Chapter 111 She simply cannot live without Jiang Wanqiu

Jiang Wanqiu noticed that Cui Hua was pursing his lips, his eyes fixed on her, as if he was saying something.

She leaned down, trying to hear more clearly.

Cui Hua's chapped lips moved, and a faint, almost inaudible breath escaped from her throat intermittently.

"...Help...help me..."

Zhao Wenchang had exceptional hearing, so he naturally heard even the faint murmur.

The man's brows furrowed instantly into a deep frown.

Anyone with eyes can see that something is wrong with Cui Hua's situation.

Although Lin Mengyao hadn't heard what Cui Hua had said, judging from the expressions on their faces, he definitely hadn't said anything nice about her. She immediately retorted, "The patient just received a sedative; it's normal for him to be a little delirious. Battalion Commander Zhao, Comrade Jiang, since you've already examined him and he's indeed alright, perhaps you could…"

Her words implied that she wanted to get rid of people.

Cui Hua was pulling on her clothes so hard that Jiang Wanqiu felt that if the girl didn't let go, her clothes would be torn open.

The coarse cloth clothes really couldn't withstand such pulling.

She tried to gently pry Cui Hua's hand off her clothes, but was shocked to find that this seemingly weak girl had a frighteningly strong grip!

Those fingers were like iron clamps, firmly welded to her fabric, and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't budge.

“In that case, I won’t leave yet.” Jiang Wanqiu was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Mengyao. “Her condition is very serious, and she can’t be left alone. I want to stay and take care of her.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Mengyao naturally refused no matter what.

"Comrade Jiang, I'll say it again, this is a mentally ill person! If they get emotional, they might hit or bite. Who will be responsible if something happens?" She paused, her tone suddenly taking on a sarcastic tone. "Or is it that Cui Hua's father is Minister Cui? Are you... trying to climb the social ladder? Trying to curry favor with the Cui family? You should consider whether you have the ability!"

"Alright." Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenchang's anger inexplicably flared up.

He looked coldly at Lin Mengyao: "Jiang Wanqiu, stay."

Zhao Wenchang spoke succinctly, and at the end, he added, "We will take responsibility for anything that happens."

Lin Mengyao was a hundred times unwilling.

If this woman stays, what if she steals my credit later...

However, Zhao Wenchang remained adamant. After arguing with him for a long time to no avail, she could only grit her teeth and squeeze out, "Fine! You keep an eye on him. Don't blame me if anything goes wrong!"

After saying that, she glared at Jiang Wanqiu, turned around, and slammed the door shut as she left.

Seeing the girl on the bed trembling violently, Zhao Wenchang wanted to go over and say a few words of comfort, but as soon as he took a step, Cui Hua on the bed shrank back like a frightened rabbit, trembling even more violently.

Jiang Wanqiu immediately noticed, and she quickly turned around and whispered to Zhao Wenchang, "You should go out first, she... she seems to be very afraid of you."

Zhao Wenchang stopped in his tracks.

He touched his high, straight nose, his handsome, sword-like eyebrows slightly raised, looking somewhat amused and exasperated.

He asked Jiang Wanqiu in a low voice, "Do I look fierce?"

Looking at the man's well-defined, imposing face, and then at his imposing military uniform, Jiang Wanqiu wanted to say "yes," but seeing the rare helplessness in his eyes, she softened.

She pulled the person to the doorway, and said in a soft, comforting tone, "It's not that you're fierce, it's just that she was too frightened. With your build, standing here like a mountain, how could she not be afraid?"

Zhao Wenchang was very pleased with these words.

He glanced at Cui Hua on the bed and could only say, "Be careful, don't let her hurt you."

After saying that, he turned around, closed the door, and left.

...

Cui Hua vaguely smelled a very familiar scent.

She felt as if she had returned to her spacious and bright home in Beijing. Her mother was arranging flowers, and her father was reading the newspaper.

They wouldn't let her go out to play, saying it was too chaotic outside.

The constant, strict surveillance was suffocating her.

She had a huge argument with them, stormed off, and said she was going to Shanghai to find her aunt...

She remembers boarding the train to Shanghai, getting off the train, and then... then her head started to hurt, and she knew nothing more.

My head...it hurts so much! It really hurts!

Cui Hua suddenly curled up, clutching her head tightly with both hands, whimpering in pain.

A warm, soft hand gently grasped her cold hand.

Cui Hua trembled and suddenly opened her eyes, meeting a pair of eyes full of concern and tenderness.

It's Jiang Wanqiu.

She's still here; she hasn't left.

Cui Hua stared blankly at her, then at the flickering candlelight on the table. After a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "...Where am I?"

"You're safe in the hospital," Jiang Wanqiu said softly.

“The hospital…” Cui Hua murmured, fear resurfacing in her eyes, “After you left yesterday, they came again! They hit me, they hit me!”

She spoke incoherently, but the pleading in her eyes was crystal clear: "I'm scared, can you take me away from here?"

Jiang Wanqiu frowned slightly and squeezed her hand: "Don't be afraid, the military region has already sent a telegram to your family. Your parents should arrive in the next couple of days."

Dad, Mom...

Yes, it seems she also has parents.

Seeing that the person's emotions had stabilized a bit, Jiang Wanqiu got up and prepared to fetch some hot water for them.

No sooner had she stood up than Cui Hua grabbed Jiang Wanqiu's sleeve again: "Don't go, please don't go again, okay? If you leave, they'll come in and beat me again..."

Seeing her like this, Jiang Wanqiu sighed, "Fine, I won't leave."

But the two of them couldn't just sit idly in the hospital room forever.

When it was time to eat, Jiang Wanqiu helped Cui Hua up from the hospital bed: "I'll take you out for a walk, and we'll go to the kitchen to get some food. You must be hungry too."

"I'm hungry." Cui Hua nodded obediently.

Jiang Wanqiu helped Cui Hua, whose body was still a little weak, and slowly walked out of the ward.

Having just finished getting a bowl of millet porridge from the hospital's kitchen, Cui Hua was helping him head back when they bumped into an angry Lin Mengyao.

Upon seeing them, Lin Mengyao's eyebrows shot up, and she pointed at Jiang Wanqiu, sternly reprimanding her. Her voice was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire hallway:

"Jiang Wanqiu! Who gave you permission to bring her out?! Don't you know the rules?! How can a mentally ill person leave their room so easily?! What if they go crazy and hurt someone?!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the patients' family members who were getting food and chatting around them instantly changed.

A dozen pairs of eyes suddenly fell on Cui Hua and Jiang Wanqiu with a mixture of fear and disgust.

They actually have a mentally ill person living here!

It's the same old excuse again.

A nameless fire surged in Jiang Wanqiu's heart.

“Dr. Lin, I’d like to ask you something,” Jiang Wanqiu said, supporting Cui Hua’s arm so she could lean on him, before directly questioning her, “You keep calling me mentally ill. If I remember correctly, treating mental illnesses requires specialized qualifications. You’re a surgeon, so what, are you now handling psychiatric work all by yourself? I have serious doubts about your medical qualifications! Can I see your relevant certificates?”

Lin Mengyao was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Wanqiu to know so much.

She doesn't have the certificate, so if this matter is taken to higher authorities, she will be held responsible!

However, she couldn't show weakness now, so she could only say with a fierce but inwardly cowardly tone, "What do you know, you layman! We professionals have our own reasons for doing things, who are you to point fingers at?!"

Seeing that Jiang Wanqiu was about to ask something, Lin Mengyao hurriedly said, "Alright, stop talking nonsense and take her back to her ward right now! Can you take responsibility if something happens to her!"

This Jiang Wanqiu is really a tough one to deal with. She needs to think of a way to get rid of the woman as soon as possible, lest she ruin her good plans!

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a jeep with a Beijing license plate came screeching to a halt in the military compound, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The car door opened, and a man and a woman got out.

The man was around sixty years old, dressed impeccably in a Zhongshan suit, his brows bearing the dignified air of someone who had long held a high position, but at this moment his deep eyes were filled with anxiety and exhaustion.

The woman appeared to be around the same age, but her well-maintained face bore the marks of time, and her hair was several shades whiter than her peers. The dark circles under her eyes and her red-rimmed eyes indicated that she hadn't slept a wink the entire way.

Chief Yue personally came out to greet them. Upon seeing the visitors, he immediately extended his hand and said, "Minister Cui, sister-in-law, you must be tired from your journey."

Minister Cui shook his hand firmly: "Old Le, let's skip the formalities."

Madam Cui, who was beside him, was even more impatient: "Old Le, where is that girl... where is that girl?"

Six years have passed. In these six years, they have had too many hopes and too many disappointments.

Minister Cui patted his wife's hand, signaling her not to worry. Finally, he looked at Chief Le and said in a deep voice, "Old Le, we've come here just to confirm. If it's not true, I have an important meeting in Beijing and need to get back as soon as possible."

His words sounded calm, but the slight trembling of his fingertips when he held his wife's hand betrayed the torment in his heart.

Chief Le saw this and sighed inwardly. He nodded emphatically, "Understood. The person is at the main hospital. I'll take you there."

Without a moment's delay, the group hurriedly got into the car and headed straight for the main hospital.

At that moment, in the ward, a young nurse was carrying a tray, preparing to give Cui Hua an IV drip.

Jiang Wanqiu had kept watch all night. She had just washed her face with cold water. Her face, which was not covered in makeup, was still bright and beautiful, but there was a hint of weariness in her eyes.

When she saw the nurse about to give Cui Hua an injection, she stepped forward to help comfort Cui Hua, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the label on the medicine bottle.

Jiang Wanqiu frowned.

She recognized the medicine.

In his past life, Wang's good-for-nothing brother-in-law was always getting into fights and brawls, ending up with injuries and hospitalized. The doctors loved to give him IV drips.

It is said to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and prevent thrombosis.

But Cui Hua had no external injuries at all. She was just physically weak and mentally traumatized. Why would she need such a blood-activating medicine?

She had heard from the doctor that if a normal person used this medicine, their blood clotting function would drop significantly, and in severe cases, it could even cause internal bleeding, which could be fatal!

"Wait a minute!" Jiang Wanqiu almost instinctively reached out and stopped the nurse from inserting the needle.

The nurse was startled: "What are you doing?"

“This medicine cannot be used,” Jiang Wanqiu’s face darkened, her beautiful eyes filled with vigilance and doubt. “She is not a trauma patient, so why use a blood-activating medicine?”

The nurse was taken aback by the question and stammered, "This is...this is Dr. Lin's medical order, I was just following the procedure."

"Call your Dr. Lin here. I want to ask her in person!"

Seeing her firm attitude, the nurse didn't dare to make a decision on her own, so she had no choice but to put down the syringe and run to find Lin Mengyao.

Less than two minutes later, Lin Mengyao stormed in angrily. Before she even arrived, her sharp voice lashed out: "Jiang Wanqiu! What are you trying to do now? Disrupting normal medical order time and time again, what are you up to!"

She rushed to the bedside, pointed at Jiang Wanqiu's nose, and yelled, "Let me tell you, this is a hospital, not a place for you to run wild! If you cause any more trouble, get out!"

As he spoke, he instructed the nurse to hold Cui Hua down and administer the injection.

"No! I don't want a shot!" Cui Hua screamed in terror, clutching Jiang Wanqiu's sleeve tightly. "Help me! Help me!"

"Let her go!" Jiang Wanqiu was also angered and reached out to block Lin Mengyao.

Seeing this, the nurse came over to help, pulling on Cui Hua's arm to prevent her from scratching Dr. Lin.

In an instant, the small ward was in complete chaos.

Just then, an angry voice suddenly came from the ward door: "Stop! What are you doing!"