Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 35

“—Sister Hui just called. She has something important to discuss. I won’t be coming back.”

These parting words from Ruan Youran left Chu Nian feeling uneasy all afternoon. Even while preparing juice for Zhengzhi, she was so distracted that Zhengzhi had to interject anxiously: “Mamma, don’t put so many carrots. It won’t taste good.”

Chu Nian snapped out of it, hurriedly picking out the carrots. Steadying herself, she asked Zhengzhi, “Where are the grandmas?”

Zhengzhi looked at her strangely. “Didn’t they just leave?”

She had just seen her mother waving goodbye to them; what was wrong with her? Chu Nian nodded, finished the juice, and sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Her mind was a mess. She wondered why Sister Hui wanted to see Youran at this specific time. Where would they go… where would they talk… what would they do…

“Mamma.” Zhengzhi put down her toys and leaned in, climbing onto the sofa to sit directly in Chu Nian’s lap. “Are you afraid?”

“What?” Chu Nian blinked at her. Zhengzhi stared back into her eyes. “I want to go out and play.”

Instinctively, Chu Nian shook her head. “No.”

Zhengzhi’s health wasn’t at the point where she could be completely free yet; although her indicators were normal, they still had to be careful. Zhengzhi rarely threw fits, but now she pouted: “The weather is so good. Can’t we go out together? We can go find Mamma-Youran. I miss her.”

Chu Nian paused, looking at her daughter. “She just left.”

Zhengzhi’s eyes turned watery, making it impossible to refuse. “I just want to stick to Mamma-Youran every second.”

Talking with Zhengzhi distracted Chu Nian, but looking at her, she suddenly realized she might have underestimated her daughter. “Why?”

Zhengzhi lowered her head, fiddling with the teddy bear her grandmother had brought, her voice tiny: “I heard a story yesterday. It said the Papa Bear in the forest left with Auntie Fox and never came home again…”

Chu Nian: “…” Zhengzhi: “My Mamma-Youran is so pretty…” Chu Nian: “…”

Is this child becoming a little spirit?

Regardless, it gave Chu Nian an excuse to leave. She looked at Zhengzhi. “Go finish your juice now, then look at your picture book. Put on a mask, and Mamma will take you out, but only for a little while, understand?”

“Yay!”

Zhengzhi jumped up happily to hug Chu Nian’s neck. Chu Nian wanted to smile, but her eyes were full of bitterness.

Ruan Youran had left early. She went to the main office for a simple handover without lingering. Being the daughter of the boss, it was easy to request leave. Everyone noticed she seemed different; in the past, she would have chatted with everyone with a smile like a spring breeze, but now she was hurried and efficient, leaving immediately after finishing—reminiscent of President Ruan’s own style. Rumors spread that Youran might be taking over the succession soon.

Youran didn’t care for the gossip. She visited several locations to meet with famous domestic cardiologists. Most were Chu Qing’s friends and were very kind to her. Knowing how busy they were, Youran didn’t use her status to skip lines. She waited patiently at every hospital, skipping lunch to run from one specialist to the next.

Several old professors reviewed the medical records she brought. Most shook their heads: “It’s reached the point of needing a transplant. It’s not looking good, Youran.”

Youran knew this, but hearing it again made her heart ache anew. Among them, a vice-president who was close friends with Chu Qing stroked his beard and asked softly, “Is this a family member?”

Youran nodded. She had heard too much bad news today; her heart was on the verge of collapsing.

The professor looked closely at the files and the scans against the sunlight. “This patient missed the best window for treatment. If she hadn’t given birth—as you said, if she had come to see me when the symptoms started three years ago—I could have guaranteed she wouldn’t need a transplant. But now…”

Youran’s hands and feet went cold. The professor looked at her. “Her physical foundation is very poor; she must not overexert herself. Even a transplant carries high risk. Of course, child, don’t be too pessimistic. There is still a certain success rate.”

A certain success rate…

When Youran left the hospital, a fine drizzle had begun to fall. She clutched the medical reports to her chest, shielding them from the rain, and stood alone in the street wailing. During this period, she had cried too many times.

Love was for her. Hate was for her. She had thought about truly separating, but she could never actually harden her heart. And now, was she really going to leave her in this way?

The rain was light but dense. Chu Nian, who was about to take Zhengzhi out, let out a sigh at the sight. Zhengzhi was excited by the rain. “Mamma, call Mamma-Youran to come back and let’s have hot pot, okay?”

Chu Nian turned and pinched her cheek. “Mamma-Youran is busy with work. Don’t disturb her.”

Zhengzhi fell silent, her head drooping, along with her two little hair-buns. She wanted to ask: Mamma didn’t even call, how does she know Mamma-Youran is busy? In her books, the mothers of pandas and ducks always called the busy fathers after cooking, and the fathers would always come home no matter how busy they were.

When Sister Hui saw Youran, she was startled. For their meeting, she had dressed up extravagantly; her perfume filled the cafe, drawing gazes from everyone.

Youran walked in soaking wet. Passersby recognized her and began taking photos. Sister Hui frowned, stepped forward, and pulled the dazed Youran into a private room.

“What’s happened?” Sister Hui asked. Youran kept her head down in silence.

Sister Hui raised an eyebrow. “It’s been so long since we met; how did you get yourself into this state?”

Youran pursed her lips, her heart filled with desolation. If only… if only she could go back three years… she would have forced Chu Nian to see the specialists immediately. But in this world, the one thing never in short supply is “if.”

“Sister… the thing I asked of you…” Youran spoke listlessly.

Sister Hui was a powerful woman. She twisted the ring on her finger and shook her head. “Are you going to talk to me like this? Drink some ginger soup first.”

Youran looked up, her eyes wet from the rain, her clothes soaked through, faintly revealing her silhouette. Sister Hui looked out the window for a moment, then handed over a gift she had prepared. “Ha, what a coincidence. Here, this is for you.”

It was a crisp white shirt. Youran looked at it, stayed silent for a moment, then took it to the bathroom to change.

As the tea steamed, Sister Hui waited patiently. Ten minutes later, Youran returned with her hair dried, her complexion looking a bit better. Sister Hui handed her a cup of hot milk. “Alright, sit down. Jianjian, what on earth happened for you to end up like this?”

Youran took a sip of the milk. “It’s a long story.”

“Still won’t tell me?” Sister Hui raised an eyebrow. Youran nodded softly; she had no heart to speak of such things.

Sister Hui sighed. She met Youran’s eyes and pulled a file from a bag. “You little heartless thing. You haven’t contacted me in so long, and then you only look for me when you need something. Here, I’ve handled it for you. But your mother is such a famous doctor; why look to me for answers she already has?”

Youran looked at the thick envelope, hesitating to take it.

“Who exactly is this person you’re getting a diagnosis for?” Sister Hui asked.

After a pause, Youran said flatly: “My wife.”

The coffee cup in Sister Hui’s hand almost fell to the floor. She looked at Youran in disbelief. Youran didn’t look at her; her pale, cold hands slowly opened the envelope.

It was all in English. Various signatures and medical scribbles. Youran was confused; though her English was good, she couldn’t understand the technical medical terminology. She looked up at Sister Hui with a plea for help.

That piteous, puppy-like gaze was something Sister Hui had no resistance to. She set down her coffee. “Simply put, you asked me to consult specialists in Germany about how many years this person has left.”

Sister Hui was used to the bluntness of the industry and didn’t sugarcoat anything. Youran stared at her intently.

“The specialist said that if the transplant is successful, his optimistic estimate is that she has at most six years of life left. Her physical foundation is very poor; it would take a miracle for more. And if it’s not successful… well, you know.”

Youran said no more. Her strength seemed to vanish, and the file slid from her fingers.

Sister Hui looked at her face. “Actually… your mom has so many medical resources. If you fight with everything you have, maybe a miracle will happen. Jianjian, you…”

She saw Youran’s bloodless face and wondered if she had been too blunt. But it was the truth; if she didn’t tell her, Youran would eventually figure it out from the report.

Youran didn’t know how she walked out of the cafe. She didn’t even remember if she said goodbye. She just walked along the street, letting the cold rain hit her face.

Six years… Ha, six years.

—”What are you doing crying in the closet? Come out! From now on, I’ll protect you!” —”Chu Nian, from now on, you’re my woman. Don’t think of leaving.” —”I can’t wait to have you, not for a single minute…” —”If… if God is really this unfair to me, I’ll accept my fate.”

When Youran got home, she was soaked through. Her face looked terrible as she entered, radiating a chill. Zhengzhi, who was eating, was so startled she forgot to swallow. Chu Nian was also shocked and quickly grabbed a blanket, rushing over. “Why didn’t you take an umbrella?”

The familiar scent approached, and Chu Nian’s eyes were full of anxiety. But Youran’s heart was full of a bitter, vengeful hate. She grabbed Chu Nian’s wrist and slammed her against the wall.

Zhengzhi gasped, her spoon falling to the floor, as she quickly covered her eyes with both hands.