Shen Qing said coolly, "If I were you, I'd leave now. The patient in this room doesn't welcome you."
Mr. Gao suddenly came to his senses. He looked at Mrs. Gao and lowered his voice, "Forget it, you go back first. We'll talk about apologizing another day."
Mrs. Gao was naturally unwilling, but she hesitated for a moment. Mr. Gao became displeased, and she dared not say anything more.
Mr. Gao then looked at Shen Qing. His expression turned cold, and he was about to speak.
But before he could, Gao Qi spoke up, "You go too. I don't want to see you. She is my benefactor, the one I wish to repay with my life. I also ask that you treat her politely."
The words Mr. Gao was about to say were all stuck in his throat.
It felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, making him uncomfortable.
He glanced at Gao Qi deeply, but ultimately said nothing. He turned and left the ward. Mrs. Gao lagged a step behind, feigning concern.
"Ah Qi, rest well. You must get better as soon as possible."
"Go quickly, I don't want to see you," Gao Qi made no attempt to hide his dislike for her.
The smile on Mrs. Gao's face flickered and disappeared as she turned to leave.
"Finally, they're gone."
Gao Qi sighed. This brief confrontation had caused a cold sweat to break out on his back. He looked up at Shen Qing, "You've seen a joke..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Xu ran back. He held his small hands and looked at Gao Qi on the hospital bed. He opened his mouth, but his voice was very soft.
"Brother..."
"Is something wrong?"
Gao Qi felt complicated emotions towards this younger brother.
Gao Xu twisted his small body and said awkwardly, "I want to ask, does it still hurt?"
His clear eyes held evident worry.
Gao Qi hummed, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Gao Xu said "Oh" and stood there awkwardly. He seemed to want to say something but also seemed afraid to, looking as if he had something to say but didn't.
Gao Qi grew a little impatient, "Is there anything else?"
"No, nothing else..."
Gao Xu cautiously glanced at him. Just as he was about to say something, Mrs. Gao, who had returned, grabbed him and reprimanded him in a low voice, "What are you running back for? Do you know how dangerous it is here?"
Shen Qing disliked hearing this, "What do you mean? This is a hospital, not a bandit's den."
Who was she calling dangerous?
Mrs. Gao looked at her warily and hugged Gao Xu. With Mr. Gao not present, she was too lazy to feign kindness any longer. In front of them, she instructed her child, "Alright, go home quickly. You're not allowed to sneak back alone again!"
With that, she took Gao Xu and turned to leave.
The ward was finally quiet.
Gao Qi let out a soft breath, "Did I scare you?"
"I'm already scared by this? Then you don't know what more terrifying things I've been through." Shen Qing, thinking of her own awful family, didn't find Mrs. Gao terrifying. She turned and walked towards the door, intending to close it.
But as soon as she touched the doorknob, she heard a conversation in the hallway.
It was Mrs. Gao's voice: "From now on, you are not allowed to go near Gao Qi again, understand?"
"But he's my brother..."
"He's nothing! He's not your brother. Remember, Father is yours alone, and the Gao family will be yours alone. You have no brother. Any so-called brothers are bad people trying to snatch things from you. Besides, he doesn't like you anyway..."
"I understand..."
...
Shen Qing's eyes flashed with sarcasm. She was truly teaching her child well.
She closed the door and turned back. As soon as she reached the bedside, she heard Gao Qi say, "Did you hear what that woman said to Gao Xu?"
"How did you know?"
A trace of mockery flashed in Gao Qi's eyes, "After so many years, I'm used to it."
Shen Qing asked, "Haven't you ever thought about going back?"
After all, Gao Qi was the legitimate eldest son of the Gao family. If he went back, the Gao family would naturally have a share for him.
He was as legitimate as Gao Xu.
Gao Qi shook his head, "I'm not going back. I don't want that Gao family either. I never wanted his property."
"Are you truly resigned to it?"
Shen Qing asked only this one sentence.
Gao Qi paused, took a deep breath, and said, "There's nothing to be resigned about. That property isn't that important to me. I never wanted those things. I'm just angry that this woman is so two-faced, so scheming and greedy, yet he just can't see it!"
Shen Qing chuckled, "Men, they always get blinded by women."
In simpler terms, they get blinded by lust.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Gao Qi's face. After all, discussing such things with a woman... But on second thought, she was quite right.
"You're right. I always thought my father was tall and mighty, and would never make a mistake."
"That truly is the greatest misconception in history."
Shen Qing spread her hands helplessly.
Gao Qi gave a helpless smile, "You're right, it was indeed a misconception. Seeing him blinded by that woman, he doesn't even know I'm hospitalized..."
He shook his head, having lost all hope in his father.
Shen Qing patted his shoulder, offering silent comfort.
Gao Qi wasn't too bothered, "I'm used to it. After so many years, I've long given up trying to convince my father to believe me."
He couldn't afford to provoke them, but he could avoid them.
The topic was too heavy, and he didn't want to dwell on it. So, he changed the subject, "By the way, the doctor saw me earlier and said my condition has improved a lot. I can be discharged."
"I'll go ask the doctor again. If it's possible, I'll handle it for you." Shen Qing glanced at the time, "Perfect timing, I have something to do at home. I'll go take care of it for you now and try to get everything done today."
"That would be too much trouble for you..."
Gao Qi felt a little embarrassed. She handled his hospitalization, and now she was handling his discharge...
"What's there to be troubled about? Aren't we friends?" Shen Qing countered.
Gao Qi immediately smiled, "You're right, we are friends. Then I'll trouble you. I've been in the hospital for too long. I feel like my body has gone stiff. I just want to be discharged quickly and then have a big meal!"
"That won't do. Discharge is one thing, but you still need to follow dietary restrictions."
Gao Qi let out a groan.
...
Shen Qing went to ask the doctor, who said Gao Qi could be discharged, but he needed good rest and should avoid work for a while to prevent overexertion.
She went to handle the discharge procedures, only to see an unexpected person in the first-floor lobby.
The person walked in from the entrance and smiled at her, "Miss Shen, we meet again."
Shen Qing's expression turned cold, "How did you get out?"
Director Liu looked a bit haggard after being detained for two days, but his spirits were quite good. However, the smile on his face was no longer as gentle as before, and instead, it had a somewhat sinister look, "Thanks to you, I paid a visit to the police station. The reason they released me now is because I didn't commit a crime."