Mr. Liang, you mustn't covet other people's fiancées!

Madam Jiang sneered, "You certainly have a sharp tongue."

"Mrs. Jiang, since we've come this far, why don't we just get to the bottom of this once and for all?" Wen Li released her hand from the tissue.

She straightened up, her gaze steadily meeting the other person's: "You arranged for me to go on a business trip to Yongqing, and here I am. You even came to my door on New Year's Eve to hold me accountable, and I accept that."

"But you bumped into me without saying a word, causing my face to bleed, and then accused me of 'playing both sides' as soon as you walked in. What exactly do you want me to do? Do you want me to completely cut off contact with Jiang You, or do you want me to leave Jingzhou?"

Wen Li's tone turned completely cold by the end: "If it's the former, I've already kept my distance from him. You can ask your son who it is that insisted on coming to see whom."

"If it's the latter, you might as well just say so. There's no need to go through all this trouble, arranging a business trip and then personally blocking the door."

The room fell silent.

Madam Jiang hadn't expected her to be so blunt, and her lips moved, but she couldn't respond for a moment.

Jiang You stood in the middle, looking at his mother and then at Wen Li, his brows furrowed.

Before Madam Jiang could speak, Wen Li continued, "That night at Jingchen Hall, I made it clear to you more than once that I have no feelings for Senior Jiang You, let alone any intention of marrying into the Jiang family."

"I understand that you want to cut off all possibilities, but I really don't know how far I have to go to satisfy you."

She paused, then looked at Madam Jiang with clear, sharp eyes: "If there truly is such a path, please tell me now, and I will follow it. If not, then please don't come looking for me again."

Madam Jiang, having lost face, took a menacing step towards Wen Li: "You..."

"Enough!" Jiang You reached out to stop her, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "Mom, let's go. I'll go home with you."

Madam Jiang didn't move. She stared at Wen Li for a few seconds, her lips pressed into a straight line, as if she was enduring something. Finally, she snorted and turned to walk towards the door.

"You'd better keep your word." She said this without turning her head as she passed by Wen Li.

The door slammed shut, and the sound of high heels fading into the distance echoed in the hallway.

Jiang You turned to look at Wen Li, his expression complex: "I'm sorry."

That night, after he called Wen Li, his older brother suggested a different approach that could both appease their mother and protect Wen Li.

His older brother was afraid he would act impulsively, so he deliberately didn't tell him Wen Li's business trip address. It was he who couldn't hold back and wanted to see Wen Li, so he made inquiries from various sources and secretly came to Yongqing.

Wen Li didn't say anything. The bleeding in her nose had stopped, but a dull ache still lingered between her eyebrows, and her breath made her feel sore.

After a long silence, she slowly said, "I don't blame you. You can go now."

The door was closed, and the room became quiet. The dishes on the table were still steaming, and sporadic firecrackers could be heard outside.

Liang Chaoxu took Wen Li's coat from the coat rack, walked around to her, and helped her put it on: "Let's go to the hospital."

"Liang Chaoxu." Wen Li looked up at him.

"Hmm?" Liang Chaoxu pulled her hair out from her collar and bent down to check her nose. "Does it hurt too much?"

Wen Li shook her head and took a step back: "You should leave too."

Liang Chaoxu was stunned.

"I have limited energy and no time to waste on you rich kids," Wen Li said with a sigh. "Let's go, lest we cause unnecessary trouble."

She previously said that she was already aware of the "marrying someone of equal social standing" rule, and she was not joking, nor was she trying to appease Mrs. Jiang.

The chasm between people cannot be bridged by emotions alone. Therefore, it is best to sever some unnecessary entanglements as early as possible.

Liang Chaoxu slowly straightened up, a look of loneliness welling up in his eyes. He reached out to take her hand and said, "Let's go to the hospital first. We can talk about it another day."

Wen Li dodged away, frowning deeply: "Can't you understand what I'm saying?"

Liang Chaoxu didn't respond, but turned around and took the scarf, putting it around her neck: "I understand, but you're injured."

How could he not understand what she was saying?

He knew perfectly well that she was trying to sever everything between them.

Six months ago it was because of Song Yu, now it's because of those bullshit worldly ideas.

Given the Jiang family's strong reaction, it's perfectly normal for her to feel hesitant and want to back down.

But he is not Jiang You, and the Liang family is not the Jiang family.

Wen Li pulled the scarf back from his hand: "Liang Chaoxu, I've already made myself very clear, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Liang Chaoxu gently pulled her into his arms.

"I won't leave." Liang Chaoxu didn't dare to use force, afraid that his shoulder would squeeze her nose. He almost pleaded, "Let's go to the hospital. You just had so much nosebleed. We can't delay any longer."

Wen Li closed her eyes briefly and whispered, "Let go."

Liang Chaoxu did not respond.

Wen Li raised her hand and pushed him: "Let go, let's go to the hospital."

"Okay." Liang Chaoxu immediately released her.

In the hospital

After the examination, the doctor advised, "You may experience nasal congestion, decreased sense of smell, and recurring nosebleeds in the coming period."

"Be sure to take your medication on time and rest well, otherwise you may develop rhinitis if you don't recover properly."

"Okay, thank you, doctor." Liang Chaoxu took the report and left the doctor's office, walking towards Wen Li, who was sitting in a chair waiting.

He knelt down in front of her and said, "How about I take you back to Jingzhou and put you in a private sanatorium, where the doctor will take care of your daily medication?"

Wen Li lowered her head, her scarf covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of tired eyes.

"No need, I can take care of myself at home."

"You're all alone..."

Liang Chaoxu's words were interrupted by Wen Li's cell phone ringing.

She answered the phone: "President Jiang."

"Wen Li, I apologize to you for my mother's behavior," Jiang Gu said sincerely.

Wen Li lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions within: "No need, my senior has already told me."

Jiang Gu was silent for a moment before continuing, "Put the business trip on hold for now. When you return to Jingzhou tomorrow, I'll arrange your treatment."

Wen Li pondered for a moment, then said, "The treatment is unnecessary. I'll just go back to Jingzhou and rest for a few days."

"Come back first," Jiang Gu said, then added, "I'll arrange for someone to come to Yongqing to pick you up."

Liang Chaoxu, who had been listening the whole time, spoke up: "No need, I'll accompany her back to Jingzhou."

Jiang Gu's voice tightened: "Why did you go to Yongqing too? Then why were you just now...?"

Liang Chaoxu glanced at Wen Li, took her phone away, stood up, and walked towards the end of the corridor, his voice very low.

"You disrupted my plans without my consent, fine, but why didn't you take care of Jiang You?"

"I'm sorry, it was purely accidental." Jiang Gu said apologetically, "I was careless and let Jiang You know Wen Li's business trip location."

Liang Chaoxu raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose: "What was he thinking? Leaving Jingzhou so openly on New Year's Eve, it's no wonder your mother came after him."

Jiang Gu sighed: "It's strange, my mother and father had already boarded the plane to Sydney, but just before takeoff, she somehow found out that Jiang You was going to Yongqing."