Chapter 82: A New Challenge

“What are you talking about, Zhang Xiluo?” The moment Li Mingye heard the word divorce, irritation flared through him. “Who are these people?”

Looking at his face, Zhang Xiluo sneered inwardly. This bastard was far too good at pretending. He knew perfectly well what he had done.

Clearing obstacles in business, removing stumbling blocks in love, two goals achieved at once, that was exactly the sort of thing only he could do.

In her previous life, this was how he had forced her into divorce, using the future of the Zhang Group and everything connected to her as leverage.

When she refused, she was left with nothing.

What she could not understand was this: she had already stepped aside, so why had he still treated her this way?

How utterly intolerable her existence must have been to Li Mingye, if he would not be satisfied until he drove her to death...

“Explain yourself.” Li Mingye walked back, his voice cold as he pressed her. “I do not accept accusations without reason.”

“My uncle...” Zhang Xiluo had just begun when Zhou Yao cut her off. Cradling a bouquet of flowers, she walked over with a bright smile.

“Mr. Li, will these do?” Zhou Yao showed the flowers to Li Mingye, then went straight to Zhang Xiluo. “Sister, these are for you. I hope you recover soon.”

Zhang Xiluo did not even spare her a glance. She shoved the bouquet away hard. Taking advantage of the moment, Zhou Yao fell to the ground, petals scattering everywhere.

Like a startled bird, Zhou Yao scrambled up at once and bent to gather the flowers, her eyes already shimmering with tears. “I’ll go buy another bouquet. These are ruined now.”

Watching her, Zhang Xiluo could only admire her acting. She should never have studied piano; she should have studied performance. She was destined to be the next Oscar-winning actress. Every look, every gesture, was flawless.

Zhang Xiluo almost wanted to give her a thumbs-up. No wonder Li Mingye protected her so fiercely. Any man would have his protective instincts stirred by a woman like that.

She resisted exposing Zhou Yao. Instead, she gave Li Mingye one long, deep look, then turned and sat back down.

“Take your flowers and your beauty and leave. Stay any longer, and I’m afraid I’ll throw up.” Zhang Xiluo lifted a hand, summoning the bodyguards to see them out.

The bodyguards came at once and stood protectively before her, moving to drive Zhou Yao and Li Mingye away.

Hurt and frightened, Zhou Yao shrank to Li Mingye’s side. “Mr. Li, we should go.”

“If anything happens, call me.” Li Mingye left with Zhou Yao, and Zhang Xiluo let out a soundless sigh.

As if he would be any use at all.

Everything she was dealing with now had something to do with Zhou Yao. As though he would ever handle it fairly.

They had at least once been husband and wife. Could he not be sincere with her, even a little?

Jiang Xueting still had not hung up. From the other end of the line, she kept shouting for Zhang Xiluo. “Luoluo, what do you mean recover soon? What happened to you? What did that little mistress Zhou do to you? Luoluo, tell me!”

“It’s a long story. I’ll be back in Dragon City in a few days. We’ll talk when we meet.” Zhang Xiluo felt bone-deep weary. “As for my uncle’s matter, I need to trouble you to keep investigating. I want to know about that woman.”

“Don’t worry. Even if you hadn’t asked, I’d still get to the bottom of it. It’s you I’m worried about.” Jiang Xueting’s voice was anxious. “What on earth happened to you?”

“My child is gone.” Zhang Xiluo said it lightly, though heaven alone knew how much pain she was in. “I’m all right. Don’t worry about me.”

“Luoluo...” Jiang Xueting burst into tears at once. She knew Zhang Xiluo was enduring unbearable agony. “When you come back, I’ll pick you up.”

She asked no more questions and offered no empty comfort. After hanging up, she threw herself into Zhao Chengyi’s arms and broke into loud, helpless sobs.

The caregiver brought her some water. After drinking it, Zhang Xiluo sat downstairs for a while longer. The family of four nearby was still laughing together, warm and happy. The little girl even gave her a piece of candy and told her that if she ate something sweet, it would stop hurting.

Zhang Xiluo held the candy in her hand and could not bear to eat it for a long time.

Only after the family had left did she finally place it in her mouth.

It really was very sweet.

It had been a long time since she had tasted anything so sweet. Thinking of that lovely little girl, the corner of her mouth finally lifted in the faintest curve.

“It’s time to go back. It’ll be dark soon.” Li Zhan had changed into casual clothes and now stood behind her. “My shift is over. If we wait any longer, dinner will go cold.”

“All right.”

Zhang Xiluo nodded and gave him a slight smile. It was like the brief blooming of an epiphyllum, fleeting, yet dazzlingly beautiful.

Li Zhan stared for a moment, caught off guard. Only after a while did he come back to himself and wheel Zhang Xiluo to her room. The caregiver went to collect dinner, leaving only the two of them in the hospital room.

Zhang Xiluo kept staring blankly out the window, thinking about how to resolve her uncle’s affair.

Li Zhan assumed she was grieving over her injuries. He sighed to himself, unsure how to comfort her.

“You should go back. I don’t need anyone to stay with me.”

After a long silence, Zhang Xiluo spoke.

“I’ll leave when the caregiver returns.” Li Zhan’s tone was calm, without any excess emotion. “Luoluo, I’m not good at comforting people, but as a doctor, I can tell you responsibly that it is not what you think.”

“Yes. I believe you.” Zhang Xiluo looked at him and nodded gratefully.

“You’re rather thin, and your constitution isn’t strong. You need proper care and recuperation.” Li Zhan took out a business card. “This is the contact information for a classmate of mine. If you need help, you can go to her.”

Taking the card, Zhang Xiluo carefully entered the number into her phone. She truly did want to restore her health.

“I will. When you come back to Dragon City, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

During her stay in the hospital, Zhang Xiluo had not been idle. She spent her time looking into ways to nurse her body back to health while also investigating her uncle’s matter together with Jiang Xueting.

Xu Xinyi called every day to chat with her as well. She never once mentioned the miscarriage, yet every word she spoke was full of heartache and concern.

Ouyang Chen had broken his promise. Up until the day she returned to Dragon City, she never saw him again.

Before being discharged, Zhang Xiluo underwent a full examination. She had recovered almost completely, though she was still slightly anemic.

Anxious to get back to Dragon City, she did not want to remain in the hospital any longer. She took some medicine and hurried through her discharge.

Mother Zhang felt that apartment was unlucky, so she had Hu Minxing put it up for sale. Before leaving, Zhang Xiluo went back one last time to look at it.

To be honest, it had nothing to do with the apartment.

She was simply ill-fated.

No matter where she went, Li Mingye and Zhou Yao always managed to find her.

Hu Minxing drove Zhang Xiluo to the airport and gave her some local specialties as well, repeatedly reminding her to take good care of herself.

He remained unable to let go of what had happened with Su Jianhao. If he had not misjudged the man, she would never have suffered such disaster.

In the end, Zhang Xiluo saw clearly that Su Jianhao was not bad by nature. He had simply fallen in love with Zhou Yao. Brainwashed by her, he had willingly become a villain for her sake.

As she boarded the plane to Dragon City, Zhang Xiluo’s feelings were tangled and heavy. She sensed that many hardships lay ahead. She had always been capable, but all her thoughts had once been spent on Li Mingye. She was no longer certain she could resolve every problem well.

But she understood one thing clearly: the meaning of her rebirth was to begin a new life and protect the people around her.

The instant the plane touched down, her thoughts were pulled back to reality.

A different life was about to begin.