After Divorcing the Beautiful Richest Woman, She Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 33

If the Jian Xiyan who woke up yesterday was like a docile kitten, her fragile cry of pain just now was truly so pitiful that one couldn’t bear to take a single step away.

Lin Feiruo visibly faltered when she heard it. Likely because she had zero mental preparation, the shock factor was all the more realistic.

Jian Shenyao had also rarely seen Jian Xiyan this vulnerable. He assumed she must be in unbearable distress to speak up and ask someone to stay. After getting married, a person’s reliance naturally shifts from family to their partner. Jian Shenyao glanced at Lin Feiruo: “We’ll talk another day. You stay with Xiyan first.”

Lin Feiruo didn’t stand on ceremony with him; she didn’t even take two steps forward to see him out. After Jian Shenyao left, Lin Feiruo watched the door for a while before turning back to the hospital bed.

“I think…”

Lin Feiruo initially thought Jian Xiyan was faking the pain. Although she had been dazed for a moment, she reacted quickly—how could a calm, strong person act like this without a reason?

To her surprise, as soon as she reached the bedside, she saw Jian Xiyan’s eyes were shimmering; there were actual tears welling up!

She froze, hurriedly reaching for the tissues.

She quickly pulled one out, folded it several times, and used her index finger to gently press a small corner against Jian Xiyan’s face, dabbing away the teardrops bit by bit. Lin Feiruo held her breath, fearing her hand might shake. She focused intently on Jian Xiyan’s eyes, being quite meticulous.

Fortunately, there weren’t many tears; besides the initial welling, no more flowed out.

Before she could truly relax, Lin Feiruo asked worriedly: “Where does it hurt?”

Jian Xiyan looked at her and replied flatly: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Lin Feiruo looked at her eyes, which still had traces of redness. Who was it just now that was in so much pain they cried?

The train of thought interrupted by the tears was reconnected. Lin Feiruo returned to her original suspicion: Jian Xiyan was faking it. She knew Jian Xiyan wanted an excuse to prevent her Second Uncle from taking Lin Feiruo away, so Lin Feiruo didn’t hold it against her.

Now she had a new level of understanding of Jian Xiyan’s self-control. To be able to turn tears on and off at will—isn’t this acting skill a hundred times better than Yan Shan’s?

Lin Feiruo paused. Why did I suddenly think of Yan Shan? Is she even worthy of being compared to Jian Xiyan? If I’m going to compare acting skills, it should be with Jiang Wanru.

Jian Xiyan didn’t know that so many names had flashed through Lin Feiruo’s mind. She turned her face to the other side, wanting to wait until the soreness in her eyes completely vanished before talking about serious business.

The tears were real, and the pain was real; only the act of acting spoiled to keep Lin Feiruo there was “fake.” Her tears had been held back all along, and in her urgency, she simply had to let them out. Jian Xiyan did not want her weak side to be seen by so many people.

However, the tenderness Lin Feiruo showed while wiping her tears was unexpected. In a situation with no outsiders, Lin Feiruo had no need to act so earnestly. Even when they were putting on a show in the past, Lin Feiruo had never been this gentle.

For a split second, Jian Xiyan even had an illusion: Lin Feiruo was no longer “keeping her vows” for Yan Shan.

But it was just a fleeting, stray thought. Jian Xiyan originally didn’t want to bother with her and Yan Shan’s affairs, and now that she was injured, she had even less energy to study such things.

Lin Feiruo sat quietly by her side, waiting for Jian Xiyan to turn her face back. She didn’t know what Jian Xiyan was thinking, but since she’d rather act a part to keep her here, she must have something to say, right?

Jian Xiyan adjusted her emotions. When she faced Lin Feiruo again, she was back to the person she was when she first woke up. Calm, composed, strong.

“It’s not a good sign that Second Uncle keeps calling you aside for talks. My energy is limited right now. If we are careless or overlook something, two years of hard work will go to waste.”

“I won’t tell him anything.”

Jian Xiyan didn’t doubt her words: “I’m worried you’ll be tricked into revealing something without realizing it.”

After the marriage, although she had taken Lin Feiruo to many social events and family dinners, Jian Xiyan had always intentionally acted as a buffer, never leaving Lin Feiruo alone in a crowd to be tested. Consequently, over these two years, the original owner hadn’t become close with anyone in the Jian family.

“Then if he looks for me again, I’ll just say…” Lin Feiruo smiled. “I’ll say you’re in pain, okay?”

Jian Xiyan was startled, then realized Lin Feiruo was teasing her, and she felt a bit annoyed. But it was indeed an excellent method. Simple, and most effective for the time being.

However, agreeing to it outright felt a bit awkward. Jian Xiyan wasn’t used to her vulnerable side being mentioned repeatedly, so she fell silent. Lin Feiruo knew she didn’t object; otherwise, she would have refused long ago.

So she asked again: “So, is your opinion an ‘mm’ or an ‘mm-mm’?”

Jian Xiyan shot her a glare but eventually gave a very short, crisp “Mm.”

She was indeed weak now, but a person of such peerless beauty could withstand any hardship; even just lying there, she was a pitiful “sickly beauty.” Add to that the glare—which had lost most of its bite—and she had a unique charm.

When Lin Feiruo was glared at, not only was she not afraid, her heart actually gave a slight skip.

The small joke eased the atmosphere. Remembering Jian Shenyao’s words from last night, Lin Feiruo proactively took out her phone. She had taken a few promotional photos of the salon outside the little theater and hadn’t had a chance to look at them closely.

She pulled up the photos and held them in front of Jian Xiyan: “Although you might not be interested in this, I still want to explain.”

Jian Xiyan realized her suspicion from last night was wrong. It turned out the thing that made Lin Feiruo so excited was the salon, not Yan Shan.

“Last night Second Uncle asked me why I came to the hospital so late, and why I couldn’t be reached when the accident happened.”

“You had your own arrangements; you couldn’t have known this would happen.”

“I turned off my phone as required before entering the venue, so…” Lin Feiruo paused. “So I couldn’t receive the news in time.”

Out of sympathy for Jian Xiyan, even as a regular friend, she felt it was bad to learn the news so late.

Jian Xiyan understood and gave a slight curve of her lips: “The phone being off was just a coincidence. Don’t blame yourself.”

There was a knock on the door—light but frequent, a mix of urgency and restraint. Lin Feiruo felt it didn’t sound like Jian Shenyao. She stood up and said, “I’ll go see who it is.”

Xu Liqing’s eyes were bloodshot, her face haggard beneath a heavy layer of makeup. She usually wore light makeup for work, but after being on edge all night dealing with the media and crying for a long time in private, she had been forced to apply a semi-smokey look on her way to the hospital today.

Seeing it was Lin Feiruo, Xu Liqing asked urgently: “How is Xiyan?”

“She’s in a good state today.” Lin Feiruo turned: “Xiyan, Liqing is here to see you.”

“Come in.”

Lin Feiruo proactively reached out to take her fruit basket: “I’ll handle this.”

Xu Liqing was indeed in a hurry to see Jian Xiyan; she hadn’t expected Lin Feiruo to be so considerate. It was a bit different from the past, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it now.

Walking to the bedside, no amount of makeup could hold back Xu Liqing’s tears; they surged out instantly. “Xiyan, you…”

Last night she had been stationed at the company, keeping in constant contact with Jian Shenyao. She knew the hospital situation, but she still couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. Even knowing Jian Xiyan was out of danger, seeing her in person felt like a knife to the chest. They were fine when they left Xingyi Group together yesterday; how did it come to this!

Lin Feiruo put the fruit basket away and moved the chair she had been sitting in: “Liqing, have a seat.” Along with it, she handed over the pack of tissues she had used to wipe Jian Xiyan’s tears earlier.

Before Jian Xiyan could speak, Lin Feiruo took the initiative to leave: “I’ll go check on Xiaomin. You two take your time.”

Jian Xiyan blinked, signaling she understood. Just as she turned to go, Lin Feiruo suddenly froze and turned back. Xu Liqing had just dried her tears and sat down; she was drawn by Lin Feiruo’s movement and looked up at her.

“The doctor said Xiyan needs a lot of rest. If possible, don’t talk for too long.”

Xu Liqing nodded: “I understand.”

Once Lin Feiruo left, Xu Liqing’s expression turned even more serious. “Xiyan, about last night… was it really just an accident?”

“The current evidence says so.”

Xu Liqing asked again: “What about you? What do you think?”

Jian Xiyan had been thinking about this question since she regained consciousness. But with a thousand tangled threads and her being confined to a hospital bed, she couldn’t reach a definitive conclusion in a short time.

“Liqing, I need you to investigate a few things. Be fast, and maintain absolute secrecy.”

Seeing how solemnly she gave the instructions, Xu Liqing already understood the answer to her previous question. “Okay, tell me. I’ll get on it today.”

Lin Feiruo went to Xiaomin’s ward, but the nurse said Yu Shuyi had pushed her out to get some sun; she should be in the small garden. Lin Feiruo found it inconvenient to return to Jian Xiyan’s ward yet, assuming Xu Liqing hadn’t left. She wandered to the garden, thinking that if she didn’t run into Xiaomin, she would just get some sun herself. The ward was far too oppressive; even as an outsider, she felt suffocated for Jian Xiyan.

“Feiruo?”

A familiar voice called back her scattered thoughts. Lin Feiruo turned to see Yu Shuyi. The usually elegant and quiet woman also had bloodshot eyes today: “Why are you here?”

“Liqing is visiting Xiyan.”

Yu Shuyi understood and pointed nearby: “Xiaomin is over there. Do you want to go sit with her?”

Lin Feiruo looked where she pointed and saw Jian Xiaomin sitting in a wheelchair, her legs covered with a thin blanket and a shawl over her shoulders. Her head was bowed. A nurse was accompanying her closely, observing her condition, but Xiaomin remained as she had been yesterday—motionless.

“Second Aunt, what’s wrong with Xiaomin?”

Yu Shuyi sighed, her heart aching: “She’s been like this since yesterday—sullen, not speaking, and ignoring everyone. The doctor says it might be a stress reaction; she needs time.”

Lin Feiruo recalled the photos she had casually scrolled through online yesterday. She found them terrifying even though she wasn’t there, let alone Jian Xiaomin, who had experienced it firsthand. Not everyone was as strong as Jian Xiyan; Lin Feiruo couldn’t help but feel admiration. But thinking of Xiyan’s injuries, she couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

Lin Feiruo let out a long sigh: “Let’s go over.”

There was a bench next to Xiaomin. Lin Feiruo stood for a moment, and seeing no reaction, she slowly sat down.

“Feiruo, don’t mind her. Xiaomin…”

“Second Aunt, you’re being too formal.”

Jian Xiaomin remained oblivious to the conversation happening right next to her ear, as if everything was unrelated to her. Lin Feiruo didn’t know what exactly was wrong, but she still wanted to talk to her.

“Xiaomin?”

It was quiet; Xiaomin didn’t respond. Lin Feiruo thought for a moment and said, “Xiaomin, do you want to hear about your sister’s condition?”

Xiaomin gave a slight shudder and turned her head quickly, her shawl sliding off instantly. Yu Shuyi leaned down to pick it up and draped it over her again: “Don’t get excited.”

She bit her lip hard; it was obvious she wanted to listen but wouldn’t speak.

“Second Aunt, can I talk to Xiaomin alone for a bit? It won’t be long.”

Yu Shuyi hesitated for a moment and agreed.

Once she had taken the nurse away, Lin Feiruo continued: “Xiyan’s spirits are much better today. She even drank the soup Aunt Shu sent over. Did you drink yours too? How did it taste? Did you like it?”

Xiaomin nodded blankly: “Is my sister’s appetite good?”

“To be honest, she can’t eat much yet, so for now, it’s not great.”

Lin Feiruo’s blunt honesty actually made Xiaomin feel a bit more at ease. Today, when Jian Shenyao visited her, he wouldn’t give specific details and wouldn’t let her disturb Jian Xiyan; she was dying of worry!

“Then aren’t you going to keep accompanying her?”

“Liqing is here. I can’t eavesdrop on their private talk.”

Xiaomin remembered how she used to gossip with her sister and would pretentiously tell Lin Feiruo to stay away. She gave a small smile. Lin Feiruo waited for Xiaomin to ask more, but she lowered her head again, her left hand repeatedly rubbing the hem of her hospital gown.

Xiaomin was indeed behaving abnormally. Lin Feiruo observed her secretly, trying to find the root of the problem. According to Yu Shuyi, she had been like this since yesterday, unwilling to communicate—yet she clearly reacted to anything related to Jian Xiyan. This suggested she wasn’t unwilling to communicate; she was trapped in a vortex centered on Jian Xiyan.

Yesterday, Jian Xiyan had pushed her away at the last moment. In a way, Jian Xiyan had sacrificed herself to protect her. Is Xiaomin blaming herself?

Lin Feiruo probed: “Xiaomin, no one can predict accidents. Both you and Xiyan wanted each other to be safe, didn’t you?”

Xiaomin’s tears fell: “But if we hadn’t gone to Zhixiang Restaurant last night, maybe this accident wouldn’t have happened.”

“Responsibility for this doesn’t lie with you. You’re a victim too.”

“If I hadn’t forced that dinner, Sis wouldn’t have changed her schedule. I’d rather she went to her original engagement than blocked this car crash for me.” Xiaomin looked up, her eyes watery: “Sister Feiruo, I’ve been forcing the matchmaking—did I do something wrong?”

Lin Feiruo had guessed she was blaming herself, but she hadn’t expected her to connect it that far. Regarding Xiaomin’s previous proactive efforts, Lin Feiruo had found them amusing at times, but she didn’t think they were related to the crash.

“Xiaomin, you’re forcing a crime upon yourself. If we’re going by that logic, then since I left early last night, aren’t I even more in the wrong?”