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nChapter 258 Xiaoxi, You’ve Changed

nRumors flew in Luo Enterprise.

nThey had heard a lot about the daughter of Luo Enterprise.

nShe was rebellious and carefree, chasing after Su Yicheng of Cheng An Group. She was the best at throwing parties and had recently competed in Top Model on a whim. She won a decent title but had been accused of being involved with hidden rules.

nA person that had nothing to do with the business circle, had declared in a board meeting that she would seal the deal with a company that even experienced executives failed to do with over half year of efforts.

nPeople were whispering in the pantries. “Can you believe that?”

n“Of course not! She’s not experienced and she’s young. I don’t think our partners will trust her at all.”

n…

nActually, Luo Xiaoxi did not trust herself as well.

nNevertheless, she could not show it, so she had to bury herself in the files.

nLao Luo was very old school and had almost used heavy wood to decorate the entire office, and all the plants were either lucky bamboo or money tree. Luo Xiaoxi, who loved the modern minimalism, found this kind of environment suffocating. It was also why she used to hate to enter the company.

nShe also disliked looking through papers. One and other characters were joined together and the context bored her. That being said, she must carefully review it, otherwise, she would fall into traps. It was like conducting a royal palace drama on paper.

nHowever, now, it was the first time that she had stepped into this “hell” for the past few months, and she stayed here after 8 pm.

nA secretary knocked and walked in. She was surprised to see Luo Xiaoxi was still here. “Why are you here?”

n“Because… you’re still here.” All the people in the secretary office were still working.

n“Sorry. I forget about you guys.” Luo Xiaoxi closed the file. “You should get off work now. I need to attend to some files.”

nBeing interrupted, she could not return to the previous state anymore. Therefore, she directly put the papers into her bag and planned to read them on her way to the hospital.

nUpon arriving, the doctor in charge let Luo Xiaoxi follow him into the office and told her. “Mr. Luo and Mrs. Luo are in a stable state today, and you can visit them in ICU.” Within a few days, they might be transferred to a regular ward. But I can’t promise when they’ll wake up. I can only suggest you talk to them in the following days every day because they might hear your voice.”

nLuo Xiaoxi stayed in ICU for an hour or so and then she headed back to her apartment. On the way, she called Su Jianan.

n“Jianan, do me a favor.” She directly asked for help. “Help pick up a few sets of business clothing in the mall. My current wardrobe… you know, I can’t wear any of them to negotiate with people.”

n“I’ll send them to you tomorrow.” Su Jianan paused for a few seconds. “Xiaoxi, are you OK?”

n“… I’m fine. It’s just that I’ll be busy in the following days.”

nSu Jianan paused for another while, and in the end, she just said, “Take care of yourself.”

n“I will.”

nLuo Xiaoxi hung up the phone, and the chauffeur had just stopped the car by her department. She saw a familiar car and a familiar figure on the driver’s seat.

nGood, he didn’t barge into her apartment.

nThe next second, Luo Xiaoxi looked away and walked upstairs while ignoring him. Su Yicheng didn’t follow her either and just watched her get into the elevator. When he saw the lights on the 16th floor went on, he put out the cigarette and turned the car around…

nLuo Xiaoxi hesitantly walked to the balcony to look down. Su Yicheng was just driving away.

nTiredness, bitterness, they all seemed to stop at this moment, because right now, she could only feel Su Yicheng leaving her. Moreover, she felt something else slipping away from her as well. Again, emptiness possessed her and night shrouded her…

nIf only she were still kept in the dark?

nSu Yicheng would have hugged her when she felt so lost, and told her everything would be alright.

nThen, she could completely rely on Su Yicheng, asking him how to keep the company in order and how to get the contract so the board of directors would trust her.

nHe would definitely help her because he was the best at negotiating.

nSu Yicheng, Su Yicheng.

nWhy did she have to meet him in this life?

n…

nThe next day, Luo Xiaoxi’s office had a visitor, Qin Wei.

nHe cut to the chase. “I heard what you did on the board meeting. I can help you.”

nOn first thought, Luo Xiaoxi wanted to decline. However, before she shook her head, Qin Wei chimed in.

n“Xiaoxi, look at me, I’m not Su Yicheng. I’m your dad’s first choice to be his son-in-law. Even if you don’t like me, you shouldn’t turn me down for the sake of the company, which your dad worked so hard to earn.”

n“… and the condition is?” Luo Xiaoxi looked calm and fierce at the same time.

nQin Wei smiled bitterly. “You don’t trust anyone right now, do you? I just want to help you, or help Uncle Luo, on no condition.”

n“Thank you.” Luo Xiaoxi said, “I owe you this.”

nQin Wei taught Luo Xiaoxi from scratch, including negotiation skills and how to handle the board of directors. Luo Xiaoxi had had difficulties in understanding some files, so she asked him. Qin Wei explained them one by one, thus she had learned quite a lot.

nFrom then on, Qin Wei showed up in Luo Enterprise at 4 pm every day. With his help, Luo Xiaoxi managed to handle the company affairs and keep the company on course.

nShe would leave the company at 7 pm every day, grabbed a bite, and then went to the hospital.

nLao Luo and Mrs. Luo had been transferred out of ICU. During her stay at the hospital, she either read newspapers for them or told them about the company’s current situation. Occasionally, she would complain in front of Lao Luo. “Why are you still sleeping? I’m exhausted. The bunch of old men is waiting to see your daughter make a fool of herself. Wake up and help me, will you?”

n“…”

n“Lao Luo, as long as you wake up, I’ll listen to whatever you say, and I’ll never argue with you. I won’t model because I’ll learn how to run the company from you and take over your company.

n“…”

n“Dad, wake up.”

n“…”

nNo matter what she said, no matter how much she cried, Lao Luo just kept his eyes shut on the sickbed, not even moving a finger.

nSometimes, Luo Xiaoxi was so tired that she didn’t have the strength go home, so she would crash in the hospital. Later, she had kept so many personal belongings in the hospital that it almost became her second home.

nOn this day, Luo Xiaoxi arrived at the hospital as usual but accidentally ran into Zhang Mei and Xiao Chen in the inpatient department.

nSeeing these two together, she had to think of Su Yicheng.

nWhat happened to him?

nLuo Xiaoxi stopped herself from thinking further. She tried to ignore them, but Zhang Mei already walked to her.

n“Let’s talk.”

nIn the cafe before the hospital, Zhang Mei sized Luo Xiaoxi up, took out a thin and long women’s cigarette, and lit it. She acted so naturally that it showed that she did not care if Luo Xiaoxi minded her or not.

nShe looked charming when she cupped her hand to block the wind to light the cigarette, between this, she said, “You’ve changed a lot.”

nLuo Xiao would wear clothes that revealed her fine curve, and her long and curved hair would look charming and glamorous, making her look like a party girl who liked to play games.

nIn less than half of a month, she seemed to grow up overnight. Now, she was wearing a rigid-looking black suit and white shirt. They looked simple but not boring. She wore her hair in a bun, looking a little formal and serious. Her face was blank, and she appeared calm as if she had transformed herself. Zhang Mei could not see the old Luo Xiaoxi at all.

nLuo Xiaoxi didn’t answer her, and just looked at the watch. “I give you 20 minutes.”

nZhang Mei turned to puff a smoke. “Xiao Chen and I appear in the hospital together. I think you should know who’s in the hospital.”

n“…” Luo Xiaoxi remained bland.

nThen, Zhang Mei put out the cigarette. “Do you really not care about him anymore? Don’t you want to know why he’s in the hospital?”

n“Miss Zhang, I’m busy.” Luo Xiaoxi said, “If you still want to continue this useless…”

n“My dad not only helped Su Yicheng.” Zhang Mei stopped Luo Xiaoxi. “When he was at his worst, my dad helped him. Otherwise, it would take seven or eight years more for him to get what he’s got today. When I leaked the plan, my dad knelt in front of him, so he didn’t send me to court in the end.”

nLuo Xiaoxi didn’t change her face. “Why telling me this? When you told me the truth on the phone, didn’t you mean to make me leave Su Yicheng?”

n“I didn’t know your parents had a car accident then.” Zhang Mei paused and slowly added, “I’ve thought it through. Su Yicheng and I won’t be together even if I make you leave. Su Yicheng used to take care of me all because of my dad. I don’t want to see him return to the same old state, and I don’t want to see you… Never mind, room 1302. It’s up to you if you want to see him or not.”

nThe autumn breeze carried bone-chilling coldness, and Luo Xiaoxi wrapped herself tighter in her coat, walking back to the hospital. When she realized, she found she was standing before the medical unit on the 13th floor. She scolded herself in the heart that why she was still such a doormat.

nHowever, she stopped after a few steps.

nShe turned around and held the doorknob of room 1302.

nAll she had to do was jerk and push, and she would see Su Yicheng again.

nAfter a war in her mind, rationality get hold of Luo Xiaoxi. She turned around, ready to leave.

n“Don’t go back, Luo Xiaoxi, never go back.”

nBack at her parents’ ward, Luo Xiaoxi quickly took a shower and lay on the cot at the corner of the room. Staring at the lights outside the windows, she couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard she tried it.

n“Xiaoxi, have you seen my blue tie?” When he got up late in the morning, he would freak out in finding things.

n“What do you want for dinner?” On the phone, he always sounded exceptionally tender.

n“When I get time, we’ll travel abroad.” He used to promise her.

nAfter she ran out of sleeping pills, every night was the same. Those unimportant things he said would pop into her mind all the time as well as his hug and kiss and the short time when he was with her.

nWhen she finally was going to fall asleep, Luo Xiaoxi thought, “I’ll have to let the doctor prescribe some sleeping pills.”

nThe next day, before she woke up, when she was still drowsy, Luo Xiaoxi had an illusion.

nShe seemed to smell the familiar breath and feel the familiar warmth on her forehead, but when she got up, no one was around her, and only the whiteness of the ward was shrouding her.

nAfter washing, for some unknown reason, she stood before Su Yicheng’s room again, only to see the nurse making the bed.

nShe stormed in. “Excuse me, but where’s he?”

n“Mr. Su left early in the morning.” The nurse sighed. “He shouldn’t leave in his condition right now actually, and his assistant tried to stop him too. But he said he had work to do in the UK and left on his own. Our director couldn’t even stop him.”

nThe nurse probably detected Luo Xiaoxi’s anxiety so she added, “Don’t worry, actually his case is not serious. He’ll be fine after some rest.”

nLuo Xiaoxi then realized that she was still worrying about Su Yicheng. She flustered and thanked the nurse. Rushing out of the room, she smacked herself in the head.

nWhy couldn’t she control herself?

nSuddenly, her phone rang in her pocket. It was the hospital’s number, so she nervously picked it up, and the nursed anxiously asked, “Ms. Luo, have you left the hospital? Mrs. Luo’s state suddenly worsened, and you…”

nLuo Xiaoxi couldn’t hear what the nurse said next, because she could only hasten to take the elevator downstairs. The lights outside the emergency room were on, and she could only pace back and forth in the hallway.

nWorsen, that was the only word kept echoing in Luo Xiaoxi’s head.

nHow would her mother’s state worsen? She was fine when Luo Xiaoxi left, and Luo Xiaoxi had just been away for a while.

nDid her mother know she’d gone to find Su Yicheng so her mother got mad at her?

nCold liquid streamed down, and Luo Xiaoxi wiped her face. Then, she found them to be tears.

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