Chapter 42.1

“Thank you, Comrade, you’ve worked hard! You’ve really worked hard!” He Qiong stuffed a big handful of candy into the pocket of the young soldier who had helped with the luggage, then smiled and saw him out. When she returned to her office, she plopped down into her chair, panting heavily.

She was so exhausted.

Opposite her, on the stool, sat a woman in her 40s, exuding a cold and aloof demeanor.

After ensuring they were alone in the office, the woman, who usually maintained a graceful demeanor, finally couldn’t bear it any longer. She let her face droop and slumped over the desk, too tired to even lift a finger.

Her hoarse voice had lost its usual allure; at that moment, she was like a dried, salted fish, struggling in its final moments. “Quickly pour me a cup of tea; I’m exhausted.”

Dean He responded disdainfully, “Look at you, running all the way here with so many bags. Don’t you realize how old you are?”

Despite her words, Dean He still made a cup of malted milk and handed it to her. It was something she had prepared, especially for emergencies when there wasn’t enough time for a meal.

The cold and beautiful woman fell silent the moment age was mentioned.

She no longer lay down, instantly straightening her back as she muttered grumpily, “Who are you calling old? Do I look like an old person?”

Seeing that she didn’t take the malted milk, Dean He pushed it towards her again, laughing as she said, “No matter how young you look, you’re still over fifty.”

The cold and beautiful woman choked, then rolled her eyes at Dean He before picking up the malted milk and gulping down a few mouthfuls. She wiped her mouth and said, “Ah Qiong, after all these years, you’re still so unlikable.”

He Qiong sneered, “You flatter me. As long as you maintain your image and don’t scare off your daughter-in-law with your double standards, that’ll be enough.”

When the conversation turned to this topic, the cold and beautiful woman suddenly became lively, no longer feeling any soreness. Her eyes lit up. “Come on, tell me, what’s so great about my daughter-in-law? Where is she? Maybe I should go take a secret look?”

Dean He was speechless. “Are you so bored that you traveled for a week just to sneak a peek at your son’s partner? When they decide to get married, can’t they come back to see you? Did you really need to make such a special trip? Does your old man Xie don’t care about you?”

At the mention of her husband, Tang Siyun’s cold expression showed clear guilt, and her eyes began to wander.

Dean He was at a loss for words. After a while, she rubbed her forehead in frustration and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t tell me you snuck out without telling him.”

Tang Siyun immediately exploded: “Nonsense. Nonsense.”

Dean He crossed her arms with a skeptical look as if her round face were saying, ‘I’ll just watch you lie quietly.’

Tang Siyun’s eyes darted around. After a while, she lowered her head and mumbled, “I… I left a note.”

Her tone was full of guilt.

Dean He was deeply disappointed in her friend. She pointed her shaking finger at Tang Siyun but was at a loss for words.

Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she asked in disbelief, “You didn’t come here without even knowing where Xie Zhen is, did you?”

Tang Siyun tried to maintain her dignified demeanor as a great beauty. She raised her chin slightly, declaring proudly, “I came to see my daughter-in-law, not him. Why do I need to tell him?”

Dean He… How capable of you!

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Ever since Su Xi saved Ge Erniu’s son, she has become famous across the entire island.

However, no one knew how the story got out. As the rumors spread, the tale grew into something even more dramatic: Ge Erniu’s child had actually been dead, and it was Doctor Su Xi, with her extraordinary medical skills, who snatched the child back from the hands of the King of Hell.

Although most people didn’t believe such an outlandish rumor, there were still a few who believed the unreliable story.

As a result, more and more people began coming to the hospital to see the doctor who could “snatch people from the King of Hell,” expecting her to be some sort of superhuman.

So, when Su Xi found herself being stared at with curious eyes again, she was able to remain composed.

At this time, she had just finished dinner and was reviewing the medical records for the patient scheduled for surgery at 6 o’clock.

As a medical professional, she had to be thoroughly prepared for every operation.

Even though she had already gone over the medical records several times, she still took them out to study once more before the operation.

Su Xi put down the medical records and looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared—admiration evident in her eyes.

After being in this era for several years, this was the most strikingly beautiful woman Su Xi had seen.

The visitor appeared to be around 40 years old, dressed in a scarlet gown that perfectly outlined her graceful and beautiful figure.

At this moment, the woman was slightly raising her chin as she looked at Su Xi. Her inky eyes were as languid as a Persian cat’s, exuding an air of nobility and aloofness.

Her fiery red lips curled slightly in an almost imperceptible arc, giving off the impression that she was looking down on everyone.

In short, she was a cold, distant, and aggressive beauty that looked impossible to approach.

Su Xi remained calm on the surface but was internally screaming, ‘Oh my God, where did this extraordinary beauty come from? Such a stunning and regal presence! ’

‘She was absolutely stunning, wasn’t she?’

As for whether this woman had come to pick a fight—well, that wasn’t even a possibility. Su Xi wasn’t blind; the beauty looked at her with curiosity and joy, but certainly no malice!

Su Xi couldn’t help but feel a bit smug, wondering if this sister had come to befriend her after hearing about her stunning appearance and equally beautiful heart.

All these thoughts raced through her mind, but in reality, not much time had passed.

Su Xi got up from her chair and smiled as she asked the beautiful woman, “Is this sister here to see me?”

Tang Siyun’s delight grew when she heard this. This child had the same discerning eye as Old Xie, unlike many who thought she was unserious.

Tang Siyun, maintaining her composure, adjusted her half-tied dark hair and nodded toward Su Xi. Her voice was slightly hoarse. “Do you have time to chat?”

Su Xi: This sister’s voice was truly enchanting.

She didn’t dare think too much about it and simply smiled, saying, “Sure, I have time, but I have surgery at 6 o’clock and need to prepare about half an hour in advance.”

Tang Siyun raised her thick black eyebrows and glanced at her wrist to check the time. “Well, there’s still half an hour left. That’s enough,” she thought to herself.

So, she gracefully walked into the office at Su Xi’s invitation and took a seat.

Su Xi found a clean cup and rinsed it with boiling water. After ensuring it was thoroughly clean, she poured a glass of water and handed it to the elegant woman.

“You’re not what I expected,” Tang Siyun remarked as she accepted the cup of water, took a polite sip, set it aside, and got straight to the point.

Su Xi assumed that this beautiful woman had come to see her because of her reputation for saving people. 

She smiled helplessly and asked, “What did you expect me to be like?”

Tang Siyun thought for a moment and hesitated. “Probably… aloof or bookish?”

Before she received a call from He Qiong and her son, the information she had gathered indicated that the girl had excellent grades, a good temperament, a good family background, and was quite young. However, there were no descriptions of her appearance.

She had thought her son had found a career-focused or bookish girl since, from what she knew of Xie Zhen, he wasn’t someone who cared much about appearances.

She even assumed that her son and his friends hadn’t described the girl’s looks deliberately because she wasn’t particularly attractive.

On her way here, she envisioned several possible appearances for the girl.

But none matched the stunning girl before her. The girl standing in front of her was so stunning that even Tang Siyun, who had been considered beautiful her entire life, was taken aback.

The girl’s beauty surpassed all of her expectations.

Tang Siyun had always thought that her son disliked delicate and fragile types—the kind of girl who seemed destined to be pampered and coaxed.

She clearly remembered that a few years ago, when a friend introduced a familiar girl to Xie Zhen, he flatly rejected her, saying that such delicate women weren’t suitable to be military wives.

‘But wasn’t this girl delicate? Tsk, tsk, men.’

Despite this, she was genuinely happy that her son had found such a beautiful girl to be his wife. Although this girl had an exceptional appearance, her eyes were clear, and she seemed to have a very positive mindset.

Su Xi chuckled and thought to herself, “Is it that only the cold or nerdy type fits the doctor’s personality and can snatch people from the hands of the devil?”

However, Su Xi did not intend to dwell on the topic any longer and was more interested in the stunning beauty in front of her.

After all, she had been on the island for more than two months and had never seen this stunning beauty before.

Could this be a new family member? Which man was lucky enough to have such a blessing?

Su Xi smiled and said, “My name is Su Xi. What should I call you, sister? You’re so beautiful—truly a great beauty.”

As she spoke, Su Xi gave Tang Siyun a thumbs-up, not holding back her praises at all.

Tang Siyun hadn’t expected her daughter-in-law to compliment her so directly. Even though she was over 50 years old, she felt a bit embarrassed by the sudden flattery.

People of this era were generally reserved, and she had never encountered such a direct compliment on her looks. Moreover, she was aware of her own appearance, which did not conform to mainstream standards of beauty.

Nowadays, people generally prefer oval faces, especially those that are slightly chubby.

Her face was more of an elongated shape with a slim figure, which was less favored, especially by the older generation.

Unexpectedly, her daughter-in-law had such good taste. Despite usually maintaining an aloof demeanor, Tang Siyun couldn’t help but smile. When she smiled, it was as dazzling as the most vibrant rose in bloom. “I’m Tang Siyun. You can’t call me an older sister; we’re from different generations. Just call me Aunt Siyun.”

Su Xi waved her hands, her eyes sparkling like stars. “How could that be? As long as you’re beautiful, no matter how old she is, she’s a sister. Besides, you look so young.”

Tang Siyun’s smile grew even more radiant, her face as lovely as peaches and plums, with no trace of the previous aloofness. “You not only have good taste, but you also have a sweet mouth. I like it.”

With this pleasant start, even if the beginning was somewhat irrelevant, it didn’t hinder their growing rapport. The two chatted enthusiastically, and the more they talked, the happier they became.

Despite the significant age difference, their aesthetics were surprisingly aligned. As they continued chatting, they naturally drifted into discussions about beauty, completely forgetting why they had started talking in the first place.

While the two women were engaged in their lively conversation, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.

Both Su Xi and Tang Siyun paused and turned their attention toward the sound.

To Su Xi’s surprise, Xie Zhen appeared at the door of the office.

Xie Zhen was drenched in sweat, his expression grim, and his chest heaving as he panted heavily. Clearly, he had run a considerable distance.

He reached out to steady himself against the door frame, his eyes darting between the two women.

Su Xi quickly stood up, frowning as she greeted him. “What happened?”

Xie Zhen’s gaze shifted to Su Xi’s delicate face, inspecting her from head to toe. After seeing nothing wrong, he let out a sigh of relief.

In a hoarse voice, he said, “It’s nothing!”

Su Xi didn’t believe him, thinking it might be because there was an outsider present that he did not want to explain.

Hearing the dryness in his voice, she turned around and handed him her cup, offering him a drink to soothe his throat.

Xie Zhen accepted the cup without hesitation. After running for nearly twenty minutes, he was indeed quite thirsty.

Tang Siyun stared in disbelief. What happened to her son’s mysophobia?

Xie Zhen placed the empty cup on the table and then fixed a deep gaze on Tang Siyun.

Sensing the tension in the air, Su Xi felt something was amiss. Trying to ease the atmosphere, she smiled and began to speak. “Xie Zhen, this is…”

“Mom! ”Before Su Xi could finish, Xie Zhen, with a cold face, called out sharply.

Su Xi’s mind went blank as a buzzing sound filled her ears. She stared at Tang Siyun, her voice trembling as she repeated, “Mom?”

“Yes!” Tang Siyun responded with a smile, clearly addressing Su Xi’s question.

Realizing the foolish thing she had just done, Su Xi’s face turned bright red, and she was so embarrassed that she felt like curling up her toes inside her shoes.

She wasn’t… She had just… oh…  She wanted to dig a hole to bury her face in and disappear!!!

So embarrassing…

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