Chapter 134: Who Gave You the Audacity to Poach My People

The last image imprinted on Wen Zhixia's consciousness before it faded was Gu Pingsheng's straight back as he knelt in the gloomy, rainy night.

Hospital.

Only after Gu Pingsheng watched with his own eyes as Wen Zhixia was wheeled into the emergency room did he finally close his eyes.

Zhou Anbei stood outside the operating theater, pacing back and forth, terrified that something might actually happen to Gu Pingsheng.

Wen Zhixia was relatively lucky. Her unconsciousness was caused by a high fever triggered by prolonged exposure to rain and low temperatures. Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, she had no major injuries.

Gu Pingsheng's condition was much more severe. A fever had set in due to wound infection, and because it had not been treated in time, the wounds washed by the rainwater had turned pale.

Two days later, dawn broke.

The torrential rain of the previous days was completely gone. Only the puddles in low-lying areas of the road, not yet fully dried, faintly hinted at the lingering aftermath of the heaviest rainfall in twenty-five years.

Wen Zhixia felt as though she had slept an exceptionally deep sleep. When she finally woke up, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Rolling her eyes a few times, she realized she was in a hospital—they had been rescued.

"You're finally awake." The nurse replacing her IV drip looked pleased to see her open her eyes. "If you hadn't woken up, we would have had to send you for a second round of tests."

"How long... have I been asleep?" The moment she spoke, Wen Zhixia realized just how hoarse her voice had become. "Where's the man who was with me? How is he?"

The nurse pressed her down as she tried to sit up. "Don't move around. You two really are a pair—your very first reaction is identical. I was just walking over and saw him ignoring all warnings, demanding to see—well, speaking of the devil."

Before the nurse could finish her sentence, she caught sight of Gu Pingsheng standing at the doorway of the ward, leaning on crutches.

Gu Pingsheng had woken up only ten minutes before her. Hearing that Wen Zhixia had not yet regained consciousness, he had pulled out his IV needle and made Zhou Anbei support him over, ignoring all the doctor's warnings and dissuasion.

It was only then that Wen Zhixia learned his leg was injured. Having walked such a tremendous distance, he hadn't uttered a single sound of complaint.

Gu Pingsheng looked at Wen Zhixia lying on the hospital bed and sat down beside her. "Is anything hurting?"

Wen Zhixia gently shook her head. "Your leg—are you okay?"

"Worried about me?" He raised a dark, shapely brow and asked.

This time, Wen Zhixia did not refute him.

Gu Pingsheng's thin lips curved upward slightly, his fingers gently caressing her cheek with a lingering, affectionate tenderness. "I'm fine, Xiahia. And thank goodness you're alright."

If anything had happened to her during this advertising shoot, he really would have followed her right then and there.

The two of them were not able to talk for long before the doctor insisted that Gu Pingsheng return to his room to resume his IV infusion.

"Add another bed; I'll receive my infusion here," he said.

In this small county hospital, space in the single-patient rooms was limited, and adding another bed would crowd out the walking space. Yet despite his insistence, the doctor didn't say much more—if someone was willing to pay the price of two single rooms just to share one, money naturally allowed for whatever caprice one desired.

Shen Wenyuan never dreamed that returning to his hometown to visit an old friend would lead him to cross paths in this hospital with Wen Zhixia, who had vanished for three years.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and after confirming he wasn't seeing things, the moment Wen Zhixia walked toward the hospital door, he wrapped his arms tightly around her from behind.

"Ah!"

The water glass in Wen Zhixia's hand dropped to the floor with a sharp crash as she let out a soft cry of surprise.

Anyone suddenly embraced from behind in an unfamiliar place would feel a sense of panic. She forcefully pried open Shen Wenyuan's hands and retreated in flustered alarm.

Seeing the fleeting terror on her face, Shen Wenyuan realized he had frightened her and quickly raised his hands. "I'm sorry, I... I startled you. I... I was just too excited. Where have you been all these years? I've been waiting for you all this time."

After steadying her racing heart, Wen Zhixia finally recognized who he was—the distant relative of Xu Qichen, whom she had jokingly offered to "keep" three years ago.

"I went abroad. I left rather hurriedly back then and didn't get a chance to tell you. You seem..." Wen Zhixia let out a slow breath, looked him over, and said with a smile, "You've matured quite a bit."

Shen Wenyuan scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat shy under her gaze. "Y-really? By the way, why are you here? You don't look well. Are you sick?"

Wen Zhixia replied, "I came here for work with people from my company, and I accidentally... caught a cold."

Hearing this, Shen Wenyuan took her hand and led her inside the ward. "It's cold outside, let's talk inside. Since you're sick, you mustn't catch a chill."

Gu Pingsheng had just returned from a second medical checkup in his wheelchair. The moment he entered the ward, he saw a man holding Wen Zhixia's hand with an intimate familiarity, and his expression instantly darkened.

Sensing his icy gaze, Wen Zhixia pulled her hand back.

Meanwhile, Shen Wenyuan remained immersed in the joy of reuniting with her after all these years. Sensing someone behind him, and having noticed two hospital beds upon entering, he simply assumed another patient had returned and paid it no mind.

"Zhixia, I, actually..." Facing Wen Zhixia seated before him, Shen Wenyuan finally managed to voice the words he had buried in his heart for three years, though he stammered slightly. "Actually, I've never forgotten you. I like you!"

He reached out and took her hand once more. "I know you've divorced President Gu, but I'm different from what I was three years ago. I can—I can take care of you."

At these words, Wen Zhixia's eyelids twitched twice.

This time, his grip was firm, and Wen Zhixia was unable to easily pull her hand away.

Zhou Anbei watched Gu Pingsheng's complexion turn ashen. He felt like he had seen this young man somewhere before, right up until Shen Wenyuan proudly blurted out, "I've been promoted to a supervisor at Guxia Group."

His promotion speed was considered slightly fast among his peers, but he clearly failed to realize that even if he reached the level of senior vice president, it still wouldn't be enough.

As one of the founders of Guxia Group, Wen Zhixia found a mere supervisor position far below notice, let alone hearing someone boldly claim they would take care of her. It was, frankly... laughable.

Gu Pingsheng sat heavily in his wheelchair. So this guy was an employee of Guxia Group, living off the salary he paid, only to come and seduce his wife?!

A wet-behind-the-ears punk!

Listening to Shen Wenyuan recount his achievements with a trace of pride, Wen Zhixia smiled slightly. "Being promoted to supervisor within a major corporation in just three years means you're already very capable."

Gu Pingsheng watched her encouraging smile, coming perilously close to internal bleeding from suppressed fury. What kind of excellence was getting promoted to supervisor in three years?! When they founded Guxia Group back then, it had only taken them two or three years in total.

Zhou Anbei noticed Gu Pingsheng's gloomy expression and let out a couple of coughs upon realizing Shen Wenyuan was an employee of Guxia Group.

These coughs drew Shen Wenyuan's attention. Turning around while still awaiting Wen Zhixia's reply, he saw Gu Pingsheng and Zhou Anbei standing behind him. His face instantly flushed red and then paled, "P-President Gu, Secretary Zhou."

Gu Pingsheng's dark eyes were deep and sharp, his brow knit with chilling frost. "Who are you planning to take care of?"

Hearing this, it was clear he had heard every word of the conversation between him and Wen Zhixia. Shen Wenyuan was overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment. "I..."

"She has a perfectly good position as a president's wife; why would she endure hardship as a supervisor's wife with you? What gives you the nerve to poach from under my nose? I think you are—"

"Gu Pingsheng." Before the humiliating remarks born of his boiling rage could pass his lips, Wen Zhixia hurriedly cut him off.

Gu Pingsheng pressed his thin lips into a tight line, a sneer lingering in his tone. "What, feeling sorry for him already?"

Any man associated with her could effortlessly ignite his fury.

"Don't let your imagination run wild, we're just friends," Wen Zhixia said.

With chilling self-restraint, Gu Pingsheng held back any harsh words that might ruin the hard-earned, fragile softening of their relationship after facing life and death together. Even so, the gaze he cast at Shen Wenyuan remained far from friendly.

As a frontline manager, Shen Wenyuan rarely had the opportunity to see Gu Pingsheng in person on ordinary days, but he had heard plenty about Gu Pingsheng's ruthless methods. Meeting that gaze now filled him with a palpable sense of tension.

"I—Zhixia... can we go outside and talk?" Having missed the person he pined for over three years, he was unwilling to let go so easily.

Even if he hadn't yet figured out why Gu Pingsheng was present in Wen Zhixia's hospital room.

Wen Zhixia paused.

"My leg hurts," Gu Pingsheng looked at Wen Zhixia and said coldly.

"Is the checkup result bad?" Wen Zhixia's brow furrowed, her attention instantly captured.

Gu Pingsheng's expression darkened. He lowered his gaze to his own leg, projecting a continued aura of bewilderment, desolation, and loneliness.

Her heart tightening, Wen Zhixia cast aside whatever Shen Wenyuan had just said. "What on earth is going on?"

"We'll talk alone," Gu Pingsheng said in a deep voice, adopting the solitary air of someone who wished to keep his physical condition hidden from outsiders.

Her heart rising to her throat, Wen Zhixia agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Wenyuan, you should go back first. We can talk when we have time."

Shen Wenyuan: "But—"

"Supervisor Shen," Zhou Anbei stepped forward, blocking Shen Wenyuan's path as he tried to approach. "Please."

Realizing Wen Zhixia's attention was no longer on him, Shen Wenyuan had no choice but to turn and leave first. "Then get some rest, I'll come see you tomorrow."

As Zhou Anbei stepped out, he closed the ward door behind them.

Left alone in the room, Gu Pingsheng raised a hand. "Help me to the bed."

Wen Zhixia nodded. With his current restricted mobility, getting up from the wheelchair was extremely difficult.

Carefully assisting him onto the bed, she knelt down and reached to roll up his trouser leg to inspect the situation. But she was suddenly yanked by Gu Pingsheng, her entire body collapsing flat against his chest. If Wen Zhixia hadn't reacted quickly to avoid his injured leg, goodness knows what disaster might have ensued.

"Are you out of your mind? Do you want your leg or not?!"

When she tried to sit up, Gu Pingsheng's large hand firmly clamped around her slender waist with surprising strength—utterly unlike someone who was supposed to be a patient. "If my leg is ruined, will you take care of me for the rest of my life?"

"You... what did the doctor say?" Wen Zhixia paused slightly.

Gu Pingsheng lowered his eyes, wearing an expression that suggested he refused to discuss the matter further.

Frightened by his demeanor, Wen Zhixia thought the situation must be... dire?

For a man of such towering pride, if his leg were permanently crippled, how would that differ from killing him?

"It's fine. It's just a diagnosis from a small county hospital, it doesn't count. We'll complete the discharge procedures right away and return to Sifang City. Aren't you quite familiar with President Zhang? Let him take a look, everything will be fine, don't worry too much." Wen Zhixia remained silent for a moment before speaking.

Gu Pingsheng said despondently, "...Then will you stay with me? I don't want anyone else seeing me like this."

"Mn, I'll go with you." Wen Zhixia did not hesitate. After all, his injury was inextricably linked to her; by any principle of reason or emotion, she could not simply ignore it.

Gu Pingsheng smiled wearily. "Get some good rest tonight, we'll set off early tomorrow morning."

Wen Zhixia nodded.

Only then did Gu Pingsheng's mind settle at ease.

All arrangements were handled by Zhou Anbei. Gu Pingsheng clung to her tightly, wishing he didn't have to let go even for a fraction of a second. Yet despite this, Wen Zhixia could lodge no protests.

Because if you asked him to let go, he would indeed obey, but he would look down at his injured leg with absolute desolation and ask you, "Do you despise me for being a cripple now?"

Struck in her soft spot, Wen Zhixia watched him like this, her mind involuntarily conjuring the scene of him dragging that heavily injured leg to kneel in the rainy night. "No."

"I know. You never thought much of me before, and now that I might become a cripple, I... I can understand why you feel this way." He closed his eyes, leaning back against the hospital bed as he spoke in a low voice.

Wen Zhixia twisted her fingers together, finally reaching out to take his hand. "Don't let your mind wander right now. I don't... look down on you."

"You don't need to comfort me, I know," Gu Pingsheng said, withdrawing his hand.

Watching him indulge in such mournful self-pity left a rather bitter taste in Wen Zhixia's chest.

Meanwhile, Zhou Anbei received a text message instructing him to contact President Zhang for tomorrow's admission and treatment, ensuring a thorough examination of his leg to see if a prolonged period of recuperation was necessary.

Staring at the message for several seconds, Zhou Anbei made a phone call to President Zhang.

Early the next morning, the three of them set off by car.

The very first order of business after admission was a personal diagnosis of Gu Pingsheng by President Zhang. Under Wen Zhixia's persistent questioning, the verdict was delivered—unsatisfactory.

"Will it... result in a permanent disability?" Wen Zhixia asked, fixing her unblinking gaze entirely on President Zhang.

Looking down at the test results and then casting a glance at the "desolate" Gu Pingsheng, President Zhang gave a light cough. "The situation is not optimistic. He will need proper recuperation and must maintain... a pleasant state of mind."

Having dedicated half his life to medical practice, President Zhang never imagined that one day he would stoop to telling such deceitful lies.

Yet because these two young people were at loggerheads, they had forced him to gamble with his professional reputation.

Wen Zhixia pressed her lips together. "Please think of another way."

President Zhang replied, "You can rest assured of that, we will certainly do our utmost."

Although Wen Zhixia nodded, her mood remained heavy. If even President Zhang had no solution, how was Gu Pingsheng supposed to accept such a reality?

Upon returning to the ward, just as Wen Zhixia was about to offer a few words of comfort, she happened to run into Li Yueiting stepping out of the hospital pharmacy with a bag of medicine.

Catching sight of Gu Pingsheng in the wheelchair, Li Yueiting paused for a moment before following them.

Inside the ward, Gu Pingsheng refused the nurse's assistance, signaling Wen Zhixia to help him onto the bed.

Instead of lying in the exact middle, Gu Pingsheng shifted to one side, leaving ample space for her to lie down as well, and said in a low voice, "Xiahia, lie down and rest with me for a while."

Mindful of their current relationship, Wen Zhixia naturally refused.

However, he said, "I haven't slept well these past two days, my head hurts terribly."

Wen Zhixia pressed her lips together.

The nurse heading toward the door crossed paths with the incoming Li Yueiting, assuming she was a friend of Gu Pingsheng, and paid her no heed.

"Pingsheng, what happened to you? I saw your leg just now..."

Without knocking or offering a greeting, Li Yueiting hurried straight inside, walking right up to the bedside with an expression of deep concern.

Jarred right as he was waiting for Wen Zhixia's reply, Gu Pingsheng wore a predictably grim expression. "Get out."

Li Yueiting bit her lip and offered a desolate smile. "I only wanted to show some concern. Is it really that hard for you to accept?" She paused, lifting her chin with a show of fortitude. "I've already accepted my family's arrangements to go on blind dates."

"You've long since reached the age where you should be married," Gu Pingsheng remarked.

For a woman, nothing was more detestable than having her age brought up, especially given the complete lack of tact or subtlety in Gu Pingsheng's phrasing.

Clenching her fists, Li Yueiting turned her gaze to Wen Zhixia and said with a veneer of smiles, "If President Wen has the time, would you be willing to accompany me to meet my blind date prospects? There have been so many introductions lately that I'm completely spoiled for choice."

Before Wen Zhixia could reply, she added, "I have great faith in President Wen's eye—whether it was President Gu, or now, Mr. Xu."

Though not quite a direct provocation, the underlying intent to drive a wedge between them was unmistakable.

Wen Zhixia poured herself a glass of water and took a sip to moisten her throat. "Certainly."

"Xiahia." Unhappy that she had agreed, Gu Pingsheng frowned. "Her personal affairs are none of your concern."

It was inherently a thankless task anyway.

Casting him a sidelong glance, Wen Zhixia still did not refuse. Given her history with Li Yueiting, she didn't believe Li Yueiting would invite her to play the role of advisor without an ulterior motive.

Upon learning that Wen Zhixia and Gu Pingsheng were safe and sound, the employees back in Sifang City rushed to the hospital in batches to visit them. The more sentimental ones burst into tears upon hearing the account of how Gu Pingsheng had tracked Wen Zhixia down.

It was also at this point that Wen Zhixia learned the methods Gu Pingsheng had used to find her, stirring an inexpressible tumult of emotions within her heart.

Little Chen, the employee rescued by Gu Pingsheng, broke down completely by the bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. For days, she had carried the crushing guilt that she was the one who had harmed Gu Pingsheng, and the emotions she had suppressed for so long erupted all at once.

Gu Pingsheng frowned slightly. His sole subjective motivation had been to rescue Wen Zhixia; saving Little Chen was merely an act of humanitarianism.

With so many visitors coming and going, the room naturally grew somewhat noisy. After exchanging pleasantries for a while without mentioning Gu Pingsheng's leg, Wen Zhixia slipped away to ask the nurse for Gu Pingsheng's medical records, intending to forward them to other renowned physicians in hopes of finding an extra shred of hope.

Meanwhile, because she hadn't returned home at her usual hour and her phone had been turned off, Xu Qichen had grown frantic with worry. The moment her phone went through, he rushed straight to the hospital.