"He asked me to come back for something," Shen Qingqing paused. "I'm very sorry for entering your house this way, but I had no choice. I came during the day, but Mrs. Gao wouldn't let me in, and I promised Dr. Gao I would help him... so I had to do this..."
Mr. Gao remained silent.
Mrs. Gao glanced at him, a hint of panic in her eyes. "No matter what you promised Gao Qi, trespassing is illegal! You can explain yourself to the police!"
Just as she finished speaking, a child opened the door and poked his head out, still groggy from sleep.
"Daddy, Mommy, what are you doing?"
Mrs. Gao quickly walked over and hugged him. "Xuxu, be good. This doesn't concern you. Go back to sleep, don't wander out."
Gao Xu subconsciously looked at Shen Qingqing, his eyes lighting up. "Pretty big sister."
Children are always sincere and direct; they don't hide their admiration when they see someone or something beautiful.
Mrs. Gao pinched his cheek. "What pretty big sister? She's a thief!"
"Huh?" Gao Xu didn't understand how such a pretty sister could be a thief. He pouted. "I just heard my older brother's name. Is he back? He hasn't been home for a long time. Daddy really misses him too!"
Shen Qingqing sensed something was wrong from his words.
She glanced at the smug Mrs. Gao, swallowing the words that were about to come out. Let her be proud now; falling when she's at her proudest will be the most painful.
Soon, the police arrived, and as Mrs. Gao insisted, they were about to take Shen Qingqing away.
She didn't resist. Instead, she gave Mrs. Gao a half-smile, then turned to Mr. Gao and said only one sentence.
"Mr. Gao, how long has it been since you last saw Gao Qi?"
Mr. Gao fell silent immediately.
That was the best answer.
Shen Qingqing caught a glimpse of Mrs. Gao's sudden panic and quickly added, "So you don't know that Gao Qi was attacked and is in a coma in the hospital?"
Mr. Gao's eyes widened slightly, and he took a few steps forward. "What did you say?"
He truly didn't know!
Shen Qingqing observed the Gao family of three. Mr. Gao and Gao Xu looked astonished, but Mrs. Gao's eyes held panic, though she feigned composure.
In the end, the police left.
Because Mr. Gao vouched for her, calling it a misunderstanding, Shen Qingqing was not surprised. Mrs. Gao, however, was like a cat on hot coals.
Because just now, Old Gao had looked at her.
That glance made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Mr. Gao asked for a glass of water and then told the servants and security guards to leave. He looked at Shen Qingqing. "What did you mean by what you just said? Is Gao Qi injured?"
Shen Qingqing propped her chin with one hand. "You really didn't know."
Her surprise made Mr. Gao feel ashamed. Yes, his son was injured, and he knew nothing about it.
He had even resented his son for being disobedient and unwilling to come home.
If he was injured and in a coma, how could he come home!
His hands, placed on his knees, clenched into fists, his eyes filled with pain and self-reproach. "This is my negligence as a father."
"Daddy..."
Gao Xu, seeing his father's distress, tried to comfort him, but Mr. Gao dodged him the moment he reached out.
The young child didn't understand the meaning of this action, only felt a pang of sadness.
Mrs. Gao's eyes also instantly welled up with tears.
Mr. Gao didn't look at them, only stared at Shen Qingqing. "Explain clearly, what exactly happened."
Shen Qingqing cast a cold glance at Mrs. Gao and said, "A while ago, Dr. Gao was fired and found a new job. There was an accident, he was severely beaten, and is now in the hospital. He just had surgery. Although his life was saved, he is still in a coma."
Mr. Gao's breathing quickened. "Why did they beat him?"
Shen Qingqing pursed her lips.
It was in this moment of hesitation that Mrs. Gao felt she had found an opening and immediately said, "I think he did something improper outside and provoked someone, which is why he was retaliated against. It's a society governed by law now. To have someone beat him so severely, who knows what he did."
Mr. Gao's face instantly darkened.
"Shut up," Shen Qingqing said with disgust, glancing at her. "He's in the hospital, almost died. Can you at least have some decency with your words?"
Mrs. Gao was furious. "You!"
"Enough," Mr. Gao warned her with a glare. "This is not your place to speak."
Mrs. Gao, hurt, closed her mouth.
"Which hospital?" Mr. Gao looked at Shen Qingqing. Since learning the news, he had been very calm, as if unfazed.
But Shen Qingqing saw the veins bulging on the back of his hand.
"I can take you."
"Thank you."
Mr. Gao immediately stood up but suddenly remembered something as he looked at the sky, which had already completely darkened. He said somewhat hastily, "Will it be too much trouble?"
Shen Qingqing shook her head. "No, I need to go back to the hospital too. My family is there."
"Okay, okay, let's go now."
"Daddy, I want to go too," Gao Xu said, also worried about his brother.
"You stay at home," Mr. Gao disagreed.
Mrs. Gao couldn't help but say, "Old Gao, perhaps we should..."
"You shut up," Mr. Gao glared at her, suppressing his temper, and said, "We'll talk about your matters when I get back."
Mrs. Gao's face turned pale, but she dared not speak again.
Mr. Gao turned and went upstairs. After changing his clothes, he immediately came down and left with Shen Qingqing. The moment he saw Fu Jingshu, his expression changed slightly.
He clearly recognized Fu Jingshu.
"Master Fu," he said with a slight bow, his tone respectful.
Fu Jingshu raised an eyebrow. "Your wife really needs to be disciplined."
The last time, he hadn't seen Mr. Gao, and he was in a hurry to find something. He had been too lazy to deal with Mrs. Gao's bossiness.
Mr. Gao gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, I will discipline her properly."
On the way to the hospital, his heart was a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, but when they reached the ward door, he became flustered and timid, even afraid to enter.
Shen Qingqing paid him no mind. "The person is inside. Whether you go in or not is up to you."
With that, she turned and left.
Returning to the ward with Fu Jingshu, before they could even enter, he pulled her into a hug. She instinctively hugged him back, and he didn't let go for a long time as she patted his back.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you know how worried I was just now?"
Although he knew that as long as the Gao family knew his identity, they wouldn't dare to do anything to her, he still couldn't avoid his inner worry.
Shen Qingqing patted his back. "It's okay, they wouldn't dare do anything to me, and I didn't steal anything. If worst comes to worst, I can always bring out Dr. Gao."
Fu Jingshu released her and looked at her seriously. "You can't do this again. No matter what you do, I'll be with you."
Shen Qingqing nodded obediently. "Okay."
She agreed so readily, but it was uncertain whether she would listen next time. Fu Jingshu couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
As a result, she let out a small gasp.
He immediately felt reluctant and had to let go, gently rubbing her cheek instead.