Chapter 329: Chapter 327: Dry Heaving
The Huo Family suddenly returned to China.
In the guesthouse, overnight, everyone had gone.
Some rejoiced, others grieved.
But most of the servants continued their bustle, just like before.
After all, the wedding of the Ya Family and the Chu Family was imminent.
It rained in torrents, lasting a full three days.
The sky over S Country was overcast, completely altering in color.
Three days later, as the rain lessened, the sky began to show some light.
Ya Chen, pushed in a wheelchair, arrived at Jiayi’s, where a maid greeted him.
"Miss Chu didn’t have breakfast today?"
The maid hesitated, "It’s not just breakfast. She hardly ate anything yesterday and the day before."
Ya Chen paused, "I’ll go in and see her."
The maid quietly opened the bedroom door, watching the Crown Prince enter alone; she couldn’t help but feel genuine envy and a touch of sentiment.
That evening, before Zhenyang arrived at the engagement banquet, Ya Qianhuai sent all the guests away, and since then, Ya Qianhuai kept Miss Chu’s past in China a tight secret.
All over Nanga, no one knew of Miss Chu’s and Zhenyang’s past, thinking he was just traveling to S Country.
Yet, a group of trusted servants of the Ya Family knew some rumors.
The Huo gentleman from China had been with Miss Chu before; he came to S Country for her this time.
But the Crown Prince persistently viewed Miss Chu as a marriage prospect, never giving up on the idea.
This time, Zhenyang departed without saying goodbye, and the Huo Family took a private jet back overnight without even a word of farewell.
From the morning Miss Chu learned of it, she hadn’t eaten well for days.
Yet now, the Crown Prince disregarded Miss Chu’s desolation at another man’s departure and was still so good to her.
This was a fortune that must have been cultivated over lifetimes.
At the same time.
In the bedroom.
The sound of rain pitter-pattered against the floor-to-ceiling windows and splattered on the balcony, creating a misty curtain between heaven and earth.
The girl’s slender back faced the windows, her back turned to the bedroom door, sitting on the bed.
Already delicately built, she looked considerably thinner within just a few days.
The sound of a wheelchair rolling gradually closer; she didn’t turn around, seemingly lost in thought, seemingly unaware of the person who had entered the room.
It wasn’t until behind her came a voice, "Jiayi,"
that she twitched, panicking like a frightened bird, quickly lifting her hand to wipe her cheek.
As her hand came down, the back of it was stained with a clear liquid.
She stood up, turned around, and took deep breaths to calm herself, forcing a smile, "Ya Chen, you’re here."
Though the girl’s voice was laughing, Ya Chen caught a whiff of dampness in her laughter.
Although he couldn’t see Jiayi’s current expression or demeanor, he felt as if the girl in front of him was like a soul stripped bare, dazed and confused.
He didn’t reveal her turmoil, his tone warm yet detached, "Why haven’t you been eating properly these past few days? If you get too thin, the wedding dress might not look good."
Jiayi suddenly froze, her lips curling into a strained smile, "Alright, I’ll eat now."
Ya Chen knew that she only started eating because she saw him come in, but still he called out loudly, "Bring in the warmed-up breakfast."
The maid brought in the breakfast.
Ya Chen had the maid place the bowls and plates on the tray attached to his wheelchair, to serve as Jiayi’s dining table, then he wheeled himself over to her:
"Go ahead and eat. I can smell the orange juice and whole wheat bread, and the bacon too."
The maid, seeing the soon-to-be-married couple getting along so well, very considerately left them alone and closed the door behind her as she left.
In the bedroom, Jiayi picked up a fork, speared a small piece of bacon, and put it in her mouth. Although the meat was tender, all she could taste was a wave of bitterness spreading across her palate.
Putting down her fork, she took a small sip of orange juice. Hmm, the orange juice was sweet, perhaps it would lift her spirits a bit...
But the sourness of the orange juice made tears come to her eyes.
Who cries from the sourness of orange juice? Perhaps it wasn’t the juice that was sour—maybe she just wanted an excuse to cry.
Anyway, Ya Chen couldn’t see, so she simply gave up on herself, eating bit by bit while silently crying in front of him.
Ya Chen sensed something was amiss.
In the air, there was the salty taste of tears.
He knew she was crying quietly.
She didn’t want Ya Chen to notice and continued eating, but perhaps because she was eating while crying, a wave of nausea suddenly rose in her throat, and the fork and knife in her hands slipped. She rushed towards the bathroom—
Ya Chen was alarmed. He only heard the sounds of retching from the bathroom and anxiously called out, "Jiayi, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
The only answer was the continued sound of dry heaving.
It was a long while before the sound of flushing water came.
Jiayi felt as if her whole body was on the verge of collapse. She hadn’t eaten much these past few days, and now even the bile in her stomach had been vomited up. Coming out, she forced a smile, "It’s nothing."
Ya Chen’s voice became gravely serious, "Did you just throw up? How can it be nothing? I’ll call the family doctor to have a look at you."
If word got out to the Chu family and Ya Qianhuai that she hadn’t eaten for days since Huo Zhenyang left, wouldn’t it be making a fuss over nothing?
Someone about to get married, upset over another man’s departure?
Jiayi hurriedly said, "I haven’t eaten in several days. I ate too much too fast, and my stomach couldn’t handle it. Some hot water will do the trick. It’s not that big of a deal."
Ya Chen, seeing her insistence, didn’t press further, but he fell silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Don’t you have anything you want to ask?"
Jiayi was puzzled, "Ask what, Ya Chen?"
Ya Chen’s thin lips pursed slightly, and he took a deep breath, "Huo Zhenyang left so suddenly, don’t you really want to know why he left?"
That single sentence effortlessly touched upon the issue Jiayi had buried deep in her heart for the past three days, one she couldn’t bear to face. Suddenly, her eyes reddened, and her nose tingled.
Ya Chen continued, "I don’t know why Huo Zhenyang left. The Huo family left that very night without even notifying my father. However, if this is a thorn in your heart, I will help you clear it up!"
With that, he turned his head and called out to someone outside, "Bring in the telephone."
Jiayi was slightly shocked by the extent of Ya Chen’s tolerance for her.
Beneath his physically imperfect body, he was more open-minded and generous than any other man in the world.
The man before her, physically disabled but strong at heart, truly wanted to spend his life with her, which is why he was being so accommodating.
Just then, the maid came in hastily with the telephone, handed it to Jiayi, and left.
Ya Chen gestured, "Jiayi, dial his personal number."
Jiayi took the phone, her throat tight, and looked at Ya Chen, "Ya Chen..."
Calling another man while about to marry someone else was something that made her feel ashamed.
"What’s the matter, you don’t remember his number?" Ya Chen commanded in a stern voice, his royal demeanor shining through for a moment.
