Chapter Seventy-Five: The Truth of That Year

The cold water had soaked through his shirt, which clung tightly to his body.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingertips gently resting on the edge of the bathtub, pressing down on her restless hands.

When Gu Ming pushed the door open and came in, he looked up and saw the intertwined figures in the bathtub.

Xu Bozhou stood with his back to the door, his shoulders and back tense, even the water dripping from his soaked hair seemed to be a result of careful restraint.

He couldn't help but chuckle, shaking the medicine bottle in his hand: "You're the one who knows how to care for people."

Xu Bozhou spoke, his voice hoarse:

"Shut up, give me my medicine."

"Okay, okay."

Gu Ming squatted by the bathtub, and by the light of the bathroom ceiling light, pinched her chin and fed her the medicine powder mixed with warm water.

He took her pulse and glanced at Su Xiao. Although she was already unconscious, her breathing and heart rate were still relatively stable.

"It's nothing, you'll be fine after taking the medicine and getting some sleep."

Gu Ming tidied up the medicine bottles, his tone becoming more serious.

"Help her change into dry clothes and blow-dry her hair. Don't let her fall asleep while the medicine is taking effect and catch a cold."

Just as Xu Bozhou was about to reach out to help Su Xiao up, the bathroom door was pushed open with a "click".

Xu An casually tossed the Chanel bag in her hand to the ground and glanced at the two people stuck together in the bathtub.

"I'll change it for her."

She strode in and kicked the two of them out.

"Two grown men shouldn't just stand there."

She turned down her filming commitments and rushed back, fearing that something might happen to Su Xiao.

Gu Ming tactfully stood up, and as he passed Xu Bozhou, he nudged him with his elbow and whispered:

"Your uncle, who's not really your father, is more worried about you than your own father."

Xu Bozhou didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the back of Su Xiao's hand resting on the edge of the bathtub.

But Xu An swiftly blocked him: "Xu Bozhou!"

"knew."

He sighed, saw Xu An squatting by the bathtub, gently coaxing Su Xiao to raise her hand, then turned and closed the bathroom door.

Leaning against the balcony, he lowered his eyes and lit a cigarette.

Gu Ming walked over and handed him a bottle of ice water.

What are you thinking about?

Gu Ming looked at him, who was staring blankly at the streetlights downstairs, and whispered:

"What are your plans regarding the Yan family?"

Xu Bozhou raised his hand and stubbed out his cigarette.

"Now is not the time."

The Yan family has accumulated considerable wealth over the years, and with the Zhou family providing overt and covert support, they are not so easy to deal with.

"I remember those members of the Su family, weren't they found to have a batch of counterfeit calligraphy and paintings a while ago?"

"Yes, the Zhou family heard the rumors and moved out in advance to suppress the situation."

Gu Ming leaned against the armrest and smiled.

Why are you suddenly interested in this?

"The Zhou and Su families will have to learn a lesson."

Xu Bozhou dusted off his shirt, which was almost dry.

Xu Bozhou had already changed his clothes in the bathroom, and as soon as the hairdryer stopped buzzing, he pushed open the door and went in.

Su Xiao was half-supported by Xu An and leaned against the towel rack. Her eyelashes were drooping, and the blush on her cheeks had faded almost completely, leaving only a faint pink from the heat.

He walked over very quietly, bending down to steadily support her knees and back, his movements practiced and skillful.

Su Xiao hooked her arms around his neck, her nose unconsciously brushing against his shirt collar, letting out a soft, sticky moan, like a kitten that had just warmed up.

Xu Bozhou paused, looked down at her flushed cheeks, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and slowed his movements to place her on the bed.

Xu An stretched out a thin blanket and draped it over her.

When Gu Ming came over with the thermometer, she bumped into Xu Bozhou squatting by the bed, staring blankly at her.

"What are you spacing out for?" Gu Ming handed over the thermometer.

"I wish I could climb a little higher."

No matter how much people criticize him for his dirty and ruthless methods, he doesn't care.

It's just a reputation.

"What, you want to become a royal merchant and live off the government's salary?"

Gu Ming raised an eyebrow.

Stop being sarcastic.

Xu Bozhou didn't reply. He carefully lifted Su Xiao's sleeve and gently placed the thermometer in the crook of her elbow.

"Look how nervous you are."

Gu Ming chuckled, took Su Xiao's hand, pinched the base of her thumb with his fingertips, and turned it over to examine it:

"Her injury is almost healed, but she should still be careful and avoid holding a pen too much."

"Can I control her?"

"You should mind your own business."

Gu Ming packed up the first-aid kit and tossed him a thermometer:

"You actually thought of taking someone to soak in cold water during a seasonal change?"

He pointed to Xu Bozhou's still slightly damp hair.

"Don't let her get better and then you get a fever again, which would only make her worry."

"Um."

Xu Bozhou took the thermometer and thanked him.

"Keep an eye on the Zhou family for me."

His voice was cold.

"Don't worry about Zhou Moqing, he's the one with the problem."

Gu Ming lowered his brows and eyes:

"knew."

He quietly closed the door and left. Zhou Qingmo was indeed on good terms with him, but if he had ulterior motives...

Gu Ming shook his head slightly; it was he who had misjudged people.

*

The black Bentley was parked under the sycamore trees outside Luofeng Garden, the engine still running, and Yan Mingshen's tense jaw was reflected in the rearview mirror.

The cigarette between his fingers had long since burned down to the filter, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes lowered as he gripped his phone.

His finger hovered over the note "Xia Zhi - Attending Physician Lin," pausing for a moment.

My assistant just got information about Xia Zhi's attending physician from back then through our overseas partners.

Although the doctor refused to meet him, he was still willing to give him an hour to talk on the phone.

Yan Mingshen lit another cigarette, finally pressed the call button, and leaned back in his chair:

"Dr. Lin, I am Yan Mingshen."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a timid female voice:

“Mr. Yan… I knew you would come looking for me. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in years.”

Yan Mingshen's voice was cold, but his pale fingertips betrayed him.

"What exactly happened in Xia Zhi's car accident three years ago?"

For her sake, he didn't hesitate to hurt Su Xiao.

But in the end, it all turned out to be a joke.

"There was no serious damage at all!"

Dr. Lin sighed and finally revealed everything.

“It was just a minor abrasion, not even a fracture… It was General Manager Zhou who personally came to the hospital to find me, slammed a stack of cash on my table, and told me to change the medical record, saying it had to be written as ‘severe injury from a car accident, requiring long-term recuperation.’”

Yan Mingshen's breath hitched, and the cigarette butt fell onto the floor mat with a "thud".

"She also said..."

Dr. Lin's voice was filled with panic.

“If I don’t do as I say, they will report me for ‘medical malpractice’ and make it impossible for me to stay in the country.”

"She gave me more money than I could ever earn in my lifetime, forced me to quit my job immediately, and left the country overnight."

“Mr. Yan, I was forced into this situation. Faced with the power and influence of people like yours, I didn’t even have the right to say no…”

Yan Mingshen abruptly closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the scene in the storage room where she had held a dagger to her neck, her eyes filled with a resolute determination that refused to compromise even in death.

It turned out to be a lie from the very beginning.