Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Following into Madness
Song Zijin kept a hand pressed to his face, which still felt warm from Jiaojiao’s palm.
Everyone was saying his face had been slapped by his wife, so he was still lost in a state of excitement. He only came to his senses halfway there when he realized they were heading toward the hospital.
He stopped in his tracks, saying, "Uncle Song, I’m fine. We don’t need to go to the hospital."
"You silly boy, don’t you know how to take care of yourself? Why did you have to get into a fight?" Uncle Song chided.
"Heh heh, Uncle Song, my face is just a little swollen. Look, not even a scratch."
Song Zijin was too embarrassed to admit he hadn’t fought back, after all, his face was swollen like a pig’s head.
"Even if it’s just a surface wound, you should still get it looked at. Just look at how swollen your face is," Uncle Song said with concern.
Song Zijin insisted on going home, and Uncle Song couldn’t sway him. A major reason was that Jiaojiao was a Divine Doctor; she wouldn’t have truly harmed his nephew.
The passersby couldn’t have cared less. They were just there for the spectacle and didn’t give a damn whether Song Zijin was actually hurt.
In the end, once Uncle Song confirmed that Song Zijin’s face was merely swollen, he relented and they headed home together.
When Song Zijin got home, he flopped onto his bed and stared blankly at the white ceiling, the day’s events replaying in his mind.
Memories of his time with Gu Jiaojiao over the years played out in his head, one after another.
Even the image of Jiaojiao hitting him was so vivid and adorable. As he thought of Jiaojiao, a lecherous grin spread across Song Zijin’s face.
"Achoo..."
Gu Jiaojiao, who was pushing the wheelchair toward the Ren Family’s door, couldn’t help but rub her nose and sneeze.
Seeing this, Su Shuochi couldn’t help but chuckle. "Wifey, you’re not catching a cold, are you?"
Gu Jiaojiao shook her head. "No way. I was perfectly fine a moment ago. Someone must be cursing me."
Su Shuochi smiled. "They say one sneeze means someone is thinking of you. It must be your father or mother."
Gu Jiaojiao agreed that her parents were probably thinking of her. Just then, Mr. Ren happened to walk out of the house.
He must have been waiting eagerly, because he spoke with a guilty conscience the moment he saw Gu Jiaojiao.
"Shuo Ci, Jiaojiao, I was just talking about you, and here you are."
The reason Mr. Ren felt guilty was that he had just gotten off the phone with his eldest son.
His son had told him that his daughter, Ren Cuiping, was already on her way back to Qing City and would arrive home that afternoon.
Mr. Ren didn’t know if she would go to the Sheng Family’s home first or come back to the Ren family’s. What he dreaded most was the scene of his daughter and granddaughter meeting again.
Given his daughter’s bitter resentment, she would surely give Jiaojiao a hard time. Mr. Ren had already made up his mind: he would postpone the surgery for a few days.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiaojiao and Su Shuochi exchanged a knowing smile. Their eyes said the same thing: someone really was thinking about her.
Upon entering the Ren family’s living room, Gu Jiaojiao quickly went and linked her arm with Mr. Ren’s. "Grandpa, have you eaten? I’m here to perform your surgery."
Mr. Ren smiled lovingly. "Jiaojiao, I have everything ready, but I’m very scared. Can we... not do the surgery just yet, Jiaojiao?"
"Don’t be afraid, Grandpa. My wifey said she’ll give you a local anesthetic, so it won’t hurt at all. Wifey, here’s your toolkit."
As he spoke, Su Shuochi immediately handed over the medical kit from his wheelchair. They needed to get the surgery done quickly so they could prepare to leave for the Imperial City.
A bodyguard immediately stepped forward and respectfully took the kit. The Ren family had two bodyguards assigned to look after Mr. Ren.
There was also a middle-aged woman who handled the cooking and cleaning; the moment she saw Su Shuochi and his party enter, she had already served tea and snacks.
It was clear at a glance that Mr. Ren and his household were well-prepared; they had obviously been waiting for them.
Gu Jiaojiao shook her head. "I’ll skip the tea for now. Let’s prepare for surgery immediately. The procedure will take two hours at most."
The moment she finished speaking, everyone around her stared with wide, astonished eyes. Mr. Ren was stunned. "Only two hours? How is that possible!"
Gu Jiaojiao smiled. "Grandpa, this is just a minimally invasive procedure. Besides, Shu Ci has already provided me with advanced surgical equipment. Two hours is the most pessimistic estimate."
Mr. Ren looked at his confident, radiant granddaughter and hesitated. "I’m not worried about how long it will take, I just... could we possibly..."
Gu Jiaojiao couldn’t be bothered with any more pleasantries. She took out a needle and gave Mr. Ren a shot of local anesthetic.
The anesthetic would take twenty minutes to kick in before the surgery could begin. "Grandpa, is there something you want to tell me?"
Mr. Ren bit his lip. "Jiaojiao, I do have something I need to tell you."
Gu Jiaojiao turned, puzzled. "What is it? Please, just say what’s on your mind."
She studied Mr. Ren’s face. Her intuition told her that what he was about to say wasn’t going to be pleasant.
"Jiaojiao... I’m so sorry. Your mother... your adoptive mother is on her way back. I was thinking maybe we shouldn’t do the surgery today. I’m afraid she’ll..."
"Grandpa... who are you worried about?" Gu Jiaojiao asked, leaning down to look at Mr. Ren.
"Jiaojiao, I’m worried about you. If I haven’t had the surgery yet, I can still grab a broom and hit her..."
"Just hearing you say that is enough for me. The truth is, I’m not afraid of Ren Cuiping. I’ve only refrained from arguing with her face-to-face out of respect for the fact that she raised me.
Even though the Sheng Family has unilaterally cut ties with me, the fact that they raised me remains. That’s why I’m willing to give them a few more chances.
If Ren Cuiping curses me to my face again, I won’t hold back any longer. In truth, I’ve long since repaid the debt for raising me.
There’s a good saying: If you don’t have the strength of a lion, you shouldn’t have the heart of a saint.
After all, most people won’t be grateful for your kindness; they’ll just think you’re a powerless weakling."
The human weakness of being unable to stand seeing others succeed is particularly pronounced among the lower classes.
And the rich are adept at exploiting this same human weakness to manipulate the poor. Gu Jiaojiao understood these things all too well.
In both of her lives, Gu Jiaojiao had always been self-reliant. She would rather be wronged by everyone than owe anyone a debt she might not be able to repay.
Seeing his wifey was unhappy, Su Shuochi supported her as always. "My wifey is just being magnanimous. No one thinks you’re a weakling."
"Yes, Shuo Ci is right. I’m just afraid you’ll be wronged, Jiaojiao. Ren Cuiping, just like Yueyue, has gone completely mad."
Mr. Ren said, his heart aching for her. Recently, his two sons had been getting endless headaches from their sister’s incessant and unreasonable pestering.
His eldest son had even said over the phone, ’No wonder her husband wants a divorce. If he didn’t, he’d surely go mad one day too...’
Seeing that the anesthetic had taken effect, Gu Jiaojiao picked up a scalpel, paying no mind to Mr. Ren’s wandering, anxious thoughts.
Su Shuochi and Mr. Ren’s two bodyguards assisted her. It wasn’t a major operation.
Gu Jiaojiao worked with practiced ease. The sound of flesh being cut snapped Mr. Ren out of his reverie.
He looked up and saw the serious, focused expression on his granddaughter’s face. ’What a good girl she is!’
’If only she were his biological granddaughter!’
The surgery was over quickly. Just as she was bandaging the wound, a furious roar echoed from the entrance of the living room.
