Chapter 131 Aren't You Going to Pay Attention to Me Anymore?
At the top-floor hospital room of the First City Hospital in Nini Star City, Tan Zheng, having just showered, sat on the sofa with his hair still damp, frowning deeply as Song Ni hung up the phone.
Su Qing brought the warm stomach-soothing dinner. "Mr. Tan, Zhou Jin just called. Madam was drinking and getting drunk at a bar, and Cheng Jing was there too."
Tan Zheng's frown deepened. With Song Ni's alcohol tolerance, she dared to get drunk at a bar? Without a second thought, Tan Zheng directly dialed her number. But each time he called, it was hung up within two seconds. After five attempts, the phone signal went dead.
Tan Zheng's expression grew grim. Su Qing dared not even breathe heavily. "Mr. Tan, the food is on the table. Please remember to eat. The medicine is by the bedside. I'll head back to the company now."
Tan Zheng grunted in response. Su Qing hurried out, afraid that if she stayed another minute, she would suffocate from the terrifying aura. She didn't dare to look as she closed the door.
Since Song Ni's phone was unreachable, Tan Zheng called Zhou Jin. Zhou Jin, unlike Song Ni, didn't have the nerve to hang up her boss's call and quickly answered. "Mr. Tan."
"Where is Madam?" Zhou Jin looked at Song Ni's uninhibited drinking and felt like a drowning person finding driftwood upon hearing Tan Zheng's voice. "She's... still drinking."
"Call her."
"Yes." Zhou Jin respectfully stood before Song Ni and handed her the phone. "Madam, Mr. Tan is looking for you."
Song Ni didn't even glance at it. "He wants to see me, so I have to answer?" Her words carried anger, but due to the alcohol, her voice held a hint of seductiveness she herself didn't notice.
Tan Zheng's expression darkened further upon hearing this. Song Ni's demeanor clearly indicated she had drunk a lot. And he had seen Song Ni drunk before; she was adorably charming, incredibly obedient. How could she get drunk outside? When he wasn't by her side.
Tan Zheng gripped the phone tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, a mixture of anger and worry. "Make her answer the phone." His voice was as cold as poisoned wine.
Zhou Jin's hand trembled. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she weighed which was more terrifying: offending Tan Zheng or Song Ni. After a few seconds, Zhou Jin resigned herself to it and shoved the phone into Song Ni's hand. *Madam, I'm sorry, but it's Mr. Tan who's giving me money.*
Song Ni was about to toss the phone away without a second thought when Cheng Jing suddenly snatched her wine glass. "During the years Mr. Tan was abroad, he often got drunk. Coupled with work fatigue, he smoked heavily. He was hospitalized for over a month due to a perforated stomach."
Song Ni paused, then looked up at Cheng Jing, as if confirming the truth of his words. Cheng Jing raised his hand and adjusted his glasses, then operated his phone, managing to find a photo of Tan Zheng in the hospital abroad.
He wasn't dressed properly in the hospital gown. A few buttons on his collar were undone, revealing his collarbones and even hints of his sexy pectoral muscles. He reclined on the sofa, his long legs casually draped over the side. The window was wide open, and sunlight bathed him. As if it were too glaring, he furrowed his brow, exuding an air of restlessness. Perhaps bored with hospitalization, he couldn't be bothered to tidy himself, and his chin was covered in stubble. Yet, far from looking messy, he was incredibly masculine. Despite the bright sunlight, the sense of loneliness radiating from him wasn't dispelled. Song Ni suddenly recalled his figure standing by the window at the hotel that day.
"You took quite a serious picture," Cheng Jing retracted his phone, saying no more words of persuasion.
Song Ni frowned irritably, feeling a surge of anger but also worrying if Tan Zheng was truly in the hospital. After all, in that brief call, she had heard his weariness.
The call hadn't been hung up, and Tan Zheng seemed to have guessed who had the phone now. He called out again. "Song Ni?"
Song Ni put down her wine glass and nestled into the sofa. She didn't discard the phone, but she also didn't utter a sound.
Tan Zheng knew she was still sulking. He sighed, as if admitting he had ultimately lost to her. "Aren't you going to pay attention to me anymore?"
The man paused. "Nini."
Due to his discomfort, Tan Zheng's voice was lower and more hoarse than usual. The helplessness and affection in calling Song Ni's name made this simple address carry a hint of lingering tenderness and allure, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste.
Song Ni's heart suddenly skipped a beat. This was the first time Tan Zheng had called her by her nickname. Before, he either called her by her full name seriously or playfully called her Mrs. Tan. Occasionally, he'd call her "little girl," but never "Nini." Strangely, her nickname, used for over twenty years, sounded somewhat moving when Tan Zheng said it.
Silence spread between them through the phone. Song Ni parted her lips, but in the end, she asked stiffly, "Where are you now?" Before Tan Zheng could reply, Song Ni added, "I want the truth."
Tan Zheng was silent for a moment. "The First City Hospital. I have never lied to you."
Song Ni's lips tightened. She had drunk a lot, her mind was hazy, but upon hearing that Tan Zheng was indeed in the hospital, she forced herself to become clear-headed. She let out a cold snort. "You're only arrogant in front of me. Why did you drink when others offered it? Did they force you? Why didn't you put on that badass attitude?"
Tan Zheng's brows furrowed. When had he ever been arrogant in front of her? "What guts did they have to make me drink?" Song Ni's anger flared. "You didn't drink, yet you ended up in the hospital? You're truly capable!"
Tan Zheng seemed stunned by Song Ni's sudden reprimand. After a moment, he chuckled lightly. Song Ni heard a rustling sound, followed by the man's muffled voice. "My wife isn't paying attention to me, I can't sleep at night, so I can only drink."
As he said this, Tan Zheng's voice held a faint smile and a hint of complaint. Song Ni didn't know how to react. Was Tan Zheng blaming her for blocking him? Why was he acting wronged?
Song Ni didn't know how to reply. Then, a "whoosh" sound came from the other end. Recalling his muffled voice just now, Song Ni exploded again. "Are you smoking again?! You're a patient now, don't you care about your life? Do you love smoking that much? Smoke, smoke, smoke! May you choke to death from it!"
After speaking, Song Ni, furious, directly hung up the phone.
Zhou Jin and Cheng Jing watched this scene and swallowed in unison. It was the first time they had ever seen someone dare to yell at Tan Zheng like that. Truly Tan Zheng's wife.
On the other end, Tan Zheng, jolted by Song Ni's sudden outburst, immediately took the cigarette out of his mouth and extinguished it. He looked at his phone, the call already disconnected.
Tan Zheng: ...
The man silently looked at the phone screen, at the lighter he had tossed onto the floor, and at the cigarette he had crushed before taking a single puff. After a long while, he suddenly laughed, and then his expression returned to seriousness. He looked out at the silent, endless night, tugging at the corner of his mouth. He had truly lost to Song Ni.
So, the man picked up his phone and dialed again.
(End of this chapter)