Chapter 155: You Soothe Your Own Spouse Yourself

Tang Yu had failed.

Just as she was about to kiss him, the young man had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and unceremoniously tossed her aside!

The mere thought of that scene...

Tang Yu let out a pathetic squeak and buried her head deep into the quilt.

A single moment of courage had traded for a lifetime of introverted misery...

She wished she could just suffocate herself right then and there.

It was her grandmother who rescued her from the bedding, gently brushing the stray locks of hair from the young girl's face with her fingers. "What's wrong with our little Yu? Why are you so upset?"

Tang Yu flung herself into her grandmother's embrace. It smelled faintly of hospital disinfectant, yet it brought her an overwhelming sense of comfort.

Grandmother chuckled, stroking her back. "Did Bian Yang find out about what our little Yu went out to do?"

Tang Yu gave a muffled hum of assent.

Before she went, she had discussed the matter with her grandparents.

At the time, they had been deeply worried, yet they didn't stop her. Instead, they asked her solemnly if she had thought it through.

After all, what she was about to do carried unknown dangers.

Yet she insisted on going. After hesitating for a long time, her grandparents finally agreed to her decision.

Grandmother had said, "Our little Yu has always been someone with a mind of her own ever since she was a child. Perhaps to your future self, the decision you make at this moment might not be the best one, but Grandma knows it is the one that leaves the present little Yu with a clear conscience. Both your grandfather and I are so glad that our little Yu has someone she wants to protect with all her might, just as we are protecting little Yu. If it were little Yu caught in such a situation, your grandfather and I would fight to the death to protect and defend you. As for Bian Yang, Grandma believes he would protect our little Yu the same way."

The old woman's calloused fingers stroked the young girl's cheek with a gentle, loving smile. "So Bian Yang will forgive you."

"But he's ignoring me now."

Her little head dropped, looking utterly desolate.

Grandmother looked surprised. "Our little Yu is so pretty and adorable; who could possibly bear to ignore you?"

Bian Yang had even come to visit them just last night.

He had seemed no different than usual.

If he had truly broken ties with little Yu, he wouldn't have bothered paying any attention to the two old folks.

He was simply still holding a grudge.

An elder could see through it at a glance: Bian Yang wanted to teach the young girl a lesson, so he wouldn't let the matter blow over all that easily.

Tang Yu twisted her fingers together, sniffing slightly. "But he's really ignoring me."

Yesterday, after ruthlessly tossing her aside like a little stray cat, he had worn a stern, stony face and left the staff quarters without a single backward glance.

By the time Tang Yu chased after him, he had already driven away.

He hadn't even paused.

"From his perspective, you hid such a huge matter from him and even lied. Isn't he allowed to be angry? Isn't he allowed to ignore you for a bit?"

Grandmother gave her nose a playful, reproachful tap. "The people who care about you the most are the ones who take everything concerning you to heart. If you ask me, Bian Yang did nothing wrong. He should give you the cold shoulder for a while longer so you can reflect properly on what you've done."

"Grandma, whose side are you actually on!" The young girl hugged her grandmother's arm, acting spoiled.

Ever since her surgery, Grandmother had been doing her rehabilitation exercises on time every day, and her spirit was improving with each passing day.

Tang Yu pleaded, "You should be helping me! Help me coax him back."

Grandmother let out a huff and pulled her arm away. "Coax your own man yourself."

Tang Yu's face instantly flushed crimson. "Grandma, what are you saying!"

Grandmother looked at her with a smiling gaze. "Don't tell me our little Yu doesn't like Bian Yang."

"Of course I like him!"

Grandmother asked leisurely, "Then are you planning to like someone else in the future?"

Tang Yu immediately shook her head. "I won't like anyone else."

Though she had no idea what the future held, she was nonetheless certain of this—even more certain than she had been when gritting her teeth to push through the grueling college entrance exams.

She would definitely walk down life's path with Bian Yang, but the prerequisite was that she had to coax him back first...

"Well, there you have it." Grandmother narrowed her smiling eyes and patted the back of her hand. "As long as you put your heart into it, he will surely feel your sincerity and determination."

Tang Yu muttered a few syllables under her breath, speaking so softly that Grandmother couldn't quite catch them, but she could see the young girl springing back to life with renewed vigor, as if her fighting spirit had been fully recharged.

"Mm, I can do it."

If once wasn't enough, she'd try twice.

If twice wasn't enough, three times it would be.

Leaning back against the headboard, Grandmother's eyes curved into crescent shapes, as if she caught a glimpse of her own youth reflected in them.

In that era of arranged marriages, she and the old man had fallen in love freely, acting like total anomalies.

Pointed at and gossiped about by villagers near and far, they had nonetheless stubbornly chosen to marry and have a child.

Though the son they bore turned out to be a good-for-nothing, fortunately, their granddaughter had filled the lifelong regrets in their hearts.

Just then, Grandfather returned from his stroll. Seeing the young girl's high-spirited demeanor, he couldn't help laughing either. "Our little Yu has got her fighting spirit back."

"Yup!" Tang Yu announced. "The day after tomorrow is Bian Yang's birthday. I'll definitely be able to coax him around by then."

Grandfather chuckled. "Then our little Yu better give it your all. Anyway, I've already approved of Bian Yang as my grandson-in-law. Even if you have to hogtie him, you need to drag him back, you hear?"

"...Grandpa." Tang Yu felt both shy and speechless.

"Oh, right, Grandpa, I noticed you've cleared out the courtyard in the staff quarters." You even built a trellis.

Grandfather nodded. "Yeah, that yard is pretty spacious. What a waste to leave it empty! I planted the autumn cucumbers your grandma loves, the tomatoes you love, and the pumpkins that Bian Yang boy likes."

Aside from those, there were also cilantro and lettuce.

He had planned out every square inch of the yard.

After a moment of thought, Tang Yu asked, "Can we plant peonies now?"

"This is just the right season for planting peonies. Does little Yu want to plant peonies?"

The young girl's curved eyes resembled crescent moons. "Mm, Bian Yang likes them."

The old man beamed happily, his vitality far exceeding what it had been back in Liangcheng. "Alright, then Grandpa will plant a circle of peonies all around the yard. When they bloom, we'll let our little Yu pick them and present them to her sweetheart."

Tang Yu nodded with a blushing face.

Mmm, presenting them to her sweetheart.

——

By the following morning, the police had released information regarding the arrests, as well as the underground illegal blood-collection factory.

This gang had fabricated numerous fake blood mobile units, using hospital banners as a front and enticing financially struggling families in counties and rural areas with cheap loaves of bread or small gifts to donate blood. Little did the victims know that the equipment had not undergone proper sterilization, and the blood collection procedures failed to meet medical standards, resulting in numerous cases of cross-infection with HIV.

According to current statistics, the victims numbered thirty-three, fifteen of whom had already passed away.

Given the heinous nature of the crimes and the massive public fallout, all related individuals had been placed behind bars, awaiting further sentencing by the court.

A portion of the cash and assets confiscated from the unscrupulous factory would be used to subsidize the victims and their families.

As soon as this news broke, it instantly caused a sensation.

Hashtags regarding #HIV#, #IllegalBloodCollectionLeadingToHIV#, and #HIVPatientsShouldNotFaceDiscrimination# sparked heated discussions across the trending search lists.

Those maliciously infected with HIV were not criminals.

The virus was the evil, but those maliciously infected were innocent.

Struggling to survive amidst such misfortune was already an endless torment; if they were to suffer disdain and disgust on top of that, it would cruelly snuff out the very last shred of light in their already ill-fated lives.

This incident also served as a reminder of how precious, insignificant, and fragile life truly was.

One should maintain reverence for it and cherish it at all times.

If those trapped in the abyss of illness could still struggle so tenaciously for survival, what reason did anyone else have to give up on life?

Netizens flooded the comment sections to praise the police for exposing and shutting down the unscrupulous factory.

Had it not been for them, countless more people might have contracted HIV.

The light they fought for shone upon everyone.

Yet, just as the buzz around #HIVUnscrupulousFactory# reached its peak, an apology post suddenly caught the attention of many netizens.

The account appeared to be newly registered, lacking both a profile picture and a biography.

There was only a single video of someone holding up an identity card, resembling a real-name report.

In the video, a man appeared skin and bones, wearing a black undershirt washed to a faded white, his skin tanned so dark by the sun that its original texture was no longer discernible.