10 010 Okay, I'll jump!_1

Gu Bichen failed to kill Jiang Xi, as she had been poisoned by a drug and was rushed to the hospital to have her stomach pumped. By the time she emerged from the emergency room, she was still unconscious.

When Jiang Xi woke up again, it was already deep into the night.

The light in the room was dim, and it was pitch black outside the window. Jiang Xi smelled the pungent scent of disinfectant in the air; she felt utterly disoriented.

"You're finally awake."

Jiang Xi heard Qin Jiu's voice, filled with relief, and turned to look. Qin Jiu was sitting by her hospital bed. As Jiang Xi struggled to sit up, Qin Jiu swiftly pushed her back down.

"Just lie down and stop struggling."

"What's wrong with me?" Jiang Xi spoke, only to find her mouth unbearably bitter, her voice hoarse. Talking made her throat burn painfully.

Qin Jiu brought over a glass of water, helped her sit up, and held the glass to her lips, "Have some water to soothe your throat. You were poisoned by medication and were brought here in the middle of the night to have your stomach pumped."

"Medication poisoning?" Jiang Xi only remembered vomiting all over Gu Bichen; she had no recollection of what happened afterward.

"Yes, you have no idea how scared I was when I got the call. I thought you'd taken sleeping pills because you were upset." Qin Jiu gave her a thumbs-up, not without irritation, "Xi Xi, you're truly awesome. You downed three bowls of fertility soup in one go and ended up in the hospital to have your stomach pumped. You're really brave!"

Jiang Xi took the cup and drank.

The warm water flowed down her throat like a knife was cutting through, and with difficulty, she swallowed, "I just wanted his mother to shut up."

Of course, there was also an element of spite.

Qin Jiu sighed, "I don't get your mother-in-law. She doesn't care about her son fooling around, but she pesters you daily to drink fertility soup. What does she expect, that you can produce a child by yourself? Don't make me laugh; you're no virgin whelk!"

Jiang Xi gave a wry smile but said nothing.

Seeing her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes, Qin Jiu took the empty cup and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about those upsetting people and events anymore. You should lie down and sleep."

"Okay."

Just as Jiang Xi was about to lie down, the door to the ward was pushed open from outside. She glanced up instinctively and saw Gu Bichen entering the ward, wrapped around an actress with the surname Shu.

Even though Jiang Xi had already decided to give up her feelings for Gu Bichen, seeing him so eager to take her life while she was ill still made her feel cold inside.

"Gu Bichen, what are you doing here?"

Qin Jiu stood up in front of Jiang Xi, her eyes warily watching the butterfly-like Gu Bichen, afraid that his presence would hurt Jiang Xi again.

Gu Bichen, with the actress wrapped around him, swaggered over to the bedside, his eyes scornfully fixed on Jiang Xi, "Awake? Truly a scourge that lasts a thousand years."

"Gu Bichen, how can you speak like that?" Qin Jiu couldn't bear listening to Gu Bichen turn so venomous.

Compared to Qin Jiu's intense reaction, Jiang Xi appeared much calmer, "I'm sorry that I didn't apologize with my death."

Gu Bichen glared at her intensely, and seeing her indifferent response, his anger surged, "Jiang Xi, who are you putting on that pitiable act for?"

Jiang Xi diverted her gaze, no longer looking at Gu Bichen's face, which had become unrecognizable due to resentment, "I'll place the divorce agreement and my resignation letter on your desk; sign them when you have time."

At this, Gu Bichen became enraged, his tone sardonic, "Divorce? Have you found someone else to dare talk about divorce with me? Jiang Xi, let me give you a heads-up: after leaving me, who in the vast Jing City would dare want you?"

"Even if I were to become a nun, I would not want to have anything more to do with you," Jiang Xi said, her tone remarkably calm.

These words struck a raw nerve in Gu Bichen, and he suddenly released the actress and strode toward the hospital bed, his aura murderous.

Qin Jiu noticed something was off about Gu Bichen's complexion and tried to stop him. Unable to do so, she was roughly pushed aside by Gu Bichen, and she watched helplessly as he seized Jiang Xi by the throat, "Gu Bichen, let go of Jiang Xi!"

Gu Bichen ignored Qin Jiu, glaring at Jiang Xi's pallid face, he said harshly, "Now you don't want anything to do with me, as if you weren't the one begging me to marry you back then."

Jiang Xi's expression was one of agony, her voice filled with sorrow, "Ah Chen, let me go, and let yourself go too."

Gu Bichen's eyes were bloodshot, and a strange mix of panic and hatred twisted his features, "Why should I let you go? I've told you, every single day you are married to me, I will make sure you live in hell."

"You..."

Before Jiang Xi could finish, Gu Bichen dragged her off the bed. Caught off guard, she fell hard onto the floor, completely dazed.

"What are you doing?" Qin Jiu rushed over to help Jiang Xi up, "Jiang Xi, did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

"I'm fine." Jiang Xi's face was ashen. She tried to wrest her wrist from Gu Bichen's grip but was dragged outwards instead.

Her bare feet touched the cold floor, and she shivered uncontrollably.

"Gu Bichen, let go," Jiang Xi struggled, but she couldn't break free from Gu Bichen's vice-like grip, "Where are you taking me?"

Gu Bichen, seemingly out of his mind, dragged Jiang Xi out of the hospital room, "Didn't you want me to let you go? Fine, today I'll grant your wish!"

Qin Jiu saw the resolve in Gu Bichen's eyes and felt something bad was about to happen, so she quickly followed them out.

In the next hospital room, Xie Jianan was lying in bed faking illness, while Rong Nian sat beside the bed in a chair, listening to his pitiful sobs about not wanting to go abroad.

Suddenly, a sharp female voice came from outside the room, "Gu Bichen, let go of Jiang Xi. She's just come back from the brink of death, do you want to kill her?"

Upon hearing Qin Jiu's voice, Xie Jianan stopped faking his illness, abruptly sitting up, "Brother, what's happening outside? Let's go see."

Rong Nian hadn't even time to stop him, when Xie Jianan yanked the IV out of his hand, slipped on his slippers, and dashed out of the room with such speed that he hardly seemed sick at all.

Rong Nian: "..."

Jiang Xi was dragged by Gu Bichen all the way to the edge of the rooftop railing before he finally let go. In the dark of night, the hospital sign illuminated the rooftop.

As it happened, they were standing at the very spot where Bai Wanwan had once attempted suicide.

Gu Bichen's eyes were full of malevolence, and he looked at Jiang Xi coldly, his laugh somewhat sinister and horrifying, "You say you don't want anything to do with me. Fine. Jump from here, and we'll call it even."

Jiang Xi looked at Gu Bichen in disbelief, "Gu Bichen, we grew up together. You're really pushing me this far, with no regard for our past at all?"

"Regard for our past?" Gu Bichen scoffed, "Jiang Xi, my dictionary doesn't have the word 'divorce,' only 'widowhood.' Either give up the thought of divorcing me or jump from here."

Tears fell unexpectedly, and as Jiang Xi looked at the man in front of her—the one she had once loved with everything she had—his undisguised hatred pierced her heart.

How had it come to this?

Jiang Xi closed her eyes, a sharp pain in her heart, despair washing over her, "Fine, I'll jump!"