Xia Yuhuan originally thought she wouldn’t receive a response from He Xiaojie.
Unexpectedly, he stared at her for a long moment before giving a slight nod.
Xia Yuhuan’s eyes immediately filled with laughter, feeling that her decision to make french fries was truly brilliant.
Indeed, children just love eating these kinds of things – the distance between them had narrowed just a little!
He Xiaojie was a very patient child.
He waited as long as Xia Yuhuan spent frying the french fries, showing not the slightest impatience.
His gaze kept shifting between Xia Yuhuan and the frying pan, his eyes full of curiosity.
After finishing the fries, Xia Yuhuan carried the plate outside.
Without needing her to call him, He Xiaojie automatically followed with small steps, maintaining a short distance beside Xia Yuhuan.
When Xia Yuhuan placed the fries on the coffee table, He Xiaojie obediently sat on the sofa staring at them. He didn’t reach to take any, just watched with eager eyes full of longing.
Seeing this, her heart melted with tenderness. She said softly, “You can eat if you want, but be careful, they’re hot.”
Only then did He Xiaojie tentatively reach for one, taking small bites as he ate.
The fries were quite hot – he kept huffing and puffing as he ate, yet couldn’t bear to spit them out, making Xia Yuhuan both amused and exasperated.
“They’re all yours, no one will snatch them from you. No need to rush, be careful not to burn yourself,” Xia Yuhuan said with concern.
He Xiaojie remained silent, making Xia Yuhuan worry that even if he got burned, he wouldn’t make a sound.
After watching him eat two fries, she asked, “Are they good? If they are, I’ll make them for you again next time.”
He Xiaojie nodded without hesitation.
The sight of his continuous nodding utterly charmed Xia Yuhuan.
When Chi Shaokang and Zhang Xianya emerged from the study, they saw Xia Yuhuan watching He Xiaojie with smiling eyes while the child sat obediently eating.
The couple exchanged glances, both showing surprise.
They hadn’t expected that in such a short time, Xia Yuhuan had managed to bridge the distance with He Xiaojie and establish a relatively peaceful relationship.
After all, when they first brought He Xiaojie home, it had taken them quite some time to become even slightly close to him.
After observing quietly for a while, Zhang Xianya was the one who called out to Xia Yuhuan.
“Xiaohuan, come here for a moment.”
“Coming!”
Xia Yuhuan followed the elderly couple into the study and proactively asked, “Mom, Dad, what did you want to see me about?”
“I was just discussing with your father about Yanzhou’s poisoning incident. Your father thinks we should still find a doctor from the military to confirm…” Zhang Xianya explained, then quickly added, “Xiaohuan, don’t misunderstand – it’s not that we don’t trust your medical skills, we just want to be more certain.”
“That’s fine, please have someone come take a look. Having another confirmation isn’t a bad thing,” Xia Yuhuan said indifferently.
Zhang Xianya quickly took Xia Yuhuan’s hand. “Xiaohuan, don’t be upset. Your father just wants to confirm what poison Yanzhou was exposed to. If he really was poisoned at this critical moment, this is no small matter.”
Xia Yuhuan naturally understood this reasoning.
Chi Yanzhou was originally an exceptionally outstanding young officer in the military, with both individual combat capabilities and team command abilities far surpassing those of his peers.
Even compared to higher-ranking and more senior officers, he was not inferior, making him a key talent being cultivated as an excellent young military officer.
Such a pillar of the nation, having sustained injuries from an important secret mission and now poisoned before fully recovering—this matter was absolutely not simple.
Xia Yuhuan had initially thought that such affairs involved too many complexities and were unsuitable for an ordinary person like her to meddle in. She planned to wait for Chi Yanzhou to wake up and let him investigate it himself.
Now that Chi Shaokang was willing to step in and investigate, it was naturally even better.
If Chi Shaokang could get to the bottom of this before Chi Yanzhou regained consciousness, it would save Chi Yanzhou a lot of trouble.
“Mom, I understand. You don’t need to explain to me. I’m not angry, really.”
“Chi Yanzhou is your child. You only want what’s best for him and would never harm him. So, proceed with whatever examinations and treatments he needs. Even if you ask me to withdraw from his treatment, I have no objections.”
Xia Yuhuan wore a serious expression.
Her willingness to treat Chi Yanzhou stemmed from two reasons: first, after transmigrating, she had leveraged Chi Yanzhou’s influence to break free from the Xia family—a debt of gratitude she needed to repay.
Second, she held a deep respect for soldiers who protect the nation.
Chi Yanzhou had gotten into this state while carrying out a secret mission. As an operative working on the covert front, if she hadn’t arrived and remained unaware of his poisoning, that would be one thing.
But since she knew, she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Even if Chi Yanzhou were only mildly poisoned now, she would do everything in her power to pull him back, even if he were halfway through death’s door.
She had her own principles and convictions.
Of course, if Zhang Xianya and Chi Shaokang could find someone else to treat Chi Yanzhou, she would be more than happy to step aside.
Zhang Xianya tightened her grip on Xia Yuhuan’s hand and said softly, “Xiaohuan, reporting this to the military is mainly to confirm the authenticity of the poisoning. If Yanzhou is indeed poisoned, I want you to take full charge of his treatment. I don’t trust anyone else.”
Xia Yuhuan was taken aback by this.
She hadn’t expected Zhang Xianya to say such a thing.
Yet, this unreserved trust moved her deeply.
Xia Yuhuan nodded gently. “Alright, Mom. As long as you’re willing to believe in me, I will do everything I can to cure him.”
After obtaining Xia Yuhuan’s consent, Chi Shaokang discreetly arranged for personnel from the military hospital to come and draw Chi Yanzhou’s blood for toxicity testing.
With Chi Shaokang’s involvement, the results came back quickly.
Chi Yanzhou was indeed poisoned.
Although the detected toxicity was minimal, if it accumulated over time, it could indeed be fatal.
Moreover, the poison Chi Yanzhou had been exposed to was a new type of toxin. While the military hospital could detect its presence, they had no means to counteract or treat it.
As soon as Chi Shaokang and Zhang Xianya received the test results, they immediately sought out Xia Yuhuan.
“Xiaohuan, the test results are out. It’s just as you said—he’s poisoned, and the toxicity is mild,” Chi Shaokang said gravely.
Zhang Xianya, holding Xia Yuhuan’s hand, had red-rimmed eyes.
“Xiaohuan, thank you. If it weren’t for you, if we had delayed any longer, Yanzhou might truly have been beyond saving. I…”
Zhang Xianya couldn’t help but recall what Xia Yuhuan had mentioned earlier—that Chi Yanzhou would die from organ failure in two years—and felt a chill run through her.
Xia Yuhuan quickly reached out and patted Zhang Xianya’s hand, soothing her in a gentle voice, “Mom, don’t be afraid. I’m here now. With me around, Chi Yanzhou will be fine. Please don’t worry.”
“Xiaoyu, I’m entrusting Yanzhou’s future treatment to you. Whatever you need, just let me know. No matter what it is, I’ll do my best to obtain it,” Zhang Xianya said seriously.
“Alright, with me here, you can rest assured,” Xia Yuhuan responded promptly.
At this moment, Chi Shaokang added, “Xiaoyu, if there’s anything you need me to do, just say the word. I’ll definitely spare no effort.”
Xia Yuhuan originally intended to say she didn’t need any help.
But at the last moment, she changed her approach: “Anything at all? There actually is one tricky matter I’d like to ask for your help with.”