Xue Er scratched his head with some embarrassment and said, "I really lost my mind out of anger back then. But their family are just paper tigers anyway. The moment I started acting crazy, they all behaved themselves, heh heh～"
Hearing her father's childlike tone, Xue Rou was torn between laughter and tears.
Seeing that Su Hao had finished writing the prescription, she walked quickly to his side, hugged his arm, and giggled, "Thank you so much today! In the taxi, I thought you were just bragging. I never expected you to really have the ability to save Grandpa. Thank you, my good husband～"
"Saying thank you with just words isn't enough. You have to show some practical action, don't you?"
Su Hao lowered his voice and smiled, "Otherwise, why don't we get rid of the imaginary dividing line between us on the bed tonight?"
Seeing Su Hao's slightly raised eyebrows and suggestive look, Xue Rou couldn't help blushing.
She glanced at her parents and, seeing that they hadn't heard, breathed a sigh of relief before hitting Su Hao lightly on the waist with her small fists.
"We can talk about this when we get back, you big silly goose."
"What? We're about to get our marriage license, and you're still shy?"
The two of them kept bantering back and forth, showing their affection until Shen Yue couldn't watch anymore and gave a dry cough.
"Well... Su Hao, would it be all right to discharge your grandfather from the hospital now? He really dislikes staying in the hospital. If possible, it would be much more convenient to take care of him at home."
"Of course it is. Grandpa Xue's body is already out of danger, and these medicines are just for restoring his vital energy and recuperating," Su Hao replied with a nod.
"Besides, aren't there still some people who don't know that Grandpa Xue has recovered from his serious illness? We can put on a play later, and perhaps we can flush out the person who administered the poison."
"Should we tell First Uncle and First Aunt and have them cooperate as well?" Xue Er asked.
"Definitely not!"
Shen Yue rolled her eyes and said speechlessly, "They are the last ones who want the old man's illness cured by Su Hao. Even if they didn't tamper with the poison themselves, this matter might not be completely unrelated to them. Just because they didn't do it themselves doesn't mean they don't know who did, let alone that they didn't instigate someone else to do it."
"Aunt Shen's words are extremely wise." Su Hao felt a deep sense of approval for his future mother-in-law's intelligence.
"I suggest you call Aunt Qin immediately. Something bad is very likely about to happen to her."
Xue Rou and the other two asked in unison, "Why?"
"Aunt Qin is the person most easily suspected at this stage. If she didn't poison him, the mastermind behind the scenes will likely kill her to frame her for everything," Su Hao analyzed.
"If she did administer the poison, she must have followed the instructions of the mastermind—either threatened or for some other reason. To prevent leaks, killing her is the best choice for the mastermind."
"In summary, unless we intervene, Aunt Qin is doomed either way. There is no other way out for her."
Hearing this, Xue Er was startled. He hurriedly took out his phone to call Aunt Qin, but no one answered.
"Strange, Aunt Qin should be home at this time!"
"She must have gone out to buy groceries. Why don't you ask Sister Liu the housekeeper?" Shen Yue suggested.
Xue Er nodded and hurriedly called Sister Liu.
The moment the call connected, Sister Liu's crying came through.
"Second Master Xue, something terrible has happened! Aunt Qin got into a car accident on her way to buy groceries. The other driver fled the scene, and while she was being rushed to the hospital... she died!"
Chapter 18: You can know a person's face, but not their heart.
Over the phone, Sister Liu cried so hard she was out of breath. Thinking of her good friend's sudden departure, she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with grief.
"Send me your location. I'm coming over right now."
Hanging up, Xue Er had cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He hadn't expected everything to happen just as Su Hao predicted—Aunt Qin was truly gone.
"Rourou, Su Hao, I'll leave Grandpa's discharge to the two of you."
"Okay..." Xue Rou's eyes were red, and she felt terribly upset inside.
Aunt Qin had been very good to her, almost like a second mother. To encounter such a sudden misfortune—and for it likely to be related to her family's internal strife—meant she had suffered an unprovoked disaster.
Anyone in this position would feel incomparably heartbroken.
After her parents left, Xue Rou and Su Hao completed the discharge procedures, took Xue Kangning out of the hospital, and brought him home.
By this time, Aunt Qin's son had already come to report the bad news.
Xue Rou looked at the scene photos provided by Aunt Qin's son, and sorrow welled up from deep within her heart.
Aunt Qin had always been honest, dutiful, and the most modest and courteous of people. Never had she expected to meet such a violent end without a whole corpse.
Learning that the driver was likely targeting Aunt Qin intentionally to silence her, Xue Rou clenched her fists and said with righteous indignation, "It must have been First Uncle and the others! First they used Aunt Qin as a delaying tactic, and then they wanted to get rid of her to destroy all evidence!"
"No wonder they were so dead certain back then—it turns out they had already prepared a fallback plan!"
At that moment, a majestic voice came from the doorway.
"Rourou, without proof, do not speak carelessly!"
An elderly man with a long beard walked in.
His name was Xue Zhiyi. He was Xue Kangning's cousin and one of the most respected elders of the Xue family, someone even Xue Kangning treated with a measure of deference.
"Unfilial conduct is a grave sin. If he could truly bring himself to murder his own father, wouldn't that make him a beast?"
"Although Xue Yi's relationship with his father hasn't been very harmonious over the years, it hasn't reached the point of irreconcilability either. Everything must wait until the truth comes to light before any conclusions are made."
The reason Xue Zhiyi said this wasn't because he truly trusted Xue Yi's character, but because he had received news that Xue Yi was about to become in-laws with the Zhao family.
Under these circumstances, in order to secure more benefits for himself, Xue Zhiyi naturally had to protect Xue Yi.
Xue Rou, however, refused to buy into his rhetoric.
"Granduncle, as the saying goes, you can paint a tiger's skin, but you can't paint its bones; you can know a person's face, but not their heart. How can you vouch for First Uncle like that?"
"Besides, this isn't the first or second time First Uncle's family has done such things. I didn't mention yesterday afternoon's assassin encounter because I wanted to spare First Uncle's dignity."
"I can almost be certain that incident was the work of First Uncle's family. Since they could try to kill me without a second thought, how do you know they don't have the same intentions toward Grandpa?"
"Such people who harm their own flesh and blood have pitch-black hearts. They're capable of doing anything!"
Yet, even after Xue Rou said all this, Xue Zhiyi remained entirely nonchalant.
"Talk is cheap. How do you know the assassin was sent by Xue Yi's family?"
Without missing a beat, Xue Rou replied, "Both Su Hao and Song Keke were present yesterday. How could I possibly be wronging them?"
"Listen to yourself. One of them is your fiancé, and the other is your good friend. Even if these two went to court, they couldn't testify for you. Isn't this still talking without proof?" Xue Zhiyi snorted.
"I know your two families have been fighting fiercely over the family estate recently, and you, Xue Rou, even snatched away Aohan's fiancé just to win Grandpa Xue's favor."
"Who knows if you're deliberately splashing dirty water on their family just to secure the inheritance? When you're in a melon patch or under a plum tree, don't blame me for being realistic!"
Xue Rou felt wronged and said, "Granduncle, how can you say that? Don't you know what kind of character I have?"
"Heh, I wouldn't dare claim I know it completely."
Xue Zhiyi didn't treat Xue Rou like family at all, nor did he show any intention of caring about her.
So anxious that tears were about to fall, Xue Rou hurriedly nudged Su Hao, signaling him to say something.
"He's standing on the moral high ground right now. Anything you say is useless," Su Hao said, shaking his head as he understood what Xue Rou was thinking.
"Unless we can produce ironclad proof, he won't believe it."
Hearing Su Hao's reply, Xue Zhiyi sneered, "Although your words are disrespectful, kid, your logic isn't wrong."
"Rourou, there's no proof for this matter, so don't go spreading nonsense in the future. Today I'll pretend I never heard it, and let this end here."
He looked at Xue Rou coldly, as if she were simply stirring up trouble and making things up out of thin air.
Xue Rou was about to speak again when Su Hao leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
His voice was so soft that Xue Zhiyi didn't hear it.
Yet Xue Rou's body trembled slightly, and all her grievance and frustration vanished, replaced by calm and composure.
"Granduncle, you're right. I was being rash!"
Xue Zhiyi was greatly puzzled by Xue Rou's sudden change in attitude, but he didn't dwell on it, assuming Su Hao had talked some sense into her.
Little did he know, however, that a stormy sea was already raging within Xue Rou's heart.
Because Su Hao had just told her: the mastermind behind the poisoning was very likely Xue Zhiyi himself!
At that moment, several investigators in charge of the hit-and-run case came to the door to brief the Xue family on the latest developments.
"The driver has been caught. He had been drinking and claimed he didn't mean to hit anyone—he just failed to control his brakes, which led to the tragedy."
"The reason he fled afterward was because he was too terrified. Now he has come to surrender himself, accompanied by his family."
"Did you administer a breathalyzer test on him?" Su Hao asked pointedly.
Hearing this question, one of the investigators said impatiently, "How else do you think I determined he was driving under the influence?"
"Did you draw his blood then?" Su Hao continued.
"There was no need for that. Our equipment can measure it, and the driver was very cooperative, so we didn't go to the hospital."
Xue Zhiyi sneered from the side, "I'd say you've about had your fill—why do you keep asking such stupid questions? These things are common knowledge to us city folk."
"If you really don't understand, just ask Rourou later. Don't waste the investigator comrade's time."
Xue Zhiyi had assumed that as an elder, no one would dare question whatever he said. To his surprise, Su Hao snapped back instantly, his words leaving Xue Zhiyi's face turning livid.
"Spouting nonsense here is what's truly wasting everyone's time."
"You brat, who gave you the right to talk to me like that?" Xue Zhiyi flew into a rage.
"Do you know that even Xue Kangning is my cousin and has to lower himself a notch before me? What qualification does a mere granddaughter's husband have to shout and swagger in front of me?"
Ignoring the fuming Xue Zhiyi, Su Hao turned to the two investigators and said, "I suspect this driver was intentionally driving under the influence. Some people will specifically pay off desperate individuals—such as those with terminal illnesses or heavy loan shark debts—using huge rewards as temptation to help them commit murder."
"To be frank with you, a strange incident recently occurred in our family. Someone poisoned my grandfather, and Aunt Qin was very likely aware of it."
"Yet right at this critical juncture, Aunt Qin met with disaster, and the driver scapegoat surrendered to your police station so quickly. I believe it's necessary to investigate his physical and financial condition."
The investigators hadn't known about the poisoning incident within the Xue family. Hearing Su Hao say this now, they too felt something was fishy.
"Alright, I will report this upward truthfully."
The two of them immediately said their goodbyes and hurried back to the station to report...
Chapter 19: You're in luck, my martial uncle is right here in Jinling!
Half an hour later, Shen Yue and Xue Er returned to the Xue family residence.
The two of them had already handled Aunt Qin's aftermath, utilizing insurance compensation. Although it was only three million, it was enough to ensure Aunt Qin's son would live a worry-free second half of his life.
Misfortunes never come singly, and Shen Yue received another piece of bad news.
Even though she had run out to the balcony to take the call, just by looking at her ugly expression, Xue Rou knew that the cooperation with Dazzling Group must have hit a snag.
"Mom, it's okay. What's meant to be will be; what's not meant to be shouldn't be forced."
"Actually, if I hadn't been so stubborn and refused to bow down to Xue Aohan, the cooperation with Dazzling Group wouldn't have fallen through either..."
At this point, Xue Rou recounted everything that had happened that morning.
Hearing that Xue Aohan had actually made her daughter kneel, Shen Yue instantly blew her top.
"Has this ungrateful wretch lost her mind? Climbing up a high branch makes her act so arrogant and blind?"
"You did the right thing, Rourou. Our family has backbone; we don't bend our knees to people like that!"
"Forget it. It's certainly a pity that the cooperation with Dazzling Group fell through, but personal dignity is more important. Heaven never cuts off all avenues—Mom will help you think of a way."
Though Shen Yue said this on the outside, her heart had turned half cold.
Dazzling Group was one of the few large corporations in Jinling. The failure of cooperation with them was a massive blow to Upper Xue Group, something no amount of self-comfort could mend.
Sitting to one side and watching the family of three fall silent, Su Hao found an excuse to step outside and dialed Lin Langtian's number.
Before Su Hao could even speak, Lin Langtian's embarrassed voice came through the receiver.
"Monarch, Dazzling Group has been experiencing internal power struggles these past two days, and the situation is quite chaotic."
"The person in charge of Tiger Dynasty in Jinling is also a proud, haughty woman who happens to be on her period these two days, making her short-tempered and uncooperative."
"I've already put pressure on her. She'll have it sorted out by tomorrow at the latest. If she fails, I'll make her bleed everywhere and unable to budge an inch."
Su Hao's expression turned peculiar. "Aren't you gay?"
"Monarch, I'm only gay for you. Everyone else is straight as an arrow."
"..."
Su Hao's eyelid twitched as he speechless hung up the phone.
Just as he was about to step back into the Xue residence, he sensed two gazes watching him from the shadows.
"Eight o'clock direction—the two people who were following Xue Rou and me this morning."
After pondering for a moment, Su Hao decided to go meet them.
………………
At the same time, President Sun was hosting Feng Zhongyi for dinner.
No sooner had they sat down than a visitor arrived.
The visitor was Zhao Chenggong, the head of the Zhao family and one of the wealthiest men in Jinling.
Learning of his arrival, President Sun hurried downstairs to greet him personally, fearing any sign of discouragement or disrespect.
"Mr. Zhao, long time no see. What brings you the time to visit me today?"
"I heard Elder Feng is here with you, so I specially came to see him." Zhao Chenggong made no pretense and got straight to the point.
Believing he didn't share such deep relations with Zhao Chenggong, Feng Zhongyi calmly replied, "If you wanted to see me, a simple phone call would have sufficed. Why go through the trouble of making a trip?"
"Elder Feng, to be honest, I'm actually here today to ask for your help with something," Zhao Chenggong stated directly.
"My wife has fallen ill for many days now. Her condition is even more critical and severe than before, so I'm afraid I have to trouble you to visit and take another look."
Hearing Zhao Chenggong speak of his wife's illness, Feng Zhongyi wore a troubled expression.
"Mr. Zhao, it's not that I don't want to help you, but your wife's illness is exceedingly bizarre. I can't even figure out where the problem lies, so how can I speak of treating it?"
Zhao Chenggong seemed prepared for this response and revealed his ultimate purpose: "Elder Feng, I've heard that your master's medical skills are even more profound. Could you please pull some strings and ask your master to come out and examine my wife?"
"This..."
Faced with this request, Feng Zhongyi said with some difficulty, "Mr. Zhao, my master is advanced in years and dislikes making public appearances."
"Furthermore, he is currently the personal physician to a major dignitary. Without a special pass, he cannot leave the capital either, so..."
Hearing this, Zhao Chenggong's expression immediately dimmed.
While he was indeed a prominent figure in Jinling, compared to the genuine power brokers in the capital, he amounted to nothing. How could he possibly hope to invite Feng Zhongyi's master?
It seemed he had indeed been indulging in wishful thinking!
Just as Zhao Chenggong shook his head with a sigh and prepared to leave, President Sun suddenly thought of something. He turned to Feng Zhongyi and asked, "Medical King Feng, shouldn't Mr. Su's abilities be no less inferior to your master's?"
At these words, Feng Zhongyi's eyes lit up with sudden realization.
"Mr. Zhao, you are in luck! My martial uncle is right here in Jinling!"
"If he takes action to diagnose the illness, the probability of curing your wife is even higher than my master!"
Hearing this, Zhao Chenggong swung from grief to joy in an instant. He grabbed Feng Zhongyi's hand and asked excitedly, "Elder Feng, is what you said true?"
"May I ask where your martial uncle is right now? I'll go invite him immediately!"
"If he can really help cure my wife's illness, I am willing to offer a consultation fee of one hundred million as a token of gratitude!"
Hearing this astronomical figure, President Sun couldn't help swallowing hard.
True to form, the Zhao family was wealthy and extravagant, casually throwing out a sky-high price at the mention of a cure.
"My martial uncle was with us just a few hours ago. If you had come earlier, you probably would have crossed paths," Feng Zhongyi laughed heartily.
"It doesn't matter, though. I'll help sound him out about it later. Doctors have benevolent hearts; I imagine he won't refuse."
"However, I must warn you beforehand: my martial uncle has a somewhat eccentric temper and dislikes being bossed around or given directions."
"Since you share no family ties with him, you must be extremely mindful of your words and actions when the time comes so as not to offend him."
Zhao Chenggong found Feng Zhongyi's warning a bit baffling.
Feng Zhongyi was already pushing seventy this year, which meant his martial uncle must be close to a hundred years old. No matter how ignorant of etiquette he might be, he certainly wouldn't speak rudely to such an elderly man.
Why did he need to give such a deliberate warning?
"Elder Feng, you can rest easy. I, Zhao Chenggong, am a man who values propriety above all else. I will definitely not offend his venerable self!"
"Uh, well, he isn't exactly an old man..."
Feng Zhongyi gave an awkward laugh and added, "Anyway, just go back and wait for my news."
"Many thanks!"
Zhao Chenggong cupped his fists in a salute and departed with a heavy burden lifted from his mind.
"Congratulations, Medical King Feng, you've secured another massive favor." President Sun was consumed by a mix of envy and jealousy.
With Su Hao's medical prowess, curing Zhao Chenggong's wife would undoubtedly be effortless.
As the intermediary, Feng Zhongyi merely had to invite Su Hao to earn Zhao Chenggong's deep gratitude for free. Whenever he needed something in the future, he could rely on Zhao Chenggong—a pure, blood-red profit.
To his surprise, however, Feng Zhongyi merely snorted in disdain.
"Befriending my martial uncle is the greatest favor of all. What do the rest of those things even count as?"
Hearing this, President Sun felt a wave of awkward embarrassment wash over him.
Indeed!
With Su Hao's capabilities, once he went to Yanjing in the future, countless big figures would be kneeling to curry favor with him.
A mere favor from Zhao Chenggong? What did that even amount to?