Is this considered an apology? Would it kill him to say sorry sincerely?
Jiang Nan Fang stood up in anger.
Fearing she would turn and leave, Zhan Bei Jue could only draw out his words: "Fine, fine, fine, I'll say it."
"I'm s-o-r-r-y—"
"No sincerity."
"Jiang Nan Fang, don't push your luck!"
Jiang Nan Fang's eyebrows furrowed. "Then I'll leave?"
"I'm sorry!"
It was the first time she had seen him so obedient and sensible, and Jiang Nan Fang was finally satisfied.
She sat back down and stuffed another bun into her mouth.
As soon as she took a bite, the phone on the bedside table rang.
She grabbed it and saw it was Ke Teng calling.
Ke Teng had called her several times and sent many WeChat messages in the past few days, but Jiang Nan Fang hadn't replied.
This couldn't go on forever.
So she decided to take her phone outside to answer it.
But as soon as she moved, Zhan Bei Jue grabbed her wrist.
"Who's calling? Why can't you answer it in front of me? Answer it right here."
There was nothing shameful about it, so she could answer it here.
Jiang Nan Fang sat back down.
Ke Teng's voice came through quickly.
"What are you doing? I went to your place, but you weren't there. You don't answer calls or reply to WeChat messages. Have you vanished from the face of the earth?"
"Is it that hard to ask you to go out and have some fun? Do you dislike me that much?"
Zhan Bei Jue stared at her intently.
Jiang Nan Fang felt it was strange to be on the phone with someone watching her, so she didn't answer his question directly but instead said,
"The New Year is coming soon. Shouldn't you go back and spend time with your father instead of running around outside?"
"I'm not in the mood to travel. Don't look for me anymore."
After she finished, Ke Teng, thinking she was about to hang up, quickly called out to her.
"Don't! Even if you don't want to go out, don't hang up so quickly. Talk to me for a bit."
"..."
"Where are you now? What are you busy with? Are you that impatient to answer my call?"
She knew that if she gave him an inch, he would take a mile. Jiang Nan Fang didn't want to answer his questions.
Ke Teng continued to persuade her.
"You were so sick that time, staying cooped up at home for two months without going out. I almost thought you were going to get depressed..."
"What's the point of living like this, working all the time? You can't earn all the money in the world. Take advantage of these few days off and go out for a walk."
"If you don't want to travel far, we can stay within the country. How about Sanya? I have a house there. The air is good, the temperature is suitable, perfect for a vacation."
Zhan Bei Jue's face was filled with displeasure. He was almost about to snatch the phone and hang up for Jiang Nan Fang.
Seeing how much he disliked Ke Teng, Jiang Nan Fang's rebellious streak kicked in. She didn't want to say anything, but she deliberately continued the conversation.
"You have a house in Sanya? Can you see the sea?"
"Of course. It's a super-duper sea-view room. How about it, want to take a look?"
Not to mention that she had already promised Zhan Bei Jue that she would take care of him in the hospital for a week and didn't have time.
Even if she did, Jiang Nan Fang wasn't in the mood to go out.
Just as she was about to refuse, Zhan Bei Jue suddenly snatched the phone and hung up for her.
"You were sick recently? You were sick for two months and didn't go out, and you almost got depressed?"
He still had the nerve to ask.
If it weren't for him losing the children, would Jiang Nan Fang have been half-dead?
Mentioning this, Jiang Nan Fang wanted to ask him why he wasn't the one who died then.
But the words changed as they reached her lips.
"What does it have to do with you? Why did you hang up my call?"
Zhan Bei Jue, lost in thought, stared into her eyes for a few seconds before calmly handing the phone back.
"I'll have Ah Zhong transfer the remaining 5 million to your account immediately. You've got a few days off, go out and relax."
He actually wanted to let her go out and relax?
Was he that generous?
Did he feel guilty because she had been sick?
Jiang Nan Fang didn't believe him. "Are you kidding me again?"
Zhan Bei Jue closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard with a dejected expression.
"If I tell you to go, then go. Stop talking nonsense."
"There are plenty of people willing to serve me. Do you think I really need you?"
Good. There were plenty of people willing to serve him, so he didn't care about her being there.
Fine. She would go.
Jiang Nan Fang put the bun back in the bag, took a tissue to wipe her hands, and then grabbed her handbag.
"You said it yourself. I won't come back after taking the money, don't regret it."
Jiang Nan Fang did indeed go to Sanya with Ke Teng.
Sanya was truly a wonderful place.
The sun was warm, the temperature was suitable, the air was fresh, and the sea was cool.
Sitting by his floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the rippling blue waves and leisurely tourists outside, it was incredibly pleasant.
Unfortunately, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't be happy at all.
She was lost and couldn't find the meaning of life.
Sometimes she wanted to kill Zhan Bei Jue and destroy his business empire, to see him, who was once so high and mighty, become powerless because of her, and to be enraged, to avenge her children.
But sometimes...
She admitted she wasn't ruthless enough, not resolute enough.
She hated Zhan Bei Jue to death when she was alone, but the moment she saw him...
Other than keeping herself busy and filling her mind with other things to avoid overthinking, she was powerless over herself.
When one's heart is not in it, even the most beautiful scenery cannot catch her eye.
After only half a day by the sea, she took out her laptop again.
The bidding was about to enter the final, most crucial stage, and she needed to seize the opportunity to optimize the bid document further.
She was determined to win the South-to-North Water Diversion project.
Only by achieving outstanding results in this project could Huatai compete with Zhan Shi in the future.
At present, this was the only way she could think of to get revenge on Zhan Bei Jue.
Ke Teng saw her in a beautiful white dress, but instead of going out to play, she was sitting in the room writing and drawing. He came to persuade her.
"It's the New Year. My father isn't forcing you to achieve anything. Why are you making things so difficult for yourself?"
"Come on, let's go out and have some fun for a couple of days. You can do work-related things after we get back to work."
Jiang Nan Fang said she didn't want to go.
"I don't want to talk either. If you really care about me, please stay away from me and give me some quiet space."
"Not being able to do my work well is worse than killing me. Please don't try to persuade me anymore."
After spending a few months together, Ke Teng had gotten to know some of her temperament.
Seeing how resolute she was, he didn't dare to persuade her further and could only go out with his assistant.
As long as he could see her every day and know that she was quietly by his side, Ke Teng was content for now.
Three days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
Ke Teng said he wanted Ke Jing Yu to come over too, so the three of them could spend a peaceful New Year in Sanya.
Jiang Nan Fang had no relatives or friends and would be alone if she returned to Nancheng. She thought it would be fine to stay like this for a few days, so she didn't refuse.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she agreed to Ke Teng, Ah Zhong called her.
"Miss Jiang, where are you now? Could you please come to the hospital?"
"What's wrong?"
Thinking of Zhan Bei Jue in the hospital, Jiang Nan Fang's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Ah Zhong's tone was heavy, "Since you left, Mr. Zhan has been running a fever for the past few days."