Chapter Fifty-Four: Perhaps It Would Be Better to Offer Myself

If everyone acted like Zhou Qingpei, ‘accidentally’ hurting someone and then making a scene to brush it off, wouldn’t that throw everything into chaos?

Director Shang’s voice hardened as he spoke directly, “Ms. Zhou, you’d better get up now. There are limits to how much one can make a fuss. This time, it was clearly your assistant who made the mistake. If you truly care about her, find her a more suitable job. It’s obvious she’s not fit to be your on-set assistant anymore.”

With the director himself speaking out, if Zhou Qingpei continued to complain, it would truly seem unreasonable. Her face turned pale as she shot a resentful glance at Shen Tingxiao.

Why did her usual tactics always seem to fail when it came to him?

Shen Ruizhang came up from behind and helped Zhou Qingpei up, drawing her into his arms and whispering, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your assistant.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qingpei bit her lip so hard that she nearly drew blood.

Jiang Yunzhu felt an immense sense of relief. She couldn’t be bothered to waste words here, so she turned to Director Shang. “I’d like to go check on Shao Shu.”

“Go ahead,” Director Shang replied. After something like this happened, he felt responsible. “Tell her there’s no rush. She can come back when she’s recovered. I’ll visit her myself once we wrap up for the day.”

Jiang Yunzhu nodded and hurried out, anxious to get to the hospital.

Shao Shu had already been sent to the hospital under the director’s arrangements.

But when Jiang Yunzhu reached the parking lot and saw her car, she realized her keys were missing just as she was about to unlock the door. She searched every pocket but couldn’t find them anywhere.

“Looking for this?” Shen Tingxiao’s voice came from behind her.

She turned to see him standing tall and composed, holding a keychain in his hand, his expression tinged with a hint of amusement—as if he’d been standing there for quite some time.

Jiang Yunzhu was speechless. “Thank you.”

She stepped forward to take the keys, but Shen Tingxiao pulled his hand back. “Say thank you.”

Jiang Yunzhu was momentarily stunned, then realized that without Shen Tingxiao’s intervention, she would never have achieved such a favorable resolution so easily.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Shen Tingxiao narrowed his eyes slightly.

“May I have the keys now?” Jiang Yunzhu reached out her hand.

“Come on, I’ll drive you to the hospital,” Shen Tingxiao said, putting both hands in his trench coat pockets and brushing past her.

Jiang Yunzhu hesitated for a moment, then turned and followed. “You don’t have to come with me. I can drive myself.”

“You talk too much,” Shen Tingxiao replied, already opening the driver’s door and getting in.

Jiang Yunzhu had no choice but to compromise. She got into the passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, turned to him, and said earnestly, “Mr. Shen, thank you so much for today. If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have known what to say.”

When it came to making a scene or playing the victim, she was no match for Zhou Qingpei. She had always suffered losses in these situations.

Shen Tingxiao gripped the steering wheel, glanced at her, and raised a brow. “If you’re truly at a loss for how to thank me, why not devote yourself to me?”

‘...’

“That was a terrible joke,” Jiang Yunzhu replied awkwardly, forcing a laugh.

She had expected Shen Tingxiao to retort, but after her comment, an awkward silence fell over the car. Suddenly, Jiang Yunzhu’s heart skipped a beat.

“Mr. Shen, you’re not actually being serious, are you?” Her heart tensed as she spoke.

She regretted asking immediately. After all, Shen Tingxiao was notoriously aloof—he couldn’t possibly be interested in her. Even if he was, it probably wouldn’t be sincere. Besides, how was he supposed to answer such a question? If he said yes, she’d be scared off; if he said no, it wouldn’t matter.

“Why, wouldn’t marrying me be a good thing?” Shen Tingxiao’s answer left Jiang Yunzhu stunned.

So full of himself.

All that worry for nothing.

Jiang Yunzhu relaxed, but something hollow lingered within her. She brushed off the strange feeling and replied, “It’s a good match when both families are equal. For someone like me, we’re not on the same level—I just want to live a simple, ordinary life.”

“Simple and ordinary…” Shen Tingxiao repeated the phrase under his breath several times.

For some reason, hearing him say those words made Jiang Yunzhu’s ears burn, as if he were playing with them between his lips and teeth.

How could someone make even the most ordinary words sound so suggestive?

Jiang Yunzhu dared not say another word. She gave him the hospital’s address and closed her eyes, feigning sleep for the rest of the ride.

When they reached the hospital, she pretended to wake up naturally. They went straight to the ward without any trouble.

Shao Shu was sitting on the hospital bed. Though her face was still a little pale, her wound had been bandaged, and she looked in fairly good spirits.

“Jiang, what brings you here?” Shao Shu got out of bed.

Jiang Yunzhu immediately went over, pressed her back down, then bent over to examine her injury carefully. “It was so chaotic on set that I didn’t have a chance to take a good look. Is it deep?”

“Not very,” Shao Shu said, holding her neck. “The doctor told me that if I take care of it, there won’t be a scar. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Yunzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief. “You gave me such a fright. Luckily, Sang Bai called me over today.”

“Yeah,” Shao Shu agreed, still a bit shaken.

“Don’t worry—the assistant who messed things up has already been fired. She won’t show up on set again.” Jiang Yunzhu ruffled her hair. “Rest up, and you can come back to filming soon. Director Shang said he’ll come to see you later.”

Shao Shu looked at her. “Sorry for all the trouble.”

“What trouble?” Jiang Yunzhu pinched her cheek. “Someone set you up—next time, don’t be so soft. Fight back if you have to!”

“Zhou Qingpei didn’t give you too much trouble, did she?” Shao Shu asked worriedly.

Jiang Yunzhu laughed. “With Mr. Shen there, even if she wanted to eat me alive, she wouldn’t have a chance.”

Shao Shu had already noticed Shen Tingxiao standing by the door, but since he hadn’t come in, she didn’t dare greet him and felt a little intimidated.

She tugged Jiang Yunzhu’s hand. “Should I thank Mr. Shen as well?”

Jiang Yunzhu glanced at Shen Tingxiao’s icy face by the door, then looked at Shao Shu’s pitiful expression and said after a moment’s thought, “I’ll thank him for you.”

She didn’t linger in the ward for long, leaving the gifts she’d brought.

When she stepped out, she walked alongside Shen Tingxiao. “Shao Shu asked me to thank you.”