Chapter 375 Calling Him Out in Public

• Zachary jolted awake. He hurriedly pulled out his tablet to check the list. “There he is! And he even joined the bidding!” Perfect. Hendrik instantly confirmed his hunch—across all of Sparaville, the only one bold enough to shear Old Mr. Ren’s wool was the Cao family. No one else broke rules and tossed ethics aside like that. “Hendrik, so about this…” “Tomorrow, you go in person and deliver Ge Yuanhao to the Cao family,” Hendrik said, turning toward the hospital room door that sat softly closed. “And make sure you exaggerate how he crossed the Ren family.” Then he added, “You know how to handle anything related to Mrs. Xenakis.” “Got it.” Zachary didn’t dare slack off for a second. He immediately sent people to take Ge Yuanhao in. Hendrik, of course, went back to the ward to keep his wife and child company.
• The next day. Zoe woke to a burst of noise. She rubbed her eyes, then realized Ren Yanzhu had vanished from the hospital bed. “Ren Yanzhu?!” She looked around. Only a nurse delivering meds and two orderlies were in the room. The commotion she heard was just the two of them knocking over a cup of water. “Where is he? Why is he gone?!” “Young Master Ren is at the rehab clinic.” Seeing her panic, one of the orderlies leaned in and murmured. Zoe bolted for the door without thinking. Rehab clinic? He’d just had surgery. What was he doing going to rehab now? She followed the signs and reached the place. Before she even stepped in, a heated argument rolled out. More like a one-sided accusation—Ren Yanzhu’s voice alone. “Why can’t I be discharged? This little injury will heal in less than half a month.” “You want me stuck in bed for a month? You might as well turn me into a vegetable!” “Either you sign it today or not, I’m walking out regardless!” This clingy, relentless act was nothing like the Ren officer she knew. Zoe almost thought she’d misheard—until she pushed the door open and saw that tall, straight figure. It was him, no doubt. “Miss Zoe, you came at the perfect time! Please talk to Young Master Ren! I really can’t issue a discharge order!” The doctor looked at her like she was a lifeline. He’d been hiding in rehab to dodge Ren Yanzhu. Yet the man still tracked him down. “Even if the doctor agrees to discharge you, I won’t let you leave.” She stepped forward. Under his baffled stare, she took the discharge approval he’d handed the doctor—then tore it clean in half. “What are you doing?!” He reached to stop her. Too late. The paper fell away in delicate strips, like butterflies scattering from her fingers. “You didn’t actually think staying here meant you could control me, did you?” Despite the gnawing, complicated feelings he had for her, he’d never—ever—been slapped in the face by a woman like this, and in public to boot. “Watch me.” When it came to his health, Zoe had zero fear of going head-to-head with him. She shot the doctor a look, warning him to be ready to restrain Ren if needed. That, of course, was misdirection. By the time Ren Yanzhu realized what she was doing and braced himself, she already had him by the arm, hauling him back toward the ward. He couldn’t help but wonder: how did this woman wake up and turn this forceful? “Even if you want to find your little sister-in-law, you need to heal first, otherwise…” Zoe kept talking as they walked—exactly how she’d been last night in the ward. She spared no thought for how he’d react. “Enough!” The second she mentioned Jovienne, Ren Yanzhu wrenched his hand away, anger flaring. “Don’t get full of yourself! Whatever’s going on between me and Ms. Citrus is my business. You don’t get to point fingers.” People streamed up and down the hallway. His shout snapped every gaze their way. The two of them were striking enough to pull looks even in silence; now gossip burned hot, welded into a curious wall of onlookers. Ren Yanzhu realized he’d gone too far. He didn’t stop to apologize. He kept walking toward the ward, leaving Zoe alone to face the crowd and their buzzing whispers.