Chapter 50 Reconciliation “Is it enough?”

After seeing Xie Yaochen off, Han Rao returned to the ward. Su Zhiyu looked much more energetic today than yesterday and was idly leaning against the bed, shelling pistachios.

Seeing Han Rao return, Su Zhiyu immediately waved to her and stuffed the shelled nuts into her hand. “Did Xiao Xie see you off?”

Han Rao stuffed two pistachios into her mouth and softly hummed, without much emotion.

Su Zhiyu saw her cold and indifferent demeanor and sighed deeply, “Aying, I’m not trying to criticize you, but haven’t you and Xiao Xie completely cut ties yet?”

Today, when the elderly lady saw Xie Yaochen enter the ward and heard him affectionately call her “Grandma,” saying, “Grandma, I came to see you. How are you feeling?” Su Zhiyu was startled.

Since Han Rao broke up with him, Su Zhiyu never saw him again, never expecting that he would bring two boxes of ginseng to see her.

Han Rao frowned, wearing an expression that said, “Please don’t wrongfully accuse me.”

Su Zhiyu chuckled and, knowing her granddaughter well, understood that she wasn’t the type to play both sides. She could only say, “Isn’t it because I’m worried? I’m afraid that if Xiao Zhao comes over and you run into each other, it might be a bit awkward.”

Mentioning Zhao Jichuan, Su Zhiyu asked a couple more questions, “By the way, where’s Xiao Zhao? Why didn’t he come with you today?”

Han Rao’s back stiffened for a moment, then she stuffed the remaining pistachios in her hand into her mouth and mumbled an unclear lie, “He had something to do, so he left first.”

Su Zhiyu shrugged and said with a sigh, “I really think Xiao Zhao is a good person.”

Han Rao tugged at the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself, “What’s so good about him? Zhao Jichuan is clearly despicable to the extreme, yet he refuses to admit it and likes to pretend to be a good person.” At the thought of his vile behavior yesterday, Han Rao wanted nothing more than to bite him again and slap him hard.

But to cover up the embarrassing fact between her and Zhao Jichuan, Han Rao could only pretend to joke and retort to Su Zhiyu, “What’s so good about it? Grandma, you can’t be playing favorites. Just because someone gave you some bird’s nest, you think you’ve been bought? That won’t do. Even an old lady has to have some backbone!”

Su Zhiyu raised her hand and tapped her head. “You little ungrateful one, speaking so harshly—it’s just that my old lady can’t get out of bed, otherwise, I’d definitely smack you with my shoe sole.”

Hearing Su Zhiyu joke so lively, Han Rao’s nose tingled with emotion.

“Smacking you with the sole of my shoe” was Su Zhiyu’s catchphrase when she was “angry.” Han Rao had heard it since she was a child. According to Xu Lianqiu, Su Zhiyu loved to say this when she was little; it was a catchphrase that had been passed down for half a lifetime.

But these words were only spoken; Su Zhiyu was too concerned about Han Rao to even think of hitting her.

Han Rao curled her lips and took an orange from the fruit basket. “Do you want an orange?”

Su Zhiyu glanced at the box of strawberries beside her and said, “Eat strawberries.”

Han Rao had no choice but to wash the strawberries clean and then handed them to Su Zhiyu.

Su Zhiyu hadn’t forgotten the topic from just now. While eating strawberries, she said, “Aying, to be honest, I know that this time Xiao Zhao came over, buying things for me and helping me get in touch with the surgeon. I know all this is because of you. This old lady of mine is really benefiting from your connections. I heard he’s an expert who studied abroad, but he’s hard to get an appointment with. Still, I’m truly happy. The more he values this old lady, the more he cares about me, the more it shows how much he cares about you. These past few years, you’ve been drifting on your own, and now you have a boyfriend who knows when to be warm and when to be cool. Grandma is really pleased. Although you always say you can live well on your own, now that there’s someone thoughtful taking care of you, I feel at ease too…”

Su Zhiyu’s mindset was still relatively traditional. In her set of beliefs, a woman ultimately needed to find a man who understood her through thick and thin to enter the halls of marriage and build a family together. However, she was not an absolute authoritarian matriarch; she hoped Han Rao could have a boyfriend and eventually get married, but she did not want Han Rao to settle. She wished for her to find a man who truly loved her and stood tall and strong.

This time she was sick, and judging by Zhao Jichuan’s behavior, she was very satisfied.

Because one must always look beyond appearances to see the essence. She knew that since Zhao Jichuan was so dedicated and attentive to her as an old lady, he certainly wouldn’t treat her granddaughter any worse.

Su Zhiyu kept babbling incessantly, even dragging the topic to Han Rao having children in the future.

But she didn’t catch a single word of what was said afterward; her gaze was fixed tightly on the red strawberry box, staring at the droplets clinging to its edge..

The only thought left in her mind was: Was the doctor for her grandmother arranged by Zhao Jichuan? Did Zhao Jichuan come all the way from Beicheng purely out of concern for her grandmother?

Then what about her suspicion and rejection? What about her hysterical argument with him yesterday?

Han Rao’s heart trembled, and she couldn’t help but interrupt Su Zhiyu, “Grandma, did you just say the doctor who performed the surgery was contacted by Zhao Jichuan?”

She clenched the hem of her clothes, as if to confirm once more whether she was truly hearing things, whether she had wrongly blamed Zhao Jichuan.

Perhaps his heart is very pure, truly as he said, he just came to check on Grandma out of simple concern.

Perhaps none of it was the conspiracy theory she had imagined.

Perhaps he isn’t a person who is evil to the core.

Su Zhiyu chewed on a strawberry, “That’s right, all of this was said by Xiaoting, how could it be false?”

Han Rao immediately stood up, clutching her phone as she went out to call Han Ting.

Han Ting was still asleep, so he didn’t answer the phone promptly. Han Rao listened to the mechanical voice on the other end, unable to help but rub her arm; she hated the waiting process when making calls—it made her anxious and irritated.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of the call Zhao Jichuan had just made to her and hung up on him.

A wave of indescribable guilt surged in Han Rao’s heart. She pressed her lips lightly, standing at the stairway of the emergency exit, looking through the window at the scene outside the hospital.

The hospital seemed destined never to be a quiet place; downstairs, the traffic was incessant, and the sound of ambulances was especially piercing.

Not sure if it was just an illusion, Han Rao always felt that the black car that had just driven away looked very familiar, as if it was the one Zhao Jichuan drove yesterday.

She was a bit nearsighted, and with the floor being so high and the distance so far, she couldn’t make out the license plate number even when squinting.

Moreover, within just a few seconds, the car turned a corner and was blocked by the adjacent emergency building, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Han Rao laughed at herself self-mockingly; she was truly overwhelmed with guilt and vanity, actually thinking Zhao Jichuan had come to the hospital to see her again.

Yesterday in bed, she slapped him and brought up breaking up, and he was clearly upset.

After she sneaked away without saying goodbye, he pretended as if nothing had happened, not even calling her once.

How could he possibly be the one to show warmth?

Clinging to her cold back and then coming to find her again?

He was a proud man, the kind of pride born at the very top of the pyramid, a pride that seeped deep into his bones.

How could he be willing to bow his head for her?

Moreover, she was a woman who hit him, scolded him, and said she hated him, completely ungrateful.

Han Rao closed her eyes, feeling helpless once again.

Just then, Han Ting’s voice finally came through the radio waves. He was clearly woken up, his voice hoarse, “Sis, what’s wrong?”

Han Rao immediately asked, “Was the doctor who performed Grandma’s surgery found by Zhao Jichuan? What exactly did you say to him when you called that day? Hurry up and tell me the whole story from start to finish.”

Han Rao’s series of questions made Han Ting feel uneasy. He became somewhat more alert and leaned against the headboard, saying, “It’s not like that, sister. Didn’t these brothers-in-law tell you?”

“Mm.” Han Rao muttered gloomily, unsure whether she was sulking with herself or with someone else.

Han Ting immediately understood and, recalling the argument between Han Rao and Zhao Jichuan yesterday, recounted the entire sequence of events from yesterday word for word.

After hanging up the phone, Han Rao rested her arm on the windowsill, watching the busy and chaotic scene downstairs, and couldn’t help but sigh.

She was too impulsive.

She had wronged Zhao Jichuan.

It was she who wronged him.

Han Ting said that yesterday he couldn’t reach Han Rao, so he called Zhao Jichuan, intending to find out whether Han Rao was with him or not. However, when Zhao Jichuan heard that Grandma had an accident, he immediately stopped the meeting he was in and had Sun Hao urgently contact the best expert team in Suzhou to perform surgery on Su Zhiyu.

In fact, PCI surgery technology in the country is already very advanced. It is a minimally invasive procedure with little risk, but Zhao Jichuan still helped arrange the best doctor.

Han Ting also said that Zhao Jichuan was very worried about Han Rao, especially about Grandma, so he specifically came from the northern city and bought many things for Grandma.

“Actually, it wasn’t my brother-in-law who took the initiative to tell Grandma about your relationship; Grandma just guessed it right away. Grandma even asked him directly whether he was your friend or boyfriend, and only then did he admit he was your boyfriend. To be honest, sis, I really admire my brother-in-law for that—he owned up when he needed to and showed a lot of responsibility. Think about it, if yesterday he had pretended to be clueless and denied it, how could he have come back with you to meet the family later on?”

Han Ting’s words kept echoing in her mind, and Han Rao felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

It was her own defensiveness that was too strong, misinterpreting his kindness, and even saying so many harsh words to him.

Han Rao covered her face and pushed open the window. The biting wind kept pouring down her neck until a thorough chill spread through her body, and only then did she suddenly come to her senses and close the window again.

Han Rao was actually a person who clearly distinguished between love and hate. She knew that if she had wrongly blamed Zhao Jichuan, she had to stand at attention and accept the punishment.

She was not the kind of person who, for the sake of so-called “face,” would puff up her shoulders and refuse to admit her mistakes.

Wrong is wrong.

She must have broken his heart.

Han Rao held her phone, lowered her eyes, and immediately called him.

The mechanical voice sounded again, devoid of any emotion, making Han Rao’s heart ache in waves.

She actually didn’t know how she would explain herself if he answered the call, or how she would soothe him so he wouldn’t be angry with her. She hadn’t thought any of that through; her only immediate reaction was to call him and say “I’m sorry,” and also “Thank you.”

The mechanical voice pierced her eardrums in waves. Han Rao clenched her phone tightly, then slowly released it, repeating this over and over until the robotic female voice said, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable…”

Han Rao’s shoulders immediately slumped. She hung up the phone, feeling an emptiness in her heart.

He was indeed angry, which was why he didn’t want to answer her call.

Unwilling to give up, Han Rao called Sun Hao again.

Actually, ever since she and Zhao Jichuan truly slept together, their meetings were no longer arranged through Sun Hao, and Han Rao didn’t have much deeper interaction with him either. But Han Rao didn’t want to give up this channel, the only way to contact Zhao Jichuan.

Sure enough, Sun Hao was somewhat courteous and answered the phone, “Miss Han.”

“Assistant Sun, are you with Zhao Jichuan? Could you please trouble him to take my call? Just tell him I have something important to discuss.” Han Rao bit her lip lightly.

“Miss Han, I’m not with Mr. Zhao right now. We have a 1 PM flight this afternoon from Wuxi back to Beicheng. I’ll go pick him up later. If you have anything convenient to say, you can tell me, and I will pass it on to him.”

Han Rao tugged at her lips, glanced at the time, and said sulkily, “Heading back to Beicheng, huh.”

“Yes, there are still some matters to handle at the company,” Sun Hao said matter-of-factly.

“Then forget it. Could you ask him to call me back later?”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Han Rao actually had the urge to rush straight to the airport and confront him.

The next second, she gave up on that ridiculous idea of going to the airport to find someone. Such a cliché drama move—how did she even come up with it? The airport was so huge; if Zhao Jichuan didn’t contact her, she could run herself ragged and still wouldn’t find him.

Besides, no one could be left alone with Grandma. Han Ting and Old Han were catching up on sleep at home, and even if they came to the hospital, they’d have to wait a while. Xu Lianqiu had glanced at Grandma in the morning but hurried off to work, saying the school was holding some kind of oath-taking assembly.

Han Rao sighed, slumping her shoulders as she returned to the ward, only able to pray that Zhao Jichuan would be willing to call her back.

　　-

Sun Hao hung up the phone and immediately looked toward Zhao Jichuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, smoking. The man’s eyes were cold and clear, showing no sign of any emotional change.

Just now, the phone was on speaker, and every word Han Rao said was transmitted into his ears without missing a single one.

But he showed no reaction, only signaling Sun Hao to deal with her. Sun Hao had worked with him for so many years and had dealt with all kinds of people, but it was the first time he had to handle a woman, especially the woman President Zhao cared about deeply. He was always worried about saying the wrong thing or being too harsh.

“Mr. Zhao, what about Miss Han?”

Zhao Jichuan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, chuckled softly, and involuntarily began to replay the scene of her seeing Xie Yaochen out in his mind. Then he said, “If she calls you again, don’t answer.”

Sun Hao nodded and immediately changed the subject, “Shall you go change your clothes first?”

Zhao Jichuan slowly stood up and glanced at his phone again; as expected, Han Rao had started sending him messages on WeChat.

When she sent WeChat messages, she seemed like a child. Sometimes, instead of sending a long paragraph in one message, she would split it into several parts, even sending just a few words at a time. Every time he chatted with her, his phone kept ringing nonstop.

At first, Zhao Jichuan was also not used to it.

If anyone in the company reported to him with this kind of attitude, then they might as well quit. Because Zhao Jichuan believed this was a sign of extreme unprofessionalism.

But she did not deliberately scold Han Rao, nor did she order her to break this habit.

Over time, he gradually got used to it.

But today, watching message after message pop up, Zhao Jichuan felt nothing but restlessness.

He didn’t want to deal with her, so he coolly and decisively blocked her.

The phone stopped ringing, and Zhao Jichuan felt the world had become peaceful.

The man quickly tidied himself up, changed into a black business-style suit, tied his tie in front of the mirror, and then set off with Sun Hao back to Beicheng, leaving all the unpleasantness and the people who caused it behind in Suzhou.

Since returning to Beicheng, Zhao Jichuan has been busy with work these past two days. After all, it’s the beginning of the year, and the company has quite a few projects.

That night, he returned home after socializing, it was already past eleven o’clock.

The man had a bit to drink today, so Wang Jie made a point of seeing him safely to his doorstep before driving away.

As soon as he entered, Zhao Jichuan keenly noticed some changes in the room. He rubbed his temples, took a bottle of water from the fridge, and gulped down more than half of it.

He slowly twisted the bottle cap on, then set it down on the table. Only a dim light was on in the living room, casting a hazy glow that made the man’s face look dark and indistinct.

He turned around and half leaned against the table, seeming a bit hot, so he pulled off his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his black silk shirt.

The room was silent, except for the sound of fabric rubbing as he straightened his clothes; there was no other noise.

Suddenly, Zhao Jichuan broke the silence, speaking in a deep voice, “Come out.”

Han Rao was seen slowly walking out of the study.

She stood at the study door, staring at him blankly, then lowered her head as if avoiding him, looking as if she had done something wrong.

Zhao Jichuan squinted slightly. Today, she wore a tight sweater, black with a high collar, looking at her at a glance, she seemed like a proud black swan.

Suddenly, he was reminded of the scene when they first met. She was also wearing a black dress, high heels, exuding an air of pride, talking on the phone while questioning Li Mengyang whether she was supposed to sleep with someone.

The man didn’t know whether her outfit today was intentional or coincidental. In any case, having a beauty appear before him ultimately lifted his spirits.

He couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly, but his voice was full of detachment as he spoke, “Miss Han, coming to me in the middle of the night, what brings you here?”

Han Rao was momentarily stunned. He deliberately called her “Miss Han” again, purposely acting as if they were not familiar with each other.

She thought, when he spoiled her, it was genuine; now that he’s cold, it’s truly cold, with knives hidden in every few words.

Han Rao lifted her leg and walked up to him. “I came back this afternoon. I called you, but you didn’t answer, and you didn’t let Assistant Sun answer either, so I had no choice but to wait for you at home.”

After Grandma was discharged from the hospital, Han Rao stayed with her for another day before immediately flying back to Beicheng to find Zhao Jichuan.

This time she didn’t lie, nor did she deliberately play the victim; she had indeed been waiting for him at home all along.

She had actually been anxious all afternoon, unsure of what his attitude would be today. Maybe he would scold her, maybe he would pin her down on the bed and deal with her, or maybe he would kick her out—any of these were things he was capable of doing.

Of course, it’s also possible that he becomes completely disillusioned, and in a fit of anger, rejects her and withdraws all the resources he had given her.

Han Rao convinced herself to accept all of this.

She just wanted, no matter what, to come over and thank him and apologize to him face to face.

But just now, when she truly heard the sound of the door opening, she still chickened out, involuntarily terrified of the unknown, unable to face him, and had no choice but to hurriedly hide in the study.

Unexpectedly, he still noticed.

Sometimes she just thought that he was truly like a keen hunter, and she was the prey in his hands—no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t escape his palm.

Han Rao lifted her eyes and met his gaze. His facial expression remained unchanged, only slightly raising his chin to signal her to continue speaking.

He actually wanted to see what kind of scene she could make.

Han Rao raised her hand to wrap around his waist, burying her head in his chest, and said gloomily, “Zhao Jichuan, I’m sorry, and thank you.”

The familiar scent and embrace followed one after another. The man paused for a moment, reflexively raised his hand, then silently lowered it again, feigning indifference as he mockingly said, “What’s there to be sorry about? And what’s there to be thankful for?”

Then, he reached out to take her hand.

Who would have thought that the girl who usually seemed so gentle and weak would suddenly summon such strength at this moment, her fair hand marked with a red welt from the tight grip, refusing to let go.

She shook her head repeatedly, looking pitiful, her eyes reddening at the corners. She tilted her head up and said to him, “Zhao Jichuan, please listen to me until I finish, okay?”

The man withdrew his hand.

Han Rao pressed her lips together. “Thank you because you promptly found the best doctor for Grandma and saved her life. I’m sorry because I shouldn’t have wrongly accused you without reason, suspected you of ill intentions, lost my temper with you, and said hurtful things.”

Han Rao’s eyelashes fluttered lightly, casting a fan-shaped shadow on her face, making her look charming and adorable.

She didn’t wear makeup today, her bare face showing, her full red lips pressed into a thin line as she blinked, waiting for his reaction.

Unexpectedly, the man only gave a soft “hmm,” then, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, suddenly pried her hand apart, threw her aside, and sat down on the sofa himself, crossing his legs with a detached, interrogator-like demeanor.

Han Rao rubbed her hands, feeling as if her heart was being twisted by a knife.

She never actually expected Zhao Jichuan to respond so indifferently, leaving her embarrassed and at a loss. He showed no hint of emotion, his indifferent attitude only making her heart ache.

He really might as well have mocked her a couple of times, hit her a few times, or stripped her naked and made love to her on the bed until she was torn between life and death—it would have been more satisfying.

In their relationship, Han Rao, who was skilled in sweet talk and good at coaxing, seemed to have instantly been drained of all her strength.

She stood there stunned, facing him, not knowing how to react.

Han Rao took a breath and hesitantly said, “In any case, Zhao Jichuan, thank you. Grandma has recovered well and has been discharged from the hospital.”

She even bent down to bow to him, to express her gratitude.

Zhao Jichuan looked at her loose hair, his temples twitching, unable to figure out what this silly woman was up to.

The next second, Han Rao said, “Then you rest first, I won’t disturb you.”

Saying this, he was about to leave.

Emotion finally colored the man’s brows and eyes. He furrowed his brow slightly, exuding a chill, and asked her, “Did I tell you to leave?”

Han Rao curled her fingers together, turned her body, and looked at him in confusion.

Zhao Jichuan beckoned to her, and Han Rao walked over with small steps, standing about a foot away from him.

The man raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into his embrace, tracing the corner of her lips with his fingertip. “Raorao, are you apologizing like this, or thanking me?”

Nor did he call her “Miss Han” anymore.

Han Rao blinked, feeling a weight lift from her heart. She leaned in slightly toward him but still called him “President Zhao.” She said, “Then, President Zhao, teach me how to apologize.”

Her breath, whether intentional or not, sprayed onto his neck like a feather, brushing back and forth.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently as he felt an intense thirst, and the blood within him began to stir restlessly.

He concealed the change in his emotions, let out a light snort, truly thinking he had never seen such a shameless woman like her, then raised his hand and threw her onto the sofa, saying, “Think for yourself.”

The sofa was very soft, and Han Rao immediately sank into it, momentarily dazed.

The next second, she sat up panting, hooked her arms around his neck, straddled his lap, and lowered her head to plant a kiss on his lips.

She blinked, her eyes filled with an indescribable allure.

She asked, “Is it enough?”