Shen Yu was clearly coming for him.
If they found out that An Ruo had married into the Shen family in An Qing's place, they would definitely try to threaten and bribe the girl. Given the old man's temper, being toyed with by the An family like this would not end well!
Now, to keep the girl alive and keep her openly by his side, there was probably only one way.
"Han Chong, go fetch Dr. He."
Han Chong was anxious. Why call Dr. He at this moment? Shouldn't they be figuring out how to save the young mistress first?
"Go now!"
Shen Xiaoxing never did anything without a plan. Since he wanted He Su brought here, there must be a reason. Han Chong took the order and immediately headed to the hospital.
After he left, Shen Xiaoxing staged a scene himself, claiming his eyes suddenly hurt terribly and asking Butler Xu to fetch Dr. Liao.
Seeing him writhing in pain and wailing nonstop, Butler Xu had no mind to judge whether it was real or fake. Flustered, he brought Dr. Liao.
Dr. Liao was the physician the old man had previously sent regularly for Shen Xiaoxing's rehabilitation. Because Shen Xiaoxing held leverage over him, Dr. Liao had no choice but to report bad news to the old man after each session.
He was someone the old man trusted. To keep up his disguise in front of everyone, Shen Xiaoxing had to make this man work for him.
When Dr. Liao rushed in with his medical kit, the man was lying on the bed, covering his eyes with both hands and rolling around in pain.
"..."
Not knowing what Shen Xiaoxing was playing at, Dr. Liao approached him hesitantly: "Young Master, should I examine you first?"
Shen Xiaoxing lifted his hand slightly, revealing a narrow gap to cast a meaningful glance at him. The other man swallowed hard, took out his instruments, and gave him a check-up.
Butler Xu and the others waited anxiously outside. After about ten minutes, Dr. Liao came out and dropped a shocking piece of good news.
"Young Master's eyes show signs of recovery. I've prescribed some medication. If he takes it on time, his vision should return within five days."
The servants cheered with joy. Butler Xu confirmed it multiple times, and when Dr. Liao nodded again, he was nearly in tears from happiness: "I must tell the madam this wonderful news immediately!"
At the same time, Han Chong rushed back to the villa with He Su.
Upon hearing the man's astonishing decision, He Su couldn't believe it: "Didn't we agree now wasn't the right time to reveal your blindness? Are you really making this choice for her now?"
Shen Xiaoxing furrowed his thick brows, his voice low: "It's the only way to save her!"
"You've lost it, completely lost it—you're in too deep to get out, understand!?" He Su's temper flared as he paced anxiously around the room: "We can save her, we can think of other ways slowly. You don't have to reveal your eyesight."
"She's already been taken by Shen Yu's people. You know what he's capable of. With how they see my abilities now, this is the only way to save her!"
He Su stared at him for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh: "You know Shen Yu's methods too. Even if they think you're a cripple now, he hasn't stopped hurting you. If you reveal your sight now, life will only get harder from here. Have you thought this through?"
Shen Yu was a heartless bastard. One attempt to kill him failed, and he barely survived, ending up with crippled legs and blind eyes, reduced to a useless man. That was exactly why Shen Yu let his guard down, giving him these two years to lie low and bide his time.
If his eyes recovered, even in a wheelchair, Shen Yu would see it as a threat. Who knows what methods he'd use to go after him next.
...
The Shen family's old mansion.
Unlike the undercurrents of tension from his first visit, the bodyguards now stood tall and straight like soldiers on parade, solemn and imposing!
The silent meeting hall was packed with people. Servants stood in rows, each harboring their own thoughts, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Old Master Shen sat in a carved rosewood armchair, both hands resting on his cane, his face dark. Beside him sat Lin Zhao, her face full of worry and unease. On the other side were Shen Yu and Fang Yingxue, smug and looking forward to the show.
The bodyguards shoved the girl into the hall, pushing her roughly. An Ruo stumbled and accidentally fell to her knees before the crowd—
Fang Yingxue sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm: "Ha, you sure know how to admit your mistakes quickly. Realized your identity couldn't stay hidden, so you kneel and beg for the old man's forgiveness? Too bad it's too late for regret—we're not buying it!"
That snide tone—An Ruo didn't even need to look up to know who was speaking!
The old man's gaze shifted over. Before he could say a word, Fang Yingxue couldn't help jumping in first. No manners at all!
Seeing his displeased expression, Shen Yu quickly patted his wife's arm, signaling her to hold her tongue for now.
"Grandfather, Mother, Second Uncle, Second Aunt..." An Ruo had roughly figured out on the way why the old man was so eager to see her. Since marrying into the Shen family, she'd been cautious. Aside from the secret of marrying in her sister's place, she had nothing to feel guilty about, right?
A stack of color photos fell into her line of sight. She froze, then picked them up one by one to look. They were pictures of her serving tea and water and doing dirty work at the An family home. There were also a few of An Qing partying in various wild scenes.
"Look at this too."
The old man took two opened files from the butler and threw them heavily at An Ruo's feet: "Take a good look and tell me which one is you!"