Was this what the old saying "motherhood makes one stupid" meant?
"It"s all your fault! You interrupted me so I completely forgot to mention Yan Huaian"s story to you," Lin Chu said as she rubbed her temples. "My memory is worsening by the day so I"m always getting distracted."
Yan Beicheng smiled at her and replied, "There"s nothing much to it. Yue Jingchen is Yu Zi"s ex-boyfriend."
Lin Chu gasped as her eyes widened in shock. "Wow, that"s interesting!"
"..." Yan Beicheng could not help but laugh at her reaction. "Before Yu Zi got married to Yan Huaian, she was in a serious relations.h.i.+p with him. They were even discussing marriage, but unfortunately, Yue Jingchen came from an average family so Yu Zi"s parents disapproved of them; this was mainly because the difference in social status would make things difficult. When both sides parents met, his parents made a lot of requests which gave them the impression that the other party was hoping that Yue Jingchen could live off of Yu Zi after they get married.
"After all, Yu Zi"s family"s social standing was so much higher. For example. Yue Jingchen"s family suggested that they move in with the newlywed couple after the ceremony as they couldn"t afford to buy a house. On the other hand, Yu Zi"s family looked down on them because they didn"t have any money. Back then, Yue Jingchen was still an intern so the couple didn"t have a source of income, let alone the financial ability to afford a car and a house. They brought it up several times before Yu Zi"s parents decided to buy them a house and a car. After they did this, Yue Jingchen"s parents suddenly got the idea that the Yu family was only doing so because they looked down on them. Anyway, a lot of problems and contradictions arose along the way, but I"m not too sure about what exactly happened after that.
"All I know is that Yue Jingchen"s parents seemed to always talk about Yu Zi"s faults in front of him, and although Yu Zi is strong-willed, she couldn"t tolerate it forever; Yue Jingchen did not defend her either as he caught between a rock and a hard place. I guess both of them got tired after a while, and no matter how strong their relations.h.i.+p was, they couldn"t take the pressure and eventually broke it off. I think they did try to mend things afterward, but it didn"t work," Yan Beicheng continued, "I think it"s mostly because of Yue Jingchen"s family.
"I don"t know when exactly Yu Zi and Yan Huaian met each other and got together, but since Yu Zi had once almost got back together with Yue Jingchen, it meant that the feelings between the two are truly deep. Therefore, it"s understandable that Yan Huaian is worried about her seeing Yue Jingchen," Yan Beicheng added. He sneaked a glance at Lin Chu and immediately felt grateful that Lin Chu"s ex-boyfriend, Cheng Ziming, was a complete d*ckhead. Lin Chu no longer had feelings for him so there was nothing he needed to worry about.
"No wonder," Lin Chu said with a smirk, "I was thinking there must have been something wrong with Yan Huaian after seeing the way he spoke with Ningbai. He was trying to show off, wasn"t he?"
Yan Beicheng could not help but laugh at her reasoning. "He"s probably never showed his love toward Ningbai in public before. It makes sense that his first public show of affection shocked everyone a little."
"Who would"ve expected him to use his son to flaunt his relations.h.i.+p with his wife?" Lin Chu thought to herself.
As Yan Huaian drove the car, he suddenly felt an itch in his nose. "Achoo!"
Yu Zi took out a piece of tissue and handed it to him. "Have you caught a cold?"
"I don"t think so, maybe someone"s just talking about me behind my back." Yan Huaian took the tissue paper and wiped his nose with it. Then, he turned around and asked his wife, "You don"t think it"s Yue Jingchen, do you?"
Yu Zi, "..."
"Come on, that"s old history! Why do you still remember that?" Yu Zi was speechless at her husband. Their son was already seven years old now!
"How can I not remember him? The memory of it all is too profound to even try to forget," Yan Huaian sneered. Back then, Yue Jingchen almost caused the two of them to break up.
"Besides, I heard that he"s still not married," Yan Huaian added sarcastically.
"Are you still keeping tabs on him?" Yu Zi turned to him in surprise.
"How can I not? What if he loses his mind one day and decides to run up to you? Shouldn"t I at least take precautions?" Yan Huaian snorted.
Just as Yu Zi was about to respond, Yan Ningbai pulled his seatbelt loose and nudged closer. "Mommy, daddy, what are you talking about? Who"s Yue Jingchen?"
A frown spread across Yu Zi"s face. She did not want to discuss this topic in front of their son.
"..." Yan Huaian turned the steering wheel smoothly as he turned a corner. "Weren"t you asleep?"
"I thought we were almost home, so I woke up!" Yan Ningbai was now extremely energetic after taking a short nap. "Come on, who were you guys talking about?" He asked eagerly as he kicked the front seat with his short stubby legs.
"We were just talking about a movie," Yan Huaian said ignorantly.
"No way, I heard it all! Something about worrying about him running to mommy which is why you"re still keeping track of him. That"s no movie!" Yan Ningbai argued as he rubbed his round belly. He might have had a little too much for dinner just now. "Don"t think that it"s so to lie to me just because I"m a kid!"
Yan Huaian"s expression darkened. "Alright, since you"re awake now, let"s talk about your math test scores. Was it 62 marks now?"
Yan Ningbai, "..."
"Oh dear!" Yan Ningbai raised his chubby hand to cover his mouth as he yawned exaggeratedly. "I"m sleepy again. Wake me up when we reach home, alright?"
With that, he plopped himself back against the seat and closed his eyes.
When they finally arrived home, Yan Ningbai did not bother to even greet Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu as he immediately slipped into his room as if someone were chasing after him. He was determined to wash up and get ready for bed before Yan Huaian could continue their previous conversation.
By then, Yan Huaian was in no mood to continue their previous discussion anymore. He followed Yu Zi into their bedroom quietly as a stern expression remained plastered across Yu Zi"s face. Even when Yan Huaian took the initiative to talk to her, she blatantly ignored him.
"What"s the matter? Are you angry at me?" Yan Huaian grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her in front of him. He was not going to let his wife ignore him any longer.
Yu Zi pressed her lips tightly together as she pushed his arm away. "I"m just thinking about what you said in the car. You mentioned that you"re worried that Yue Jingchen would come up to me one day and that"s why you"re taking precautions. However, I can"t help thinking about whether you are keeping your guard up against him or whether you are really just watching me. Why are you so concerned about him coming to see me? Are you worried that I"ll do something?"
"I don"t mean that," Yan Huaian said in a low tone.
Yu Zi shook her head and took a deep breath. "I"m not bothered by your jealousy, and neither am I angry at how you behaved at the hospital just now, but the way you"re putting your guard up makes me think that you don"t trust me. Do you get that? If you trust me, why do you still have to be so wary about him? We"ve already been married for eight years and Ningbai"s already seven years old this year. I haven"t contacted him in nine years. I didn"t even know that he was working at Chu Tian Hospital before today and if it wasn"t for the fact that we b.u.mped into him today, I would"ve already forgotten him. You, on the other hand, have been constantly keeping track of his movements and viewing him as a threat. To put it bluntly, you"re just afraid that I haven"t moved on from him, aren"t you?"
"It"s not that I don"t trust you." Suddenly, Yan Huaian became fl.u.s.tered and struggled to explain himself. "I don"t track his movement or anything like that. And how can I even begin to suspect anything between you two? I just… I just don"t like how he suddenly popped out. Call me childish but I just really wanted him to see that we"re doing well and that our family is happy and loving. It"s like… I"m just acting like a childish little boy who wants to show off something he has that everyone else desires. It"s not that I don"t trust you or that I"m testing you."
Yan Huaian sneaked a glance at Yu Zi as his face reddened. "Also, I know that he"s single now not because I"ve been paying attention to him all this while. To be honest, I"ve long since forgotten him, but when I suddenly saw him at the ward today, I was shocked and I couldn"t help but feel jealous all over again. That"s why I secretly searched him up and found out that he"s still single."
Yan Huaian continued staring at Yu Zi cautiously to gauge her response. Finally, her expression loosened, and he nestled closer to her. "I can"t deny that I"m jealous, but don"t you dare overthink the things I said. I can"t let jealousy take over me, can I? You said it too, we"ve been married for eight whole years and Ningbai"s already seven this year, so how can I still not trust you? Whatever problems we had with him were all resolved in the past. Regardless of how little I trust others, rest a.s.sured that there"s no way I wouldn"t trust you."
"At most… I"m just worried he still hasn"t forgotten about you. This doesn"t mean that I don"t trust you, it"s just that I know how great of a person you are, so sometimes I wonder to myself if he still remembers you. I just get uncomfortable at the idea. What husband would possibly want his wife"s ex to always be thinking about her, am I right? You don"t like other women thinking about me too, correct? You"ll feel jealous and unhappy with their behavior, but that doesn"t mean that you don"t trust me," Yan Huaian said as he pulled Yu Zi"s hand over and rubbed his thumb over them gently. "Don"t you agree?"
Yu Zi glared at him and withdrew her hand. "I"ll give you credit for being a sweet talker. You do make sense."
"Anyway, he"s working at Chu Tian Hospital so we"re bound to b.u.mp into him in the future. Just know that I"ll still be jealous whenever we see him," Yan Huaian continued solemnly.
Yu Zi, "..."
Who would say such a thing so honestly and righteously?
"This is especially so if you b.u.mp into him. I don"t care how many people are around, I"ll still get jealous because I don"t like the fact that he gets to see you," Yan Huaian said as he pinched his nose.
"Alright, I get it now," Yu Zi said as she pushed him away. She was too lazy to even bother with his childish reasoning anymore.
However, Yan Huaian kept a firm grip on her. "You"re not allowed to get angry at me for being jealous in the future and you can"t overthink it. Just remember that it"s not because I don"t trust you," he added.
Yu Zi, "..."
How could he be so insatiable?
"Alright? You can"t get mad at me," Yan Huaian pointed out gently.
"Alright, alright. As long as you don"t doubt me, I won"t get angry," Yu Zi replied helplessly.
A smile stretched across Yan Huaian"s face as he pulled her into his arms. "I would never dream of such a thing."
In the middle of the night, back at the ward in Chu Tian Hospital, only the lights in the corridor were switched on, making the ward completely dark.
There were no windows on the VIP wards" doors so the patient had complete privacy. Therefore, the lights in the corridor did not creep into the room, keeping the area dark.
A sliver of moonlight spilled into the dim room, but instead of dimly lighting up the room, it just made the small room seem even lonelier than it was.
Jiang Changdai frowned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her entire body ached now as the anesthesia had faded. Every part of her body - her neck, her back, her arms, and legs, as well as every single bone in her body, throbbed with pain. The pulsating pain in her veins was so unbearable that Jiang Changdai could not help but m.o.a.n in pain as tears trickled down her cheeks.
She tried stretching out her right arm, only to realize that she could not move it at all. Her left arm was still able to move, but her bones ached badly when she tried to do so.
Jiang Changdai began to cry as she stretched out her left arm to touch her right arm. She could barely endure the agonizing ache in her bones when she noticed that her right arm had been put in a cast, which was why she was unable to move it.
When she failed to sit up, she opened her eyes before slowly familiarizing herself with the darkness. Then, she realized that she was all alone in the room.
The anesthesia delayed her thoughts and reactions, and besides the sharp pain she occasionally felt, her brain was otherwise numb.
After a moment of silence wherein she calmed herself down, she recalled the incident in the afternoon as the memories gradually flooded into her mind. The short snippets of the afternoon"s events immediately jolted her awake.
She fell down the stairs as she tried to s.n.a.t.c.h Yan Zhiqing"s phone, but where was the phone now?
With the help of the dim moonlight s.h.i.+ning in from the window, Jiang Changdai scanned the empty room. There was no sign of any daily necessities, let alone a person.
The bag and coat on the hanger were hers, but there was no gla.s.s of water on the table; There was nothing to indicate to somebody had been accompanying her when she was unconscious.
She thought of when Yan Zhiqing was injured and hospitalized. There had been a caretaker, the aunts from the mansion, and even a bodyguard who stayed by her side.
She, on the other hand, had n.o.body at all!
Jiang Changdai did not even have a phone at hand so she could not even contact anyone. She endured the pain shooting up her left arm as she reached out to press the bell above her bed.
Her arm fumbled around as she attempted to find the b.u.t.ton. However, there was no sign of it, and since her neck was currently in a cast, she could not turn her head. She grit her teeth and tried to turn her body, but the second she applied slight pressure to her right shoulder, a sharp pain shot up her neck, causing her to cry out in pain.
Through the tears in her eyes, she finally noticed the bell located by her right-hand side. She braved the spasming pain in her arm and reached out to press the bell, then collapsed back into bed with a huge sigh of relief. She was unsure if this little series of movements had further injured some part of her body, but she knew that something felt wrong.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, a nurse finally came.
The door was pushed open and the light from the corridor spilled in. Though it brightened up the ward, the semi-dark room just seemed even lonelier and colder than before.
At this point, Jiang Changdai was in so much agony that she began to sweat. Cold beads of sweat lined her forehead as her face paled. "Why did it take you guys so long to get here? Did Chu Zhaoyang give you specific orders to treat me differently? Is that his way of taking revenge on me? Isn"t Chu Tian Hospital known for its exclusive hospitality? I"m going to report all of you! I"m going to expose this and let everyone know that the hospital abuses its power to retaliate against a personal enemy!"
Now that Jiang Changdai was more clear-headed, she realized that the Yan family must have already found out about her helping Lu Zhenting and his son to scheme against them. Thus, it was impossible for her to hide anymore.
A professional smile remained plastered on the nurse"s face as she replied politely, "Please don"t misunderstand us. We have less staff on night duty than during the day, and as there was an emergency at another ward earlier on, it took us some time to get here. How do you feel right now, miss?"
In reality, the nurse did indeed get specific orders from Chu Zhaoyang. However, Chu Zhaoyang was aware of Jiang Changdai"s physical condition and he too had his limits, so he only ordered that Jiang Changdai be made to suffer within her limits. This way, she could not possibly point her finger and find fault with them.
Sure enough, there was nothing Jiang Changdai could say.
"It hurts! My entire body hurts! Give me some painkillers!" Jiang Changdai pleaded through her gritted teeth, her voice frail and weak from the pain coursing through her body.
"Alright. We were unsure of when you would wake up from your coma before this, so we didn"t dare to issue any anesthetic since each person can only take a limited amount of the drug. Once we exceed the limited dosage, it"ll harm your body," the nurse explained patiently, "I"ll go inform the doctor now and have him issue you an anesthetic."
The nurse was extremely polite as she continued smiling at Jiang Changdai. Although the pain was unbearable, there was nothing more Jiang Changdai could say. With that, the nurse left. However, it took another five whole minutes before the doctor arrived stately.
Jiang Changdai was in so much pain that she could barely speak at this point. Before she even realized, her eyes were filled with tears as she could no longer hold the pain.
However, the doctor still took his time doing a routine checkup as he asked the standard questions.
"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?" The doctor asked slowly.
"I don"t know! Everything hurts so I don"t know up from down anymore!" Agitated, Jiang Changdai shrieked in response as she continued to cry uncontrollably. "You bunch are deliberately taking your time to delay it and make me suffer, isn"t that right?"
Unlike the polite nurse who remained patient with Jiang Changdai, the doctor did not bother to act courteously with her. He scribbled on her case file and handed it to the nurse so that the nurse could issue the anesthetic for her.
"You just had a serious operation, so according to our protocol, I have to ask you the standard questions to make the necessary arrangements for you. Our hospital staff treats all our patients equally and fairly, so if you don"t have faith in us, I suggest you move to another hospital," the doctor replied in an icy tone. Without even looking at her, he walked out of the room.
"I"ll go get your anesthetic now," the nurse said before quickly turning and leaving as well.
After a while, just as Jiang Changdai felt that she was about to die from the agony, the nurse finally returned and added an anesthetic to her IV drip.