Chapter 29: The Petite Lady with Herculean Strength

“President Tang!”

“And you are?”

“Of course you wouldn’t know me, but I know you! My husband and I have done business with your company before.”

Wu Xiuli leapt from her bed as if she’d spotted a long-lost relative, barely restraining herself from throwing her arms around Tang Songyuan. And who could blame her? In Wu Xiuli’s eyes, Tang Songyuan was money incarnate—who doesn’t love money?

“You must be… Miss Wu.”

To her utter astonishment, Tang Songyuan actually recognized her! Wu Xiuli shone with excitement, far more than when she’d unexpectedly encountered her god of wealth; she reached out to shake Tang Songyuan’s hand. He returned the gesture politely but withdrew his hand at once.

“I never imagined you’d know me! I thought people like us, running such small businesses, would be beneath your notice.”

“You’re too modest, Miss Wu.”

Tang Songyuan had no desire to pursue this conversation, much less to bond with a minor client in a hospital room. He set a shopping bag on the bedside table, unfolded the tray, and poured a bowl of soup, turning to Tao Fei with an apologetic smile.

“I stopped by Crockpot House and got you your favorite—five-finger root soup. I didn’t expect traffic to be so bad, so I’m only just back. The soup’s still hot, go on and have some. Oh, and here—”

Tang Songyuan fished a sleek black smartphone from his pocket and handed it to Tao Fei.

“Your old model’s been discontinued. Try this one and see if you like it. I’ve already replaced your SIM card—it’s still your original number. I even installed all your usual apps.”

“Thank you.”

Though Tang Songyuan had bought the latest model, to Tao Fei it looked like a clunky relic from the past. But as someone who loved studying antiques, she accepted the phone eagerly, swiping through it with growing interest.

Only when Tang Songyuan reminded her to have some soup did Tao Fei finally set the phone aside. Now realizing the connection between Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan, Wu Xiuli launched into a barrage of praise for Tao Fei, her mother chiming in, insisting that Tao Fei was the very picture of a virtuous wife and loving mother, with none of the airs of a wealthy lady.

Tang Songyuan basked in their compliments, smiling as he watched Tao Fei finish the entire bowl. He poured her mineral water to rinse her mouth, wrung out a warm towel to refresh her face, and even remembered to hand her face cream.

Observing Tang Songyuan’s thoughtful ministrations, Wu Xiuli and her mother exhausted their supply of compliments.

“If my husband were even half—no, a tenth—as good as President Tang, I’d be content for life. Tao Fei, you’re so lucky—President Tang isn’t just a moneymaker, he’s so attentive and gentle. How did you manage to find such a wonderful husband? Did you save the galaxy in a past life or something?”

Wu Xiuli’s admiration for Tao Fei was sincere, as was her curiosity about Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan’s marriage. Tao Fei only smiled, but Wu Xiuli pressed Tang Songyuan for the secret, hoping to use his example as the standard when finding husbands for her three daughters.

Wu Xiuli was barely thirty-one or two herself—her eldest daughter couldn’t be more than a child!

“My wife and I were introduced by a matchmaker, nothing special. That’s how most marriages were arranged back then.”

“What? A matchmaker? My husband and I were high school classmates; we married for love. I always thought marriages arranged by matchmakers couldn’t be as happy as love matches, but seeing you two, I’m starting to reconsider,” Wu Xiuli said half-jokingly.

“You must have been perfectly matched—those are the marriages that last. Why do you think blind dates are back in fashion? All those TV shows—every successful couple is well matched. The wealthy marry the wealthy; good looks alone don’t count for much.”

Wu Xiuli’s mother summarized Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan’s marriage, then waited confidently for their agreement.

“Back then, I was the one marrying up.”

“Tao Fei must have been a real beauty in her youth!”

“She’s still beautiful now,” Tang Songyuan said with a gentle laugh, while Tao Fei kept her quiet smile. This kind of conversation was soothing, and she didn’t find it at all tiresome.

“It’s best for a man to be a bit older than his wife; he’ll know how to cherish her.”

“But that’s not always true, is it? Old He is more than ten years older than his wife and still beats her all the time…”

Wu Xiuli’s mother tugged at her sleeve, and Wu Xiuli understood—her mother was trying to flatter Tang Songyuan. Anyone could see he was older than Tao Fei.

“It depends on the man! Only mature, cultured men like President Tang know how to dote on their wives.”

“President Tang is clearly a good man! Not like those men who fool around outside and keep a string of mistresses the moment they have money.”

“It’s already half past two; the patient needs her rest.”

Tang Songyuan interrupted the conversation, helping Tao Fei adjust the bed until it was flat. Tao Fei wanted to examine the antique phone, but seeing Tang Songyuan lean over to tuck her in, she quickly pulled the covers up to her chin and pretended to sleep.

Wu Xiuli took the hint and fell silent, but within a minute had resumed a whispered discussion with her mother about what to eat before five o’clock. Reaching a consensus, they bid Tang Songyuan goodbye and slipped out for a grand shopping trip.

Peace returned to the hospital room.

Tang Songyuan settled onto the sofa by the window, closing his eyes to rest as the afternoon sun painted his hair with a golden sheen.

Tao Fei studied him quietly, sensing a trace of worry between his brows. Suddenly, Tang Songyuan opened his eyes, and Tao Fei quickly rolled over.

Her mother, who’d threatened them earlier, did not come to the hospital that afternoon demanding money. Tao Fei gathered her strength and waited for the moon to rise.

A round, orange moon crept silently into the sky, and Tao Fei’s heart began to race. The same time, the same place, the same moonlight! The moment of miracle was near.

Wu Xiuli and her mother had not yet returned. Tang Songyuan had been sent out to buy fish congee.

Hand on the doorknob, Tao Fei opened and closed the door several times. The room, the corridor—everything as usual. She stepped outside and back in, again and again, but no miracle occurred.

She refused to give up, convinced that it was simply a matter of timing. She returned to the room, opened the door, closed her eyes, and stepped into the corridor before opening them again. Under the soft, warm lights of the long hallway, a young nurse hurried into the neighboring room.

The familiar laboratory did not appear.

Tao Fei forced herself to repeat the door ritual several more times, but as she stood at the threshold, she could almost hear her own heart breaking.

At the Y-shaped junction, the nurse station’s digital clock blinked; the red numbers jumped forward once more.

One last try!

Perhaps her longing was too intense; Tao Fei opened the door with trembling hands, eyes squeezed shut. She stepped beyond the threshold, not daring to open her eyes right away. She hoped to hear her advisor call her name, and, when she opened her eyes, to find herself in the medical school laboratory…

But the awaited voice did not come. Instead, she sensed a wave of heat before her.

When Tao Fei opened her eyes, the sudden appearance of a man startled her so much she staggered backward, nearly falling into the hospital room.