Part 4
“No… no… NO!”
Lu Xunye snapped awake. His breathing was so rapid that the lack of oxygen left him without even the strength to lift his hand.
The empty room was filled with the sound of an alarm and chaotic footsteps.
“Get the ventilator on, fast! The patient’s emotions are too intense. Give him a sedative.”
“Notify Dr. Ji and President Gu. Mr. Lu is awake.”
…
“Youâre finally awake. How do you feel?”
A handsome boy with chestnut hair poked his head out and reached toward him.
Lu Xunye swung his arm, dodging Gu Qingyiâs touch. “Don’t touch me.”
Suddenly, a folder appeared from the side, occupying his vision.
Ji Huixu used the edge of the folder to give Lu Xunye a light tap on the head. “Siheng, school starts in a week. You don’t want to take another leave of absence, do you?”
“Or do you need another sedative?”
Gu Qingyi didn’t approve of his behavior. “What are you doing? He just woke up; reactive behavior or memory confusion is normal. Let him settle.”
Lu Xunye looked at the name column on the medical chart: Lu Siheng, 21 years old.
He caught his reflection in the television screen across from him. He raised his hand and touched the gauze on his head with the speed of a rusty machine, repeating: “Lu Siheng…”
Gu Qingyi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Do you remember what happened?”
Lu Xunye closed his eyes. Countless blurred images surged like a tide. Just as he was about to grasp them, they were blown away like mist. All that remained was a heart-piercing pain etched into his soul.
A sweet, metallic taste of blood rose in his throat. Both men were startled by his sudden vomiting of blood.
Lu Xunye felt a chill on his neck and slowly lost consciousness.
Gu Qingyi looked at the culprit, snatched the empty syringe from the otherâs hand, and said in shock, “Why did you knock him out?!”
“His emotional fluctuations were too great. Itâs post-traumatic stress. Heâll recover later.” Ji Huixu supported Lu Sihengâs limp body and tucked him back under the covers. “Don’t mention the events of these past two months until he self-repairs.”
The youth standing in the shade of a camphor tree was the picture of irritation as he spoke on the phone.
“Iâve told you eight hundred times. That was just a childhood joke. What did I know about love back then? Besides, we haven’t seen each other in years. Don’t bring this up again.”
The moment he finished, a relentless female voice came from the receiver. He had the foresight to pull the phone away from his ear.
“You brat! Youâve been so busy lately that no one could find you. You let Xiao Gu brush me off, and now that you finally show up, this is the attitude you give your mother?”
“Truly, a son grows up and leaves his mother behind.”
“Anyway, Iâm already at the school.”
After she finished, the youth put the phone back to his ear. “Itâs time for your tour with that person to end. Remember to come back and manage the company. Assistant Zhao is working very hard on his own.”
S-Country
On the terrace of a seaside hotel, a woman on a lounge chair by the pool snatched a book off her face, revealing a bright, beautiful face. “Didn’t I tell you to get involved with the company early during the summer break? Youâ”
Beep… beep… beep…
“Qingran, whatâs wrong? What did Xiao Ye say?”
The woman on the next chair put down her juice glass. She was in her late thirties or early forties and equally radiant.
“Don’t mention him. Heâs never been close to any girl except Qianyu since he was little. But the moment I ask him to meet little Qianyu once, he gets angry with me. Qianyu is so sweet and softâwhy doesn’t he want to meet her? Before you took her abroad, I was thinking that little girl would be my future daughter-in-law.”
Speaking of this, Jiang Qingran grew excited, grabbing the otherâs hand. “Jun Li, does your Qianyu have a boyfriend? If not, can you give us a back door and let my son cut the line?”
She spoke sincerely, not noticing the other womanâs increasingly forced smile.
“Well, Qingran… actually… thereâs something you might not know…”
“Alright, don’t say it. I understand.” Jiang Qingran, her heart as cold as ash, reached out to interrupt Jun Li. She drained the remaining wine in her glass to douse the fire in her chest, but the heat surged straight to her head instead.
“Tell me, those two little ones played so well together. They were inseparable. My boy always said heâd marry her when he grew up.”
“I even had the dowry ready. Who knew that after they were found after going missing that time, my sonâs fever had just broken when you took my daughter-in-law abroad. Do you know my son was only five then? A bachelor at age five!”
Jun Li: “…”
“Do you understand? Can you sympathize? No, you don’t. If I hadn’t caught you this time, where were you planning to take my precious Qianyu? Quick! Hand her over!”
“You’re drunk.” Jun Liâs temple throbbed. “Iâll help you back to rest.”
“Iâm not drunk! Hand her over!” Jiang Qingran stared with blurry eyes, her cheeks flushed. She held out her hands as if demanding the person. The empty glasses were lined up on the table.
When Lu Zheng returned with the dessert heâd been ordered to get, this was the scene he saw. He had no choice but to coax Jiang Qingran.
“A-Ran is right. Xiao Ye might be a bit of a brat sometimes, but he treats people well. As the saying goes, you can see the man in the three-year-old. Xiao Ye was a little hero protecting Qianyu at age four or five; he certainly can now. Qianyu listens to youâcan you say a good word for my Xiao Ye?”
Jun Li was conflicted, but seeing the couple’s determined attitude: “Um… I want to ask, what are your views on… having grandchildren?”
Here it cameâthe deadly question between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Whether her son could win over his future mother-in-law depended on this moment.
Jiang Qingran pushed the bothersome Lu Zheng away. “Get out of the way!”
Lu Zheng stood by the edge of the pool, watching Jiang Qingran stumble to her feet. He followed her movements, his hands ready to catch her in case she fell into the pool.
Jiang Qingran grabbed Jun Liâs hands, patting her own chest as she promised: “Don’t worry. Iâm not some feudal-minded mother-in-law. I am! Extremely open-minded! Grandsons, granddaughtersâthey’re all my grandchildren.”
“Oh, right. Itâs fine if they don’t have any, either. I respect the young peopleâs wishes. One sentence: if they have them, Iâll raise them; if they don’t, Iâll just play. Rest assured, I won’t let Qianyu suffer even a tiny bit of grievance.”
“If Qianyu can’t bear to leave home, my son can even marry into your family if that’s what it takes.”
Lu Zheng tugged at Jiang Qingran, trying to reason with the drunkard. “Wife, marrying into the family is…”
Jiang Qingran gave him a sharp look. “What, you aren’t willing?”
“I am! Marrying in is fine.”
Jiang Qingran waved her hand grandly. “Jun Li, speak! Whatever concerns you have, Iâll settle them all.”
Jun Li didn’t want to be too blunt, fearing sheâd crush the drunk womanâs spirits. “But… Qianyu isn’t a sweet and soft girl. Do you understand?”
“Yes! Itâs fine if sheâs a bit rebellious. I was even more rebellious when I was young.” Jiang Qingran dismissed it. “Being rebellious is perfect for keeping my brat in line.”
Lu Zheng: “Jun Li, just tell us what the difficulty is. We can accept anything.”
“Xiao Qian was so beautiful when he was little, and I really wanted a daughter, so I often bought nice dresses…”
Lu Zheng had a bad feeling. Sure enough, he heard the other woman whisper: “Actually, your precious Qianyu is a boy.”
Jiang Qingran didn’t hear clearly and asked in confusion, “What did you say?”
Before Jun Li could repeat herself, Lu Zheng covered Jiang Qingranâs ears with both hands. “Wife, you’re drunk. I’m taking you to sleep.”
He said to Jun Li, “Sheâs drunk. Don’t take it to heart.” With that, he carried her away into the hotel.
“Haha… I understand, I understand.”
Jun Li was left alone to lie back on her chair. “Sigh. I wonder if the kid is adjusting to his new school. Doing something so big without consulting his mother, and not even coming back for the break. Sigh.”
“Achoo!”
“Sneezing in the middle of summer? Someone missing you?”
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