Renai Hospital was one of the best hospitals in Zhongjing, and also the hospital where the Shen family used to stay.
Zhou Mingmei sat quietly in the car, her eyes fixed on the hospital entrance.
This was already the second time she had come to the hospital. After all her calls to Shen Dehan had been intercepted by Shen Ji, Zhou Mingmei had to rush to the hospital in person. But the last time she had just gotten out of the elevator when Shen Ji arranged for bodyguards to send her out. In her resentment, Zhou Mingmei could only turn to Wang Changlin to find a way to arrange for her to meet with Shen Dehan. After all, even if she had a thousand tricks up her sleeve, it was all for nothing if she did not see Shen Dehan.
Wang Changlin reacted extremely quickly to her request, and soon told her that Shen Ji would leave the hospital for half a day today. It was up to her whether she could seize the opportunity.
Zhou Mingmei was patiently guarding the entrance of the hospital. After a while, the car with the familiar licence plate drove off from the back door of the hospital. Zhou Mingmei’s eyes lit up and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, her waiting had a result.
The elevator began to rise one level at a time. Zhou Mingmei had her customary graceful expression on her face while quickly calculating in her mind what she would say when she saw Shen Dehan.
As Zhou Mingmei’s figure appeared, the bodyguards moved forward to block the way.
“Miss Zhou, Ji Shao ordered that Mr. Shen does not want to see you, so we hope you will not make things difficult for us.”
Zhou Mingmei looked calm, “I know what Ah Ji is worried about. Don’t worry, I’m here to say farewell to Dehan.”
As soon as they heard the word “farewell”, the bodyguards looked at each other in disbelief. Obviously, Zhou Mingmei’s purpose was different from what they had thought.
Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan’s ward with a trace of sadness in his expression, “I am about to leave Zhongjing. This is the last time I will see Dehan. I just hope you can fulfil my wish to say goodbye to him.”
The head bodyguard looked at Zhou Mingmei with a bit of hesitation. Shen Ji was not there and they could not forcefully do anything to Zhou Mingmei. After all, Zhou Mingmei was Shen Dehan’s mistress.
After deliberating for a while, the bodyguard in charge gave way and said softly, “Miss Zhou, you only have half an hour.”
Zhou Mingmei gave him a grateful look and pushed the door to the ward open with a smile on her face.
Shen Dehan was sitting on the bed reading a newspaper at the moment, and when he heard the slight footsteps, he thought it was Chu Qianqian and looked over with a smile, “Xiao Chu, you’re here?”
Shen Dehan’s smile disappeared when he saw that the visitor was Zhou Mingmei, and his expression instantly became gloomy. He had deliberately ignored Zhou Mingmei and Shen Rong for the past week, just to avoid reminding himself of what had happened that night. He planned to leave the mother and son hanging, but he did not expect Zhou Mingmei to dare to come to the hospital.
Shen Dehan’s attitude caused Zhou Mingmei’s eyes to redden and she said pleadingly, “Dehan.”
This voice made Shen Dehan’s heart soften, and his expression could not help but ease up. Zhou Mingmei was not actually wrong in her calculations. Thinking about Zhou Mingmei’s fainting in anger last time, Shen Dehan said, “Why are you here?”
Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan affectionately, “I’ve come to say goodbye to you, Dehan.”
“Goodbye?” Shen Dehan was stunned, “Where are you going?”
Zhou Mingmei didn’t answer Shen Dehan’s question, she just gently walked over and snuggled up to his side tenderly, “Dehan, do you still remember the day we first met?”
Without waiting for Shen Dehan to speak, Zhou Mingmei already smiled as she recounted, “It was my eighteenth birthday. I originally arranged to celebrate it with a few friends, but who knew that my agent had to drag me to a social gathering. I was upset but could only pretend to be happy. And then you asked me why I tried to smile so hard when I was obviously unhappy.”
Zhou Mingmei’s narrative stirred up Shen Dehan’s memory of that day when he and Zhou Mingmei first met. He had never thought there could be someone so much like Fang Yun in the world, and for a split second he almost thought it was Fang Yun who had returned. He looked at the way the girl was trying to smile and talk to the people even though she was obviously depressed, exactly like Ah Yun he remembered. Ever since Fang Yun’s death, Shen Dehan always felt that his heart also was dead, so he had agreed to marry Han Rou, intending to keep Fang Yun in his memory and live with Han Rou in respect from then on. But Zhou Mingmei’s appearance made him realise that he could not forget Fang Yun at all, and his heart started beating again the moment he saw Zhou Mingmei.
He quickly made the decision to keep Zhou Mingmei by his side; in his heart, Zhou Mingmei was the incarnation of Fang Yun.
A wistful look appeared on Shen Dehan’s face as Zhou Mingmei sat upright and looked at Shen Dehan with gentle eyes, “Dehan, in fact, I always knew that you did not love me, that you just treated me as a substitute for Fang Yun, but I didn’t mind. I told myself that I was blessed to have met you and to have the privilege to grow old with you. I am very happy.”
This was the first time Zhou Mingmei picked up this subject in front of Shen Dehan, who was obviously very surprised, “Mingmei?”
Zhou Mingmei smiled faintly, “Dehan, thank you, but I can’t stay with you anymore.”
Shen Dehan subconsciously asked, “Why? Because of what happened to Ah Rong?”
Zhou Mingmei nodded bitterly, “Ah Rong has made too much trouble this time. Everything is my fault, I didn’t control him well. I no longer have the face to stay by your side, Dehan.”
Zhou Mingmei’s words made Shen Dehan’s heart soften completely; memories of the past flooded back, whether it was Zhou Mingmei or Shen Rong, both had brought him infinite joy. Shen Dehan’s expression fully eased and he patted Zhou Mingmei’s arm, “This matter is not your fault, you should not think too much, besides, Ah Rong is also…”
Shen Dehan’s words were interrupted by the sudden sound of a female voice, “Mr. Shen!”
Chu Qianqian held a medicine tray in one hand, pushing the door open with the other, and looked over at Shen Dehan with a smile. Almost the moment she looked inside the room, Chu Qianqian’s smile froze on her face. Looking hesitantly at Zhou Mingmei, who was sitting intimately close to Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian glanced at her face – her face that was extremely similar to hers – and her whole body froze in shock.
“Xiao Chu?” Shen Dehan reacted immediately, got up quickly and walked to the door, “Xiao Chu?”
Chu Qianqian seemed to have been awakened by Shen Dehan and gave him a suspicious look. She immediately lowered her head and took a step back, distancing herself from Shen Dehan, “Sorry, Mr. Shen, I didn’t know you had a guest.”
After saying that, Chu Qianqian did not look at Shen Dehan again, hurriedly turned around and left the ward.
As he thought about Chu Qianqian’s behaviour just now, the expression on Shen Dehan’s face gradually became ugly. Chu Qianqian was clearly disgusted with him. When he thought that Chu Qianqian was still playing chess with him in the morning with a smile on her face, Shen Dehan’s heart filled with irritation at Zhou Mingmei for her appearance for no reason.
While Shen Dehan couldn’t see, Zhou Mingmei’s face distorted momentarily. She suspected that Chu Qianqian had appeared on purpose. The atmosphere between Shen Dehan and her had been just right, she had enough confidence to make Shen Dehan recall how good she and Ah Rong were and erase the video incident from his mind. But now everything had come to naught.
Shen Dehan’s expression turned cold again, “Mingmei, you go back first.”
Zhou Mingmei was reluctant to leave, but seeing Shen Dehan’s expression, she could only grit her teeth and obey. When she walked out of the elevator with a grim face, someone came to her side with a tray of medicine. Zhou Mingmei looked over, and what caught her eyes was a face that was younger and more like Fang Yun’s than hers.
Chu Qianqian smiled slightly at Zhou Mingmei, lowering her head and speaking in an intimate manner, “When you’re old, don’t come and pretend to be weak and affectionate. If you’re not disgusted, I’m disgusted for you.”
Zhou Mingmei’s face immediately became livid, her eyes staring at Chu Qianqian coldly. Chu Qianqian seemed oblivious, still intimately cuddling up to her side, “Admit defeat, it’s me Mr. Shen likes now.”
After saying this, Chu Qianqian naturally turned in the other direction. Before she left, Zhou Mingmei clearly heard Chu Qianqian whisper, “Auntie Zhou, goodbye.”
Zhou Mingmei stared at Chu Qianqian’s back with her eyes full of fire. It took all her strength to suppress the anger in her heart.
Chu Qianqian smiled as she fished out her mobile phone and sent a text message to Shen Xi, “Auntie Zhou is pissed off at me, you don’t need to thank me specifically.”
Shen Xi, who received the text message, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
That morning, Shen Cheng couldn’t wait to submit his new investment proposal to the board of directors that approved it swiftly.
By the time Shen Ji, who was out of town, received the news, the funds allocated by the board of directors to Shen Cheng were already in place, and Shen Cheng was complacently planning to make his move.
Shen Ji felt vaguely uneasy, “Ah Cheng, have you done a detailed risk assessment?”
Shen Cheng, who was in high spirits at the moment, received a call from Shen Ji and was very dissatisfied with his elder brother’s behaviour of pouring cold water on him in this situation.
“Big Brother, if you don’t trust me, don’t you still trust the investment department? This investment report was made by them, I just submitted it to the board of directors when I felt it was appropriate.”
The investment department that Shen Cheng was talking about was an important department of Shen Group and had always been responsible for the screening, investigation, planning and evaluation of Shen Group’s external investment projects, so it could be said that Shen Group development over the years could not have been possible without the precise vision of the investment department.
When he heard that the report was submitted by the investment department, Shen Ji relaxed a little. But the uneasy feeling did not dissipate; he always felt as if he had forgotten something.
When Shen Ji received the news, Shen Xi also received the news.
Lao K was very puzzled by this investment, “This is a completely normal investment, and according to the current trend, Shen Group is 100% going to make money. Didn’t Lu Gesen make a move?”
Shen Xi shook his head, “You also said that according to the current trend, the financial market is unpredictable. It’s hard to say what it will suddenly become tomorrow.”
Lao K didn’t hear the answer he wanted and pressed on, dissatisfied, “Xiao Xixi, hurry up and tell people the inside story.”
Shen Xi looked at him speechlessly, “You think I’m a god and know everything.”
Lao K heatedly smiled, “Then tell me, how did you know in advance about the investments that helped Gao Qiulin make so much money?”
Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, “You really want to know?”
Lao K intuited that there must be something odd about Shen Xi talking so nicely, but he had been curious about this question for a long time and finally couldn’t help but nod.
Shen Xi’s expression became serious, “If you were reborn ten years ago, you would also know the general direction of the economy.”
This answer caused Lao K’s lips to twitch violently, “Do you think I’m an ignorant girl on the internet?”
Shen Xi nodded and once again couldn’t help but laugh.