Chapter Ninety-Eight: Settling the Account

Confined in the small hut, Zhou Qingfei spent her days shouting until her voice was hoarse.

But no one paid her any mind.

Despair swelled further in her heart. She could not believe that Shen Ruizhang would actually ignore the child in her womb.

"What are you making such a racket for? Behave yourself!"

The guard outside could no longer bear her noise and came forward to warn her.

When Zhou Qingfei met the man's gaze, the chasm in her heart widened. If this had been before, these dog-eyed people who looked down on others would never have dared stand before her with such arrogance.

She bit her lip, her eyes full of fury.

After that brief struggle, exhaustion washed over her body. She lay down on the bed that held nothing but a single wooden plank. Never having slept on such a hard bed before, Zhou Qingfei woke sore all over.

She rolled over, and suddenly felt a surge of warmth gush out from below. She was instantly wide awake.

In terror, she threw back the blanket and glanced at the filthy stain upon it.

It was over.

Her eyes flickered, and she looked sharply toward the prison door.

Shen Tingxiao had set aside many meetings and stayed by Jiang Yunzhou's side.

Every day he made her delicious food himself.

Jiang Yunzhou lifted a hand and touched the injured spot on her forehead, saying helplessly, "It's just a minor wound, and the skin wasn't even broken."

Shen Tingxiao said with domineering certainty, "It may be a minor wound to you, but not to me. These next few days, just stay home and rest properly. If anything comes up, call me directly."

Jiang Yunzhou curved her lips in a smile and gave a light nod.

"I'm going to see Granny Shen later. You should go back to the company and work. Your phone has been ringing nonstop since this morning. Ge Xingjing is probably about to go mad."

Shen Tingxiao arched a brow. "If the company falls apart just because I missed a few days, doesn't that only prove the people I keep are useless?"

Jiang Yunzhou found that somewhat amusing, but she still urged him a few more times. After lunch, she saw him off, tidied herself up, and then headed to the hospital.

This time, however, she did not go straight to Madam Shen's ward. Instead, she first sought out Madam Shen's attending physician.

"Madam Shen's emotions have been fairly stable lately. As long as she isn't stimulated and can recover in peace, she should be discharged soon."

Only then did the stone in Jiang Yunzhou's heart ease a little, though she also grew more vigilant about the surrounding environment.

She wondered whether she should have the television removed from Granny Shen's ward so that she would not be disturbed by outside stimuli.

A nurse came out from inside, and upon seeing Jiang Yunzhou, she gave a slight nod and said gently, "Miss Jiang, Madam Shen is asking for you to come in."

Jiang Yunzhou paused.

Had she been discovered?

After a moment's hesitation, she still pushed the door open and stepped inside. Madam Shen, lying on the hospital bed, looked much better than she had a few days earlier.

"You've come. Why didn't you come in?"

Jiang Yunzhou's lips moved slightly. "I was chatting with the attending physician and learned a few things."

She walked forward and sat in the chair by Madam Shen's bedside.

"Has Shen Ruizhang been released?"

Jiang Yunzhou's eyes flickered twice, and she answered with a smile, "He'll be out very soon. Don't worry, Granny. Once he's out, I'll have him come report to you so you can know he's safe."

Madam Shen's face held not the slightest trace of a smile as she asked flatly, "Tell me honestly, have you come to hate your uncle?"

Jiang Yunzhou gave a helpless smile. "How could that be? Granny, did someone say something nonsense in there?"

Her expression darkened. She had not expected there to be a nurse in this hospital who liked to wag her tongue. She would have to check the surveillance later.

"I see the internet is in an uproar. Granny doesn't object to you seeking revenge against that girl surnamed Zhou, but you must not drag your uncle down with you. Do you understand?"

In Jiang Yunzhou's heart, she naturally understood Shen Ruizhang's position in the old lady's eyes. Even if he was not the mastermind behind this incident, he was indeed somewhat involved.

"I understand, Granny."

Jiang Yunzhou stayed with her in the hospital for a long time, leaving only after Madam Shen, worn out, had fallen asleep.

She checked the surveillance in Madam Shen's ward and promptly replaced the two nurses who had been caring for her.

She also reported their behavior to the head nurse.

As for whatever punishment those two nurses might receive, that had nothing to do with her.

Once Jiang Yunzhou returned home, she immediately began sorting through her assets. The missing funds in Shen Ruizhang's company were rather substantial, but if she poured in everything she had, it should more or less cover the gap.

Just as she was preparing to make contact, her phone suddenly rang.

After answering, an excited female voice burst from the line. "Yunzhou!! Our group project won an award! Did you hear me? We won!"

The voice on the other end was trembling with excitement, and Jiang Yunzhou could almost picture the person waving her arms and legs about in delight.

She, too, was infected by the joy.

"Really? That's wonderful. I never expected our luck to be this good—we actually won an award."

The person on the phone immediately took offense. "It's not just luck, okay? Clearly it's because our project was the best finished one. Your contribution was the greatest too!"

Jiang Yunzhou's smile deepened at the praise.

"And the prize money this time is quite a lot!"

At that, Jiang Yunzhou's expression flickered.

After hanging up, she looked up the prize money.

The next morning, Shen Tingxiao appeared at Jiang Yunzhou's home.

"Why are you here?"

"I called you several times this morning, but you never answered. I was worried, so I came over."

Last night Jiang Yunzhou had spent the entire night sorting through all her assets and had only just fallen asleep not long ago. Hearing the commotion outside, she hurriedly got up to take a look.

Seeing that Jiang Yunzhou looked somewhat pale, Shen Tingxiao asked, "What were you doing last night? Why do you look so bad?"

Jiang Yunzhou hesitated for a moment. "Nothing. I just couldn't sleep."

In a few strides, Shen Tingxiao was standing before her. Jiang Yunzhou had no choice but to step back two paces; with that retreat, the man pressed his advantage and pinned her against the wall.

He asked unhappily, "You're not still thinking about your uncle, are you?"

Listening to those words thick with jealousy, Jiang Yunzhou could not help the twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"Really, I just couldn't sleep."

Shen Tingxiao remained skeptical and raised a hand to test her forehead.

"Worriedly, he said, 'You're not sick, are you?'"

"No."

His hand moved down slowly from her forehead and came to rest on her cheek.

"What are you thinking about Shen Ruizhang's company's accounts?"

Jiang Yunzhou's eyes flickered twice. Looking at Shen Tingxiao, she said calmly, "I'll discuss it with Granny. After all, this is a matter for the Shen family, and that debt is no small sum. It depends on what Granny says."