Young as she was, Jiang Xiaoxiao was discharged from the hospital a week later.
During this period, Su He stayed by her side in the hospital. To ensure Su He had a comfortable environment, Lu Yanbei had directly transferred Jiang Xiaoxiao to a VIP ward and hired a caregiver.
Su He's daily task was simply to chat with Jiang Xiaoxiao and keep her entertained.
"What are your plans after you're discharged? Will you stay in Nancheng or return to B City?" Su He asked caringly as she helped Jiang Xiaoxiao walk in the corridor.
She had seen Jiang Xiaoxiao's family and knew they were no good. Given their character, they would surely trouble Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Xiaoxiao managed a bitter smile. "I definitely can't stay in Nancheng. My cousin told me they've been looking for me everywhere these past few days. As for B City... the world is big, there must be a place for me."
"What about B City?" Su He pouted. "At least we'd have each other there."
"Oh, right, you left without a word last time, and you still haven't explained it to me," Su He said, lifting her chin and huffing. She had lost sleep for several nights worrying about it.
Friends are friends, but accounts should be settled!
Jiang Xiaoxiao had already wanted to apologize to Su He, and this was the perfect opportunity to clear things up once and for all.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked.
"Of course!" Su He glared at her indignantly. "If you don't explain, we're done!"
Seeing the once bright and lively girl return, Jiang Xiaoxiao felt a surge of happiness for her. "Alright, let's find a place to sit down and talk properly."
Half an hour later.
"You're saying my brother told you to watch my every move and report to him at any time?" Su He's face registered surprise when she heard the answer.
She thought long and hard, and never would have guessed it was him!
And why would Su Chen need someone to spy on her?
They were siblings, couldn't he ask her directly? Why did he have to find someone to keep an eye on her?
It was utterly baffling.
Su He was about to call him to question him, but Jiang Xiaoxiao stopped her. "I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long. Su Chen did me a great favor, and I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."
"Then why are you willing to tell me the truth now?" Su He asked, her voice muffled as she took a bite of her matcha mousse.
"Because you saved me when I was on the brink of death!" Jiang Xiaoxiao was honest and told her everything. "When I was in so much pain, you were the only one who cared and stayed with me..."
Su He scoffed. "So, you're repaying a debt?"
"I was too foolish before and didn't know what was most important," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, pressing her hand to the wound on her abdomen, trying to remain calm.
Apart from repaying Su Chen's favor, she had also harbored a secret crush on him for many years. Therefore, she was willing to betray her friendship with Su He to keep certain secrets. But now, she had come to her senses.
She had repaid the favor. As for her feelings, he had never loved her, and even if they had accidentally had a child, it was now gone. So, there was no need for her to cling to that sliver of hope and hurt her best friend.
"You approached me just to help him gather information?" Su He sighed, not knowing what to say.
"It was secondary," Jiang Xiaoxiao emphasized again. "I genuinely considered you a friend. You know, with my personality, no other girls liked to hang out with me. You were the only one who didn't dislike me and treated me as a friend."
"I owed him a debt, and there were things I had to do. However, I filtered the information I gave him, and I kept some things to myself. Because of that, I lost his trust, and we haven't been in contact since," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, her heart still aching faintly when she mentioned Su Chen. After all, he was the man she had loved for so many years; it wasn't easy to let go.
She had fled to Nancheng to avoid him.
If she couldn't see him, perhaps she could forget him someday.
However, the child was innocent. It had been deprived of life before it was even born; she had failed to protect it.
Su He didn't really blame her for what she had done. She just felt that Jiang Xiaoxiao shouldn't have kept it a secret and run off to Nancheng alone, losing a child in the process.
Thinking of this, Su He couldn't stop frowning. "Tell me honestly, is the child in your belly related to him?"
Who this 'him' was, was self-evident.
Jiang Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and remained silent.
"If you don't speak, it means yes," Su He thought, her mind already settled on the conclusion.
She had known Jiang Xiaoxiao for so many years and was aware of all the male friends she had. Recalling how Jiang Xiaoxiao always acted strangely when mentioning Su Chen, she was certain she wasn't accusing the wrong person.
She couldn't let him get away with hurting her best friend.
The more Su He thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She picked up her phone, ready to call Su Chen.
Su Chen had been in Nancheng for some time. It was said that the old man's health wasn't good, and he had summoned all his sons and grandsons to choose a successor.
As the most promising of the eldest branch, Su Chen had naturally been summoned by his father, even though he had always refused to acknowledge his lineage.
His mother was merely one of his father's many lovers, and due to the ostracism of others, she had left the world prematurely. He hadn't settled this score with them yet, so how could he easily acknowledge those so-called relatives? But somehow, his father had used some means to force him to stay.
With just one call, Su He could make him come over.
Jiang Xiaoxiao, however, grabbed her hand. "Miaomiao, I'm still sick, can't you let me rest?"
Calling Su Chen would only add to her troubles.
Even if he knew she was carrying his child, so what? That one night was ultimately a mistake! Moreover, now that the child was gone, there was even less connection between them.
"I'm begging you," Jiang Xiaoxiao pleaded.
"So, my guess was right? The child was Su Chen's!" Su He hadn't actually dialed the number; she just wanted to trick her. She hadn't expected to actually get her to admit it.
Jiang Xiaoxiao: ...
Could they still be good sisters?
*
After watching Jiang Xiaoxiao fall asleep, Su He quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom.
The hired housekeeper was busy in the kitchen. Su He took her phone to the balcony.
This house was arranged for Su He by Lu Yanbei after she came to Nancheng. It was reportedly one of his properties. Nancheng was a famous coastal city and a renowned tourist destination, attracting hundreds of millions of visitors annually. Lu Yanbei had business collaborations with some enterprises here, so he had acquired properties early on.
Learning that Jiang Xiaoxiao had nowhere to go, Lu Yanbei, for his wife's sake, generously lent her this place.
It had to be said, Lu Yanbei had excellent taste.
This property not only faced the sea but was also situated on a high hill, giving it an advantage over the few surrounding buildings, with a truly magnificent view. Standing on the balcony, one could overlook the entire bay and take in the stunning scenery.
Su He ultimately couldn't resist and dialed Su Chen's number.