Young as she was, Jiang Xiaoxiao was discharged from the hospital a week later.
During this time, Su He stayed with her at the hospital. To ensure Su He had a comfortable environment, Lu Yanbei had Jiang Xiaoxiao transferred to a VIP ward and hired a caregiver.
Su He’s daily task was simply to chat and entertain Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"What are your plans after you're discharged? Are you staying in Nancheng or returning to B City?" Su He asked with concern, supporting Jiang Xiaoxiao as they strolled down the corridor.
She had witnessed Jiang Xiaoxiao’s family and knew they were not good people. Given their nature, they would surely cause trouble for Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Xiaoxiao gave a bitter smile. "I definitely can't stay in Nancheng. My cousin mentioned they've been looking for me everywhere these past few days. As for B City... the world is big enough, there must be a place for me."
"What's wrong with B City?" Su He pouted. "At least there, we can look out for each other."
"Right, you left without a word last time, and you still haven't explained it clearly to me." Su He said, puffing out her chin. She hadn't slept well for several nights worrying about this.
Friends should be clear about things!
Jiang Xiaoxiao had already intended to apologize. This was the perfect opportunity to clear everything up.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked.
"Of course!" Su He glared at her indignantly. "If you don't explain it clearly, we're done!"
Seeing the once bright girl return, Jiang Xiaoxiao felt very happy for her. "Okay, let's find a place to sit down and have a good chat."
Half an hour later
"You're saying my brother asked you to watch my every move and report back to him?" Su He's face showed surprise when she heard this.
She had thought long and hard and never would have guessed it was him!
Also, why would Su Chen want someone to monitor her?
They were siblings. Couldn't he just ask her face-to-face instead of finding someone to keep an eye on her?
It was simply baffling.
Su He was about to call him to question him, but Jiang Xiaoxiao stopped her. "I'm sorry for hiding this from you for so long. Su Chen did me a favor, and I promised not to tell anyone."
"Then why are you willing to tell me the truth now?" Su He asked, her mouth full of matcha mousse.
"Because at a moment of life and death, you saved me!" Jiang Xiaoxiao was honest and told her everything. "When I was in so much pain, only you cared about me and stayed with me..."
Su He scoffed. "So, you're repaying a debt of gratitude?"
"I was foolish before and didn't know what was most important," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, clutching her stomach wound, trying to remain calm.
Besides repaying Su Chen, it was also because she had a long-standing crush on him. That's why she was willing to betray her friend Su He and keep certain secrets. But now, she had come to her senses.
She had already repaid the favor. As for her feelings, he had never been interested in her. Even if they accidentally conceived a child, it was now lost. There was no need for her to cling to that tiny sliver of hope and break her best friend's heart.
"You approached me just to help him gather information?" Su He sighed, unsure of what to say.
"It was incidental," Jiang Xiaoxiao emphasized again. "I truly considered you a friend. You know, with my personality, no other girls liked hanging out with me. Only you didn't mind me and treated me as a friend."
"I owed him a favor, and there were things I had to do. However, I filtered the information I gave him and concealed some things. Because of this, I lost his trust, and we haven't been in contact since," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, her heart still aching slightly when she mentioned Su Chen. After all, he was a man she had loved for many years; it wasn't easy to let go.
She had fled to Nancheng precisely to avoid him.
If she couldn't see him, she would eventually forget him, right?
It was just that the child was innocent. It was deprived of life before it could even be born, and she hadn't protected it well.
Su He didn't really blame her for what she had done, but she felt that Jiang Xiaoxiao shouldn't have kept it from her and run off to Nancheng alone, losing a child in the process.
Thinking of this, Su He couldn't stop frowning. "Tell me honestly, was the child in your belly related to him?"
Who "he" was, was self-evident.
Jiang Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and remained silent.
"No comment means you admit it," Su He concluded, confirming the fact in her mind.
She had known Jiang Xiaoxiao for so many years and was well aware of any male friends she had. The way Jiang Xiaoxiao always acted strangely when mentioning Su Chen made her dare to bet that Su Chen was indeed involved.
She couldn't let him get away with hurting her best friend.
The more Su He thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She picked up her phone, ready to dial Su Chen's number.
Su Chen had been in Nancheng for some time recently. It was said that the old man's health was not good, and he had summoned all his descendants to choose a successor.
As the most promising eldest son, Su Chen was naturally summoned by his father. Even though he had always refused to acknowledge his lineage.
His mother was just one of his father's many mistresses, and due to the ostracism from others, she had left the world early. He hadn't settled this score with them yet, so how could he easily acknowledge those so-called relatives? But for some reason, his father had forced him to stay.
With just one call from Su He, she could summon him.
Jiang Xiaoxiao, however, held her hand. "Miaomiao, I'm still sick. Can't you let me rest properly?"
Summoning Su Chen would only add to her troubles.
Even if she knew she was carrying his child, what then? That one night was ultimately a mistake! Moreover, now that the child was gone, there was even less connection between them.
"Please, I'm begging you," Jiang Xiaoxiao pleaded.
"So, I guessed right? The child was Su Chen's!" Su He hadn't actually dialed the number; she just wanted to trick her. She never expected to succeed.
Jiang Xiaoxiao: ...
Can we still be good sisters!
*
After watching Jiang Xiaoxiao fall asleep, Su He quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom.
The hired housekeeper was busy in the kitchen, and Su He took her phone to the balcony.
This house was arranged by Lu Yanbei after Su He came to Nancheng. It was said to be one of his properties. Nancheng was a famous coastal city and a well-known tourist destination in the country, attracting hundreds of millions of tourists annually. Lu Yanbei had partnerships with some local businesses, so he had acquired property here early on.
Learning that Jiang Xiaoxiao had nowhere to go, Lu Yanbei, out of consideration for his wife, generously lent her this place.
One had to admit, Lu Yanbei had excellent taste.
This property not only faced the sea but also stood on a high ridge, giving it an advantage over the surrounding few buildings, with a superior view. From the balcony, one could overlook the entire bay and take in the beautiful scenery.
Su He finally couldn't resist and dialed Su Chen's number.