Chapter 64: Lu Niannian Returns to China
"Kneel down and thank you?"
"Back then, you were the one who looked down on Xu Qiaofeng because he was second-hand goods, crying and refusing to marry him. Now you're turning black into white, saying it's giving me a chance?"
Ning Tang raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes as cold as ice.
Ning Xin had never seen her look like that before, as if she were already dead, which frightened her so much that she took a few steps back.
"Just like you said, the man you chose, the mess you created, now you're beaten so badly you can't get up, and you expect me to clean up his mess?"
Ning Tang sneered, showing no politeness: "Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think Xu Qiaofeng is easy to talk to?"
These words struck a nerve with Ning Xin.
His face looked even worse.
Her face was bruised and purple as she yelled, "I don't care!"
"You are now the daughter-in-law of the Xu family. As long as you bear the surname Ning, you have to help me!"
"Otherwise, I'll go to the hospital entrance and make a scene, I'll go to your department head and the hospital director and tell them that you've climbed the social ladder and now you're a snob who looks down on your family!"
"Go quickly."
Ning Tang's red lips curled up, her voice flat: "Oh right, I forgot that after you caused such a scene at the hospital last time, the security department has memorized your face."
"If you can't get in, do you need me to call the dean down for you?"
Ning Xin's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red.
Last time at the hospital, if she hadn't reacted quickly and sneaked away when no one was looking, she would definitely have been the one taken to the police station!
She still hasn't forgotten that feeling of being a rat crossing the street, hated and chased by everyone.
Moreover, after the last incident, Xu Qiaofeng was still worried, so he specially bought a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and brought it to the security department, instructing them to pay close attention to suspicious persons.
It goes without saying who this suspicious person is.
If hard tactics don't work, try softer ones.
Ning Xin immediately knelt down, hugged Ning Tang's legs, and cried as she said:
"Tangtang, I'm your older sister! Are you just going to stand by and watch me get beaten to death?"
Ning Tang was startled by this sudden action and instinctively kicked away the hand on her leg, her tone full of disgust.
"Making a scene at the hospital entrance, I think you're deliberately trying to cause me trouble!"
The commotion attracted the attention of patients, doctors, and nurses.
They all stood not far away, watching.
Although the pointing and whispering weren't loud, Ning Tang didn't like it and frowned.
Ning Xin acted as if she hadn't heard, and instead hugged him again.
Knowing that everyone around was watching, she raised her voice several octaves, deliberately trying to make sure everyone could hear her.
"Tangtang, I know I was wrong!"
“I was out of my mind to go against you before, but now I’m really about to be beaten to death by Zhang Yanfei.”
"Please, for the sake of us being sisters, help me this once, okay? I've never asked anyone for anything in my life, let alone you. Please help me!"
She cried as she spoke.
Tears came faster than those of the actors in the movie.
She even deliberately exposed the wounds on her face and arms to make herself look even more pitiful.
Those who didn't know the situation would think Ning Tang was abusing her power.
Some self-proclaimed enthusiastic elderly men and women stepped forward to defend Ning Xin and criticize her.
"You're a pretty woman, how can you be so vicious! She's your sister, making her kneel before you, aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan and dying someday!"
"That's right, they're still sisters. She even knelt down and begged you. Even if it was a matter of life and death, it's all in the past now. Why don't you lend a hand?"
"Look at your sister's injuries, how much pain she must be in. How could you, as her younger sister, be so heartless?"
Seeing everyone criticizing Ning Tang, Ning Xin almost couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.
You bastard, see?
Whether in this life or the last, you will always be manipulated by me.
When Brother Yanfei rises to high positions and I become an official's wife, you'll be begging me for favors.
Ning Xin couldn't help but think that, according to the timeline of her previous life, she should have heard the rumors of Old Lady Xu's death some time ago. How come so much time has passed and there's still no news?
Could it be...?
Did Old Lady Xu escape unscathed? Was she cured by Ning Tang?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Ning Xin dismissed it.
From childhood to adulthood, because Ning Tang was adopted, her mother, who came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, never let her come into contact with the core of medicine, but only let her learn how to dispense medicine.
Sometimes, Ning's mother would slap his palms for giving him the wrong medicine.
How could such a fool possibly save Granny Xu? She must be delusional.
Ning Tang was unaware of Ning Xin's ulterior motives.
She glanced at her watch; there were less than twenty minutes left before she had to leave for work.
With no time to waste on her, Ning Tang, too lazy to stand there and embarrass herself any longer, decided to cut her losses quickly.
"Instead of playing the victim here, you should call your mother who is working in the countryside in the Northwest. Life isn't easy for capitalists in the countryside."
Upon hearing the word "capitalist," the people around Ning Tang who were still cursing her paused.
“When your Ning family brought me back from outside, I was originally very grateful, but from childhood to adulthood, not having enough to eat or wear is a small matter, I don’t care about these things.”
Ning Tang deliberately sounded sad, but she forced a smile and looked like she was sobbing.
"But for your own selfish interests, you think I'm in your way and want to send me to some old bachelor in the countryside! If I hadn't overheard you talking, would I still be standing here right now!"
Those around them also sensed something was amiss.
The look in his eyes as he looked at Ning Xin changed from sympathy to hatred.
Capitalists have always been universally condemned, regardless of the era.
Especially now, the old man who had been exploited by capitalists before was enraged upon hearing this and slapped Ning Xin hard.
Ning Tang wasn't interested in any of this. She was about to be late for work, so she pushed through the crowd and quickly left.
Ning Xin, who was kneeling on the ground, covered her face. When she saw that she was about to leave, she quickly scrambled and rolled to chase after her.
I had only taken a few steps when I was surrounded by people behind me.
"You heartless bastard! Not only are your family capitalists, but you also want to sell your adopted sister to an old bachelor! How could you do such a despicable thing? This slap is too lenient!"
"So she's a capitalist's daughter. No wonder she's so good at playing the victim!"
"Selling your sister to the countryside? That's incredibly cruel, worse than a jackal or a tiger."
"What do you think? Capitalists are just ruthless, otherwise why would they exploit people like this? We almost got tricked by her just now!"
Ning Xin has never been hit by Zhang Yanfei in her entire life; she has never been touched by anyone else.
He immediately got angry and started yelling at the people around him.
"You bunch of old hags and old men, what do you know? You actually dared to hit me! Believe me or not, I'll tear your mouths apart!"
As soon as he shouted this, the people around him went into complete uproar.
It's unclear who started it, but in the end, almost everyone joined in and gave Ning Xin, who was surrounded in the middle, a good beating.
These grandparents were all very capable workers when they were young.
Now he's stronger and healthier than most young people, and his hand strength is beyond words.
After being beaten, Ning Xin winced in pain.
At first she dared to shout, but later, I don't know who it was, but every time she opened her mouth, they would slap her in the mouth.
The pain was so bad that I didn't dare open my mouth anymore.
Finally, unable to hold on any longer, he took advantage of the chaos and crawled out from under someone's crotch.
...
at the same time.
Upstairs, by the window.
Ning Tang took in the entire chaotic scene downstairs.
Only when he saw Ning Xin cover her head and run away did a genuine smile appear on his lips.
After the person disappeared, she turned and went back to her office.
"Dr. Ning, did you know that Dr. Zhou Hairong has recently taken leave?"
While eating lunch in the cafeteria, my colleague Wang Yingying suddenly asked me a question.
Ning Tang paused in her chewing, then realized she hadn't seen Zhou Hairong this morning; he had taken the day off.
"have no idea."
"I can tell from your expression that you don't know. The dean said today that Director Zhou's daughter came back from abroad and took four or five days off."
"What about Director Lu?"
"A hospital can't be without two department heads all of a sudden, and Director Lu's department is very busy. Many patients come specifically for him, so we can't let him go."
As if struck by a sudden thought, Wang Yingying glanced around furtively.
He lowered his voice when he got close to Ning Tang, like a thief.
“Dr. Ning, you haven’t been at our hospital for long, so you probably don’t know this secret.”
Seeing her like this, Ning Tang also became interested.
"What secret?"
Wang Yingying had been waiting for these words, and immediately put down her chopsticks:
"Director Lu and Director Zhou have a bad relationship. Many of the older doctors in the hospital are saying that when Director Zhou was about to give birth, she ran away from home for some unknown reason!"
"When she came back half a month later, she was holding Lu Niannian, who was not even as big as a kitten. No matter how her family asked, she remained silent about what had happened during that time."
"Many people say that she eloped with her lover, but he didn't want her, so she came back dejectedly."
"Anyway, after that incident, the relationship between Director Lu and Director Zhou completely deteriorated."
Seeing Wang Yingying's surprised expression, Ning Tang casually asked, "Yingying, how did you know about this?"
"Of course it's me—" Wang Yingying stopped mid-sentence, as if she remembered something to tell her, and immediately took back her words.
She smiled shyly, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing, looking cute and sweet.
If Ning Tang didn't know that Wang Yingying was five years older than her, she would sometimes suspect that Wang Yingying was lying about her age, since she clearly looked like the younger sister.
However, the thought of Lu Niannian returning made Ning Tang inexplicably irritable.
I can't describe that feeling.
In short, she felt very uncomfortable.
This mood affected her performance until the afternoon when she was working.
In the end, it was a colleague who couldn't stand it anymore.
"Dr. Ning, if you're not feeling well, you should go and rest. Anyway, there's nothing too urgent here, so don't push yourself."
His words were full of concern for her.
Ning Tang rubbed her temples and nodded earnestly in thanks: "I probably didn't rest well last night. I'll go back to my office and rest for a while. Thank you for your help."
That's what he said, but before leaving, he took out a few pieces of hard candy from his pocket and handed them over.
He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's money is bound to him.
Her colleagues inside showed even more genuine concern, and even offered to help her back home.
In the end, Ning Tang politely declined.
She finally made it off work, only to find Xu Qiaofeng waiting for her at the hospital entrance.
Seeing that her expression was off, the man frowned and took her hand.
Concerned, she asked, "What's wrong? You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?"
Ning Tang shook her head.
I don't know how to talk about what happened at noon today.
Lu Niannian was the white moonlight he had liked before. Although Xu Qiaofeng had already established a relationship with her, she dared not take the risk.
In both her lifetimes combined, the happiness and warmth she received were few and far between.
Like moths drawn to a flame.
Even knowing that the warmth before me would burn me, I still couldn't help but want to grasp it, even if it was just a little bit.
Xu Qiaofeng felt a pang in his heart as he looked at Ning Tang's downcast eyes.
He didn't ask any more questions, but simply held her hand in his palm.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
"Tangtang, let's go home first, okay?"
Ning Tang felt a warmth in her heart: "Okay."
It continued until dinner.
There were two very obvious, sullen people at the Xu family's dining table.
Xu Qiaoyan was embarrassed to face his family, while Ning Tang had something on her mind.
By the end of the meal, both of them looked increasingly grim.
After dinner, Grandpa Xu called Xu Qiaofeng into his study and asked him sternly if he had upset his wife.
"Qiaofeng, women are like water, you have to coax them!"
"Tangtang is such a good child. If you get angry and leave, you'll be gone in a heartbeat. You'd better make her happy tonight!"
Grandpa Xu had no idea what was going on with this grandson.
Don't you know that conflicts are most likely to create rifts overnight?
If he really makes Tangtang leave, he'll be the first to skin his grandson alive!
Xu Qiaofeng nodded repeatedly as his grandfather scolded him, feeling no resentment at all, but inwardly he was both amused and exasperated.
He did want to coax her.
But Ning Tang didn't give him that chance at all.
When Xu Qiaofeng returned to his bedroom on the second floor, Ning Tang, who had been exhausted all day, was already asleep in bed.
Her little face was pressed tightly against the pillow.
He's made her a bit chubby lately, and her profile looks soft and plump.
Even her usually sorrowful brows relaxed, and she looked exceptionally well-behaved.
Xu Qiaofeng walked over quietly.
He squatted down and gently placed his warm hands on Ning Tang's calves, massaging them little by little to improve blood circulation.
After wiping my hands clean, I rolled over and went back to bed.
He pulled Ning Tang, who was facing away from him, into his arms until she was nestled in his embrace, before falling asleep contentedly.
The next morning.
Xu Qiaofeng had been looking for an opportunity to speak, but he couldn't find one.
They could only watch helplessly as Ning Tang went to the hospital.
She was in a bad mood yesterday and hasn't smiled at all this morning.
This was the first time in his life he had ever known what it meant to be wronged.
For some reason, the other doctors in the hospital, watching Xu Qiaofeng's departing figure, felt that... this person seemed somewhat pitiful?
That guy is the living devil of the special forces, how could he possibly feel wronged?
They must have misread it.
When Xu Qiaofeng returned to the team, he felt that the way other people were looking at him was a bit strange.
It's like wearing something on your head.
He frowned, not in the mood to pay attention.
As soon as he entered the office, Pang Bo rushed in, panting heavily.
"Captain Xu..."
"Someone outside is looking for you!"
Xu Qiaofeng said coldly, "No matter who is looking for me, they have to wait in the reception room."
"That won't do. If you're even a step later, she'll cause a huge uproar on our team!" Pang Bo's face was full of apprehension.
Who is it?
"Your sister-in-law! Ning Xin is causing trouble again!"
"She said some really nasty things, badmouthing our sister-in-law. The whole team knows about it. Captain Xu, you'd better go out and check on her right away!"
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