Jason Fang had been by Aurel Shen's side for many years. From the early days when he helped Aurel fight off the scheming branches of the Shen family back in China, to now, as Aurel firmly established the Shen Group and then ventured overseas to build the Jinming Corporation in Country A, Jason followed him every step of the way.
Compared to others, Jason knew Aurel's temperament better than most.
A marriage alliance with the Jiang family would be overwhelmingly advantageous for both the Shen Group and the Shen family.
The Jiang family's power is currently unmatched. If the Shen family could forge a bond with them, they wouldn't even need to lift a finger—both their shares and market value would multiply several times over.
Everyone in the Shen family was hoping for this engagement that had been arranged since birth to come to fruition.
Everyone but Aurel Shen.
He seemed to have no interest in the arrangement.
Jason couldn't quite figure out why his boss was so indifferent toward such a lucrative union. But he vaguely remembered that seven years ago, when Aurel decided to move to Country A and establish Jinming, he had already expressed the intention of bringing Elena Shen (沈南枝) over from the Jiang family.
But the Jiangs refused.
Using the excuse that Elena was too young, unfamiliar with life abroad, and that Aurel's busy schedule wouldn't allow him to take proper care of her, Mrs. Jiang declined the request.
For seven years, Aurel worked tirelessly in a foreign land, devoting every minute to building Jinming into a corporate giant that could rival century-old family enterprises.
One legend after another, Aurel, had become a rising star in the business world of Country A.
And yet, regarding the engagement between the Jiang and Shen families—
His attitude remained unchanged.
As if it had never wavered.
The atmosphere in the hospital room was thick and cold, heavy enough to choke.
Jason dared not speak until the top-tier medical team entered the room to check on Aurel's condition.
After reviewing the data and reminding them that the patient still needed to stay for observation, the team soon left.
Jason was just about to find an excuse to leave for a moment—
When the rapid sound of high heels clicked sharply along the corridor, I grew closer.
He glanced at the bed, where Aurel's expression had slightly darkened. Just as he was about to check who it was—
The respectful voice of the bodyguard outside reached their ears, greeting someone.
The VIP room door opened.
Elena Shen, slightly breathless from her hurried pace down the hallway, appeared at the doorway. Her eyes, filled with concern, locked onto the figure lying on the hospital bed.
"Brother!"
She stepped quickly inside. The hem of her ankle-length dress brushed through the disinfectant-scented air of the room.
The weather in Country A was a bit different from that of Huaihai City. Before boarding the plane, Elena had brought a coat with her.
But after getting off the cab at the hospital, she was in such a rush that the coat had only been draped over her arm and hadn't yet been worn.
Jason was surprised to see Elena suddenly appear in this foreign land.
But he quickly composed himself.
He walked forward and took the coat from her, placing it on the nearby sofa.
Elena didn't have time to greet Jason—her full attention was on Aurel, whose face still looked pale against the crisp white sheets.
"Brother, are you feeling any better now?"
Aurel looked up from his tablet, a bit surprised as well. The cold expression that had surfaced earlier when he thought about her engagement with Ethan Jiang (江靳年) instantly softened when his eyes met hers.
"Elena? Why are you here now?"
As he spoke, he reached out a hand toward her.
"Come here."
Elena quickly stepped forward and sat beside the bed.
Her eyes were filled with worry. Ever since hearing from Auden Zhang (张澜) about Aurel's accident, she had been suppressing her emotions. Now, seeing his pale face in person, tears began to well up uncontrollably in her eyes.
Her voice was choked with emotion, but she tried her best not to cry.
"A car accident... something this serious... how could you not tell me?"
"If the company hadn't run into trouble and Auden hadn't accidentally spilled it... how long were you planning to hide it from me?"
"Ten years ago, on that stormy night, Mom and Dad died rushing to catch a flight. If something happened to you too... what would I do, all alone?"
Aurel had just woken up and his condition was still fragile.
Elena didn't want to cry and affect his recovery.
But she couldn't control her emotions. When she heard that Aurel had gotten into an accident while trying to fly back to see her, she was trembling.
The words "plane" and "car crash" were etched into her bones with fear.
Aurel watched the girl in front of him struggling to hold back her sobs, tears falling one by one onto the blanket. Her eyes were red with worry.
He lifted his hand and gently wiped her tears away.
Then he pulled her into his arms, his voice low and soft, patting her back gently to soothe her.
"Don't be afraid."
"I will never leave you."
"It was just a small accident. I'm fine. Don't overthink it, okay?"
Fear and sorrow—emotions like these are easier to bear when one is alone. But the moment someone tried to comfort her, Elena broke down completely.
Buried against his shoulder, it took her a full two minutes to stop crying. "What did the doctors say?"
She wiped her tears and pulled away from his arms.
Aurel reached up to help her gently wipe the tear stains from her eyes, just about to speak, when Elena cut him off.
"Forget it. You always try to hide the bad and only share the good. Don't tell me. I'll ask the doctors."
She turned to Jason. "Mr. Fang, could you please call the doctors in? I want to hear about my brother's condition myself."
Jason looked at Aurel, then nodded.
"Yes, Miss Shen."
The medical team returned quickly. With Jason's arrangements, they also brought along the complete reports and scans. They explained everything to Elena in detail.
Once the doctors left, Aurel looked at her with a faint smile.
"Are you finally relieved now?"
Elena walked over and noticed the tablet Aurel had been using to handle business. Recalling the doctors' repeated reminders about rest, she bent down, picked up the tablet, and handed it to Jason.
"Take this to the far sofa," she instructed.
Only after that did she nod and sit back down beside the bed.
"Brother, you need to rest properly for the next few days. Mr. Fang and the others can take care of the company. You don't need to handle everything yourself."
Aurel smiled as he gazed at the now fully grown, stunning young woman before him.
"If I'm not allowed to work and can't spend time on business, then how about you stay with me for a few days?"
Elena didn't even hesitate.
"I took a week off. I'm staying to take care of you."
Aurel came to Country A when Elena was just thirteen.
In the past seven years, he has tirelessly juggled managing two companies and expanding Jinming's operations. He hadn't been able to return to China often.
Most of their contact came in the form of scheduled video calls.
But in the past six months, Aurel had been busy with a major restructuring, and the time difference with China made it harder to keep in touch. Elena had also been swamped with lab work, leaving them little time to connect.
Jason, with his keen sense of timing, left the room to give them privacy.
Elena sat beside the bed, peeling an orange as she chatted with Aurel.
Before long, the topic shifted unexpectedly.
"I heard from Mr. Fang... the Jiang family wants to marry you off to Ethan Jiang?"
"Elena, tell me honestly—is that true?"
Her hand paused mid-peel.
She looked up at him, her voice soft and hesitant. "Ah… yeah," she admitted, nodding slowly.