My Lovely Wife is a Forensic Doctor - Chapter 239
Chapter 239 Hardship
Qin Chengxi was far more nervous than they were. Her body stiffened as she began to stutter out the words, “Grandpa, the whole thing was my fault; it had nothing to do with Mom and Dad. Please don’t be too hard on them.”
“Nothing to do with them?” Qin Xiaozhi fixed a dark look on Qin Wentao.
“Of course,” Qin Wentao insisted, though his gaze flickered. “Of course, it had nothing to do with us.”
Dong Yueyun pulled her husband back and shot Qin Xiaozhi a nervous smile. “Listen to what you’re saying, Dad. Xi is our only child; even if she isn’t good enough, we wouldn’t push her beyond her limits. All we ask is that Shang Qi treats her well—isn’t that right, Wentao?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.” Qin Wentao was doing an excellent impression of a woodpecker as he nodded profusely.
“Grandpa…”
“Fine. Regardless of whose fault it was, this matter ends right here, right now.” Qin Xiaozhi punctuated his words with a frosty look aimed toward Dong Yueyun and Qin Wentao. He continued darkly, “I will not allow anything like this to happen again, or you’ll be banished from the Qin household!”
It was likely that the Old Master was beginning to put the pieces together. At the prospect of this, Dong Yueyun and Qin Wentao shrunk back and lowered their heads without making another sound.
“Bring Xi’s new personal documents over.”
Dong Yueyun blinked, then reacted with a nervous chuckle. “Dad, just leave the documents with me. I’ll keep them on Xi’s behalf.”
Qin Xiaozhi promptly ignored her and turned to Qi Han. “Drop them home, and while you’re doing that, bring back Xi’s new documents,” he instructed.
“Yes, sir.”
“But, Dad—”
“Get out.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Qin Xiaozhi’s expression was getting darker by the minute. Dong Yueyun gave up on her attempts to appease him and said nothing more. She turned to leave the room, but when she saw that Qin Xiaozhi was not looking, she shot Qin Chengxi a pointed look.
Knowing full well that she was to blame for all this, Qin Chengxi quickly lowered her gaze.
As the door closed, Qin Xiaozhi let out a heavy sigh. He took Qin Chengxi’s hand into his own, patting it gently. “That must have been difficult for you, Xi.”
Qin Chengxi could not muster the strength or the courage to look at him. “No, Grandpa, I don’t deserve sympathy. I caused you all so much trouble. I’m sorry,” she apologized in a low voice.
“You shouldn’t have to be sorry, my dear child. You’re a good kid,” Qin Xiaozhi defended. He sighed again, pausing for a long moment before he said in a warning voice, “Xi, listen to me very carefully: no matter what happens in the future, you can always come to me. You don’t have to go through these things alone and take such desperate measures; do you understand?”
“Grandpa, I was wrong, I—”
“That’s enough for now. You don’t have to say anything else. Get some rest, and get well soon.” Qin Xiaozhi suddenly recalled something, then added, “Oh, yes—which university in An City do you plan on attending? Let me know and I’ll get Huan to make the arrangements.”
“Grandpa, I…” Qin Chengxi trailed off.
“What is it?” Qin Xiaozhi curiously noted her hesitation. “Do you not want to attend university? How would you improve your knowledge without going to university?”
“I do want to attend university, Grandpa. It’s just…” Qin Chengxi tried to verbalize her thoughts and let the words roll slowly off her tongue as she continued, “It’s just that I don’t want to go to a university in An City. I want to leave home and go somewhere far—perhaps somewhere abroad. I think that would be a great way for me to learn to be self-sufficient.”
“It’s not a problem to go abroad, but your body—”
“My body’s fine, Grandpa.”
“Besides, Shang Qi has only just taken over Xin Xin Multimedia Group. He can’t stay away from An City for too long at a time, and the both of you have only just started dating. If you choose to go abroad now, I’m afraid of the toll it might take on your relationship.”
“I know, Grandpa. I’ve thought about this.” Qin Chengxi’s voice was low and serious. “Our relationship came into the picture pretty quickly, and it’s been great with Shang Qi, but I’m worried that all things that come easy come with a heavy price; I could lose him just as easily. I’d like to take this chance to go abroad to test our relationship. I also want to leave An City behind for a while—I’m so happy to finally be the girl I was born to be, but I hate that people still talk about me behind my back. I hope that in my absence everyone will forget about my past so that when I return, they’ll finally accept me for who I am and who I’ve become.”
“Xi…” Qin Xiaozhi regarded her with a thoughtful expression. By the end of it all, he said nothing more and nodded solemnly. “Whatever it is you want to do, Xi, you have my full support.”
Qin Chengxi’s face lit up. “You’re agreeing to my plans to study abroad?”
“Yes,” Qin Xiaozhi answered pleasantly. “When I get home, I’ll get Huan to find the most suitable school for you and make the necessary arrangements.”
“That’s great! Thank you so much, Grandpa!” Qin Chengxi was overjoyed.
“That’ll do. Get some rest now. I’ll be going off soon.”
“Let me see you off, Grandpa.”
“There’s no need for that. I don’t like seeing you lying in a hospital room,” Qin Xiaozhi countered, placing a hand on Qin Chengxi to keep her from getting out of bed. “You stay still and catch up on your sleep. I still need someone to talk to at home, you know.”
“All right, I’ll get some rest now.” Qin Chengxi lay down obediently and watched as Qin Xiaozhi left the room with Qi Hao in his wake.
Qin Xiaozhi had only just come out of the room when he noticed Shang Qi, who stood in the hallway with a blank look on his face. Qin Xiaozhi beckoned him over and told him to take good care of Xi.
Shang Qi looked ashamed as he bowed his head in apology. “Grandpa, I’m sorry. I didn’t take good care of Xi, I—”
“Well, now that you know, try your best this time around and take better care of her,” Qin Xiaozhi suggested with a joking undertone, swiftly cutting off Shang Qi in the midst of his apology. He gestured for him to go into the room.
Shang Qi gave another solemn bow as a token of his promise to care for Qin Chengxi to the best of his ability and entered the room.
Watching as the door swung shut once more, Qin Xiaozhi’s expression was grim. He stood in the hallway for quite some time, unable to step away as his thoughts held him in place.
When Qin Chengxi had returned from her gender-reassignment surgery, Qin Jinhuan had announced that he would split the family assets with Qin Chengxi. The news had kept Dong Yueyun and Qin Wentao in check. Qin Xiaozhi had taken that as a sign that the days could only get better for the family, and he remembered feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
However, Qin Xiaozhi had found it odd when, a couple of days ago, Dong Wanqing had used Li Jianyun’s case to instigate a labor strike, and so he had reached out to Dong Wanqing for an explanation. Upon discovering that Dong Yueyun and her husband had orchestrated the labor strike, Qin Xiaozhi was infuriated. He had confronted them, but they had, in turn, refuted his claims. Worried that the incident would only fracture Qin Wentao’s relationship with his children, Qin Xiaozhi had let them off on a stern warning. He certainly had not expected that the couple would stir up trouble again within such a short time.
Qin Xiaozhi knew that Dong Yueyun and her husband had made sure that the ruse would be foolproof. They had planned everything down to the last detail: Qin Chengxi would pass the poisoned gummies to Mu Yu, and they would frame Yin Anran for the crime. What they had not expected was for Qin Chengxi to be the wild card—that she would take the poisoned gummies herself just so Mu Yu and her unborn baby would be unscathed, then use suicide to cover for her parents. After all, Qin Chengxi had no idea that Mu Yu was, in fact, not pregnant.
If Mu Yu was the one lying in the hospital bed now instead of Xi, Qin Xiaozhi might have been more inclined to believe that Yin Anran was actively trying to hurt Mu Yu and his great-grandchild. After all, Yin Anran would have likely become the next Young Mistress of the Qin family before Mu Yu came along. In that case, Yin Anran could easily be suspected to have a personal vendetta against Mu Yu and the child she carried.
Qin Xiaozhi heaved another long sigh.
Lei Zhi had long since told Qin Xiaozhi about Mu Yu faking her pregnancy. The only reason Qin Xiaozhi had yet to call Mu Yu out on this matter, and continued to treat her as though she really was pregnant, was so he could make her understand how he longed for a great-grandchild. Mu Yu is filial by nature; surely she would convince Huan that conceiving a child would be of utmost priority. In fact, with such bad weather, if Mu Yu had actually been pregnant, there was no way Qin Xiaozhi would have let her out of the house.
He could not possibly fathom that someone would try to go after his great-grandchild! The whole enterprise seemed so evil that it was almost surreal. However, seeing as it was his own son and daughter-in-law who plotted this, Qin Xiaozhi had kept quiet. He could not bear to see his granddaughter’s efforts to cover up—with attempted suicide, no less—for her parents go to waste, and he certainly did not want to cause further friction between his son and grandson, whose relationship was just beginning to mend. He knew, deep down, that keeping quiet would not clear this mess. Xi really was a terrible liar, and Qin Xiaozhi knew that Qin Jinhuan, as observant as he was, would have already sensed that something was wrong. Still, Qin Xiaozhi knew there was nothing else he could do but to sweep this under the rug for now.
Qin Xiaozhi understood that Xi would not stand up for herself; she had lived in fear of her parents ever since she was little. He had only agreed to her plans to study abroad, knowing that it was a way for her to escape the suffocation from her parents’ constant puppeteering. In fact, he had already made up his mind to send Xi to someplace that even her parents would not know of; she could finally be cut off from her parents and focus on getting her education.
With one last glimpse at the hospital room, Qin Xiaozhi began to walk toward the lifts; his steps were heavy and his heart was even more so.
When Mu Yu had left the room, Qin Jinhuan had been so intent on catching up with her that he could not bother to bid Rong Jian goodbye. He went forward and tried to grasp her hand, but all she did was shake him off. She was upset again, and Qin Jinhuan felt the frustration creeping under his ribcage. He said nothing as he followed her back into the car.
“Why did you speak up for her?” They were halfway through the drive when Mu Yu’s question resounded within the enclosed space of the vehicle.
Knowing what she meant, Qin Jinhuan frowned. “Did you not see how she was about to be framed for something she did not do?”
Mu Yu glowered at him. “Oh, so you’re suddenly an expert detective? How do you know she had nothing to do with it?”
“I don’t have to be a detective to tell you that Xi’s suicide attempt is nothing but an excuse to cover up her parents’ crime.”
“The fact that Xi used suicide as a cover-up could only mean that her parents—or maybe just her Mom—had plotted all this. But, you heard what Dong Wanqing said—Dong Wanqing might not have been the brains behind this whole thing but she still had a role to play. Yin Anran is clever, and Dong Wanqing is decidedly not—don’t you think that Yin Anran would have seen through her plans?”
“You think Yin Anran decided to just fall in with the plan?” Qin Jinhuan then continued in disagreement, “What you heard is just Dong Wanqing’s side of the story. Perhaps Yin Anran hadn’t even given her the gummies. It could all just be fabricated. I’ve seen the gummies in Anran’s office drawer—maybe Dong Wanqing was already plotting to take the gummies or swap them. Here’s a scenario: if Xi had listened to Dong Yueyun and Dong Wanqing, you would have been the one poisoned today; you are with child, and because of the poisoning, you would have lost the baby. Dong Wanqing and Dong Yueyun’s stories would have matched up, and Yin Anran would have been framed. Now, in that scenario, do you really think that Yin Anran would have been able to claim her innocence by insisting she had nothing to do with the poisoning? No, because there’s overwhelming evidence against her. So, your argument that Yin Anran conveniently ‘fell in with the plan’ makes no sense.”
Mu Yu sneered, “Oh, trying to be Yin Anran’s knight in shining armor, are you? How nice of you to protect her.”
“It’s not about speaking up for anybody; I’m just trying to sensibly discuss the matter at hand.”
“To h*ll with being sensible! There’s someone out there trying to hurt your wife, but you don’t care about that! All the questions you asked—it’s as if you’re trying to prove she’s innocent, even when she’s the biggest suspect! So, fine! I don’t think she’s suspicious anymore. Are you happy now?”
“Mu Yu!”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
Furious, Mu Yu got down from the car when they pulled up at the driveway and stormed into the house. She made her way into the bedroom, and, with a click, locked Qin Jinhuan out.
Qin Jinhuan banged on the door with the palm of his hand, frustration consuming him when Mu Yu gave no response. Giving up, he went into the study next to the bedroom. He slammed the door shut and pulled out his phone, then dialed a familiar number.