“Wife~”
Wen Ci rolled her eyes at him again. Since this shameless man was an injured patient, she would help him this once—but there would be no next time.
As Wen Ci reached out to unbuckle the man’s belt, she casually asked, “Do you have a childhood friend named Xu Jinghe?”
“Mm, why?”
Xu Jinghe had been his best friend when they were young. Later, their families moved due to work relocations, but he and Xu Jinghe still met up every year.
“Does he have an older sister?”
At these words, Huo Jingyuan frowned slightly. He turned his gaze toward Wen Ci and asked incredulously, “How do you know that? Did Xu Jinghe call you?”
Xu Jinghe was aware of his marriage and had seen Wen Ci’s photo. He had even mentioned coming to the Northwest personally during the New Year to visit her.
“You could say that.”
“What do you mean by ‘you could say that’?”
Wen Ci didn’t answer. She waited until Huo Jingyuan finished using the restroom and returned to bed. As she hung the IV bottle back up, she explained in an unhurried tone, “Didn’t I tell you I found a child? Orphaned, kidnapped from a welfare home by traffickers.”
“Mm.”
Huo Jingyuan was already aware of this.
Wen Ci continued, “Yesterday, Captain Xu from the military camp said the traffickers had been arrested…”
“Does this have anything to do with Xu Jinghe?”
Wen Ci leaned in close to him, pinched his strong, chiseled face, and said gently, “Must you interrupt? Do you really think the trafficking case is related to Xu Jinghe?”
“No.”
“Then why are you interrupting?”
Suddenly, Wen Ci inhaled sharply.
Since Huo Jingyuan and Xu Jinghe were childhood friends, didn’t that mean Huo Jingyuan also knew Xiaochuan’s biological mother? Her gaze toward the man held a trace of sorrow.
Before Wen Ci could speak, Huo Jingyuan had already pieced the story together. Tilting his head, he asked, “The child you found is actually Xu Jinghe’s nephew?!”
Wen Ci nodded. “Mm. Last night, he called. He mentioned that you and he were childhood friends, so I came to confirm with you.”
Huo Jingyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, as if recalling the face and voice of Xu Jinghe’s older sister. “Back when she got married, Xu Jinghe and I even tried to ‘snatch the bride.’”
“Snatch the bride?”
“Mm. Xu Jinghe’s sister was twelve years older than us. She defied her parents and married a poor man whose grandfather had been a traitor. Because of that, she cut ties with her family.”
Wen Ci’s eyes widened.
A grandfather who had been a traitor—that was a serious issue. Since the Huo and Xu families knew each other, they might have both been in the military.
No wonder she had severed ties with her family.
If this had happened in a military family, it would have been an unbearable disgrace.
“Can you bring Xiaochuan again tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
Huo Jingyuan held Wen Ci’s hand, feeling that marrying her was the luckiest thing in his life. If Wen Ci hadn’t found Xiaochuan, the child might still be wandering the streets.
He might have been found by traffickers and sold somewhere far away.
Just then, the attending doctor pushed the door open and walked in, accompanied by several nurses. With a bright smile, he asked, “Commander Huo, when would you like to have your stitches removed?”
“I get to decide?” Huo Jingyuan asked.
“Your wound has healed very well. After removing the stitches and resting for half a year, you’ll be able to resume high-intensity training.”
“Can we do it now?”
The attending doctor forced a stiff smile and tried to suppress his exasperation. “We can, but we’re out of anesthetic. If you wait until the day after tomorrow, there will be anesthesia.”
He deliberately used the lack of anesthetic as an excuse to deter Commander Huo from having the stitches removed today.
“No anesthesia needed.”
The attending doctor: “…”
Huo Jingyuan turned his gaze toward him. “Is that not allowed?”
Back when he was first injured, he had been unconscious. But since the wound needed urgent treatment en route, and there had been no anesthetic on the aircraft, they had to stitch him up raw.
Even in a coma, the pain had still woken him.
Before the doctor could respond, Wen Ci shot Huo Jingyuan a sharp glare and said seriously, “No. Wait until the anesthesia is available.”
“I want to go home.”
“You just want me to take care of you at home?”
The nurses standing behind the attending doctor couldn’t help but laugh. They often administered IVs and changed Commander Huo’s dressings, but his cold demeanor always intimidated them.
Who would have thought?
In front of his wife, Commander Huo was completely different.
Huo Jingyuan fell silent.
…
After the visit, Wen Ci returned home and noticed the courtyard gate was wide open, along with the house’s inner door.
Frowning, she hurried inside.
In the living room, Wen Yaozu was comforting Xiaochuan. He clenched his fists and swung them around, saying, “If that bad woman comes again, I’ll beat her up for you.”
Xiaochuan trembled slightly, his bright eyes welling with tears. He choked out, “Thank you, big brother.”
Wen Yaozu patted his head.
Hearing this as she entered, Wen Ci asked, “Did someone come to the house?”
Wen Yaozu stood up from the couch and reported, “A weird woman barged in for no reason and scared Xiaochuan.”
Xiaochuan added in his soft voice, “I’ve seen that woman before. She was in another house.”
Wen Ci instantly knew who it was.
She never expected that Mrs. Su, the original host’s biological mother, would storm into her home after hearing a few rumors from others.
Wen Ci’s gaze turned cold.
If Huo Jingyuan weren’t injured, she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with the Jiang family.
After some comforting, Xiaochuan calmed down.
Wen Ci reached out to ruffle Xiaochuan’s hair. Sitting on the couch, she asked gently, “Xiaochuan, do you remember the uncle lying in the hospital room?”
Xiaochuan nodded. “Yes.”
“That uncle is your uncle’s childhood friend.”
“What’s a childhood friend?”
Wen Ci blinked and rephrased, “It means a very good friend.”
At that moment, the landline rang again. Wen Ci answered, and Xu Jinghe’s voice came through. “Now do you believe I’m Jingyuan’s childhood friend?”
“I do.”
Xu Jinghe’s voice was warm and gentle.
“Can I call you sister-in-law?”
Wen Ci: “…”
Even in the Northwest, Huo Jingyuan’s subordinates called her sister-in-law.
And now, his childhood friend wanted to call her that too?
“Are you younger than Huo Jingyuan?” Wen Ci asked curiously.
“Yes.”
Hearing that, Wen Ci had nothing more to say.
Among men, the eldest was always the big brother.
Xiaochuan looked at the landline phone. “Sister, is that Uncle?”
“Yes,” Wen Ci replied.
Xu Jinghe spoke again. “Sister-in-law, I need to ask for your help. Something has come up on my end, and I can’t get away for now. Would you be able to bring Xiaochuan back for me?”
Wen Ci lowered her eyes slightly.
At the hospital, Huo Jingyuan had mentioned that Xu Jinghe was now in the trade business. For him to personally come to the capital to pick up Xiaochuan, he would have to put aside a lot of work.
“I can book you a flight, so you can return the same day.”
There were direct flights between the capital and many provincial cities, allowing for a round trip within a day. If necessary, she could leave in the morning and be back in the afternoon.
Leave a Reply