Chapter 35: Just As Well
Zhong Yu chased after Song Xu outside, searching from the restroom to the outdoor terrace but saw no sign of him or Wen Bairan.
On her way back, she saw him leaning against the corridor wall, smoking.
The classic European-style wallpaper with an intricate pattern and bud-shaped wall lamps cast a gentle glow overhead.
He leaned there, his upper body slightly slouched toward the floor, left knee bent, right leg extended over a meter past the wall's edge, one hand tucked in his pocket, eyes downcast, his profile shrouded in faint, hazy light—somewhat melancholic, yet so aloof that it seemed to repel any approach.
Zhong Yu walked over quietly and stopped to face him.
A woman's intuition is always accurate.
Zhong Yu had understood his intentions from the way he watched Wen Bairan leave the private room.
At this moment, the restroom was quiet, just as it had been when she passed by earlier.
But she was certain something had already changed.
The world-weariness that follows release still lingered between his brows, and the undeniable allure of Song Xu's lingering sensuality was utterly intoxicating.
Zhong Yu's eyes behind her black-framed glasses were red with jealousy. "Haven't you considered me at all?"
Song Xu clenched the cigarette between his teeth, pale white smoke swirling like intoxicating mist released from the flowers on the wallpaper, curling between them, as if deliberately keeping things unclear in such a moment.
"When have I ever considered you?" His voice was so low she almost missed it.
"You!"
She watched as he straightened up, took his hand out of his pocket, the orange-red ember leaping to his fingertips. His figure loomed taller than the mist, his coldness and sharpness becoming clear before her eyes.
He stubbed out the cigarette in the designated ashtray across from him, turned, and gave an almost imperceptible nod of his chin—like a gentleman, yet devoid of any trace of gentle demeanor.
"Excuse me."
/
The gathering in the private room was winding down. Xiang Sun, still wanting to prolong the evening, got a game room upstairs, and the group headed upstairs.
It was getting late, and Wen Bairan wanted to leave first.
But Song Xu hadn't returned yet.
Just then, Li Yuan coughed twice behind her. She turned to look and noticed he seemed unwell.
"Are you okay?"
Wen Bairan moved to his side and only then saw that his temples were inexplicably beaded with cold sweat, and even his hands were trembling.
She had a bad feeling and worriedly crouched beside him. "Li Yuan?"
He seemed to be in great pain. Wen Bairan reached out to support him, but he avoided her touch.
"I'm fine, just a stomachache," Li Yuan forced composure as he took off his glasses, but even his gaze had dimmed.
Unable to see Wen Bairan's face clearly, he simply closed his eyes, thumb pressed against his brow, reassuring her, "It's an old problem. It'll pass soon. Don't worry."
How could Wen Bairan not worry?
She had always known he was thin, but now he seemed almost emaciated.
He bent over, clutching his stomach, weakly curled up as if he might collapse at any moment. The clothes on his shoulders were entirely propped up by bone, and he wrapped his arms around himself.
Her brow furrowed deeply. "What's really wrong with you—"
"What's going on?"
It was Song Xu.
He had finally returned.
A large hand steadied Wen Bairan's back from behind as he bent down to check on Li Yuan. "Mr. Li, are you alright?"
Xiang Sun also noticed the commotion and came over.
"What happened? Li Yuan, are you unwell?"
Wen Bairan didn't know either. "He said it's a stomachache, but it doesn't seem like one to me."
She worried it might be food poisoning, but everyone had eaten and drunk the same things tonight, and only Li Yuan was affected.
In the short time they spoke, Li Yuan's condition worsened further. Veins were already bulging on his neck. She had never seen anyone in such pain from a stomachache and urgently said, "Song Xu, we need to take him to the hospital!"
"Mr. Li? Mr. Li?"
Song Xu noticed he was barely responsive and immediately crouched down to take over supporting Li Yuan's shoulders from Wen Bairan, his brow furrowed. "You go get the car."
"Okay, okay, I'll go now." Wen Bairan was flustered; her knees weakened as she stood, but Song Xu quickly steadied her.
"Don't—don't drive yourself! I'll call the driver to take you." Xiang Sun meant to follow her, but Song Xu stopped him.
"Xiang Sun, there are still guests here. Stay and take care of them. We'll take Mr. Li to the hospital."
"That works." Xiang Sun hadn't expected such a situation to arise during a perfectly good gathering and quickly called his assistant with a grave expression. "Hurry, tell Old Liu to wait downstairs!"
"Yes!" The assistant immediately ran out.
Those who had left earlier sensed something was wrong and gradually returned, making the air in the private room feel even more stifling.
By then, Li Yuan had completely lost consciousness.
Without a word, Song Xu picked him up and carried him out.
Zhong Yu returned a moment later, still unclear about what had happened. Seeing Wen Bairan's panicked expression in the crowd, she reached out without thinking. "Where are you going?"
Wen Bairan had no time to explain and shook her off. "The hospital!"
//
Shenjiang University Hospital.
Song Xu contacted a familiar doctor and professor on the way. Due to the holiday, many specialists were on leave. After some difficulty, they found the director of the digestive surgery department who was on duty, but the emergency nurse said he was still in surgery and estimated it would be another half hour before he could come down.
After a preliminary diagnosis, the doctors in the emergency room pulled up his previous medical records to determine the medication but simultaneously paused, exchanging glances. Finally, the attending physician reacted first and called the dean's office via internal line.
Soon, a tall, stout middle-aged man rushed over, putting on his white coat as he jogged into the emergency room.
The emergency room did not allow visitors. Wen Bairan waited outside for over twenty minutes. During that time, the heavy metal door swung open and shut as medical staff hurried in and out constantly. But with multiple beds inside, she couldn't tell which one Li Yuan was on. She had no way to gauge his condition.
Song Xu came back with hot drinks, urging her to drink something to calm down.
Wen Bairan took it and said, "Thank you."
The incident at the hotel happened so suddenly. As far as she knew, Li Yuan had always been in good health with no significant medical history. For a perfectly healthy person to suddenly collapse like this, she was completely at a loss. But after all this time, she had calmed down.
Fortunately, they got him to the hospital in time. From what the admitting doctor had implied, it shouldn’t be anything serious.
Wen Bairan lifted her face and offered Song Xu a slight smile. "You should sit down too."
From the hotel to here, it was all thanks to his calm and efficient handling.
Contacting the doctor, arranging a hospital bed, calling Li Yuan’s assistant to come to the hospital—he had handled all these tasks quietly and seamlessly. By the time Wen Bairan’s panic had subsided, he had already taken care of everything and returned with coffee, looking completely unruffled.
She felt embarrassed. She hadn’t even known Li Yuan had an assistant since he’d returned to the country.
The man sat down beside her, his long legs slightly apart, his knees resting against the outside of her thigh. The fabric of his suit pants felt cool, with the wrinkles creating a slight texture—a quiet, soothing touch, like a silent reassurance.
"Do you know Li Yuan?" he asked.
He had heard her call him "Brother Li Yuan" earlier.
That form of address suggested they were quite close.
Wen Bairan caught the calm, steady scent on him and her gaze softened almost without her realizing. "He’s Zhou Lin’s cousin."
She hadn’t intended to hide this fact, but with so many people around earlier, it was hard to explain their relationship. Now that it was just the two of them, there was no harm in telling him.
Her relationship with Li Yuan wasn’t that close, and he had always been a hard person to read. Even Zhou Lin, who had grown up with him, couldn’t really say he fully understood what his cousin was doing, let alone guess what he was thinking.
In Li Yuan’s eyes, they were still children, usually only capable of being seen through—unless he willingly gave them a chance to figure him out, like last time.
"We used to see each other often, but after he went abroad, we gradually lost contact. He returned a month ago, and we’ve met privately a few times. I didn’t expect to see him at President Xiang’s dinner tonight."
After she finished, she noticed that Song Xu didn’t look surprised.
He stared into his cup, thoughtful. The vertical patterns on the cup cast faint shadows in his eyes, hazy and a little mysterious.
Wen Bairan frowned slightly, and she continued, "I’m not sure how he and President Xiang know each other, and everything you discussed today was completely new to me. If you’re uncomfortable with it, I can step back from the future project."
Song Xu snapped back to attention, slowly lifting his eyelashes. His gaze was deep and carried a hint of coldness. "Is this how you distance yourself from everyone?"
She was slightly taken aback. "...What?"
Before Wen Bairan could process the meaning of his question, the emergency room door opened.
The doctors all came out.
She immediately stood up and went over to them.
"Doctor, how is Li Yuan?"
The one leading was the tall, stout doctor. The badge on his chest read "Vice President, Shenjiang University Hospital."
Removing his mask, he looked Wen Bairan over.
"For now, he’s out of danger. It was just a routine episode. He needs to be hospitalized for observation, but family can head home for now." His words were delivered lightly, but his expression didn’t match the ease of his tone.
Wen Bairan was full of questions she wanted to ask, but he was already turning to leave.
"Doctor, doctor, wait a moment—"
"Vice President Gao," Song Xu spoke up.
Only then did Vice President Gao notice there was someone else. "President Song?"
They had met before at the hospital’s bid meeting and Dayun’s info session. Song Xu had left a very good impression on him.
He hadn’t expected to see him here.
Song Xu stepped forward to shake his hand and explained, "President Li was the one we brought to the hospital. How is he doing now? What did you mean by a 'routine episode'? As far as I know, President Li doesn’t have a history of stomach issues. Was some other systemic illness discovered? Do we need to notify other family members as soon as possible?"
His questions asked everything Wen Bairan wanted to know.
She gave him a grateful look.
"Well..." Vice President Gao hesitated, glancing at Wen Bairan’s concerned expression and then at Song Xu. It seemed as though they exchanged a look, and Song Xu subtly straightened up from his slightly leaning posture.
Vice President Gao narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat serious.
"It’s indeed not a stomach issue, but it’s not serious. Don’t worry. Once the patient wakes up tomorrow, he’ll explain it to you himself." As he spoke, he put his mask back on, as if avoiding something. "I have another emergency surgery to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now, President Song."
"Of course. Let’s have tea another time," Song Xu said with a nod.
After everyone had left, Wen Bairan wanted to see Li Yuan one last time, but the nurses stopped them at the door.
"The patient has been transferred to the inpatient department. Please don’t linger here; you should head home now."
And just like that, they were asked to leave the hospital.
/
In the open-air parking lot, the night was deep.
The vast, silent sky seemed to hide monsters that could devour lives. The bright red letters spelling "Inpatient Department" on the hospital building seemed like a warning to the world.
Wen Bairan hesitated over whether to call Zhou Lin, worried that Li Yuan might chide her for overreacting when he woke up tomorrow.
But she still felt uneasy.
When they reached the car, Song Xu couldn’t drive since he had been drinking.
He stopped and leaned against the car. "Mind if I smoke?"
The moonlight cast shifting shadows across his open collar, the sharp line of his jaw resting just above the top of his sternum.
His eyes were lowered, watching her.
Wen Bairan didn’t realize he was asking permission and stayed silent.
So he took her silence as agreement.
One cigarette.
Three minutes.
Wen Bairan decided.
She took her phone out of her bag, and the crack on the screen accidentally grazed her finger.
It hurt, but it didn’t bleed.
"Calling Zhou Lin?" Song Xu’s voice was a little rough from smoking.
"Yeah, it’s better to tell him." She’d decided. Since Li Yuan’s condition was still unclear, and Zhou Lin was, after all, his cousin, he could help with signing papers if necessary.
Her finger lit up the screen, then went dark instantly.
The man across from her took her phone away.
Wen Bairan’s hand was suddenly empty. She looked up, frowning at him. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Before you call him, let’s get something straight about our relationship,” the man said calmly, tucking her phone into his pocket. He turned around and pulled a paper bag from the car.
The bag was small, with a white ribbon tied in a bow.
He reached inside and pulled out an exquisite jewelry box.
Lake-blue velvet adorned with a layer of silver lace in a subtle floral pattern.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said. It’s true—at the beginning, we were just having our fun. Once daybreak comes, aside from being your boss, I’m nothing to you.”
“But you said I have no right to interfere in your life. After some thought, I think there’s a better word for it.”
Song Xu’s low, mellow voice, wrapped in the cool autumn night, was incredibly soothing, nearly indistinguishable from genuine affection.
For a moment, Wen Bairan felt lightheaded, almost thinking he was about to propose to her.
He opened the box lid, revealing a wristwatch that gleamed in the night.
The signature mother-of-pearl dial was embellished with scattered diamonds, combining elegance and luxury, reflecting a subtle iridescent glow.
Wen Bairan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Good thing it wasn’t a ring.
...Wait, why was she thinking “good thing”?
Before her heart could settle, his next words sent it racing again.
“Participate.”
He said, “I want to participate.”
Song Xu’s deep, narrow eyes were no longer cold at this moment but completely dark and unfathomable. There were no turbulent waves—all the raging currents were hidden within his depths, a vast and bottomless abyss that, once fallen into, would be impossible to escape.
“Not just at night, not just at work.”
“Whatever role is qualified to participate in your life—name it.”