Hiding behind the bookshelf, Xia Wan's eyes, which had been calm as still water, narrowed slightly when she heard the name "Zhao Guodong," and a barely perceptible glint flashed within them.

She thought to herself: Isn't this Xia Shuhua's husband? Could it be that Guo Guanghua wants to cooperate with Zhao Guodong? If so, then he has a cooperative relationship with Xia Shuhua, right?

Xia Wan wondered whether she should talk to Grandpa Xia about this!

At this moment, Guo Guanghua was completely unaware that someone else was hiding in his study. He quickly opened a drawer, took out a thick file bag, and hurriedly left the study, as if afraid of being discovered.

With Guo Guanghua gone, the study returned to its tranquility.

However, Xia Wan was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, she began to search around the study.

She first carefully examined every document and book on the desk, but found nothing; then she squatted down and checked the cabinet under the desk, but still couldn't find any valuable clues.

Unwilling to give up, she even climbed onto the bookshelf and flipped through the neatly arranged books one by one, hoping to find some clues.

However, no matter how hard Xia Wan searched, she turned the entire study upside down, but still couldn't find anything useful to her! Helpless, Xia Wan had no choice but to stop what she was doing and sigh softly.

"Hmph, that old fox is really wary! He won't even keep a single important item in his study. I don't believe it. How could someone as cunning as him not have something that could give someone leverage over him? He must have carefully hidden those things that could be detrimental to him elsewhere." Thinking of this, Xia Wan frowned, secretly pondering how to proceed to find this crucial evidence.

She didn't find what she was looking for, but she seemed quite calm and composed, as if she didn't care at all.

However, she still mischievously left some traces of her presence in his bookish study before fluttering away like a light butterfly.

Back at the hospital, Xia Wan's heart was always with Guo Guanghua.

She stared intently at the computer screen, occasionally checking relevant information carefully in the hospital's system.

At this moment, she became even more convinced of the things that had actually happened.

Therefore, when she finally found out the exact time that Zhao Guodong had agreed to meet with Guo Guanghua, she secretly made up her mind to go and find out what kind of plans and schemes the two of them had!

However, to Xia Wan's surprise, she waited and waited, but Zhao Guodong never responded to Guo Guanghua's invitation.

Just as she was filled with anxiety and restlessness, a crisp knock on the door suddenly broke the tranquility of the ward.

Upon hearing this sudden noise, the three people in the ward were stunned and stood there in place.

Xia Tao was the first to come to his senses, muttering to himself, "Who could it be at this hour? The doctor would have been off work long ago..."

He slowly stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

As the door slowly opened, a woman dressed in exquisite attire appeared before them. She was impeccably dressed from head to toe, clearly paying great attention to her appearance.

Unfortunately, her beautiful face was now clouded with gloom, as if shrouded in a thick layer of smog, making one feel rather uneasy. Moreover, the corners of her mouth drooped down, as if someone owed her millions.

Seeing Xia Tao open the door, the woman forced a smile and asked, "Excuse me, is this Comrade Xia Jianguo's ward?"

"Oh, yes, what could you possibly want with my father?" Xia Tao looked at Xia Shuhua standing at the door with a suspicious expression, muttering to himself.

The woman in front of me was wearing a brightly colored but somewhat strangely styled dress, an outfit quite different from the typical image of a doctor or nurse.

Xia Shuhua noticed Xia Tao's stunned and bewildered appearance. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, but the smile seemed particularly perfunctory, as if it were just a polite response.

At the same time, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of disdain flashed in her eyes, but this momentary change in emotion did not escape Xia Tao's keen observation.

"I've come to talk to Comrade Xia Jianguo about something. I'm his own sister!" Xia Shuhua said as she forcefully pushed away Xia Tao, who was blocking her way. Her movements were swift, decisive, and without any hesitation.

Caught off guard, Xia Tao staggered back several steps, nearly falling to the ground in a disheveled state.

His face instantly darkened, and he complained angrily, "Hey! What's wrong with you? How dare you barge into someone else's hospital room and act so rudely!"

However, Xia Shuhua seemed not to hear Xia Tao's accusations, and strode into the ward, heading straight for the bed where Xia Jianguo was lying.

Upon reaching the bedside, she immediately put on a warm and enthusiastic face, and said in a sweet voice, "Oh my, you must be Brother Jianguo! I am your third sister, Xia Shuhua!"

As she spoke, her eyes darted around, and she made no attempt to hide her gaze as she looked around the ward.

Looking at the simple furnishings and outdated decor, she couldn't help but frown, a look of disdain on her face. She muttered a complaint, "My dad's so incompetent! Why couldn't he transfer you to the military hospital? The environment there is so much better than here..."

Xia Wan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a disdainful sneer. She rudely interrupted the other woman before she could finish speaking: "Oh ho! I say, auntie, which hospital did you come from? You actually dare to randomly claim brothers here. I had no idea my father had a sister!"

As Xia Wan spoke, she looked Xia Shuhua up and down, noting her plump figure, plain face, and somewhat unfashionable clothes.

Upon hearing Xia Wan's merciless words, Xia Shuhua's face turned pale and then red, looking extremely unpleasant.

However, having experienced some situations, she quickly suppressed her anger and forced out a seemingly gentle and friendly smile.

"Oh my, you must be Xia Wan! I'm not your aunt. According to seniority, you should call me aunt." Xia Shuhua said, trying to appear kind and friendly.