Missed is Miss

The memories of being with Chen Yu, the happy times with Zhong Xiaoyang, the argument the night before divorcing Chen Yu, and the sweet kiss with Zhong Xiaoyang all flashed through her mind.

Shaking her head, Zhong Xiaoqin dared not think further; it gave her a headache.

Just then, a WeChat message arrived from Chen Xu, sending a location. Zhong Xiaoqin knew it was a hospital, the same place she had her abortion. There was also a video of Chen Yu lying in a hospital bed, waving to stop Chen Xu.

Chen Yu, covered in plaster and bandages, with a bruised and swollen face, had truly frightened Zhong Xiaoqin.

She quickly grabbed her bag and rushed to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital in a hurry, she inquired and found Chen Yu's ward.

Upon seeing Chen Yu's miserable state, Zhong Xiaoqin stood dumbfounded at the doorway, lost in thought.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Yu and Chen Xu, the brothers, simultaneously looked at Zhong Xiaoqin standing at the door.

Seeing two bruised and swollen "pig heads," she didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

But when she met Chen Yu's eyes, Zhong Xiaoqin finally burst into tears.

Patients and their families in the hallway outside thought something had happened and peered curiously at the doorway.

She started crying without a word, leaving the brothers at a loss.

Fortunately, a patrolling nurse passed by, saw the crowd, and came to check the situation.

After dispersing the onlookers and explaining the brothers' condition, she reassured Zhong Xiaoqin with the final sentence, "About two to three months, and you won't be disabled, so don't worry."

After a few more instructions, the nurse left, closing the door behind her.

The three people in the room looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Sister-in-law, don't just stand there. Let me tell you, my brother..."

Then, Chen Xu's eyes darted around, and he began recounting their heroic deeds. From receiving the news in Europe to the present, he lavished praise on Chen Yu.

After he finished, he gave Chen Yu a look, found an excuse, and left, leaning on his crutches, leaving the two of them alone.

The atmosphere became a bit awkward; neither knew what to say.

After a long pause, Zhong Xiaoqin spoke first, "Thank you."

"Ah, no need. What's there to say between us?"

"Then why didn't you tell me? Do you know how dangerous that was? What if something had happened to you?"

Chen Yu said sheepishly, "I was afraid you'd know and then it wouldn't work out, leading to false hope."

"You're always like this, never telling me anything. Is that why we ended up like this?"

Hearing this, Chen Yu looked at Zhong Xiaoqin with a hint of surprise and forced a big smile through the pain.

Seeing Chen Yu's forced smile, Zhong Xiaoqin felt uncomfortable. But then she thought about their recent entanglement and said, "Actually..."

She paused and continued, "You didn't have to do that."

He swallowed the words he was about to say and Chen Yu remained smiling. Partly because he felt a bit bitter, and partly because Zhong Xiaoqin had been clear about her meaning earlier, which he understood.

Although he knew Zhong Xiaoqin well and suspected her words might have been unintentional, the phrase "didn't have to" still stung him. He swallowed the words back down.

Seeing Chen Yu like this, Zhong Xiaoqin felt a surge of anger, yet her heart was complicated.

Before, when Chen Yu ignored her, she had made a scene. But now that Chen Yu had gone to such lengths for her, she found she wasn't as happy as she'd imagined.

Sighing, she ultimately didn't say anything more.

Zhong Xiaoqin reminded Chen Yu again, and after some awkward small talk, she left.

Watching her retreating figure, Chen Yu lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling.

Perhaps it was easy to say "I love you" to someone you didn't love, but it was difficult to say it to the one you truly did.

Chen Yu didn't know if his feelings for Zhong Xiaoqin were true love. After all these years, the question of love had long since faded. But he did have feelings; he had realized this on the plane.

"How is it, how is it?" Chen Xu had been waiting outside. Seeing Zhong Xiaoqin leave, he couldn't contain his curiosity and hobbled in.

Seeing Chen Xu's curious face, Chen Yu rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Not good."

Before he could speak, Chen Xu understood just from the eye-roll.

Knowing Chen Yu was in a bad mood, he didn't bother him further and started chatting with some girls he knew on another bed.

After a moment of quiet, a knock on the door broke the silence. Both looked towards the sound.

Wang Yan walked in, looking at their bruised faces. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"Mr. Wang, why are you here?" Seeing the big boss, Chen Yu struggled to sit up, wincing in pain.

"Alright, alright, just lie down. What's with the formalities when you're like this?"

He walked to a chair by the bed and sat down. "You're a hero of the company, I had to come and see you to feel at ease."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang. I'm fine, just need a few months to recover, which might delay my work."

"Hey, don't say that. Am I such an unreasonable person? On the contrary, I'm going to give you a bonus. You've really paved the way for the company this time."

He patted Chen Yu's shoulder. "Just focus on recovering. You can't leave the hospital until you gain three pounds."

Chen Xu, who had been stunned when Wang Yan entered, quickly stood up. He had a vivid memory of this person, the most impressive he had encountered so far. He hadn't expected that Chen Yu's "idiot boss" would be Wang Yan. Watching Wang Yan talk to Chen Yu, he opened his mouth several times but couldn't utter a word.

Wang Yan gestured for Chen Yu to stop talking and looked up at Chen Xu beside him.

"This is your brother, Chen Xu?"

Before Chen Yu could speak, Chen Xu quickly said, "Mr. Wang, it's me, Chen Xu. Don't you remember me?"

Wang Yan looked at Chen Xu with confusion.

Chen Xu realized that he looked like a pig after being beaten up, so it was no wonder Wang Yan didn't recognize him.

He explained, "It's Gu Jia, Sister Gu. I used to drive for her."

Wang Yan looked enlightened. "Ah, it's you. I didn't recognize you; I thought it was someone with the same name."

"I didn't expect you two to be brothers."

He then looked at Chen Yu. "So, that means you know Gu Jia too?"

Chen Yu nodded. "Yes, my ex-wife was Gu Jia's classmate."

Wang Yan noticed the casual way Chen Yu said "ex-wife" and smiled slightly. "Then I know. It's Zhong Xiaoqin, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's her. Mr. Wang, you know her?"

"She's been staying at my place these past two days. What do you think?"

He knew about Gu Jia's situation. Zhong Xiaoqin had told him, so he didn't think much of it.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoqin has caused you trouble."

Wang Yan didn't add fuel to the fire. He had said he wouldn't interfere, and he wouldn't.

"Alright, since everyone is friends, let's not be so formal. I've already hired a caregiver to look after you. You don't need to worry about anything else. The company will cover all your expenses during this period."

He then said to Chen Xu beside him, "Still driving for Xu Huanshan?"

Chen Xu nodded, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.

"This time, you're part of it too. If you don't want to work for him anymore, you can join your brother. Let him arrange things for you, and you can learn more."

"Thank you, Mr. Wang, thank you, Mr. Wang. Don't worry, I'll definitely do a good job." Chen Xu was overjoyed. This was much better than driving, a definite upgrade. Moreover, working under his brother would surely be good.

"That's all for now. You two should focus on recovering. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving."

He didn't let Chen Xu see him out. Wang Yan left immediately.

He hadn't come because of Zhong Xiaoqin; that was purely a coincidence.

His visit was solely to check on Chen Yu.

As a boss, it was his duty to visit an employee like Chen Yu, who had made outstanding contributions.

Especially since Chen Yu wouldn't have been so severely injured otherwise. If he sustained any lasting damage because of him, he would be solely responsible.

Leaving the hospital, Zhong Xiaoqin walked down the street, her mind heavy.

Zhong Xiaoyang had lost his job because of her.

Chen Yu was severely injured because of her.

She didn't know what to do.

She decided to send a message to her group chat, inviting her two good friends out for a chat. She had been cooped up in her room for the past two days and felt stifled.

As it happened, Wang Manni was off work today and, feeling bored, immediately replied in agreement. She suggested going to her ex-boyfriend's cafe.

Gu Jia had no problem with that. She was enjoying her freedom and drove to pick up Zhong Xiaoqin, then headed to the location Wang Manni had sent.

The three sisters reunited.

Wang Manni introduced her ex-boyfriend, Jiang Chen, to the two of them.

After Jiang Chen left, Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin eagerly asked, "What's going on? You never mentioned him before."

"It's been a while. Everyone was busy before, and we didn't have a chance to get together, so I didn't say anything."

Wang Manni told Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin how they met, recounted their sweet love story from back then, and mentioned that Jiang Chen was still single.

Gu Jia smiled as usual. Zhong Xiaoqin looked regretful. "What a shame. Is he still waiting for you?"

As for this, Wang Manni wasn't too bothered. It was one thing when Liang Zhengxian returned to Hong Kong. Now that Liang Zhengxian had come here to develop his career for her, she was filled with happiness. "What's missed is missed. Since we can't go back, I should cherish the person in front of me even more."

"Okay, enough about me. Congratulations, Xiaoqin, you've finally cleared your name."

"Oh, don't even mention it. It's so annoying."

Gu Jia asked curiously, "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy that the truth is out? Why are you annoyed?"

"Alas, it's like this, Zhong Xiaoyang did it for me…"

After explaining the situation, Zhong Xiaoqin said, "Now I'm caught between the two of them and don't know what to do."

"And Zhong Xiaoyang is going around saying we're dating."

Gu Jia frowned upon hearing this but remained silent.

Wang Manni, brimming with confidence, stated plainly, "Then you should just date him wholeheartedly."

"You already agreed to Zhong Xiaoyang, and you're divorced from Chen Yu. Why are you still thinking about going back?"

"Indecision is the worst when it comes to feelings; it's bad for everyone involved, hurting both yourself and others."

After hearing this, <Zhong Xiaoqin> pondered seriously.

<Gu Jia> felt that <Wang Manni> had a point, but not entirely.

"Alright, alright, don't overthink it, Xiaoqin. Let's talk about something happy."

"Okay, fine," <Zhong Xiaoqin> sighed helplessly.

"Ring. Ring. Ring."

<Zhong Xiaoqin> glanced at her phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Okay, okay."

"Thank you."

<Gu Jia> asked, "What's wrong?"

"The landlord said I can move in now."

"See, what a coincidence. What you can do now is go back and move," <Wang Manni> said.

"Do you need any help?" <Gu Jia> asked.

She wasn't trying to rush <Zhong Xiaoqin> out; she just knew the atmosphere at her place was awkward for <Zhong Xiaoqin> and that staying there was uncomfortable.

"I don't have much stuff, I can do it myself."

The three sisters chatted for a bit longer before parting ways.

Returning to the home she shared with <Chen Yu>, <Zhong Xiaoqin> looked at the familiar yet strange furnishings, silent for a long time.

Coming to her senses, she walked into the house and began packing.

After packing her own belongings, <Zhong Xiaoqin> also packed some of <Chen Yu>'s daily necessities and clothes, as they had agreed.

<Zhong Xiaoqin> cast one last look at the home, both familiar and strange, and left without looking back.

<Chen Yu> was quite happy when <Zhong Xiaoqin> came to bring him things.

"Xiaoqin, thank you."

<Zhong Xiaoqin> didn't respond. After a moment of thought, she said, "<Chen Yu>, about the apartment I was looking for, the landlord called today and said I can move in."

<Chen Yu> stiffened. After a long pause, he wanted to say something, but what was the point? Even though he had known this was coming, facing the reality still made it hard to accept.

Forcing a smile, he said, "Okay, I understand. Be careful."

He knew his expression must be awful right now.

<Zhong Xiaoqin> glanced at <Chen Yu> and then turned to leave.

<Chen Xu> tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He had seen the whole thing and knew <Chen Yu> was in a bad mood.

He didn't want to get involved anymore. This injury was much more severe than in the original story. If he still couldn't handle this, then what else could be said?

This afternoon, <Zhong Xiaoyang> received a tearful call from his mother, who lived far away in the Northeast. She told him something had happened at home; his father had been taken away for investigation.

Without asking for details, he hastily bought the soonest flight back to his hometown.

Upon seeing his distraught mother and understanding the situation, he was helpless.

Their family's patron, his paternal granduncle, had also been taken away. Otherwise, his father wouldn't have been implicated so easily.

Although he didn't know the specific details of their family's wrongdoing, he had a general idea. He knew his father was likely in deep trouble.

The company was sealed off, and bank accounts were frozen. Former business partners, relatives, and friends, afraid of being implicated, kept their distance.

His mother and he could only wait for the final outcome; there was nothing else they could do.

After thinking it through, he comforted his mother for a while. The blow was indeed too great.

With no time to spare for <Zhong Xiaoqin>, he began to worry about his future.

Putting aside everything else, he hadn't learned anything over the years. He had only focused on dating and chasing girls, never having time to study.

Except for motorcycles, which he had researched out of hobby, he was basically good at nothing.

He had to admit, people's hobbies could indeed be useful. Modifying a motorcycle wasn't cheap, and <Zhong Xiaoyang> could make a living with this skill.

<Liang Zhengxian>'s situation was similar.

Since moving into <Wang Manni>'s place, he had eaten a few meals with her. To maintain his image, his tens of thousands of yuan had been spent almost entirely.

With no income, he could only wait for the end. Regardless of whether he could adapt, he had to go out and work.

It had to be said that <Liang Zhengxian> had at least experienced a high position before.

Therefore, even after falling from grace, his perspective was still beyond many others.

Coupled with the way of thinking cultivated since childhood, he was able to find a well-paying job in the highly competitive environment of <Shanghai>.

Of course, it was in finance and investment banking, the field he was familiar with from before.

For a while, he did quite well. But after some time, he started to feel uncomfortable.

So much time had passed. With Wang Yan, Wei Zhijie, and the helpers they'd recruited, the Liang family was pretty much finished.

Those who could flee had already gone abroad. Who cared about Liang Zhengxian's fate?

This circle, neither too big nor too small, had already spread the news of the Liang family's downfall.

Even though Liang Zhengxian tried to avoid it, he couldn't help but run into old friends. The drop in status and position was, as one could imagine, immense.

People he met would occasionally talk about it with others. They all knew the Liang family was ruined and that Liang Zhengxian had been kicked out, but they never expected to see him still around, and in such a manner. So everyone treated it as a joke, standing on the ruins of the Liang family to sigh together.

As the rumors spread, even his former colleagues and superiors, whom Liang Zhengxian once disdained to even glance at, found out.

While it wasn't to the point where everyone cursed him like they did Zhong Xiaoqin, people looked at him like a spectacle. The pressure and torment this brought could rival Zhong Xiaoqin's. Moreover, he was a proud man. How could he endure people pointing fingers? The harm it caused him was too great.

Finally, Liang Zhengxian couldn't take it anymore.

One day, he returned tiredly to Wang Manni's rented apartment.

Wang Manni, who had just returned from a gathering with her friends, didn't expect Liang Zhengxian to be back so early. Happily, she went to help him with his shoes and clothes.

"Why are you back so early today?"

Seeing her pretty face so close, he forgot all about his fatigue and swept Wang Manni into his arms.

Caught off guard, Wang Manni let out a startled cry.

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