Chapter Twenty-Seven: Shattered to Pieces
Of course, it wasn’t because her heart had been stirred, even though Jin Yuan’s voice was quite pleasant to the ear.
But Yuan Xiangdie preferred the gentle, jade-like sort, especially those whose words carried warmth.
She was truly startled, swallowing twice before slowly turning her head and leaning back against the bed.
“Mr. Jin, thank you for your care. Please let me know the costs when I leave, both mine and my grandfather’s. I’ll repay them together.”
Jin Yuan didn’t reply, only watching her steadily.
Yuan Xiangdie’s face showed no further emotion; she had no idea how long the silence lasted. She began to feel awkward, uncertain why Mr. Jin kept staring at her. Her gaze flitted about, uneasy.
“I trust your character, Miss Yuan. But with the engagement approaching, the Ou family seems to have no intention of breaking it.”
That struck right at the heart of the matter. Yuan Xiangdie had been worrying about this for some time. She hadn’t managed to catch the right moment—Ouyang Xiao was always out of reach, and she’d heard nothing of him.
Although the announcement of the breakup had been posted online, their families hadn’t met, and Zhang Xi hadn’t called to interrogate her about what was going on.
As long as the issue remained unresolved, Yuan Xiangdie would forever bear the title of the Ou family’s future daughter-in-law.
It was a troublesome matter, so much so that she unconsciously gnawed at her fingers, not even noticing.
“Sir, your phone.”
The butler arrived at just the right moment. Butler Hu glanced at the phone in his hand and then at the silent pair in the ward.
He wondered if he was interrupting.
Jin Yuan didn’t respond, only casting him a complicated look.
“Give all the expense receipts to Yuan Xiangdie, then take the child home.”
He’d sneaked out to see how the woman was doing, and now that he’d seen, it was time to return to work. A thought lingered in his mind—a desire to bind this woman to his side.
It wasn’t out of deep affection; at first it had only been because of Xiao Wei.
It was a strange feeling, one Jin Yuan decisively dismissed.
No exceptions. When Yuan Xiangdie received the expense sheet, the staggering sum stunned her—she hadn’t expected the costs here to be so high.
Faced with this mountain of debt, her head throbbed.
Her pitiful expression softened Butler Hu’s heart. The master’s attitude was clearly not that of a serious man.
He treated Yuan Xiangdie like a toy, and since Xiao Wei liked this toy, the master gave it more attention. This had happened so many times that Butler Hu had gradually figured it out.
The only difference this time was that the child’s toy was a person, not an inanimate object that could be replaced or repaired.
“Miss, don’t worry. Your designs are so spirited—once you sell them, you’ll be able to repay the debts. The master hasn’t set a deadline. You can take your time, there’s no need to rush.”
Hearing this, Yuan Xiangdie finally relaxed a little. She simply couldn’t produce so much so quickly.
If she had to choose between selling designs or selling blood for quick cash, she’d unhesitatingly pick the latter.
She hung her head, feeling dispirited but not regretful.
“Thank you, Butler Hu. Please let Mr. Jin know that it won’t take long. I’ll repay him within a year.”
The butler had to take the child home and so didn’t linger. After he left, Yuan Xiangdie got out of bed and slowly made her way to her grandfather’s ward.
Every room had a nameplate, which was convenient, and the corridor was free of obstacles and unpleasant smells.
“Rich people really have it good,” Yuan Xiangdie murmured, sincerely.
“One day, I’ll be rich too. No matter what, I can’t live like before anymore.”
Foolish as a simpleton, mad as a shrew. Always being played by others—Yuan Yao’er had even stolen her things...
Compared to these problems, Ouyang Xiao’s injuries seemed even more severe. Over the past days, he kept trying to find a safe way to escape.
Though stuck at home and unable to do anything, he could still surf the internet.
His gang of friends always came up with harebrained schemes—one even suggested opening the window at night so they could deliver a woman to him.
He dismissed the idea outright—it was pure fantasy.
If his grandfather found a naked woman lying beside him in his room at dawn, his own life would be forfeit, and the woman would suffer too.
“Hey, Ou, just admit you’re wrong and yield to your old man. There are plenty of fish in the sea—why pine for one flower?”
This was Ouyang Xiao’s closest friend, a bit overweight but with a sharp business mind—a formidable figure among the idle rich.
“Forget it, Old Zhu. You haven’t seen how stunning that woman is, what a figure she has. She’s the best I’ve ever had, bar none.”
He recalled every detail and measurement—Ouyang Xiao felt a surge of excitement, as if something inside him was blooming.
He was the typical second-generation heir—everyone in their circle had their own class.
“Enough, don’t brag. A girl from that place can’t be much—if she’s not malnourished, that’s already good. I heard Yuan Yao’er even hired someone to look after her in there.”
“So what? You know how ruthless she is—the rest of us weren’t above courting Yuan Yao’er, but in the end? We were all reported to the old lady—almost got my hide tanned.”
Thinking of that and the pain he felt now, Ouyang Xiao just shrugged, not daring to bring it up again.
The conversation trailed off and ended.
By evening, Li Baihua finally had to attend a banquet—he hadn’t been to the company for nearly two days.
“Sir, you should go. I won’t let that brat out again.”
Ou Madam promised she wouldn’t let the brat slip from her watch.
“I know you spoil him, so if you let him run wild and do those outrageous things again, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Hearing this, Ou Madam trembled. Li Baihua rarely spoke so harshly—this time he was truly furious.
Ouyang Xiao had been peeking from upstairs, overjoyed to see the old man leaving.
Ou Madam was easy to handle—dealing with Ou Young Master was another story. As long as he acted sweet and made promises, she believed anything.
And the moment Li Baihua left and closed the door, Ouyang Xiao sprang from the floor like a carp, rushing to Ou Madam’s side, fawning, pouring water, massaging shoulders and legs.
“Good mother, if you don’t let me out soon, I’ll go crazy!”
He put on a whole act—like a model child, promising never to misbehave. Yet every time, he caused a mess.
Ou Madam dared not trust him anymore; if this continued, no respectable family would want their daughter to marry into theirs.
It seemed she was less easily swayed this time, and Ouyang Xiao knew that the earlier incident had hit the company hard. Jin Yuan was a twisted man—Ouyang Xiao was well aware.
“Fine, if I can’t go out, so be it. Mom, take care of yourself, don’t exhaust yourself. I’m already like this, I’ll just stay in my room.”
He said this on purpose, for Ou Madam’s benefit.
But Ouyang Xiao wasn’t the type to just sit still. The old man used to check his room every half hour.
Now that the old man was gone, Ou Madam, believing in him, wouldn’t bother checking.
He spent over an hour in his room before hearing the car start outside. In that hour, he had dismantled everything in the room, tying it together.
He’d already noticed a large window in the bathroom’s vent—a risky exit, with no foothold. He needed to secure everything, or he’d end up dead.
“Old man, don’t think I don’t know. You thought I’d be desperate enough to try, but this time I’ve grown up. Hurry up and go—I’m free!”
He twisted a bundle of cloth into a tight knot and wound it together. Sneaking about like a thief, Ouyang Xiao never imagined that the moment the car started, a long strip of cloth would drop from the window vent.
He succeeded in his escape.
Meanwhile, Yuan Xiangdie had been discharged. She hadn’t been seriously ill—just a cold—but was forced to stay in the hospital.
As she prepared to leave, a nurse called out to her.
Yuan Xiangdie thought she’d missed some paperwork, but the nurse handed her a sealed mask.
“Take this. You can’t be sure if you’re still feverish—wear it to prevent infecting others.”
It was blunt but helpful, and directness was no bad thing.
Yuan Xiangdie nodded to the nurse, the two shared a smile, and nothing more was said.
It was impossible to hail a taxi here, but thankfully her phone still had power, so she ordered a ride through the app.