“Steward, take the young lady and the family doctor to her room,” Grandpa An said, glancing at Mrs. An. “You, come with me to the study. Li En, entertain Mrs. Yan and her family.”
Mrs. An followed Grandpa An to the study.
“Did you notice the injury on Shaohua’s hand?” Grandpa An asked calmly as he sat down, not accusing her but simply stating the fact.
“Injury?” Mrs. An opened her mouth but couldn’t respond, feeling a pang of regret.
Seeing her reaction, Grandpa An sighed. He could scold his son, but he had no right to reprimand his daughter-in-law. “I know you’ve always been proud of Tongtong, but Shaohua is your daughter too. Even if you can’t treat them equally, you should at least have a sense of balance.”
Meanwhile, Ye Shaohua was showing her injury to the family doctor.
Her wound had already been treated—after all, the medical lab was full of medical enthusiasts.
The family doctor unwrapped the bandage while sneaking glances at the young lady who was, in name, the eldest daughter of the An family.
To be honest, this young lady, raised outside the family, was already remarkable. The title of national top scorer wasn’t something one could easily achieve, especially without any special training.
But unfortunately, her comparison was An Tongtong.
Everyone knew about An Tongtong, the prodigy of the An family. She was practically a polymath, having won math Olympiad trophies from a young age and now a rising star in the Go world. Even R country’s news outlets had reported on her. At just eighteen, her achievements were already widely praised in the arts and academic circles.
And then there were her hands—An Tongtong’s hands were smooth and delicate, having been pampered since childhood.
Ye Shaohua’s hands, though well-shaped, bore the marks of a middle-class upbringing, with noticeable roughness on her palms.
Individually, Ye Shaohua was successful, but compared to An Tongtong’s trophy-filled life, she fell short. Mrs. An’s family was one of scholars and artists, but Ye Shaohua had likely never even touched a chess piece or a musical instrument, let alone achieved anything noteworthy.
As the family doctor unwrapped the bandage, he noticed that her wound had already scabbed over, with a light green ointment applied to the deeper cuts. He paused. “Where did you get this medicine?”
The ointment looked familiar—eerily similar to a rare medicine produced by a top-tier lab in the country. It was said to have unparalleled healing properties, leaving almost no scars. The doctor had only heard descriptions of it from medical professors.
The light green, almost transparent ointment was unmistakable.
“Just something I picked up at a pharmacy,” Ye Shaohua replied nonchalantly as she rewrapped the bandage.
The doctor nodded, thinking it was probably nothing special. After all, even Grandpa An wouldn’t have access to such medicine, let alone Ye Shaohua.
Since the wound didn’t require further treatment, the doctor packed up and went to the study to report to Grandpa An.
Ye Shaohua, who hadn’t planned to go, received a message from the lab and decided to follow him.
As she walked down the hallway, she ran into Mrs. An.
“Shaohua, I’m sorry about your hand. Is it okay? I didn’t mean to ignore it earlier. I’ve just been so busy with Tongtong’s upcoming competition…” Mrs. An reached out to take Ye Shaohua’s hand.
Ye Shaohua sidestepped her touch.
All Mrs. An heard was her calm, emotionless voice. “Excuse me, please move.”
Mrs. An stood frozen in the hallway, stunned, as Ye Shaohua entered the study.
Inside, Ye Shaohua was surprised to find the Yan family present.
“Is your hand okay?” Yan Xu noticed her injury.
Ye Shaohua shook her head lightly. “It’s fine.”
Yan Xu wanted to say more, but Ye Shaohua’s aloof demeanor left him at a loss for words.
“Grandpa An, we’ve discussed it. Although the engagement was originally with the An family’s eldest daughter, Tongtong is someone we’ve watched grow up. She’s like family to us, and she and Xu have been close since childhood,” Mrs. Yan said, glancing briefly at Ye Shaohua before continuing. “We think the engagement should proceed as planned, and the engagement party should go ahead.”
Mrs. Yan was aware of Ye Shaohua’s achievement as the national top scorer and had even marveled at the An family’s genes.
However, within the Yan family, there was some debate about the engagement. Most favored An Tongtong.
While An Tongtong wasn’t a blood relative of the An family and might not inherit their wealth, the Yan family no longer needed alliances for business growth.
Moreover, An Tongtong had been raised by the An family for eighteen years and excelled in every way. In contrast, Ye Shaohua, aside from her academic success, didn’t seem to have much else to offer.
But…
Seeing her usually reserved son actively trying to engage Ye Shaohua in conversation, Mrs. Yan frowned. This wasn’t a good sign.
An Tongtong, standing nearby, nervously watched Grandpa An.
“If you have no objections, then it’s settled,” Grandpa An said after a moment of thought, causing An Tongtong to nearly jump for joy.
Yan Xu’s talent and character were satisfactory to him, but since the Yan family had no interest in Shaohua, he wouldn’t force his granddaughter into an unwanted arrangement.
Turning to Ye Shaohua, his expression softened. “Shaohua, is your hand okay?”
The family doctor quickly explained Ye Shaohua’s condition.
Grandpa An finally relaxed, though he still gave her a few more instructions.
Everyone in the study was surprised. Grandpa An was known for his fiery temper, which hadn’t mellowed with age. This was the first time they’d seen him so gentle with someone.
Mrs. Yan’s gaze lingered on Ye Shaohua, now filled with curiosity.
“It’s fine. I need to go back, but before I leave, I have something for you,” Ye Shaohua said, pulling a small white bottle from her pocket.
She had originally planned to stay overnight to monitor Grandpa An’s condition, but the lab had reported an issue, so she had to return immediately.
The bottle was plain white, with no labels or instructions—it looked like a dubious, unregulated product.
“What’s this?” Grandpa An asked, taking the bottle.
“It’s a health supplement. I got it from someone,” Ye Shaohua explained calmly, not mentioning it was for his heart condition. “Take three pills every morning.”
“Miss Ye, where did you get this supplement?” Mrs. Yan couldn’t help but interject. “Grandpa An’s medications are prescribed by the military hospital. He can’t take unverified drugs…”
“It’s fine. It’s just a supplement. Taking one more or less won’t hurt,” Grandpa An waved off her concern.
He trusted Ye Shaohua wouldn’t harm him.
The family doctor, who hadn’t left yet, wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. Instead, he was staring at the bottle’s neck, where a small but distinct emblem was etched. The more he looked, the wider his eyes grew.
An Tingjun, who was terrified of his grandfather, frowned at Ye Shaohua. “Tongtong bought Grandpa medicine from M country, a new research product she had to wait a month to get. If you want to care for Grandpa, at least put in some effort. This unmarked, questionable medicine—do you know it could kill someone?”
Ah, today’s Tall Flower is late again, sniff sniff. Suddenly, Tall Flower, kneeling on the tip of the Oriental Pearl Tower, says with a hint of anticipation.