Chapter 10 - Hospital Visit (1/2)

Hospital Visit

Xiao Jiashu withstood the pain and finished off his thick cream pumpkin soup. When he returned to the office he found out that he had been fired and several assistants were in the middle of helping him pack up his stuff. Seeing the looks his colleagues secretly shot at him, he felt very wronged but understood that his action of shutting Li Jiaer without authority had touched Ji Mian’s bottom line. Ji Mian’s response was to be expected. Royal Crown was after all his studio. He could sign whomever he wanted, outsiders didn’t have the right to butt in. If Ji Mian hadn’t owed Uncle Xiu a big favour, the matter of shutting her out would not necessarily have been possible.

Xiao Jiashu didn’t feel any resentment towards Ji Mian. He accepted the cardboard box the assistant passed to him and proceeded to leave the company.

“You’re leaving just like that?” The assistant was very surprised. He probed, “You’re not going up to find the Chairman to help you transfer departments?”

“I’m not, goodbye.” Xiao Jiashu shook his head and boarded the elevator to directly go to the parking lot on the first floor. He was one who was in the wrong in the first place, how could he still have the nerve to go to Uncle Xiu to complain? If he’s been fired, then he’s been fired. He can go find another job again another day. With an optimistic mentality, Xiao Jiashu returned home, and continued holing himself in his room to play games. But this time he had learnt his lesson and didn’t dare to eat rubbish snacks again. Every day he would only drink plain porridge, and his mouth ulcers finally started to heal.

One morning a few days later, Xiao Dingbang looked at his younger brother sitting opposite him on the dining table and suddenly asked, “You seem to be really bored lately? Would you like to come to the Xiao Group to work?”

“Ah?” Xiao Jiashu was currently engrossed in gnawing on his drumstick. When he heard those words, he couldn’t completely absorb the words for a moment; his wide-eyed tongue-tied expression looked a bit silly.

“No. Xiao Shu has just come back, let him play and have fun first.” Xue Miao rejected with a light smile. When he first returned to the country, she had indeed wanted him to stay and work at the Xiao Group. However, after being ruthlessly hit with a stick by the Old Man and Xiao Qijie, she suddenly realised —— Rather than letting her son continue to stay in the Xiao Family’s cage, passing the rest of his life without freedom, without a moral character, it would be better to let go and let him fly.

Xiao Dingbang gave her a deep look and immediately after, stared at his younger brother and asked. “Do you also feel the same way? You want to do nothing, and spend your entire day playing?”

“I don’t.” Xiao Jiashu didn’t understand why his big brother would arrange him to enter the Xiao Group. Weren’t Grandpa and Dad strongly against it? But he wasn’t knocked dizzy by this meat pie that had fallen from the sky. He thought it over seriously and explained, “On a later date, I’m going to find my own job. I don’t absolutely have to enter the Xiao Group. I noticed that other occupations are also very interesting.”

“Really?” Xiao Dingbang nodded. “Always put your desires first, if you have any ideas, remember to tell me.”

Xiao Jiashu was unsure whether his brother was sounding him out or concerned about him but he still obediently agreed. Xiao Qijie, who was sitting on the head seat, unhappily said, “You’re been back for several months now, the only thing you know how to do is play every day, when will you learn to be sensible? When your brother was eighteen…”

Xue Miao couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She pressed her chopsticks down hard onto the table, and said with a grim smile, “When Xiao Shu came back, I wanted him to go to work at the Xiao Group. You said to let him obediently stay at home with his shares. Now he’s obediently staying at home, and you’re scolding him saying he’s not sensible and only knows how to play. Let me ask you, Xiao Qijie, in the end what do you want?”

Father Xiao, “I just said a few words, why are you getting so worked up? This child closes himself inside his room all day to play games, and doesn’t even come out to eat. I’m worried that he’ll ruin his heath. I care about him too.”

“Like shit you care about him…” It was unknown whether she had reached menopause, but Xue Miao’s temper was getting worse and worse, and started arguing with Xiao Qijie in front of the two children. Xiao Jiashu hurriedly raked in a few mouthfuls of rice, and then ran to his bedroom on the second floor. While Xiao Dingbang, like his name, very set and orderly (very methodical, “Ding” means fixed, set, stable), seriously finished his breakfast before slowly saying, “There’s still ten minutes, quickly quarrel, when you’re done, we still have to attend the election assembly at the municipal administration hall.”

Father Xiao, roughly breathing with a red neck: “…”

Xue Miao picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth. When she raised her head again, she was already the model of a graceful and virtuous woman. “I’m sorry, Dingbang, Aunty forgot herself. I see that you haven’t eaten much, you don’t know how long the election assembly will go on for, you should eat some more, so you won’t get hungry later. I’ll get Xiao Li to go to the garage ready the car.” She didn’t have any big opinions towards this stepson of hers, and didn’t hate or mistreat him. She was concerned about and looked after him as one should do and did so meticulously. But unfortunately, her stepson had learnt the ways of the world a long time ago, and never warmed up to her. Even after living together for twenty years their feelings for each other were only superficial.

“Thank you, Aunty. I’m eaten my full already.” Xiao Dingbang politely declined. Afterwards, he said the Father Xiao, “Let’s go.” Only then did Xiao Qijie furiously stand up.

As soon as the two left, Xiao Jiashu ran downstairs while putting on his coat. He looked very anxious.

“Where are you going?” Xue Miao asked, following after him.

“Ji Mian had a car accident, I’m going to visit him.” Before he had even finished his words, he had already driven off to the distance in his sports car.

—

Inside a VIP hospital room, Ji Mian expressionlessly looked at his mobile, bandages wrapped around the top of his head. Fang Kun walked over and pulled the phone out of his hand. He reproached, “You have cerebral concussion, why are still reading the news? Hurry and lie down and rest. Chief Xiu has already suppressed the news of your car accident. You don’t need to worry.”

“What about Xiao Liu and Xiao Tao? Are they alright?” Ji Mian lay down and shut his eyes.