Chapter 9 The Third Party

Chapter 9 The Other Man

Gu Zhen's overbearing nature was something Zhu Shinian should have been used to by now.

But upon hearing such words, Zhu Shinian was still somewhat stunned.

Feeling wronged and resentful, as if from the moment he met Gu Zhen, he had been Gu Zhen's subordinate and property.

Now Gu Zhen was about to marry someone else, yet he didn't even have the right to end things.

"Why..." Zhu Shinian mustered the courage to argue with him, but before he could get far, a quiet sob slipped out.

"Why do I need your permission to break up? When you got engaged to someone else, you never even thought of me, so why do you still have to... humiliate me like this..."

By the end, Zhu Shinian's voice was thick with tears. He didn't want to cry during an argument, but the car was too small, and even though he tried hard to hold back, Gu Zhen could still clearly hear the occasional sniffle from his direction.

Hearing his crying, Gu Zhen's heart instinctively clenched.

But he was not in the habit of comforting Zhu Shinian. He just frowned and drove the car into the military hospital, parking and telling Zhu Shinian to get out.

"Get out. Go get an X-ray."

The military hospital was bustling with people. Gu Zhen took Zhu Shinian to take a number for the X-ray. Many people stopped to greet them when they saw Gu Zhen and Zhu Shinian. Gu Zhen nodded coldly, while Zhu Shinian, despite his bad mood, still greeted them with a warm, polite smile.

"Colonel Zhu, here to visit your grandmother?" a nurse greeted with a smile. "Grandma's been knitting you a scarf lately. But don't you usually come on Sundays? What brings you here today?"

"I'm here for a checkup, so I figured I'd visit her," Zhu Shinian wasn't good at lying, so Gu Zhen answered for him first.

The nurse assumed it was a routine physical and smiled before saying goodbye and walking away. Gu Zhen always seemed adept at not telling a single lie while still getting them to interpret things his way.

He took Zhu Shinian through the examination smoothly, glanced at the report, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing nothing serious.

His communicator rang several times during the process, but he just gave quick replies, saying he would handle things when he got back.

"Take the car keys," Gu Zhen handed Zhu Shinian the keys to the Hummer. "For lunch, you can take Grandma to that hotel on Qinshan Road. It's about six or seven minutes by car. I took you there before. Look for Manager Zhong; he knows about Grandma's food restrictions."

Zhu Shinian looked at him, thinking of his grandmother in the high-end ward, and it suddenly hit him.

Gu Zhen was reminding him who had helped save his grandmother in the first place.

The relationship between him and Gu Zhen had never been equal. Zhu Shinian was too simple and too trusting, which was why he had only just realized it now.

Zhu Shinian was born in District 26. Poverty was the least of its problems; the average life expectancy there was only fifty-three years. Zhu Shinian's parents and older brother had all died young.

But because of Gu Zhen, Zhu Shinian's seriously sick grandmother had been brought to the city. She was now seventy-two years old and still had the energy to take walks, chat with fellow patients, and watch soap operas about mother-in-law drama.

As long as Grandma was still here, the place Zhu Shinian returned to every day could still be called home. And all of this was thanks to Gu Zhen.

Gu Zhen was willing to coax him, respect him, care for him, and be good to him. But Zhu Shinian couldn't really treat himself as someone important.

Gu Zhen didn't care, and neither did Jiang Huaiyan. As for Zhu Shinian's own principles and feelings, what did they really count for?

"Crying again." Gu Zhen reached out to wipe his tears. "Alright, go see your grandmother. Stop sulking."

Only then did Zhu Shinian realize his loss of composure. He shook his head. "Sir, I'm fine. I'm just... very grateful that you saved my grandmother back then..."

"Why thank me?" Gu Zhen smiled faintly. When Zhu Shinian wasn't sulking, he was really well-behaved and obedient, really knew how to please him.

In fact, if it were the Gu Zhen of the past, he might have noticed Zhu Shinian's hurt and unusual mood. But the Gu Zhen who had been with Zhu Shinian for so long was too full of himself. He believed that actions spoke louder than words, and since he was usually good to Zhu Shinian, there was no reason for him to feel wronged.

It was just a verbal, informal engagement. He and Zhu Shinian had known each other for seven years. Zhu Shinian should know his feelings, should know how much he liked and cared about him.

Zhu Shinian's moodiness didn't bother Gu Zhen at all. After all, he was the one in the wrong. Zhu Shinian was just jealous, just cared about him.

"You should go," Zhu Shinian said a little awkwardly. "I'll go see Grandma myself. The command center must have something important if they've called so many times. And take the car; I'll just take a taxi back..."

Gu Zhen didn't take the keys. Zhu Shinian couldn't argue with him, so he had to pocket them and go buy an expensive fruit basket at the hospital entrance before heading toward the family inpatient unit.

Before he got there, he saw his grandmother's figure on the lawn outside the building.

"Grandma!" Zhu Shinian walked over with a smile, greeting the elderly friends nearby as "Uncle" and "Auntie."

Fang Manying was knitting him a scarf while watching two elderly friends play Go. Seeing him, she immediately stood up happily.

"Why did you buy another fruit basket?" She lightly tapped Zhu Shinian's arm in light displeasure. "I've told you so many times, the ones at the hospital entrance just look nice; they're more expensive than the ones outside."

"I didn't have time to buy anything else today, and they looked fresh," Zhu Shinian smiled, sharing some with the friends and relatives around Fang Manying. "Uncles, aunties, please have some."

"Manying, things are looking up for you. With new treatments for this illness, and your grandson being so promising, a colonel at such a young age. They say Gu Liancheng's grandson only became a colonel at twenty-three."

"Let's not talk about that. Both are talented young men. How can my little Nian ever compare to the Marshal's grandson?" Fang Manying said she wouldn't talk about it, but her face was already lit up from the compliment.

Zhu Shinian was slightly startled when he heard the name Gu Liancheng, as if a thought had struck him. Then he quickly smiled again and asked the aunt about the progress of the new treatment.

"Don't worry, it'll be available soon. It's passed clinical trials, and there's a special fund set up by a sponsor that covers a large part of the follow-up costs."

That kind of sponsorship probably wouldn't cover Grandma, who was in the high-end ward, but Zhu Shinian wasn't worried about treatment costs. Even without Gu Zhen, his own savings would be enough to buy plenty of pricey meds for his grandmother. Besides, since being with Gu Zhen, he had never had to worry about money.

"The list came out a few days ago. Everyone in our ward is on it," another elderly person added with a smile. "It's amazing how technology is advancing. Even terminal illnesses can be treated now. If you'd gotten this disease a few years ago, there was no hope at all."

"This is in the capital. It's not like that everywhere else..." a family member muttered quietly, but realizing the topic might not be appropriate, he quickly fell silent.

Zhu Shinian was slightly stunned to hear that his grandmother was also on the list. He was an old-school and even a bit rigid person. He felt that since he could afford his grandmother's medical expenses, there was no need to take a sponsor's slot.

"Anyway, we should thank that person. Mr. Lin should be coming by today, so let's all take him out to eat."

.......

Zhu Shinian didn't expect to run into Jiang Huaiyan again.

Maybe coincidences always come in bunches. When Zhu Shinian arrived at the hotel where the other families had gathered, he met Mr. Lin, who was introduced as a big shot of the Jiang Group.

Mr. Lin said that this matter wasn't his own decision; he was just following orders from higher-ups. He told everyone not to thank him, as the young master should be coming in person today.

Jiang Huaiyan, as the guest of honor, barely put on any airs. He pulled out the chair next to Zhu Shinian and sat down, telling everyone not to be restrained and to eat freely.

Zhu Shinian didn't believe Gu Zhen's claim that Jiang Huaiyan had deliberately told him those things to make him sad. But he also didn't quite know how to face Jiang Huaiyan anymore.

Jiang Huaiyan had been caring, honest, and open with him, yet Zhu Shinian was still shamelessly entangled with the man Jiang Huaiyan was engaged to.

As if he had expected to meet Zhu Shinian here, Jiang Huaiyan smiled naturally and said that since there were elderly people and omegas around, he asked Zhu Shinian if he wanted to step outside and smoke a cigar together.

Zhu Shinian knew he must have something to say, so he couldn't refuse.

"I came here to find you today. I saw Gu Zhen's car drive in here, so I figured I'd run into you."

"Do you feel wronged?" Jiang Huaiyan asked, looking at him.

Zhu Shinian hadn't expected Jiang Huaiyan to ask him if he felt wronged. He tried to speak several times but couldn't get the words out.

"I admit, I did know about you and Gu Zhen all along."

"Gu Zhen fell out with his family over you. Your relationship has never really been a secret. When I met you, I remembered that I had smelled your pheromones on Gu Zhen before."

"I'm sorry..." Zhu Shinian blurted out almost by reflex, but Jiang Huaiyan quickly cut him off.

"Zhu Shinian, do you really like Gu Zhen, or did he force you? Sorry, maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't think any alpha would willingly... be with another alpha, especially with the differences between you—age, money, status, and your grandmother's illness."

"Of course, if you like him, I don't mind him having you around. That's how it was always negotiated. But what do you think? If he's been forcing you into this, now that there's a new treatment for your grandmother..."

"I'm sorry..." It was hard to get the words out. If he had a choice, Zhu Shinian would rather be sent on the most dangerous mission than ever face Jiang Huaiyan like this again. "I'm really sorry..."

"Is it because you met Gu Zhen too early, without ever comparing him to anyone else, that you think he's so great? Have you ever dated an omega, or anyone besides Gu Zhen?"

Zhu Shinian shook his head. "No, and I never will... ruin those omegas. I..."

"Zhu Shinian, you're a bit strange."

"I can't quite figure it out," Jiang Huaiyan frowned, as if genuinely puzzled. "Gu Zhen was the one who got engaged to someone else behind your back, so why do you always act like you're the one who did something wrong? You haven't wronged anyone, so why are you always the one apologizing?"

"If there really has to be a third party, then it should be me, shouldn't it?"

Author's note:

A friend's birthday is tomorrow, so I might not update. I added two extra chapters today, just in time for the rankings. The editor said the previous title won't work, so I'm thinking of a new one. I'd really appreciate any suggestions you have!