He drank straight until dawn.
No gastric bleeding this time, but his appendix acted up. He passed out from the pain.
Jiang Xiao didn't know. She had been seeing Zhao Kai these days—movies, concerts, plays.
Zhao Kai knew how to make her happy. Jiang Xiao smiled a lot more.
Seeing this, Jiang's mother said gently, "If you like him, give it a try."
Jiang Xiao: "Mom, I know what I'm doing."
"What do you know?" Back then, Jiang Xiao had married Cheng Yuan right after graduation. It had been five years since the divorce, and she hadn't had a single man around. Of course Jiang's mother was worried.
"Listen to me, take it slow."
Jiang Xiao only wanted to focus on her career, not on romance. She reassured her mother, "Give me time to think about it."
Jiang's mother didn't press too hard. "That's my girl."
The studio had moved back. Jiang Xiao was busy with work during the day and at night, even while taking calls from Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai felt sorry for her and suggested going out to sea the next day.
Jiang Xiao rubbed her sore shoulders. "Okay."
As soon as the call ended, Jiang Yu's call came in. "Missus, something happened."
Jiang Xiao frowned. "Don't call me missus. Call me Miss Jiang."
"Miss Jiang, President Cheng is in trouble."
"If he's in trouble, it's no use coming to me. You should find someone else."
"It has to be you." Jiang Yu begged, "Please, come to the hospital and see President Cheng."
Cheng Yuan had undergone an appendectomy, but he didn't rest properly. He sneaked a drink and got into another fight. Old and new injuries combined landed him in the ICU.
He kept raving, calling Jiang Xiao's name.
Jiang Xiao originally didn't plan to go, but Jiang Yu kept begging, and she relented. "Send me the address."
Jiang Yu didn't dare delay. He sent it immediately. "Miss Jiang, please hurry."
*
Jiang Xiao didn't expect to see Cheng Yuan in such a state. His head was wrapped in bandages, eyes tightly shut. He looked terrible.
"What happened to him?"
"He got into a fight."
In her memory, Cheng Yuan was never like this. "Which female model this time?"
"Not a female model." Jiang Yu explained, "It was because of you."
"What did I do?"
"President Cheng overheard someone badmouthing you and couldn't hold back, so..."
During their marriage, he had never defended her like this. Now, five years after divorce, he wanted to protect her reputation. How ironic.
"Your boss has lost his mind."
"..." Jiang Yu didn't know how to respond, so he kept silent.
"Next time something like this happens, don't call me." Jiang Xiao said, "Seeing him makes me sick."
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Author's note: Dog: Heart broken again.