Soon, the car arrived at the cemetery.
Sheng Xinhao was helped out of the car by his guard.
Before long, he stood before Sang Yuwan’s tombstone.
Gazing at the black-and-white photograph of the beautiful woman on the tombstone, Sheng Xinhao slowly knelt down.
“Ah Wan, I’m sorry.”
“All these years, I’ve wronged you, and I’ve wronged Ah Xi.”
“You must resent me terribly.”
Sheng Xinhao clutched his left hand with his right, his face growing increasingly pale as he endured the sharp pain radiating from his left arm.
“It’s alright, Ah Wan. You have every right to blame me.”
“When I join you, you can hit me or scold me—just… don’t ignore me.”
“Ah Wan, don’t worry. Ah Xi is doing well now. He has a family of his own, and everything I have is left to him.”
“Though he may not care for it, after all… we’re father and son. After all the harm I’ve caused him over the years, it’s only right that I make amends.”
As he spoke, tears finally streamed down his face.
In the past, Sheng Xinhao had always been too proud to admit his mistakes.
But it was precisely because he refused to acknowledge his faults that he had missed out on so much and lost so much.
Now, having finally opened up and confessed his wrongs, he realized that admitting his mistakes wasn’t as difficult as he had thought.
Just then, another wave of excruciating pain shot through his left arm.
The guard standing nearby watched as Sheng Xinhao collapsed straight to the ground.
“Sir!”
….
The train chugged forward with a steady rumble.
This time, Sheng Zexi had once again booked sleeper berths.
Since they had an extra spot for his grandfather’s guard, he purchased all the berths in the opposite compartment as well, making the space much more spacious.
Sheng Zexi had to admit that Sheng Xinhao’s words had affected him more than he expected.
Gu Jianing also noticed that her husband had been unusually quiet since boarding the train, though he appeared normal on the surface.
Once they settled in, Gu Jianing moved closer and took his hand, offering silent support.
Sheng Zexi tore his gaze away from the window and looked at her, squeezing her hand in return.
“Sorry for worrying you.”
Gu Jianing shook her head. “Did he say something upsetting?”
If that were the case, she would definitely be angry.
But Sheng Zexi shook his head, then recounted everything Sheng Xinhao had said in the car.
“I never thought there’d come a day when he would apologize to me.”
“Nor did I ever imagine he would acknowledge me.”
Even saying it aloud felt surreal to Sheng Zexi.
Gu Jianing suddenly understood—it seemed her father-in-law had truly changed.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
In truth, she knew that her husband had always longed for his father’s approval.
“There’s a picture of Daddy!”
At that moment, Yueyue’s childish voice piped up from the side.
Sheng Zexi turned to see Yueyue continue, “At home, on the table… there’s a photo frame. Inside is Daddy, and Grandma…”
Xingxing nodded along. “I saw Grandpa looking at the photo frame… He cried secretly.”
Both Xingxing and Yueyue had visited Sang Yuwan’s grave before, so they recognized the woman in the photo frame at the Sheng family home as their grandmother, Sang Yuwan.
The photo showed three people—Grandma, a younger Grandpa, and Daddy.
Sheng Zexi froze for a moment before recalling that such a photo did exist.
It had been taken a week before his mother passed away—a family portrait of the three of them.
But later, because of his mother’s death, he had forgotten about that photo.
He never expected it to still be in the old man’s possession.
So, he had kept it all along.
So, he had also looked at that photo and cried in secret…
Sheng Zexi’s emotions were overwhelmingly complicated.
Just then, the train conductor suddenly approached Sheng Zexi’s compartment.
“Deputy Regiment Commander Sheng, your father’s guard just called us. It seems something urgent has happened.”
The moment Sheng Zexi heard this, he immediately stood up, gave a few quick instructions, and hurriedly followed the conductor out.
Gu Jianing watched his retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly.
It seemed like only a minute had passed before she saw Sheng Zexi rushing back, his face visibly pale, his eyes slightly red.
The moment he saw Gu Jianing, he grabbed her hand. “Ningning, my dad… he collapsed.”
“The guard said it’s because of the illness in his left arm.”
“After examining him, the doctors said it’s been left untreated for too long. It’s very dangerous now—he might face amputation, or even… it could be life-threatening.”
“They said he needs surgery immediately, but… they’re not confident.”
As he spoke, Sheng Zexi’s eyes grew even redder.
Gu Jianing stood up at once. “What are we waiting for? We need to turn back right away.”
Sheng Zexi froze.
Gu Jianing patted the back of his hand. “I’ll take over. I’ll see what’s going on.”
“Brother Xi, since he’s already apologized, you also need to make peace with yourself.”
If they chose to ignore this, Gu Jianing knew it would weigh on Sheng Zexi’s heart for the rest of his life—something he might never move past.
So, they had to save him!
Moreover, Gu Jianing spoke with confidence.
Regarding her father-in-law’s arm, she suspected that as far back as three years ago—when she was pregnant with Xingxing and Yueyue and came to the capital to give a lecture—Fang Wanrong had wanted her to operate on Sheng Xinhao.
But back then, their relationship had been too strained.
The matter was dropped.
She guessed that in the years since, her father-in-law had been relying on conservative treatment.
Not long ago, when Sheng Xinhao came to visit Xingxing and Yueyue, Gu Jianing had the system scan him and learned the details of his condition.
She had even practiced treating his specific case in her space.
She was confident.
But she also knew that, given the medical standards of this era, few besides her could handle Sheng Xinhao’s surgery.
Before, when Sheng Zexi and his father were on bad terms, she naturally wouldn’t have volunteered to operate.
But now…
Their relationship had improved.
Her father-in-law had changed for the better.
He doted on Xingxing and Yueyue.
And most importantly…
She knew that no matter how much Brother Xi claimed not to care about his father, deep down, he still did.
Children could rarely truly sever ties with their parents.
He still yearned for his approval and praise.
Right now, it was just his lingering resentment over the grievances he had suffered in the past.
But… people must learn to make peace with themselves.
Only by doing so could they move forward unburdened.
Sheng Zexi stared at Gu Jianing in a daze. With just one sentence, she had voiced the thoughts in his heart.
He didn’t say much, only gazed at her intently.
After a long pause, he uttered a single word: “Okay.”
Since the train was still moving, they couldn’t stop mid-journey.
Fortunately, the next station wasn’t far—just over ten minutes away.
Sheng Zexi first called Sheng Xinhao’s guard to coordinate preparations so that the moment Gu Jianing arrived, they could proceed directly with the surgery.
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