bookrandom Chapter 863: Feelings That Dare Not Delve Deeper
Chapter 863: Feelings That Dare Not Delve Deeper
Jiang Chengyu walked out of the intensive care unit, his soul seemed to have been taken away from him, and his steps were as weak as a walking corpse.
He didn't think about the direction deliberately, his feet seemed to follow the predetermined track in his memory.
Mechanically moving towards the elevator, the light from the corridor fell on him, casting a thin and lonely shadow.
As I walked to the elevator door, I ran into several doctors I had worked with before.
One of them was the first to recognize him, a delighted smile instantly spreading across his face as he took the initiative to greet him: "Hey, Professor Jiang? Are you awake?"
Another person echoed, his tone filled with genuine joy: "Yes, Professor Jiang, it's great to see you again at Renxin Hospital!"
Jiang Chengyu was in a state of disarray at the moment, his mind was blank, and he just nodded subconsciously. His eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, and even the face of the person in front of him was a little blurry.
The doctor who spoke earlier wanted to say something else, but was quietly stopped by his colleague who leaned close to his ear.
She whispered softly, "Stop talking. Didn't you see Professor Jiang like this? He must have been keeping vigil all night for Mother Mu. Look how haggard he is. Don't disturb him."
At this moment, there was a soft "ding" sound, and the elevator door slowly opened. The doctor who had kindly reminded me just now stepped forward.
He gently supported Jiang Chengyu and said softly, "Professor Jiang, the elevator is here. Come on, I'll help you in."
Jiang Chengyu responded woodenly: "Oh, thank you."
Then he mechanically followed her into the elevator, his back leaning against the cold wall of the car. His eyelids felt as heavy as if they were glued on, and he just wanted to droop them.
The elevator stopped midway, and the two doctors arrived at the floor. They politely said to Jiang Chengyu:
"Professor Jiang, we're going to get busy now. Please go back to your office and have a good rest. Bye."
"Okay..." Jiang Chengyu's voice was so light that it seemed like it could be blown away by the wind.
The elevator door closed again, and he was the only one left in the small space. The elevator slowly rose.
The mirror reflected the dark circles under his eyes and his listless look, as if all his strength had been drained away.
Another "ding" sounded, and the elevator arrived at the top floor. Jiang Chengyu dragged his heavy steps out of the elevator, relying on muscle memory,
He walked to the door of the office where Mu Xiaoji and he used to work together. He reached out his hand and pushed open the half-closed door.
In the office, Cui Jiani, Luo Jinxi, Bai Jinrong and others all looked towards the door.
When they saw Jiang Chengyu's appearance clearly, everyone subconsciously held their breath.
There was a dark tinge under his eyes, and dense stubble appeared on his chin. He looked as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away.
Even his usually straight shoulders were slightly slumped, as if he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment.
Jiang Chengyu was stunned by the sudden gaze. He froze in place and was at a loss for a moment.
Cui Jiani was the first to react. She stood up and walked forward, asking with concern: "Cheng Yu, where is Xiaoji? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Jiang Chengyu finally seemed to have a clear mind after breaking free from the chaos. He took a long breath and answered in a hoarse voice:
"Mom hasn't woken up yet. He's worried, so he's staying inside to watch over her."
After he finished speaking, he noticed the complicated expressions on everyone's faces, scratched his head uncomfortably, and tried to force a faint smile.
I greeted everyone: "Hi everyone, long time no see."
Bai Jinrong and Luo Jinxi stood up almost at the same time.
Luo Jinxi looked at his exhausted appearance and quickly made a "please" gesture, speaking in a gentle tone:
"Come and sit down. Looking at your state, I'm afraid you haven't slept a wink all night. Come and rest quickly."
Bai Jinrong also walked quickly towards Jiang Chengyu, her face showing excitement, her voice trembling slightly:
"Cheng Yu, I'm really... really happy for you to see you standing here well again."
Jiang Chengyu responded politely: "Thank you."
Pei Huiping, who was standing by, could no longer sit still. He stood up and said with a smile, "I'm the host."
"Boss Jiang, come to think of it, I was worried before. If Jinxi and I set a date for our wedding, I was afraid I wouldn't get your blessing, and I would always feel regretful.
Now I see that although you are exhausted, your complexion is still good and your appearance is still radiant. Now I don’t have to worry about inviting you to drink a glass of wine at the wedding."
Luo Jinxi rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "Cheng Yu, don't listen to his nonsense. We haven't even started yet."
Jiang Chengyu was amused by this interaction and his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a rare relaxed smile:
"Don't mind it, Doctor Pei. Luo Jinxi is just lively and playful by nature. She was just joking with you.
If you really set a date, please send me a message. I will definitely be there, and I must ask for a glass of wedding wine."
Jiang Chengyu heard Pei Huiping's concerns and was worried that Luo Jinxi's feelings for him would rekindle, so he pushed Luo Jinxi out casually.
As they were talking, Bai Jinrong had already pulled Jiang Chengyu to the sofa and sat down. Jiang Chengyu's eyes swept over the people present, and when he fell on Lin Yue, he was clearly confused.
Lin Yue exuded a warm, scholarly air. Seeing this, she stood up, smiled, and nodded.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. Nice to meet you. My name is Lin Yue. Please take care of me in the future."
Cui Jiani saw Jiang Chengyu's doubts and quickly introduced with a smile: "Chengyu, let me introduce you.
This is Principal Lin Yue, she is not only Jiang Shuo's homeroom teacher, but also the principal of Hongfujin Kindergarten.
Jiang Chengyu immediately stood up and politely extended his hand to shake Lin Yue's hand: "Hello, Principal Lin, I'm so sorry.
Jiang Shuo has missed a lot of classes recently because of me. I hope you will take good care of him when he returns to school this time."
"Mr. Jiang, you are too polite. This is what I should do." Lin Yue smiled and shook her head, her tone full of admiration for Jiang Shuo.
"Speaking of which, Jiang Shuo is a very smart and capable kid, and he also has a strong sense of justice.
In fact, Hongfu Jin Kindergarten is now his property. I am just entrusted by him to help manage the daily affairs of the school.
The school had some loopholes before, which caused quite a stir. It was Jiang Shuo who acted decisively and acquired it.
Then I personally made changes and redesigned the educational program and campus environment. Now the school is much better than before."
When Jiang Chengyu heard this, a hint of surprise appeared on his face, which then turned into relief.
He lowered his head and smiled, and there was finally some warmth in his eyes - it turned out that his stinky baby had quietly grown into a little adult who could stand on his own.
Jiang Chengyu had just sat down on the sofa and relaxed a little when his mind seemed to be stung by something, and a memory that had been scattered by the emergency suddenly came back.
He remembered waking up early yesterday morning and finding Gu Ze sleeping on the balcony with him in his arms.
Gu Ze had a stiff neck due to a bad sleeping posture, and was grimacing in pain. He even took out acupuncture needles and gave Gu Ze acupuncture to relieve the pain.
Just after the acupuncture was over, he heard Jiang Shuo calling him in shock from outside, saying that something had happened to Mu's mother.
He was in a panic for a moment, and hurriedly pulled the quilt next to him and gently covered Gu Ze, whose neck was full of silver needles.
Without even having time to explain, he followed Teng Zijing and hurriedly left Gu Ze's private apartment.
"Oh no! Gu Ze forgot!" Jiang Chengyu suddenly stood up from the sofa, his face full of regret.
Everyone in the office was stunned by his sudden action and cast puzzled glances at him.
Jiang Chengyu didn't bother to explain. He hurriedly took out his mobile phone from his pocket, found Gu Ze's name in the address book, and dialed the number with trembling fingertips.
The phone rang for a long time, so long that Jiang Chengyu's heart was in his throat, before Gu Ze picked up the phone.
His anxious voice immediately came from the receiver: "Cheng Yu? Where are you now?
What happened yesterday? Why did he just disappear without saying goodbye? I woke up and didn't see anyone, with the needle still stuck in my neck.
Jiang Chengyu's face flushed, and he explained guiltily: "I'm sorry, Gu Ze, Mu's mother suddenly became critically ill yesterday.
The situation was so urgent, I was so flustered and rushed back to G City that I completely forgot about you... How are you now? Is your neck feeling better?
Gu Ze was silent for a few seconds on the other end, and then he laughed with a fake smile: "I'm fine, don't worry, Mu's mother's matter is more important.
Feng Tao came in later and took out the needle for me. My neck is still a little stiff, but it's nothing serious."
He paused and asked with concern, "How are things over there? Is there anything I can do for you? Just ask."
"It's all right now," Jiang Chengyu breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of unconscious warmth in his tone.
"Mother Mu's operation was very successful. Xiaoji performed the surgery himself." When talking about Mu Xiaoji, he still had an affection and favor for her that was difficult to conceal from the bottom of his heart.
Gu Ze on the other end of the phone bit his lip with a look of resentment when he heard Jiang Chengyu call him "Xiao Ji" so affectionately;
There wasn't much emotion in his voice, just a hint of a forced smile:
"That's right. I've heard that Mr. Mu is an excellent doctor. Mother Mu is truly blessed to have such outstanding sons like you two."
"Thank you, Gu Ze, you are always so considerate." Jiang Chengyu felt even more guilty. "When I'm done here, I'll go back and treat you to a meal and apologize to you."
"Why are you still saying these awkward things to me?" Gu Ze's voice became lighter, with an unquestionable familiarity.
"Just apologize! This New Year's Eve, come back and spend the New Year's Eve with me, and we'll be done with what happened before."
Jiang Chengyu was speechless for a moment. Thinking of Mu's mother in the ICU ward, he felt a little embarrassed:
"Gu Ze, Mu's mother just had surgery and her condition is still unstable. I'm afraid..."
"Okay, Cheng Yu, I won't say any more. I have something to do here. I'll call you back later."
Gu Ze interrupted him without waiting for him to finish and hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.
There was a busy tone in the receiver. Jiang Chengyu held up the phone, stunned for a moment, and there was a bit of complicated guilt in his eyes.
Cui Jiani, who was watching all this, couldn't help but ask in surprise, "The Gu Ze you're talking about is the one with severe depression?"
Jiang Chengyu nodded: "It's him. He is now a contracted artist of Kuncheng Longteng Film and Television Company and has been filming in Kuncheng in recent years."
Cui Jiani frowned and looked at Jiang Chengyu thoughtfully: "From the tone of your call just now, you two are very close now?"
Jiang Chengyu avoided her gaze and said vaguely, "We are friends."
"Friend?" Cui Jiani seemed to have suddenly realized something, and leaned against the sofa with her arms folded across her chest, her tone filled with a hint of regret.
"No wonder Xiaoji returned to G City alone this time. He became a completely different person, like a nervous person."
She paused, recounting the changes in Mu Xiaoji: "He used to be so cold, like a thousand-year-old ice sculpture.
Now, he strikes up a conversation with everyone he meets, and does things with uncharacteristic swiftness and dexterity; even his icy face, which had remained unchanged for thousands of years, now always has a smile on its face, a smile so bright that it dazzles the eyes."
"People who don't know him think he's just a warm-hearted person, but when we classmates saw him, we all thought he had been traumatized and had lost his mind!"
Cui Jiani spread her hands, her tone filled with helplessness. "His abnormal 'positivity' is frightening to us. It would be strange if we weren't afraid."
Jiang Chengyu listened to Cui Jiani's words, his fingers unconsciously stroking the phone case. He felt like something was blocking his heart, and he felt anxious and suffocated.
He knew that behind Mu Xiaoji's abnormal "sunshine" lay many emotions that he dared not delve into.