Chapter 242: Unafraid, but Annoying
Gu Jiaojiao said softly, "Mr. Xiao, I’ll be administering a local anesthetic. This will allow you to remain conscious and aware during the procedure."
Local anesthesia was unheard of in this era, but she had some in her space. The patient’s strong will also gave her a measure of confidence.
"Alright." Xiao Yue didn’t know what "local anesthetic" was, but he could parse the meaning from the words themselves.
Gu Jiaojiao inserted silver needles to protect his heart one more time, fed him a homemade pill, and administered the anesthetic.
The anesthetic needed about ten minutes to take effect, so Dean Rong spoke with sincerity.
"Little Divine Doctor, if this surgery is successful, I insist on giving you a grand gift."
Dean Rong had been sponsored by the Xiao Family, and he was thanking Gu Jiaojiao as if he were one of them.
"My senior has no interest in your gifts. We’ll give her anything she wants."
Elder Xu’s words were blunt. He was furious that this old coot had forced his senior to operate on Xiao Yue.
Gu Jiaojiao was quite touched to see Elder Xu defending her like this. She, too, hoped the surgery would be a success.
’As for gifts, she really didn’t care. The only thing she was short on right now was money, but nobody ever offered her cash.’
Old Sir Han was always trying to send her this and that, and Xia Qiuming’s second uncle and Jiang Ruihao had also given her many things.
They even said they would send more once they were back in the Imperial City. Gu Jiaojiao really wanted to just say, ’Just send cash.’
But she was too embarrassed to say it. Everyone thought she was some ascetic who saw money as dirt, but she really wasn’t.
’She didn’t know what was so great about banknotes, but she just couldn’t get enough of them, couldn’t get them off her mind.’
’They say when you have more of it, your troubles get smaller. They say when you have more of it, you even laugh in your sleep.’
’With it, the living are captivated. With it, even ghosts will dance for you.’
The thought of it filled Gu Jiaojiao with delight. By now, the anesthetic had taken effect, and she began the surgery.
A massive ventilator stood in the middle of the spartan hospital room, constantly monitoring the patient’s breathing. Two blue oxygen tanks flanked it like imposing, solemn sentinels guarding against the arrival of the Grim Reaper.
The multicolored lines on the monitor were the beacon of the patient’s heart. Every jump of the lines tugged at everyone’s heartstrings and nerves. Xiao Yue, his eyes open, felt himself drawn into the sacred, solemn atmosphere.
During the surgery, the only sound was the quiet clash of scalpels and scissors. Professor Xia served as the first assistant, followed by Dean Rong.
A team of elite surgeons was also assisting Gu Jiaojiao. It wasn’t a common sight, but they had been in this situation several times before.
Having performed countless surgeries, both large and small, across two lifetimes, Gu Jiaojiao had absolutely no stage fright.
Xiao Yue had undergone countless surgeries in his life, including a few difficult ones without any anesthesia. The memory of that excruciating, death-defying pain was still vivid.
This time, however, he could clearly hear the sound of his own chest being cut open, yet he felt no pain at all.
"Please close your eyes," Gu Jiaojiao commanded in a low voice.
Xiao Yue obediently closed his eyes at once. His other senses sharpened; he could distinguish whether she was using a scalpel or scissors.
After an hour of holding on, Xiao Yue finally drifted into a deep sleep.
The surgery, however, continued. Xiao Yue slept for a long, long time as the operation proceeded, lasting a full nine hours.
It went from two in the afternoon until eleven at night. Afterward, Gu Jiaojiao dragged her exhausted body to a phone to call Su Shuochi.
Sheng Shijing had called Su Shuochi earlier, telling him not to wait for Gu Jiaojiao’s call tonight.
But she knew Su Shuochi wouldn’t be able to sleep until he heard from her, so she called him while she ate.
The phone barely rang once before he picked up. "Honey, you must be exhausted. Have you had dinner?"
"I’m okay, it wasn’t that bad. I’m eating right now."
Su Shuochi really hadn’t been sleeping. He was eager to tell Gu Jiaojiao everything that had happened during the day.
Gu Jiaojiao was stunned as she listened. "Jiang Ruyan actually went to Qing City?"
"Honey, you’ve met that crazy woman before?"
"I saw her on the battlefield. She even tried to come after me. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen her since."
Gu Jiaojiao’s opinion of Jiang Ruihao’s decisiveness rose. While she wasn’t afraid of a drama queen like that, dealing with one was certainly a pain.
"Good heavens... She actually had the nerve to break Sheng Shiwen’s leg? Did Mr. Sheng go after her for that?"
"Xie Zhuoyu was going to arrest her, but the old master of the Song Family pleaded on her behalf, so she was let go."
"The way I see it, that Xie Zhuoyu did it on purpose. Someone as quick as him, how could he have just let Sheng Shiwen’s leg get broken?"
Su Shuochi...
He thought for a moment before deciding to come clean. "Honey, it all happened so unexpectedly. I was there at the time..."
Su Shuochi then recounted the whole situation. The first blow had caught him by surprise.
He could have stepped in to stop the second blow, the one that broke Sheng Shiwen’s ribs, but he chose not to.
Only when the third blow was about to smash Sheng Shiwen’s skull did he finally intervene, blocking the strike.
"Su Shuochi... you did the right thing. No matter how poorly Sheng Shiwen has treated me, you can’t just stand by and watch his head get bashed in."
Receiving his darling’s praise, Su Shuochi felt a sweetness in his heart as if he’d eaten honey.
"So, is Sheng Yueyue’s wedding night still going to happen?" Gu Jiaojiao asked, full of curiosity.
"That, I don’t know. But I do know that after Divine Doctor Jiang set Sheng Shiwen’s ribs and kneecap, he rushed home, put his granddaughter on a train, and sent her back to the Imperial City."
"Jiang Ruyan probably realized she’d never find a good husband in Qing City now, so she had no choice but to go back with her tail between her legs."
Su Shuochi explained that he hadn’t intervened sooner because Sheng Shiwen had always been unkind to his darling wife, so he had no desire to help him.
If it had been Sheng Shiwu who was injured, he might have apprehended that madwoman to get some justice for him.
"Mmm-hmm... Su Shuochi, you did well. It looks like my return will be delayed again. I’ll have to do your surgery after school starts. Then, we can go to the Imperial City together."
"Okay, whatever you say, honey." Su Shuochi was overjoyed.
He just wanted to go to the Imperial City with his wife. He could manage his affairs in Qing City remotely by phone.
In the dead of night, the couple chatted happily for a few more minutes. Su Shuochi, having been reassured, was in an excellent mood.
After hanging up, Gu Jiaojiao washed up and went to bed. She was working day and night now, just like in her past life.
After a few days, she had already grown accustomed to the pace and wasn’t overly tired. She lay in bed, thinking.
’The girls of this era are so shameless. Even as someone from a future generation, I could never do something so classless.’
’From ancient times to the present, conflicts between the sexes have never been a simple case of a "femme fatale." It’s never solely the woman’s fault.’
’Nor is it that the man is simply too debauched. Rather, when there’s conflict, it’s because both parties are rotten to the core; it’s a mutual failing.’
’Life isn’t easy. You might open your eyes in decadence, but you can also be reignited from the ashes.’
’Song Zijin and Sheng Yueyue’s relationship is already riddled with conflict right from the start. How far those two will go... that really depends on fate.’