A little over an hour after the surgery, Jiang Nan Fang slowly opened her eyes.
Zhan Bei Jue sat beside her, holding her hand, gazing at her intently.
Seeing her finally open her eyes, he leaned closer.
"Darling, you're awake?"
She felt no pain, only weakness.
Seeing his tired face guarding her, Jiang Nan Fang felt both guilt and concern.
"Ah Jue, the child..."
Zhan Bei Jue kissed her hand. "It's all my fault about the child; it was my mistake."
"I shouldn't have taken you there, shouldn't have left your side. I failed to protect you. Scold me if you want."
Jiang Nan Fang didn't want to argue with him about the child.
Some things had happened, and they had happened. She wouldn't waste time or dwell on negative emotions.
She wanted to scold Zhan Bei Jue because this matter had been handled very poorly, and she had serious opinions about it.
Though, now was not the time for arguments.
"Ah Jue, have you considered how serious the public opinion consequences would be if the child had been harmed today?"
"Our child is lost; consider it the price for your impulsive actions this time."
"After this incident, can you change? Can you soften your approach a bit?"
Alright, Zhan Bei Jue admitted, he hadn't handled this matter well.
He hadn't expected Ke Jing Yu to be so despicable and so adept at inciting people.
But the situation had escalated to this point. If he were to let go now and concede everything to the Ke Corporation,
wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain, and wouldn't he become a laughingstock?
He didn't want to argue with Jiang Nan Fang about these things at this moment.
He also hoped Jiang Nan Fang would stay away from these matters in the future.
Couples naturally had disagreements in their daily lives. If they also entangled their careers, he feared it would affect their relationship.
"I understand. Are you feeling unwell in any way? I can call the doctor to examine you."
"No."
Jiang Nan Fang could clearly see that Zhan Bei Jue was very self-willed in his work and hadn't taken her advice to heart.
She didn't want to nag, but she was truly worried.
She looked into his eyes with determination.
"Promise me you won't continue to clash with Ke Jing Yu."
"Having caused such a major incident, you can't escape responsibility, and he, as the mastermind, certainly can't either. Moreover, his reputation will only be worse than yours."
"You can use this to negotiate with the Urban Construction Bureau for land exchange and give up the small fishing village."
"Nan Cheng is vast; there are definitely other good locations. Promise me you won't fight him for it anymore."
Jiang Nan Fang's suggestion was excellent.
Land exchange.
It seemed she had put in considerable private effort for his affairs.
"Alright, alright, I understand. I promise you, I won't fight him anymore."
"Good girl, don't think about these things anymore. Focus on recovering your health, okay?"
After coaxing Jiang Nan Fang to sleep, Zhan Bei Jue felt no sleepiness and no appetite.
He went to the stairwell and lit a cigarette, feeling dejected. He wanted to call Lu Ming Zhe to chat.
Unexpectedly, Lu Ming Zhe's phone was unreachable.
Indeed, Lu Ming Zhe was also extremely anxious.
He had intended to message Xiang Wan as soon as he landed to explain his sudden departure.
But his mother had brought a lot of things.
He had to help carry luggage and take his mother on the shuttle bus...
Finally arriving in the city, his mother asked him to rent a car.
Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to visit his uncle in the countryside.
After renting a car, they drove over an hour on the highway to the county town, and then another hour on mountain roads to reach the village.
He wanted to send his uncle to the hospital that night, but his uncle flatly refused.
There was an unwritten belief here:
If parents died anywhere other than their home, whether on the road, in someone else's house, or in a hospital, it would affect the future prospects of their descendants.
His uncle feared he wouldn't survive the night, so he refused to go to the hospital under any circumstances.
His aunt and mother sided with him, so Lu Ming Zhe had no choice but to stay that night.
After a quick meal, he went out with his phone to call Xiang Wan, only to discover there was no signal at all.
There was nothing he could do but wait until the next day to go to the county town.
Who knew that the next day his uncle still refused to move?
Hearing that he was close to death, all the aunts and grandmothers in the village came to see him.
Some of them recognized his mother. They hadn't seen each other for years. Everyone gathered, crying, chatting, and rambling, and another day was wasted.
Having been unable to contact Xiang Wan for a day and a night, Lu Ming Zhe was driven to the brink of madness.
Moreover, his phone was running out of battery, and he hadn't brought a power bank.
He had to go to the county town.
His mother wouldn't let him go.
"You're going out at such a crucial moment? What's the point of you coming along?"
"You're the only young person at home. What if something happens to your uncle..."
Lu Ming Zhe hammered the wall in anxiety.
"We left in such a hurry, and you didn't tell me we'd be staying this long. I don't even have a charger. My phone is dead, and there's so much work to handle!"
His mother comforted him, "Just hold on through tonight, and tomorrow I'll definitely insist he goes to the hospital."
"The mountain roads are so difficult to navigate, and it's getting dark soon. What if something happens to you?"
No. Ten hours in one night would be too difficult for Lu Ming Zhe.
He had to get out, no matter what.
Seeing that she couldn't keep him, his mother called others to help and find some odd jobs for him to do.
Soon, the village chief came to discuss matters with him.
In the village, a grandmother who was left behind had a leaky roof; their house leaked every time it rained.
"You're the only young person here. Please help and fix the roof with Uncle Li and the others."
"Also, there's that huge pothole on the road you came in on. Get some mud and sand to fill it, so it's not dangerous for children passing by."
To pass the time, and to calm himself down so he wouldn't think of Xiang Wan so frantically, Lu Ming Zhe threw himself entirely into the work.
He was so tired his back ached, but that night he finally slept soundly.
On the third day, seeing that he wasn't dying anytime soon, his uncle finally agreed to go to the hospital.
Lu Ming Zhe ran around helping him with paperwork, examinations, and hospital admissions.
Then he bought a charger and finally managed to call Xiang Wan.
At this time, Xiang Wan was visiting raw material production factories.
Since her video went viral and the clothing item became popular in the livestream, many competitors had started copying it.
And they priced it lower than hers, so their sales were also good.
Currently, everyone was scrambling for raw materials.
To meet deadlines, some had even pre-paid for the next batch.
Yesterday, she and Tang Hai Chao had visited factories all day, but not a single one dared to make a commitment, and they left with nothing.
Lu Ming Zhe called Xiang Wan several times, but she didn't hear her phone. He had to call Xiang Yang.
"What's wrong with your sister's phone? Why hasn't anyone answered? Has she been very busy these two days?"
Xiang Yang replied dejectedly that she had indeed been very busy.
"Don't you know? Something happened to my sister."
He explained to Lu Ming Zhe about the person absconding with the funds and how the orders were now in jeopardy.
Lu Ming Zhe's hair stood on end upon hearing this.
Such a major incident had occurred. Xiang Wan had gone out late at night looking for him and couldn't find him. She must have been devastated.
What if she thought he was deliberately avoiding his responsibility and didn't want to deal with her anymore?