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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Chen straightened his back slightly, the corners of his mouth turning down. "I don't believe it."
"I don't believe it either," Lin Yue replied without hesitation. She extended her hand. "Give me the phone; I want to call Su Yao myself."
Before she could finish her sentence, the door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open, interrupting her.
Lin Zhihong and Shangguan Yun entered side by side, followed by Jiang Rou, who was carrying a thermal lunch box.
"You’re awake?" Jiang Rou exclaimed upon seeing Lin Yue, her face instantly lighting up with a joyful smile. She hurried to the bedside, placed the thermal lunch box down, and turned to pick up a jar of Vaseline from the bedside table. Gently, she applied it to Lin Yue's reddened wrist.
Her movements were incredibly practiced, and her tone was as gentle as if she were comforting a child. "Lin Yue, do you feel better today?"
Lin Yue simply responded with a soft "mm."
Shangguan Yun was dressed in an elegant high-end suit, adorned with a limited edition piece from her own brand, Eugene. The glimmer of jewels and her graceful demeanor exuded an air of undeniable nobility.
"Mom," Lin Yue called softly.
Shangguan Yun frowned slightly and walked to the bedside with an almost exaggerated elegance. She reached out to caress Lin Yue's cheek, her eyes revealing rare tenderness and concern. "You were sleeping when I came yesterday; look at what you’ve put yourself through."
As she spoke, she gently brushed aside the damp strands of hair from Lin Yue's forehead, her voice filled with an unusual compassion. "Please don’t scare your mother like that again."
Lin Zhihong maintained his usual elite demeanor, his impeccably tailored suit showing no signs of wrinkles. With his hands in his pockets, he stood behind Shangguan Yun, his face marked by detachment and restraint, though his eyes betrayed his worry.
"You scared everyone," he said in a somewhat stiff voice, as if unaccustomed to expressing emotions. "Your mother stayed by your side all night."
Lin Yue lowered her head, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, for worrying you."
Her gaze then shifted to Jiang Rou, a surge of unnameable anger rising within her. "Are you still having people follow her? Besides stalking her, what else have you done behind my back?"
Jiang Rou took a step back in surprise at the sudden accusation, her smile freezing on her face. She looked anxiously at Lu Chen and found him equally uncomfortable, which only heightened her panic. "Huh? I—I didn’t do anything, Lin Yue."
Seeing their reactions, Lin Yue's eyes darted between Jiang Rou and Lu Chen as she pressed on. "Lu Chen, are you hiding something from me? What exactly did you all do while I was unconscious?"
Lu Chen shook his head vigorously in denial but couldn’t meet Lin Yue’s gaze. "How could that be! Lin Yue, we would discuss anything we did with you; you know that."
His voice rose unnaturally as he repeated himself. "How could that be! Lin Yue, we would discuss anything we did with you; you know that."
The atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing point as an unspoken tension enveloped the three of them.
Shangguan Yun observed the strange scene before her with furrowed brows; she had no idea what had suddenly gone wrong among these three children who had grown up together.
But as the matriarch of the Lin family, she was decisive and authoritative. She immediately interrupted this silent standoff. "Enough!"
Her voice was not loud, but it carried a certain authority. "Everything can wait until Lin Yue is better!"
She glanced around at the three of them. "Right now, Lin Yue's recovery is the top priority. No one is allowed to mention anything else, do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, the three fell silent in unison.
Shangguan Yun had the deepest roots and the strongest background among the three families. She was always assertive and never left room for anyone when she spoke, including her husband, Lin Zhihong.
Lin Zhihong watched his wife's commanding demeanor with admiration and indulgence in his eyes.
At that moment, a nurse gently knocked on the door and entered, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Miss Lin, it's time for your check-up."
Jiang Rou immediately seized this opportunity to step down gracefully, putting on a caring expression. "Lin Yue, shall I accompany you?" She reached out to help Lin Yue.
However, Lin Yue turned her head away and avoided Jiang Rou's hand, coldly stating, "Brother Chen can accompany me."
She glanced at her parents. "Mom and Dad, you should go back and rest. I'm fine now."
A flicker of hurt crossed Jiang Rou's face, but she forced a smile and stepped aside.
Lu Chen quietly stepped forward, carefully helping Lin Yue into the wheelchair before pushing her out of the ward with the nurse.
Only the elderly couple and Jiang Rou remained in the room, and the atmosphere eased considerably.
Shangguan Yun turned to face Jiang Rou, her gaze filled with scrutiny and concern. "Rou Rou, to be honest, are you two having conflicts? Lin Yue's attitude towards you today was quite unusual."
Jiang Rou lowered her head, her eyelashes fluttering as she concealed the turmoil in her eyes. "No, Auntie. We just had a small misunderstanding."
She looked pitiful as she continued, "Lin Yue might be irritable because she's unwell."
Shangguan Yun sighed and sat down beside Jiang Rou, patting her hand gently. "Rou Rou, in the future when you two live together, conflicts are inevitable. The key is to understand each other and make concessions."
She glanced at Lin Zhihong before continuing, "Your father and I have had enough arguments over the years to fill the Pacific Ocean."
"But no matter how big the issue is, it's always better to clarify things face-to-face than to bottle them up inside."
Lin Zhihong approached Shangguan Yun's side and rarely showed a tender side. "That's right, Rou Rou. Your Auntie and I have stumbled through decades together."
"With such a solid foundation in your relationship, you will surely overcome these minor difficulties."
Shangguan Yun reached out to hold her husband's hand before turning back to Jiang Rou with a serious expression. "Rou Rou, remember that this marriage involves more than just the two of you."
Her gaze sharpened as her tone became resolute. "This is a significant matter for both families. It cannot be delayed just because you two are having a spat."
"Do you understand? The elders from both families arranged this since you were children."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou felt a surge of joy inside her; she quickly wiped away her frown and put on a compliant smile again.
"Auntie, don’t worry; I understand completely." She tightened her grip on Shangguan Yun's hand with determination in her voice. "I will not let you or Uncle Lin down; I will take good care of Lin Yue and love her wholeheartedly for life."
Shangguan Yun nodded in satisfaction and gently tapped Jiang Rou's pert nose with affection rarely shown on her face. "Good girl; our Rou Rou is indeed the most sensible and understanding one. Auntie knew she didn’t make a mistake in choosing you."
Meanwhile, in the hospital corridor, Lin Yue sat in her wheelchair looking up at Lu Chen.
"Brother Chen, what exactly did Jiang Rou do? I need to know the truth."
Lu Chen sighed, "Xiao Rou is willful and likes to cause trouble, but she wouldn't do anything too outrageous. It's all just trivial matters, and I've taken care of it, so you don't need to worry."
He carefully chose his words and added, "Lin Yue, I know you have feelings for Su Yao right now, but you must understand—"
He paused for a moment, searching for the right phrasing. "Your situation with Jiang Rou involves the interests of two top families and even affects the future plans of our three families."
"There are some things we have no choice about."
Lin Yue was silent for a moment, her tone growing somber. "I understand, Brother Chen. But I need time to figure out how to handle this."
As he pushed the wheelchair around a quiet corner, Lu Chen suddenly stopped, moved in front of Lin Yue, and crouched down to meet her gaze.
"Lin Yue, no matter what decision you make, I will always stand by your side." His eyes were sincere.
His voice became extremely serious. "But I must make it clear that both you and Jiang Rou are the most important people to me. No matter who gets hurt, I won't stand idly by."
Lin Yue looked at her childhood friend, whose eyes were filled with concern and worry for her.
She placed her hand on Lu Chen's shoulder. "Brother Chen, don't worry. I won't hurt Xiao Rou."
"I will find a solution that everyone can accept."
"You silly girl." Lu Chen's expression suddenly turned pained as he knelt on one knee. "What worries me most is you. You can't hurt yourself anymore, understand?"
Lu Chen pointed at the crisscrossing scars on Lin Yue's wrist. "This is already enough."
Lin Yue looked down at the scars and smiled guiltily.
She knew that Lu Chen had always silently protected her and Jiang Rou—mediating during their fights, covering for them when they made mistakes, and stepping up when they needed help.
Now, faced with such a dilemma, he still stood there firmly, willing to be the buffer between her and Jiang Rou.
"Brother Chen, thank you." Lin Yue's voice choked with emotion. "Thank you for everything… all this time."
Lu Chen patted her shoulder and stood up. "Let's go get checked out first so you can get better soon."
Meanwhile, in Su Yao's apartment, a black suitcase lay open on the bed, clothes and personal items neatly arranged inside.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips unconsciously brushing over the screen of her phone where Lin Yue had last messaged: "Let's talk tomorrow. Miss you."
Those simple words had been read over a hundred times in the past few days.
"Should I go or not?"
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