After Divorcing the Beautiful Richest Woman, She Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 34

Lin Feiruo’s question caught Jian Xiaomin off guard. Clearly, Xiaomin didn’t see any connection between Lin Feiruo’s early departure and the car accident.

Seeing her silence, Lin Feiruo continued, “What happened has already happened; we can’t change the past. We should work toward a better outcome. Getting trapped in ‘what ifs’ is painful, and that kind of emotion will only hinder your recovery.”

Jian Xiaomin looked at her cast. “My sister’s injuries are much worse than mine.”

“Exactly. That’s why you need to get better even faster. If you do, her mood will improve significantly.”

Jian Xiaomin turned to look at her, and Lin Feiruo gave a half-earnest, half-playful nod. “It’s true. Xiyan is constantly worried about you. If you recover quickly and get back to your energetic self, she’ll be very happy.”

Jian Xiaomin pursed her lips tightly. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and looked up. “Okay. I’m going to get better quickly!”

“That’s the spirit. That’s the strong Jian Xiaomin I know.”

Jian Xiaomin corrected her, “No, I am the sister of the brave and strong Jian Xiyan.”

Lin Feiruo was amused by her serious tone. “Right, right. You’re absolutely right.”

Jian Xiaomin’s mood improved, and she regained some of her vitality. Even though her movements were restricted by the cast, she looked like she had come back to life.

Yu Shuyi watched her daughter and Lin Feiruo interact. Even from the back, she could tell Xiaomin was willing to communicate again. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes welling with tears.

“Sister Feiruo, will you take me to see my sister? I wanted to go the moment I woke up this morning, but my parents insisted the doctor wanted me to get more sun.”

“Xiyan still needs a lot of rest; she can’t stay awake for long. By the time I get back, she’ll probably be ready for a nap.”

“Oh.” Jian Xiaomin didn’t want to disturb her sister’s rest, so she sat there fiddling with her hem.

“I’ll take you when it’s time for her dinner.”

Jian Xiaomin’s eyes lit up—the most life they had shown in two days. “Okay!”

She suddenly sighed softly. “Sister Feiruo, you don’t know… I couldn’t tell my parents any of those thoughts. My dad—forget it, he just knows how to act like the patriarch, constantly telling me to be ‘sensible.’ My mom is great, but I didn’t want her to know about the problems between you and my sister.”

“Xiaomin, don’t shoulder responsibilities that aren’t yours; it’s exhausting. About your sister and me…” Lin Feiruo chose her words carefully. “The issues between us will be resolved slowly. There’s no rush.”

Jian Xiaomin had sensed the gentleness in Lin Feiruo’s voice when she described Jian Xiyan’s condition earlier. In her heart, she believed Lin Feiruo hadn’t lost her feelings for her sister. Someone without feelings couldn’t speak so softly. She wasn’t as anxious as she was before.

“True feelings show in times of trouble. I believe you two will be just fine.”

Lin Feiruo checked the time, preparing to leave. “Keep getting some sun. I have to head back.”

“Stay and chat a bit longer.” Jian Xiaomin felt time was flying; they had barely said anything.

“Don’t forget, you’re still a patient.”

Jian Xiaomin turned obedient. “Oh, right. I need to get better quickly.”

“And I need to go back and check on your sister.”

Jian Xiaomin smiled. “Go ahead then. Thanks for the hard work, Sister Feiruo.”

Seeing Lin Feiruo about to leave, Yu Shuyi led the nurse back over. As they crossed paths, Yu Shuyi stopped. “Feiruo, thank you so much.”

Lin Feiruo glanced back at Jian Xiaomin, seeing the nurse help her with the blanket and shawl, and whispered her secret to Yu Shuyi: “If she doesn’t listen, just bring up Xiyan. She’ll turn into a good girl instantly.”

Yu Shuyi admitted, “I tried that—more than once. But she just cried harder when she heard her name, so I didn’t dare say much after that.”

Lin Feiruo knew without asking that she had probably used typical parental logic, which often creates pressure and the feeling of not being understood.

“Just say that Xiyan’s recovery needs Xiaomin’s help. Give her a sense of mission.”

“Huh? Won’t that cause mental pressure?”

“No, it’s called ‘the right medicine for the symptom.’ That’s exactly what works on Xiaomin.”

Yu Shuyi stopped questioning. Lin Feiruo had just proven with her actions that she had found the root cause and successfully resolved it. “You really are impressive.”

By the time Lin Feiruo returned to the ward, Xu Liqing had already left. She tactfully didn’t ask what they had discussed, only mentioning that she had run into Xiaomin in the garden.

Jian Xiyan was a bit tired but not yet sleepy; she listened with her eyes closed.

“Do you want some fruit?” Lin Feiruo opened the fruit basket Xu Liqing had brought, intending to pick an apple.

“I’m not hungry. You eat.”

Lin Feiruo took one anyway, washed it, and sat down to peel it. “Xiaomin is recovering well. I’ll bring her over during dinner, how about that?”

Hearing that Xiaomin was doing okay, Jian Xiyan’s mood lightened. “Alright.”

Lin Feiruo sliced the apple, setting half aside. She continued to chop the other half into tiny pieces, barely larger than a fingernail. She speared a piece with a toothpick and held it to Jian Xiyan’s lips. “Try it.”

Jian Xiyan looked at her, her eyes seemingly saying, Didn’t I say I wasn’t hungry?

“This amount won’t fix hunger; it’s purely a patient requirement. If you don’t want Xiaomin to keep crying her face off, eat a bit and get better quickly.”

Sure enough, Jian Xiyan softened at the thought of her sister’s tear-streaked, blank face from the day before. She did need to recover quickly; a mountain of work was waiting for her.

Lin Feiruo successfully finished feeding her the half-apple before starting on the half she kept for herself.

In her entire life, Jian Xiyan had never shared a piece of fruit like this with anyone. Even with Xiaomin, it was always one portion each. She felt a bit self-conscious. “You could have picked a fresh one for yourself.”

Lin Feiruo didn’t mind. The fruit Xu Liqing bought was top-tier, and this half looked perfectly fresh. “Don’t let it go to waste.” Besides, no one else had touched it; it was perfectly clean. Lin Feiruo couldn’t think of a reason to throw it away.

She ate with gusto, each bite making a crisp sound. But in Jian Xiyan’s eyes, it felt as if they were biting into the same apple—it felt a bit strange. Inexplicably, she felt the distance between them had become quite close.

But there was no choice; given her current situation, things certainly couldn’t be like they were before. Lin Feiruo was only drawing closer to take care of her. Thinking of it this way, Jian Xiyan felt a bit more at ease.

When Jian Xiyan’s leg pain flared up, the nurse gave her some pain medication, and she soon fell into a deep sleep. Consequently, Lin Feiruo also managed to get a decent nap.

At dinner time, Aunt Shu delivered another meal. Xiaomin was wheeled into Jian Xiyan’s ward, and the atmosphere was much better than the day before. Although one sister was sitting and one was lying down, both had smiles on their faces.

“Sis, I’ll definitely get better soon. When I do, I’ll give you a massage.”

Xiaomin deliberately ate a large mouthful in front of her, her cheeks puffed out. Lin Feiruo stood at the foot of the bed with her bowl, not joining the conversation.

Jian Xiyan saw her sister’s puffed-out cheeks and instinctively looked for the “original version.” Sure enough, Lin Feiruo looked more like a hamster; she felt a strong urge to give her a poke.

Jian Xiyan’s condition was mostly stable now; the only issue was the pain—sharp, obvious pain. It was manageable during the day, but at night, it was nearly impossible to sleep peacefully. This wasn’t something that could be overcome by willpower alone. Willpower could stop her from crying out, but it couldn’t make her sleep through it. Ultimately, she had to rely on pain medication.

During these days, Lin Feiruo spent most of her time at the hospital, not even having time to think about the salon from the other night.

Every day when Yu Qingci checked her inbox, she would look to see if there was an email from Lin Feiruo. While she didn’t demand feedback on the salon, she still hoped for some response. However, remembering how hurriedly she had left, Yu Qingci assumed someone very important had been hospitalized. As a doctor herself, she knew well the reality of caring for a patient; it was perfectly normal to be unable to attend to anything else. Although she felt a bit of regret, she didn’t proactively disturb Lin Feiruo.

The news had been full of reports about Jian Xiyan’s car accident and hospitalization. From the various rumors flying on the night of the incident to the more standardized reports recently, the story remained a hot topic.

Yu Qingci had heard her colleagues discussing it, but since Jian Xiyan was in a private hospital, few substantive insider details had leaked. She didn’t like participating in such private discussions about patients, so she usually stayed only briefly before walking away.

Lately, her resistance toward the hospital’s working atmosphere had increased. She didn’t understand why there were fewer doctors with empathy for patients, with the two sides gradually turning into unrelated parties. The worsening of the doctor-patient relationship wasn’t a new phenomenon, but the increasing frequency of using illnesses as gossip topics within the hospital was not a good sign.

Yu Qingci felt a bit weary and casually closed the topics related to Jian Xiyan’s accident; she wasn’t interested in the private lives of celebrities.

Recently, Jian Xiyan had become able to sit up slowly, though not for too long. Her leg still ached, but she was gradually getting used to the pain.

Lin Feiruo spent most of her time in the hospital, occasionally leaving for a short while to handle personal matters, during which Yu Shuyi would bring Xiaomin over to take over the shift. The hospital had nurses and caregivers, so they weren’t needed for physical labor, but it felt unsettling without one of their own watching over her.

Xu Liqing had visited twice, each stay being very short. Jian Xiyan never told anyone what they discussed.

Jian Shenyao had been a bit busy lately and didn’t visit often. Today, he came to the ward while Lin Feiruo happened to be out. He sent Yu Shuyi and their daughter away: “I have something to talk to Xiyan about. Take Xiaomin back to her ward to rest first.”

Jian Xiyan saw that her Second Uncle was very serious and assumed he wanted to talk business. She leaned against the headboard, her lips still a bit pale. “Second Uncle, what is it?”

“Xiyan, has Feiruo not been living at home lately?”

Jian Xiyan stiffened. Her Second Uncle had never made a point of prying into her private life before; it seemed he had specifically investigated this time.

Seeing her silence, Jian Shenyao continued, “I didn’t intend to pry, but since Feiruo turned off her phone for no reason, I did a thorough check. It turns out she’s been staying at a hotel during this time.”

Living apart for no reason—there was definitely a problem. Jian Shenyao hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and showed her a few photos.

“And this. Look, do you know the person in these?”

The photos were of Lin Feiruo and Yu Qingci chatting warmly outside the salon venue. There were shots of them signing in together, and then walking into the venue side-by-side.

Jian Xiyan had searched for Yu Qingci’s information online. Although she looked slightly different from her ID photo, she was generally recognizable. Since Lin Feiruo had already explained the reason, Jian Xiyan wasn’t surprised.

However… she had to think of an excuse that would be convincing.

“Xiyan?”

Jian Xiyan sighed. “Second Uncle, we’ve had some friction.”

Jian Shenyao had an “I knew it” expression.

“With President Bu changing his mind, I was overwhelmed with the stress of the Qinghe project, so I couldn’t help but argue with her,” Jian Xiyan said helplessly. “I know it was wrong, but sometimes it’s hard to control my emotions. After arguing too much, we realized it was hurting our relationship, so we decided to live apart for a while until I finished the project.”

Jian Shenyao hadn’t expected this to be the reason and was momentarily stunned.