Volume 1, Chapter 59: Introduce You Two?

Su Xiaohui was stunned for a moment, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes in front of her.

Both Old Madam Huo and Huo Hong turned their gazes directly onto Su Xiaohui's cheek.

Huo Hong walked over to Su Xiaohui and carefully inspected the finger marks on her cheek, and Aunt Wu also stepped closer.

To make the effect more convincing and the finger marks on her cheek deeper, Su Xiaohui had used all her strength when she hit herself.

Those three finger marks of varying lengths were now, just as she had intended, clearly printed upon her cheek.

The index finger was shorter than both the middle and ring fingers, so looking at it now, it indeed matched that pattern.

"This really looks like it was self-inflicted by the Xiaohui girl," Aunt Wu pointed at the finger marks on Su Xiaohui's cheek.

The print of the index finger was indeed positioned below those of the middle and ring fingers.

Su Xiaohui instantly grew extremely panicked. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She could only lower her head, tears streaming down continuously.

Frowning, Huo Hong took Su Xiaohui's hand and compared it against the finger marks on her cheek. Indeed, they matched entirely.

"Grandma, it really was Xiaohui herself who hit her. The lengths and widths of the fingers match completely," Meng Xinhao said as he watched from the side, looking in astonishment at Old Madam Huo.

"Xiaohui, why did you hit yourself?" Huo Hong frowned, recalling what Su Wan had said. With a stern expression, she looked again at the pinch marks and bruises on Xiaohui's arm. "These bruises and pinch marks on your arm..."

"The bruises must be from when she slammed herself against the wall, just as I told you, Aunt Hong. The pinch marks are also self-inflicted. You can just compare the sizes and shapes of the fingers," Su Wan timely added, driving the nail home.

Not only Huo Hong, but Meng Xinhao's expression was also extremely complicated. He simply could not fathom: didn't it hurt for Su Xiaohui to hit and pinch herself like this?

Old Madam Huo's brow also deepened into a frown. Putting on her reading glasses, she went to examine the slap marks on Su Xiaohui's face.

It was just that because Su Wan had a history of misdeeds, upon seeing Su Xiaohui return in such a state, they had naturally and automatically assumed she had been beaten by Su Wan.

They hadn't examined Su Xiaohui's injuries carefully at all.

Now, looking at the slap marks on her face, they were in the exact same position as the time she suffered from sodium nitrite poisoning.

"Xiaohui, what are you trying to accomplish by covering yourself in injuries?" Old Madam Huo questioned her in a sharp, stern tone.

No one could figure out what Su Xiaohui's purpose was.

Su Xiaohui was completely dumbfounded. Just moments ago, she had put on a pitiful display claiming someone else did it, but now she couldn't say a single word. She could only lower her head and cry incessantly.

She attempted to muddle her way through with tears.

She never expected that the trick she had used repeatedly and successfully in Qiantang Village would actually be exposed by Su Wan.

Why had Su Wan seen her actions in the alley? She had clearly watched her walk far away.

Could it be that Su Wan had known beforehand what she would do, and therefore turned back?

She immediately looked toward Su Wan and saw the corners of Su Wan's lips slightly upturned, as if everything about her was completely within her grasp.

Su Xiaohui's heart was gripped by intense terror.

Faced with the questioning and suspicious gazes of everyone present, she was just about to stiffen her limbs, twitch, and collapse onto the ground.

Instead, Su Wan took the initiative, pulling Huo Hong aside and saying with a worried expression, "Grandma Huo, Aunt Hong, perhaps you shouldn't ask Xiaohui anymore. What if she gets too emotional and passes out with foaming at the mouth just like last time?"

Hearing this, Su Xiaohui—who was right in the middle of preparing to foam at the mouth—promptly canceled all her intended movements.

"Aunt Hong, I really can't imagine why Xiaohui would do something like this. Could it be what Dr. Song mentioned about some mental disorder that causes uncontrollable screaming and self-harm?" Su Wan pulled Huo Hong to the side, speaking with an innocent and disbelieving tone. "Otherwise, it surely couldn't be that Xiaohui deliberately wanted to frame me, making you and Grandma Huo think that I was the one who hit her?"

"Or perhaps Xiaohui still harbors feelings for Commander Huo, and upon hearing that he has someone he likes, she felt distressed and hit herself? But isn't that far too extreme?"

After listening, Old Madam Huo and Huo Hong exchanged glances. All their pity and compassion for Su Xiaohui vanished instantly, replaced in their eyes by profound suspicion and a sense of alienation.

"N-No, it's not..." Her intentions exposed by Su Wan, a panicked Su Xiaohui opened her mouth to explain, but when the words reached her lips, she truly had no idea what to say.

The mistrustful and cold gazes that were supposed to be directed at Su Wan were now fixed on her instead, filling Su Xiaohui with an unprecedented panic and fear.

Her complexion also turned very pale.

Among these three possibilities, she could choose none of them, yet she could not come up with a reasonable explanation for why she had acted this way.

She absolutely could not let the Huo family know that she wanted to frame Su Wan, nor could she let them know that she still loved Brother Huo and remained obsessed with him.

Otherwise, she truly would have no way of staying in the Huo family any longer.

"Then what on earth is it?" Old Madam Huo's sharp and majestic gaze landed on Su Xiaohui, her voice carrying a vigorous strength.

As a veteran revolutionary who had crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a single look from her was enough to put countless enemies to flight, let alone a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old village girl.

Su Xiaohui's legs trembled uncontrollably. The color seemed to drain from her face in an instant, and her heart raced with panic. Her mind spinning rapidly, she could only let her lips quiver, cover her face, and cry in absolute despair: "I-I don't know what happened either. My body suddenly stopped obeying my control."

Had Su Wan not previously mentioned psychological trauma and mental issues, Huo Hong might not have connected the dots.

Yet now, with Su Xiaohui's words, it undoubtedly confirmed that something had gone wrong with her mental state.

In their terms, she had suddenly gone crazy.

"Mom, Xiaohui must be ill," Huo Hong whispered to Old Madam Huo, gesturing toward her own head with a finger.

After all, everyone had witnessed Su Xiaohui's over-the-top, unhinged behavior on the day of the sodium nitrite poisoning.

Therefore, Old Madam Huo quickly accepted this explanation.

"So that means back in Qiantang Village, the injuries that inexplicably appeared on your body were all inflicted unconsciously by yourself? Yet you let everyone in the village misunderstand and believe that I was brutally beating and bullying you."

Su Wan's eyes turned slightly red as she spoke with a grievance, a trace of a sob lingering in her voice.

She radiated the long-suffering aura of someone carrying a false accusation who had finally, against all odds, been vindicated.

The expressions of Old Madam Huo and Huo Hong shifted in unison, showing their utter shock.

That meant the rumors of Su Wan fiercely bullying Su Xiaohui were entirely false.

And viewed in this light, Su Xiaohui's illness had probably existed for several years.
Su Xiaohui's despairing cries paused for a fraction of a second, and her entire body jerked violently.

She had never imagined that after racking her brains to injure herself and slander Su Wan's reputation, Su Wan would use this exact moment to thoroughly wash herself clean of all wrongdoing.

Yet she couldn't even deny it, because every time she had used this trick to play the victim, she had claimed that she did it to herself.

If she denied it now, it would prove that she had deliberately framed Su Wan. If she didn't deny it...

She was instantly driven into a dead end, forced to jump right into the pit Su Wan had dug for her in advance.

She had no choice but to let the Huo family believe that she possessed an extreme personality and a defective mind, which was why she engaged in such lunatic, self-harming behavior.

This was something Su Wan had plotted all along; she had deliberately spoken those words to her at the hospital to provoke her, wanting her to injure herself and come back to the Huo family to play the pitiful victim.

Su Xiaohui glared at Su Wan with bloodshot eyes, wishing she could tear her limb from limb.

However, Su Wan simply watched her quietly.

In that viral online post from her past life, Su Xiaohui had been the one constantly and subtly spreading rumors that the original owner had mental health issues. That led to the original owner being institutionalized in a psychiatric sanatorium, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and eventually sold by insiders into a remote, impoverished mountain village.

Now, she intended to return every single thing the original owner had suffered in that post back to Su Xiaohui.

She would let Su Xiaohui become the "mental patient."

"Alright, since everything is cleared up, Aunt Wu, get a towel and wipe Xiaohui's face." Seeing that Su Xiaohui remained silent, Huo Hong took it as confirmation.

Thinking of the scene Su Wan had witnessed today, Huo Hong's expression grew cold and severe, and she said nothing more, afraid of putting pressure on Su Xiaohui or triggering her. If she started convulsing all over again like on the day of the sodium nitrite poisoning, or knelt down on the spot to slap her own face, it wouldn't be good.

Old Madam Huo's gaze toward Su Xiaohui was likewise filled with strangeness and coldness.

Had Su Wan not returned today to clarify the truth, who would have ever known that the quiet, mild-tempered Su Xiaohui would mutilate herself like a madman in secluded corners?

With a gloomy expression and without a word, Old Madam Huo pressed a hand to her chest and walked into her bedroom.

Su Xiaohui slumped slowly to the ground as if all her life had drained out of her. Biting her lip hard, she knew full well that her days in the Huo family would be difficult from now on, and she would have to walk on eggshells.

The look she cast toward Su Wan was filled with hysteria and madness.

Su Wan, however, paid her no mind. After exchanging a brief word of farewell with Aunt Hong, she departed the Huo family residence with a light and refreshed spirit.

Military Region Hospital

After confirming that Huo Xiaohan's surgery and physical condition were both progressing favorably, Xie Bailing sat down and happily recounted what had just happened to him. "Xiaohan, you have no idea. When I was in the restroom, I ran into a village girl who could actually read the foreign-language book in my satchel, spoke fluent English, and was remarkably pretty. Coincidentally, her name is also Su Wan."

Lying in the hospital bed while being fed pieces of apple by his young niece, Huo Xiaohan lowered his gaze slightly.

Recalling that Su Wan had already left the hospital earlier and had only scored a meager three points on her English test—making it obvious that she couldn't read foreign literature—he figured it must simply be a case of matching names.

"That's right, Uncle! The pretty sister smelled so sweet and soft, and her voice was so gentle. When are you going to marry her and bring her home to sleep with me at night?" Little Huo Xinyi fed Huo Xiaohan another slice of apple, speaking with the unfiltered innocence of a child.

"I also think that young woman seems quite pleasant. There isn't the slightest trace of rural rusticity in her demeanor; she looks like she has received a proper, thorough education."

Recalling her thick-headed son, Xie Bailing continued, "Once you're discharged from the hospital, shall I introduce the two of you?"

"There's no need," Huo Xiaohan replied decisively. An image of a little rabbit mask flashed briefly through his mind before he quickly banished it, his dark eyes deepening.

"Uncle, if you won't marry my little aunt, who am I supposed to sleep with at night? I refuse to sleep alone!" Huo Xinyi immediately became unhappy and stopped feeding apples to Huo Xiaohan.

Xie Bailing let out a soft sigh, perceiving that Xiaohan currently held a strong aversion to blind dates.

"You really should blame your father. If he hadn't insisted on introducing you to his benefactor's daughter, you would have been married by now, and perhaps even have a child on the way."

Mentioning this, Xie Bailing felt a trace of lingering resentment.

Along the way from the ward, she had seen several injured male soldiers being cared for by their own wives.

Yet this matter had delayed Xiaohan for over half a year. He had undergone surgery and was hospitalized, but not a single person was by his side to take care of him.

Xie Bailing pondered: since Xiaohan was still hospitalized anyway, if that student Su Wan got hired by the newspaper office, she would spend some time interacting with her. If she felt the girl was good in every aspect, introducing her to her son later wouldn't be too late.

She would vet the girl for her son first, to avoid repeating the mistake of her husband, who had let Xiaohan write a letter simply blinded by his nostalgia for his savior's young daughter, without doing any prior research.

And in the end, that man's daughter had even looked down on her son.

She still found it somewhat amusing whenever she thought about it.

Upon returning to the Song residence, Su Wan began sorting through her wicker basket to select an outfit for her interview at the newspaper office the next day.

The telephone in the living room rang, and Principal Song answered it. "Commander Huo? You're looking for Su Wan? Alright, I'll have her come to the phone."

"Su Wan, it's a call for you from Commander Huo."

Hearing this from her small room, Su Wan felt a tinge of curiosity. Commander Huo's call?

Hesitantly stepping out of her room, she answered the phone, wondering if something had happened.

After finishing his meeting at the military district, Huo Jianguo had first stopped by the hospital to check on Huo Xiaohan, then returned to the Huo residence. Upon learning that the Song family's original nanny had returned, he placed this call to Su Wan.

"Uncle Huo, did you want to see me?" Su Wan picked up the receiver with a flutter of apprehension.

"Su Wan, Xiaohan just underwent surgery and desperately needs nourishment. You cook meals that are both delicious and healthy, so I was hoping that during this period, you could prepare meals and soups for Xiaohan. I'll pay you the same salary that Principal Song gives you," Huo Jianguo's clear and steady voice came through the receiver.

"Uncle Huo, please don't say that. I was already planning to cook meals and nourish Commander Huo anyway. He saved my life before, so this is only my duty."

Realizing Principal Song had returned to his room, Su Wan cupped the telephone receiver and whispered softly into it to Huo Jianguo.

She had intended to prepare nutritional meals for him regardless; after all, since translators were not provided with lodging, she would have to move back into the Huo residence by the end of the month anyway.

Once the meals were prepared, she could simply have Aunt Wu deliver them.

Huo Jianguo chuckled on the other end of the line. "Then come back to the Huo family tomorrow. I've already asked Aunt Wu to clear a room out for you. Although your Aunt Xie came back today as well, she still has matters at the school and can't spare the time to look after Xiaohan. So I'll have to trouble you to prepare the meals, send them over to Xiaohan, and help feed him. The guards can handle the rest."

He paused for a brief moment before continuing in a lower tone, "I'm also aware of the situation with Xiaohui, and I plan to take her to the hospital for a checkup in the next few days..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly said in a serious tone, "Another call is coming in, I have to hang up first."

"Uncle Huo..." Hearing that she was expected to go to the hospital to look after Huo Xiaohan, Su Wan felt a jolt of alarm. Just as she wanted to say that her identity made it inappropriate, a series of busy tones sounded from the receiver.