Chapter 1132: 742 You must give me an explanation_2
"So, don’t worry about me. I won’t go astray."
After saying this, Ding Yuxue thanked Director Cha again. Then, she quickly returned to the School with her son and went straight to the Dean’s office.
She had already made her plan. She would enter the room, slam the inspection sheet onto the Dean’s desk, and then have a good cry, seeing if the Dean would handle this matter or not.
But things didn’t go as planned, or perhaps fate intervened; the door to the Dean’s office wouldn’t open.
Clearly, the Dean wasn’t in that afternoon.
However, Ding Yuxue didn’t give up. She turned and headed for the Secretary’s office.
Unfortunately, the Secretary’s office door was also locked tight.
But was that the end of it?
Of course not. How could Ding Yuxue give up so easily?
Holding the inspection sheet in one hand and her son with the other, she stormed off towards the Political and Educational Affairs Office.
Du Heng, as a Teacher, was also under the jurisdiction of the Political and Educational Affairs Office.
However, Ding Yuxue’s actions made Director Zhao of the Political and Educational Affairs Office rub his forehead in frustration.
Did the Dean specially recruit Du Heng into the college and even directly promise him an Associate Professor position just because Du Heng was handsome?
PAH!
It was because Du Heng held a goose that was about to lay golden eggs in his hands.
Now that Ding Yuxue had come to him, what could he possibly do? Find Du Heng, scold him, and then make him apologize to Ding Yuxue? Was that even remotely possible? Anyone with half a brain could see that was impossible. Regardless of whether what Du Heng said was true or false, the moment he apologized, it would mean he had lied. Moreover, it would let everyone know he was a despicable, vile wretch. So, no need to overthink it; for that reason alone, Du Heng would never apologize to Ding Yuxue.
So, should he just scold Du Heng and discipline him without asking for reasons, regardless of whether he apologized? What a joke! He wouldn’t be surprised if, before he even got the words out, the Dean reassigned him to cleaning the toilets!
Director Zhao thought for a long time but couldn’t find a solution. Ding Yuxue’s wailing beside him made it impossible to concentrate on finding one, and he was truly at his wit’s end.
Suddenly, Director Zhao’s gaze fell upon the desk calendar; the word "Friday" instantly gave him an idea.
Stall! Delay it until next Monday. With a buffer of two or three days, Ding Yuxue’s anger would have subsided somewhat, and he would have time to think of a solution. If worst came to worst, he could at least communicate with the Dean and Du Heng first.
"Teacher Ding, please give me some time on this matter. I’ll use these two days over the weekend to investigate. Coincidentally, the Dean and the Secretary have gone to the city for a meeting. When they return, and after I’ve reported to them, we can discuss this further. How does that sound?"
Only when Ding Yuxue had cried her fill, or perhaps when her throat was too dry to wail any longer, did Director Zhao finally find an opportunity to speak.
But Ding Yuxue wouldn’t hear of it. She grabbed Director Zhao, demanding justice then and there.
But Director Zhao was no pushover. He had dealt with several people a hundred times more difficult than Ding Yuxue; he wasn’t about to ’compromise his principles’ and give in to her demands now.
Actually, Ding Yuxue knew in her heart that her primary goal in doing all this was to make her stance clear. Otherwise, that old fox Director Zhao would definitely try to pass the buck and smooth things over.
Now that her objective was achieved, Ding Yuxue led her son home.
Once home, Ding Yuxue seemed like a completely different person. She spoke gently and tenderly, a kind and virtuous wife, meticulously caring for her husband and son.
"Son, come and eat," Ding Yuxue called softly at this moment, then she called out to her husband, "Honey, dinner’s ready."
As her voice faded, a deep male voice responded. Following the sound, a man wearing glasses and exuding an air of scholarly elegance walked towards the dining table.
"SNIFF! Wow, darling, the meal you made today smells amazing!" The man, walking towards the dining table, praised Ding Yuxue’s cooking with exaggerated gestures and an excited voice.
As her husband praised her, a satisfied expression appeared on Ding Yuxue’s face as she brought out more dishes. "Quick, call our son out to eat."
"Alright, as you wish, my dear," the man said with a soft laugh, then turned towards the bedroom and called out, "Son, come out and eat! Your mother made a lot of your favorite dishes."
At his father’s urging, the little boy listlessly walked out of the bedroom.
At the dining table, the boy picked at the food in his bowl. The dishes he usually couldn’t get enough of tasted bland to him today; he had no appetite at all.
The man glanced at the little boy doubtfully, then turned to Ding Yuxue and asked, "Is his cold severe? Why isn’t he eating properly?"
Ding Yuxue’s expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly smiled. "He’s probably feeling unwell from the cold and doesn’t have much of an appetite."
Her voice had barely faded when the little boy put down his chopsticks. Looking at his parents, he said, "Mom, I’m full. I’m going to go lie down for a bit."
Ding Yuxue hesitated. "Son, eat a little more. You barely ate anything at lunchtime."
"No, thanks. I’ll go lie down first. I’ll eat later if I get hungry," the little boy said, then turned and left the dining table, coughing all the way.
Watching the little boy’s retreating figure, the man frowned slightly. "His cough sounds quite severe, shouldn’t we take him to the Hospital for another Check-up?"
Ding Yuxue slowly shook her head, her earlier good mood gradually dissipating with her son’s departure. "There’s no need. I took him to the Hospital again today, and Director Cha said it’s just a cold. When we got home this evening, he had an IV drip and took his medicine. He’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep."
After speaking, she also began to pick at her food.
The man could see that Ding Yuxue had something on her mind and asked gently, "What’s wrong? You seem troubled."
Ding Yuxue forced a smile at her husband. "It’s nothing. Just focus on your own work. You can’t let anything go wrong with this art exhibition."
His eyes filled with tenderness. "Don’t worry. After burying myself in research for so many years, I’m sure I’ll make a big splash this time. When that happens, I’ll make up for everything I’ve owed you all these years, all at once. I feel like I’ve achieved nothing all these years. I couldn’t even contribute a penny for our child’s formula back then. You’ve sacrificed so much for me, for this family."
Her husband’s heartfelt words improved Ding Yuxue’s mood considerably. "It’s alright. You’re still young. Just because you’re not earning much now doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. Don’t overthink things every day. Just focus on your work."
In the end, Ding Yuxue didn’t mention what happened at the School that day, afraid it would affect her husband’s creative inspiration.
Over the next two days, besides caring for her son at home—accompanying him while he took his medicine and received IV drips—Ding Yuxue constantly called the Director of the Political and Educational Affairs Office, urging him and pressing for updates on her situation, continually pressuring Director Zhao.
However, watching her son cough incessantly every day, so much so that he couldn’t sleep at night, a sense of unease began to grow in her heart.
Especially on Sunday evening, when her husband predictably went off to attend to his affairs, she was once again home alone with her son. The child, coughing even in his sleep, made her heart ache even more.
She had made up her mind. Tomorrow morning, after getting up, she wouldn’t go looking for Director Zhao or the Dean first. She had to take her son to the Hospital again.
Despite several consecutive days of medicine and IV drips, her son’s cough hadn’t improved at all. Moreover, he hadn’t eaten for two days. This started to make her panic.
As dawn broke, Ding Yuxue got up and started bustling about. When it was nearly time, she called her son to get up.
Today, however, she called him several times, but her son neither responded nor got out of bed. This forced her to push open his bedroom door.
But when she saw her son, his appearance truly terrified her.
His face was flushed red and swollen. With every breath, a RATTLE came from his throat.
What frightened her most was that her son, right beside her, couldn’t be woken up at all. And when she gently pushed him, she found his body was burning hot.
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