sitting on the hospital bed, a sense of restlessness welled up in his heart.
Though no bones were broken, he would still have to stay for at least seven days before being discharged.
He was short of money right now.
Originally, with Huang Yongshou and Chen Zhenghe, he had found a way to pick up bargains.
But reality had dealt him a harsh blow.
Injured and hospitalized, his chances of picking up bargains were essentially cut off.
Dada da…
As he pondered, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor approached, and Jiang Yuxin pushed the door open.
Seeing him on an IV drip, with his head and hand bandaged, her icy gaze softened, and she asked in surprise, "What happened?"
Upon receiving the hospital's call that her husband was injured and hospitalized, she had thought Li Chonglou was using it as an excuse to evade his promise.
She felt extremely impatient.
But seeing his惨状 (miserable state) with her own eyes, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy.
"Car accident," Li Chonglou replied.
This matter was shrouded in mystery, and Jiang Yuxin knowing more would be of no help, only detrimental.
Because it involved the Lu Corporation, the police had strictly kept it confidential before their investigation was complete. Thus, besides the parties involved, Xu Lie, and the onlookers, no one knew what had happened to him.
"You didn't deliberately cause a car accident to claim compensation to pay back my mother, did you?" Jiang Yuxin asked with a complex expression.
This coincidence was too great.
He had promised to repay the money that morning, and now he was in a car accident.
Based on her understanding of Li Chonglou, it was impossible for him to obtain 350,000 yuan in a single day.
No one would even lend him the money.
Considering her long-held impression of Li Chonglou, it was natural for her to suspect he might have staged it.
"You think so little of me?" Li Chonglou hadn't expected to be seen as so pathetic in Jiang Yuxin's eyes.
"It doesn't matter what you think of me," Jiang Yuxin's eyes flickered with a hint of discomfort, and she changed the subject, "Your mother's surgery is tomorrow, and she'll need someone to look after her."
"You've taken care of my mother for three years."
"I'm returning a favor, you don't need to be grateful."
Her marriage to Li Chonglou was the result of youthful stubbornness.
But Li Chonglou didn't owe her; for three years, he had served her family diligently.
Now, being forced by his mother to repay money and being hospitalized with injuries.
If she didn't help, who would?
"You're soft-hearted but act tough, you don't need to pretend."
A warmth bloomed in Li Chonglou's heart as he spoke, "A smile might bring better luck."
How could he not see through Jiang Yuxin's forced coldness?
As they were high school classmates, he understood Jiang Yuxin's experiences very well.
Her outward appearance of indifference, stubbornness, and rebellion was merely a disguise for her inner vulnerability.
This was related to her childhood experiences.
Before the age of ten, her parents were busy with their business and had no time to care for her, so she lived with her grandparents.
She lived with Jiang Tao.
However, Grandpa Jiang was patriarchal and favored Jiang Tao.
Fortunately, Grandma doted on her.
Sadly, Grandma passed away in her third year of high school.
From then on, Jiang Yuxin lost her smile.
Her decision to study abroad was likely also an escape from her grief.
Thus, despite being married into her family for three years, he had tried his best to care for and please her, but still could not break through her heavily guarded and closed heart.
"You don't need to try and please me!" Jiang Yuxin was not receptive.
"I just don't want you to always have a stern face," Li Chonglou asked, "If your father was alright, would you still be thinking about divorce?"
"I don't know." Jiang Yuxin's eyes showed a flicker of turmoil.
She was very confused; the events of the past three days had prevented her from thinking clearly.
If it weren't for her father's situation, she might not have wanted a divorce.
Li Chonglou, though lacking ambition, was a competent husband.
He managed the household flawlessly and never caused her any distraction or worry.
But reality was cruel, and there were no "ifs."
"Don't worry, once my mother's surgery is done, your father will definitely be released from the detention center," Li Chonglou reassured her.
Today, during the transaction between Lu Yunxu and Jiang Tao, Tian Lingli had sent him an important recording.
This recording was enough to ensure her father's safety.
"I'm not interested in your boasting!" Jiang Yuxin's expression began to show impatience again.
She turned her head away, no longer looking at Li Chonglou.
Her father was far away, detained in the police station.
He couldn't be free until the matter was investigated, but it was extremely difficult to prove his innocence.
Li Chonglou's words only made her feel worse.
As a daughter, with age, responsibility felt like a mountain pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.
She wanted to escape, but there was no way out.
"If you could let down your guard, perhaps you could see the world differently." Staring at her picturesque profile, Li Chonglou sighed inwardly.
In his previous life, he never remarried. Although he had encountered many women, he always felt disgusted when he saw through their motives.
Only Jiang Yuxin had no hidden agenda.
After his mother was safely out of surgery, his first priority would be to address Jiang Yuxin's emotional blockage.
To help her relax.
They fell silent again, the atmosphere in the ward becoming quiet.
Not long after, he felt the urge to urinate and struggled to get up.
"Hiss…"
He accidentally pulled on the wound on his back, eliciting a gasp of pain.
He hadn't felt much earlier due to adrenaline and anesthetic, but now, any exertion made him feel like he couldn't catch his breath.
"Don't move!" Jiang Yuxin commanded.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Li Chonglou said helplessly, lifting his right hand, "Or can you hold the urine bottle for me?"
Jiang Yuxin's pretty face flushed, and without a word, she picked up the IV drip, helped him off the bed, and walked into the bathroom, quickly leaving.
The drip line was straightened, and Li Chonglou quickly called out, "This won't do, look, the blood is flowing back."
"Come in."
"No!" Jiang Yuxin's expression became uncharacteristically flustered.
There was a distinction between men and women, and she had never been so close to Li Chonglou.
"You voluntarily stayed to take care of me, so help me all the way."
Seeing her like this, Li Chonglou's playful side emerged, and he continued to coax her, "I'm a patient, I can't hold the IV bag with my right hand, and my left hand is also in use."
"We've been married for three years, must you be so reserved?"
"You…" Jiang Yuxin was unable to refute him.
"Come in, close your eyes."
After a moment of inner conflict for about five to six seconds, Jiang Yuxin couldn't think of a better solution, so she braced herself and entered the bathroom, holding the IV drip high with her back to Li Chonglou.
Her beautiful eyes were tightly shut.
Soon, the sound of running water reached her ears.
It seemed to amplify, drilling directly into her heart.
The sound made her ears burn, and time seemed to crawl.
Finally, the sound of running water stopped, and she heard Li Chonglou say, "Help me back."
Only then did she feel as if she had been granted a great pardon.
Seeing the unprecedented blush on her face, Li Chonglou secretly vowed.
After dealing with Jiang Tao, he would find a way to melt this block of ice, believing that a different kind of charm lay beneath.
But for now, there were more important things to do.
Romantic affections could wait.
After the IV drip was finished, he sent Jiang Yuxin to accompany his mother.
He then calmed himself and began to meditate.
His mother's surgery was tomorrow.
Wu Hao was also waiting for the funds to assemble his team.
There was also the Lu Corporation's charity auction and the person his senior sister wanted him to receive on the 26th.
In addition, he had to find out who the mastermind behind the attempt on his life was.
Every one of these matters compelled him to be discharged as soon as possible.
The normal procedure was impossible, and the only way was to rely on the sheepskin scroll cultivation technique.