News had just spread that Lin Jianguo was ugly when another piece of news followed: he had been kicked and had fallen flat on his face.
The reason was that Lin Jianguo, having been called ugly by Mingxi and finding no reason to refute it, had gotten angry and said a few nasty things.
After saying those words, he had tried to leave. But Mingxi wasn’t one to suffer a loss. As he turned to walk away, she kicked him in the butt, and Lin Jianguo went tumbling, flat on his face.
“Good heavens, Doctor Lin’s ex-wife is too formidable.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a woman hit a man. Doctor Lin actually couldn’t even beat his ex-wife?”
Through the word-of-mouth of these women, the rumors about Lin Jianguo evolved from him being ugly, to falling flat on his face, and finally, to being unable to beat a woman.
The men who heard this rumor were also stunned, and some even sought out Lin Jianguo to ask him about it.
Lin Jianguo was already on the verge of being driven mad with anger. “I just didn’t want to hit a woman. Mingxi is a complete lunatic!”
Looking at Lin Jianguo’s face, which was contorted with rage, his friends felt he was being a bit petty.
“Jianguo, what you’re saying is a little harsh. We’ve met your ex-wife, and she’s indeed a very decent person. You don’t like her, and she thinks you’re ugly, but you’re already divorced, aren’t you? Why are you still cursing her out?”
Lin Jianguo looked at the comrades-in-arms reprimanding him, the muscles on his face twitching with anger.
What kind of potion had this woman, Mingxi, given them? He was their friend of many years, wasn’t he!
Lin Jianguo made up a random excuse and sent away these friends who weren’t on his side. But just as he got rid of them, his superior, Director Zhao, summoned him.
Director Zhao had initially been quite pleased about Lin Jianguo’s divorce. He could finally take him on as a son-in-law, and besides, he and his daughter were mutually in love.
But he hadn’t expected that right after the divorce, all these messy rumors about him would start to spread.
“What on earth is going on! How can you stir up so much trouble just from getting a divorce?”
Director Zhao slammed his hand on the desk and berated Lin Jianguo, who lowered his head, pursed his lips, and listened quietly to the lecture.
After a while of scolding, Director Zhao’s anger subsided a little, and he told him to sit down. “Your ex-wife should be leaving soon, right? Once she’s gone, no one will talk about your affairs anymore.”
Director Zhao was also very annoyed with Mingxi. First, she had broken up his daughter and Lin Jianguo, and now she had come back to cause so much trouble with the divorce. He truly wished she would leave immediately.
“She should be leaving soon. Qingling probably doesn’t know about those rumors, does she?” Lin Jianguo asked, a little worried.
Director Zhao snorted and said, “How could she not know? She’s at home sulking right now.”
“Then I’ll go see her later.” Now he could go see Zhao Qingling openly, which was the biggest benefit of the divorce. Lin Jianguo imagined the wonderful times he used to have with Zhao Qingling, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Seeing his expression, Director Zhao immediately threw a bucket of cold water on him. “Go secretly. You’ve just gotten divorced, and if you’re seen being so close with Qingling, aren’t you just pushing her into the line of fire? You two can start seeing each other officially after your ex-wife has left.”
Lin Jianguo’s good mood vanished in an instant. He couldn’t help but complain about Mingxi; this was all her fault.
(Mingxi: This is all your mother’s fault!)
Mingxi was indeed preparing to leave. She even went to see Old Qi one last time.
She hadn’t been idle during this period of divorce. She had read the entire medical book left by the original owner’s father. This was a real treasure.
If she had never studied medicine, she could have slowly started with this medical book. But she was already a seasoned doctor, with a modest reputation in the modern Chinese medical world. Still, having this book was better than not having it.
When Old Qi learned that she was leaving, he prepared many things for her.
“Mingxi, my girl, if you have any trouble in the future, just come to me. And if you want to find a partner, you must come to me, ah. I really have a lot of candidates on my side.”
Mingxi: “…Thank you, but I don’t need one at the moment.”
Old Qi: “Don’t be like that. Look, you’re so beautiful, you should always have a protector by your side. I really have a very good candidate for you.”
Mingxi’s mouth twitched. She really couldn’t understand why Old Qi was so insistent on playing matchmaker for her.
Seeing Mingxi’s firm attitude, Old Qi sighed in disappointment. “Alright, if you don’t want to find a partner now, then don’t. There’s still plenty of time in the future, anyway.”
Mingxi took a deep breath and said, somewhat speechlessly, “Old Qi, I’m going to pack my things first. I will definitely come and visit you when I have the chance in the future.”
She would absolutely not stay in that small village forever. She had to get out.
On the day she was leaving, she went out for a stroll in advance, since her train ticket was for the evening anyway.
Since she had made the trip out, she had to bring something back. The small village couldn’t compare to this place.
After wandering around until the afternoon, Mingxi walked to a riverbank to wash her face. This place seemed a bit remote, with fewer people, but the scenery was very nice.
She walked around and looked, and even found some medicinal herbs.
As she walked to a secluded patch of grass, her foot was suddenly grabbed by something.
“Hiss!” Mingxi sucked in a sharp breath, her movements extremely slow as she lowered her head to look at the grimy hand clutching her foot.
“Save… save me,” a faint voice came from behind the patch of grass.
Mingxi carefully pushed aside the grass and saw a man covered in filth. His face was not only dirty but also stained with blood, making it impossible to see what he looked like.
Mingxi held her breath and began to think about the tropes she had read in novels.
Never pick up an injured, unconscious man you find on the outside, and this man’s identity was clearly not simple.
She forcefully pried the man’s hand off, and the man finally managed to lift his head.
Looking at the man’s bright eyes, Mingxi hardened her heart and turned her head away, unwilling to look, afraid she would soften.
“I’m just an ordinary person, just came to the riverbank to relax.”
The man just tilted his head to look at her, his eyes very bright, but his breathing grew weaker and weaker.
Mingxi gritted her teeth, cursed herself under her breath, and asked him a question: “Are you a good person or a bad person?”
The man replied weakly, “A good person.”
In truth, asking this question was pointless, because no one knew if he was lying. Mingxi was just seeking some psychological comfort.
Seeing the man grow weaker and weaker, Mingxi still extended a helping hand.
The man had many wounds on his body, and it was clear at a glance that they were not ordinary injuries. Mingxi immediately gathered materials on the spot to see if she could find any useful herbs.
As for the still-bleeding wounds, Mingxi used a needle and the herbs she had just found to stop the bleeding for him.
Seeing the man close his eyes, Mingxi thought he had passed out, so she began to talk to herself.
“The internet says not to pick up men on the roadside. I saved you, so you can’t repay my kindness with malice, ah. I’m not expecting you to repay me, either. Let’s just pretend we never met in the future.”
Mingxi chattered on, completely unaware that the man’s eyes had opened, and he even looked somewhat emotional.