Chapter 5: Hidden Intentions

“Mr. Tang!”

“And you are?”

“You probably don’t know me, but I know you! My husband and I have done business with your company before.”

Wu Xiuli jumped down from the bed as if she had seen a long-lost relative, barely restraining herself from throwing her arms around Tang Songyuan. It was no wonder— in Wu Xiuli’s eyes, Tang Songyuan was practically made of money, and who didn’t love money?

“You must be... Miss Wu.”

He actually recognized her! Wu Xiuli was more astonished and delighted to find her God of Wealth standing here than she had been by her earlier misfortune. Her face glowed with excitement as she reached out to shake his hand. Tang Songyuan gave her a polite handshake, then quickly let go.

“I never expected you’d know me! I always thought we small-time business people weren’t even on your radar.”

“You’re too modest, Miss Wu,” Tang Songyuan replied, clearly eager to move past the conversation and not at all interested in socializing with a minor client in this place. He set a tote bag on the bedside table, opened the little tray, and poured out a bowl of soup, offering Tao Fei an apologetic smile.

“I went to that clay pot place and bought your favorite five-finger root soup. I didn’t expect to get stuck in traffic—sorry I’m only getting back now. The soup is still hot, have some while it’s fresh. Oh, and this is for you.”

From his coat pocket, Tang Songyuan produced a black, wide-screen cell phone and handed it to Tao Fei.

“They’ve stopped making your old model, so I got you this one. See if you like it. I’ve already replaced your SIM card—your number’s the same as before. I’ve also installed all your usual apps.”

“Thank you.”

To Tao Fei, this latest model seemed like an outdated relic, but she enjoyed studying antiques, so she accepted the phone with interest and swiped through it a couple of times, her curiosity growing.

Tang Songyuan gently reminded her to drink the soup first, so she set the phone down. By now, Wu Xiuli had figured out the relationship between Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan and began to lavish praise on Tao Fei, with Wu Xiuli’s mother chiming in. They insisted Tao Fei was the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother, nothing like the haughty ladies of the upper class.

Tang Songyuan listened contentedly, smiling as he watched Tao Fei finish the entire bowl of soup. He poured her a glass of mineral water to rinse her mouth, wrung a warm towel to wipe her face, and even made sure to help her apply moisturizer.

Seeing Tang Songyuan’s attentive care, Wu Xiuli and her mother exhausted their supply of compliments.

“If my husband were even half as good—no, even a tenth as good as Mr. Tang, I’d consider myself the luckiest woman alive. Sister Tao Fei, you’re so blessed! Not only does Mr. Tang know how to make money, he’s so gentle and thoughtful. How did you find such a wonderful husband? Did you save the galaxy in your past life?”

Wu Xiuli’s admiration was heartfelt, and she was genuinely curious to hear the love story between Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan. Tao Fei only smiled and said nothing, so Wu Xiuli pleaded with Tang Songyuan to share his experience—she wanted to use him as the standard when finding husbands for her three daughters.

Wu Xiuli was only about thirty-one or thirty-two; how old could her eldest daughter possibly be!

“My wife and I were introduced by a matchmaker, nothing particularly special. That’s how most of us got married back then.”

“What? A matchmaker! My husband and I were high school sweethearts, married for love. I always thought marriages arranged by matchmakers couldn’t be as happy as those for love, but seeing how affectionate you two are, I might have to change my mind,” Wu Xiuli joked.

“Then you must be very well-matched. Marriages between equals are always the most stable. Why else is matchmaking so popular again? Just look at all those TV shows—every successful couple is well-matched. Rich people marry rich people; good looks alone aren’t enough.”

Wu Xiuli’s mother provided a summary of Tao Fei and Tang Songyuan’s marriage and waited expectantly for their agreement.

“I was definitely marrying above my station back then.”

“Sister Tao Fei must have been a real beauty when she was young!”

“She’s beautiful even now.”

Tang Songyuan replied with a gentle smile, while Tao Fei just kept smiling quietly. Such conversations helped her relax; she found them rather soothing.

“Men who are a bit older than their wives tend to be more caring!”

“Not always! Old He is more than ten years older than his wife and still beats her all the time…”

Wu Xiuli’s mother tugged on her sleeve. Wu Xiuli immediately realized her mother was trying to flatter Tang Songyuan. Anyone could see he was quite a bit older than Tao Fei.

“It all depends on the man! Only someone as mature and refined as Mr. Tang would truly cherish his wife.”

“Mr. Tang is obviously a good man! Unlike those philanderers who, once they have money, keep mistresses left and right.”

“It’s already half past two, and the patient needs her nap,” Tang Songyuan interrupted, ending the mother and daughter’s flattery. He helped Tao Fei recline the bed; she was eager to study her “antique” phone, but when he leaned over to tuck her in, she quickly pulled the blanket up to her chin and pretended to sleep.

Wu Xiuli, sensing the atmosphere, fell silent. Within a minute, she and her mother were whispering about what they should eat before five o’clock. Once they’d decided, they greeted Tang Songyuan and slipped out of the ward to go shopping.

The room fell quiet.

Tang Songyuan leaned back on the sofa by the window and closed his eyes, the afternoon sunlight painting a halo over his head.

Tao Fei watched him in secret, sensing a trace of worry between his brows. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and she quickly rolled over, feigning sleep.

Her irate mother never did show up at the hospital that afternoon to demand money. Tao Fei felt refreshed and waited expectantly for the moon to rise.

A round, tangerine moon hung silently in the sky, and Tao Fei’s heart began to race. Same time, same place, same moonlight—the moment of miracle was drawing near.

Wu Xiuli and her mother had not yet returned, and Tang Songyuan had been sent out by Tao Fei to buy minced fish congee.

She gripped the door handle, opening and closing it several times. The ward, the hallway—everything as it always was. She stepped outside, then pushed and pulled the door again—still, no miracle.

Tao Fei was unwilling to give up; she convinced herself that she’d just missed the right moment. She returned to the room, then opened the door again, closed her eyes, and walked out, snapping them open suddenly. Down the long corridor, under the warm, gentle lights, she saw only a young nurse hurrying into a nearby ward.

No familiar laboratory appeared.

Tao Fei fought off her disappointment and tried the door several more times. Standing at the threshold, she could almost hear her own heart breaking.

At the center of the Y-shaped corridor, the red digits of the nurses’ station’s electronic clock flickered forward.

One last try!

Perhaps because she hoped so desperately, Tao Fei trembled as she opened the door with her eyes closed. After stepping out, she hesitated, unable to bring herself to look. She longed to hear her advisor call her name, to open her eyes and find herself back in the medical school laboratory…

But the expected voice didn’t come. Instead, she felt a rush of hot breath in front of her.

Tao Fei opened her eyes—startled by the sudden appearance of a man before her, she stumbled back several steps, nearly falling into the hospital room behind her.