Chapter 44
Lin Feiruo was indeed a bit worried about Bu Shenglong. Although her understanding of the man was limited, Jian Xiaomin had mentioned how he played people for fools back on Tara Island.
A healthy Jian Xiyan had been unable to do anything about him; a wheelchair-bound Jian Xiyan was even more vulnerable. Given that he was only an acquaintance and had a history of changing cooperation terms on a whim, Lin Feiruo found it very hard to believe he was sincerely visiting the sick.
However, Jian Xiyan’s reactions had been perfectly normal, and her instructions lacked any sign of disgust toward Bu Shenglong. Lin Feiruo was still pondering even after his car had driven out of He Garden: Am I being too cynical?
Her expression while thinking resembled a student re-evaluating their answers after leaving an exam room. Jian Xiyan had already been pushed to the dining room and asked her to come over and have a bite.
At the table, Lin Feiruo continued to reflect from time to time, but she couldn’t find the “straight-A student” to check her answers against. Jian Xiyan thought she would ask about what happened in the study, but to her surprise, Lin Feiruo was so focused on her own world that she barely spoke to her.
The explanations Jian Xiyan had prepared went unused, making her feel a bit relieved yet also a bit amused. She didn’t know why she had prepared those words in the first place; she rarely bothered considering how to handle Lin Feiruo in the past.
In the past, even when they stood side-by-side, they were always facing outward together. Once the performance ended, they never engaged in heart-to-heart exchanges. When one-on-one communication was truly necessary, it was inevitably because Lin Feiruo was seeking benefits for Yan Shan.
From the time she was hospitalized until now, Yan Shan-related matters had been absent from her life for quite a while. Technically they were absent in the past too, but Lin Feiruo used to make her feel their presence. Those cautious yet ubiquitous details used to make Jian Xiyan feel as though the entire Pear Orchard was haunted by Yan Shan’s shadow.
“Young Mistress, the backyard was renovated recently. Would you like to add some new species?”
Shu Wanxia’s words brought Jian Xiyan back to the present. She remembered this was He Garden, her own place; it was only natural that there were no traces of Yan Shan. She had originally avoided bringing Lin Feiruo here for this very reason—she didn’t want her private domain tainted by someone else’s atmosphere.
But she had no choice while recovering. She had expected to have to settle for second best, but Lin Feiruo was surprisingly discreet. So far, He Garden remained clean and fresh, without anything that made Jian Xiyan irritable or offended her eyes.
Even Lin Feiruo’s attire had become exceptionally pleasing to look at.
Hearing Shu Wanxia’s inquiry, the “hamster face” looked up as well. Seeing that she also seemed interested, Jian Xiyan asked casually, “Do you have any ideas?”
She remembered Xiao Xuan saying that Jian Xiyan had always wanted to plant flowers but lacked the time. Unfortunately, she hadn’t asked which flowers Xiyan liked, and the original owner’s memory bank was empty on the subject—it only contained Yan Shan’s favorite flowers.
Lin Feiruo silently crossed out the types Yan Shan liked and said casually, “Kalanchoe, Geraniums, and Osmanthus. Those are all quite nice.”
They were nice indeed, though they required tending. But the Jian family was never short on staff; if Jian Xiyan had decided to plant them before, the backyard would have been full by now. She just hadn’t had the time to think about it, let alone arrange it.
Now that she was in a wheelchair, it was impossible for her to tend to them personally, but at least she had a bit of leisure time to spare for this matter, and the varieties Lin Feiruo suggested happened to suit her taste.
She turned to Shu Wanxia and said, “Let’s plant those first.”
Shu Wanxia was all smiles and quickly took note.
Lin Feiruo hadn’t expected Jian Xiyan to not add anything else. She felt a bit embarrassed: “You don’t have to listen to me completely. Plant whatever you like. I was just speaking off the cuff.”
Jian Xiyan looked at her calmly: “I quite like them, too.”
They were certainly better than the red roses or stargazer lilies Lin Feiruo used to like. Jian Xiyan had initially worried she would suggest those again. It wasn’t that they couldn’t be planted, but she didn’t want them in He Garden. That was why she let Lin Feiruo speak first; if the varieties were too unpleasant, she would have simply said to put it off for later.
Fortunately, Lin Feiruo was sensible.
Jian Xiyan was quite satisfied with her recent performance, even feeling that if Lin Feiruo wanted to increase her compensation, it wasn’t out of the question.
The hint Bu Shenglong gave kept echoing in Jian Xiyan’s mind, but she had no one to discuss it with until Xu Liqing arrived.
Xu Liqing had wanted to come over as soon as she received the call about Bu Shenglong’s visit, but she was in an important departmental meeting with Jian Shenyao. She rushed over as soon as it adjourned.
Lin Feiruo pushed Jian Xiyan into the study again and, as before, tactfully left. Xu Liqing saw it all, but she didn’t tease her this time. She locked the door and sat close to Jian Xiyan to allow for quiet conversation.
“Xiyan, President Bu coming over specifically to tell you this… could there be another motive?”
“I’ve considered that. But our investigation has stalled. Since there’s a new lead, it’s worth a try.”
Xu Liqing’s expression turned heavy: “There is indeed a group of coal bosses in Anxi who are transitioning and seem very interested in various new types of investments. But these people like to bring their old rules with them, thinking doing business nowadays is the same as digging for coal.”
Coal bosses?
Jian Xiyan suddenly remembered a name. It was a bit blurry, but it became clear after Xu Liqing mentioned the category.
“Xie Dicheng.”
Jian Xiyan uttered the three words coldly. Xu Liqing froze.
“You suspect him?”
“I don’t know. But he has coal mining business in Anxi, and he was interested in the Qinghe project before.”
Xu Liqing finished the sentence for her: “And he was rejected for a partnership by the Jian Group.”
Jian Xiyan corrected her: “It didn’t even reach the stage of rejection.”
The Jian Group had clear principles for selecting partners. For the Qinghe project specifically, they were looking for someone who could handle relations with relevant departments. Xie Dicheng was unsuitable from every angle. Therefore, he was never even on the shortlist, let alone rejected.
However, he had proactively approached Jian Xiyan at several galas, expressing interest in cooperation. For Jian Xiyan, who was always the focus of attention, she had no time to specifically entertain him, so she would always walk away after a hurried greeting.
“Fine, I’ll go investigate him.”
Jian Xiyan’s hand on her knee moved slightly: “Investigate in secret. Be careful yourself.”
If it really was Xie Dicheng, would Xu Liqing also be “hit” if she went to investigate him? Jian Xiyan closed her eyes, quickly dispersing the hypothetical image; she actually harbored a deep trauma from the car accident.
Seeing her serious expression and unsteady breathing, Xu Liqing asked with concern: “Are you in pain?”
“I’m fine,” Jian Xiyan emphasized again. “Keep it low profile. Be careful.”
After Xu Liqing finished reporting on company matters and prepared to leave, she asked: “Should I ask President Shenyao for help with investigating Xie Dicheng?”
Lately, besides keeping an eye on the Qinghe project, Jian Shenyao had been trying to pull strings to interrogate the driver in person. But the process was slow, and he still hadn’t seen the man.
Jian Xiyan pondered for a moment: “Don’t trouble Second Uncle for now. He has too much on his plate lately; I don’t want to go to him for everything.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Lin Feiruo had assumed Xu Liqing would stay for a meal, but it turned out she really was just there for work.
“Liqing, stay and eat before you go?” Lin Feiruo saw that mealtime was approaching; whether out of politeness or kindness, she felt she should try to make her stay.
Xu Liqing smiled at her, her attitude notably warmer than before. “No, I still have a lot of work to finish. I need to hurry.”
Hearing Jian Xiyan ask Shu Wanxia to send lunch into the study, Lin Feiruo was speechless: “A secretary really is just like their boss. Does the Jian Group own half the world’s workaholics?”
With Jian Xiyan working in the study, Lin Feiruo found it inconvenient to disturb her, so she went back to her room to tinker with her own affairs.
There had been so many emergencies every day lately that she hadn’t followed up since sending that thank-you email to Yu Qingci. Actually, she had only replied once, formally thanking her for the salon invitation. Later, Lin Feiruo noticed a problem.
For instance, her name occasionally appeared in the media. Although not prominent, gossip accounts mentioning Jian Xiyan’s recovery would bring up her “pillow partner” as well—either gossiping about their “unshakable love” or hinting that the accident might affect their relationship.
She didn’t regret using her real name with Yu Qingci. But if she continued to use the name “Lin Feiruo” to inquire about health issues—even if she made up excuses like “a friend of mine” or “I saw this online”—it would be easy to get caught. Such excuses would only make her look foolish in front of someone with Dr. Yu’s IQ. Lin Feiruo didn’t want to try that, nor did she want to leak Jian Xiyan’s privacy. She could sense that while Jian Xiyan acted calm every day, she actually cared very much about people prying into her injuries.
Even with a medical team and professional caregivers, Lin Feiruo couldn’t help but want to do more to help with Xiyan’s rehabilitation. Perhaps because she had seen Jian Xiyan helpless in pain but enduring it too many times at midnight, Lin Feiruo really wanted her to get better quickly.
Since the email route was blocked, Lin Feiruo recalled the summary thread of Dr. Yu’s forum highlights she had found before. Dr. Yu had an account on a wellness forum—a real-name one—where she occasionally replied to netizens’ inquiries.
Lin Feiruo had registered an account but hadn’t had a chance to post much before the Jian Xiyan incident happened. Now logging back in, her purpose had changed from browsing to anonymous consultation.
She glanced at her old nickname and silently changed it from [The Wealthy Salted Fish Who Doesn’t Eat Melons] to [Helping Others to Accumulate Merit].
Since forum nicknames could be changed every 90 days, Lin Feiruo figured that in 90 days, Jian Xiyan should be well-recovered, and her “merit” would be fulfilled.
Yu Qingci’s login times were irregular, but she basically replied to all posts seeking help. There were also plenty of bored people who just came in to troll, and Lin Feiruo marveled at what a good person Yu Qingci was while scrolling through the threads. Being a doctor was tiring enough—how did she find time for this? If it were her, she might check once when she was in a good mood and let things pile up for a month when she wasn’t. It was voluntary work after all; she hadn’t promised a timeframe and could delete her account whenever she felt like it.
But after careful scrolling, she found that Yu Qingci’s longest delay was only a week. If she was unable to go online for a long time due to being busy, she would announce it in advance to avoid leaving netizens waiting.
Now that she was the one seeking help, Lin Feiruo’s mindset changed. She also hoped Dr. Yu would go online soon, see her message, and reply. She wanted to ask what other ways there were to help a patient with severe leg injuries who couldn’t sleep well besides medication.
Before officially moving back to He Garden, Lin Feiruo had bought a new computer, set up entirely with her own usage habits. She had no intention of going back to Pear Orchard to get the original owner’s things. Jian Xiyan wouldn’t question her about this, and she never looked through her phone, so she didn’t have any particular reaction when Lin Feiruo replaced her laptop with one of the same brand.
Jian Xiyan was a bit low on energy today. Likely because dealing with Bu Shenglong and assigning tasks to Xu Liqing was too taxing, she came out after not spending much time in the study.
Not seeing Lin Feiruo, Jian Xiyan asked casually, “Where’s Feiruo?”
Shu Wanxia replied, “She said she needed to look something up online and went back to the room.”
Look something up online? Normally Lin Feiruo liked to scroll through news on her phone, but if she was seriously using a computer to look things up, it was bound to be to boost data for Yan Shan.
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