Volume One, Chapter 19: The Shifting Winds and Changing Tides

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Shao Ting’an’s breathing grew erratic, his grip tightening as he stared into Zhao Xinran’s eyes like a lion hunting in the night.

Zhao Xinran obediently unbuttoned her clothes, sliding the fabric that separated them free from his grasp.

“Ting’an, I... I’m hot. Maybe this way, you’ll feel better?”

Her innocent and pitiful expression melted Shao Ting’an’s heart completely.

After longing for so long, he could finally indulge without restraint. Shao Ting’an’s lower body had already taken control over his upper body as he suddenly bent his head down...

Zhao Xinran embraced him, pressing herself closer. A gleam of triumph flickered in her shimmering eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled upwards slightly.

On Su Li’s bed, the two of them made love without any inhibition.

...

At the hospital, Su Li and her brother remained by Su Dayan’s bedside, afraid that their father might wake up and not see them.

Yet, after an entire night of waiting, Su Dayan’s eyes never opened.

Su Li recalled what Fu Jinzhou had said and grew anxious—if he didn’t wake within twenty-four hours, there was a risk he could become a vegetative state.

“Brother, what do we do? It’s been twenty hours and Dad still hasn’t woken up.”

At that moment, the hospital room door opened.

Xu Mingzhe entered with a nurse; he was Su Dayan’s attending physician.

“Doctor Xu, my father hasn’t woken up yet…”

Xu Mingzhe raised a hand to calm Su Li. “Don’t worry. Let me take a look first.”

He had been entrusted by Fu Jinzhou to keep a close watch on Su Dayan’s condition and hadn’t gone home all night.

Xu Mingzhe lifted Su Dayan’s eyelids, checked his heart rate and pulse. Although the numbers were low, they remained within normal limits.

“Wait a little longer. We’ll check again this afternoon.”

Xu Mingzhe’s heart sank. No signs of awakening for so long were not a good omen.

Shao Ting’an and Zhao Xinran came to the hospital early, carrying breakfast they had prepared.

Seeing Su Li’s exhausted appearance, Shao Ting’an stepped forward and took her hand. “Dad still hasn’t woken?”

“No,” Su Li said, pulling her hand free. “You should go to work. Don’t waste your time here.”

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After saying this, she turned to Su Mingde. “Brother, you haven’t slept all night. Go home and rest, then come back to work this afternoon. Dad has me here, so don’t worry.”

Everyone had their own work now; it wasn’t feasible for all of them to stay by the bedside. Since she was here, it was her responsibility to care for their father.

“How can you manage alone?” Su Mingde was uneasy. How could he concentrate on work when their father remained unconscious?

“Suo Da-ge, I’ll stay with Teacher Su to care for Uncle Su. I don’t have anything pressing these days anyway.”

Zhao Xinran volunteered herself, moving Su Mingde deeply. “I’m relieved to have you with Teacher Su, but…”

“Brother, go home. Dad will wake up soon. I’ll have Xinran notify you and Ting’an at the factory. Besides, Mom will come later. With so many people here, nothing will happen.”

Su Mingde pondered for a moment. Having so many people staying wasn’t practical, so he nodded in agreement.

After seeing Su Mingde and Shao Ting’an off, Zhao Xinran returned to the ward and served porridge to Su Li. “Teacher Su, you have to take care of yourself no matter what. You need to eat something. Uncle Su is counting on you and Brother Su.”

She bent down and placed the bowl of porridge before Su Li. “I cooked this early this morning, and Brother Ting’an bought you meat buns and tea eggs.”

Su Li glanced at the porridge in front of her and inadvertently noticed the red mark on Zhao Xinran’s chest. Her blood seemed to reverse course, rushing aggressively to her head.

The midsummer morning was already sweltering, yet Su Li felt chilled all over.

That mark wasn’t an insect bite; it was the kind left only after such intimate encounters—they...

Unbelievable. With her father’s fate uncertain, these two still had the leisure to cheat.

Su Li clenched her back teeth and forced a smile. Since they weren’t their father, of course they weren’t anxious. They probably even felt grateful to him in their hearts for finally giving them the freedom to carry on their affair.

“Teacher Su, hurry up and eat. I’ll wash your clothes.”

Zhao Xinran carried the basin to do the laundry. Su Li stared at the porridge and buns before her, remaining unmoving.

“Miss, eat well. You’re blessed—your husband treats you well, your brother and sister-in-law treat you well, even your students are so kind to you. Your blessings will surely bring your father good fortune. He will wake up.”

Su Li smiled faintly at the elderly woman in the next bed. How skillful those adulterers were at playing their roles—even strangers who had seen them twice thought they were kind to her.

She was indeed fortunate, never having endured much hardship growing up. That had made her trusting and kind to everyone. But what was the result?

She was the living example of the naive fool in the fable.

Su Li sat quietly watching her father, not moving for an entire day.

Yet Su Dayan never woke.

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Liu Guilan noticed her daughter’s tense demeanor and gently pulled her hand. “Xiao Li, do you remember the saying your father often repeated? ‘What is destined will come, what is not destined cannot be forced.’ Now it’s the same—we’ve done all we can. Whether your father wakes is up to fate.”

“Mom has come to terms with it. You’re more educated than I am; you should understand this more.”

Su Li understood, but couldn’t reconcile it. How could her father be fine in a past life and suddenly like this now?

She couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong. If her father had offended someone, why hadn’t he suffered this fate before?

“Mom, I understand. Don’t worry. I can accept it.”

In her mother’s eyes, a woman’s life revolved around her husband and children. When the husband falls, she must hold the family together.

Shao Ting’an’s image as the devoted, exemplary husband and son-in-law was deeply ingrained. After work, he rushed over without pause.

Seeing Zhao Xinran shake her head at her, she relaxed imperceptibly.

“Mom, where are my brother and Su Li? I saw my brother walking ahead of me.”

Liu Guilan noticed Shao Ting’an sweating profusely from the heat and hurriedly said, “He went to the doctor’s office. You should wash your face—maybe it’s the heat.”

“I’m fine. I’ll go find them and hear what the doctor has to say.”

Shao Ting’an approached the doctor’s office and knocked before entering, surprised to find two police officers inside.

His back stiffened instantly, and he nervously asked, “I—should I not have come in?”

“Who is this?” one of the officers asked.

“This is my husband, Shao Ting’an,” Zhao Xinran said.

She was curious whether Shao Ting’an had stayed with her the night before and how he would respond to the police.

“Comrade Shao, please come in. We were just about to ask you some questions.”

Shao Ting’an forced a gentle smile. “I understand. Ask away.”

After Shao Ting’an settled, the shorter officer began, “Where were you from ten o’clock that night until early morning the next day?”