(Tuanzi, Tuanzi, what’s going on? How did Su Sinian—the big idiot—end up coming here with Director Yang and the others?)
(Sis, I don’t know either. Maybe he just ran into them by chance and came along. Probably that’s it.)
“Ning, let me introduce you. This is Su Sinian. He lives just down the street and is a military officer.”
“Come on, Sinian, let me introduce you. This is Jiang Ning, now renamed An Ning. She used to be the daughter of the Jiang family, but now she has nothing to do with them.”
“Comrade An, hello. My name is Su Sinian. It’s an honor to meet you here. You can call me Brother Su.”
“Hello, Brother Su. I’m An Ning. You can call me Xiao Ning along with Uncle Hong and Aunt Yang.”
“Xiao Ning, here’s your youth cadre certificate and train ticket. You’ll depart in three days. Do you need to buy anything? If it’s inconvenient for you, I can get it for you.”
Su Sinian quickly glanced at the address on An Ning’s certificate.
This address looked familiar… wasn’t it the village next to his military base?
Could it really be such a coincidence? If so, that’s perfect—he could visit her anytime.
“Xiao Ning, you’re going to An County, Shuikou Town, Wuli Village, as a youth cadre?”
“Yes, you know the place?” An Ning asked curiously.
(Sis, didn’t you say last time that this big idiot happens to be stationed next to the village of her biological parents?)
(Yeah, I almost forgot. The idiot is stationed there, maybe as a battalion commander or something.)
(It’s because he’s the battalion commander that the Jiang family had an eye on him. Jiang Sisi didn’t love him, but she enjoyed the prestige of being the officer’s wife. She loved it when people looked at her with admiration and called her “Battalion Commander’s Wife.”)
(Tuanzi, Su Sinian is handsome in every way—exactly my type.)
(Tuanzi, if he weren’t such an idiot, I wouldn’t mind taking him. He’s tall, well-built… do you think he has eight-pack abs?)
(Sis, you pervy woman! He’s still a baby—you can’t talk like that.)
(Tuanzi, come on! I’m just curious—does he have eight-pack abs or not?)
“By the way, Su Sinian, I think you were stationed there, right? Please take care of things when the time comes?”
“Of course, Uncle Hong. I promise I won’t let anyone bully her.”
“Well, I’ll leave it here for now. Thank you, Comrade Su.” An Ning looked at Su Sinian’s smiling face and felt a little annoyed.
(Laugh, laugh, laugh… as if nobody knows your teeth are so white, big idiot!)
Hearing An Ning’s unspoken thoughts, Su Sinian smiled even more. If Grandma Su saw her grandson laughing like there’s no tomorrow, she’d probably drop her jaw.
Is this really her cold, serious grandson? Or has something unholy possessed him?
An Ning seemed to think of something and asked Director Yang with a smile: “Aunt Yang, I feel much better now. I’ll soon be going to the countryside. I’d like to leave the hospital to prepare some things. Could you issue a certificate so I can stay at a hotel for a few days?”
“Why stay at a hotel? Just stay here for a few days. There are plenty of beds in the hospital. I’ll notify the doctors so no one else is assigned to this ward for the next couple of days.”
Director Hong said firmly, indeed, there were many beds available. Nowadays, people only stayed in the hospital if necessary—they wouldn’t waste money otherwise.
Suddenly, Su Sinian said, “Xiao Ning, it’s not convenient or safe for a little girl to stay at a hotel. Here, with nurses and doctors on duty, you’ll be safe.”
(Hehe, Tuanzi, how lucky! Staying here saves money for the hotel. When I go to the government compound tonight, if anything happens, I have witnesses to prove I wasn’t there!)
(Yeah, Sis, just agree. It’s only a couple of nights—no need to bother.)
(Alright, let’s listen to our Tuanzi!)
(Sis, are you going to the city tonight?)
(Why? No, in two days I’ll head to the countryside. Tonight I might take this chance to go see something. Otherwise, tomorrow night I’ll be at the old Xie family mansion watching the drama. Don’t know if I’ll have time.)
(Tuanzi, don’t you know? In the book, when the original owner was abused by those beasts, she felt so desperate that she jumped into the river.)
Su Sinian’s heart tightened at those words. Which beasts? He decided: tonight, he would follow and see.
But when Su Sinian returned to the hospital, An Ning had already gone. He had missed her, so he hurried out, pedaling his bicycle toward the mansion.
He didn’t know which beasts An Ning was going after, so he could only follow to see.
Actually, those “beasts” were just some minor leaders, but for some reason, Old Ge had handed her over to them to play with.
“An Ning, it’s getting late. Let’s go back. Rest here and don’t think about anything else. In a couple of days, you’ll just board the train.”
“Alright, Director Yang. I won’t go anywhere. Don’t worry!”
The group left An Ning’s room, walking arm in arm while chatting.
Only then did they realize: how did Su Sinian end up following them to An Ning’s ward?
“By the way, Sinian, did you come here looking for a friend?”
“Uncle Hong, Director Yang, I had already seen my friend. Just as I was about to head home, I ran into you, so I came along to check on Comrade An.”
“No problem, I’m going home now. Grandma’s waiting for me to have dinner.”
“Go back. Don’t keep your grandparents waiting.”
“Alright, Uncle Hong, Aunt Yang. I’m leaving now. I’ll invite you for a meal another time.”
In his mind, he thought: when I marry, I’ll definitely invite you to the wedding banquet.
Indeed, Su Sinian had decided to pursue An Ning. From her tone, she was a reborn soul, but it didn’t seem like she was “from the book.” She said she wanted revenge… could it be…
Su Sinian shook his slightly throbbing head and decided not to think about it for now. He would go home, eat, and then return to the hospital later to stake out.
Little did he know, by the time he returned, An Ning had already departed.
All he could do was follow his instincts, heading toward the mansion, heavily guarded. He feared something might happen to An Ning.