Love Heals (the Original Work)

He didn't respond to that comment.

Pei Sufen seemed to realize her words were inappropriate and deftly changed the subject, "Zhiqian, you're so busy with work; from now on, you don't need to bring us food and soup anymore. It's really too much trouble."

What? Was he the one bringing the food?

"It's fine, I need to eat anyway, and I just bring some over to you after I finish."

Pei Sufen sighed once again.

"Mom, I have to get back to my department."

"Alright, go on, and don't worry about us. Also, take these grapes; they're homegrown and very sweet. Have them as a snack when you're free."

"Okay, thanks, Mom. I'll come by later. Dad, you rest well and don't think about anything. I'm here for you."

"I won't think about it. Just go, and don't let it affect your work."

"Alright, Mom and Dad, goodbye."

Ruan Liuzheng quickly hid in the neighboring hospital room, intently listening as his footsteps echoed past the door and gradually faded until she could hear them no longer. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

It was then that she realized the patients and their families in the room were staring at her curiously.

Embarrassed, she repeatedly apologized, "Sorry, so sorry..." before fleeing in panic.

Back in her father's room, she caught Pei Sufen eyeing her strangely.

"Mom, what's going on? What happened to Ruan Lang?" To tell the truth, she felt uncomfortable with her parents' overly close interactions with him, but seeing them aged and helpless like this, her guilt outweighed everything else.

Pei Sufen knew she had overheard their earlier conversation, and with no option but to tell the truth, she confessed, "Before Ruan Lang left school, he got into a fight and injured someone. He was taken to the police station, and they notified the family. Your brother was afraid to tell us, so he had them call your brother-in-law..."

Hearing this, Ruan Liuzheng frowned, not just because of her trouble-making brother but also because of his bad habit of always turning to him when things went wrong.

Pei Sufen, knowing what she was thinking, quickly added, "You know Ruan Lang and Zhiqian are close. In previous years Zhiqian would even attend parent-teacher conferences for him, and whenever he got into trouble at school, Zhiqian would act as his parent..."

Ruan Liuzheng, feeling a headache coming on, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Enough, let's not talk about this. Just tell me what happened."

She had only been back for a short while, and all she heard was the name Zhiqian—she'd had enough…

"Zhiqian kept it from us and dealt with Ruan Lang's trouble. He paid the medical expenses... tens of thousands..." Pei Sufen glanced at Ruan Liuzheng uneasily, seeing no reaction before continuing, "We didn't know about it at first, but the school eventually informed us, and then your dad got so angry that he fell ill..."

So that was how Dad got sick! She had been wondering how he could suddenly fall ill!

"Was it him who paid?" Ruan Liuzheng asked stiffly.

"Yes," Pei Sufen replied, lacking confidence in front of her daughter, then hastily added, "But then your dad got ill, and we just haven't been able to deal with it..."

Ruan Liuzheng didn't intend to blame her parents; she just wanted to get the facts straight for her own peace of mind and to know what to do.

"And what's this about work?" she continued to inquire.

"Your brother studies music, doesn't he? He wants to sing, to be a pop star, to act in movies. Then Zhiqian introduced him to his friend's company..."

"I get it." She understood that his friend's company was none other than Zuo Chenan's Jixia Culture Communication Company, which had been a top entertainment firm six years ago. Ha, Zuo Chenan was his sworn brother; getting introduced to that company was like being given a golden ticket.