107: Chapter 107 A Belated Warmth of Kindness
When Song Zhiwei pushed open the door and entered the hospital room, the first thing that hit her eyes was three pairs of eyes staring straight at her.
Zhang Fan was leaning against the pillows; his waist injury prevented him from sitting too straight, yet he still tilted his head slightly to look at her, his eyes filled with lingering concern.
Gu Jingshen was leaning against the doorframe. He had just wiped away the cold expression he had worn for Pei Yunxiao, but his brows were still slightly furrowed, and he was clutching half a bottle of unfinished mineral water in his hand.
Zhou Yurou was standing by the bedside table, still holding the folder containing the banquet schedule she had been organizing. Seeing her enter, her fingertips subconsciously paused on the pages.
The three of them didn't look at her with scrutiny, only with obvious concern, which made her ears turn red first, and she paused in her tracks.
"I'm sorry, Zhang Fan," she said, walking to the bedside. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of her clothes, and her voice was very soft. "It was too noisy outside just now. Did it disturb your rest? Is your waist hurting again?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Yurou set down the folder and walked over. Without any polite pleasantries, she simply opened her arms and gave her a big hug.
Zhou Yurou's embrace was warm and carried a faint scent of gardenias (the smell of her usual laundry detergent). It wasn't like the hugs Song Zhiwei usually encountered in social settings—superficial and distant—but rather like a sister comforting a younger sister: solid and reassuring.
"Silly girl, why are you crying?" Zhou Yurou patted her back. Her voice was gentle yet possessed a clear, perceptive strength. "In this life, the most important thing to learn is to cut your losses in time—when you encounter a rotten person, extract yourself immediately; don't waste time on them, because in the end, it will only drain all your energy. When you encounter rotten situations, don't get stuck in a rut; no matter how hard it is, it will pass. Whether making friends or finding a partner, we only filter; we don't struggle against people who aren't worth it."
She paused, and seeing Song Zhiwei's shoulders still trembling slightly, she added, "You can't talk to summer insects about winter ice, and a frog in a well doesn't understand the vastness of the ocean. You can help a salted fish flip over, you can help mud climb a wall, and you can even scald a stubborn donkey to death with boiling water, but you cannot argue with a fool—because they won't understand, and they'll just drag you down into the mud with them."
These words were like warm water poured over Song Zhiwei's heart. The grievances she had suppressed for so long suddenly couldn't be contained anymore. Tears streamed down her face, wetting the cuff of Zhou Yurou's shirt.
She was born into the family of the richest person; in the eyes of others, she was a young lady who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, but only she knew how lonely her childhood had been.
In elementary school, her father was misunderstood as being involved in organized crime due to business matters. She and her mother were forced to hide in the countryside, and she didn't dare to form deep friendships with her classmates.
In middle school, she was sent directly abroad by her father. With a language barrier, she was surrounded by people who fawned over her but were not sincere.
When she returned for high school, the only people she knew were the old family servant Nanny Wang and Pei Yunxiao, who was her age.
She was too desperate for sincere friendship, so whenever Pei Yunxiao treated her even slightly well, she would give him her heart and soul.
The mother and son of the Pei family gaslit her, telling her she had a "bad temper" and was "unreasonable," and she would genuinely reflect on herself.
Even later, when she regained her senses and knew that the Pei family were not good people, she didn't drive them away immediately.
Because subconsciously, she was still afraid of losing these few "familiar people" and afraid of returning to lonely days again.
If she hadn't met Zhang Fan, this "bug" who broke Pei Yunxiao's "intelligence-lowering halo," she would probably still be kept in the dark by the Pei family, just like in her previous life, ultimately ending up with her family ruined and dying at the hands of Pei Yunxiao and Ruan Shu.
"Sister Zhou..." Song Zhiwei choked, unable to speak a complete sentence. She could only clutch tightly to the hem of Zhou Yurou's clothes, as if grasping a lifeline.
Gu Jingshen watched from the side, his hands stiff. He had only ever known how to fight and talk business since he was a child; he was the worst at comforting people. At this moment, he could only clumsily fish a pack of tissues from his pocket and hand it over. "Why are you crying? It's no big deal. If that brat Pei Yunxiao dares to come again, I'll deal with him for you."
Zhang Fan also spoke softly; although his voice was a bit weak, it was very steady. "Don't be sad. You didn't do anything wrong; it's the Pei family that is too much. With us here from now on, we won't let you be wronged again."
Song Zhiwei took the tissues and wiped her tears. Looking at the three people in front of her who genuinely cared about her, she felt both warm and sour in her heart. She sniffled and tried hard to squeeze out a smile. "I'm fine now, thank you all. I originally wanted to go over the banquet schedule with you again, but now..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Zhou Yurou raised her hand to check her watch and raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's almost one in the morning; it's not too late to talk about the banquet tomorrow. You've been through a lot today, and after that scene with Pei Yunxiao, you must be tired."
She turned to look at Song Zhiwei, her tone carrying a gentleness that brooked no refusal. "My home is not far from the hospital. Why don't you come home with me tonight? Don't go back to the Song villa alone. In case that brat from the Pei family goes to cause trouble again, you won't be able to handle it alone."
Song Zhiwei was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, thank you, Sister Zhou."
She was indeed a bit afraid to return to the villa. The moment she thought of Pei Yunxiao and his mother still being there, her heart felt suffocated. Going home with Zhou Yurou would make her feel more at ease.
Zhou Yurou and Song Zhiwei packed their things simply and left the hospital room.
When they reached the door, Song Zhiwei looked back at Zhang Fan. Seeing him leaning against the pillows and looking at her with gentle eyes, she felt inexplicably much calmer.
After only Zhang Fan and Gu Jingshen remained in the room, Gu Jingshen put away his earlier gentleness, leaned toward the bedside, and nudged Zhang Fan's arm with a teasing expression. "Hey, why do I feel like you've been having good luck with women lately?"
Zhang Fan was resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes, looking confused. "What good luck with women?"
"Still playing dumb!" Gu Jingshen scoffed and pursed his lips toward the door. "Song Zhiwei! When she was crying just now, the way she looked at you was almost glued to you; it's obvious she's interested in you! And Liu Ruyan, when she's at the company, she keeps glancing over at you as if she's afraid you'll worry—you're quite the player, aren't you? Killing two or three birds with one stone?"
"Get lost." Zhang Fan glared at him with annoyance and reached out to ask for a cigarette. "Got any smokes? Give me one."
Gu Jingshen raised an eyebrow, fished the cigarette case out of his pocket, pulled one out, handed it to him, and helped him light it. "Yo, you dare to smoke now? Usually, in front of Sister Zhou, you don't even dare to take out the cigarette case for fear she'll nag you."
Zhang Fan took a drag of the cigarette, and the smoke dissipated gently in the hospital room. His eyes darkened, and he didn't respond to Gu Jingshen's comment, instead asking, "Keep an eye on Pei Yunxiao for me. Don't let him harass Song Zhiwei again, and don't let him affect the banquet in three days."
"Don't worry, I've already had my assistant look into it. That brat from the Pei family is still unweaned; he relies on the fact that Song Zhiwei used to be good to him and thinks he can manipulate the Song family. I've had my assistant cut off those little troubles he has outside; let's see if he still has the heart to come and cause trouble."
Gu Jingshen paused and circled back to the previous topic. "But seriously, you don't have feelings for Song Zhiwei? Although that girl was a bit silly before, she's not a bad person, and she's sincere toward you. Plus, the strength of the Song family will also help with the listing of Singularity."
Zhang Fan flicked the ash, his eyes fixed on the night scene outside the window, his tone calm. "She just got rid of the Pei family, and her mind is still in chaos. I don't want to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position. Besides, I only see her as a friend."
"A friend?" Gu Jingshen clearly didn't believe him. "What about Sister Zhou? You can't just see Sister Zhou as a friend either, right? She's been working hard with you since the studio days until now; who can't see how she feels about you?"
Zhang Fan's movements paused, and the smoke obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his emotions.
Gu Jingshen watched him like this and didn't try to persuade him further; when it came to matters of the heart, outsiders couldn't interfere after all.
He patted Zhang Fan's shoulder. "Alright, I won't pester you with this anymore. Get some rest early; I'll bring some pork rib soup tomorrow. By the way, regarding Song Zhiwei, I've already spoken to Sister Zhou and asked her to counsel her more, so don't you worry."
Zhang Fan nodded, extinguished the cigarette butt, and lay down. "Mm, you should go back early too."
Gu Jingshen replied, tucked in the corner of his blanket, and turned to walk out of the hospital room.
The hospital room returned to silence. Zhang Fan looked at the chandelier on the ceiling, but his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.