“Ruochu, don’t go yet! Stay and help us figure this out. And Yusheng, what exactly do they mean by ‘moral issues’?” Mother Lu wasn’t well-educated and had no idea what the term implied.
“Sigh, Mom! It means people are talking because I’m still married to Shen Zhiyi, yet I’m so close to Ruochu. Do you understand now?”
“And you keeping her here right now? Are you trying to get me killed?”
Lu Yusheng was truly at his wits’ end. Unable to control his temper any longer, he shouted at his mother.
It felt like everyone was pushing him to the edge.
It was ridiculous.
Jiang Ruochu wanted him to register their marriage, and he was willing to do it. Once all this trouble was sorted out, he still intended to marry her. She was his first love, his true love.
The fact that he didn’t look down on her despite her being married before and having a daughter proved how much he cared.
But she needed to be smarter, more tactful, too.
Mother Lu was stunned. Hearing that she might be the cause of his downfall, she panicked. She stood up immediately, grabbed Jiang Ruochu’s hand, and practically dragged her toward the door.
“Ruochu, I had no idea it was this serious. Listen, you’d better go home now. Come on, Auntie will walk you out.”
Jiang Ruochu glanced back at Lu Yusheng. He was holding his head in his hands, looking utterly exhausted and pained. Being the understanding woman she was, she didn’t want to add to his burden, so she quietly followed Mother Lu outside.
As soon as they reached the courtyard, Jiang Ruochu suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She covered her mouth and retched several times.
Mother Lu was a woman who had given birth to five children; she knew the signs immediately. This didn’t escape her notice.
“Ruochu… are you… expecting again?” She couldn’t believe it. Jiang Ruochu was truly fertile ground.
She always knew the girl was capable of bearing children, but getting pregnant so quickly, one after another… it was almost too much.
“Yes,” Jiang Ruochu nodded. This time, she didn’t deny it.
At first, she had been so hopeful. She thought Lu Yusheng would divorce Shen Zhiyi in a few days, or at most within a month.
But she never expected this someone would accuse him of misconduct right now. The hospital leadership believed it and suspended him.
Looking at the situation now, she realized this baby simply could not be born.
Otherwise, this child would be irrefutable, concrete proof that the rumors about his “moral issues” were true.
“Ruochu, normally this would be wonderful news, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Yusheng is under investigation, and we have no idea how long this will last or how it will end.”
“How long will he be suspended?”
“Auntie, don’t worry. Please tell Brother Yusheng for me: I’ll go to Nancheng tomorrow and take care of it. Tell him to stay calm and take care of himself. No matter what happens, I will cooperate fully. I won’t let him down or cause him any more trouble.”
After saying this, Jiang Ruochu got on her bicycle and headed straight to school to apply for an extended leave of absence.
Mother Lu sighed, marveling at how sensible and devoted Jiang Ruochu was. When she went back inside to relay the message, she reminded her son, “Yusheng, that girl is truly devoted to you, no questions asked. You must divorce Shen Zhiyi quickly and marry her properly.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I will,” Lu Yusheng promised firmly.
“Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.”
Soon enough, the entire Lu family knew Lu Yusheng had been suspended.
As the saying goes, good news never travels far, but bad news spreads like wildfire. Before long, the whole of Lu Family Village was talking about it.
Whenever the villagers gathered, this was all they gossiped about.
Villager A: “Yusheng is such a good kid. How could a man like him have ‘moral issues’?”
Villager B: “Exactly! He’s such a talented doctor. He’s destined to go to the big city one day.”
Villager C: “True! Last time I saw him, he didn’t even charge me a registration fee.”
…
…
Villager N: “Wait, do you guys even understand what ‘conduct issues’ mean? Being a good doctor doesn’t mean he has good character. Sure, Dr. Lu and Teacher Jiang look perfect together… but everyone knows Dr. Lu is still legally married to his ex-wife, Teacher Shen, right?”
“…”
The crowd fell silent. They had momentarily forgotten that detail.
If he was still married and already living like a couple with Teacher Jiang, then technically… his conduct wasn’t exactly clean.
But still… one flaw shouldn’t overshadow all his virtues.
They still thought Lu Yusheng was a good man overall.
That evening, someone from the hospital came to the village with a message, asking Lu Yusheng to report to the hospital the next day.
“Understood. I will be there promptly. Thank you, Director.” Lu Yusheng saw the messenger to the door.
The whole family tried to invite the Director in for dinner, but he was sharp enough to know better than to get involved at this sensitive time. He politely declined and left.
The next day, Lu Yusheng arrived at the hospital exactly on time and was immediately ushered into the President’s office.
“Good morning, President Zeng,” Lu Yusheng said, bowing respectfully to the top authority.
President Zeng was the veteran director of Jitian Town Hospital. His hair and beard were completely white. At that moment, he was sitting calmly reading a newspaper.
He pushed his reading glasses down his nose slightly, focused his eyes, and looked at Lu Yusheng with a furrowed brow for a few seconds. “Dr. Lu, you’re here. Sit down.”
“Thank you, President.” Lu Yusheng pulled a chair over and sat down carefully.
His heart was pounding. Usually, he only ever saw the President from a distance during staff meetings. This was the first time he was speaking to him alone, up close like this.
“Dr. Lu, you have been anonymously reported for serious misconduct regarding your personal life. What do you have to say about this?” President Zeng didn’t beat around the bush; he went straight to the point.
“President, may I ask… who filed this report?” Lu Yusheng straightened his back.
He had spent all last night anticipating this conversation, rehearsing answers to every possible question. He was fully prepared.
The old President simply shook his head.
“You cannot tell me?” Lu Yusheng asked. This was his first time being reported, but he had reported Zhou Muchuan before. He knew that if he could see the handwriting, people who knew him could recognize it.
His plan was simple: if he could see the letter, he might recognize the script.
Apart from suspecting Zhou Muchuan, he had also started to wonder if Shen Zhiyi was behind it.
“Then… President, may I see the report itself?”
“You want to see the letter? That’s against protocol. Besides… we already sent out the DNA test report yesterday afternoon.”
“DNA report?” Lu Yusheng stood up abruptly, his curiosity piqued.
He wanted to see it.
As a medical professional, he was always interested in the advancements of medical technology.
Lu Yusheng had no idea that the report in question was his own.
Realizing he had reacted too strongly, he sat back down quickly. “My apologies, President. Last year, the hospital sent me to Beijing for training, and I was just starting to learn about this field. I am surprised it has progressed so far that results are already available. I just…”
“Dr. Lu.” President Zeng looked at him as if he were looking at a fool. “Are you truly unaware? That report… is the paternity test result for you and a young boy named Yang Anqiang.”
“The results confirm that, biologically, you are his father.”
“Impossible!”
Lu Yusheng was shattered. His vision went black, and his body swayed, on the verge of collapsing.