Volume 1, Chapter 39: Zhou Jinghuai, don't touch me, you're filthy!

In the early hours of the morning, Ye Wu woke up.

The first thing to greet her eyes was the concerned face of Old Master Zhou. His first words were, "Your grandmother has woken up. The Buddha was truly moved by your sincerity, child; He snatched her back from the gates of the underworld overnight."

"Really?"

Ye Wu leaned against her pillows, tears streaming down her face, unstoppable.

Old Master Zhou tucked the blanket around her and reassured her, "It is true! Don't rush to move; there are professional doctors and nurses taking care of her over there. You, however, need to rest properly. Your blood sugar was frighteningly low. It was fortunate that Jinghuai was with you, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Speak of the devil—Zhou Jinghuai pushed the door open and entered.

His gaze collided with Ye Wu’s.

Meeting again as husband and wife, everything became unspeakable. The tragic scene of Ye Wu burning the car felt like a fire lit by the river, burning endlessly in his mind. Even now, Zhou Jinghuai’s emotions had not calmed.

After a long silence, he said in a hoarse voice, "I just came from Grandmother's side. She is doing well. Rest easy and focus on your recovery."

With that, he walked toward the bathroom.

Zhou Jinghuai was wearing a light gray shirt, likely changed in the middle of the night. The expensive fabric clung to his perfect physique, but as he turned, one could see the back of the shirt stained with blood.

Ye Wu couldn't help but linger on it.

Old Master Zhou rubbed his nose and said, "I hit him! Jinghuai has admitted his fault. You two are young; you'll be loving again soon."

Ye Wu had been married to Zhou Jinghuai for many years; how could she not know his intentions? He was using a pity play again. Unfortunately, she, Ye Wu, would no longer fall for it.

Her heart was with her grandmother, and after a short while, she insisted on going to see her. No one could stop her. Eventually, Old Master Zhou had to yield. Fortunately, they were in the same hospital complex, and she could just put on a coat and walk over.

Ye Wu pulled out her IV drip and was about to leave.

Outside, Zhou Yanli and his wife were arguing, and the topic was precisely about Ye Wu.

Mrs. Zhou said indignantly, "She doesn't love Jinghuai at all. All she sees are the shares of the Zhou family; she came here purely for the money."

Zhou Yanli was quite helpless. He tried to reason with his wife, "She’s not a fairy who can survive on morning dew. Search your conscience—if it weren't for her, could Jinghuai have succeeded so comfortably? Perhaps we would still be living at the mercy of the eldest couple. Would you be happy with that?"

He paused, then added in a gentle tone, "I know what you're thinking; you fancy the daughter of the Bai family. But how could that be? With her health, how could she bear children for the Zhou family? The Old Master would be the first to disagree."

Mrs. Zhou retorted, "Ye Wu has been married in for years; hasn't she failed to produce a single child?"

Zhou Yanli was suddenly rendered speechless.

Just then, Ye Wu opened the door and walked out, with Zhou Jinghuai behind her.

For a moment, the atmosphere was incredibly delicate.

Mrs. Zhou did not like Ye Wu, but the Old Master was present, and if she provoked Ye Wu, the Old Master would never forgive her. Just as Mrs. Zhou was hesitating, Zhou Jinghuai said coldly, "We have been using contraception."

Zhou Yanli and his wife stared at each other in shock.

A moment later, Mrs. Zhou asked with a sharp, skeptical voice, "Jinghuai, you are already twenty-eight. How could you not want children?"

Zhou Jinghuai did not respond and followed Ye Wu toward the ICU.

After they left, Mrs. Zhou looked at her husband. "Jinghuai must be lying to us, right? Two years ago, he seemed obsessed with having a child. Even though he didn't like Ye Wu, he slept with her every month just to conceive."

Zhou Yanli didn't like this. "The affairs of a young couple—don't go around shouting about them."

Mrs. Zhou sneered, "What about your affairs? Can you shout about those? Zhou Yanli, do you think I don't know about your dirty business with your secretary? You spend fifteen hours a day with her; you might as well just marry her."

Recently dissatisfied with his wife, Zhou Yanli blurted out, "I wish I could!"

Just as Mrs. Zhou was about to explode, Old Master Zhou walked out of the ward and glared at them. "If you complain about Ye Wu not being able to give birth, why don't you have more? In thirty years, you only produced one egg in Jinghuai, and you have the nerve to judge others."

The couple dared not argue further.

The hospital building in the dead of night felt like a haunt for spirits. Ye Wu was weak and had to lean against the wall to rest every few steps. Zhou Jinghuai reached out to support her, but Ye Wu refused him sharply.

She said, "Zhou Jinghuai, don't touch me. You're dirty."

Zhou Jinghuai’s eyes were deep, like pools of ink. He hadn't slept for nearly forty-eight hours. After rushing back to the capital, he had been beaten by the Old Master; he was at his physical limit, sustained only by sheer willpower.

He looked at Ye Wu and pleaded, "Can we wait until Grandmother is discharged to discuss our affairs? Please don't provoke her anymore."

Ye Wu laughed vaguely. "Provoke? Zhou Jinghuai, how much more could there be to provoke?"

She stopped looking at him and leaned against the wall, slowly walking to the entrance of the ICU. Through the glass door, she saw her grandmother lying quietly, her silver hair fluttering, the wrinkles on her face seeming much deeper.

Ye Wu cried. She leaned gently against the glass door, tears streaming down, and raised her hand, resting it as close to her grandmother as possible. Her voice was hoarse and silent: "Grandma, Grandma..."

Love has an echo. The old lady seemed to sense her arrival and slowly opened her eyes. The old lady's lips trembled—

"Ah Wu, my Ah Wu is here."

Ye Wu’s tears fell like rain. A moment later, she was crying and laughing at the same time.

Three days later, Ye Wu’s grandmother was moved to a VIP ward.

For the following week, besides going to the Rong’en Group, Zhou Jinghuai stayed in the hospital, attending to the old lady almost without rest. Ye Wu couldn't drive him away, so she treated him with cold indifference, acting as if he were air.

The old lady was much more composed. The ward was quiet. The old lady leaned against the head of the bed, closing her eyes to rest. Ye Wu was peeling an apple for her; she had been lost in thought and had neatly peeled four of them without realizing it.

The old lady sighed softly. "I know you hate Jinghuai in your heart."

"But Ah Wu, we didn't come into this world to love someone, nor to hate someone. We are simply ourselves."

"Do not let hatred dictate your life. Look forward."

After a long while, Ye Wu regained her composure. "I know."

The old lady held her hand and said lovingly, "That is good."

As the grandmother and granddaughter were talking, Zhou Jinghuai entered. The moment he walked in, Ye Wu stopped speaking. She took a tray into the bathroom to wash it, avoiding any contact with Zhou Jinghuai.

One was hiding, and the other was chasing. How could the old lady not see it? She was simply pretending to be blind.

While Ye Wu was washing the plates, she heard the conversation outside and couldn't help but feel dazed. She had asked for a divorce and told him she didn't want the remaining five percent of the group's shares, telling him to think it over carefully.

Zhou Jinghuai had never replied.

He came punctually every day, bringing supplements for her and her grandmother, acting gentle and considerate. Ye Wu had never drunk any of them; she poured them into the trash can right in front of him.