Mr.CEO, Please Sign the Divorce Agreement
Chapter 644: Shut Your Ears

Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Shut Your Ears

When Wen Han arrived at the dock, Su Mu was still standing in the same spot, motionless. Wen Han stood by the car door for a few seconds, then bent down to take out a jacket he had bought on the way from the mall. He had considered the possibility that Su Mu might stay here overnight, but clearly hadn’t thought deeply about it until now. Watching her draped in a man’s coat, standing there all alone, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Hopefully everything turns out safe and sound.

Otherwise, this frail body might not be able to withstand another blow.

The only thing keeping Su Mu standing there now was her unwavering belief that Fu Shinian would come back. If that belief were taken away, she would certainly collapse, and whether she’d be able to stand back up again was something no one could guarantee. In the past month, she’d already come close to breaking down several times.

As Wen Han walked over, Qiao Yu came over from the other side and gave him a nod:

"You’re here?"

"What’s the situation?"

"It’s the same as what you’ve heard. Still no progress at all."

Wen Han frowned but didn’t say anything. He walked over to Su Mu, removed Ji Nanfeng’s coat from her shoulders, and draped a down jacket over her instead. Su Mu didn’t turn around but calmly put on the jacket and said, "Thank you."

"No need."

These two words left Su Mu frozen for a moment. Only then did she turn to glance at Wen Han. "Why are you here?"

"I heard Qiqi was back. Shaoyuan and I went to the hospital and heard from Jiang Bei about what happened here, so I came to check things out."

Su Mu remained silent for a long time, then said, "You should go back. There’s nothing we can do here except wait."

Qiao Yu interjected:

"How is Qiqi doing?"

"Jiang Bei says the fever has gone down a little, which is a good sign."

"That’s good." Qiao Yu patted Su Mu’s shoulder. "Hang in there. Everything will slowly get better."

Su Mu gave a light hum in response, then turned to fix her gaze on the sea horizon at night. The distant lights from the speedboats looked like fireflies dancing in the darkness.

Qiao Yu left to talk to the rescue team while Wen Han stayed with Su Mu, standing beside her. After a long time, Su Mu, seemingly tired, turned around and stretched, only to realize Wen Han hadn’t left. She was momentarily stunned. "Why are you still here?"

Wen Han didn’t say, "I want to stay with you," or "I’m worried about you." After looking at Su Mu, he simply said, "I’ve had training in this area from my time in the military. I thought I could stay and help, but I should probably leave it to the professionals. I’ll go ask the rescue team."

With that, he walked off toward Qiao Yu and the others without waiting for Su Mu’s response.

Su Mu watched Wen Han’s retreating figure for a long time before averting her gaze.

A night of frantic activity and waiting brought no good news even when dawn arrived. Su Mu watched the rescue team conversing with Qiao Yu in the distance. From Qiao Yu’s furrowed brow and the worried glances thrown her way, her heart sank further, almost hitting rock bottom.

As she watched Qiao Yu walk toward her, each step laced with hesitation, Su Mu could nearly guess what he was going to say. But she didn’t want to hear it, so she turned and walked away.

From yesterday afternoon until now, countless people had tried persuading her to rest for a while or sit in the car, but she ignored it all, seemingly shutting herself off from all noise. Yet simply seeing Qiao Yu approach made her feel like a mouse that had been cornered by a cat, fleeing in desperation.

Qiao Yu watched Su Mu get into her car and start the engine, feeling a tightness in his chest as his steps hastened.

It wasn’t that he was worried about her doing anything rash. It was that the night’s lack of rest, coupled with the present situation’s tension, made him uneasy about her driving off alone. If something were to happen, none of them would know how to handle it, especially with the elderly woman at Gui Ning Residence already in fragile health. This string of events...

But Su Mu’s flight was so determined that Qiao Yu couldn’t stop her. Before he could reach her, she drove away at a speed that sent a jolt through his heart. Wen Han came up behind him and lightly patted his shoulder:

"I’ll follow her. Don’t worry."

Qiao Yu had little choice but to agree:

"Alright. Keep an eye on her. Make sure nothing happens."

Wen Han followed Su Mu closely. Her speed was fast but surprisingly steady. Wen Han thought that Su Mu wouldn’t deliberately allow herself to face harm or recklessly put herself in danger. With Fu Shinian still unaccounted for at the accident site, Qiqi still unconscious at the hospital, and the elderly lady at Gui Ning Residence still oblivious to the situation, Su Mu wouldn’t let herself spiral out of control so irresponsibly.

Still, despite his reasoning, Wen Han kept closely trailing her. Only when they reached the hospital parking lot did he finally feel his heart relax.

Wen Han got out of the car, but Su Mu remained motionless inside hers. He didn’t approach her, giving her the time she needed.

Finally, after nearly half an hour, Su Mu’s car door slowly opened. She stepped out, not even noticing that Wen Han had followed her all the way. She roughly smoothed her hair against the car window before heading into the inpatient unit. Wen Han followed quietly behind her, even stepping into the elevator with her. Still, she didn’t notice him, lost in her thoughts.

Jiang Bei was surprised to see Su Mu. For a fleeting moment, she felt the urge to ask Su Mu why she was there—a reflex she promptly suppressed. She hadn’t forgotten the phone call she received from Ji Nanfeng just minutes earlier, saying, "There’s probably no hope left."

Su Mu didn’t notice Wen Han or Jiang Bei. Her eyes seemed to see no one as she walked straight to Qiqi’s bedside, sat on the chair, held Qiqi’s hand in hers, and hunched over the edge of the bed, motionless, as if she had fallen asleep.

Jiang Bei exchanged a glance with Wen Han and nodded lightly before waking Wen Shaoyuan from his nap on the sofa and quietly leaving the room.

Perhaps Su Mu’s actions weren’t a form of escape but a way of refueling herself amidst the external chaos. During this fragile time, Qiqi had become her source of energy. Seeing Qiqi gave her a sense of being needed and made Fu Shinian’s irreplaceable presence even more evident.

Having both parents present might not guarantee Qiqi’s recovery, but the absence of either parent would certainly worsen the situation.

Su Mu understood this truth. She believed Fu Shinian understood it, too. No matter how hard it was or how treacherous the path back might be, he would return. If not for himself, then for Qiqi.

He must.

Su Shiyue had eventually learned about what happened to Fu Shinian and Qiqi and rushed to the hospital. Perhaps it was the elderly woman’s illness weighing heavily on her, or maybe she still hadn’t recovered from Qiqi’s disappearance under her watch, but she looked gaunt and frail—almost unrecognizable to Jiang Bei.

"Shiyue?"

"Xiaobei."

Since Su Shiyue had reconciled with Su Mu, Jiang Bei had warmed to her as well, and the two occasionally exchanged casual words. But Jiang Bei had never seen Su Shiyue so disheveled.

"What happened to you?"

Su Shiyue shook her head, clearly unwilling to elaborate. She cast a glance at the ward:

"Qiqi is really back?"

When she first heard the news, she admittedly felt a surge of joy. But standing in front of the ward now, she hesitated, gripped by fear—afraid of disappointment, of discovering this newfound hope was yet another false one. Even as she asked the question, she couldn’t bring herself to look at Jiang Bei, fearful of reading an undesirable answer in her eyes.

Jiang Bei didn’t give her the chance to linger in doubt and answered simply:

"Yes, Qiqi is back. She’s in the ward, and Su Mu is with her now."

Su Shiyue immediately lifted her head, her eyes lighting up as though containing an entire galaxy of stars. The brightness didn’t last long, however, for if Qiqi’s return was true, then the news about Fu Shinian likely was as well.

She hesitated, but Jiang Bei understood her unspoken worry:

"There’s still no news about your brother. Be patient and wait."

"What do you mean no news? Does my sister-in-law know? Did she..."

"She just got back from the dock and hasn’t said a word. I think she came back to draw strength from Qiqi. If you go in now, she might not say anything. Let’s give her some time."

Su Shiyue’s eyes reddened instantly. She didn’t know how to react—this was her last connection to family in the world. She couldn’t bear to lose him, nor could she endure the aftermath of such a loss. But there was so little she could do. Apart from shedding a few tears of sadness and anguish, she couldn’t help at all.

Jiang Bei guided Su Shiyue to sit on a bench and spoke:

"How’s the elderly woman doing?"

Su Shiyue shook her head:

"Not well. Without news about Qiqi’s condition, I feel like she could go at any moment. She’s only holding on for Qiqi, but now that Qiqi is back and my brother still... I don’t know how she’s going to react if she finds out."

"Then don’t tell her," Jiang Bei decided firmly. "Even if we do, it should be after everything is confirmed. Telling her now would only worry her for no reason."

"Not even about Qiqi coming back?"

"No. If Qiqi is back, the elderly woman will want to visit her or have her brought home. If Fu Shinian isn’t there, she’ll get suspicious. For now, let’s just keep it quiet."

Su Shiyue nodded:

"I don’t have any better ideas at the moment. I’ll do as you suggest."

Wen Shaoyuan, who had been woken earlier, originally intended to stay with Qiqi, but had been quietly pulled from the room. Hearing their conversation now, he tugged at Wen Han’s sleeve:

"Dad, what happened to Uncle Fu?"

"There was an accident, but it’ll be sorted out."

"Does it have something to do with Qiqi?" Wen Shaoyuan’s expression darkened. "Qiqi was able to come back because of Uncle Fu, right? And it’s because of her that he got into trouble?"

Wen Han ruffled his son’s hair but didn’t answer, though Wen Shaoyuan had already figured it out.

It turned out that all the misfortune hadn’t vanished with Qiqi’s return.

Everyone thought Su Mu would go back to the dock to wait for Fu Shinian, but instead, she stayed in the ward for two full days, never once stepping out. Qiao Yu had visited, but Su Mu didn’t say a word or even glance his way.

Qiao Yu had left the dock, and Ji Nanfeng had returned as well, which was telling. The golden window for rescue had likely passed. The rescue team may have returned, and the dock, previously rocked by a devastating explosion, had returned to silence. One person had died in the explosion—maybe two.

But no one dared share the final conclusion with Su Mu, given how obvious it was that she didn’t want to know. Her refusal to acknowledge the matter was clear to all.

She could find out in a thousand different ways if she wanted to, but if she didn’t, even hearing the topic discussed in her presence wouldn’t provoke any response—she’d simply retreat into her shell, distancing herself from the world’s cruelty.

Over these three days, there had been some positive developments. For example, Qiqi’s fever had completely subsided, and she’d opened her eyes briefly, though weakly. The unfamiliar environment caused her to quickly fall back asleep, leaving Su Mu barely any time to say a few words to her. Qiao Yu explained that her exhaustion was due to her frailty and that sleeping was a form of recovery. If sleep could truly allow her entire system to relax, then perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing.

Qiqi finally woke up completely on the fourth day after Fu Shinian’s disappearance. Su Mu remained immobile at her bedside throughout, gripping her hand. She followed a routine of mechanically consuming the meals brought by Jiang Bei or Qiao Yu, washing up in the restroom at night, then sleeping in the small bed next to Qiqi—and repeating the cycle the next day.

She was like a machine stuck in an infinite loop, devoid of excess emotion.

Yet anyone who knew Su Mu well understood that it was precisely her emotions that gave rise to this unusual behavior.

Jiang Bei worried that this couldn’t last, that even the strength Qiqi gave her wouldn’t be enough to sustain her for much longer. Su Mu was spending increasingly long stretches of time not speaking at all. Though she stayed with Qiqi, her gaze frequently turned to the world outside the window. Nobody knew what was on her mind or what intentions might be forming within her, but everyone could sense her simmering anguish.

Wei Shaoqin hadn’t given up since learning of the incident. While the rescue team combed the dock, he had hired a costly maritime rescue team to scour the downstream waters. He didn’t know whether it was the right approach or whether they’d uncover the answers they sought, but he felt the effort was necessary—not just for closure but to ensure Su Mu wouldn’t be left with regrets.

Qiqi opened her eyes as Jiang Bei returned to the room, having just finished a call with Wei Shaoqin. She wanted to tell Su Mu to eat something when Qiqi slowly blinked awake. Jiang Bei smiled slightly, drawing closer:

"Qiqi, you’re awake?"