Cheng Yuan was thrown out. Jiang Yu stayed by his side, worried he might do something drastic again.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jin and the others arrived and forcibly took Cheng Yuan to the hospital. Seeing how agitated he was, they had the doctor give him a sedative.
Once Cheng Yuan was asleep, Zhou Jin, Xu Cong, and Lin Xu discussed what to do next.
They couldn't bear to see Cheng Yuan like this, so they decided to go talk to Jiang Xiao tomorrow. After all, they were friends—she should at least give them face.
Or so they thought.
But when they met, things didn't go as expected. Jiang Xiao wasn't alone; a man was with her.
Zhou Jin learned from the man that his name was Zhao Kai.
Zhou Jin slapped the table. "So you're Zhao Kai."
The man who took Jiang Xiao from him.
Zhao Kai said, "That's right, I am."
Jiang Xiao and Zhao Kai had run into each other by chance. He had come to give her a ride because her car had broken down.
Being misunderstood wasn't her intention. Jiang Xiao explained, "Zhao Kai and I are just ordinary friends."
Zhou Jin had already heard about Zhao Kai from Cheng Yuan. He scoffed, "Ordinary friends who accompany you like this?"
Jiang Xiao resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Believe what you want."
She didn't want to continue the conversation and stood up to leave.
Xu Cong coughed lightly to stop her. "Sister-in-law, A Jin was just talking nonsense. Don't rush, sit a while longer."
Jiang Xiao sat back down and got straight to the point. "What exactly do you want?"
Xu Cong pushed Lin Xu forward. Lin Xu said, "We're here to apologize on A Yuan's behalf. Sister-in-law, can you forgive A Yuan?"
"There's nothing to forgive," Jiang Xiao said. "He and I have had nothing to do with each other for five years."
"But for five years, A Yuan has never forgotten you," Lin Xu said. "He really loves you."
"Love?" Jiang Xiao laughed lightly. "Does he even know what love is?"
"Yes, A Yuan made mistakes," Zhou Jin interrupted. "But when it comes to loving you, he never hesitated. You don't know what these five years have been like since you left."
Zhou Jin took out a folder and placed it in front of Jiang Xiao. "This contains his medical records from the past five years. He fell ill after you left. The first year was okay, but it got worse. Several times he almost died."
"He's like this because you left."
"He loves you to the point of madness."
Jiang Xiao didn't open the folder and showed no interest in looking at its contents. "I said, I don't want to revisit the past. There's no possibility between Cheng Yuan and me anymore. If you're his friends and want what's best for him, you should help persuade him to understand that not everything can be undone."
Jiang Xiao's coldness was unexpected, especially since she had once loved Cheng Yuan to the point of death. Zhou Jin vaguely remembered how Jiang Xiao would brave illness to celebrate Cheng Yuan's birthday just to make him happy, and how she never complained even when she knew he was with other women.
She loved Cheng Yuan to the bone.
How could such a woman stop loving him just like that?
"You're still angry, aren't you?" Zhou Jin said. "How about this: when A Yuan wakes up, we'll make him come and apologize. You can yell at him however you want."
"No need for apologies," Jiang Xiao refused without hesitation. "I'm not angry at all. I just don't love him anymore. That's all."
"Love can be nurtured," Xu Cong said. "You loved him before; you can love him again. Sister-in-law, try to forgive A Yuan, okay?"
"I can't do that," Jiang Xiao said as she stood. "For the rest of my life, I won't force myself for anyone. Not for my parents, and definitely not for Cheng Yuan."
Jiang Xiao grabbed her bag and left.
Zhao Kai approached. "Are you okay?"
Jiang Xiao said, "I'm fine."
They left together.
Zhou Jin cursed, "Fuck," and ran a hand through his hair. "Looks like A Yuan really has no chance this time."
Xu Cong asked, "Should we tell A Yuan about our meeting with Jiang Xiao today?"
"Of course not," Lin Xu said. "Otherwise A Yuan would really go crazy."
*
Cheng Yuan woke up at noon. His first words were, "Where's Xiao Xiao?"
Jiang Yu said, "President Cheng, Madam isn't here."
Cheng Yuan lay back down, his voice hollow. "Did she come to see me?"
Jiang Yu didn't dare lie. "No."
"Where is she now?"
"She's..."
"Speak."
"At a bridal shop."
Jiang Yu didn't want to say it, but seeing Cheng Yuan's relentless expression, he knew he couldn't hide it. Cheng Yuan sat up. "What? Where?"