novelraw Chapter 26 Try Again
Chapter 26 Try Again
Lu Xiran and Xie Si'an rushed to the ward. When they saw Ling Xue, who was pale but still trying to smile at them, Lu Xiran felt a pang of guilt.
"Miss Ling, I am so sorry! It's all because of my negligence that you have suffered..." Lu Xiran walked to the bedside, her tone full of sincere apology and unease.
"Please don't say that, Miss Lu." Ling Xue quickly reached out to support her, her voice gentle yet with just the right amount of weakness. "It's my own old problem, it has nothing to do with the restaurant. Besides, the new assistant didn't notice either. Look, I just posted a clarification on Weibo, I really can't let you suffer such an injustice."
She handed her phone to Lu Xiran to show her the latest statement.
Lu Xiran was deeply moved when she saw that he had clearly taken all the responsibility.
"Miss Ling, you...you are so kind! How can we possibly accept this..."
Ling Xue gently grasped Lu Xiran's hand, her fingertips icy cold, her tone filled with understanding and helplessness: "Don't talk nonsense. It's just... the doctor said I need to recuperate. But I have to film this month..." She revealed a hint of loneliness and vulnerability at the right moment.
"Ms. Ling, if you don't mind, Yunyuji can prepare and deliver meals to you daily this month! We guarantee absolute safety, with no prohibited ingredients!"
Ling Xue's eyes lit up slightly, then dimmed again. She hesitated and said, "This...isn't it too much trouble for you? Besides, it's not convenient to tell outsiders my location, in case someone with ulterior motives..."
"No trouble at all! Not at all!" Lu Xiran assured her eagerly, "If you're comfortable with that, I can deliver it myself! I absolutely won't divulge your privacy!"
Looking at the pure guilt and gratitude in her eyes, Ling Xue's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile: "Then... then thank you so much. I also really love the taste of Yun Yu Ji. But, won't this be too much work for you?"
"No! This is what I should do!" Lu Xiran shook her head vigorously, as if she had found the best way to make up for her mistake.
Xie Si'an frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss, but seeing Lu Xiran's insistence and Ling Xue's frail appearance that needed care, she ultimately did not speak up to stop her.
Lu Xiran was completely immersed in the mixed emotions of "solving the problem" and "repaying her idol," and did not notice at all the cold and complicated glint in Ling Xue's eyes as she lowered her eyes to accept her thanks.
Her mood brightened, even carrying a hint of lightness from "making amends," as Lu Xiran and Xie Si'an walked together towards the underground parking garage. She couldn't help but turn her head and look up at Xie Si'an: "Brother Si'an! You're my lucky star today! If you hadn't come with me, I wouldn't know how to face Miss Ling, let alone get her forgiveness! It feels like the most troublesome problem has been solved all at once!" In her excitement, she even habitually, like when she was a child, gently grabbed Xie Si'an's forearm and shook it.
The elevator doors slid open to both sides with a "ding".
Just as the door opened, from the angle from which Gu Yanshen parked the car, he saw Lu Xiran slightly tilting her head up, looking at Xie Si'an with a bright smile on her face that he had never seen before, without any gloom.
That smile was pure, trusting, and even carried a touch of endearing naiveté. Xie Si'an was looking down at her, his gaze gentle and focused.
Gu Yanshen's face darkened instantly, his jawline taut.
As she had done countless times before, Xie Si'an naturally raised her hand and ruffled Lu Xiran's hair, her tone indulgent: "I didn't do anything."
"So, Si'an-ge, you're my lucky star!" Lu Xiran was in such a good mood that she didn't realize there was anything wrong with her overly familiar behavior. "I really have to thank you! When are you free? I'll treat you to a big meal!"
"Why wait until later?" Xie Si'an smiled. "Let's have a late-night snack now."
"Okay! Let's go!"
"Bang--!"
A sudden, muffled slam of a car door slamming shut echoed through the quiet, empty underground parking garage, the sound particularly eerie.
Lu Xiran and Xie Si'an were both startled and turned to look at each other.
Gu Yanshen wore a long black coat, which accentuated his tall and slender figure, his 1.9-meter height exuding an overwhelming aura of power. The light from the garage overhead lamp shone down from behind him, obscuring half of his face, leaving only his eyes, unfathomable as a cold pool, coldly fixed on them. His presence didn't seem like he was there to pick someone up, but rather like someone returning from a bloodbath.
Lu Xiran froze, and subconsciously asked, "What are you doing here?"
Gu Yanshen didn't answer, his gaze sweeping over Xie Si'an, his voice as if frozen with ice: "What's he doing here?"
"Brother Si'an, come help me." Lu Xiran recalled the empty wait last night and the WeChat messages that went unanswered today. The grievances and anger that had been bottled up all day also surfaced. Her tone was stiff. "We're going to get some late-night snacks. Uncle, you can go back first." As she spoke, she actually reached out and grabbed Xie Si'an's sleeve, as if to leave.
Gu Yanshen glanced at his watch, his voice even colder: "It's ten o'clock." He stepped forward and grabbed Lu Xiran's wrist without giving her a chance to speak, his grip firm. "It's time to go home."
Xie Si'an almost simultaneously stepped aside, blocking Lu Xiran's path: "She said she's going to get a late-night snack. Mr. Gu, you have no right to interfere with her freedom."
"She's my fiancée," Gu Yanshen stepped forward, almost nose-to-nose with Xie Si'an, his grip on Lu Xiran's wrist tightening instead of loosening, the heat seeping into her bones through her skin. "Going out alone with an unmarried man late at night, do you think that's appropriate?"
"You know she's just a 'fiancée'," Xie Si'an said sharply, her gaze unwavering. "That means we're not married yet. Legally, you have no right to restrict her."
Lu Xiran's hand was pulled into an awkward position by the invisible struggle between the two. She frowned in pain and had no choice but to let go of Xie Si'an's sleeve.
Gu Yanshen immediately seized the opportunity to take her away.
Xie Si'an suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Xiran's other wrist.
"Ranran is the girl I've protected since she was little." Xie Si'an looked directly at Gu Yanshen, each word clear and distinct, "Gu Yanshen, you have no right to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do."
This unexpected, straightforward, and affectionate confession startled Lu Xiran, who looked at Xie Si'an somewhat helplessly.
Gu Yanshen's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water, and the atmosphere around him was frighteningly low.
"Force her?" He repeated the word as if he had heard some absurd joke, then his gaze sharpened as he turned to Lu Xiran, whom he held firmly in his hand. His voice carried a terrifying storm, "Lu Xiran, you tell me, go with him, or come home with me?"
The almost interrogative tone made Lu Xiran feel both embarrassed and wronged.
She remembered the unfulfilled contract and her current status as "Gu Yanshen's fiancée," and ultimately turned her head away, not daring to look Xie Si'an in the eye. Her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz: "Brother Si'an... I'm sorry, I'll treat you to supper another day."
Xie Si'an held her hand and slowly, little by little, let go.
He stood there, watching Lu Xiran being led away by Gu Yanshen, who was practically half-protecting and half-dragging her, a faint, self-deprecating smile curving his lips.
We already knew this outcome, didn't we?
But I couldn't resist trying again.