Gu Jianing’s treatment for Hua Zhenrong was still ongoing.
Each day, the treatment sessions grew shorter, and by now, Hua Zhenrong could stay fully conscious throughout the day. Thanks to eating well and sleeping soundly, his complexion and energy had improved significantly. Even his once-thin frame had filled out a bit.
The Hua family was, naturally, endlessly grateful to Gu Jianing.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xinhao had pinned his only hope for healing his arm on the acupuncture master. Finally, on this day, his trusted subordinate, who held a leadership position in the railway department, called to inform him that they had finally uncovered information about the acupuncture master.
On the other end of the phone, the subordinate’s voice was brimming with excitement and enthusiasm.
“Sir, what a coincidence! You’ll never guess who the acupuncture master is—it’s someone right under our noses. We’ve been blind to what was right in front of us!”
Sheng Xinhao: “…”
For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.
And soon enough, Sheng Xinhao realized his premonition was correct.
He heard the subordinate say, “The acupuncture master is none other than your eldest son, Sheng Zexi’s wife—Gu Jianing!”
“Didn’t they recently come to the capital from the Northwest Military District?”
“Aren’t they staying at your house right now?”
“Ah, sir, were you worried about troubling your son and daughter-in-law, so you didn’t tell them about your condition?”
“You should have told them! Your daughter-in-law is the acupuncture master—she can treat you herself!”
…
On the other end, the subordinate continued to congratulate Sheng Xinhao enthusiastically.
But Sheng Xinhao only felt as though a brick had slammed into his head, sending waves of sharp pain through his skull.
No—it wasn’t just his head that hurt. His arm was throbbing again too.
Unable to bear it, Sheng Xinhao let out a groan of agony.
Hearing the noise, Fang Wanrong rushed over.
Meanwhile, the more the subordinate praised Gu Jianing, the more Sheng Xinhao felt as though all the blood in his body had surged violently to his head.
“Old Sheng! Old Sheng! What’s wrong?”
The next second, Sheng Xinhao’s phone clattered to the floor.
His eyes widened, and as Fang Wanrong leaned in, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood—directly onto her face.
Fang Wanrong let out a piercing scream.
Meanwhile, after spitting out the blood, Sheng Xinhao’s body stiffened, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
“Old Sheng! Someone, help! Call for help!”
…
The next day, Gu Jianing learned from Grandpa Sang that her not-so-dear father-in-law, who refused to acknowledge her, had been hospitalized.
Gu Jianing wondered—was this an illness caused by that stepmother’s visit the other day?
But she didn’t dwell on it.
It wasn’t her concern.
Besides, neither Sheng Xinhao nor Fang Wanrong had sought her out again, so she had even less reason to pay them any mind.
What Gu Jianing didn’t know was that Sheng Xinhao had been hospitalized due to a fit of rage.
When he woke up in the hospital, Sheng Xinhao was utterly stunned to learn that both the highly skilled female surgeon from before and the acupuncture master this time were none other than Gu Jianing!
The very same rural village girl he had looked down on and insisted his eldest son divorce.
He never could have imagined that a country girl would possess such remarkable abilities.
If only he had known earlier…
If he had known, he would never have stood in their way.
A doctor with such skill and connections—even if she came from a rural background—was still barely worthy of being his son’s wife.
Moreover, having such a daughter-in-law would mean his arm could be treated.
But now…
He had already spewed every harsh word imaginable in front of Sheng Zexi and Gu Jianing.
He had even declared that he would rather die than beg that woman for help.
Sheng Xinhao had his dignity, after all.
Now, there was no way he could lower himself to ask for her help.
But what about his arm?
Was he just supposed to let it remain useless? Let someone else take his position?
That was something Sheng Xinhao could never accept.
For the first time, Sheng Xinhao felt what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
That brat Sheng Zexi must have known all along that his wife was skilled and well-connected—yet he never said a word. Had his son truly grown so distant from him?
But Sheng Xinhao remembered that back when Sang Yuwan was still alive, the boy had been very close to him.
Even after Sang Yuwan passed away, Sheng Zexi had still relied on him as a father.
When had their relationship started deteriorating, to the point where every meeting ended in arguments?
Was it after he married Fang Wanrong?
So… was it all because of Fang Wanrong?
Because of a woman, had he lost his most accomplished son?
Thus, when Fang Wanrong walked in holding a bowl of porridge, she was met with Sheng Xinhao’s scrutinizing gaze.
Fang Wanrong: !!! What did I do this time?!
…
Northwest Military District
After finishing training, Sheng Zexi returned home and picked up the newspaper featuring Gu Jianing’s lecture.
Since the news broke, word of it had spread throughout the entire military district.
Everyone was full of praise for Gu Jianing.
Even the soldiers under Sheng Zexi’s command looked at him with undisguised envy.
And they were envious—how could they ever hope to marry someone as beautiful and capable as their deputy commander’s wife?
Probably impossible. After all, Deputy Commander Sheng was outstanding, while they… well, they fell short.
Best not to entertain unrealistic fantasies.
Sheng Zexi naturally noticed their envy—not just in their eyes, but also in their words as they gushed about Gu Jianing.
Listening to their praises, Sheng Zexi’s heart swelled with pride.
Of course Ningning is amazing—why else would I have pursued her so earnestly?
Ningning is the best. These brats will never find a wife like her.
Soon after, Sheng Zexi was summoned by his superior.
Naturally, the commander wanted to talk about Gu Jianing—and to heap praise on Sheng Zexi for his choice.
“Hah, sir, I know I’ve got good taste.”
“Of course, it’s also because I’m outstanding—that’s why my Ningning fell for me.”
The commander: …This kid really is exceptional, but damn, his ego is just as big.
Still, seeing Sheng Zexi so happy brought him joy. After all, as the officer who had watched Sheng Zexi grow from a rebellious troublemaker, he had once feared the young man would end up alone for life.
This was much better.
Even if Sheng Zexi did look a little… dopey whenever he talked about his wife.
After basking in the admiration of his soldiers and the praise of his commander, Sheng Zexi returned home and took out the wedding photo from his marriage to Gu Jianing.
His thumb gently traced the image of his petite wife as he murmured, “Darling… when are you coming back?”
He really, really missed his wife.
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