This soldier named Li Tingxuan-the moment Chu Cheng met him, he felt that he was a very charismatic man.
It wasn’t just because of his handsome and refined appearance, but also because of his unique and captivating aura.
It would be hard for any young girl not to fall for a man like him.
Especially since Fang Manping had been saved by Li Tingxuan.
Chu Cheng understood her youthful infatuation.
He could also clearly see that Fang Manping had long since let go of her feelings for Li Tingxuan.
Now, what she felt toward him was nothing but gratitude.
Since that was the case, why should he mind?
Moreover, there was one thing Manping hadn’t been wrong about.
It was precisely because of Li Tingxuan’s rescue back then, as well as his words, that shaped the wonderful Fang Manping of today.
And this wonderful Fang Manping was the one he had been fortunate enough to meet.
So, he should be grateful to Li Tingxuan as well.
Chu Cheng took Fang Manping’s hand, his eyes gentle as he said, “Let’s work hard together to live even better lives.”
“And let’s also wish Comrade Li Tingxuan well—now and in the future.”
“Mm.” Fang Manping squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with affection.
They didn’t dwell too much on the topic of Li Tingxuan and continued walking home.
Both of them were students at Capital University of Chinese Studies, after falling in love, they quickly registered their marriage.
In other words, they were already husband and wife, just without a wedding ceremony yet.
After registering their marriage, Chu Cheng, who wasn’t originally from Beijing, rented a place in the city, and the couple now lived together.
But as they walked, Fang Manping suddenly stopped again.
She stared ahead at a family and froze.
“What’s wrong? Did you run into another acquaintance?” Chu Cheng asked with a smile.
He followed her gaze and saw a strikingly beautiful woman holding a chubby baby in her arms. Beside her was an elderly woman holding the hands of two exquisitely adorable children—a boy and a girl—who looked about three years old.
“Should we go say hello?” Chu Cheng asked.
Fang Manping shook her head. “No need.”
“Let’s go home.”
Fang Manping hadn’t expected to run into Gu Jianing and Grandma Sang with the children in Beijing.
Those three children were probably Gu Jianing’s and her older brother’s kids.
They had indeed inherited their parents’ good looks.
After her mother, Fang Wanrong, was imprisoned, Fang Manping moved out of the Sheng family.
Though she had left, her stepfather, Sheng Xinhao, had still helped her a lot.
She was grateful to him for that.
As for Sheng Zexi, her stepbrother, her feelings were more complicated.
Fortunately, Sheng Zexi hadn’t liked the fake Li Shuyao back then.
Otherwise, once the fake Li Shuyao was exposed, Sheng Zexi’s future would have been ruined.
In the end, it was Sheng Zexi’s own good judgment.
His choice of Dr. Gu was such a good, such an excellent one.
Though Fang Manping hadn’t deliberately sought out news about Sheng Zexi and his wife, she knew he had been transferred back to the Beijing Military District.
No doubt, his future would be bright.
Fang Manping didn’t think about trying to reconnect with Sheng Zexi.
She felt that her current life, though ordinary, was still good.
Everyone had their own paths—it was best not to disturb one another. That was just fine.
…
Gu Jianing had classes to teach at Capital University today. After a morning of lectures, her afternoon was free.
She didn’t need to work at the Hospital either, so she took the opportunity to go out for a stroll with Grandma Sang and the children.
She hadn’t expected to catch a glimpse of Fang Manping.
Yes, even though they hadn’t met many times before, Gu Jianing had an excellent memory. Even after several years, she recognized her at a glance.
As for Fang Manping’s situation, Gu Jianing had heard Sheng Zexi mention it briefly in the past, though not in detail.
She only knew that after Fang Wanrong was imprisoned, Fang Manping moved out on her own.
As for what happened afterward, she had no idea.
But…
Judging by Fang Manping’s current appearance, Gu Jianing felt that she must be doing well.
Whether someone was living well or not could often be seen in the emotions reflected in their eyes.
Back when they first met, Fang Manping had been restless and timid.
Now, though their encounter was brief, Gu Jianing could tell that Fang Manping had mellowed—she seemed much more at peace.
This version of Fang Manping was quite good.
Since Fang Manping didn’t come over to greet her, Gu Jianing naturally didn’t take the initiative either.
There was no real connection between them to begin with—they weren’t even familiar with each other.
Especially since their first meeting had been somewhat unpleasant.
But those things were in the past now.
It was fine to simply remain strangers with no further interaction.
…
For the past few days, Gu Jianing had been waiting for news from the investigators.
Unexpectedly, she ended up waiting a full week before they finally came to see her.
The investigator looked at her with clear apology in his eyes. “Dr. Gu, we’ve confirmed that Wen Zhuqing does indeed have mental issues—he’s completely insane, which is why he’s been spouting nonsense.”
“We sincerely apologize for wasting your time earlier.”
After Gu Jianing suggested that Wen Zhuqing might be mentally unstable, the investigators took him to multiple authoritative hospitals for evaluations.
The results confirmed her suspicion—Wen Zhuqing did have serious psychological problems.
His symptoms included delusional thinking and a tendency to treat his fantasies as reality.
For instance, his claims about a “past life” in his dreams…
At first, his madness hadn’t been obvious.
But in recent days, his condition had worsened significantly.
He would often mutter to himself and even hallucinate conversations with people who didn’t exist.
The sight of it left no doubt in anyone’s mind—Wen Zhuqing was undeniably insane.
And since he was a madman, nothing he said could be taken seriously.
That included all his previous accusations against Gu Jianing.
Once this was confirmed, the investigators immediately came to apologize.
Gu Jianing felt a wave of relief, though her expression remained neutral. “It’s fine. From what I observed, Wen Zhuqing’s condition might have been mild at first, which was why no one noticed.”
“But recently, his illness seems to have flared up, worsening his symptoms.”
“Thankfully, someone like him has been apprehended. If left unchecked in society, he would have been extremely dangerous—who knows how many people he might have harmed?”
“You’re absolutely right, Dr. Gu,” the investigator agreed. “Didn’t Qin’s father already die because of him? But Wen Zhuqing, as a murderer, won’t last much longer either. The higher-ups have already decided to sentence him to death.”
Qin’s father was dead?
Gu Jianing seemed to recall Sheng Zexi mentioning it.
After all, Qin’s father had already been terminally ill.
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