Jiang Chen didn't want to get involved. He said, "Give me some money. I'll buy Chuchu breakfast."
Xiao Hei said, "I'll send it to you on WeChat."
Jiang Chen left the clinic and went to the street to buy Tang Chuchu a bowl of steamed buns and porridge.
When he returned, Tang Chuchu was already awake.
Tang Chuchu's face was bandaged. She lay in bed, her eyes dull, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Jiang Chen walked over, put down the breakfast he had bought, and called softly, "Wife."
Tang Chuchu didn't respond.
Jiang Chen held her hand. "It's over, everything's over."
Tang Chuchu turned slightly and looked at Jiang Chen, sobbing softly. Her body trembled slightly, and her face was filled with panic. "I, I've offended Xiao Zhan. I, I'm done. Go away. I don't want to implicate you."
Jiang Chen comforted her, "It's okay. I saw the news this morning. Xiao Zhan of the Xiao family is dead. The Tang family is fine too."
"What, dead?" Tang Chuchu was shocked, her face blushing, and she looked at Jiang Chen in disbelief.
Xiao Zhan was a general. How could he die so suddenly?
Jiang Chen said, "The news said it seemed he was killed by someone wearing a black ghost mask. The police are now looking for the murderer."
Tang Chuchu was stunned.
The man in the black ghost mask...
She vaguely remembered that when she was desperate, helpless, and collapsing, a man wearing a black ghost mask appeared, but she didn't see him clearly and passed out.
"Dead? Really dead?" Tang Chuchu's face was dazed. She couldn't believe that the powerful Xiao Zhan had died just like that.
"Yes, dead. Come, have some porridge."
Jiang Chen picked Tang Chuchu up and let her snuggle in his arms. He picked up a spoon and fed her.
Tang Chuchu opened her mouth slightly and ate the porridge.
All day today, Tang Chuchu was in a daze, drifting off into a deep sleep, only to wake up again from nightmares. Every time she woke, she screamed, begging Xiao Zhan to let her go.
Jiang Chen knew that Tang Chuchu had suffered a severe blow, nearly a mental breakdown. This had left a deep shadow on her, and she would need time to recover.
The outside world was discussing the Xiao family and Xiao Zhan's death.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, stayed with Tang Chuchu the entire time.
That first day, Tang Chuchu was in a daze.
But under Jiang Chen's meticulous care, she gradually emerged from her shadow, from her reticence to her ability to communicate with him.
Jiang Chen also solemnly promised that if he could heal her once, he could heal her a second time.
Three days later, Tang Chuchu had completely emerged from her shadow.
But the wound on her face hadn't healed yet.
"Chen, it's been so long. I want to go home. I'm worried my parents will be worried."
"Okay."
Jiang Chen nodded and had Xiao Hei drive the unlicensed commercial vehicle to the Tang residence.
At Tang Chuchu's door.
The door was closed.
With Jiang Chen's support, Tang Chuchu gently knocked on the door.
Soon, a middle-aged man opened the door. Seeing Tang Chuchu, his face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly pulled her inside. "Chuchu, you're back. Are you okay?"
"Dad," Tang Chuchu called out. "I'm fine."
"Tang Bo, who's that?" a voice rang out from inside. He Yanmei approached, and upon seeing Tang Chuchu, her expression darkened. She said coldly, "You jinx! What are you doing back?"
"Mom."
"Don't call me mom! I don't have a daughter like you." He Yanmei looked at Tang Chuchu, her face bandaged, with a look of disdain.
Because of Tang Chuchu, she had been kidnapped and suffered greatly.
Luckily, Xiao Zhan died; otherwise, the Tang family would have been doomed.
Upon Tang Tianlong's return, he was furious. He issued a clan decree, revoking Tang Chuchu's position as Yongle's executive chairman and expelling her from the Tang family. He also announced to the public that from now on, there would be no Tang Chuchu in the Tang family.
"Yanmei, what are you doing?" Tang Bo frowned. "Although Dad kicked Chuchu out of the Tang family, she's our daughter after all!"
He Yanmei immediately put her hands on her hips and said coldly, "Who dares to defy the old man's words? Don't forget, you're still earning a salary from Tang Yongle. If you piss him off again, you'll lose your job. Without a job, how will you pay the mortgage?"
Then, pointing at Tang Chuchu standing at the door, he cursed, "Get out! I don't have a daughter like you. It's because of you, a jinx, that your father has no standing in the Tang family. Look at Tang Hai, look at Tang Jie, even the other third-generation Tangs. They all have shares in Yongle, and they live comfortably off the dividends every month!"
He Yanmei grew increasingly angry and slammed the door shut.
Tang Chuchu's eyes misted over, tears streaming down her face.
She knew she had brought shame to her parents by failing to live up to her expectations.
But she hadn't expected her parents to refuse to let her in.
She knelt on the ground at the door, pleading desperately, "Dad, Mom, I know I was wrong. Open the door, open the door quickly, woo woo..."
Jiang Chen, seeing her face in agony, tried to help Tang Chuchu up from the ground, comforting her, "Chuchu, get up first. It's okay if you don't want to go back home."
Tang Chuchu, however, refused to get up from her knees. She knelt at the door, sobbing and banging.
Soon, the door opened again, and He Yanmei threw out a suitcase, angrily yelling, "Get out of this house right now!"
At that moment, a man in his mid-twenties emerged from the room.
He was smartly dressed and quite handsome. He said, "Mom, Sister Chuchu is so pitiful. Even though Grandpa stripped her of her position as Executive Chairman and expelled her from the family, you can't just shut her out. My brother-in-law is just a poor soldier with no job and no money. If you don't let her in, where else can they go?"
The person who spoke was Tang Chuchu's younger brother, Tang Song.
He also worked at Yongle Company and didn't live here on weekdays. After getting married, he bought a house in the city. He only came back temporarily because of a family emergency.
"Mom, please, don't kick me out." Tang Chuchu knelt in front of He Yanmei and tugged at her trouser leg.
"Get out!" He Yanmei raised her foot and kicked Tang Chuchu away.
Then she slammed the door shut.
Jiang Chen helped Tang Chuchu, who was crying on the ground, to her feet, wiped the tears from her eyes, and held her face with tenderness. "Honey, I'll take you to the Imperial Residence. My friend won't be back for a while. In the meantime, we'll stay there temporarily. We'll come back when our parents' anger has subsided."
But no matter what Jiang Chen said, Tang Chuchu wouldn't hear a word.
At that moment, she felt only aggrieved.
And she blamed herself.
She blamed herself for being useless, for being a burden, for making her parents lose face in front of their relatives.
She threw herself into Jiang Chen's arms, weeping heartbrokenly.
"I'm useless, I'm a burden. I hate myself. I hate myself. Why did I rush into the fire to save people back then? I regret it so much, so much!"
Tang Chuchu's current situation is entirely due to rushing into the fire to save people ten years ago.
If it hadn't happened ten years ago, her life would never have been what it is today.
Hearing these words, Jiang Chen's heart ached.
Guilt surged, and he hugged the crying Tang Chuchu tightly in his arms, apologizing repeatedly: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."