Lu Jingyi’s eyes widened.
The conversations among others in the room fell silent.
Long Bao, unaware of the strange atmosphere in the ward, continued, 【Dad is just waiting for you to die, Grandpa, so the company will be split in half for Mom—then it’ll be his.】
Grandpa trembled with rage.
The health supplements he had been taking were sent by Xu Zhijun.
At the time, Xu Zhijun had claimed they were specially gifted to honor him, exclusive military supplies that several senior leaders were also using.
Blindly trusting anything labeled as “exclusive supply,” he hadn’t asked the doctor to check them.
No wonder he had been unable to sleep through the night ever since he started taking those supplements.
He had thought it was due to the excitement of closing a major business deal.
Seeing him shaking with anger, Wang Pei quickly picked up the child.
Lu Jingyi and her brother exchanged a glance.
Lu Hanwen’s eyes already held a murderous glint.
Wang Pei coughed lightly, signaling them not to scare the child.
Only then did the three of them snap back to reality.
Lu Jingyi said, “Dad, since you’re not traveling abroad lately, why not see a good traditional Chinese medicine doctor? I happen to know one.”
【Great! I hope they find a really skilled one to help Grandpa recover his health. That way, I’ll have someone to back me up.】
Long Bao clenched her little fist.
Grandpa replied, “Alright, I have some free time anyway. I’ll go see one.”
He really had been blind, thinking that Xu Zhijun—a man with such wolfish ambition—was an honest person.
Just then, Lu Jincheng suddenly tugged at Wang Pei’s leg and said, “Grandma, I want to see my little sister.”
“Okay, I’ll put your sister on the bed so you can look at her.”
“Can I touch her?”
“Of course.”
Wang Pei placed Long Bao on the bed, and Lu Jincheng hurried over.
“Long Bao, I’m your brother. Call me ‘brother,’ and I’ll give you lots of those Jin Can Can things in the future.”
As he spoke, he reached out with his index finger and poked Long Bao’s chubby cheek.
In that instant, a flood of future memories rushed into Long Bao’s mind.
【Brother…】
“That’s right, I’m your brother.”
Lu Jincheng grinned, his eyes crinkling.
But the next second, his smile froze.
【Brother is mischievous and doesn’t like studying.】
Hearing the word “studying,” Lu Jincheng’s whole face scrunched up.
He hated studying more than anything.
He wanted to be a soldier when he grew up. Even if he didn’t like studying, it didn’t matter—he would protect his sister.
【Brother likes playing in the water and will drown in the river.】
Uncle, who had been chatting: ???
Aunt, who had been eavesdropping: “…”
Aunt’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
Lu Jincheng was completely stunned.
He was going to die?
His eyes reddened with fear, his lips trembling, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.
Uncle quickly picked up the child. “Dad, Cheng Cheng is hungry. I’ll take him out to get something to eat.”
Grandpa, still processing what he had just heard, nodded and said, “Go ahead, be careful.”
Aunt hurriedly followed them out.
Grandpa and Wang Pei exchanged a look, their hearts pounding wildly.
They couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen to their family if Cheng Cheng were to drown.
Fortunately, they had learned about it in advance from little Long Bao.
As long as they kept that naughty boy away from the river, nothing should happen.
Meanwhile…
After carrying Lu Jincheng out, Uncle found a secluded corner and set him down.
Aunt, meanwhile, glanced around to make sure no one was coming.
Lu Jincheng fearfully tugged at the corner of his clothes. “Dad, is what Long Bao said true? Will I end up like Xiao Mo’s family’s dog—fall asleep and never wake up?”
Uncle crouched down to meet his eyes, speaking with grave seriousness. “Cheng Cheng, you must never go play in the river again, understand?”
Lu Jincheng nodded eagerly. “I understand, I understand. I still need to grow up to protect my sister.”
Aunt added, “And you must study hard.”
“Okay, I’ll study hard.Seeing how truly frightened her son was, Aunt heartily pulled him into a tight embrace. “Don’t be afraid. Mom and Dad are here. We’ll protect you.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lu Jincheng nodded vigorously, making a promise: “I’ll definitely study hard from now on and never go play in the water again.”
“Good boy. Let’s go back to see your sister now.”
“Dad, Mom, it’s so strange. Sister didn’t say anything, so why could I hear her voice?”
Uncle and Aunt exchanged a glance.
Uncle said earnestly, “Your sister is different from others. You must never tell anyone about this, understand?”
Cheng Cheng quickly covered his mouth, his words becoming muffled. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone.”
Uncle patted his head.
When the three returned to the hospital room door, Uncle happened to see Xu Zhijun rushing over in a hurry.
He had already learned from Mom and Little Long Bao about the deeds this brother-in-law had committed.
“Brother-in-law, your wife hasn’t even been discharged yet, and you’re running around like this. You really are busy.”
Xu Zhijun detected the sarcasm in his tone, assuming he was just upset about him not being by Lu Jingyi’s side.
He smiled with an honest, simple expression. “Sorry, Brother. Training at the unit has been quite busy.”
Uncle felt his anger rising.
It was this very honest and simple demeanor that had fooled his entire family.
Who would have thought this man was secretly scheming to seize family assets and swap children with such malicious intent?
Uncle said, “Well then, it’s perfect. Let Dad go ask if your unit doesn’t even grant leave when a wife gives birth.”
“Brother, I need to set an example for my subordinates,” Xu Zhijun quickly replied.
With that said, Uncle couldn’t press further.
Ignoring him, Uncle directly opened the door and entered.
As soon as Xu Zhijun stepped inside, he enthusiastically called out, “Mom, Dad.”
“Dad, when did you return? You should have told me in advance so I could have picked you up.”
Uncle remarked sarcastically, “Weren’t you just saying how busy training at the unit is? A small matter like my dad returning shouldn’t interrupt your training.”
Xu Zhijun smiled awkwardly.
Grandpa glanced at Xu Zhijun but immediately turned his attention to cuddling Little Long Bao, unwilling to spare him another look.
Wang Pei glanced at the sky outside and nudged her husband. “You should head back early and prepare for picking up Jingyi tomorrow. It’s been windy lately—bring the car so our daughter doesn’t get blown on during the trip home.”
Only then did Grandpa reluctantly let go of Little Long Bao. “Long Bao, Grandpa will come take you home tomorrow.”
[See you tomorrow.]
Grandpa left with Uncle, Aunt, and the older brother.
Xu Zhijun hurried after them.
“Dad, let me take you back,” Xu Zhijun seized the moment to offer his services.
Grandpa replied, “You’re a esteemed deputy battalion commander—far too busy. Having you escort me back would be a waste of talent.”
Xu Zhijun sensed his mood, assuming Dad was angry about him not accompanying Lu Jingyi these past few days.
He had been using training as an excuse to stay at Li Hong’s place these past few days, indeed neglecting Lu Jingyi. No wonder Dad was angry.
Xu Zhijun: “Dad, what are you saying? It’s only right to see you off. By the way, have you finished the supplements I gave you? I’ll buy some more for you tomorrow. Please let me take you back. I’ve been busy with training lately, and I know I’ve been neglecting Jingyi. It’s my fault.”
Grandpa wasn’t buying his act now.
He wanted to see what Xu Zhijun was really up to.
“Fine, then you can take me back.”
The group walked to the hospital’s main entrance.
Cars were still a rarity at this time. Xu Zhijun stared at the new car parked at the hospital entrance and exclaimed in surprise, “Dad, you bought a new car?”
“Yes, the previous one was too small. I’m picking Jingyi up tomorrow, so I got a bigger one.”
“Dad, let me drive.”
The car was clearly an import, and he had never driven a foreign car before.
Uncle stepped forward and opened the driver’s seat door, saying, “I’ll drive. You’ve never driven this kind of car before, brother-in-law.”
No way.
Knowing this man’s sinister intentions, how could he entrust his family’s lives to him?
Xu Zhijun froze, his expression turning unpleasant for a moment.
His brother-in-law still looked down on him.
He clenched his fists but maintained a humble smile on his face. “Alright then, I’ll sit in the back. There are actually some matters I’d like to discuss with Dad.”
Grandpa and Uncle exchanged glances.
Both understood what was going on.
No wonder Xu Zhijun was being so attentive—he had a favor to ask.