"Tingyun, it's not Sister Su Qi, I'm Caiyi, your little rose. If you want to see Su Qi, I'll find her to come see you."
Just as Li Caiyi was about to leave, her wrist was grabbed by the man.
Having just recovered from a serious illness, the man's body was still not strong. Although the grip on her hand was not forceful, it still managed to hold Li Caiyi back.
"No need, I don't want to see her. We're preparing to get married, and you are the one I love."
The man's voice was still hoarse, making his words sound so unrealistic.
"Is that so? Tingyun, is that how it is?"
Li Caiyi sat down and held the man's hand. His hands were so cold, and his voice was so ethereal, like a dream.
"Silly girl, aren't we preparing to get married? I promised you when we were children, how could I go back on my word?"
The man raised his hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Even though she was held in the man's arms, smelling the scent of his hormones, and feeling the warmth of his body, Li Caiyi still felt as if there was an immense distance between them.
This was perhaps what was called the farthest distance in the world – not the ends of the earth, but being right before your eyes, yet feeling as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.
Li Caiyi almost wanted to ask, "If I wasn't Little Rose, would you still love me?"
But she didn't need to ask; she already knew the answer.
No.
Huo Tingyun had always loved Little Rose, not Li Caiyi, from beginning to end.
Huo Tingyun's kindness and care towards her were all because she was Little Rose, the girl he grew up with.
If she were no longer Little Rose, to Huo Tingyun, she would just be a stranger, nothing at all.
Li Caiyi stood in the hospital's fire escape and made a phone call. "Huo Tingyun is awake? How is the situation progressing? Speed up your actions, don't be hesitant. Hurry up and get married to Huo Tingyun and get the license, let the whole world know you are Huo Tingyun's wife!" "I understand, sir. What if I say I don't want to marry Huo Tingyun anymore?"
"Don't want to? I've been so good to you. I'm afraid that after planning for so many years, if you back out now, all our efforts will be in vain. I know you are a grateful person, and you wouldn't do anything to disappoint me, right?"
Li Caiyi's heart sank, and she clutched her phone tighter. "Sir, what do you intend to do? Do you hate the Huo family? Why are you targeting Huo Tingyun like this?"
"Hate? More than just hate?"
The man chuckled deeply.
"Huo Tingyun took away everything that should have belonged to me. I want to get everything he has!"
Li Caiyi was stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment. "Huo Tingyun's health hasn't been good lately..."
"Of course, I know. Huo Tingyun has been sickly since childhood. It's no wonder he's not getting better after ruining his body like this. You don't need to worry about Huo Tingyun's health; let him fend for himself!" The man hung up the phone with a click. Li Caiyi held her phone, standing there blankly for a long time.
When Li Caiyi returned to the ward and pushed open the door, she heard the news broadcast. It was about Qin Yusheng and Su Qi's engagement. A photo was even shown, featuring a diamond ring worth tens of millions, incredibly dazzling. The host's description was also very exaggerated, making one envious. After all, how many women wouldn't be envious?
A woman who had just divorced was being pursued by such an excellent and distinguished gentleman, even receiving tens of millions worth of top-tier custom jewelry, a unique piece in the world.
Li Caiyi walked in, and the man raised his hand and turned off the TV with a click. "You're back."
"Tingyun, you saw it. Sister Su Qi is getting engaged. She's really fast."
The man's handsome face remained impassive, and he spoke in a faint, hoarse voice, "I'm hungry, are you hungry?"
Li Caiyi pursed her lips. "I'm hungry too. The hospital has food. I'll ask them to send it over. It's all light meals, and you don't like them. I'll buy you something new."
She called a nurse. Three dishes and one soup were served, all with mild flavors and tasting quite good. Li Caiyi ate a lot, but the man seemed to have no appetite. However, after drinking the soup, he only drank a lot of soup in the following days, as if he had an obsession with it. He ate very little of the other dishes, but not a drop of the soup was left.
"Tingyun, why do you suddenly love drinking soup so much?" Li Caiyi couldn't help but ask curiously.
She remembered that Sister Su Qi was very good at making soup.
Huo Tingyun said, "It's just comfortable drinking soup, don't overthink it."
Li Caiyi smiled. "If you like it, I'll learn to make soup and make it for you every day."
She expected the man to be happy, but all she received was silence.
Li Caiyi, being sensible, changed the subject.
The next day, Huo Tingyun was discharged from the hospital. Li Caiyi couldn't pick him up because she had to try on her custom wedding dress. Huo Tingyun got into the car, and as the door closed, he opened his tablet, glanced at the news, and then calmly asked.
"Book a flight to Jingcheng."
"What?"
Why was he suddenly going to Jingcheng?
Lin Te was stunned, holding the steering wheel and looking in the rearview mirror. "Sir, are you going to Jingcheng?"
"There's a new case, I'll go myself, you don't need to follow."
"Yes..."
A new case?
Lin Te was puzzled. He knew Huo Tingyun's work schedule like the back of his hand; how could he not remember Huo Tingyun having work in Jingcheng?
Lin Te still booked the ticket, first class, for that afternoon.
Li Caiyi finished trying on the wedding dress at three in the afternoon. She wanted to call Huo Tingyun but found his phone unreachable. After contacting Lin Te, she was surprised to learn that Huo Tingyun had gone to Jingcheng? "So suddenly, is there any important work?"
Lin Te coughed and glanced at the news on the television about Su Qi and Qin Yusheng's engagement. "Probably some very important work!"
The news of the engagement was published, topping various entertainment and gossip headlines.
For the past few days, Qin Yusheng had been ordering takeout for dozens of people in the company, covering breakfast, lunch, and even afternoon tea, not missing a single meal.
The company already had a meal subsidy, but Qin Yusheng also ordered very lavish meals. As a result, all the employees in the company gained weight in just one week, their faces becoming rounder.
Su Qi walked into the company in the morning and felt like she had entered a pigsty.
Even Yang Tianhao's shirt was becoming tight, and he was developing a double chin.
"If you keep eating like this, you'll turn into a pig!"
Su Qi looked at Yang Tianhao, helpless and amused.
"There's no way, Sister Su Qi. Young Master Qin is too rich. All that takeout is from high-end restaurants, and it's all very expensive. It would be a waste not to eat it. Even if I can't finish it, I have to eat it. What I eat is what I gain. I can't usually eat such delicious food, so I have to take advantage of this opportunity to eat more."
Su Qi was speechless. This was true. Qin Yusheng bought takeout from very expensive restaurants, and dozens of people ate the same meals. The cost per day would definitely not be small. Qin Yusheng even bought it for a whole week, simply not treating money as money. Qin Yusheng wasn't heartbroken, but she was.