Chapter 465: Want to Get Married
The things Bai Xinyue had done, one after another, provoked public outrage.
She had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and her upbringing had always made her feel superior to everyone else. But she didn’t seem to understand that not even an Emperor in ancient times could afford to provoke public outrage.
Once you provoke the public, it doesn’t matter who you are. You can’t expect to get away unscathed.
After all the trouble Bai Xinyue had caused, after all her scheming and disgusting behavior, it was finally time for her to reap what she had sown.
The police officially began an investigation for malicious injury.
The Bai Family immediately had their lawyers intervene, and Bai Xinyue was able to temporarily avoid questioning by remaining hospitalized due to her condition.
Nevertheless, the news of the incident spread far and wide.
When Li Xian found out Ye Xilan had been running around championing Bai Xinyue’s cause, he took her home and forbade her from going out again.
However, even though she couldn’t go out, she had someone keep her updated on the situation.
As a result, she soon learned the truth about what Bai Xinyue had done.
She was in utter disbelief. She would have never, in a million years, imagined that the story about going blind to save Wu Sheng had been fabricated like this.
After her shock wore off, Ye Xilan thought about her own previous actions and flew into a rage out of humiliation. She cursed Bai Xinyue out, then stayed obediently at home, no longer causing any trouble.
Even though she stopped going out and asking for updates, she still saw news about Bai Xinyue in the next day’s paper.
That’s right. It was in the papers.
The whole affair had completely blown up. Not only was Bai Xinyue implicated, but the Bai Family behind her was dragged into it as well.
The article was written by the very same reporter Mrs. Bai had summoned the previous day.
The reporter had witnessed the entire incident unfold and had subsequently interviewed Little Hei, Wu Sheng, and Su Li.
Wu Sheng and Su Li watched as Bai Xinyue fainted and was taken back to her hospital room by Mrs. Bai and the others, with the police following close behind. Their expressions were an unreadable mix of gratification and exasperation.
Su Li had always been suspicious about the story of Bai Xinyue going blind to save Wu Sheng, but she had never expected the truth to be so sordid.
As for Wu Sheng, the man at the center of it all, he hadn’t seen what Bai Xinyue did and was equally shocked by the truth.
Patting Little Hei’s head, Wu Sheng felt a pang of guilt. "You’ve been through a lot."
If he had known Bai Xinyue was this malicious, he would have insisted on sending her away at once, no matter what she said or what anyone else might have thought of him.
Little Hei shook his head vigorously. "I’m not! I’m okay."
He tugged on Wu Sheng’s sleeve. "Brother Hero, does it hurt?"
"A real man isn’t afraid of a little hardship or pain. It doesn’t hurt. And don’t call me by such an awkward title. Just call me Uncle."
As Wu Sheng finished speaking and turned to go back to his room, the reporter politely asked for an interview.
Little Hei, curious about the interview process, answered every question the reporter asked. Wu Sheng, on the other hand, didn’t have much to say.
Finally, the reporter’s gaze fell on Su Li, hoping she would offer a few words.
After thinking for a moment, Su Li had only one thing to say.
"As a human being, please be kind."
This was the same phrase Su Li had thought of when Mrs. Tang was abusing Little Tang Mo.
Now, seeing Bai Xinyue, she thought of it again.
If Mrs. Tang and Bai Xinyue had any kindness in their hearts, none of this would have happened.
Su Li let out a heavy sigh.
’In her past life, she didn’t know if Wu Sheng and Bai Xinyue had ever met, or if this rescue attempt had ever happened. But she never expected Bai Xinyue to go blind years ahead of schedule.’
Before Wu Sheng had woken up, she hadn’t been able to spare a thought for it. But seeing Bai Xinyue’s state today, Su Li was suddenly filled with a mix of emotions.
’Of course, I have to be vigilant,’ she thought. ’Vigilant against a repeat of what happened in my past life.’
’Even though it’s a few years early, Bai Xinyue still ended up blind. And even though I’m not the same person I was in my past life, I still have to be on my guard.’
’On guard against Bai Xinyue, and on guard against the Bai Family. This life, I absolutely cannot let them scheme their way into taking my corneas.’
’Not just my eyes, but my heart, too...’
A torrent of thoughts rushed through Su Li’s mind, but she was quickly snapped back to reality by the reporter’s enthusiastic praise.
"’As a human being, please be kind.’ That’s a wonderful line, truly wonderful."
When the reporter heard which university and major Su Li was in, he became even more cordial.
He had much more he wanted to say, but seeing the look on Wu Sheng’s face, he wisely took the hint and bid them farewell.
However, when he wrote his article, he quoted Su Li’s words verbatim.
His article was an exclusive. Soon after, television and radio stations began reporting on the story as well.
But the news reports were only the beginning.
As the story circulated, the Bai Family’s reputation took a major hit. While Bai Xinyue remained trapped in the vortex of the investigation, the Bai Family’s business interests also began to suffer.
The Bai Family was in manufacturing, with holdings in kitchenware, furniture, and more. After the news broke, many people were so disgusted by Bai Xinyue’s actions that they began boycotting the family’s products.
Sales plummeted almost overnight. The Bai Family’s business was dealt a heavy blow, and their reputation was left in tatters.
The Bai Family hadn’t faced such a devastating blow in twenty or thirty years, and they were thrown into a state of utter chaos.
But all of that came later.
For now, they had seen the reporter off and sent the exhausted-looking Little Hei to get some rest. A short while later, Wa Wa Lian left as well.
Only Wu Sheng and Su Li remained in the hospital room.
Wu Sheng obediently did as Su Li said, lying down to rest.
"If Little Hei hadn’t woken up, what would you have done about the situation today?" Su Li asked curiously.
Wu Sheng smiled. "Take a guess."
Su Li shot him a look. "I’m not going to guess."
From the moment he’d heard about Bai Xinyue’s suicide attempt, Wu Sheng’s expression had turned completely cold. Even later, when Mrs. Bai arrived to raise hell, Wu Sheng had remained frighteningly calm.
He appeared silent, as if he had been backed into a corner with no way out. But only Su Li could see that throughout the entire ordeal, Wu Sheng had been unnervingly composed.
It wasn’t the calmness of someone at their wits’ end, but a calm born of confidence.
Because she had recognized his state of mind, Su Li had followed his lead and remained mostly silent throughout.
But then, Little Hei woke up.
Once Little Hei woke up, everything was easily resolved.
"Don’t think about that awful business anymore. All that matters is that it’s resolved," Wu Sheng said, gently stroking Su Li’s hand.
"You’ve gotten far too thin. Your priority right now is to eat well and put on some weight."
"You’re the one who needs to put on weight! Have you seen how thin you’ve gotten?" Su Li had lost a fair bit of weight, but she actually thought it was a good thing.
’After all, she came from a future where being thin was the standard of beauty and everyone wanted to be on a diet.’
"Then let’s both put on some weight," Wu Sheng said, his heart warming as he saw the concern in her eyes.
"I’m getting discharged tomorrow. My unit approved a few days of medical leave for me to recover, so I’ll have plenty of time to get my strength back."
Su Li was very pleased to hear this. "I’ll come over to your place every day after my classes. We’ll do all the cooking at your house while you’re on leave."
"No, don’t. You’re tired from your classes, and this whole ordeal has been exhausting for you. It would be better if my mom and I came to your place instead."
As he spoke, he began toying with the ring on Su Li’s finger. He couldn’t help but indulge in a fantasy. "If only you could skip a few grades and graduate now. Then you could marry me."
"Once we’re married, we can live together. I could come home to my wife every day... My wounds would probably heal on their own without any rest."
Su Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Skip grades? What are you talking about?"
Wu Sheng chuckled. "You’re deliberately avoiding the important part. The important part is getting married."
Wu Sheng looked at Su Li, his gaze deepening.