Chapter 204 - 204 The Injured Guan Lei
Yet, the nights without Shen Xi were destined to be sleepless ones, plagued by endless nightmares. Work was his most practical solution to his problem.
The next day, as Guan Lei sat in the dining room, enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, he asked Xue Li a question. “Xue Li, have you been in a relationship before?”
The sudden question caught Xue Li by surprise. Why was Young Master Guan asking her a question like that? Had he finally developed a conscience, deciding to introduce someone to her? Feeling happy, Xue Li answered, “I’m not in a relationship at present.”
Guan Lei elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked, “What about before?”
Xue Li frowned. Was Young Master Guan asking about her past partners? Could it be the person he wanted to introduce to her came from a loft background? The conclusion she arrived at filled her with joy. Was this her chance to climb the social ladder? Believing it so, she answered honestly, “Yes, but I’ve only ever had that one relationship.”
“How did you approach that relationship?” Guan Lei casually asked.
Xue Li recalled her last date, wondering what she should say. “It was not a relationship I expected. It started because of an injury I sustained. That person nursed me back to health while I was vulnerable, and things developed from there.”
Guan Lei only heard bits and pieces of what Xue Li had said. He was lost in thought, absently rubbing his wrist.
Meanwhile, Shen Xi had just arrived at school riding her father’s electric bike. She happened to meet Jiang Xue and Liu Cheng at the gates. Their chauffeurs had driven them to school.
Jiang Xue eyed Shen Yan’s shabby electric bike as it pottered away and sneered at Shen Xi. Liu Cheng, her lackey, followed suit.
Liu Cheng had followed Jiang Xue to a private meeting with the Xiang Group the previous night. There, she met many people, forging connections with them on behalf of her family’s business, and her parents praised her for her efforts.
Jiang Xue even used the influence of the Xiang family to take a few of the small businesses belonging to the Su family and hand them over to the Liu family. Liu Cheng knew this was Jiang Xue’s way of punishing Su Ni, the traitor.
Hence, despite needing to fan Jiang Xue’s ego, Liu Cheng pushed aside her embarrassment. It was a worthwhile trade if it meant attaining her parents’ approval and elevating their family’s business to the next level. If she could ride on the tailcoats of Jiang Xue’s ascent through her union with the Xiang family, it would guarantee her a better life.
She could not be like Su Ni, or Jiang Xue would abandon her without hesitation.
Shen Xi was unphased by Jiang Xue and Liu Cheng’s attitude toward her. All she did was drop the name ‘Hao Zi’ for Jiang Xue’s expression to change, which quickly became the impetus for her to leave.
Now that she knew her parents’ true identities, Shen Xi did not feel pressured by the Jiang family. There were plenty of ways to deal with those like them.
In her previous life, Jiang Xue had caused the death of Shen Xi’s parents. Jiang Xue succeeded because her parents had been helpless against her, and she had been stupid.
Now that she had the high ground, Shen Xi would strike back when the moment was ripe. It was quite fun to tease and scare Jiang Xue. No wonder Jiang Xue enjoyed toying with her in her previous life.
An intense hatred filled Shen Xi’s eyes as she recalled the events in her past life. The matter was far from over; she still had a debt to settle.
Jiang Xue rushed to the classroom, huffing in anger. Even though her hymen had been repaired, the video in the hotel had been destroyed, and Hao Zi and the others had been driven out of Rongcheng, Jiang Xue still felt uneasy.
‘Only the dead can keep secrets,’ Jiang Xue thought as she ground her teeth.
When Shen Xi arrived at the classroom and saw Guan Lei wrapped in bandages, she was shocked. The last she had seen him, he had not been injured, so why was he bundled up in bandages now? He even had a sling that wound around his neck.
“Guan Lei, what happened?” Shen Xi asked, rushing to his side worriedly. “Why are your injuries so serious?’
Guan Lei looked at Shen Xi as if he had lost all vitality. “I don’t know,” he said, “I didn’t think it was serious then, but it grew exponentially more painful. I went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor said that, while I don’t have any surface wounds, my injuries are all internal, affecting my bones and tendons. It’ll take some time to heal.”
Worry surged like the tide in Shen Xi upon hearing what the doctor had said to Guan Lei regarding his injuries. Even Zhao Yuan was shocked. She went up to him and asked with a voice full of concern, “Why is it so serious? Can you still move your hand?”
Guan Lei sighed softly. “Probably not. It would have been so bad if my left hand was injured, but since my dominant hand is affected, I’ll have some trouble handling most tasks. This morning, it was my family who fed me.”
Zhao Yuan exclaimed, “Is that so? Xixi, you must take good care of your benefactor.”