Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Go Back
In the throes of turmoil, Gong Chen’s phone rang.
He squinted his eyes, took a deep breath, and reluctantly pulled out his phone with displeasure.
Seeing it was a call from Chen Jin, he pressed to answer despite himself.
“What is it?”
“Miss Sang refused again, and she keeps emphasizing the matter of the child,” Chen Jin said.
“Got it.”
“The hospital and the schedule are all set, we can return to Jing City tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Gong Chen hung up the phone.
Lin Zhiyi immediately tugged at her clothes and frowned unconsciously.
Quick hands.
He had already taken off his own shirt.
She feigned calmness and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Gong Chen set down his phone, bare-chested, with both hands shoved into his trouser pockets. “Did Sang Ran approach you in private?”
Lin Zhiyi froze mid-motion as she adjusted her clothes, then nodded. “Yes.”
“What did she say to you?”
“The car accident.” Lin Zhiyi fiddled with the buttons of her clothes and hesitated. “You came back to see me because of it, right?”
“It’s got nothing to do with you, don’t listen to her nonsense,” Gong Chen immediately retorted.
His reaction had already answered Lin Zhiyi’s question.
Lin Zhiyi frowned and said, “I already know.”
“It wasn’t your fault; I wasn’t paying attention when driving…”
“Don’t say that.” Lin Zhiyi shook her head. She didn’t want to get into the blame game here. “I’m not that fragile. Besides, in the end, she did save you.”
Gong Chen stared at her. “I’m already negotiating terms with her. I’ll try to compensate her as best as I can.”
“Okay.” Lin Zhiyi nodded, then suddenly sneezed.
Her clothes were more than half-soaked, and her hair still wasn’t dry.
Gong Chen picked up the shirt he had thrown onto the carpet and draped it over her shoulders.
“Dry your hair. I’ll take a shower. We’ll discuss once we return to Jing City tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll ask the shop staff to take you to a room.”
Lin Zhiyi blurted out, but the man before her remained motionless.
“Where do you think I should go?”
“A room, of course.” Lin Zhiyi pointed next door. “My room’s kept very clean; it won’t be too much trouble.”
She deliberately ignored the meaningful glint in Gong Chen’s eyes and went on to extol her guesthouse.
Gong Chen raised an eyebrow, his voice softening. “Alright, then I’ll go.”
With that, he turned and made to leave.
Lin Zhiyi panicked, reaching out to grab him. “Put—put some clothes on.”
Gong Chen looked down at her from above. “Either I go out like this, or I sleep here.”
Lin Zhiyi’s eyes widened.
What difference did it make whether he went out like this or stayed here?
Gong Chen, saying no more, nodded. “Get some rest. I’m leaving.”
He reached for the door handle.
Lin Zhiyi quickly stopped him. “Stay, stay, stay.”
Gong Chen made a sound of assent, then leaned down to look her in the eye. “Wait for me in bed.”
“…”
When Gong Chen emerged from his shower, Lin Zhiyi had already dried her hair and was lying on the bed.
As he walked over, his foot stumbled over something.
When he looked down, he saw a thick comforter spread across the carpet.
Lin Zhiyi turned to look at him and smiled. “Good night, Third Young Master.”
“Lin Zhiyi, you’re something else.”
Gong Chen lay down on the carpet.
Lin Zhiyi seized the moment to turn off the lights, wrapping herself snugly in the blanket as she giggled to herself.
Just as she was about to close her eyes and sleep, her ankle was suddenly gripped, and she was pulled from the bed into a burning embrace.
In the darkness, the man tugged the blanket over both of them.
His voice was low and hoarse. “Too hard.”
Lin Zhiyi tensed all over and tried to feign calm. “Then maybe you should sleep in the bathroom?”
Gong Chen chuckled softly into her ear. “I was talking about the floor being too hard. Where is your mind at?”
Lin Zhiyi bit her lip, wishing she could crawl into a hole. But there was no escaping the man’s embrace.
“Stop moving, or I’ll really have to go to the bathroom.”
“…”
She remained silent, letting Gong Chen hold her.
Slowly, everything around them went quiet.
He squeezed Lin Zhiyi’s hand. “Why haven’t you warmed up yet?”
Lin Zhiyi clenched her fist. “It’s nothing, I’m used to it.”
He held her hand tightly. “Get some sleep.”
…
The next morning, Lin Zhiyi called everyone together for breakfast.
Afterward, she prepared to take Xingxing and Liao Yi back to Jing City.
Unexpectedly, a new guest arrived at the guesthouse.
Sang Li glanced at Lin Zhiyi and Gong Chen, saying, “I’m hitching a ride on your plane.”
Gong Chen frowned. “If I say no, you’ll stay behind?”
Sang Li smiled, obviously not intending to change his plans.
Gong Chen stepped between Lin Zhiyi and Sang Li. “Let’s go.”
And so, they all boarded Gong Chen’s private jet together.
As soon as they were onboard, Gong Chen took a video call from Chen Jin, diving into a heap of backlogged work.
Lin Zhiyi sat in the small lounge on the couch with Xingxing and Liao Yi.
Not long after, Li Huan joined them after seeing to the expert team’s arrangements.
“Don’t worry, the hospital is all set up.”
“Thank you,” Lin Zhiyi said.
Nearby, Sang Li was staring blankly at Xingxing, clearly preoccupied.
Zhou Zhao first glanced at Liao Yi.
Noticing this, Liao Yi took Xingxing by the hand. “Come on, let’s go play with the toys I bought you.”
Xingxing nodded enthusiastically.
After they left, Zhou Zhao gave Lin Zhiyi and Li Huan a meaningful look.
Lin Zhiyi understood. Sang Li’s worries were undoubtedly about Sang Ran.
She stood up and handed Sang Li a cup of tea. “Mr. Sang, are you alright?”
Sang Li snapped back to himself and sighed. “The doctor said Xiao Ran has started refusing to take her medication again, claiming she’s drinking some traditional remedies.”
“Mr. Sang, if you have something to say, just say it,” Lin Zhiyi said. She didn’t believe Sang Li had boarded simply to hitch a ride.
Sang Li hesitated for a moment, then spoke. “Can you keep Xingxing’s existence a secret?”
“What do you mean?” Lin Zhiyi asked, puzzled.
“As Xiao Ran’s brother, I can somewhat understand her obsession with having a child. She’s extreme, yes, but she’s also terrified. She’s scared that after three exhausting years, she’ll end up with nothing. I don’t approve of her wanting a child, but she’s not completely in the wrong. Do you understand? Even my father is wavering. He’s afraid of losing Xiao Ran and desperately wants something to hold on to.”
Sang Li knew his words were harsh.
But he truly couldn’t bear to see his sister leave this world filled with regret and bitterness.
Lin Zhiyi didn’t understand Sang Ran, but she could understand Sang Li.
When loved ones go, people instinctively seek something to hold onto emotionally.
From the moment Lin Zhiyi learned Sang Ran was trying to have a child by unconventional means, she couldn’t stop pondering the issue.
No matter how long she thought, it always led to a dead end.
Sang Ran wanted a child out of unwillingness to let go; she cared too much.
But the one who truly wanted that child was Old Mr. Gong.
So the child simply couldn’t come into existence.
Otherwise, it would lead to yet another tragedy.
Without a child, Sang Ran was like a dying patient clinging desperately, tormenting everyone around her.
Gong Chen was painfully aware he could never repay Sang Ran, and that so-called compensation agreement was nothing more than a way to console each other.
Even Lin Zhiyi didn’t know what might happen once they returned to Jing City this time.
Lost in thought, an immature idea popped into her head.
Sang Li noticed. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Lin Zhiyi said, shaking her head.
“Zhiyi, we’d better find a solution that works for everyone. Otherwise, I have no idea what Sang Ran might do. I have to remind you, aside from the medical team I arranged for her, she’s been quietly investing in several overseas biological labs for three years.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi genuinely started to feel afraid.
She pursed her lips and said, “Mr. Sang, I believe you absolutely have the means to give her a child.”
Startled, Sang Li asked, “Are you saying we should help her?”