Chapter 41: A Hospital Visit and Unintended Revelations

At midday, by the bustling entrance of the residential complex, a girl who had been charging forward suddenly caught sight of an electric bike, its brakes evidently failed, hurtling towards her. Her pupils constricted in an instant.

Then, a loud ‘Bang!’

Gu Xue, deceased—

Ah, not quite. The girl was merely knocked down by the flustered electric bike rider, falling heavily to the ground, with the bike toppling alongside her.

The sudden, enormous crash drew the attention of Zhou Ruoyu and Gu Jiachen, who had been about to part ways. Both immediately looked in that direction.

However, their view was obstructed by the electric bike and its rider, who was frantically helping Gu Xue up. Soon after, a large group of eager residents rushed over to assist.

Seeing the crowd growing denser, and unable to discern anything clearly, both Zhou Ruoyu and Gu Jiachen quickly lost interest. Turning back, Gu Jiachen softly instructed:

“Be careful, and take care of yourself. There’s a flu going around these days, so don’t catch a cold.”

Oh!

Zhou Ruoyu was momentarily touched by the CEO’s thoughtful concern.

She waved goodbye to Gu Jiachen, perhaps feigning a bit of docility, before turning to head home. Along the way, the girl couldn’t help but ponder in her heart: ‘Hmm, although my nemesis got a little advantage, it could also be considered a fruitful victory. After all, I obtained top-secret business information. It wasn’t a loss!’

Thus, the first date concluded successfully!

****

The next day, Sunday.

What Zhou Ruoyu never expected was that the touching concern from that eccentric CEO, expressed before he left, would only last half a day. Thanks to her nemesis’s jinxing words, he had barely told her to take care of herself when she started running a fever that very night.

This led the long-haired loli to suspect that perhaps this so-called flu was poison that the eccentric CEO had planted in her home. Was he trying to see her at a forty-degree fever?

‘Not happening!’

Cough, cough, that wasn’t actually the case. The girl was simply worried that if her fever didn’t subside by Monday, it would affect her work, and Liu Ruyan would surely make sarcastic remarks. So, she decided to head to the hospital over the weekend, intending to get an antipyretic shot to recover quickly.

Indeed, the hospital was quite busy on Sunday. Zhou Ruoyu had a long wait just to get her injection. Feeling utterly bored, the long-haired loli decided to wander around the hospital.

She occasionally peeked into other patient rooms. When Zhou Ruoyu reached a particular room and heard the voices within, the long-haired loli froze.

‘Hiss—’

‘That voice… this, this, this… isn’t that Gu Xue and her girlfriends?!’

Recognizing the people, Zhou Ruoyu immediately turned to make her escape. However, after a moment’s hesitation, she stealthily found a corner where she could hear the conversation inside the room and hid herself.

‘Well, after all, I’m genuinely a bit wary of Gu Xue. Eavesdropping a little on my ex-girlfriend’s current state and thoughts would help me prepare for dealing with her in the future.’

****

Inside the trauma ward of Lihua City First Hospital, several fashionably dressed girls arrived, carrying flowers and fruit baskets, specifically to visit Gu Xue.

“Xiao Xue, are you alright? I heard you were hit by an electric bike? Are you hurt?”

Her friends, usually by her side, now surrounded Gu Xue, asking with genuine concern about her condition. Gu Xue, with a few bandages wrapped around her body, awkwardly waved her hand and replied:

“It’s… nothing too serious, just a few superficial scratches.”

“Ugh, that damn electric bike! If it hurt our Xiao Xue, we’ll make sure they pay!”

A short-haired girl indignantly sat beside Gu Xue, venting her anger on behalf of her friend. Gu Xue quietly nodded.

Although she had already accepted the electric bike rider’s apology and knew that the bike had a brake malfunction, combined with Gu Xue suddenly jumping out from the bushes without enough time to react, it had caused the accident.

Yet, after a moment, Gu Xue still pretended to take a few angry deep breaths, then loudly complained:

“Exactly! That rider… wasn’t even watching the road! I was just walking normally, and they hit me!”

‘Hm?’

Listening to Gu Xue’s statement, Zhou Ruoyu fell silent for a moment. She recalled someone getting hit by an electric bike near her residential complex entrance yesterday.

‘Could it be Gu Xue?’

‘Probably not… Gu Xue should have left long before then. Hmm, it seems Lihua City’s traffic needs some serious regulation.’

“Exactly, exactly! How unlucky! Sigh, it looks like you’re going through a rough patch, Xiao Xue. Don’t worry, recover well. Once your injuries heal next week, I’ll treat you and your boyfriend, Zhou Ruoyu, to a big meal to make up for it!”

Her friend suddenly suggested with excitement. Gu Xue was momentarily stunned, then… she offered an awkward smile, stammering:

“Ah… eat… there’s no need for a meal. Ruoyu and I have been a bit busy lately…”

The girl’s voice dropped slightly, her heart filled with a myriad of thoughts. ‘Alas, her Ruoyu is more than just busy these days.’

‘She doesn’t even know where he went. All contact methods are blocked, and she can’t even find a trace of her boyfriend. How could she possibly bring him to a dinner party?’

Unfortunately, her friend seemed completely oblivious to the sadness in Gu Xue’s words. Instead, she shook her head and teased:

“That won’t do! Hehe, this dinner party is actually my mom forcing me to go on a blind date! You won’t have to pay; the guy will cover it. I’ve looked at his conditions, and they’re pretty good in all aspects… but then it’ll be hard to negotiate a lower price, hehe. So, I need to borrow your perfect little boyfriend to help lower the guy’s expectations!

“Look, Ruoyu is handsome, has such a gentle and caring personality, he’s loyal and honest, and he always goes along with you. His abilities in all areas are strong; he looks absolutely impeccable on the outside! Oh, it’s just that his family background is a bit ordinary, but haven’t you, Miss Gu, made up for that? You two are truly a match made in heaven! Oh, I’m so envious that you have such a wonderful boyfriend like Ruoyu! I’d be satisfied if my blind date was even half as good!”

Listening to her friend’s sudden shower of compliments, the corner of Gu Xue’s mouth twitched. After a moment, she quietly lowered her head, gradually beginning to reflect: ‘Does Ruoyu really have so many shining qualities? Could it be… that I just never noticed them before?’

This…

She had to admit, ever since Ruoyu left her a few days ago, she seemed to be experiencing her boyfriend’s goodness more and more profoundly. She truly wanted to reconcile with Ruoyu more and more.

‘But, but…’

‘Forget the week her friend suggested; given Ruoyu’s current attitude, even if she had another month, she might not be confident enough to bring him back to her side. This…’

Noticing Gu Xue’s long silence, an awkward quiet fell over the ward. After a moment, the friend sitting by the girl’s bed gave an embarrassed laugh, then glanced around the room, curiously asking:

“Huh? Xiao Xue… you’re hospitalized, and your boyfriend didn’t come to stay with you?”