Ch. 1381..1390

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1381

Forget it; I don’t care. Xiao Su pursed his lips, saying nothing.

“Hey, you haven’t answered my question. Were you deliberately trying to change the subject just now?”

“No.” I just happened to think about it; that’s all. If you want to talk, then talk. Why do you have to lean in so close?

Then, Jiang Xiaobai narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “Are you feeling guilty about something?”

As she spoke, she leaned in close again, as if trying to figure out something from his expression or his eyes. With that, the distance between the two of them narrowed again. His heartbeat started beating wildly again, Then, he scowled and pressed his palm against her face, pushing her away. “Talk properly. Don’t come so close to me.”

Before she could react, her face was pushed back. The heat from the man’s palm was transmitted directly onto her face. By the time she struggled against him, he had already withdrawn his hand, and she had been pushed backward.

F*ck! Jiang Xiaobai snapped at him defiantly, “If you want to talk, then talk. Why do you have to be so rough?” Xiao Su did not reply to her question. As she studied him intently, she recalled that his gaze had shifted away just before he pushed her away. Then, she curved her lips upward as she sized him up. “Why did you push me away? Don’t tell me you’re scared of me coming close to you?”

Hearing those words, he coolly looked at her.

“I’m right, aren’t I? If you weren’t afraid of me coming close, then why were you in such a hurry to push me away?” As if trying to prove her words, she slowly leaned her body forward again and closed the distance between them. Although she had been pushed away, they were still quite near to each other. So, the moment she leaned forward, the distance between was drastically reduced again.

He looked at her eyes, which carried a hint of amusement and cunning in them, then felt his chest starting to tighten again. Pursing his lips, he stared at her calmly. Jiang Xiaobai was beautiful; she was the type of beauty that was gorgeous even without any makeup on. There was barely any need for her to put on makeup. Thus, if she were to become serious about dolling herself up, she would take the stage immediately. She can definitely charm a man.

While he was deep in his thoughts, she had already leaned in close until she was right in front of him. Then, she blinked and suddenly blew out a breath at him. His eyes twitched in response. “What are you doing?”

Then, she smiled brightly. “I’m not doing anything. I just wanted to test your reaction. It seems to me that you are afraid of me coming close. Is it because the moment I approach you, you feel nervous and short of breath—like you can’t breathe?”

For some reason, under her urging, he reacted just as she said. The closer she got to him, the faster his breathing became. In the end, it almost felt as if he couldn’t breathe. For an instant, she saw the confusion in his eyes. Thinking she saw it wrongly, she wanted to get a better look. By then, his black eyes had regained their composure. Following that, her lower jaw was locked in his grip. Moreover, a lot of strength was placed in the grip.

“Jiang Xiaobai, just what are you doing?” Xiao Su glared at her coldly. His frigid voice stunned Jiang Xiaobai. However, before she could react to it, she heard him continue, “Although we are living together, please know your place. We are merely pretending to be in a relationship. So, don’t come so close to me for no reason. Did you get that in your head?”

At that moment, she felt as if a string in her mind had snapped. Then, her mind went blank. She did not know whether her face had turned pale, but her ears were ringing with a roaring sound and she couldn’t hear anything else. After he finished talking, he noticed that his grip around her lower jaw seemed wrong somehow. Panicking, he let go of her and stood up.

Just then, she came back to her senses. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed a pillow beside her and hurled it at his back with all her strength. “Xiao Su!”

He did not try to dodge it, so the pillow hit him squarely in the back. Even so, he stood there motionless.

“What the hell did you mean by what you just said? What do you mean ‘don’t come so close to you for no reason’? Do you think I’m trying to seduce you? Let me tell you clearly—you are flattering yourself! What do you mean by ‘know my place’? How could you talk like that? Who do you think you are? Just because I said two words to you, you think you’re some hotshot now? How dare you speak to me like that! Why didn’t you talk like that in front of your mother today?”

He remained silent. His mind was slightly clearer now; he regretted his words the moment he said them. However, at that moment, she was in such proximity, and the words she said seemed to resonate with the thoughts in his mind. Thus, he had lost his temper and said those words to her.

“The reason you don’t dare to speak is that you are afraid of troublesome matters. Since you are afraid of these troublesome matters, then we are cooperating to provide each other with what we need. I only teased you slightly, yet you got all nervous on your own. Is there a problem if I tease you? Do you need to lash out so hurtfully?” She was truly angry. In the beginning, she was only fooling around with him. Who knew he would take it so seriously and say such hurtful things?

“I’m sorry.” He turned around and locked his gaze on her. “I spoke without thinking just now. For that, I apologize to you.”

Jiang Xiaobai was stunned. Did he just apologize? Still, his words had been too hurtful. Thus, she bit her lower lip and angrily said, “Do you think apologizing would change anything? Words that are spoken can never be taken back! You’ve gone too far!”

Xiao Su watched her wordlessly. She was still sitting on the sofa. Perhaps, due to her anger, her eyes were slightly red. Thinking back on the words he said, he admitted that he had taken it too far. Thus, he let out a helpless sigh and walked toward her, resigning to his fate. “What do you want? Do you want to hit me?”

“Hit you? You must be dreaming.” She snorted. Even so, the wheels in her brain were turning quickly. Originally, she wanted to discuss the matter regarding Uncle Yanming’s request with him. However, her plans had been derailed. Still, nothing had gone wrong—things were still heading in the direction she was hoping for. “If you promise me one thing, then I won’t be angry anymore.” She wasn’t the type to be indirect with her words. Although she had been very angry at the words he said, there was something more important to do right now. Thus, she soon focused on the important matter instead.

He was stunned for a moment. It was unexpected of her to begin negotiating with him amid her anger. Soon, he snapped back to his senses. “What do you want me to promise?”

“You have to promise me first!” She refused to reveal it to him directly.

Xiao Su retorted, “If you don’t tell me about it, how will I know if I can agree to your demands?”

Jiang Xiaobai roared angrily in return, “Are you even sincere in your apology? After saying so many hurtful things to my face, all I asked in return is for you to promise one thing! Even so, you’re trying to make excuses and deflect my request! Do you think I’m going to ask you for something like murder or arson?!”

Mulling over it, Xiao Su realized that he was fine with anything as long as it wasn’t something that went against his morals. Thus, he curled his lips in annoyance. “Fine, I promise. Are you happy now?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1382

“Hmph.” Jiang Xiaobai snorted coldly. Then, she placed her hand in front of her heart in a queenly manner. “That’s much better. Then, I forgive you.”

Xiao Su twitched his lips, saying nothing. Why thank you.

“Well, do you remember the time when you happened to attend my granny’s birthday? Afterward, my uncle found out about our relationship and he wants to work with you.” She stopped and hurriedly raised her hands, clarifying, “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you have to work with him. He just wants a chance to meet you. So, he requested for me to act as the middleman. As to whether you want to work with him or not, it’s completely up to you. Let me just make it clear now that I’m not forcing you into it!”

“So, are you saying that the promise I made with you is to meet with your uncle once?”

She nodded in response. “Yeah, that’s it. With that, my mission is accomplished.”

The living room was filled with silence for a while, then he said, “Fine. When do we meet?”

“Are you agreeing to it?” She was surprised. Initially, she thought that he would try to sidestep it. After all, the Ye Group was a large conglomerate. Although Uncle Yanming’s company was beginning to build up, it was incomparable to the Ye Group in scale. It would be patronizing for the Ye Group to agree to work with Uncle Yanming’s company. Therefore, she did not have much hope for it.

“Yes,” he replied. Then, he looked elsewhere as he asked in a neutral voice, “Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes! I’m satisfied!” With her mission accomplished, she smiled brightly as she thanked him. In return, he gave her a speechless look. How can this girl be so callous? Just a moment ago, she was berating me with red-rimmed eyes. So, how is she smiling right now? Was she really angry? Or, was it just an act? Xiao Su was confused.

“Don’t worry. The next time your parents come over, I will treat them very well.”

Honestly, he wanted to tell her there was no need for that. It was best if she kept her interactions with his parents to a minimum; otherwise, it would turn into a tricky situation in the future. My mother seems to be very taken with her. If she treats them well, won’t my mother start to force us into marriage? However, looking at her happy expression, he, for some reason, decided not to say anything. Forget it; we’ll take each step as it comes.

In the end, Jiang Xiaobai’s prediction came true. Liang Yahe used to dislike coming over. Even if she missed her son, she would visit him once in a blue moon at most. Be that as it may, ever since she found out that Xiao Su had a girlfriend, the frequency of her visits became more frequent. In the beginning, Xiao Mingzhi would accompany her on her visits to meet Jiang Xiaobai. However, the two women had a lot to talk about and he felt left out of their conversations, so he stopped accompanying Liang Yahe there.

When the father and son touched on this topic, Xiao Mingzhi was exasperated. “Your mother has always been domineering. What can I do if she wants to go and visit Xiaobai? Don’t tell me you want me to stop her from going?”

Xiao Su was rendered speechless when he heard that. However, Xiao Mingzhi was a little experienced in this and had noticed something. Thus, he asked his son in a low voice, “You and Xiaobai aren’t in a real relationship, are you?”

Xiao Su was shocked. “Dad, how did you know?”

“You and I have the same personalities. How can I not tell if she is your girlfriend or not?” Xiao Mingzhi sighed helplessly. “Although I don’t know what’s your situation, if you don’t have feelings for her, then don’t waste each other’s time like that. You’re not young anymore and the girl won’t be young forever. Besides, if she lives with you, it will be bad for her reputation in the long run. Do you understand?”

Xiao Su fell silent after listening to his father’s advice. These were things he had not considered before. At the moment, he was working with Jiang Xiaobai to get what they wanted, but he had not thought about how living together would affect her reputation.

In the beginning, it started as visits to his house. However, as time went on, she began moving her stuff into his house for some reason. Then, all of a sudden, they were already living together. Everything had happened outside of his control. At first, he was dumbfounded by her behavior; in the end, he came to accept it. Now that he thought about it, the entire process was rather mysterious.

“I got it, Dad.”

“Your mother is very happy right now. She is already thinking of Xiaobai as her future daughter-in-law—so much so she has already begun to prepare the family heirlooms that will be passed down to Xiaobai.”

Hearing those words shocked him even more. “Does Mom like Jiang Xiaobai that much?”

“She does.” Xiao Mingzhi nodded. “Think about it; how many years have you been single? Your mother and I were quite worried about it. For so many years, you’ve never had a girlfriend. Now, you’ve found yourself a girlfriend, and one that is so beautiful and excellent in so many ways no less. Therefore, your mother is very happy with Xiaobai in many aspects.”

Listening to his father, Xiao Su finally understood why his father had taken the initiative to broach the topic and confirm whether or not he and Jiang Xiaobai were in an actual relationship. His father wanted to make him take action. Although they weren’t in a real relationship, if something were to happen in the future, it would affect more than just the two of them.

“Dad, I know what I have to do. I’ll find a time to explain it all to Mom.”

“Yeah, so long as you don’t cause trouble for somebody else’s daughter. Truthfully, I think Xiaobai is a good girl. If you are willing to put your heart into it, it isn’t a bad idea to bring her into the Xiao Family either.”

Bring Jiang Xiaobai into the Xiao Family? It wasn’t something he had considered before. However, now that he gave it some thought, he realized that his heart was not resisting the idea. Could it be that during the time they had gotten to know each other, he realized that she wasn’t such a bad catch either? Still, this was not a valid reason for two people to come together in marriage. Afterward, Xiao Su did not continue the conversation, and Xiao Mingzhi did not try to force his wishes on him again.

On the other side, Liang Yahe and Jiang Xiaobai had reached the point where they added each other on WeChat and chatted with each other every day. During this period, Liang Yahe had come to completely regard Jiang Xiaobai as her future daughter-in-law and was treating her like her own daughter. In their conversations, she constantly complained about Xiao Su and his flaws. At the same time, she dropped hints here and there about how he was a reliable and down-to-earth man, implying that marrying him was a great choice and whatnot.

Jiang Xiaobai understood what Liang Yahe was trying to get at, but she was too embarrassed to explain. After all, she was supposed to be a shield for Xiao Su against his family. Thus, she could only continue smiling.

Later on, she arranged for the meeting between Uncle Yanming and Xiao Su. On the day of their meeting, she did not attend the meeting. Therefore, she had no clue how things had played out. At the very least, her mother had stopped calling and nagging her about this issue, so she decided that she was in the clear.

Contrary to her expectations, Liang Yahe continued to keep her occupied. “Xiao Su’s cousin is getting married this week. Will you be attending together with Xiao Su?”

“Huh?” Having received the news out of the blue, she was caught off guard. She wants me to attend Xiao Su’s cousin’s wedding together with Xiao Su? He’s a cousin from Mr. Xiao’s side of the family. That is such a close relative! If I attend the wedding with Xiao Su, isn’t that equivalent to publicly announcing our relationship to the world? But, we are not in a real relationship!

Therefore, Jiang Xiaobai did not agree to it immediately and decided to wait until Xiao Su came home that night to discuss it with him. Besides, she was curious as to what Xiao Su thought about it. Will he agree to bring me along?

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1383

“Wedding?” At first, Xiao Su frowned slightly. Then, he relaxed his knitted brows. “If you want to, you can come with me.”

What? I can go if I want to? Does he know how far things have progressed now? “What’s with that? Do you know that your mother is very happy with me right now? She comes over to spend time with me every single day. I think she considers me her future daughter-in-law by now.” The situation was getting out of hand—it was beyond what Jiang Xiaobai had imagined. Originally, her purpose was to be a shield for him. Who could have known her actions would cause things to turn out like this?

“Yes, I know.” At the moment, he had no idea how to deal with it either. Should I come clean and confess to my mother about our relationship status? Or, should I tell her we broke up? “What do you think about the situation?” Thus, he decided to consult her for her opinion before making his decision.

When she was faced with the question, she realized that she had not thought that far about it. Besides, she and Liang Yahe had been getting along very well recently. So, she responded subconsciously, “I don’t mind. It’s just a wedding; we can think of it as a vacation. But, if you are worried about it, then I can just refuse Mrs. Xiao’s invitation.”

“If you want to go on a trip, then let’s go.” Xiao Su decided on the spot. “The wedding is happening soon. I will have to trouble you for the last time. After we return from the wedding, I will come clean with my mother.”

Jiang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, then she nodded. “Okay.” She finally understood the underlying meaning behind his words. For now, they would attend the wedding together. After returning from the wedding, he would come clean about their relationship status. When that time comes… I probably won’t be able to stay here anymore.

“Still, my confession is my personal affair. If you need any help on your side, you can come to me for help.”

Her lips twitched. “Okay, I got it.”

Then, the two of them fell into a long period of silence. After a while, she stood up. “Since we’ve decided on a plan, I’m going to bed.”

“Okay.”

The guest room had been cleaned out. Recently, this was where she had been sleeping. After returning to her room, she snuggled herself into her blankets, feeling gloomy for some reason. She had always been a logical person. Even now, she understood that her gloominess was induced by the words Xiao Su said just now. When Liang Yahe first extended the invitation to her, she had been delighted about it. However, her mood had taken a turn—she now felt as gloomy as a cloudy day. After mulling over it for a while, Jiang Xiaobai took out her phone and sent a message to Fang Tangtang. ‘I think there’s something wrong with me recently.’

Fang Tangtang replied with a single question mark.

Jiang Xiaobai: ‘Please correct your attitude. There really is something wrong with me.’

Fang Tangtang: ‘Why are you going crazy this late at night? Is it because of Xiao Su?’

Looking at Xiao Su’s name, Jiang Xiaobai immediately felt slightly uncomfortable. How did Fang Tangtang guess it so quickly? Don’t tell me my actions are so predictable?

Fang Tangtang: ‘Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Did I hit the nail on its head? I’ve told you before that you have feelings for him, but you didn’t believe me. You even argued with me over it!’

Have feelings for him? She didn’t think it was possible, but her mood today was unusual. Even she did not know what was going on. Still, the time they had spent together didn’t feel like it was particularly special.

‘I don’t have feelings for him.’ She bluntly denied it after thinking about it. ‘I really don’t.’

Fang Tangtang: ‘Okay, okay; you don’t have feelings for him. Are you happy now? So, what’s wrong with you?’

‘I…’ Jiang Xiaobai was unable to spell it out. It was giving her a headache.

Fang Tangtang: ‘Look at you; you’re just being stubborn and acting like you don’t care. It’s clear to see that you think highly of him. Admittedly, that Xiao Su is very good-looking. After spending so much time with a guy like him, even if I didn’t initially have a crush on him, I will inevitably develop feelings for him.’

Jiang Xiaobai narrowed her eyes at those words. ‘Are you saying I developed feelings for him over time?’

Fang Tangtang: ‘That’s right. Don’t you think that’s a possibility? If you didn’t develop any feelings for him after so long, then why are you so anxious? Bai, answer me honestly. Do you want to be in a relationship with him in the future?’

A relationship with Xiao Su? Soon, she recalled that he had another woman in his heart. ‘I don’t want to.’ She once told herself that she would never fall for a man who had another woman in his heart. Why would I willingly torture myself like that?

Fang Tangtang: ‘Don’t want to? Really?’

Jiang Xiaobai: ‘Yeah.’

‘Then, let me give you a piece of advice. Hurry and move out of there,’ Fang Tangtang earnestly urged after confirming Jiang Xiaobai’s thoughts on it. ‘If you don’t move out, you will start to like him more and more if this continues. If you wait until you are unable to control your feelings, you’d be a goner.’

Unable to control my feelings? Jiang Xiaobai laughed helplessly. ‘I don’t think such a day will come. Don’t worry; I will consider your words. We aren’t in a relationship to start with. Living together like this is certainly a bad idea.’

Fang Tangtang: ‘It’s fine if you understand. I’m just worried you won’t be able to figure it out. If that happens and you get hurt, I won’t be able to comfort you.’

‘Don’t worry.’ After ending their conversation, she rolled over and looked out at the quiet night sky outside her window. Then, she slowly closed her eyes.

For now, let’s leave things be. After attending his cousin’s wedding, we’ll do as he suggested. We’ll come clean with his mother after the wedding. At the same time, I’ll come clean with my family too. I’ve had enough of these leisurely days anyway. If I have to go on blind dates, then so be it! There is no way I won’t be able to find somebody who clicks with me! After making her decision, Jiang Xiaobai stopped feeling conflicted about it and soon fell asleep.

…

Xu Yanwan’s proposal was quickly written down. She had completed it after burning the midnight oil consecutively for the past few nights. After going through it countless times, and revising it over and over again, she finally handed it over to Han Qing after she decided that there were no problems with it. As Han Qing had no objections to the proposal, the plan to help her rebuild the Xu Family began in earnest.

“Let me be clear about this,” she said emphatically as she looked at him coldly. “Although I’ve accepted your help, I, Xu Yanwan, am not the kind of person to receive charity from others. For the help you’ve given me now, I will make you the largest shareholder of my company once it has established itself.”

He frowned at her words. “No, thanks.”

“I understand. With the current scale of the Han Group, it’s normal for you to look down on my tiny company. Even so, how do you know that my current small-sized company won’t turn into a conglomerate in the future? In the past, the Xu Family has never lost to the Han Family in any aspects.”

He was fully aware of that. Besides, he was also aware of the talents within the Xu Family. Still, he had no intention of getting further involved with her.

“So, you shouldn’t be so quick to reject my offer.”

“You’ve misunderstood,” he replied, gazing at her coolly. “I’m not looking down on the shares of a small company. I just don’t want to keep crossing paths with you.”

His unexpected words made her lips go pale. Then, she gazed up at him incredulously.

“My fiancée nearly left me because of the rumors from before. For that reason, I refuse to have too much to do with other women, other than her, in the future. So, it has nothing to do with my opinion about your company. I hope you can understand.”

Understand? Xu Yanwan’s lips trembled. “Fiancée? Have you proposed?”

“Yes.” Han Qing nodded. “You are welcome to attend our wedding once we’ve decided when it will be held.”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1384

When leaving the office, Xu Yanwan looked extremely distracted. She was walking mindlessly as she held the stack of documents. All that was on her mind was Han Qing’s invitation for her to attend his wedding. Why? How did it happen so quickly? Didn’t I already promise to restore the reputation of the Xu family? Don’t I deserve more time? It hasn’t been too long since the two got together. Why did he propose so soon?

Xu Yanwan’s mind was all over the place. The thought of the hostile look that Yan gave her the other day made her unable to breathe. What’s going on? If they get married, what’s going to happen to me? What if I still love him?

Recently, Yan had been making all the single staff at the ramen shop jealous of her diamond ring. She had also been asked by the regular patrons at the ramen shop multiple times about the diamond ring on her finger. Every time Yan was asked to talk about it, she would let out a shy smile.

Meanwhile, some of her staff began to talk about her at the back of the shop.

“Have you guys noticed that Miss Yan’s become prettier ever since she has the diamond ring on her finger? People say love makes a woman prettier. I didn’t believe that before, but now I do after seeing it with my own eyes. Recently, Miss Yan’s been beaming!”

“Oh my goodness. That diamond is huge. I’m so jealous. Besides, Miss Yan’s boyfriend is gorgeous. I heard he’s the president of a group of companies. How can she be so fortunate?”

“Stop it. I’m jealous as well. Today’s just another day of being a bitter girl for me.”

“If you guys keep talking instead of working, I’m going to deduct your salary.” Yan heard the discussion as she opened the curtains and entered the kitchen. So, she purposely lowered her voice when she said that, hoping to scare them off. These people had been around helping Yan out for some time, so they knew that Yan was an easy-going person and would never deduct their salary. That was why they dared to talk about her in her presence.

“Miss Yan, a woman in love can’t afford to lose her temper. I don’t think you’re willing to deduct our salary, are you? We’re all extremely happy for you!”

“That’s right. Oh, Miss Yan, since you already have the engagement ring, I’m guessing the wedding’s coming soon. Am I right? When are you guys getting married? Can we get a day off to attend your wedding?”

Yan nodded, even though she and Han Qing had not talked about the wedding yet. “Of course. I’ll let you guys know once the date is set. We can have three days off for everyone and have everyone come to my wedding. How does that sound?”

“Ah, Miss Yan, you’re the best!”

“Thank you, Miss Yan!”

Cheers broke out from the group of people and they became motivated to work harder.

Han Muzi only found out about Yan’s engagement days later. Ever since the incident last time, Han Muzi was still feeling slightly bothered. Besides, Yan had not been contacting her. So, she decided to pay a visit to the ramen shop to find Yan. When Yan saw Han Muzi, she began to feel guilty.

Han Muzi squinted as she saw the diamond ring on Yan’s finger. “So, I guess you guys are doing it quietly now, aren’t you? I see that as your bestie, I don’t even deserve to be informed about the good news.”

Yan quickly walked up to Han Muzi and held her hand, trying to redeem herself. “No. It’s not what you think. I couldn’t find the chance to tell you before; I’ve simply forgotten about it.”

“Oh.” Han Muzi groaned unemotionally. “Is this what happens when you have a boyfriend? You no longer care about your bestie?”

“Muzi!” Yan quickly called out her name. “Stop messing with me. When you were still with Young Master Ye, you always neglected me.”

Han Muzi’s eyebrows tangled in an accusatory frown. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

Yan became worried as she no longer knew how to respond to Han Muzi’s comments. Seeing the distressed look on Yan’s face, Han Muzi let out a smile and decided to stop messing with her. “Alright. I’m just pulling your leg. What happened to you? What have you turned into? What did Qing do to you?”

Yan kept quiet, not responding to her questions. At this moment, Little Sprout began to chuckle and move her hands around in Han Muzi’s arms. Instantly, Yan turned to Little Sprout, who was a couple of months old now. Little Sprout stared at Yan with her black and bright eyes before starting to chuckle by herself again.

“Look at this girl.” Han Muzi helplessly shook her head. “I feel like Little Bean inherited all the intelligence; there’s not much left for Little Sprout.”

Yan then took Little Sprout over from Han Muzi—Little Sprout was calm the whole time, gently tapping her tiny white fists on Yan’s chest. This completely melted Yan’s heart. Why is she so adorable? I want a daughter too. But Little Bean’s pretty adorable as well. Perhaps I’d also like a son. Maybe I’ll be like Muzi, who has a son first, then a daughter. In that case, the older brother can take care of his little sister. That’s right. That sounds like a perfect plan!

Yan made the decision in her heart, completely forgetting the fact that it was not up to her to decide the gender of her future children. Seeing the motherly look on Yan with Little Sprout in her arms, Han Muzi could not stop herself from teasing her. “If you like Little Sprout that much, you should marry Qing quickly so you can give birth to one yourself.”

Yan coughed gently and responded, “We’ll see. Since I haven’t got one myself, I’ll just settle with Little Sprout.”

“It might be too late for you to do so if you don’t get married soon,” Han Muzi reminded with a smile on her face.

After all, Yan was already pregnant when the two went to the hospital for Yan’s check-up previously. Half a month had passed since then. The longer she waited to have the wedding, the bigger the possibility that she might not be able to fit in her wedding dress. Yan looked embarrassed and commented, “Stop it. We’ll see later. If I really can’t fit in the wedding dress, we’ll just not have a wedding.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t told him about the baby?”

Yan nodded.

“Why not?”

“S-Still waiting for the right time.”

“It’s been so long, yet you haven’t told him? When do you think is the right time?”

Yan was torn, as she would like to know the answer to that too. The original plan was to let Han Qing know about the baby on his birthday as a little surprise, but she did not know that he did not celebrate birthdays. Plus, there weren’t any important events in recent times, so she was flustered. Now that her initial plan failed, she became clueless.

“Oh well. You should’ve told him the day you got the pregnancy test results. Do you find it difficult to tell him now? Do you need me to do it for you?”

“N-No!” Yan stopped her. “That can’t be right. I’ll find an opportunity to speak to him about it.”

“You have to act fast. Have you guys set the wedding date?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1385

“I-I haven’t even accepted his proposal.”

“Tsk.” Han Muzi looked at the diamond ring on Yan’s finger and decided to make fun of her. “The diamond ring is already on your finger. What are you waiting for? Don’t you like Qing a lot?”

“I do. But… he almost got engaged to some other woman before me! He should be happy that I’ve already forgiven him for that.”

The smile on Han Muzi’s face vanished. “So, you knew about it.”

Yan was startled as she looked at Han Muzi. “What do you mean, Muzi? Did you know all along? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The reason why I didn’t tell you was simple: in Qing’s eyes, you mean the world to him. That’s why I didn’t think there was a need to tell you only for you to worry. I’ve also spoken to Xu Yanwan at that time and she tacitly acknowledged that Qing’s already taken. I thought that was the end of it, but I guess I was wrong.” Even though Xu Yanwan was not malicious, based on Han Muzi’s conversations with her two days ago, Han Muzi felt that she was the kind of woman who would do anything for love.

In general, people were sensible and rational. However, when it came to emotions, it was easy for people to lose themselves. This was the point where emotions and lust would cast off all worldly restraints. But as long as no one was hurt, one could do whatever one desired. As a matter of mutual respect, no one had the right to criticize anyone. Therefore, knowing that Han Qing already had a girlfriend, it was not ethical of Xu Yanwan to sabotage Yan.

“Oh, right.” Yan remembered something important. “On the day I left, she sent me a message on WeChat.”

“Message? What message?”

“She was telling me that although she’s engaged to Han Qing, now that he’s with me, he’ll be responsible for me.”

Han Muzi was rendered speechless. Such a crafty comment! This side of Xu Yanwan surprised Han Muzi. The feeling she had about Xu Yanwan was different between the first time the two met and when they met again the other day. People are unpredictable, Han Muzi thought.

“Muzi, I don’t know if it’s just me being narrow-minded, but I feel like she’s trying to make a point in that message. The other day, I even found her sitting in the passenger seat in Qing’s car. Even though she’s an old friend of the Han family, I really don’t like her, nor do I want to be friends with her.”

“Mm-hmm.” Han Muzi nodded. “Then don’t. If she irritates you, you should let her have a taste of her own medicine. That sounds fair to me.”

“It’s all my fault. If one day, the relationship between the two of your families breaks down, I’m to…”

Han Muzi understood what Yan was trying to say before Yan even finished her sentence. She gently patted Yan’s cheek. “Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll shoulder it for you. After all, whatever relationship there is belongs to the older generation; now, in our generation, we’re merely friends, and we don’t owe each other anything. As long as Yanwan doesn’t do anything outrageous, nothing between the two families will change.”

Yan heard this and nodded.

The second day, Han Qing came to pick Yan up to tailor her wedding dress. He did not tell her where they were going until she asked after getting into the car. Hearing that he was bringing her to tailor her wedding dress, her face immediately blushed. “I-I haven’t even agreed to your proposal. Why are you bringing me to tailor the wedding dress?”

“It doesn’t make a difference.” Han Qing stared at her with a gentle smile. “Since we’re not in a rush, we can get the measurements done first and pick a style, then you can take your time to decide whether or not to marry me.”

Yan was at a loss for words. Before this, he told me not to let him wait for too long. Now he’s saying that we’re in no rush. Pfft. Men. They’re more fickle than women!

“Fine.” Yan shrugged dismissively. “Since you’re in no rush, I’ll take my time then. How long does it take to get the measurements done? Perhaps I can make a decision then.”

Han Qing could tell that Yan was a little grumpy. At this point, the car came to a stoplight. After the car stopped, Han Qing leaned over. “Are you upset? Didn’t you say you needed more time?”

Yan was startled as he leaned over. She turned to the stoplight and saw that there were more than fifty seconds to go before the light turned green. What’s he going to do? Is he trying to make a point? She remained silent while Han Qing leaned even closer. “Why don’t you agree now?”

Yan puckered her lips. “You were just saying that you’re in no rush and that I can take my sweet time. Now, you’re saying that I should just say yes this instant? Dream on.”

“Sooner or later, you’ll be mine. It doesn’t matter whether you think it through or not.”

His stare embarrassed Yan, who snorted and rebutted, “No one’s ever said that. Who do you think you are?” As Han Qing’s face slowly approached her, Yan blinked and reminded him, “The light’s about to turn green.”

Han Qing turned to look at the light and realized it was time to go. Then, he reluctantly sat back in his seat and continued driving.

After twenty minutes, they arrived at the bridal shop. Even though they were here to get the measurements done, the moment they entered the bridal shop, Yan was instantly attracted to the many different designs and just stood right there without moving. Standing next to her, Han Qing leaned next to her ear and commented, “Look at you. You’re utterly obsessed with these wedding dresses. Didn’t someone say that she didn’t want to marry me?”

His remarks almost made Yan choke on her saliva. She gave Han Qing a look and responded, “Being obsessed with wedding gowns doesn’t mean I want to marry you.” As she finished, she brushed him off and walked further into the shop.

Just as Han Qing was about to catch up with the lady who was throwing tantrums, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and the pleasantness in his eyes immediately disappeared. Before he answered it, he hesitated. “Hello?”

“My apologies, Han Qing. I really don’t want to call you at this moment. But something’s just gone wrong here in the company, so…” Xu Yanwan sounded somewhat apologetic, awkward, and helpless.

Han Qing’s eyebrows squished together in a frown. “I’ll call you back once I’m done.”

Right before he hung up, an uproar came from Xu Yanwan’s end of the phone. It sounded like a fight. Xu Yanwan exhaled. “I’ve been trying to calm them down, but they just won’t stop. Perhaps it’s because I’m by myself now and there’s no one in the Xu family to back me up, so no one listens to me anymore.”

Han Qing pursed his lips while looking at Yan. Finally, he commented callously, “Given your ability, if you can’t even handle such a minor matter, you’re going to have a hard time in the future.”

Han Qing’s words broke Xu Yanwan’s heart, but she could only pretend to smile in response. Shouldn’t I have known? He’s always cold and indifferent toward me. He’ll never say any kind words to me.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1386

Even though there was still some affection when the two first met after a long time, ever since the incident where she told everyone that she used to be his fiancée, any remaining affection from growing up together seemed to have disappeared. And now, he was extremely wary of her presence.

At this point, Xu Yanwan bitterly closed her eyes, forcing herself to sound unemotional. “You’re right; I didn’t think it through before calling you. Sorry to have disturbed you. I’m going to hang up now.”

Han Qing hung up on her and put his phone away. When Yan saw Han Qing, she subconsciously threw a look at him. “Who called?”

“Xu Yanwan.”

Yan choked. Xu Yanwan? Why did she call him? Hasn’t she given up yet? What is she up to?

Looking at her curious eyes that were fixated on him, Han Qing let out a smile and reached for her head, gently rubbing it. “Just ask whatever’s on your mind.”

Yan brushed his hand off, looking grumpy. “What? Don’t you think you should be reporting everything to me without even me asking?”

Report? Han Qing was surprised by this choice of word from Yan that he heard for the very first time. All of a sudden, he felt that she was taking charge of him, which made him feel warm and secure; it felt like family. Then, Han Qing took a few steps forward and put his hands around her neck.

The two were getting closer to each other. Yan was startled and stared at Han Qing with her widened eyes. She could feel Han Qing’s warm and gentle hands rubbing against each other behind her neck. He lowered his head and leaned even closer with his forehead, whispering, “She called to tell me that something went wrong with some clients, but I told her to take care of it herself.”

As he spoke, Yan squinted in surprise. Han Qing’s really doing it. She replied, dumbfounded, “I-It was just a passing comment. You don’t have to—”

Han Qing chuckled in a low voice. “Didn’t you want me to report everything to you? Perhaps you should just accept my proposal so you can begin to control me. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Who’s controlling you? Nice try!” Yan pushed him away and carried on walking.

At this point, the manager came out and immediately greeted Han Qing, “President Han.”

“Mhmm.”

The manager saw that Han Qing’s gaze was on Yan, who was viewing the wedding dresses, so he let out his signature smile. “I guess that’s Mrs. Han.”

Mrs. Han… This salutation made Yan blush. She was on cloud nine. Never in her life had she ever thought of becoming Mrs. Han—the woman that belongs to Han Qing. Even though she was already on cloud nine, she had to pretend to look calm and composed.

Han Qing nodded and responded, “You may bring over those custom-made designs.”

“Sure, President Han. They are ready inside. President Han, Mrs. Han, please come with me.”

As Yan walked next to Han Qing, all that was in her mind was the phrase ‘Mrs. Han’. Even though she had heard this salutation once when the two were traveling, this salutation meant something different then. So, Yan’s state of mind when hearing this salutation was different each time. She inquired while walking, “Aren’t we getting one of the designs out there? I thought they looked pretty good to me.”

Han Qing grabbed her hand with an affectionate look in his eyes. “Silly girl, there are better ones inside.”

“Ah, I see.”

After seeing those custom-made designs, Yan was utterly convinced that Han Qing was not lying. As much as she thought that the designs out there were pretty, the ones inside were on a different level. The sight of the room full of wedding dresses made her feel like she was in a dream. Faced with this, Yan suddenly felt like everything was surreal. To make sure that she was not dreaming, she pinched herself. Ouch. So this is real?

“Mrs. Han, these are all our custom-made designs, but these are only the samples. You can have a pick and when you choose one, we’ll have our designer tailor-make one for you. If you have any ideas, feel free to let our designer know.” There are samples already? The only thing Yan got out of that was that these dresses must be extremely pricey. But after all, you only got married once; it did not matter if the wedding dress was slightly more expensive.

Slowly, Yan walked around and began viewing the wedding dresses with Han Qing next to her. Soon enough, Han Qing’s phone rang again. This time around, his forehead furrowed into an agonized frown as he answered the phone.

When Yan finally found a design that she liked and was about to ask Han Qing for his opinions, she found him looking at his phone, frowning. This worried her, so she quickly walked up to him and asked, “What’s happening?”

Han Qing pursed his thin lips and looked at her for a moment before responding, “I might need to pay a quick visit to the hospital.”

“Huh?” Yan was confused and began to look worried. “Are you feeling unwell? Is that why you need to go to the hospital?”

“No.” Han Qing denied. “I got a call saying that something happened to Xu Yanwan at the office. There was a fight and she was injured.”

Shock crossed Yan’s face as she heard that. After seeing the worried look on Han Qing’s face, as much as she was reluctant to do so, she replied with a smiley face, “What are you waiting for then? Just go to the hospital already. I’ll be here—”

Before she could finish, Han Qing went up and grabbed her by her waist. “I want you to come with me.”

That frightened Yan. She stolidly looked at him. Go with you?

“Is that okay?” she asked with a skeptical tone.

“You’re about to be Mrs. Han. How’s that inappropriate for you to come with me?”

“But—” Yan hesitated.

“Will you be alright if you don’t come with me? That woman’s been eyeing your man. Are you just going to let me go by myself?”

Yan was rendered speechless by what he had just said. But his words made her think about what took place and why she, as the daughter of the rich Xu family, could not handle whatever that was happening. If she could never handle things right, would she have to ask Han Qing to help her out every time? The thought of this caused Yan to realize that perhaps Xu Yanwan had not given up on Han Qing. After all, who would give up so easily?

Yan had this hunch since the time she saw the arrogant look on Xu Yanwan’s face when she sat in the passenger seat of Han Qing’s car. Therefore, Yan nodded. “You’re right. I can’t let that woman continue to have her eyes on you. Let me come with you and be on the lookout for you.”

“Alright.”

“About the wedding dress…”

“We’ll come back to it once we’re done. We still have time.”

“Sounds good.”

Initially, Yan thought Han Qing would leave without her. But his suggestion to bring her along surprised her, and since he had asked, she thought she might as well tag along and see how badly injured Xu Yanwan was. Is she cruel enough to do this to herself?

As a matter of fact, she was. And, not to mention, she was badly injured.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1387

The first thing Yan and Han Qing saw as they entered the ward was the bandage wrapped around Xu Yanwan’s head. Xu Yanwan was just sitting there, and the white gauze bandage around her head was still stained with blood. The oversized blue hospital uniform that was over her petite body made her fair clavicle visible. She looked frail and weak, causing whoever saw her to feel bad for her. She looked over toward the door as she heard the footsteps.

Yan understood the look that Xu Yanwan had on her—it was full of anticipation, especially when she saw Han Qing. However, the glimmer in her eyes slowly disappeared the moment she saw Yan. The change in her look was quick and could almost go unnoticed if it were not for Yan’s constant observation of the look on her face.

Frustrated, Yan felt helpless. She used to visit Xu Yanwan at the hospital before and even brought her food from time to time, treating her as a friend. But things seemed to be a little different now. Xu Yanwan was not alone in the ward as some of the management of the company were also there, including Su Jiu. Su Jiu’s also here? It had to be because of how importantly Han Qing treated the relationship between the two families; otherwise, important persons like Su Jiu would not have shown up here.

Feeling bad, Yan insisted on not showing any emotions. Instead, she quietly stood next to Han Qing.

“What’s going on?” Han Qing glanced at Xu Yanwan who was on the bed before turning to Su Jiu.

Feeling helpless, Su Jiu explained, “There was an argument and amid that, Miss Xu went up to calm them down. As the argument became heated, they accidentally pushed her, causing her to hit her head.”

If it was not because of the blood, those people would not have stopped. After realizing that there was blood, they all stopped arguing and eventually came to the hospital together. They were afraid to be held responsible in the event anything happened.

Han Qing looked downcast and turned to those from the upper management. “So, a bunch of people from the upper management got into a fight because of some differences in opinions?”

Hearing Han Qing’s angry voice, they all kept quiet. Even though Han Qing was younger than most of them, having many years of experience as the president of the company, the charisma and intensity that he possessed were strong enough to hold them down. Whenever Han Qing was around, he would always have the last say. But with Xu Yanwan, especially now that she was by herself, they would naturally be less respectful and more arrogant. As they got into an argument over differences in opinions, rage caused some of them to begin using violence. The injury that Xu Yanwan sustained was inevitable as a result of her attempt to stop these people.

“Please think about what you can do to fix this. You all can leave now.”

After they left the ward, Su Jiu turned to Xu Yanwan, who was sitting on the bed, and walked up to Han Qing. “President Han, I have something about the company to tell you.”

“Sure.” Han Qing gave Yan a look and she quickly responded, “Go then. I’ll be here to look after Xu Yanwan.”

As everyone left, only the two were left in the ward—Xu Yanwan and Zhou Xiaoyan. It was quiet and no one was willing to say the first word. After a while, Xu Yanwan finally lifted her head and looked at Yan. Her gaze inadvertently fell on the shiny diamond ring that was on Yan’s finger. Even though she had already heard about the engagement, seeing the diamond ring on Yan’s finger was different—it was like a stab in her heart. She waited for a moment before saying bitterly, “Congratulations.”

Yan was surprised when she heard that as she never thought Xu Yanwan would ever congratulate her. Initially, Yan had no plans to speak to her, but since Xu Yanwan initiated the conversation, Yan felt she should at least respond. So, she pursed her red lips and waited for a few seconds before responding, “Thank you.”

Xu Yanwan was sitting there, all curled up, looking skinny and pale. At this point, she sorrowfully looked at Yan and commented all of a sudden, “You’re pretty lucky; you know that? I guess you’ve already found out what happened between me and him, haven’t you? And I didn’t mean anything when I texted you the last time, including the time when I was sitting in the passenger seat. I didn’t know that Han Qing was on his way to pick you up. Had I known that, I wouldn’t have sat there.”

Huh? Hearing these explanations, Yan became confused as she did not know why Xu Yanwan had to say these to her. She then frowned. “But you like Han Qing, don’t you?”

Xu Yanwan paused and nodded. “You’re right. I do like him—no, I love him, to be accurate. I’ve known him since I was little, and in my mind, he has always been the man that I would marry when I grew up. Throughout all these years, I’ve been treating him like my husband. I understand that I can be a little extreme at times, but can you understand what I’m going through? I’ve always thought he was mine, until suddenly he wasn’t. Can you understand the disappointment that I have to face?”

Yan was rendered speechless.

“It was my fault last time around, but now since you two are together, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve lost everything; the only thing I want to do now is to restore the Xu family. Can you… not think of me as an enemy in the future?”

Enemy? Yan looked at Xu Yanwan for a moment before she let out a smile. “Is that all you want to say? If you think that I’d think of you as an enemy so you’re trying to change my mind, I’d like to tell you to stop trying now,” Yan spoke, looking stern and serious.

“As long as you still like Han Qing, that will continue to make me, his girlfriend, and you rivals. I believe that you, Young Lady Xu, don’t have a heart that’s large enough not to hate me, or to even become my good friend. Besides, there’s no point for us to be good friends as we’re people from different worlds. And, you don’t have to apologize to me, because I’ve already hated you since that day. One last thing—I believe Han Qing has clarified with you that there’s never been an engagement between you and him. You made everything up; he was never yours. So, please don’t blame me for not being able to understand what you’re going through.”

As she finished, the look on Xu Yanwan’s face changed; her face that was already pale because of the injury had turned colorless—she looked as if she was being oppressed.

Seeing the blood stain on her bandage, Yan pursed her lips. Sigh, she’s a patient, after all. Did I go overboard? Oh well. Patient? So what? That doesn’t mean she’s no longer a rival. Those pretentious words that she said disgust me. Perhaps Yan was narrow-minded, but she did not reckon that Xu Yanwan was a kind person, and she certainly wasn’t planning on acting like a saint. Whatever. What’s said is said.

Xu Yanwan remained silent and sat there with her pale face, looking helpless and pitiful. Even as a woman, Yan felt that Xu Yanwan looked pitiful. If a man saw her in this state, he would definitely show his compassion and care for her. But not Han Qing, whom Yan thought would never fall for this sort of temptation. So, she was at ease.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1388

Soon after that, Han Qing came back to the ward, and Yan fell back into the chair next to the bed. The ward became silent again.

Xu Yanwan raised her head and looked at Han Qing. “You didn’t have to come to the hospital since we have everything here, including all sorts of facilities and medical professionals. You guys should go home soon.”

Han Qing pursed his lips and walked up to her. He then looked at her wound for a while before commenting callously, “If you happen to run into the same situation again, you should just stay away from it. If nothing else works, you should call the police; there’s no need for you to go up to them and resolve it yourself. How am I supposed to explain to the late Mr. and Mrs. Xu if something bad happens?”

Xu Yanwan closed her eyes, stunned. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting this to happen.”

As Yan was silently listening to their conversation, she decided to take out her phone to browse through it.

“They were arguing endlessly. In the heat of the moment, I couldn’t help but to go up to them; I didn’t expect this to happen. If I knew that it would bother you two to get here, I wouldn’t have gone up to them to try and stop them.” At this juncture, Xu Yanwan touched her forehead and let out a bitter smile. “The doctor told me that if I don’t take good care of this wound, it might leave scars.”

Scars? Yan took a quick look at her forehead, thinking, Having scars on a woman’s forehead might not be something that a woman could accept. As such, she began to sympathize with her. Ah, I’m sympathizing with her again. I shouldn’t have been so harsh on her earlier. Fine then—if she does something or say something pretentious to me again, I’ll go easy on her.

“Both of you should be busy, right?” Xu Yanwan smiled gently, looking sweet. “I can be here by myself; you guys should go. You don’t have to stay here to accompany me.”

Han Qing silently stared at Xu Yanwan for a while before taking out his phone and making a phone call outside the ward.

Lin Xuzheng was surprised when he received Han Qing’s phone call. “Look who’s calling! You normally only give me a call once every few years. What’s the matter?”

“Xu Yanwan’s injured and is in the hospital now.”

The mention of Xu Yanwan’s name startled Lin Xuzheng, whose eyebrows immediately went up. “Oh. So?”

“Didn’t she used to be your favorite when you were little?” Han Qing frowned.

Lin Xuzheng responded, “That was many years ago, and she was a little girl. What’s wrong with a big brother caring for a little girl? Besides, she’s no longer a little girl now. Why are you telling me all these?”

Han Qing kept quiet, pursing his lips. Did he call the wrong person? Lin Xuzheng followed up after hearing the moment of silence, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you also like a big brother to her back in the days? Can’t you take care of her in the hospital?”

“Yan’s here.”

Lin Xuzheng finally received Han Qing’s message after hearing these few words. He was surprised before he chuckled in a deep voice.

“Alright. You’re finally making some sense. And here I thought that you’d be stringing both Yan and Xu Yanwan along. Did you recently come to this realization?”

Realization? Han Qing inquired subconsciously, “What’re you talking about?”

“Xu Yanwan likes you. She’s been following you around since we were little, but you never seemed to realize how cold you’ve been toward her. Nevertheless, this girl still stuck around.”

Han Qing was at a loss for words. “I’ve never noticed that.”

These words rendered Lin Xuzheng speechless. “Look at how hurtful you are. She’s been going after you for so long, and you haven’t even noticed that? No matter how heartless you are, this is a little too much, isn’t it, Han Qing?”

Han Qing kept quiet.

“Fine. Let’s treat this as a favor for you. Which hospital are you in?”

Finally, Lin Xuzheng came. The moment Xu Yanwan saw him, her countenance changed; she felt embarrassed and insulted, and she was so frustrated that she could not say anything. She kept biting her bottom lip while looking down at her knees. Hold it in. I have to hold it in. There’s nothing to be upset about.

Yan was also surprised to see Lin Xuzheng. So, she went up and greeted him, “Hi, Xuzheng.”

Lin Xuzheng simply waved them off. “All of you can leave. I’ll be here.”

At this point, Yan came back to her senses and realized that Han Qing was actually giving Lin Xuzheng a call earlier when he left the ward. Prior to this, she was wondering how long they had to stay here; fortunately, it did not take long for her to figure that out. After they left the hospital, Yan grabbed Han Qing by his hand and asked softly, “Are you really going to let Xuzheng stay there? Are there going to be any problems? Will Xuzheng think that you’re not loyal to your friends? Will Xu Yanwan hate you because of this?”

Hearing this series of questions, Han Qing looked at her helplessly. “She can hate me if she wants.”

Yan thought, It seems impossible that Xu Yanwan would hate him. If she’s ever going to need an outlet, I’ll be her target. After all, she came to visit her with Han Qing. Surely Xu Yanwan would dislike her even more because of this.

“Let’s go back to the bridal shop to continue picking your wedding dress, shall we?”

“Aren’t we a little heartless? After all, she’s injured and can’t do anything else.”

“So, do you want to go back there?”

“Not a chance!”

Han Qing chuckled. “So, do we go back to the hospital or to the bridal shop to look at wedding dresses?”

“Wedding dress!” Yan insisted. “Just treat me as an evil woman then. I don’t like seeing you with her and the way she looks at you.”

“Well, I feel the same.” Han Qing squeezed her cheek. “You should avoid her more.”

“Sure.”

The two then disappeared from sight.

Meanwhile, in the ward, Xu Yanwan found herself quietly leaning against her knees, feeling devastated. Lin Xuzheng sat right there and stared at her. After a while, Xu Yanwan looked up and gave him a look. “You should go.”

Lin Xuzheng raised his eyebrows. Knowing what was on his mind, Xu Yanwan followed up in an upfront manner, “I know you’re forced to be here, so there’s no need for you to stay here. This is a hospital, and there are nurses here to look after me. You can go.”

“Really?” Lin Xuzheng straightened his body and chuckled. “The nurses aren’t going to look after you the whole time. If you feel uncomfortable with a man looking after you, would you like me to hire a caretaker?”

“There’s no need for that!” Xu Yanwan’s rejection had an element of rage. Then, she looked at him sideways. “I know you know what I’m thinking; he asked you to be here. And now, I don’t want to see your face anymore. Are you happy now?”

“Tsk, tsk.” Lin Xuzheng shook his head and laughed. “Little girl, did you already forget how much I used to take care of you when you were little? Now, because of a man, you no longer want to see the big brother who used to take care of you?”

Xu Yanwan did not respond. She kept quiet for a moment before she continued, “You’re right. I’m sorry… I was being too unreasonable earlier. I’m sorry, Xuzheng.” At this moment, tears began to well up in Xu Yanwan’s eyes. She had been wanting to find someone to confide in but had not been able to find any. Since her parents had passed, she had never had any good friends. Now, she was left by herself with no one to speak to. She was delighted to meet Han Qing today, but he had brought Yan along, and they both left too soon. In the end, Han Qing decided to call Lin Xuzheng, which to Xu Yanwan, meant that Han Qing was pushing her away to someone else. This felt worse than if Han Qing did not want to be here.

Facing Xu Yanwan and her helpless look while she sat on the bed, Lin Xuzheng let out a sigh. “What’s this for? Didn’t I tell you to let go of him before? Why haven’t you given up?”

Give up? I’ve loved him for so many years. How can I just give up like this? Xu Yanwan forced a smile in her heart and looked Lin Xuzheng in the eye. “Xuzheng, you’ve loved your wife for so many years. If someone told you to give up on her and marry some other woman, would you do it?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1389

Not expecting this question from her, Lin Xuzheng was silenced by it and did not respond to her. The caring look on his face had completely vanished, leaving only indifference and coldness. So did the warmth in the air in the ward. Realizing that she might have misspoken, Xu Yanwan panicked. “I’m sorry, Xuzheng. I haven’t been in a good mood, so I’ve been speaking nonsense. You should go,” she continued. “Again, I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have used any inappropriate examples, much less use you as the subject of my example. You’ve truly taken good care of me back in the days. I went overboard.”

Lin Xuzheng felt bad after seeing how Xu Yanwan could not stop blaming herself. This girl had just witnessed the love of her life with another woman, which had broken her heart. Besides, her parents had both passed; she had lost everything. It was fortunate that she was strong enough to not have collapsed after going through all these and could still conduct herself with such circumspection. After all, they grew up together, so Lin Xuzheng decided to not be too harsh on her. He exhaled. “I can forgive you for what happened earlier, but don’t ever use my wife as an example again; do you understand? You should know well how much she meant to me.”

“Okay. I won’t do it again; I was just being a jerk. Please, Xuzheng, just go home now and leave me by myself. I’ll be okay after this.”

“Look at yourself; I’m worried to leave you alone. Since I have some spare time, I thought I should just stick around in the hospital for a few days to be with you.”

Since Lin Xuzheng insisted on staying, Xu Yanwan decided to allow him to be with her. She silently sat on the bed while he silently sat on the chair next to her. When evening came, Lin Xuzheng asked his maid to deliver some food to them. As the food was light and bland, it was not to Xu Yanwan’s taste. But, for the sake of her health, she had to force herself to take some.

Whilst eating, Xu Yanwan had, on numerous occasions, tried to say something but decided to retract her words after seeing the look on Lin Xuzheng’s face. After a couple of attempts, Lin Xuzheng pointed out, “If you want to say something, just say it; don’t hesitate while you’re looking at me. As long as it has nothing to do with my wife, I’ll be okay.”

This put Xu Yanwan at ease. However, since what she wanted to say was related to Han Qing, she had to be particularly cautious. “Xuzheng, do you know how long they’ve been together?”

Lin Xuzheng squinted reflexively. “Why are you asking about this?”

Gently, Xu Yanwan replied, “Didn’t you say that as long as it’s nothing to do with your wife, you won’t get upset? If so, why do you want to know why I asked this question? Don’t I have the right to ask questions?”

“Of course, you do.” Lin Xuzheng lowered his head and took a bite of his food, looking pensive. After a moment, he responded, “You can definitely ask questions, but doesn’t asking this question put you through unnecessary suffering? The length of time they’ve been together has no bearing on their relationship. When Yan was here earlier, didn’t you see the diamond ring on her finger?”

Of course, she did. That was precisely why she asked. But, of course, Xu Yanwan did not say this to him. “I’m just curious as I’ve never received a response from him after falling for him for such a long time. So, how did she end up with Han Qing? I don’t mean anything else.”

“What do you like about Han Qing?” Lin Xuzheng asked in response to her question.

Xu Yanwan was stunned.

“This is what we call fate—you like him, but he doesn’t like you. But, have you thought about those who are pursuing you? Who are they supposed to ask as to why you don’t like them and why you’ve never responded after such a long time? Oh, Yanwan.” Lin Xuzheng looked understanding. “If it weren’t because we grew up together, I’d never be bothered to speak to you about these things. You’re splitting hairs; he’s just a man, and although it’ll be wonderful if he’s also into you, he’s now with another woman. So, being so fixated on him does you no good.”

Being fixated on him. These few words annoyed Xu Yanwan. “Xuzheng, how could you say that? I was just asking.”

“We grew up together. Don’t you think I know what’s behind that question?”

Xu Yanwan was embarrassed and did not respond.

“You’re well-educated and not someone from a conservative society. Why can’t you get over this? He’s just a man, and you have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t you think you have all the time in the world to meet the man of your life?”

“But there’s only one Han Qing.” Xu Yanwan’s eyes turned red and teary. “I’ve liked him since I was little. If I were to fall for someone else, I would’ve been with that person already. There’s no way I’ll still be waiting for Han Qing today.”

“I guess you just don’t understand what I’m getting at.”

“Xuzheng, it’s not that I don’t get what you said, but I need some time to think things through. Would you give me some time?”

“Take all the time you need. You’re an adult and a smart person; you don’t need people nagging at you all the time for you to think things through.”

It’s these words again. I’m on my own again. Why must every smart person figure things out by themselves? Do I always have to follow the norm? Xu Yanwan closed her eyes and spoke no more.

…

Fast forward to the wedding of Xiao Su’s cousin. Initially, Jiang Xiaobai had no intention of dressing nicely, but after some thought, she decided to dress up as she would be attending the wedding as Xiao Su’s girlfriend; Xiao Su’s mother would not let this opportunity slip to introduce her to everyone else. Since they would be separated soon, this could be a gift in return for all the help he had rendered her all this while.

This time around, Jiang Xiaobai decided to drive there, so Liang Yahe came over to her place early in the morning, and she had been reminding Jiang Xiaobai to dress up since the night before. As she was afraid that Jiang Xiaobai would overthink it, she added, “Xiaobai, you look pretty even without make-up. However, this is a wedding, and everyone will dress up. You can’t let anyone beat you.” From her words, one could tell that she was already treating Jiang Xiaobai as her daughter-in-law.

To Jiang Xiaobai, Liang Yahe was an easy-going person, and she thought it would be nice to have someone like her as her mother-in-law. Just that… At this juncture, Jiang Xiaobai became slightly perturbed and ceased her thoughts.

After dressing up, Liang Yahe was pleased by how amazing Jiang Xiaobai looked. “Xiaobai, you look amazing. You’ll surely be the belle of the ball.”

Jiang Xiaobai retorted, “Oh, Mrs. Xiao, it’s someone else’s wedding today. Isn’t it bad for me to be the belle of the ball?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1390

Liang Yahe came to her senses and smiled. She then responded, “You’re right. Look at me; it seems like all that I can think about is you, and I’ve completely forgotten about the wedding today.”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled, feeling embarrassed. Then, the door opened, and Xiao Su and Xiao Mingzhi came in. “Are you all ready?”

As he finished, Xiao Su looked over to Jiang Xiaobai, who was in a light green dress with a pearly white coat. Her legs looked fair and lean. On her feet were a pair of light-colored heels that were very high. Even though Xiao Su could not tell exactly how high they were, he subconsciously let out a frown as he saw them. “Are you able to walk in those heels?”

Jiang Xiaobai was surprised to hear that.

“You’ve always been wearing flats. Are you sure you’re able to walk today?”

Before Jiang Xiaobai could respond, Liang Yahe interrupted as she stood right next to her, “How could you say this? Isn’t it normal for girls to be in heels? And how does that make it harder for them to walk? If she’s having difficulty, you can very well offer to help her. Xiaobai is your girlfriend—are you even aware of that?”

Xiao Su did not expect his random question to have attracted a rebuttal. He touched his nose, looking embarrassed. Oh well. I shouldn’t have said anything. Mom’s really biased toward Xiaobai even though she’s just pretending to be my girlfriend. If we start seeing each other one day or even get married, I can’t imagine what she would do to me. The thought of this terrified him. So, Xiao Su decided to remain silent.

“Mrs. Xiao, I’m okay. Let’s go then.”

“Let’s go.”

As Xiao Su was the driver, Jiang Xiaobai initially considered taking the back seat so someone else could take the passenger seat. But before she could do that, Liang Yahe had already opened the passenger seat door for her. She had no choice but to get into the passenger seat and fasten her seatbelt.

When they were on the road, Liang Yahe began to nag, “Xiaobai, Xiao Su’s cousin is only twenty-five this year, and I heard that he started seeing his fiancée when they were still at school. After four to five years of dating, they seemed stable, so they decided to get engaged last year and have their wedding this year. Xiao Su is so much older than him; why can’t he learn from his cousin?”

Hearing this made Jiang Xiaobai feel awkward, since she was attending this wedding as Xiao Su’s girlfriend. She felt that those words were aimed at her. Before she figured out what to say, Xiao Su began to frown. “Mom, let’s not talk about this.”

Liang Yahe squinted and commented angrily, “What? As your mother, don’t I even have the right to bring that up?”

Xiao Mingzhi tapped Liang Yahe’s hand, reminding her that Jiang Xiaobai was also in the car. Liang Yahe came to her realization and remarked, “Xiaobai, please don’t worry. After you and Xiao Su get married, I’ll definitely be nice to you. If he treats you badly, I won’t go easy on him.”

This embarrassed Jiang Xiaobai, and she now understood what it meant when Xiao Su told her that they would have to explain this arrangement to his mother after the wedding—his mother was so anxious for him to get married. Hopefully, she had not already discussed this with Xiao Su. For Jiang Xiaobai, she felt that after they had made it clear with his mother, she would go back home and find a blind date. It’s just blind dates. Nothing too scary. Therefore, she let out a shy smile at Liang Yahe and kept quiet.

This did not cause Liang Yahe to be suspicious; she reckoned Jiang Xiaobai was just embarrassed at what she said, and that made her heart happy. Liang Yahe had been wanting Xiao Su to find a girlfriend, and now, he came home with a pretty lady. She thought this really made the Xiao family proud, as Jiang Xiaobai was not without substance—she was outstanding in many ways.

After almost two hours in the car, they stopped halfway for a quick bite. Right now, Jiang Xiaobai did not feel good, so she went to use the bathroom. In the bathroom, she was retching uncontrollably, but nothing came out. She was feeling carsick after the long ride, but she could not make herself vomit. If it was not because of Liang Yahe and Xiao Mingzhi, she would have asked Xiao Su to stop the car much earlier for her to take a break. But since they were both with them in the car, she did not feel good about bothering them. That was why she held it in.

After several failed attempts, Jiang Xiaobai decided to freshen up, but the moment she opened the faucet she instantly thought about the make-up that she put on today. She exhaled and touched up her make-up before leaving the bathroom. The moment she walked out of the bathroom, she saw a tall figure lean against the door. Xiao Su? What’s he doing here?

Just as Jiang Xiaobai was confused, Xiao Su looked up at her. “Are you feeling unwell?” Even though she had already touched up her make-up, the tiredness on her face was still apparent.

Jiang Xiaobai shook her head. “No.”

Xiao Su produced an agonized frown. “Why didn’t you tell me that you aren’t feeling well? I waited here for five minutes.”

Oh? Five minutes? He must have heard me retching in the bathroom. Since he already knew, she believed that there was nothing for her to hide. She commented with a smiley face, “Both of your parents are around. If I were to say it, it would’ve been troublesome.”

“Troublesome?” A frown creased his forehead. “They both like you a lot. I thought you knew.”

“Of course they like me. But you don’t—” The last part of the sentence was so soft that no one else apart from herself could hear it.

Wanting her to repeat it, Xiao Su squinted and asked, “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Xiaobai puckered up her lips and commented dismissively, “What I said was that even though they like me, that doesn’t mean I need to be proud of it. Do you hear it now?”

Xiao Su’s eyebrows were still tangled as he thought about what Jiang Xiaobai had just said. He felt like she was saying that even though his parents liked her, he himself did not. Although he did not fully catch the last part of her sentence, it felt like this was what she was saying. If that was really the case, that did not sound like Jiang Xiaobai, who would never say such things. Perhaps I’m overthinking.

“Telling us that you’re not well doesn’t make you proud; making a fuss out of nothing does.”

“Fine. Whatever. You’re right. We’re done now so let’s head out.” As Jiang Xiaobai walked past him, he grabbed her by her hand. The moment the two hands touched felt like an electric shock to Jiang Xiaobai. She immediately widened her eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Xiao Su was only planning on stopping her from leaving and was not expecting to grab her hand. After seeing the look on her face, he quickly took his hand back. “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Xiaobai pursed her lips and stared at him while he took his hand back. She could still feel his touch on her hand. “That’s okay. Is there a problem?”

Xiao Su was supposed to ask what was going on with her for the past two days as she had been behaving strangely. But when the words got to his mouth, they turned into, “Nothing. Let’s go.” Then, he led the way.