To My Old Lover - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
After the press conference, everyone said I had won.
Song Qiming was under investigation.
The Song family’s projects were halted.
The Lu-Song engagement was canceled.
My aunt was exposed online for taking money to manipulate public opinion. She ran to the hospital, crying and begging me to delete the video.
I didn’t see her.
I simply had the nurse relay a message.
“Talk to my lawyer.”
Was that satisfying?
It was very satisfying.
But after the thrill faded, life had to go on.
Wen Ning’s consultation went smoothly.
The doctors provided a new treatment plan.
I found a stable job doing administrative work for a small company.
The salary wasn’t high.
But I no longer had to be called out in the middle of the night to serve drinks, and I didn’t have to worry about being fired on a whim by a manager.
Lu Chenzhou came to the hospital every day.
He didn’t enter the ward.
He would just stand at the end of the hallway for a while.
Sometimes he brought food.
Sometimes he brought medicine.
Sometimes he just handed a progress report on the legal matters to the nurse and left quietly.
On the third day, Wen Ning couldn’t help but ask, “Sis, is he trying to win you back?”
My face remained expressionless.
“He’s making amends.”
“Are you accepting them?”
“No.”
“You ate the food.”
“That’s because it would be a waste not to.”
Wen Ning gave an “oh.”
“You had two bowls of yesterday’s soup.”
I threw a pillow at him.
He laughed so hard he almost started coughing.
I rushed over to steady him.
A soft chuckle came from the doorway.
I looked back.
Lu Chenzhou was standing there, holding an insulated bag.
He looked at me, a hint of long-lost tenderness in his eyes.
My heart fluttered in confusion, and I immediately put on a cold face.
“Is President Lu that free?”
He said, “I’m not.”
“Then why are you still coming?”
“I wanted to see you.”
He was too direct.
The ward fell silent instantly.
Wen Ning pulled the covers up.
“I’m sleeping.”
I glared at him.
He closed his eyes and played dead.
Lu Chenzhou placed the insulated bag on the table.
“Today’s meal is light.”
I said, “I didn’t ask you to bring anything.”
“Mm.”
“Don’t bring anything in the future, either.”
“Mm.”
He agreed so quickly that I found myself at a loss for words.
I looked at him.
“What are you ‘mm-ing’ about?”
He said softly, “You said not to bring anything, so I won’t bring anything tomorrow.”
“But I will come to ask you if we can have a meal together.”
I laughed out of pure frustration.
“Is there a difference?”
“There is.”
He looked at me.
“I used to think that as long as I arranged everything for you, I was doing what was best for you.”
“Now, I want to ask you first.”
His voice was very soft.
Yet it suddenly made me unable to say anything sharp.
The Lu Chenzhou of four years ago wouldn’t have asked.
He would have pulled me along, made decisions for me, and shielded me behind his back.
Back then, I thought it was romantic.
Only later did I realize that the person shielded behind someone’s back might also be the first one to be cast aside.
I said, “Lu Chenzhou, I won’t forget the past just because you’ve learned how to bow your head now.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“And don’t think that because you canceled the engagement and publicly admitted to our past, I should be moved.”
“I know.”
“I don’t owe you a reconciliation.”
“You don’t.”
He caught every sentence steadily.
So steadily that my eyes began to sting.
I hated this.
I hated that he had finally become the person I wished he was back then.
I hated even more that I could still be wavered by this small change.
I turned around.
“Take your things and go.”
Lu Chenzhou was silent for a moment.
“Okay.”
He actually took them and left.
When the sound of the door closing faded, Wen Ning poked his head out from under the covers.
“Sis, are you crying?”
I said, “Shut up.”
