After the Online Romance with the Campus Beauty Roommate Went Wrong - Chapter 28

By the time Sang Shi’an’s emotions had stabilized, five minutes had passed.

As if finally realizing they were at the entrance of the operating room, Sang Shi’an abruptly pushed Jian Chenyu away, stumbling several steps backward. “I… I just…”

“Thought I was going to die,” Jian Chenyu finished. A piercing pain shot through her right shoulder; the bandaged wound, having been jostled twice, seemed to have reopened.

Seeing Sang Shi’an’s rapid change of expression, Jian Chenyu pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, suppressing the turmoil of thoughts that had just surged through her mind. She said flatly, “As you can see, I’m still alive.”

Her words struck at Sang Shi’an’s true feelings. Flustered, Sang Shi’an murmured, “I’m just glad you’re okay. Really glad.”

Spotting Su Ningyue waiting nearby, Sang Shi’an seized the opportunity like a lifeline. “Jian Chenyu, you must be hungry. I’ll go get us some food right now. Wait for us here!”

“Come back,” Jian Chenyu ordered.

Sang Shi’an froze, reluctantly turning around. “…Huh?”

“Junior Sister, could you go get the food for us?” Jian Chenyu asked, glancing at Su Ningyue and gesturing to her shoulder. “My wound might need to be re-bandaged, and I need someone to help carry my things.”

Su Ningyue had wanted to leave the moment Sang Shi’an threw herself into Jian Chenyu’s arms, but she couldn’t find a suitable excuse. Now, hearing Jian Chenyu’s suggestion, she immediately brightened with a smile. “Of course! Let Sangsang keep Senior Sister company. Senior Sister, do you have any dietary restrictions? For example, is there anything you can’t eat because of your injury?”

Jian Chenyu smiled gently. “No restrictions at all. Thank you for your help.”

Jian Chenyu’s coat was tucked into Sang Shi’an’s arms. As Sang Shi’an followed behind her, she whispered, “I heard the lab exploded. You said you needed a new bandage—were you caught in the blast too?”

Jian Chenyu smiled. “An’an, if you don’t know what to say, it’s better to say nothing at all.”

Sang Shi’an murmured an “Oh,” her restless eyes darting around behind Jian Chenyu.

That gaze was so intense that Jian Chenyu found it hard to ignore. To prevent Sang Shi’an from overthinking, she used her left hand to pull the younger woman closer. “I was just going to change reagents and wasn’t near the center of the explosion. I only have a graze on my right shoulder. Some of the other students were more seriously injured.”

At the clinic door, Jian Chenyu knocked and entered without needing to register.

The doctor treating the injuries was a professor from Yanjing University. The school, eager to contain the incident, had specially assigned an experienced physician to care for the students.

When the doctor asked Jian Chenyu to undress behind the curtain, Sang Shi’an tried to follow, but Jian Chenyu stopped her. “Wait outside. Tell my family there’s nothing serious and they don’t need to come to the hospital.”

Sang Shi’an was surprised. “You knew I contacted them?”

Jian Chenyu had simply guessed. Sang Shi’an could only have gotten into the hospital so quickly through Jian Zhiyan. She said, “Wait outside for me,” and followed the doctor behind the curtain.

Ten minutes later, after having her dressing changed, Jian Chenyu was taken to a private hospital room. Other students with minor injuries were in adjacent rooms.

Normally, such injuries wouldn’t warrant hospitalization, especially at Yan University Affiliated High School No. 2, where beds were scarce. However, these students were now under close observation for two reasons: first, to prevent secondary infections from the chemical explosion, and second, to allow the school to handle the investigation without external interference.

When Su Ningyue returned with the meals, she also brought a phone that Sang Shi’an had asked her to pick up: “You can get a replacement SIM card online. I’ll go to the service center to retrieve it for you.”

Jian Chenyu accepted the phone with a quiet “Thank you.”

Sang Shi’an then asked about the cause of the explosion. Jian Chenyu shook her head. “I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait for the school’s investigation. A newly installed fluorescent tube fell from the ceiling and shattered the reagents on the table. I don’t know which two reacted.”

As she spoke, Jian Chenyu’s brow furrowed deeply. “That lab bench is where I usually conduct experiments. Even when my aunt’s students borrow it, they never tamper with the reagents. No one knows those chemicals better than I do.”

“On the way to the hospital, I mentally reviewed all the reagents. While some combinations could cause violent reactions, none could produce an explosion of this magnitude.”

Su Ningyue, sitting beside Sang Shi’an, tried to reassure Jian Chenyu. “Senior Jian, you might underestimate the carelessness of new experimenters. Perhaps it wasn’t your reagents at all, but something new Professor Jian’s students brought in? Back in high school, our demonstration table once caught fire during an experiment. By the time we put it out, the wood was charred black.”

Sang Shi’an chimed in, “Exactly! There were so many colorless reagents, my eyes were swimming just looking at them yesterday. Someone could easily have mixed them up. Besides, your family donated the Laboratory Building, so they’ll definitely inform you as soon as there’s any news. Let’s just hope those students still in surgery pull through quickly.”

Jian Chenyu nodded, saying nothing more.

Sang Shi’an had afternoon classes, so she stopped by the phone store on her way back to campus to get a new SIM card with the same number for Jian Chenyu.

After hearing about the laboratory incident, Jian Zhiyan lost all interest in attending the symposium and immediately booked the earliest flight back to Yan City.

By the time Jian Zhiyan arrived at the hospital at 5:30 PM, Jian Chenyu’s parents had just left. Seeing his aunt, Jian Chenyu sighed, “I told you it was nothing serious. Why did you rush back? Did you finish all your work?”

“An experimental explosion? How could I not come check on you?” Jian Zhiyan moved closer, reaching to pull up Jian Chenyu’s shirt to inspect his injuries, but Jian Chenyu quickly stopped her. “You should go check on your students first. How are they doing?”

“Do you think I needed reminding? Of course, I visited the others first, based on the severity of their injuries,” Jian Zhiyan said with a sigh. “Thankfully, they’re all alive, though two have severe burns. I’m not sure if they’ll fully recover. In any case, the Jian Family must take full responsibility for this.”

Jian Chenyu slowly sat back on the hospital bed, his expression grave. After nearly half a minute of silence, he lifted his eyelids, his gaze utterly devoid of warmth. “Aunt, are you suggesting this might not have been an accident?”

“The school believes it was an accident, but this is just my speculation,” Jian Zhiyan said, glancing toward the door. “Isn’t that the little girl who lives with you?”

Jian Chenyu turned his head, but there was no one at the door. He quipped, “She probably came to bring me lunch after class. Unlike you, Aunt, who visits at mealtime empty-handed.”

Jian Zhiyan chuckled, pointing at him twice. “Alright, my oversight. Miss Jian, may I continue explaining why I’m here? Should I invite her in?”

Jian Chenyu replied tersely, “She’s shy.”

Jian Zhiyan: ……

Jian Zhiyan couldn’t resist adding, “I was worried that when you learned about the marriage alliance with the Sang Family, your aversion to arranged marriages might strain your relationship. It seems I was overthinking things.”

Jian Chenyu remained calm and composed. “An alliance with the Sang Family would be advantageous. Why wouldn’t we consider it?”

Jian Zhiyan had rejected arranged marriages since her early twenties. She had warned Jian Chenyu beforehand, hoping he would prepare to refuse. Hearing his words now, she almost thought she was hallucinating.

“…You wouldn’t have had your eye on Sang Shiyue all along, would you? He does have a handsome face. Have you been secretly in love with him for years?”

Jian Chenyu coldly spat out two words: “No.”

So, young people these days really don’t need love anymore, only considering profit? The world has truly changed.

Jian Zhiyan didn’t want to press further and quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic. “The surveillance footage shows that a fallen fluorescent tube caused a reaction between palladium-carbon and methanol, leading to a violent explosion within seconds. This, in turn, triggered secondary reactions among other reagents, intensifying the fire.”

“Last week, the Jian Clan allocated funds to the university to replace some basic laboratory equipment, including that fluorescent tube. The palladium-carbon involved in the explosion was completely raw material, unprocessed by any auxiliary reagents.”

“I—” Jian Chenyu began.

“I’m not blaming you,” Jian Zhiyan interrupted. “I’m just saying, the palladium-carbon levels recorded by the surveillance cameras don’t match the quantities you typically use for your experiments. It was just sitting there as backup, and raw materials lose their effectiveness over time.”

“The lab was perfectly fine. If Jian Zhenyang wanted to donate, he could have increased research funding. Instead, he suddenly decided to renovate.”

Jian Zhiyan lowered her voice. “I haven’t told anyone else this, but I suspect this whole incident was deliberately orchestrated.”

Jian Chenyu’s pupils constricted. “Auntie suspects Jian Zhenyang is behind this?”

Jian Zhiyan patted Jian Chenyu’s left shoulder. “I’ve warned you before—our family isn’t as concerned with kinship as they pretend to be. Consider this a harsh lesson.”

Jian Chenyu pressed his lips together, his hospital gown making him look even more frail.

Jian Zhiyan sighed. “I’ll have the other lamps in the lab inspected to see if this was an isolated incident. I’ll let you know the results. I’ll also privately compensate the students who were unfairly affected. I should go now.”

Her footsteps receded until she reached the door. Jian Zhiyan stopped abruptly, exclaiming, “Oh!” She turned back. “This food… it must have been left by that young Sang boy. Strange, where is he?”

Jian Chenyu glanced at the hospital room door, her brow furrowing slightly.

Sang Shi’an left the hospital and immediately hailed a taxi to find Sang Shiyue.

At this hour, Sang Shiyue was still at work. His secretary escorted Sang Shi’an to the private elevator and up to his office. “President Sang is currently working inside. Would Miss Sang like something to drink? I’ll prepare it.”

“No need to trouble yourself. I just came to talk to my brother about something,” Sang Shi’an said, forcing a smile. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and strode in.

Sang Shiyue, who had been about to scold an inattentive employee for the disturbance, looked up and froze. “What are you doing here?”

Sang Shi’an walked straight to his desk and perched on the edge. “Can’t I visit? Am I interrupting your work, Brother?”

“Of course not.” Sang Shiyue set down his pen, tugged at his tie, and leaned back in his spacious leather chair. “So, Xiao An, what brings you here? Are you short on cash, or have you found some scoundrel you plan to elope with?”

“I’m here about serious business—urgent business,” Sang Shi’an said, kicking his leg in annoyance. “How much do you know about Jian Zhenyang from the Jian Family?”

Sang Shiyue narrowed his eyes. “Something’s off. You’re acting very strange.”

Sang Shi’an glanced at him. “What’s strange?”

“You’ve never shown any interest in company matters before. Why are you suddenly concerned about shareholders from other companies? Did Jian Chenyu tell you about Huaxing’s IPO and ask you to do the Jian Family a favor?” Sang Shiyue’s tone grew visibly displeased.

Sang Shi’an shrank back slightly. “I’m not asking you to help him. I just wanted to know what kind of person he is. Did Jian Zhenyang come to you too? Trying to get Brother to finance him?”

“He’s approached me multiple times, and I’ve rejected him every time.” Reassured that Sang Shi’an wasn’t acting as Jian Zhenyang’s advocate, Sang Shiyue’s demeanor softened again. “I don’t know much about him, but he’s dishonest, his hands aren’t clean, and he’s overly ambitious. The Jian Clan’s projects he’s handled have all been unsatisfactory. From the company’s perspective, I don’t want to get involved with him. Do you understand, Brother?”

Sang Shi’an nodded. “I understand, I understand. I just happened to be passing by and saw your light was still on, so I came up to check on you and ask about the name I heard from Sister Chenyu. I wanted to get a sense of who’s trustworthy beforehand.”

Hearing Jian Chenyu’s name, Sang Shiyue asked, “Was she injured in the lab explosion?”

“Just a minor shoulder graze. She can walk and jump fine, nothing serious, but she needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days,” Sang Shi’an replied, her mind preoccupied with Jian Zhenyang’s repeated attempts to secure funding from her brother. She spoke of Jian Chenyu without her usual pettiness.

Glancing at the nearly finished stack of documents on Sang Shiyue’s desk, she suggested, “Once you’re done with work, let’s grab dinner together?”

“Growing up and finally showing some concern for your brother, huh?” Sang Shiyue straightened up and gestured for Sang Shi’an to get off the desk. “Give me ten minutes.”

Sang Shi’an nodded eagerly and, in a rare display of initiative, began massaging Sang Shiyue’s shoulders. “I’ve always cared about you, Brother! Is this pressure okay?”

Sang Shiyue turned his head and ruffled her hair. “If you really care, don’t just say it. Come to the office this weekend and help me out.”

Sang Shi’an continued the shoulder massage half-heartedly, replying obediently, “Okay, okay, I’ll come if I have time.”

Sang Shiyue took a sip of coffee, feeling relaxed and content.

It wasn’t until the next day, when he went to the police station to bail someone out, that Sang Shiyue realized Sang Shi’an’s entire performance the previous night had been a facade of obedience.