Chapter 12: An Unexpected Visit and a Hidden Truth

Zhu Ying sensed it was nearly time for her daughter’s visit and was about to return to her room.

However, a tall, slender, formally dressed man, wearing a mask and carrying a fruit basket and flowers, obstructed her path. Though a stranger, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had encountered him before.

“Who are you?”

Jiang Xiuming removed his mask.

“Ah, it’s you.”

Zhu Ying, inherently gentle, was surprised by the sudden appearance of her husband’s former wife’s brother, but not to the point of agitation.

Over recent days, she had harbored a growing suspicion that something untoward had befallen her husband.

Her daughter, Susu, had been concealing the truth, fearing Zhu Ying would be distressed.

Susu herself likely hadn’t noticed that her smile had lost its former perfection, and her voice, when she spoke, lacked its usual energy, tinged with an undeniable weariness.

While others might overlook these subtle changes, to a mother, they were glaringly obvious. Having been bedridden for so long, Zhu Ying had developed an acutely observant eye.

Accepting his steadying arm, Zhu Ying slowly made her way back to the pristine white hospital room.

“Tell me, what brings you here? Does this concern Susu?”

Zhu Ying was well aware that her husband was scorned by his former wife’s family.

Even her eldest daughter, despite not being favored by her husband or welcomed by her birth mother’s relatives, often received gifts from this man standing before her.

Yet, he clearly harbored resentment towards Zhu Ying herself, for having taken his sister’s place.

“Please brace yourself.”

“Mm.”

“Qian Jingtong has fallen from grace. His shares have been revoked, his position abolished, and he’s now saddled with a substantial debt.

Your current medical bills are being covered by my niece, and I intend to bring her back to the Jiang family.”

Zhu Ying drew a deep breath. Perhaps accustomed to admonitions against agitation, the news didn’t impact her as profoundly as she might have expected.

Until her two daughters found their happiness, she had no intention of dying.

Moreover, her daughter’s current state filled her with deep concern.

“But doesn’t your family patriarch despise Susu?”

When she first married Qian Jingtong, Zhu Ying had been unaware of the full story. It was only later, through the Qian family, that she learned the tragic truth, leading her to believe, for a time, that she had married the wrong man.

Jiang Suxin had loved Qian Jingtong deeply, actively pushing for their union. Yet, Qian Jingtong had merely settled her in an apartment, neglecting both mother and daughter, a cruelty that ultimately drove Jiang Suxin to suicide.

After social engagements, when her husband occasionally drank too much, he would mistake their daughter for Jiang Suxin, shouting curses like, “Get away from me, you madwoman!”

“Now, he’s merely a name, devoid of power; I am the one in charge. I will cover your medical expenses and ensure my niece is well cared for, provided you agree…”

Jiang Xiuming gazed earnestly at Zhu Ying, hoping to glean some insight from her expression, but found nothing. He had no idea who had delivered the message; a call to his private number, from a woman with a voice scrambler, had informed him of Qian Jingtong’s recent predicament and urged him to visit the hospital.

Without that call, he might not have discovered these events until much later.

Since his sister’s passing, he had ceased to concern himself with the Qian family’s matters.

No hint of the internal equity changes within the Qian family had leaked, so Jiang Xiuming had personally verified the information before confirming the stranger’s call was indeed accurate.

He harbored a suspicion that Zhu Ying might have orchestrated the situation herself, yet she had been hospitalized continuously. As for his niece, it was even more improbable that she would have contacted him.

“This matter—”

***

Just as Zhu Ying was about to speak, the door suddenly swung open, revealing Qian Surou. The flower she clutched still bore fresh water droplets.

“Susu.”

Changing her address to her daughter, Zhu Ying watched as Qian Surou cast a wary glance at the man in the suit before replacing the wilting bloom in the small vase beside the television with a fresh one.

Catching the hint of hostility in her daughter’s eyes, and fearing further misunderstanding, Zhu Ying decided to accept Jiang Xiuming’s terms without hesitation.

Adapting quickly, she declared:

“This is my brother, which makes him your uncle. I’ve never really kept in touch with my family, so I imagine you haven’t met him before, have you?”

“Uncle?”

Qian Surou’s usual gentleness vanished. “Only visiting now? He’s merely a stranger cloaked in a thin veneer of blood relation.”

She squeezed herself between the two adults.

Qian Surou couldn’t help but think, with a touch of malice—

‘This man surely has ulterior motives!’

She wasn’t wrong, in fact.

Jiang Xiuming stepped back to the bedside table, his gaze fixed on Qian Surou. Her coral-pink hair swayed gently, brushing against his refined face.

His niece bore such a striking resemblance to his sister in her youth that, for a fleeting moment, he felt transported back twenty years.

Swiftly, he relieved Qian Surou of her shoulder bag, pulled out the low stool from beneath the nightstand and offered it to her, then retrieved a fruit knife and a green apple from the fruit basket.

He pressed the button on the electric kettle once more.

He offered no defense.

For she was not mistaken; he *was* the heartless man who had never once visited his niece.

Even now, a deep resentment lingered in his heart for his sister, for loving a man who didn’t love her back, and for himself, for standing by as she threw herself into the flames, burning herself out completely.

“He, too, has his reasons—”

“I apologize; I spoke out of turn.”

Sensing her mother’s unspoken plea, Qian Surou quickly amended her statement.

A part of her heart was brimming with caution, fueling her animosity towards any unsettling elements.

Upon closer inspection, the watch on his wrist was conspicuously expensive, indicating, at the very least, that he was neither a swindler nor a relative seeking a loan.

Qian Surou mentally chided herself for her snobbery, knowing that deep down, she hoped this man might cover the medical expenses, which would alleviate a significant burden for her.

“Susu, call him ‘Uncle’.”

“…Uncle.”

Qian Surou felt her mother’s hand enclose hers, gently stroking her knuckles. Those hands, she noticed, seemed even more delicate than before.

A failing heart often led to digestive issues, which meant that any desserts Qian Surou brought would inevitably be taken away or eaten by her.

“Oh, Susu, Doctor Guo is on duty this afternoon, and it seems he has something he’d like to discuss with you.”

Prompted by Jiang Xiuming’s earlier words, Zhu Ying understood this was likely about the hospital fees, but she had no better pretext to send her daughter away at the moment.

Qian Surou, naturally, discerned her mother’s unspoken intention.

“Then I’ll go speak with Doctor Guo first.”

Glancing back every few steps, Qian Surou slowly retreated from the hospital room.

The two adults exchanged glances.

“Was she traumatized back then?”

Jiang Xiuming sat on the low stool, clutching his head, his gaunt, loose skin creased into a tight knot. As he lowered his voice, his spine shuddered, and his Adam’s apple bobbed like a toggle switch.

“Yes, a private doctor examined her. They diagnosed it as cognitive impairment and memory errors, manifesting as enhanced memory, but not severe enough to warrant medication. In Susu’s memory, I have always been her biological mother.”

Zhu Ying stated calmly, “Beyond that, Susu is a perfectly normal girl. I agree to your proposal, which means we’ll have to maintain the appearance of siblings.”

Jiang Xiuming nodded silently, pondering if it might be hereditary. His sister had been notoriously unstable mentally and possessed an extreme personality; at least his niece hadn’t inherited that particular trait.

If that were the case—

“Very well. Perhaps it’s for the best if she remains unconnected to the Jiang family. However, this arrangement makes it difficult for me to interact with you, and she won’t accept my direct assistance.

What I can do is settle your medical bills and ensure Qian Jingtong can no longer influence her. Should you face any difficulties, I urge you to contact me. After all, neither of us wishes for her to endure further distress.”