Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Sometimes You Can Only Escape
Gan Lu has been troubled by insomnia, dreaminess and easy awakening for some time.She opened her eyes, looked at the white ceiling in bewilderment, and then looked at the white quilt covering her body. She was surprised that she slept so soundly in the strange environment of the hospital, and she didn't even have a dream. These days, she was almost out of breath. His angry mind seemed to let her go.She could only think that she was probably heartless to a certain extent.
Yet immediately she held her breath, realizing what had happened.
Ever since Shang Xiuwen carried her into the obstetrics and gynecology examination room last night, she has been in a state of hysteria. First, she tightly grabbed Shang Xiuwen's sleeves. After he was forced out by the nurse, she could only hold on tight Clutching her skirt, she couldn't keep calm and listen to what the doctor said until the doctor gave her a sedative.
"Please cooperate, spread your legs and don't move."
"I'm afraid you've had a miscarriage."
"No, your husband can't come in now."
"We have to clear the palace for you."
"Calm down, you are still young, you still have a chance in the future..."
The doctor's last words were Gan Lu's last memory of last night.She slowly let go of her fingers holding the quilt, and touched her abdomen, of course there was nothing unusual there.But she withdrew her hand suddenly, knowing clearly: the child is gone.A sharp pain suddenly pierced through her heart, making her almost out of breath.
A slender hand reached out and took hers.
She turned her head slightly, and saw Shang Xiuwen was sitting by the bed, his hair was a little messy, his brows were furrowed on that quiet face, the two people's eyes met, but they moved away almost at the same time.
"What time is it?" Her voice was so dry that she felt strange to herself.
"Nine o'clock."
Not going to school without asking for leave to adjust classes in advance is enough to constitute a teaching accident. She sat up in fright: "Oh my god, I..."
Shang Xiuwen pressed her lightly: "Don't worry, the doctor gave you five days of sick leave, and I have already called the school to explain the situation."
She was relieved and said "Oh" in a daze.
"Aren't you hungry, what do you want to eat, I'll buy it for you."
She wasn't hungry at all, but she didn't want to sit face to face with Shang Xiuwen, so she immediately said, "Just buy some white porridge."
Shang Xiuwen's hand rested on her shoulder for a while, then hurried out.
Gan Lu got out of bed and found a large bag of things on the bedside table, including clean underwear and sanitary products. She hurried to the attached bathroom to wash up. Just as the toothbrush was put in her mouth, she felt nauseous again. She retched , thinking vaguely, the child is gone, why is the morning sickness still there?
The child is gone...
The child she had been looking forward to, the child she had hesitated to keep, had only been in her womb for 50 days before she made her own decision and gave up on her.
She stood up straight suddenly, covered her mouth with her hand, and burst into tears.She looked at the lonely and haggard image in the mirror, tears flowed down the corners of her eyes, and immediately dried up on her face, her eyes only felt sore and unbearable.
Gan Lu changed her clothes and came out, never wanting to go back to that hospital bed, and sat on a chair beside her.The doctor came in and asked her about her current situation, and told her to pay attention, but she just nodded mechanically and agreed.
After a while, Shang Xiuwen came back with porridge.
"Eat it while it's hot. Professor Qiu is examining Dad. I'll take you there to have a look later, and then take you home. The doctor said you need to stay in bed for a few days."
She said "um", and slowly ate the porridge. Halfway through the meal, Lu Huining hurriedly opened the door and walked in: "Lulu—"
She didn't look up: "Mom, why are you here?"
"Really... Miscarriage? Just because I told you yesterday?"
Gan Lu said flatly, "It has nothing to do with you."
Lu Huining looked at her daughter in a daze, and then at Shang Xiuwen: "Xiuwen, explain to me what is going on here?"
"What's there to explain?" Gan Lu pushed away the bowl and stood up, started packing her things, still not looking at anyone, and said impatiently, "Mom, go back."
Lu Huining yelled violently: "Sit down for me, miscarriage is confinement." She came over and pushed Gan Lu onto the chair, "You are such a big person, you still don't know how to cherish yourself. You want to get rid of the root of the disease , will you be dragged down for the rest of your life?"
"Mom—" Gan Lu was weak after all, and couldn't break free from her, so she had to smile wryly, "Let go, I'll go and see Dad, he's in the hospital here. After seeing him, I'll go back and rest."
"What happened to him?"
Gan Lu hesitated: "Cirrhosis of the liver."
"I knew it, and it was because of him. If you hadn't taken care of him back then, with your grades, you would have been admitted to a much better university." Lu Huining said angrily, "You have been worrying about him for so long, Why don't you understand, he can't be responsible for himself in this life, he will always give up on himself like this, waiting for others to clean up the mess for him."
"He's just useless, and he was abandoned by you a long time ago because of this, so you don't have to say that about him."
"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't bother to deal with him. It's all right now, you lost your own child for him..."
"Mom, stop talking." Before Gan Lu could get angry, Shang Xiuwen spoke first, his voice hoarse and low, "The doctor said that Lulu needs to keep calm."
Lu Huining was discouraged for a moment, lowered her voice and said cautiously: "You are all still young, in the future..."
Gan Lu couldn't bear to hear this sentence again, so she interrupted her abruptly: "Stop talking, I'll go see Dad first. Mom, go back."
After Lu Huining left, Gan Lu and Shang Xiuwen walked towards the surgical ward, and she said softly, "Don't tell my father about this for now."
Shang Xiuwen nodded: "I know."
Professor Qiu has arranged for Gambo to do several other tests. He is waiting for the results. He seems to be emotionally and mentally stable.Gan Lu didn't stay there for long. After seeing him, the two of them came out to get into the car. Shang Xiuwen said, "Go home and live, so Mom can take care of you."
"It's better to go to Yi An's side, don't bother mom."
Shang Xiuwen didn't say much, and drove the car to Feng Yi'an's apartment.As soon as he entered the room, Shang Xiuwen's cell phone rang, and he answered, "Uncle, what's the matter?"
Gan Lu went straight into the bedroom, but Shang Xiuwen could still hear Shang Xiuwen raising his voice with obvious anger: "What, he actually wants to do this? Is he crazy?"
After a while, Shang Xiuwen also walked into the bedroom: "Lulu, I'm sorry, I have to go out now."
"it is good."
"I told Sister Hu that she will come over and cook for you later. You should have a good rest."
Gan Lu nodded: "I see."
After Shang Xiuwen left, Gan Lu changed into her pajamas and fell asleep until noon when Sister Hu called her: "Xiao Gan, it's almost one o'clock, wake up, get up and eat something."
Seeing Sister Hu's sympathetic eyes, Gan Lu knew that either Shang Xiuwen or Wu Lijun had told her.Of course she didn't want to listen to Sister Hu's ramblings now, so she had no choice but to act like she was not in the mood to chat, and walked to the restaurant expressionlessly, where a bowl of chicken soup, two side dishes and a bowl of rice had already been set up.
Sister Hu said: "I'm afraid you don't have an appetite, and you haven't cooked much. Tell me what you want to eat in the afternoon, and I'll go buy it."
"Thank you, I don't have anything special to eat, just these." Gan Lu took a sip of the soup.
"Put the bowl away after eating, but don't wash it, you can't touch cold water."
Sister Hu was packing up her things and was about to leave when the door intercom rang. She went to answer it, then turned to Gan Lu and said, "Xiao Gan, there is a lady downstairs who says her surname is Lu. It's your mother. She's here to see you."
Gan Lu suddenly had a headache. Of course, she couldn't treat her mother the same way as sister Hu, but it was even more impossible to shut her down, so she could only say, "Please come up."
Sister Hu pressed the button to open the unit door, while admiring: "Your mother is really young and beautiful, and she is well maintained."
Gan Lu just said "um", and after a while, the doorbell rang, and Sister Hu opened the door, and Lu Huining walked in carrying an insulated box: "Lulu, I brought you soup."
"Sister Hu made soup for me. I'm drinking it. Don't trouble yourself in the future. Sister Hu is very good at cooking."
Sister Hu felt that her face was bright, and she smiled broadly: "You mother and daughter are chatting slowly, I will go first."
Lu Huining smiled and said, "Thank you, let's go."
Gan Lu asked Lu Huining to sit down: "Would you like something to eat?"
"I've eaten it a long time ago. You drink the angelica donkey-hide gelatin and venison soup I brought, it nourishes blood." Lu Huining pushed away the chicken soup in front of her politely, went to the kitchen to get a bowl, filled it up and placed it in front of her.
Gan Lu has always hated adding herbs to soup, and she disliked all kinds of strange and unconventional foods, but she couldn't bear the kindness of her mother, so she had no choice but to take a sip, and found that the taste was still within the acceptable range, which was a relief. tone.
Lu Huining smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad. I specially asked the Hong Kong executive chef of the hotel to cook it for me. You told the part-time workers not to make soup for you these few days. I will bring it to you every day, and I promise not to repeat it."
"It's too exaggerated. I don't need to be so troublesome in the future."
Lu Huining ignored her and looked at the house: "When did you buy this house? The location is good, but the decoration is too old-fashioned."
"Don't criticize randomly, this is Xiuwen's friend's house."
Lu Huining looked at her suspiciously: "Can't he afford a house by himself? It's so exaggerated to borrow a friend's house."
Gan Lu buried her head in her soup and didn't speak. Lu Huining became more and more suspicious, but remembering what happened last night, she had to go around and ask, "Don't you live with your mother-in-law? When did you move here?"
"Why are there so many questions?" Gan Lu had no choice but to ask her back, "How do you know I live here?" She paused for a while, but there was no answer. When she looked up, she saw a hesitant look on her mother's face, " what happened again?"
"I went to the hotel to get some soup just now, and I ran into Xiuwen and Yixin's vice president He Jingyi eating there. It's the woman who came here on your Uncle Qin's birthday last time."
Gan Lu said "Oh", knowing that Lu Huining was definitely not someone who was willing to see and pretend not to see, and she continued, "I went to ask him how you are doing now. He said that he would come home immediately after finishing his business. Accompany you, and then give me the address here."
Gan Lu remained silent, drinking the soup with her head down.
"What is his relationship with that woman?"
"He told you to talk about business, which is a work relationship."
Lu Huining snorted: "No, that woman's expression on him is definitely not as simple as talking about business."
A smile floated on the corner of Gan Lu's mouth, thinking, He Jingyi really doesn't mind what others think, probably especially her mother, "Do you mean they have an affair? Since it's an affair, of course the first thing to do Madam, keep it secret, so don't ask me, I don't know anything."
Lu Huining raised her eyebrows, but immediately suppressed it, and softened her voice: "Well, no matter what is going on this time, I really owe you. You can just play with me."
Gan Lu felt somewhat apologetic: "Mom, yesterday...it's really none of your business, stop thinking about it."
"You still have a conscience." Lu Huining's eyes were red, and she turned her head to the side to cover up, "You think I'm okay to call you to make you angry? I heard your Uncle Qin talk about Xu Sheng yesterday, and that What Yixin, it's too complicated. You have always been a teacher, and your experience is pure, I am afraid that you will be deceived."
"If people lie to me, they have to plot something against me. I'm a middle school teacher, what can I plot for others?" Gan Lu said lazily.
"What if someone plots against your husband?"
"What can be conspired to take away is probably destined not to be mine, so take it away."
This simple and straightforward answer made Lu Huining stunned: "Is there really something wrong with your relationship with Xiuwen? Why are you talking so frustratingly? What is fate?"
"Literally, something you can't change."
"Nonsense, I hate people putting everything on their fate. Look at me, who gave me my life after I came out of the country. If I don't fight for it, I will either be dragging my life in the countryside now." A large group of children waiting to be grandma, or arguing with your father for life."
Gan Lu raised her head and looked at her with a smile that was not a smile: "Yes, it is certainly not your life to be the wife of an unsuccessful man and worry about daily necessities, raising daughters, and housework."
Lu Huining glanced at her: "I knew you would be here waiting for me. I have nothing to say about this. You can just hate me, I am indeed not a good mother."
"Come on, not everyone is cut out to be a loving mother, and you're not bad either. I never expected a mother who worked hard and was full of resentment."
Lu Huining had never heard such reassuring words from Gan Lu. She had never doubted or regretted her actions, but she always felt regretful when facing her daughter. What you want to flaunt about yourself is just to tell you, don’t always push the things you can change to fate.”
"I know you're doing it for my own good, but don't rush to encourage me right now," Gan Lu smiled wryly, "Let me stay at home to catch my breath and cheer myself up. I'm really tired."
After Lu Huining left, Gan Lu went back to the bedroom and continued to sleep.She was surprised that as long as she lay down, she would feel sleepy.She slept until dusk, when Shang Xiuwen sat by the bed and called her softly, and she woke up.
"It's getting dark?" She rubbed her eyes and asked in a daze.
"Yes, it's already half past six, let's get up and eat."
"I'm about to become a pig. I ate and slept all day." She muttered and got out of bed.
"You've become too thin recently, you need to be raised like a pig."
The two of them used a joking tone, and their words were brisk, but their tone was dry after all, and there was no joy in it, but they both felt that it was very unnatural.
After eating, Gan Lu was about to go back to the bedroom when Shang Xiuwen stopped her: "Lulu, let's talk."
Gan Lu was silent for a while, knowing that there was no way to avoid it, she nodded, "Okay."
The two sat on the leather sofa in the living room, keeping a distance.Shang Xiuwen's face was tired: "I was talking with He Jingyi at the hotel at noon, and I ran into my mother."
"Mom came to bring me soup and told me." Gan Lu said lightly.
"On behalf of Yixin, she made a bid to acquire Wu Wei's shares in Xusheng. It is said that Wu Wei has initially agreed to her and is negotiating the price. Wu Wei is currently staying in this city and avoiding meeting with his family. I called him and he He also kept evading and refused to show up. My uncle was mad with anger, but he couldn't control or stop him at all. It is very likely that this acquisition will become a reality. He Jingyi called me and asked me to meet. I can only go to meet her and get to know her next step."
"I don't know if I can correctly deduce the thinking of the elite: she wants to speed up the merger of the smelter in another way, she wants to hit some people, she wants to control Xusheng, and she wants to hold a board of directors with you."
Gan Lu finished speaking in one breath, and looked ahead with a half-smile.This almost teasing tone is of course more unexpected than directly saying "I'm not interested in these things", Shang Xiuwen nodded slightly: "Except for the last point, everything else is basically correct."
"I do think that last point is probably the most reliable, but what the hell. Is that what you want to talk about?"
"I have to leave for City J tomorrow, but I don't worry about you."
Gan Lu shook her head: "I'm fine. Some of my colleagues even go to work...the day after the operation. I will take enough rest for the holiday given by the doctor. Don't worry about me."
"Under the current situation, no one can give up halfway. I have to be responsible for both Xusheng and Yuanwang's investment. This time, I don't know how long I have to stay there. I can only come back as soon as I have time. .”
"When you took office, Xu Sheng, who took over such a passive and complicated situation, probably had to go and stay for a while, so you don't have to rush back."
A wry smile appeared on the corner of Shang Xiuwen's mouth: "Lulu, are you in a hurry to let me go?"
"No, I won't interfere if you go there or not. If you stay, I can go away."
"With the child gone, you feel that there is no reason to continue with me, right?" Shang Xiuwen finally mentioned the child, his voice was low and filled with vague anger, "Or, you feel lucky that you are finally freed .”
"Xiuwen—" Gan Lu's face was pale, and she screamed sharply, her fingers tightly grasped her pajamas, she paused for a while, her tense shoulders collapsed, her voice was low, full of pain, "please You...don't guess me like that."
The room was silent for a while, and after a long time, Shang Xiuwen said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Gan Lu's eyes quickly became wet, and she could only try her best to look forward: "I'm sorry about the child, Xiuwen."
"The one who should say sorry is me, if I had stayed here, this would not have happened."
"No, although I promised you to keep the child and try to be a qualified mother, but I have to admit that from the first day I knew I had a child, I kept thinking... this pregnancy came at the wrong time. You see , I really don't deserve to be a mother at all, so I lost my child."
"That's not what I meant, don't think so, Lulu."
"Of course I'm thinking about more than that. The child is gone, I... It hurts, it hurts more than you can imagine, it feels like a certain part of the body disappears at once, and I know clearly that this disappears again There is no way to recover it. I can only tell myself: This is the punishment I deserve."
"If you say this, of course it is the punishment I deserve."
"You are different from me. You have always loved children. The child is gone, and I have not found the relief you said. I can only think that the baby must know that I have moved the idea of not wanting him, so he decided to leave. After all, it is indeed my sin." Gan Lu said indifferently, as if what she just did was not a confession that needs to be forgiven, but a person who knows that he is guilty and does not intend to make any further defenses and confesses his guilt willingly. Yes, this gesture deeply hurt Shang Xiuwen.
"Forget about this, Lulu, we are still young, there will be opportunities in the future..."
"Please, don't say that to me." Gan Lu interrupted him softly but firmly.
Shang Xiuwen's heart was cold: "Do you mean to separate from me completely?"
Gan Lu finally turned her head back, her eyes swept across his face, and she lowered her eyelids: "Something happens, it happens, we can't pretend nothing happened. Now we can't even look at each other and talk , Xiuwen, if we stay under the same roof again, everyone will be very embarrassed. It is better to separate and have a chance to think about what to do next."
Shang Xiuwen was silent for a while: "If you have this thought, I think we will only get farther and farther apart."
"But, we've never been really close." Gan Lu replied simply, stood up, and walked to the bedroom.
Before Shang Xiuwen went to J City, he left Baolai to Gan Lu: "You have to go to work and take care of Dad, so it will be more convenient to drive."
Gan Lu was not polite to him and took the car keys.She returned to work after a five-day break.The sick leave slip was handed over to the school. Basically, everyone knew that she had a miscarriage. Seeing her demeanor, everyone was sympathetic and considerate.There are also teachers who want to share their experience with her to comfort her, but she is polite but firmly refuses to talk about this topic. Of course, this attitude can be understood by others.
After she went to work, she said she had recovered, and asked Sister Hu to go back and concentrate on taking care of Wu Lijun, and not to come to her again.After get off work every day, she drove to the hospital to visit her father.
Gan Bo's condition has been diagnosed, and Gan Lu had a long talk with Professor Qiu Mingde. In order to reassure Aunt Wang, she asked Aunt Wang to sit by and listen.
Professor Qiu told her: "The treatment of liver cirrhosis is mainly to control the occurrence of various complications. Ascites is the main complication of liver cirrhosis, and 75% of patients with liver cirrhosis have ascites. Right now your father's ascites belongs to the second grade, and ascites causes abdominal pain. Moderate, symmetrical swelling, no infection to form hepatorenal syndrome, not serious, gastrointestinal bleeding has stopped on its own, and now the main treatment is to eliminate ascites. After the initial elimination of various symptoms, he will be moved Surgery, removal of his enlarged and fibrotic spleen, plus pericardial vascular devascularization to relieve sclerosing portal hypertension and reduce the risk of further bleeding. The patient must rest in bed, maintain an optimistic attitude, and eat salt-restricted and low-sodium food. If you have to do a therapeutic paracentesis, you and your father have to be prepared, this is not a short-term process."
Gan Lu plucked up the courage to ask: "Professor Qiu, I checked some information, and many of them said that the probability of liver cirrhosis developing into liver cancer is very high. Like my father, I don't know if it will... worsen."
"There is indeed such a probability, but this development is not inevitable, and you don't need to worry about it in advance. The current problem is to treat ascites, improve the quality of life of patients, and prevent serious complications such as SBP (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis) happened."
"If liver transplantation is done, will it finally solve this problem? Also, I saw some reports recommending stem cell transplantation for liver cirrhosis. Is this treatment feasible?"
Professor Qiu laughed: "It seems that you have done a lot of homework, and now the patients and their families are looking up the information is really surprising. I also met a patient who was seriously discussing with me, what is the dosage of spironolactone alone? It is better to increase the amplitude, and when to start adding furosemide is better, and he talked about the familiarity of the professional terms, which made all the doctoral students I lead bow down."
Gan Lu couldn't help blushing: "Professor Qiu, I know I don't know much, and the questions I ask are unprofessional and long-winded. I'm afraid the doctors will be disgusted."
"No, I am in favor of full communication and a clear understanding of the situation, which is a good thing for both doctors and patients." Professor Qiu said kindly, "The so-called stem cell transplantation has been touted as miraculous by some news reports, but it is not yet practical. Reliable experimental data support the curative effect, and there are no mature papers published. I personally have doubts about it. It is internationally recognized that liver transplantation is now the ultimate effective treatment for cirrhotic ascites and its complications, but it is difficult to find suitable donor."
"Professor Qiu, if a transplant operation is needed, I am his only immediate family member, and I am willing to transplant part of his liver to him."
Professor Qiu was obviously a little surprised, and nodded: "As I said, liver transplantation is the last resort, and it needs to have complete and clear indications. Ascites is only regarded as one of the indications for liver transplantation. However, many living donor transplants in China are performed by parents. It is relatively rare to donate organs to children. It is good that you have such preparation and determination. Your father’s liver cirrhosis was caused by alcoholism. According to the test results, the ascites is not serious. As long as you cooperate with the treatment , Absolutely prohibit alcohol in the future, pay attention to health preservation, you should not have to go to that step."
After leaving Professor Qiu's office, Aunt Wang immediately said, "Lulu, don't tell your father about cutting off your liver. You are pregnant. If you mention this, he will tell you right away." Urgent. He is quite selfish and never considers other people's feelings, but there is nothing to say if he loves you."
Gan Lu hesitated for a while, and decided not to tell them that she had a miscarriage for the time being, and waited until Gambo's spleen removal operation was completed before she said: "Aunt Wang, you also heard from Professor Qiu that it is the final solution. For that step, what we need to do now is to rest and cooperate with the treatment. I told you to come and listen, but I didn’t want to hide it from you. Even if it gets to the worst step, Dad can be saved, so you don’t have to worry. "
Aunt Wang nodded: "Your child's filial piety is nothing to say. If my son is half as good as you, I will die with my eyes closed. Don't worry, you have never regarded me as an outsider. I came to see me, arranged all the treatment expenses and your father's separate food expenses, and forced me to pay a sum of money. I will definitely spend all the money on your father and take good care of him. You are inconvenient, I still have to work, so I don’t need to come here often.”
That being said, Gan Lu still insisted on coming here every day. Seeing the initial effect of the treatment, Gambo's complexion improved, he was no longer so dark, and his spirit recovered slightly.It's just that whenever he chatted with Aunt Wang, he would inevitably talk about the child in her belly that no longer existed, which made her very distressed.
This day, Gan Bo was in a good mood. When he mentioned naming the child according to the scriptures, Gan Lu's face became paler and paler, her fingers tightly grasped the skirt of her clothes, and she could hardly force herself to listen anymore, she just wanted to run away.
Shang Xiuwen walked into the ward suddenly, and seeing his wife's abnormal expression, he put his hand on her shoulder: "What's wrong, Lulu?"
Gan Lu forced a smile: "It's nothing."
Gamble said to Shang Xiuwen: "Xiuwen, Lulu is pregnant, you can't go on business trips like this and leave her at home alone. Even though there are hourly jobs for cooking and housework, she still needs someone to accompany her."
Shang Xiuwen's eyes were dark, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth: "I know, Dad. I can finish my work soon. Don't worry, I will definitely spend more time with Lulu."
The two of them sat for a while and said goodbye.
"Aren't you going to tell Dad?"
"How could you not say it?" Gan Lu smiled bitterly.Gamble might be pedantic, but he wasn't a fool, and she couldn't keep it from him.Moreover, she couldn't bear it if she continued to hide it like this. "He will have a spleen removal operation tomorrow morning. I will tell him after the operation is completed and his mood is stable."
"Surgery tomorrow morning? I have a meeting, and I'll come to the hospital after the meeting."
"I've already asked for leave. You are busy with your work, so you don't need to come here specially. This operation is not a big one."
"Lulu, shall we stay so polite and distant from now on?"
Gan Lu was silent, she really didn't know how to answer, these days, her father's illness occupied her heart, and she deliberately didn't think about her relationship with Shang Xiuwen, because when she thought of him, she would inevitably touch the question just now. For the lost child, she still doesn't have the courage to open the wound.
They had already reached the parking lot. She was reaching into her bag to find the car keys. Shang Xiuwen reached out from behind her and pulled her into his arms. She was caught off guard and gave a low cry, feeling his lips pressed against hers. For a moment, her whole body was stiff and she stood motionless.
The physical rejection was more direct than verbal. Of course Shang Xiuwen noticed her resistance, but still hugged her tightly.At this time his mobile phone rang, Gan Lu was relieved, thankful that the phone call relieved her, otherwise she really didn't know what happened to the hug.
Shang Xiuwen had no choice but to let her go, took out his mobile phone to answer, and after a few "hmm", he simply said: "Okay, third brother, I'll come right away." He put down the mobile phone and said to Gan Lu, "Wu Wei agrees to talk to Gan Lu." I see you, I must go right now."
"Would you like me to take you there, or you can drive there by yourself, I'll take a taxi and go back."
"No need, I drove here." Shang Xiuwen pointed to a black Lexus parked not far away, "Lulu, you go home first. I'll come back as soon as I finish talking with him. We have to have a good talk. I have a lot to tell you."
Gan Lu got into the car, watched Shang Xiuwen stride over, got into the Lexus, quickly started it, and disappeared into the night.
She sat there for a while before starting the car.After leaving the hospital, she didn't want to go home at all. She didn't expect Shang Xiuwen to "have a good talk" when she went back.Since the press conference in W City, every conversation she had with Shang Xiuwen made her exhausted and miserable.Now she just wants to run away from far away, but she clearly knows that she has nowhere to run.
She lived in Shang Xiuwen's friend's house, and she couldn't shut him out; her father was still lying in the hospital waiting for an operation, so she couldn't just leave everything behind.
She drove around carelessly, and for a while she took out her mobile phone, wanting to call Qian Jiaxi to chat with her depression as before, but she immediately denied this idea.
She has not told Qian Jiaxi too many things, how could she have the right to suddenly ask a friend out to listen to her bitterness, not to mention that she dare not even touch the pain now, how can she talk about it with others calmly.
Gan Lu drove aimlessly for more than an hour and arrived at the place where her father Gamble lived.Aunt Wang stayed with her in the hospital, slept in the single ward, and didn't go home at night.After all, she was tired from driving in the urban area all the time. She needed to be alone for a while so much, so she simply came here.
She went in and turned on the light, and the room in front of her was neatly tidied up by Aunt Wang.She sat down on the sofa and stared blankly ahead.
At school you avoided the concern of your colleagues, and at your father you avoided telling the truth.You run away from your husband's hugs, you run away from his conversations, what else do you want to run away from?How long can you escape like this?
She couldn't give herself an answer.
I don't know how long she sat there, she was a little thirsty, went to the kitchen to pour water from a cup, took a big sip, and suddenly remembered something.
During the Chinese New Year, she came to cook New Year's Eve dinner for her father, and she immediately denied it when she heard him casually say "drink some wine". , Did not see the wine, was really relieved at the time.However, Aunt Wang said in the hospital that Gamble had never given up drinking. No wonder he urged her to go home at night in those few days, and he didn't want to keep his daughter in the ready-made room at home for the night.
She opened the cabinets one by one again, but when she opened the second cabinet door, most of the bottle of white wine came into view.She took it out and almost smashed it like she did when she was seventeen years old, but she couldn't pull up the strength at all, she just held the wine bottle tightly, full of frustration in her heart.
After a while, she opened the bottle cap and poured herself a small half glass of wine. The strong smell of high-altitude liquor permeated the small kitchen. She picked up the glass and drank it in one gulp. The mouth stretched all the way to the esophagus, burning with burning pain, which made her cough uncontrollably.
The doorbell rang suddenly at this time, she was so startled that she almost dropped the cup, gathered herself together, quickly put down the cup and went out, and looked through the peephole of the anti-theft door, it turned out that Nie Qian was standing at the door.
When she opened the door, Nie Qian was also surprised to see her: "I passed downstairs and saw the lights on. I thought Aunt Wang was back, and I planned to come up and ask how your father is doing?"
"He's fine, he's going to have surgery tomorrow."
As soon as Gan Lu opened her mouth, Nie Qian immediately smelled alcohol and was even more surprised: "Are you drinking? Don't you never drink?"
"Yes, I was caught drinking for the first time." Gan Lu smiled wryly, "Come in and sit down."
Nie Qian sat down. This small and low sofa was obviously not comfortable for his tall man. He changed his posture but couldn't find a suitable sitting position, so he had to stretch his legs out without manner.
"Why are you drinking here alone? Are you worried about your father's operation?"
Gan Lu shook her head: "No, it's just annoying. I want to see if wine can really relieve my worries. What kind of magic power does it make my dad waste most of his life on it."
"Come on, drinking alone can't relieve your worries, I'll accompany you to drink a little."
Gan Lu hesitated for a moment, but she really couldn't bear to think wildly by herself and drink away her worries.She went to the kitchen and took out the half bottle of white wine and two glasses. Nie Qian took the wine and looked at it: "I'm afraid you can't bear this. This is very cheap white wine, and the alcohol content is not low. Are there any other wines?"
"My dad must be reluctant to buy good wine."
"Or I'll go out and buy a bottle of mild wine."
"Forget it, don't bother, just this."
Nie Qian poured half a glass of wine for her and himself. They raised their glasses at the same time and took a sip. Seeing Gan Lu frowning and exhaling, he couldn't help laughing: "I'm not used to drinking! So, before To say you're allergic to alcohol would be a lie."
Gan Lu was a little embarrassed, and then smiled wryly: "It's not like you don't know, my dad is a well-known alcoholic in this area. I watched him make a fool of himself when he got drunk. If I don't want to become an alcoholic too, I probably can only drink alcohol Think of it as a devil and hide away."
"You have always been very successful in self-control. I can almost affirm that even if you taste the wine, there is no possibility of becoming an alcoholic. Your father is just using alcohol to escape reality, and the alcohol cannot be blamed."
"Come on, stop criticizing him."
Nie Qian sighed: "Your mother was right before, you defended your father too much."
"He has never cherished himself. If I give up on him again, his life will be too miserable."
"So you only sympathize with the weak. If someone seems capable of taking care of themselves, you can let him go."
"Where did this start?"
"Your ignorance of your husband's finances speaks volumes."
When Gan Lu heard him mention this again, she couldn't help being annoyed: "You mean, I deserved to be kept in the dark?"
"That's not true. He has no right to hide it from you. If he dares to hide it from you, he has to bear the consequences. I admit that I don't sympathize with him at all."
甘璐端起杯子又喝了一口，让那一点儿辛辣镇住心头的酸涩意味，闷闷地说：“他哪要人同情，你同情心泛滥的话，同情我好了。”
“你也不需要同情，谁要同情你，你肯定会说谢谢，然后走得远远的。”
甘璐只得承认，大部分情况下确实是这样：“你倒是了解我。”
“因为我一直关心你。”
聂谦的声音平静，仿佛陈述的是再平淡不过的事实，甘璐吃了一惊，可是认真一想，至少从他们再次相遇起，聂谦确实是关心着她，佯装不知地坦然接受别人这份关心，并不是她一向的行事作风。
她苦笑一下：“我也很想关心一下你，可是你事业成功，春风得意，我不知道从何关心起。”
聂谦好像被她逗乐了：“借口，而且是很没诚意的借口。你只是把我也划到有自理能力，用不着关心的那一类人里去了。”
两个人碰一下杯子，各自喝了一大口，聂谦重新再加上一点儿酒：“你从来没担心过我，对吗？”
甘璐再怎么愁绪万千也笑了：“你有需要人担心的地方吗？”
“我当然有，以前我以为把这一点流露出来是示弱，后来才发现，在合适的人面前适当示弱太有必要了。”
甘璐无言以对，她既不好认为自己算是合适的人，也实在无从想象聂谦会怎么样示弱，只好拿起杯子喝酒。
“喝慢点儿，这酒冲得很，”聂谦提醒她，“其实说喝酒解忧，完全是个诗意的胡扯。生意应酬场合经常不得不喝酒，我有一次喝到去医院打吊针，当时觉得简直生无可恋了，实在对这个东西说不上喜欢。”
甘璐一呆，没想到聂谦也有过如此颓唐沮丧的时刻，这就是所谓示弱的开始吗？她正要说话，聂谦向她举起了杯，然后仰头一口喝下。
甘璐迟疑一下：“一个人在外地生病，很……难受吧？”
“是呀，尤其还要加上被女朋友抛弃，当真是沦落天涯，无处话凄凉。”
甘璐完全目瞪口呆，没想到自己也被扯了进去，不知道是不是酒精作用，脸顿时火辣辣地发烫了。
聂谦瞥她一眼，再次笑了：“别紧张别紧张，我开玩笑的。”
甘璐只得板着脸说：“这玩笑一点儿也不好笑。”
她当年踌躇再三，几次拨聂谦的号码到一半又放下电话，可是最终仍然打通他的手机，说出了分手。她想到的只是，两个人维系了三年的两地感情，只余一点儿脆弱可怜的联系了，而且根本看不到未来。再拖下去，于人于己都没什么意义，自己坦白讲分手，大概他听了多少会如释重负。在她看来，聂谦肯定不会为分手开心，但也不至于难过到什么程度。
她毕竟心底不安，看向此刻坐在对面的聂谦，他正端起玻璃杯，迎着灯光晃动着，那张线条硬朗的英俊面孔上含着浅浅笑意，似乎真的只是开了个玩笑而已，她才略略放下心来。
头一次喝酒就喝如此高度数的廉价白酒，尽管聂谦并不劝酒，甘璐没喝多少，也很快酒意上涌，眼神恍惚，说话含糊起来。
聂谦笑道：“这么小的酒量，以后可千万别出去买醉。”
“我又没醉。”她不服气地说，可是明明对着放在茶几上的杯子伸手过去，却拿了个空，茫然摸索一下，才碰到杯子。
聂谦见状，笑着摇头说：“别喝了，不然明天会头痛的。你今晚是就在这里睡，还是回家？要不要我送你？”
甘璐迷茫地看着他，仿佛没弄懂他说的是什么，隔了一会儿才说：“哦，不喝了吗？好，这玩意儿真不好喝。”
聂谦正要说话，室内响起手机铃声，他四下看看，拿过甘璐的包递给她，她却不接，他无可奈何，只得帮她取出仍在不停响着的手机，递到她手里：“璐璐，好好接电话。”
甘璐接过来，懒洋洋“喂”了一声：“哪位？”
尚修文的声音传了过来：“璐璐，是我，你在哪儿？”
尚修文开车赶到吴畏与他约好的酒店，两人在顶楼酒吧碰面，吴畏先到那里，面前放的已经是第三杯威士忌了。
"What would you like to drink?"
尚修文也要了一杯威士忌加冰，放在面前，却并没去动，他打量着把酒当水喝的吴畏：“三哥，少喝一点儿。前几天给你打电话，全跟我打哈哈。今天怎么有空约我见面了？”
吴畏衬衫领口敞开，样子多少比从前来得潦倒，他放下酒杯，笑道：“我们兄弟之间感情一直不错，我不见你，也是不想让你为难。”
尚修文讪笑一声：“你考虑得可真周到，谢谢。那么，今天有不让我为难的事要告诉我吗？”
“修文，雨菲跟我提出离婚了。”
“我只能说你是咎由自取。”尚修文毫不客气地说，“今天找我出来诉苦就算了，你的家务事，我既没兴趣听，也没兴趣管。”
“不见得单纯是我的家务事吧。”吴畏歪歪嘴，笑得颇为阴沉，递一份文件给他，“看样子老头子还没跟你通气。看看吧，我老婆刚发给我的。”
尚修文接过来一看，这是一份离婚协议书，显然由律师起草，格式无可挑剔，用词严谨而专业，密密麻麻列出财产分割条件，他一路看下来，其中一条很快引起了他的注意：陈雨菲要求分得吴畏名下持有的10%旭昇股份的80%。
“看到了吧，她说她握有足够的证据，能证明我是婚姻的过错方。她只要股份，不要现金，而且声称马上申请冻结我名下的股份交易，一切未经她同意的私下转让都会被视作不合法。这一招肯定是老头子给她出的，为了保住旭昇不被亿鑫染指，他可真是挖空了心思，不惜鼓动儿子媳妇离婚。”
尚修文不得不承认，以吴昌智的老谋深算，一生栽的唯一跟头也不过是在他儿子身上，他不可能当真把儿子送去坐牢，但也绝对不可能坐视吴畏胡来，倒的确存在吴畏说的这种可能性，而且这一招也的确有效。
他将协议书交还给吴畏，冷冷地说：“以你干的那些事，三嫂有一百个理由跟你离婚，何必要谁鼓动。舅舅为了保你，只能辞去董事长的位置，对你已经仁至义尽了。你还拿手里的股份要挟他，说要卖给亿鑫，你认为你的行为又算什么呢？”
吴畏狠狠瞪着他：“你少跟我说教，你一直减持股份，对旭昇没想法，这个企业董事长的位置本来迟早是我的。如果不是他把我卡得死死的，弄得我手头紧张，我何至于要出此下策。就算是那样，明明可以随便找个部门经理出面认下来，再大事化小小事化了。他倒是狠得下心来，直接把我推了出去。你现在是既得利益者了，当然说他仁至义尽。旭昇反正没我的份了，他不仁在先，怎么能怪我不义？”
尚修文怒极反笑了：“三哥，你看着长了张聪明面孔，脑袋里装的难道全是糨糊吗？你到底有没有好好想过，从有人告诉三嫂你跟李思碧的丑事起，你就根本一直在别人的掌握算计之中。不然三嫂怎么可能知道你为那个女人花了多少钱，买了哪里的房子，订什么牌子的车子？”
“不是她找了人跟踪我吗？她做得出这种事。”
“我问过三嫂，你做的事早就超出她的容忍范围，她的确打算找私家侦探拿证据了，不过还没动手，就开始接到神秘电话，每次都是详细报告你的行踪、动向和出手。”
吴畏吃惊不小，眯起眼睛思忖着。
“至于这次递交到质监局的举报材料就更加详尽了，连你跟小钢厂之间的往来账目都复印过去了。这种事，谁出头承担，都得替你进监狱里去好好待上几年，你觉得你能说动谁给你顶罪？”
“哪有你说的那么严重？”吴畏的声音没刚才那么气势汹汹了。
“旭昇不姓吴，不是舅舅的独资企业，三哥。J市经委拿着19%的股份，另外还有几个小股东，包括你岳父也是股东之一，他们每个人占的股份虽然都很少，可是和方方面面都有千丝万缕的联系。你干的这件事，既损害了企业的利益，也触犯了股东的利益。舅舅和我能认下你造成的损失，可是人家有什么理由默默咽下去，尤其还涉及国有资产。这次如果不是舅舅辞职，再忍痛出让一部分股份给远望，引进新的战略投资，坚定大家的信心，你以为你能好好地待在这里喝酒。”
Wu Wei was speechless.
“麻烦你再用脑子想一想，旭昇的董事会刚一开，马上就有人找到你，出价要买你手上的股份，这中间的联系，你还要我继续说下去吗？”
吴畏抱头考虑良久，咬牙切齿地说：“你是说贺静宜那臭娘们在算计我吗？可是我跟她无冤无仇，就算老头子以前找过她，也是为了你，她是被你甩了，要恨也是恨你啊。”
尚修文沉下脸来：“你越活越幼稚了吧，老三。利益之争，你以为是武侠剧，一定要演上山学艺下山报仇吗？你到现在还不明白吗？她代表亿鑫而来，从收购铁矿一直到图谋兼并冶炼厂，可以说旭昇一直是她的目标。不过以前我的股份托管在舅舅名下，旭昇算得上股权高度集中，收购不是一件容易的事，她要做的就是寻找机会一步步拖垮旭昇，降低收购成本。现在远望介入，股权分散了。难得你这么配合，先是提供把柄给她，让旭昇的销售陷入停顿，然后又愿意双手把10%股份送上去。”
“那……她接下来会怎么做？”
“她拿到你的股份，下一步肯定是大肆宣扬，连吴家对旭昇都没信心了，正在出让股份套现，然后说服那几个股东，收购他们的股份。如果顺利的话，那么亿鑫最终会持有25%的股份，取代远望成为旭昇第一大股东，接下来说服J市经委转让持有的股份也不是不可能的。”
吴畏彻底呆住了，良久才嗫嚅着问：“那我现在该怎么办？”
“你自己去找舅舅才是正经，看他怎么给你台阶下。”
吴畏思前想后：“我那个老婆恐怕也不会这么容易放过我。”
“三嫂说你一向什么都敢做，可不见得什么都敢当。不能不说，她还真是了解你。这件事谁也帮不了你，你自求多福吧。”尚修文将一口没动的威士忌推到一边，“我还有事，先走了。”
尚修文心中一块大石落地，不要说亿鑫对旭昇虎视眈眈，其志肯定不止于吴畏的10%股份，而且他绝对不愿意在夫妻关系这么紧张的时刻，还要如甘璐预言的那样，与贺静宜一块儿出席董事会。
出酒店后他马上打电话给吴昌智，简单告诉他刚刚与吴畏碰面的情况，吴昌智显然早有预料，只叹了一口气：“父子之间弄成这样，实在是可悲。”
“他肯回头，总归是好事。”
“修文，现在难为你了，本来想抽身而去的人，却陷进了这个复杂的烂摊子里面。”
“何必这么说，舅舅，旭昇可不是烂摊子，如果不是看好它，亿鑫又怎么可能这么大费周章。”
“总之是我大意了，没早听你的劝告先下手收购冶炼厂，现在螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后，自己也成了别人的目标，弄得进退失据。我只能制住吴畏，然后把另几个小股东安抚好，把亿鑫挡在门外。”
尚修文知道他的心情，只得宽慰他，毕竟情势没有恶化，眼前危机化解后，再来调整销售，仍然有希望扳回局面。
放下手机，尚修文不想让甘璐久候，马上开车回家，然而让他吃惊的是，家里空空如也。
他连忙打甘璐电话，手机响了好一会儿，甘璐才接听。
“璐璐，你在哪儿？”
“我……在哪儿？”甘璐机械地重复着，“在家里呀。”
尚修文好不惊愕，他从来没听见甘璐说话如此含糊：“璐璐，你怎么了？”
“没怎么啊。”甘璐努力聚集着注意力，可实在有些徒劳，只觉得眼前一切都有点儿飘忽不定，坐在对面的聂谦也似乎在左右摇晃。
“你到底在哪儿，璐璐，马上告诉我，我来接你。”
甘璐咯咯笑了：“聂谦，修文问，我们现在在哪儿？”
聂谦哭笑不得地摇头，只好拿过她手里的手机说：“尚先生你好，璐璐在她爸爸家，她喝了一点酒，好像……有点儿喝高了。”
尚修文大急：“她酒精过敏，怎么能喝酒？”
聂谦似乎在寻找措辞，停顿一会儿，只轻声一笑：“不用担心，她没喝多少，眼下没有过敏症状。”
“请不要让她再喝了，我马上过来接她。”尚修文挂断了电话。
认识之初，尚修文的确没将甘璐声称酒精过敏当真，不愿意随便喝酒失态的女孩子用这个借口太常见了。然而交往密切以后，他发现甘璐的确在任何一种情况下都滴酒不沾，不管面前放的是清香扑鼻的低度数果子酒，还是一般女孩子很难拒绝的色彩斑斓的鸡尾酒。
可是现在甘璐不仅喝酒到了醺然的程度，而且是与聂谦在一起。
他向来敏感，在师大附中门口与聂谦不期而遇时，就察觉到甘璐介绍这个旧同学时，两人的神态都多少有些不寻常之处。后来他数次在不同场合遇上过聂谦，更确定了这一点。
不过，他最多只是有趣地想，此人大概就是钱佳西曾劝甘璐放下的旧事了，并没有将这件事放在心上。在他看来，甘璐当然有权利拥有往事，他们之间的默契已经包括了无须事无巨细地相互汇报。
然而在与聂谦最近一次在医院碰面后，尚修文再没办法等闲视之了。
在他与甘璐关系最岌岌可危的时刻，他不在妻子身边。甘璐在碰到困难时，马上选择向聂谦求援，可见她对他的信任程度。现在甘璐不仅在停车场以僵直的身体抗拒他的拥抱，而且拒绝回家，去跟聂谦一块儿喝酒。
尚修文停好车后，大步上楼按响门铃，来给他开门的是聂谦。他走进去，正看见甘璐靠在一侧的沙发上，目光停留在他脸上，流露出一点儿惊奇、一点儿困惑，仿佛突然撞入她眼帘的是一个陌生的不速之客，尚修文几乎被这个眼神刺痛了。
聂谦拿起自己的西装外套：“璐璐，我先走了，改天我去医院看叔叔，有什么事记得给我打电话，再见。”他礼貌地对尚修文点点头，带上门，扬长而去。
尚修文走到甘璐身边坐下，看看那瓶白酒和还剩一点酒的玻璃杯，再看向甘璐，她近日因失血略显苍白的面孔泛着一点儿嫣红，神态迷茫，眼睛里雾气蒙蒙，没有焦点地看着前方不知什么地方。
“有没有不舒服，璐璐？”
甘璐并没醉到失去神志的地步，只是反应迟钝了而已，她先是“唔”了一声，隔了一会儿才摇头：“对不起，我大概喝多了点儿。”
"Let's go back."
“回去？”她重复着，“哦，好。”她手撑着沙发试着站起来，尚修文扶住她，替她拿上皮包，两个人正要向外走，她突然站住，回身去拿那瓶酒，手胡乱挥动一下，却险些将酒瓶碰倒，尚修文眼疾手快，一把扶住。
“想喝酒的话，家里有，不用喝这种烈酒。而且你现在的身体状况，喝酒合适吗？”
甘璐小声说：“我……只是想把它带出去扔掉，”停了一下，她似乎想要解释一般，讷讷地说，“留在家里……不大好，爸爸回来又会喝的。”
尚修文不再说什么，拿起酒瓶，扶上她出去，下楼后他先开了车门，示意她坐进去，然后走出十来米，将酒瓶扔进垃圾箱内，可是回头一看，甘璐仍然站在原处，仰头看着什么出神。
"What's wrong?"
“没什么。”她坐进了车内，尚修文替她关上车门，从她刚才的角度看上去，那边是一株粗大的法国梧桐，紧挨着她父亲住的楼房，在昏黄的路灯光下，树枝伸展，投下斑驳的光影，并没什么出奇之处。
尚修文发现，甘璐的饮酒来得虽然突然，酒量大概也不怎么样，但酒品是完全没有问题的。
甘璐上车后，大概是酒后觉得燥热，先将车窗摇下，三月初仍然带着些许寒意的风扑面而来。尚修文瞥她一眼，按了他那侧的车窗控制按钮，将车窗升上去，只留一条窄缝：“小心感冒，而且喝酒后吹风会头痛。”
她也并无异议，蜷在车座上，一路上都没说话。既没有酒后欣快地絮叨，也没有寻常可见的借酒放纵情绪起落。小小的车厢内十分安静，午夜电台放着一档音乐节目，男DJ磁性的声音一点儿不事张扬，简单介绍着北欧音乐，然后便开始放音乐，车内只余音乐声在低低回旋。
回到家后，甘璐便径直去了卧室，不一会儿，尚修文听到主卧卫生间传来隐约放水的声音，想必她是去洗澡了。
再过一会儿，主卧门下透出的灯光熄灭，尚修文知道她上床睡了。他去了厨房，从放在冰箱上的那包烟内抽出一支，仍然开天然气灶点燃，然后走到阳台上。
甘璐大概是不想跟他谈话，更不想面对他，才会去喝酒的。他只能得出这样一个结论。
一个滴酒不沾的女人，终于也去借酒逃避；她曾经与他那样亲密，现在突然回避他到如此地步。他苦涩地想，不知道两个人之间的僵局要持续到什么时候，又该如何打破。
不要说以他现在的忙碌程度，没法守在她身边慢慢说服她，更重要的是，她仿佛突然对他的关心、他的表白完全免疫了，已经打定主意拒绝他—礼貌，可是坚决，没有一丝商量的余地。
一支烟抽完，他进去，轻轻开门走进卧室，借着客厅投射过来的灯光，只见甘璐裹着被子，一动不动地躺着，似乎已经睡着了，仍然是躺在大床的右侧。
以前惯常他躺的位置，如今空着。这段时间他独自入睡，早就意识到，不管是在哪里，只要上床，他都会自觉躺到床的左侧。
他们同样早已经习惯了与另一个人分享床铺，现在却只能在孤独中各自入睡。两个人离得如此近，却似乎隔着一道无形的鸿沟，无法跨越。
他轻轻关上门，卧室重新陷入黑暗之中。
甘璐睁开了眼睛，听着外面大门砰的一声关上，知道尚修文离开了。她不知道自己算不算松了一口气。
以尚修文一直对她心事近乎了如指掌的体察，自然能清楚判断出她的逃避。他从来不会死缠烂打，选择这样静静离开，她毫不惊讶。
这个婚姻如果一直这样，还有继续下去的必要吗？
酒意让她的思维迟缓，想到这里，头便隐隐作痛起来。她只能告诉自己，等父亲手术结束、身体好转一点，再来考虑这件事也不迟。