He Yao was rushed into the emergency room and after some resuscitation, the doctor shaved her head and stitched up her wounds.
Once confirmed she was out of danger, Zhan Jingrui drove Chu Xi home.
Their cars had been left at the mountain villa, so they took a taxi back.
Chu Xi was a little shaken by He Yao's injury and wanted to use the opportunity to lean on Zhan Jingrui for comfort, but she had no idea what Zhan Jingrui was going through.
He Yao had a history of artificial abortion, dating back seven years.
He had been stunned when he saw this record on her medical file.
He only knew that He Yao's reputation hadn't been very good when she transferred, but she seemed to have only dated him...
No, based on subsequent events, Zhan Jingrui could no longer be sure if He Yao had only been with him, which caused him great pain.
Whose child had He Yao been carrying back then?
Although many years had passed, the thought of him buying He Yao a house, renovating it, and pouring his heart into her every day, while she had deceived him...
It gave him the urge to kill.
All he wanted now was to send Chu Xi home quickly, then go to the hospital to find the doctor who had performed He Yao's surgery to clarify the situation.
When Chu Xi reached out to hold his hand, he recoiled as if pricked by a needle.
Chu Xi was startled. Seeing his dark expression, she quickly asked him what was wrong.
"Why do you look so unwell? Are you not feeling well?"
Zhan Jingrui didn't know how to explain it to Chu Xi, so he went along with her words: "My stomach hurts a little."
"You're always like this. I told you to eat properly, eat properly, but you never do. Now you've developed a stomach ache, haven't you? I'll call Dr. Lin to come to your house."
"No need. I have plenty of medicine at home, I'll be fine after taking some when I get back."
Zhan Jingrui forced an awkward smile to avoid worrying her.
"It's nothing. I'm used to it."
Chu Xi looked at him with concern, not knowing how to help him, and could only silently wish for them to get married soon.
Once they were openly together, she could take care of his daily life and eventually heal his stomach.
After finally sending Chu Xi home, Zhan Jingrui told the driver to turn around and head to the hospital.
It was past ten in the evening, the doctors had already handed over their shifts, and the doctor Zhan Jingrui wanted to see had been promoted to department head and was not on night duty.
He couldn't wait until morning. Fortunately, Zhan Corporation had recently collaborated with the hospital on a medical technology project, so he had the hospital president's phone number.
Even though he didn't want to make a fuss, he had to. He called the president.
After some arrangement by the president, the department head hastily drove back to the hospital.
Zhan Jingrui still had a selfie of him and He Yao from when they were together in his email. He showed the photo to the department head and mentioned He Yao's name, asking her to recall the situation from back then.
"He Yao? Su Da High School? 18?"
The department head thought for a long time and then slapped her thigh.
"I remember now."
"Although I've performed many surgeries and seen many people, I shouldn't remember, but because her situation was special, and she was beautiful, I have a rather deep impression."
"A large group of people accompanied her at the time, and they even had a big argument in my office, even discussing whether to report it or not."
"Then two more people arrived, presumably the parents of the man who got her pregnant. They paid the fees and arranged the surgery. After the surgery, before she was even discharged, her guardian disappeared. It seems her father had an accident and was arrested. I remember it very clearly."
Zhan Jingrui frowned, finding her explanation unclear. He asked her to speak slowly and explain everything from the beginning.
The doctor then recounted He Yao's hospitalization from start to finish.
"A very beautiful and elegant couple came to pay her fees? Are the payment records still available?"
"This, after so many years, it's really uncertain if they still exist. Let me check."
The department head used her authority to access the hospital system, entered the date, and indeed, she found it.
"Found it. The person who paid was named Tang Nan Nan."
Zhan Jingrui couldn't describe his feelings upon hearing those three words.
His uncle and aunt had paid He Yao's fees.
This meant that everyone else knew about He Yao's pregnancy back then, except for him, Zhan Jingrui.
Seven years. Such a significant event, and everyone had conspired to hide it from him!
Why? Why? Why?
All he wanted to know now was why!
On what grounds did they make decisions for him? On what grounds did they conceal it from him? What did they take Zhan Jingrui for?
By the time he took a taxi to No. 7 Mansion, it was already past one in the morning.
Tang's parents were elderly and went to bed early, so Hu Jiasheng and Tang Nan Nan also retired early.
Hearing someone frantically ringing the doorbell outside, Tang Nan Nan, who was groggy from sleep, opened the door and was not surprised to see Zhan Jingrui.
"Rui Rui? Why are you suddenly here so late? You didn't even give me a heads-up. Have you eaten?"
"Why aren't you speaking? Why do you look so unwell? Did something happen?"
Zhan Jingrui suppressed his anger and asked her in a low voice, "Where is my uncle?"
"In the study. He happened to sleep in late today. He said he'd read a bit more before sleeping. Is there something you need him for?"
"It's not just him I need to see, it's you too. Let's go up together."
The two went upstairs together and entered the study. Hu Jiasheng, seeing Zhan Jingrui's expression, knew immediately that something was wrong.
He stood up: "What's wrong?"
Zhan Jingrui knew that as a junior, he shouldn't lose his temper with them, so he suppressed his emotions.
"Uncle, Aunt, you both still remember He Yao, right?"
He Yao?
Of course, they remembered.
But after so many years, why was she suddenly brought up?
Hu Jiasheng looked at Zhan Jingrui with a composed expression.
"Say what you want to say directly."
Zhan Jingrui couldn't hold back any longer: "Fine. Since you say so, I'll speak my mind. You not only knew He Yao, but you also had dealings with her behind my back, didn't you?"
"What decisions did you make for me back then? What exactly did you say to He Yao? Why didn't you tell me?"
From the moment he made that decision back then, Hu Jiasheng knew that walls have ears, and Zhan Jingrui would eventually find out.
He hadn't intended to hide it from him; he had kept the contract all along.
Since the time was right today, he took out the contract.
"We did do some things behind your back, but I believe I did the right thing because you weren't suitable to know at the time, which is why I didn't tell you."
"Now that you've grown up, you're mature enough, you have the ability to discern right from wrong, and you have the ability to bear the consequences, so, please, read it yourself."
Zhan Jingrui held the thin piece of paper and read it from beginning to end.
He saw the amount written on it, the conditions He Yao had to cooperate with, Hu Jiasheng's signature, He Yao's youthful signature, and her thumbprint.
His hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
The anger he had managed to suppress until now was due to his long-standing respect for his uncle and aunt.
Now, knowing that his feelings had been delayed for seven years, that he had misunderstood He Yao for seven years, and had inexplicably dragged Chu Xi into it.