<h4>Chapter 1049: Chapter 1056: Breakup</h4>


    "What?" Ling Chen was shocked and quickly asked, "Are you saying... breakup? Howe I didn’t know? Haozi, are you joking with me?"


    Nanrong Hao said helplessly, "My cousin just called me. At first, my sister refused to be interviewed by journalists, but after watching the news on TV, she decided to ept the interview. She also told the reporters that you two had already broken up and that you don’t live in Wealthy Manor. She hopes those reporters won’t bother her again because of your issues."


    Ling Chen frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe his ears. Seeing Ling Chen in a daze, Xia Yue chimed in, "Ling Cheng, I think Nanrong Wanqing did the right thing."


    Hearing this, Ling Chen asked in confusion, "Fifth sister, what do you mean by that?"


    "Think about it yourself. After that incident with Zhu Xiaozhu, if Nanrong Wanqing rifies her rtionship with you, how will outsiders perceive you? You’re well aware of those journalists’ skills; they would definitely use you of cheating and criticize you for being unfaithful. By then, it would surely affect your reputation. So, Nanrong Wanqing distancing herself from you actually protects you from being scolded by others."


    After Xia Yue’s analysis, Ling Chen nodded silently, feeling more at ease. It seems that Nanrong Wanqing still cares for him, preferring to endure grievances herself rather than let him suffer.


    Thinking of this, Ling Chen picked up his phone and said, "Since that’s the case, I definitely should give her a call."


    "Alright, then you talk it out with her. We’ll head out first." Qiu Yong signaled to the others with his eyes, and they all understood, leaving the ward to let Ling Chen talk to Nanrong Wanqing alone.


    He dialed Nanrong Wanqing’s number. Shortly, the call connected, and before Ling Chen could speak, a familiar voice came from the other side, "Hello! Who’s this?"


    Hearing the voice, Ling Chen was slightly stunned and asked strangely, "Miss Su, why is it you? Where’s Wanqing? Why didn’t she answer the phone?"


    "Hmph! Lin, how dare you call!" Su Lin said angrily on the other end of the line.


    "Miss Su, it’s all a misunderstanding, let me exin."


    "Exin? What is there to exin? So many people saw you being intimate with Zhu Xiaozhu, are you still trying to argue? Lin, I misjudged you, I thought you only cared about Wanqing, but what happened? First, it was Leng Feifei, now it’s Zhu Xiaozhu, so many women surround you. Ling Chen, are you trying to tell me this is all just a coincidence?"


    Ling Chen tried hard to exin, "Miss Su, things aren’t what you imagine."


    "Are you saying the scene on TV was fake?" Su Lin said sarcastically, "Even if you and Zhu Xiaozhu have nothing for now, her actions show she’s interested in you. Can you guarantee you won’t be tempted in the future? The matter with Leng Feifei isn’t over, and now there’s another Zhu Xiaozhu. Besides them, who knows if you’re still ambiguous with other women."


    "Miss Su, where’s Wanqing? Can you let me talk to her?"


    "No need, Wanqing specifically instructed me to hang up if you call. She doesn’t want to talk to you now, and you shouldn’t go looking for her. Even if you go, she won’t see you." With that, before Ling Chen could say another word, all he heard was a busy signal from the other end of the line.


    Putting down the phone, Ling Chen smiled bitterly to himself. Because of the issues with Leng Feifei and Nanrong Yuan, Nanrong Wanqing was already upset, and now with this incident, it’s just adding fuel to the fire. To be honest, he didn’t expect Zhu Xiaozhu to make such a move back when they were on the rooftop.


    At that time, the situation was too dangerous; their lives were uncertain, no one knew if they’d make it out alive, so they didn’t care too much. But who would have thought that moment would be captured by a cameraman.


    What should he do now?


    Ling Chen scratched his head, feeling utterly at a loss.


    Knock knock knock!


    At this moment, there was a knock at the door from outside the ward. As the door opened, Ling Chen saw Zhu Xiaozhu hobbling inside with crutches.


    "Xiaozhu?" Ling Chen said surprisedly, "Aren’t you supposed to be resting? Why did youe here?"


    "I’m fine."


    "Come, have a seat." Ling Chen quickly got up, brought a chair, and ced it in front of Zhu Xiaozhu. Then, he brewed a cup of tea and handed it to her.


    Watching Ling Chen busy himself, Zhu Xiaozhu bit her thin lip, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.


    Noticing her expression, Ling Chen asked, "What’s wrong?"


    "I..." Zhu Xiaozhu opened her mouth, and all her words turned into a single ’sorry.’


    Ling Chen smiled and said, "Why say sorry to me? You didn’t do anything wrong."


    "I shouldn’t have acted like that." Zhu Xiaozhu nced at the TV in the room and said, head lowered, "I didn’t know there was a cameraman there. If it caused you any trouble, I hope you can forgive me." Pausing, Zhu Xiaozhu continued, "I’ll ept interviews and exin things clearly to them so as not to affect you and Nanrong Wanqing."


    Hearing her mention Nanrong Wanqing, Ling Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside.


    "Xiaozhu, you don’t need to exin, the truth will be clear on its own. The more you exin, the messier it gets. Those journalists love sensationalizing stories. Besides, I’m a man; this won’t affect me, so you don’t need to feel guilty. After some time, people will naturally forget about this."


    "But..."


    "Enough!" Ling Chen interrupted her, smiling, "No buts, just rx, don’t think about it, and focus on your recovery."


    "Mm." Zhu Xiaozhu responded softly, nodding, "I understand." Then, she shifted the topic, "Ling Chen, Nanrong Hao hopes you can apologize for me."


    "Apologize?" Ling Chen asked curiously, "Why should you apologize to him? Clearly, he did something wrong and should apologize to you."


    "I know everything about Nanrong Hao; it was my brother who killed his father."


    Ling Chen replied, "You said it yourself, your brother killed his father, it has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to apologize. However, a father’s murder is a deep vendetta, Nanrong Hao won’t easily let it go."


    "I understand." Zhu Xiaozhu said softly, "I’ve alreadye to terms with it. You’re right, my brother is no longer the Zhu Hong he used to be. He could even abandon his own sister, which means he’s long forsaken family ties. If that’s the case, I have no reason to continue protecting him. He has to pay for the mistakes he made."