“She still hasn’t woken up yet. She’s lying in the ICU, but all her indicators are improving. It’s only a matter of time before she wakes up,” the young nurse replied enthusiastically.
Su Jinhui finally felt her heart settle.
The room grew quiet, but the nurse didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.
“You don’t need anyone right now. You go ahead and take care of your own things,” Su Jinhui said, offering a tired smile.
The nurse nodded, took a couple of steps toward the door, then paused and looked back. “Are you hungry? I can prepare something for you to eat.”
Su Jinhui hadn’t wanted to trouble her, but the moment the words left the nurse’s mouth, her stomach betrayed her and growled audibly.
Before she could respond, the nurse hurried out to get food.
After washing up, she ran into the nurse returning with steamed buns.
Though they were meat buns, the filling was made of mackerel, and the dough was coarse millet flour. Su Jinhui ate them with relish.
They weren’t exactly delicious, but they were wholesome.
Back when she worked at the hospital and was busy, her three daily meals were greasy takeout, and a bite of something light and healthy was a luxury.
The nurse’s eyes stayed fixed on her, as if there were a flower blooming on her face. Su Jinhui hurriedly asked, “Is there something you need?”
“No, nothing! I just really admire you! We’re about the same age, yet your medical skills are so advanced! Everyone at the hospital would love to meet you! But they’re not as lucky as me—I get to take care of you!” The nurse’s small face lifted with pride and excitement.
After talking further, Su Jinhui realized she had already gained some reputation on the island.
But she didn’t know that the person most concerned about her at this moment wasn’t anyone else—it was Su Lanqiao.
“My dear brother, we’ve searched everywhere. Don’t you believe me yet? The jewelry really was stolen by Su Jinhui!” Su Lanqiao looked around at the ransacked room, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washing over him.
Su Jin initially still had some doubts and immediately argued, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. You admitted yourself that the jewelry went missing after Su Jinhui left. Only you and Su Jinhui were there. We even saw her leave—she only carried a small bag. Are you saying all six boxes of jewelry fit into that tiny bag? Do you even believe that yourself?”
This was why he had preferred to search Su Lanqiao rather than suspect Su Jinhui.
“How would I know where the jewelry is?! We’ve checked everywhere, and I even got blamed for it. What benefit would I have?” Su Lanqiao protested indignantly.
Su Jin snorted coldly. “The benefit? You get the treasure, and I still have to take the fall with you! Several days have passed and overseas haven’t received anything yet. Believe me, our parents will hear soon, and they’ll come to demand answers!”
“What do we do… we can only pin the blame on Su Jinhui first, or both of us are screwed!” Su Lanqiao’s mind raced.
“Do you think Mom and Dad will believe that?” Su Jin hesitated.
After all, the two of them were in the same boat. Their priority was to throw the blame elsewhere before it was truly impossible to escape responsibility.
Su Lanqiao’s lips curved, eyes sharp. “Then we make up a perfect story. One they can’t disbelieve!”
“This matter’s on you. If you can’t fabricate it well enough to convince Mom and Dad, I’ll tell them the truth myself. At most, I’ll take responsibility for being careless,” Su Jin waved his hand, clearly not wanting to waste more energy on it.
That evening, Liu Meihua followed Su Desheng home, both with dark expressions.
“Ah! Mom! Dad! All my jewelry is gone!” Su Lanqiao ran out holding an empty jewelry box.
Whether they had received news yet or not, she wanted to take the initiative and reveal the “truth.”
Liu Meihua’s heart jolted. “What happened? Did someone break into the house?”
“Such a fuss!” Su Desheng remained calm and surveyed Su Lanqiao carefully. “What’s going on?”
“I couldn’t bear to see my sister leave home. I haven’t been in the mood to dress up lately. Today, when I opened the box, the jewelry was gone!” Su Lanqiao’s big tears slid down his cheeks.
“You mean last time the jewelry was worn while Jinhui was here?” Liu Meihua immediately grasped the key point.
Exactly what Su Lanqiao wanted to hear, she quickly added, “Yes… but I don’t believe it was my sister who took it. And there’s something my brother and I didn’t dare tell you…”
“That girl—if she wanted two pieces of jewelry, she should have just asked. Did she think I’d refuse? How could she stoop to stealing?” Liu Meihua was furious.
Su Desheng tapped his cane on the ground and said coldly, “What is it?”
“The batch of jewelry that was supposed to be sent overseas—she took it all, not leaving a single piece!” Su Lanqiao hesitated briefly. “She said… that it was owed to her by Mom and Dad. Even all those boxes weren’t enough to satisfy her!”
“Yeah! That girl’s really ungrateful!” Su Jin promptly chimed in.
Liu Meihua slapped her thigh, suddenly understanding. “No wonder the news today said the jewelry never arrived. Dad and I wanted to come back and ask you both, but it really seems impossible to guard against a thief in the family!”
A glint flashed in Su Desheng’s eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Yet just as he received the news, the siblings hurried to confess—it seemed almost coincidental.
“We were afraid you’d blame our sister. We thought that if she realized, she might return it. But so many days have passed and there’s been no sign of her. It’s all my fault—please don’t blame her,” Su Lanqiao buried his head in shame.
Liu Meihua gently hugged her. Words hovered on her lips, but she didn’t speak. Something felt off, though she couldn’t pinpoint it.
“We understand. You two go back to your room,” Su Desheng said, sitting on the sofa.
Only after the siblings returned did he gesture for Liu Meihua to sit. “This matter isn’t so simple! Jinhui saved my life. Back then, I would have given her anything she asked for—but she didn’t. She only wanted an ordinary jade pendant.”
“Maybe she was pretending?” Liu Meihua suggested.
Su Desheng shook his head. “Then why would she say hurtful things in front of Lanqiao? That’s contradictory.”
On the surface, it seemed logically consistent, but on closer inspection, it was full of loopholes.
If it weren’t for Su Jinhui, then these two siblings were conspiring to lie…
“Master, why not let Jinhui take the blame this time? Otherwise, these two kids won’t sleep tonight,” Liu Meihua’s eyes twinkled with scheming. “Although they’re both our flesh and blood, these two are children. We should prioritize them, right?”
Su Desheng opened his mouth, sighed deeply, and fell into silence…