When Gu Xingye received the bodyguard's call, he felt as if his scalp were about to split. He practically shouted, "What did you say!?"
The bodyguard didn't dare answer.
Gu Xingye had no time to assign blame. He hurriedly checked Jiang Jinyue's location on the tracking app. Sure enough, it showed him near the place they had arranged.
After a long while, the bodyguard finally heard his boss speak again. "How is he now?"
His voice had actually grown calm, carrying the helpless resignation of someone who had lost all his strength.
The bodyguard said, "Young Master Jiang's car was hit by a truck. He's still inside, and the police have already contacted the fire department to rescue him."
Strangely, Gu Xingye suddenly felt faint at the sight of blood. Otherwise, why did it feel as though the world were spinning around him?
He closed his eyes briefly and handed his phone to his secretary. "Go here."
Before they reached the scene, however, the bodyguard called again to say that Jiang Jinyue had been rescued and was now on his way to the hospital.
Gu Xingye didn't even dare ask about Jiang Jinyue's condition. He only said, "Wait for me."
He couldn't see Jiang Jinyue right away, because he had been taken straight into the emergency room.
Gu Xingye slumped into a chair outside the operating room, tugging at his hair over and over. "How did this happen? How did this happen..."
How could the person lying in there be A-Yue?
He was clearly in no state to deal with matters, so the secretary listened to the bodyguard's report and pieced together the timeline.
After leaving the villa today, Jiang Jinyue had first gone to the mall to choose a gift. The bodyguards had followed him through many stores, but he still hadn't found anything suitable.
Perhaps he had grown annoyed, because Jiang Jinyue had frowned and ordered, "Wait outside. Don't follow me."
A group of people going in and out together was indeed too conspicuous, so the bodyguards had compromised. "Then we'll wait for you at the entrance."
They had stood waiting at the entrance for half an hour without seeing Jiang Jinyue come out. Only then did they sense something was wrong and hurry inside to look for him, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
Having lost him, the bodyguards had repeatedly said they were in trouble. Given Little President Gu's personality, they would probably get more than a scolding.
After discussing it, they decided to see if they could find him first. Jiang Jinyue shouldn't have gotten far, and they had his location, so surely they wouldn't lose him.
By then, Jiang Jinyue had already reached the underground parking garage.
He found Ji Ran's car, got in without hesitation, and drove toward the destination set on the navigation system.
The bodyguards quickly followed in their car and located him. At first, they wondered where Jiang Jinyue was going, but there was too much traffic at rush hour, and several cars soon cut in between them. By the time someone realized what was happening and saw the out-of-control truck, it was already too late.
The secretary broke out in a cold sweat after hearing the account. How was he supposed to report this to his boss?
Was he supposed to say, "You brought this on yourself"?
While he hesitated, the operating room door opened, and the doctor came out, followed by the patient lying on a hospital bed.
Gu Xingye immediately stood up. "Doctor, how is he?"
The doctor said, "The patient has multiple fractures and bruises all over his body, as well as a moderate concussion. Fortunately, despite his misfortune, none of his vital areas were injured. He can be transferred to a regular ward after twenty-four hours of observation in the ICU."
Those words felt like a pardon from heaven. Gu Xingye's legs went weak, and he almost fell to his knees. The secretary caught him in time and thanked the doctor.
The crash had been so severe that the car was completely wrecked, yet Jiang Jinyue had somehow survived. Everyone present thought it was a miracle.
Jiang Jinyue was taken into the ICU. Gu Xingye followed him to the ward and stared at him through a small pane of glass.
In truth, he couldn't see his face clearly at all. His injuries were bandaged all over, and he wore an oxygen mask. If the numbers on the monitors hadn't been changing, Gu Xingye wouldn't even have been able to tell whether he was alive.
Gu Xingye thought that this time, he was truly afraid. He really knew he had been wrong, and he would never dare do it again.
This had to be A-Yue's revenge against him.
What company, what business, what Zhao Pingchuan? None of it really mattered. What had blinded him?
As long as A-Yue got better this time, he really would never do those things again.
Gu Xingye silently repented here, while the person in the bed remained unconscious.
Such a serious accident had occurred in the city center, so the police immediately opened an investigation and soon identified a suspect: the truck driver.
The driver, however, insisted that he had forgotten to engage the parking brake and had happened to park on a slope, causing the tragedy. He was very sincere in admitting his mistake and said he was willing to accept any punishment.
The surveillance footage of the road at the scene revealed nothing more. In the end, the incident could only be classified as negligent injury. People who saw it on the news could only shake their heads and sigh. "Natural and man-made disasters-you never know when an accident might strike."
Zhao Pingchuan and Ji Ran naturally knew there was more to it when they saw the news, but they also knew that Gu Xingye must have prepared for this long ago, bribing the driver to be his scapegoat. Even if they came forward and accused Gu Xingye, it would be nothing more than suspicion without evidence, and they could do nothing to him.
Ji Ran was furious. "Can't even the law bring Gu Xingye to justice?"
Zhao Pingchuan wanted Gu Xingye to pay even more than he did, but the fact was that Gu Xingye would suffer no loss, except for his gravely injured lover.
Ji Ran had thought of that too. His expression was complicated. "Actually, I'm pretty glad Jiang Jinyue survived. When you think about it, he saved my life."
Although none of this would have happened without Gu Xingye, from Jiang Jinyue's standpoint, he had done everything he could.
Zhao Pingchuan was silent for a moment, then said, "If you want to see him, I'll go with you."
Ji Ran was briefly taken aback, but then he smiled and answered, "All right. Let's go see him at the hospital."
There was no point in the two of them avoiding Jiang Jinyue and Gu Xingye anymore, so they might as well face them openly.
Gu Xingye actually didn't stop them.
When he saw Zhao Pingchuan and Ji Ran at the hospital, he was visibly stunned for a moment and instinctively radiated hostility. In the end, though, he stepped aside from the doorway. "Go on in."
These past few days, Jiang Jinyue had refused all communication, especially with him. If it would get Jiang Jinyue to say a few more words, he was willing to try anything.
Ji Ran pulled Zhao Pingchuan into the ward.
The ward was spacious. Apart from the medical equipment in the middle, its layout was no different from a hotel room, and the warm-colored curtains made it feel cozy.
The person lying in bed had gauze wrapped around his head and a cast on his arm. When he heard them, his eyes didn't move at all; he simply continued looking toward the ceiling.
Ji Ran called out to him. "Jiang Jinyue."
Hearing a voice different from the ones he usually heard, Jiang Jinyue turned his head slightly, then slowly looked over. When he saw the two people by his bed, he was a little startled.
Ji Ran smiled at him. "We came to see you."
Jiang Jinyue's throat bobbed. His voice was a little hoarse from not speaking for so long. "I'm sorry."
The words came out of nowhere, and it wasn't clear whom he was apologizing for.
Ji Ran said, "You have nothing to apologize to me for. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come today."
The corners of Jiang Jinyue's mouth curved up slightly.
Even in a hospital gown and looking haggard, he was still so endearing when he smiled.
The author's setup really makes no sense, Ji Ran grumbled to himself.
"How are you feeling?" Ji Ran asked.
Jiang Jinyue smiled faintly. "Much better."
He looked so much like a normal person now, Ji Ran thought. If Zhao Pingchuan hadn't told him those things, he really wouldn't have been able to tell that Jiang Jinyue had serious self-destructive tendencies.
Not knowing what to say, Ji Ran simply nodded.
Jiang Jinyue, however, spoke again. He looked toward Zhao Pingchuan, who was standing to one side, his eyes filled with deep apology. "President Zhao, I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this several times. That was never my intention."
Zhao Pingchuan said calmly, "Ranran said it wasn't your fault. What he says goes for me too."
Jiang Jinyue's smile deepened, and he said with feeling, "Good. It's wonderful that the two of you are like this."
He had only met Zhao Pingchuan and Ji Ran a few times, but the atmosphere between them, one that no outsider could intrude upon, was all too obvious. Neither was the dominant or weaker party. They admired and trusted each other, and could understand what the other meant with a single glance.
It was beautiful, the kind of love he had always pursued in the past.
Gu Xingye stood at the door, watching the three people in the ward chat like old friends, and felt deeply confused. In the past, he would surely have suspected again that they had known each other all along, but now he no longer thought that way. Or rather, whether they had or not no longer mattered.
Because he finally understood that Jiang Jinyue wanted to leave him, and it had nothing to do with anyone else. Jiang Jinyue had never betrayed him either. He simply didn't want to live anymore.
Gu Xingye lowered his head and looked at his palm. When it came to Jiang Jinyue, he was always so powerless. Whatever he did was wrong, and the more he did, the worse it became.
He walked farther away to give them space. It was rare for A-Yue to find people he was willing to talk to, so Gu Xingye shouldn't stay there and be an eyesore.
The two didn't stay long, however, and soon left.
Before leaving, Zhao Pingchuan told him, "Gu Xingye, I can let your attempts to suppress my business go, but for what you did this time, as soon as I get the chance, I'll settle the score with you."
It wasn't negligent injury, but attempted murder. Zhao Pingchuan wouldn't let Gu Xingye off just because Jiang Jinyue had stepped in to get Ji Ran out of trouble.
Gu Xingye neither agreed nor disagreed. He wouldn't apologize, nor could he say he regretted it. If Zhao Pingchuan wanted to pursue the matter, he could only meet the challenge.