Although Old Master Su had looked fairly energetic the day before, he was still advanced in age. Coupled with the severe anger and stress he had recently endured, the doctors recommended that he remain hospitalized for a few more days for observation and a full medical examination.
Early the next morning, Su Huaijin arrived at the hospital room carrying a thermos of nourishing porridge Zhang Ma had prepared.
Before she even entered, she heard Wang Fang’s fake, syrupy voice coming from inside.
“Oh my, Dad, drink slowly. Look at your condition—the moment that girl came back, you fell sick again. I think she’s nothing but a jinx, born to bring you bad luck!”
Su Huaijin’s grip on the thermos tightened instantly, and her steps halted at the doorway.
Inside the room, Wang Fang sat by the bedside holding a bowl of medicine. As she fed the old man, she continued poisoning his mind against Su Huaijin.
Leaning against the headboard, Old Master Su looked somewhat pale. Hearing her words, he frowned and pushed the medicine bowl away.
“That’s enough! Stop talking nonsense. Huaijin finally came home—must you always speak so sarcastically? Cough, cough, cough…”
Before he could finish, the old man suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe.
“Grandpa!”
Unable to endure another second, Su Huaijin pushed the door open and rushed inside. She set the thermos on the table and hurried to the bedside, helping the old man catch his breath.
“Grandpa, how are you feeling? What hurts? I’ll call the doctor!”
Startled, Wang Fang immediately stood up and blocked her path with a dark expression.
“Why call a doctor? Stop making a fuss! Your grandfather has had this condition for years. Once he drinks this medicine, he’ll be fine! You’re acting so hysterically—are you trying to scare him to death?”
As she spoke, she lifted the bowl of dark herbal medicine again and tried forcing it toward the old man’s mouth.
The pungent smell made Su Huaijin frown instinctively. She didn’t understand medicine, but something about the odor felt wrong. Beneath the bitterness lingered a strange metallic scent.
“Wait!”
She reached out reflexively to stop her.
“Did the doctor prescribe this? Why does it smell strange?”
Wang Fang instantly exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“What do you mean by that, Su Huaijin?! Are you accusing me of poisoning your grandfather? I spent a fortune hiring an old Chinese medicine expert from Tongrentang to prescribe this remedy! It’s the most effective thing for your grandfather’s cough! If you don’t understand medicine, then stop interfering!”
As she shouted, she forcefully shoved Su Huaijin.
“Get out! Stop getting in the way! Your grandfather will never recover as long as he sees you!”
Su Huaijin was physically weaker, and the shove sent her stumbling backward. She nearly crashed into a nearby medical instrument.
At that moment—
A powerful hand firmly steadied her waist.
Immediately afterward, a familiar oppressive aura carrying a chilling edge filled the entire hospital room.
“Aunt Wang certainly throws her weight around.”
Cheng Beitang had arrived without anyone noticing. Wearing his faded old military uniform, he stood behind Su Huaijin like an immovable iron tower. His icy eyes locked onto the hand Wang Fang had yet to withdraw.
Under his gaze, Wang Fang felt her scalp go numb. She instinctively pulled her hand back and shouted defensively:
“Th-This is the Su family’s private business! You’re an outsider—stay out of it!”
“An outsider?”
Cheng Beitang sneered and stepped forward, completely shielding Su Huaijin behind him.
Ignoring Wang Fang, he turned toward the old man still coughing in bed and asked in a low voice:
“Grandpa, how long have you had this cough?”
The old man finally caught his breath and waved his hand dismissively.
“An old problem. Every autumn I start coughing. It’s nothing serious.”
“Is it really nothing serious,” Cheng Beitang asked meaningfully, “or does someone not want it to be?”
His gaze shifted pointedly toward the bowl of medicine in Wang Fang’s hands.
Wang Fang’s heart skipped violently, her eyes flickering nervously.
“Y-You… what nonsense are you talking about?! I’ve taken care of Dad for years! Even if I have no merit, I’ve at least worked hard! What right do you have to slander me?!”
“Whether it’s slander or not, we’ll know after checking.”
Cheng Beitang lifted his wrist to glance at the time.
“If I’m calculating correctly, they should be here by now.”
Wang Fang froze.
“Who?”
Before she could finish—
A synchronized, forceful series of footsteps suddenly echoed outside the room. The sound carried immense pressure, like an entire military unit advancing toward them.
Bang!
The hospital room door was pushed open forcefully.
Both Wang Fang and Su Huaijin stared at the entrance in shock.
Six or seven doctors in white coats entered one after another. All were over fifty years old and clearly senior experts. They wore specialist badges from the Military General Hospital, and leading them was an elderly physician frequently seen on television—a national treasure of Chinese medicine who treated central government leaders: Elder Qi.
Behind the specialists stood two armed guards carrying rifles, expressionless as they took positions at the door.
The display was more intimidating than a state leader’s inspection.
“W-What is this?” Wang Fang panicked completely, nearly dropping the medicine bowl.
Without even glancing at her, Elder Qi walked straight to Cheng Beitang and spoke with surprising familiarity.
“Xiao Cheng, you dragged this old man all the way out of the sanatorium in such a hurry. What kind of emergency is this?”
Cheng Beitang saluted respectfully.
“Elder Qi, please examine my grandfather. I suspect someone tampered with his illness.”
As he spoke, he shot Wang Fang a cold glance.
“And please test that bowl of medicine as well.”
The moment those words fell, the room went completely silent.
Old Master Su widened his eyes in shock and stared at Wang Fang in disbelief.
Tampered with?
Wang Fang turned deathly pale. Her hand trembled violently, and with a loud clang, the medicine bowl fell to the floor, black liquid splashing everywhere.
“Oh no! My hand slipped!”
Panicking, she crouched down and tried to shield the spilled medicine with her body while babbling excuses.
“Cheng Beitang! What are you trying to do?! Are you trying to force me to my death?! Dad! Look at your wonderful grandson-in-law! He’s trying to kill me!”
As she cried and screamed, she frantically attempted to wipe away the medicine.
“Don’t move!”
A sharp command rang out.
One of the guards strode forward, grabbed Wang Fang by the shoulder, and hauled her aside like a chicken before pinning her against the wall.
“Let go of me! What right do you have to arrest me?! I’m the mistress of the Su family! This is rebellion!” Wang Fang screamed hysterically, her hair disheveled like a crazed shrew.
Cheng Beitang didn’t even look at her. Instead, he gestured politely toward Elder Qi.
Elder Qi wasted no time. He immediately led the experts into action.
Some checked Old Master Su’s pulse, lungs, and vital signs. Others took out professional testing strips and equipment to collect samples of the spilled medicine from the floor.
The entire process was efficient, professional, and solemn.
Su Huaijin nervously gripped Cheng Beitang’s arm, her palms drenched in sweat. Watching the experts move about, she desperately hoped the truth would come out, yet feared how cruel that truth might be.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Cheng Beitang covered her small hand with his own, his voice low and steady.
“As long as I’m here, no one can overturn the heavens.”
Fifteen minutes later—
The results came back.
Holding several test reports, Elder Qi walked gravely to Old Master Su’s bedside.
“Old Chief, it’s fortunate Xiao Cheng called us in time.”
He sighed and pointed at the reports.
“Your lung infection wasn’t serious originally. Regular antibiotics would’ve been enough. But…”
Turning toward Wang Fang, who was restrained in the corner, Elder Qi’s eyes burned with fury.
“Someone stopped your Western medication and replaced it with this so-called ‘folk remedy.’ It contains massive amounts of ephedra and aconite. While these herbs can temporarily suppress coughing and wheezing, the dosage is dangerously excessive! For an elderly patient with hypertension and heart disease like you, this is equivalent to chronic suicide!”
“It accelerates the heart rate and raises blood pressure. Long-term use would eventually lead to heart failure! This isn’t medicine—it’s a death sentence!”
Boom—
Elder Qi’s words struck everyone in the room like a bolt of lightning.
Su Huaijin covered her mouth as tears burst from her eyes.
She couldn’t believe her stepmother had become this vicious. To control Grandpa, she had actually resorted to slowly poisoning him!
On the hospital bed, Old Master Su trembled violently.
His cloudy old eyes widened as he stared at Wang Fang in the corner. His lips shook uncontrollably, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the daughter-in-law he trusted was actually a venomous snake trying to take his life.
“N-No! That’s not true! You’re all framing me together!”
Even now, Wang Fang struggled desperately.
With disheveled hair, she shrieked hysterically:
“That old doctor said it was a tonic! I didn’t know! I was deceived too! Dad! Believe me! How could I possibly harm you?!”
“Enough!”
A furious roar exploded with overwhelming force.
Cheng Beitang strode forward, radiating terrifying pressure. Endless fury churned in his eyes.
Standing before Wang Fang, he looked down at her pitiful state as though she were a disgusting insect.
“Deceived?”
He let out a cold laugh and pulled several photographs from his pocket before throwing them viciously into her face.
The photos scattered across the floor.
They clearly showed Wang Fang secretly meeting with a sleazy man in Daoist robes, along with images of her handing him money.
“This so-called ‘old doctor’ is a fraud. He used to tell fortunes for a living. You paid him five hundred yuan to prescribe this formula.”
Cheng Beitang’s voice was as cold as something emerging from hell itself.
“You not only wanted Grandpa dead—you also forged his will so you could transfer the Su family assets into your and Su Wan’s names. Wang Fang, is your heart black?”
He had uncovered all this evidence overnight using special channels. To him, investigating an ordinary woman’s background was easier than crushing an ant.
The evidence was ironclad.
Wang Fang collapsed onto the floor completely limp, her face ashen.
It was over. Everything was over.
She had never imagined that this soldier who looked like nothing more than a rough military man possessed such terrifying power—that he could uncover every secret she had in such a short time.
“You beast! You vicious beast!”
Old Master Su finally erupted.
Grabbing a teacup from beside the bed, he hurled it at Wang Fang with all his remaining strength.
Crash!
The cup shattered beside her feet, fragments scattering everywhere.
“What sin did the Su family commit to bring in a woman as vicious as you?!”
The old man trembled violently, tears streaming down his face. Pointing at Wang Fang, he shouted at the guards:
“Take her away! Send her to the Public Security Bureau! I’m pressing charges!”
“No! Dad! I was wrong! I really was wrong! Please, for the sake of all the years I served you, spare me this once! Wan’er is still young—she can’t live without her mother!”
Crying and screaming, Wang Fang lunged toward the bed to grab the old man’s legs and beg for mercy.
But Cheng Beitang kicked her away.
He showed no mercy in that kick. Wang Fang rolled twice across the floor in utter humiliation.
“You dare talk about affection?”
Standing in front of the hospital bed like an unshakable mountain, Cheng Beitang protected both the old man and Su Huaijin behind him.
Looking coldly at the woman on the floor, he said word by word:
“The moment you decided to harm someone, you ceased to be part of the Su family.”
“Take her away.”
At his command, the two guards immediately stepped forward. Like dragging away a dead dog, they hauled Wang Fang up and forcibly dragged her out of the hospital room despite her screams and struggles.
Finally, silence returned.
Only the old man’s heavy breathing and Su Huaijin’s suppressed sobs remained.
“Grandpa…”
Walking over, Su Huaijin clasped the old man’s thin hand as tears poured down her face. Her heart ached for him, and fear lingered in her chest. Had they returned even a few days later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Old Master Su looked at his granddaughter, then at Cheng Beitang standing nearby like a steadfast pine tree.
Guilt and relief flashed through the old man’s eyes.
“Huaijin… Grandpa was blind. I brought a wolf into our home and made you suffer…”
He patted his granddaughter’s hand gently before turning to Cheng Beitang with a solemn expression.
“Beitang.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“This time… it was all thanks to you.” The old man’s voice thickened with emotion. “The Su family owes you a debt. From now on… I’m entrusting Huaijin completely to you. You must… protect her well in my place.”
He knew he was old now. He could no longer protect his granddaughter.
But the man before him was even stronger and more dependable than he had imagined.
Cheng Beitang looked at the old man’s hopeful gaze, then at his wife beside him whose eyes were swollen red from crying.
Reaching out, he firmly clasped Su Huaijin’s other hand and solemnly promised the old man:
“Grandpa, don’t worry.”
“As long as I, Cheng Beitang, still draw breath, no one will ever touch a single hair on her head.”
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the family of three.
The gloom filling the hospital room finally dispersed.
Though they had endured a violent storm, some things had only become stronger and more unshakable because of it.
And for the Su family, this thorough cleansing had only just begun.