stonecrandall Chapter 62 Mind Your Own Business
Chapter 62 Mind Your Own Business
The most precious thing in human nature is not wealth or status, but the sense of propriety and sincerity to stand by someone in times of crisis and not to abandon them in times of hardship.
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Zeng Jia was sprawled out on the sofa in her hometown, cracking sunflower seeds with a loud popping sound, while her phone screen showed a melodramatic soap opera about Yu Li and Zhang Zhishan tearing each other apart in a wealthy family.
She pursed her lips and couldn't help but sigh. Who would have thought that a waiter would manage to expose these two arrogant people? It's like fate is writing a script, always throwing in unexpected surprises.
Her fingers were itching to click, and she was wondering whether she should give a thumbs up to each of the netizens stirring things up in the live chat. Just as she was gloating, Wang Haowen's phone call came in.
During the days she was away in her hometown, the two of them hadn't been in contact. When the phone rang suddenly, Zeng Jia's heart skipped a beat, but after hesitating for a long time, she still swiped her finger to answer.
On the other end of the phone, Wang Haowen's voice was extremely dejected, like an eggplant that had been wilted for three days: "Zeng Xiaojia, I think you need to hurry up and go back to Beijing."
Zeng Jia didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, exuding an air of detached indifference. "Just to watch those two crazy bastards argue, I'm going to spend that expensive plane ticket? Not worth it, absolutely not worth it. I'm not going to be that sucker!"
The internet has already dug up information about her and Wang Haowen, these two "runaway immortals" who "slipped away without a trace".
Fortunately, they managed to slip away quickly, leaving the mess behind with a clean slate. Before leaving, they even put on a "rights drama," pocketing the money they were entitled to and making a clean getaway. They became known as "the most clear-headed people" among netizens.
In the comments section, some people were stirring up trouble, clamoring for the two of them to do a live stream to "tell the story of Tianyi's private matters," as if they wanted to put the two of them on a fire and roast them until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Why would you chime in now? Leaving aside the moral implications, why become a sitting duck when you have no money? Only a fool would be the first to stick their neck out!
Wang Haowen wasn't in the mood for idle chatter; his voice was so deep it could sink into the ground, "It's not about those two troublemakers... it's about Zhang Zihao. Wasn't that kid on a mountaineering team? He had an accident while climbing and slid down from the summit."
Even after Zeng Jia got off the high-speed train, her feet still felt like they were walking on cotton, and she couldn't catch her breath for a long time.
She wasn't surprised by how badly Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li fought, but the fact that Zhang Zihao "slipped" down the mountain? Just hearing that made her feel uneasy.
Actually, ever since her uncle poured cold water on her plans, Zeng Jia had privately inquired about the situation back home with her classmates. She knew perfectly well that she wouldn't be staying in her hometown for long; returning to Beijing was inevitable. But so what if she went back? Did she really have to let Zhang Zihao risk his life as a scapegoat? That kid had seven or eight fractures all over his body, and his body was covered in cuts and bruises. The surgery was already over, and the doctor's words implied that he needed to take good care of himself; otherwise, he might spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
Right now, his biological father, Zhang Zhishan, is still in detention and can't escape. His biological mother, Yu Li, is being chased by the media like a rat in the street. Reporters with their long guns and short cannons are blocking her way, and she doesn't even dare to touch the doorknob of her own son's hospital room.
In fact, Zhang Zihao never expected his carefree parents to take care of him. After he was injured, he had the rescuers call Wang Haowen directly. It was inevitable that Wang Haowen would contact Zeng Jia, because Zhang Zihao's secret stash of money was still in her hands.
After getting out of the ride-hailing car, Zeng Jia looked up and saw Wang Haowen standing at the door like a telephone pole. For some reason, that little bit of unease in her heart rose again, and she felt inexplicably irritated.
"What, are you afraid I won't be able to find the place? You even came out to meet me."
Wang Haowen noticed she was only carrying a small carry-on suitcase, clearly indicating she didn't plan to stay in Beijing long. He felt a little empty inside. "Grandma Fortune, how could I not welcome you?" He took the suitcase, his tone revealing a barely perceptible urgency. "His surgery and hospital bills make my liver tremble. The money he spends at Harmony Hospital in a day is more than our combined monthly rent. How could I not be looking forward to your visit?"
Zhang Zihao's living expenses here are indeed quite high, but Wang Haowen isn't really unable to afford it. His brain has been in a complete mess these past few days, and he still can't come up with a decent reason to coax Zeng Jia back to Beijing.
Now that this "golden opportunity" has presented itself, whether from a moral standpoint or from his own selfish motives, Zeng Jia has no choice but to return.
Zeng Jia rolled her eyes wide. Still able to talk back? Looks like Zhang Zihao is still a long way from kicking the bucket.
"Crippled?" she asked bluntly.
"It's not that bad..." Wang Haowen led her into the inpatient department. "It just means that if she wants to play basketball, soccer, skiing, or anything like that, it's basically over. The doctor meant that even if she recovers well, she'll only be semi-automatic."
Zeng Jia breathed a sigh of relief; it was better than she had expected, as long as she wasn't paralyzed.
Zhang Zihao was staying in a private hospital room with a small sofa and a private bathroom. It looked a bit more spacious than the room they had rented in Jingziyuan before, but the smell of disinfectant was a bit pungent.
As soon as the door opened, Zhang Zihao saw Zeng Jia, his facial muscles twitched, and he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Oh my, you've come all this way to see me? Should I be so touched that I have to put on a show of a tough guy shedding tears for you right here? Too bad my acting is limited by my cast!"
When Zeng Jia saw his stubborn and argumentative attitude, she breathed a sigh of relief. But when her gaze swept over the bandages and braces wrapped around his body, and the cold monitor on the bedside table, she swallowed her breath again.
She slammed the several large bags of Northeastern delicacies her parents had given her onto the small table: "Touched to tears? Crying because your parents are making a fuss, huh? Look at you, a rich second-generation heir, your assets have shrunk more drastically than a stock market crash!" She deliberately spoke harshly, but her gaze lingered on his leg in a cast for a moment.
"That hurts, bro!" Zhang Zihao winced in pain, his body bound up like a newly unearthed mummy, making it difficult to move.
He could only grimace at Wang Haowen, "I was just going to have her transfer the money and that would have been it. I begged her to come back because of you, but she came back and started arguing with me. And you didn't even do anything about it, Brother Wang, you're really not being fair!"
Wang Haowen jumped as if his tail had been stepped on: "What nonsense are you spouting! What does it have to do with me! Just focus on healing your injury!" He glanced guiltily at Zeng Jia.
Zeng Jia pretended not to hear the second half of the sentence and started to open the bag. Braised pig's trotters, braised beef, a big, red, shiny, and trembling pork knuckle, and several beef bones stewed until tender... all real hearty dishes.
The irresistible aroma of meat instantly filled the air, completely suppressing the smell of disinfectant and making people's mouths water uncontrollably.
Wang Haowen happily took it to the microwave to heat up; he had been craving this for a long time. Zhang Zihao, who hadn't had much of an appetite due to pain and worries, also felt his throat bob and quietly swallowed.
"You are what you eat. That beef bone was specially stewed for you by my mom. The broth is all white from boiling it. Go ahead and eat as much as you want!" Zeng Jia was also hungry, so she picked up a braised chicken carcass and started gnawing on it.
Zhang Zihao took a bite of the beef bone that Wang Haowen handed him. The aroma of the marrow melted in his mouth, temporarily dispelling the gloom in his heart. "Delicious! Really delicious! Please thank Uncle and Aunt for me. Anyway, I can't count on my biological parents. Maybe I should find some godparents, at least someone will care about me."
"Give me a break!" Zeng Jia paused in her chicken-eating motion, remembering Yu Li's disdain for her "small-town exam-taking" attitude, and instantly became sarcastic. "Our family is just a small, ordinary family, we can't possibly be worthy of your high-and-mighty status. Otherwise, people will say we're trying to curry favor with the powerful." However, now that Yu Li, this Shanghai socialite, had gone too far, her sour feeling subsided a little.
Zhang Zihao's smile froze for a moment. He buried his head in his bone and fell silent. His eyelids were lowered, his long eyelashes casting small shadows on his pale face, and his fingers unconsciously picked at the edge of the plaster cast.
His father is in jail, his mother doesn't dare to show her face, he's covered in injuries and his future is uncertain. This "rich second generation" is living a truly miserable life.
Wang Haowen felt a pang of unease and quickly gave Zeng Jia a meaningful look, signaling her to be more considerate.
Zeng Jia, however, thought he was worrying unnecessarily. "What are you afraid of? You can't even handle these two sentences? There will be many more hurtful things to say in the future! Besides..." She raised her chin, "All those properties and luxury cars we helped him deal with before, any one of them is more substantial than both of us combined. Why are you worrying about this?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zihao managed a weak upward smirk, like a cat that had just stolen some fish.
Although Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen had a huge falling out back then, Zeng Jia actually helped him "snatch food from the tiger's mouth" during his parents' divorce battle, and did a lot of "tricks".
The day after Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li divorced, the lawyer approached Zhang Zihao. A villa in the suburbs of Beijing, a 200-square-meter luxury apartment in the city center, and two dazzling luxury cars worth millions all ended up in Zhang Zihao's name!
This is the only tangible "thing" he can grasp while lying in his hospital bed, besides Wang Haowen and Zeng Jia.
Wang Haowen realized he was being a bit nosy and quickly tried to smooth things over, "Let's get this straight, my caregiver fee is payable daily, so hurry up! We're both now honorably laid-off and re-employed, and we're counting on you as our long-term meal ticket!"
Just as Zhang Zihao was about to retort with a witty retort, his phone, which was lying on the pillow, suddenly started buzzing like a death knell. He glanced at the caller ID: Yu Li. His face, which had just started to brighten, instantly turned long, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
Zeng Jia, simply wanting to stir up trouble, impulsively pressed the answer button for him and even turned on speakerphone.
Yu Li's signature agitation immediately filled the ward: "How many times have I told you! I don't want you to play that kind of thing, but you just wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened, you've ended up in the hospital! Where are you? Send me your address! As soon as I can get away..."
"Alright, alright!" Zhang Zihao interrupted abruptly as if he had been pricked by a needle. "Mind your own business. I have Brother Haowen and Sister Zeng Jia with me. I'm fine!" He deliberately emphasized the two names, as if they were two small knives.
There was a moment of deathly silence on the other end of the phone; no one spoke for a long time.
Zhang Zihao seemed to understand Yu Li's unspoken message. The pent-up grievances, anger, and hurt of being ignored, along with the excruciating physical pain, all found an outlet. He vented his frustration on the phone, "You want to say they schemed against me? Don't try to use your scheming on me. They're my friends, much more reliable than your parents! You two are pretty bad at everything. You should spend your time reflecting on yourselves instead of adding to my stress! I... it hurts here, ouch!" After shouting the last sentence, he almost exhausted himself and slammed the phone down, but the force aggravated his wound, causing cold sweat to instantly bead on his forehead as he twitched in pain.
Zeng Jia was dumbfounded, forgetting to even gnaw on the chicken carcass in her hand. This kid really has a sharp tongue, but thinking about it, it makes sense. He's only sixteen years old; how could he possibly handle all this?
Wang Haowen subconsciously touched his face. If his mother were still alive, she would have slapped him across the face long ago if she heard her son say that.
But seeing Zhang Zihao's pale face and red eyes from the pain, he felt a pang of sympathy. He picked up a piece of pork knuckle with his chopsticks and stuffed it into Zhang's mouth. "Eat up! Delicious food is better than any medicine!"