45. Newcomers and Old Hands

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Tong Zhenzhen scrutinized Qin Zhixue, who sensed her gaze but ignored it.

Qin Zhixue gave Tong Zhenzhen a cool glance, then took the food from the thermos one dish at a time and arranged it on the wheeled table beside the bed. She continued chatting warmly with Madam Jun. “These pan-fried buns are from Three-Mile Bridge, and the shrimp wontons are from that old shop on New Yue Road. Hurry and eat them while they’re hot.”

The two places Qin Zhixue had mentioned were in the south and north of the city, respectively, and quite far apart. She had certainly gone to a lot of trouble.

Madam Jun beamed as she praised Qin Zhixue. “You’re the only one who remembers what I like.”

“Of course. I grew up with you. If I hadn’t lost my memory after falling off that cliff three years ago, I wouldn’t have…” Qin Zhixue cast a sidelong glance at Tong Zhenzhen, as though hinting that the latter had usurped her place.

Enough. There was no reason for her to stand here and watch someone else flaunt their affection. Tong Zhenzhen felt she had already shown sufficient courtesy. Why stay and make herself unwelcome?

“Madam, get some good rest. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.” She rose and took her leave politely.

Madam Jun did not try to stop her. She had never approved of Jun Lengche marrying Tong Zhenzhen in the first place. If Tong Zhenzhen had not been carrying the Jun family’s child, she would never have agreed.

Attending the wedding had merely been Madam Jun’s way of showing consideration for her grandson. Jun Lengche’s mother was currently at some secret base, reportedly working on a major research project, and therefore could not attend. As for Tong Qingyang, no one knew why he had failed to come either.

All of this had left Madam Jun simmering with resentment. Naturally, she blamed Tong Zhenzhen for every misfortune, so she was more than happy to see her leave.

“I’m not the Empress Dowager. You don’t need to come pay your respects every day. Just stay home and rest. Taking good care of the baby is what matters.” Madam Jun slowed her speech, but she could not quite conceal her impatience.

Harder to serve than the Empress Dowager, perhaps? Tong Zhenzhen looked at Madam Jun, who disliked everything about her, and thought this to herself.

Qin Zhixue’s gaze fell on her belly. Her expression was complicated, and no one could tell what she was thinking.

Suppressing her resentment toward Madam Jun, Tong Zhenzhen left the room.

A middle-aged man approached her in the corridor. His gold-rimmed glasses reflected the sunlight, making his eyes impossible to read.

But Tong Zhenzhen recognized him. Wasn’t he the hospital director?

“Little Tong, you came to see the old commander’s wife, didn’t you? Is the old lady all right?” the director asked first, his manner unfailingly courteous.

Tong Zhenzhen could only reply perfunctorily, “Thank you for your concern, Director. Madam is fine.”

She had always considered the director the sort of man who hid a knife behind his smile. She had intended to exchange a brief greeting and leave, but he blocked her path, clearly wanting to say more.

With no choice, she lifted her chin and waited.

“Deputy Director Jun is truly a model for the hospital. Yesterday, he sacrificed his precious wedding night for a patient. That kind of dedication is rare.” A glint flashed through the director’s eyes, and he paused.

After waiting a moment and seeing no reaction from her, he delivered the crucial piece of information. “Oh, right, Little Tong. I just saw him making his rounds in Room 520 on the fifth floor. The patient’s name is Lin Mujin. Her name is posted outside the door.”

At the sound of that name, something inside Tong Zhenzhen spasmed. She turned and hurried into the elevator, pressing the button marked five.

The director revealed a crafty, calculating smile.

She did not know why she had rushed to that room.

Standing before the door, she gripped the handle and hesitated for a long time. In the end, her desire to know proved stronger. She flung the door open.

“Jun—Leng—che!”

She had not expected such a sharp, piercing cry to escape her.

The moment the door opened, she saw two people locked in an embrace.

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Too shocked to see clearly, she failed to notice that Lin Mujin had wrapped herself around Jun Lengche’s neck like a vine.

With her back against the wall, she slowly sank into a crouch. Her delicate face twisted as though all her internal organs had been steeped in sulfuric acid and burned away. The pain was so intense that she could not utter a sound.

Why did she feel such a crushing sense of betrayal, accompanied by a pain she could not put into words? She shut her eyes tightly, unable to look at them for another second.

“Little girl…” Jun Lengche turned and saw her huddled beneath the wall. He pried Lin Mujin’s arms away and hurried over. “Are you feeling unwell again? Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed at home? Do you even want to keep the baby?”

He had some nerve, acting so self-righteous! His wife had caught him kissing another woman, yet he did not seem embarrassed in the least.

Tong Zhenzhen bit her lip, raised her eyes, and glared fiercely at his face.

“The baby? The only thing in your heart is the baby! You married me for the baby too! I am not a breeding machine!” With her back braced against the wall, Tong Zhenzhen forced herself upright, stressing each word of “I am not.”

She could not show weakness in front of the adulterous bastard and give them something to laugh at.

“You’re being unreasonable!” Jun Lengche realized that the woman barely reaching his chest had become like a cornered rabbit, her eyes bloodshot with fury. “What are you making a scene about in the hospital? Come on. I’ll take you home.”

“Miss Tong…” Lin Mujin, seated on the hospital bed and looking frail and delicate, called out to her pitifully.

“Not Miss Tong. Mrs. Jun! Or Mrs. Long—whichever you meant, you got it wrong.” Remembering Mo Chuchu’s mockery before she had left home, Tong Zhenzhen retorted without mercy. “You really do have the air of a tragic beauty. No wonder people feel sorry for you.”

Lin Mujin did not argue. Two streams of hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she collapsed onto the bed, beginning to sob softly.

Damn it, the mistress had the nerve to cry?

Tong Zhenzhen widened her eyes, preparing to say a few more words.

At that moment, Jun Lengche seized her hand. “Little girl, she’s a patient. We’re leaving.”

“A patient! Does being a patient give her the right to flirt with someone else’s husband?” In her fury, Tong Zhenzhen abandoned all restraint.

“What are you talking about? Stop this nonsense!” Jun Lengche scolded her in a low voice.

Damn him—he actually had the nerve to criticize her? He had done something shameful, yet he was not embarrassed in the slightest. Instead, he was openly protecting the other woman.

What a thoroughly despicable man!

Rage surged through her. Before Jun Lengche could react, Tong Zhenzhen swung her right hand with all her strength and slapped him across the face.

The crisp crack of the slap startled Lin Mujin, who had been lying on the bed. She sat up and stared at Tong Zhenzhen in disbelief, as if Tong Zhenzhen had committed some unforgivable crime.

Jun Lengche’s expression darkened.

“Animal! Bastard! Pigheaded fool! Scumbag…” Tong Zhenzhen failed to notice the danger. With both hands finally free, she pounded desperately against his chest.

Damn it, she had endured more than enough.

She only wanted to vent all the grievances she had suffered during these past few days, along with the anger she had buried deep inside.

“Deputy Director Jun, what’s going on here?” The hospital director appeared in the doorway at precisely the right moment.

The director had heard long ago that Jun Lengche might become the next hospital director. What did that inexperienced young man have besides his family’s influence?

His defeat at the military promotion conference had not diminished the director’s determination to bring Jun Lengche down. Like a skilled hunter, he had simply been waiting for the right opportunity.

At yesterday’s wedding banquet, everyone else had watched the spectacle. He had watched for an opening.

He had never expected to run into Tong Zhenzhen today. It was a gift from heaven.

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No matter how brilliant a doctor’s skills were or how respectable his character seemed, entanglement in a romantic scandal could become a conduct issue—a stain that would never be erased.

The director had deliberately reminded Tong Zhenzhen that the patient Jun Lengche had fought to save the previous night was Lin Mujin. A wife encountering her husband’s first love—what could be more explosive?

The director had also quietly followed Tong Zhenzhen down to the fifth floor.

While tailing her, he noticed another young woman following behind. After taking a closer look, he realized she was the political commissar’s daughter.

This promised to be quite a show.

Unlike Mo Chuchu, the director would never crouch by the door and eavesdrop through the crack. It would damage his dignity. He merely pretended to be making his rounds, while keeping his ears pricked high.

From Tong Zhenzhen’s shriek to the crisp sound of the slap, he heard everything clearly. He timed his arrival perfectly and deliberately pushed the door wide open.

There were already several people in the corridor who had heard the commotion and wanted to see what was happening. Now they all gathered around the doorway.

Let everyone here bear witness, Jun Lengche. The director thought maliciously, while outwardly maintaining the appearance of a concerned superior.

“Director, it’s nothing. The bride is just throwing a little tantrum.” Jun Lengche quickly pulled Tong Zhenzhen, who was still pounding at him, into his arms, hiding her tears from the others.

“Newlyweds are always enviable. Still, this is a hospital, so you must be mindful of your conduct and avoid disturbing the patients. Little Tong, are you all right?” The director’s grand and righteous words were merely a prelude. What he really wanted was for Tong Zhenzhen to expose Jun Lengche’s lie. Behind his lenses, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

How could Jun Lengche fail to understand what the director was planning? He leaned close to Tong Zhenzhen’s ear and whispered, “Don’t let the others make a spectacle of you.”

Make a spectacle of them? This was a perfect opportunity. If she continued making a scene, she could ruin his reputation.

Tong Zhenzhen suddenly understood.

You betrayed me first, so don’t blame me for showing you no mercy, she thought.

The desperate resolve in her eyes, the determination to drag them all down together, made Jun Lengche realize that she would not cooperate. After a brief moment of thought, he said, “Zhengyang Group also owns a private hospital. There’s going to be a bidding process soon, and I’m thinking of recommending your grandfather’s company. What do you think?”

What? Was he proposing a deal?

She froze. Yet the offer was undeniably tempting.

How many medical-equipment companies dreamed of gaining entry into a private hospital under Zhengyang Group?

What was she supposed to do?

She knew perfectly well how despicable he was, but she could not ignore her grandfather’s company.

No wonder he was so utterly confident. He had already prepared a way to deal with her. How clever. All she could do was swallow her bitterness in silence.

She wiped the blood and tears from his immaculate white doctor’s coat, then turned her head away. “Director, I’m terribly sorry. I was being too narrow-minded.”

The flush of anger on her face, combined with the shy expression she forced herself to wear, made her words seem almost believable.

“Director, starting today, I’m officially taking my marriage leave.” Jun Lengche swept Tong Zhenzhen up into his arms and assumed the appearance of a considerate husband. “You’re not well. I’ll take good care of you over the next few days.”

His false tenderness made Tong Zhenzhen sick, but she had no choice except to pretend she enjoyed it and loop her arms around his neck.

Carrying her in his arms, Jun Lengche passed before the director like a blissfully happy husband.

The director’s plan had fallen through. He was inwardly furious, but his face still wore an expression of approval. He was intensely curious about what Jun Lengche had whispered into Tong Zhenzhen’s ear to make her change her attitude so suddenly.

First published by the original source; read the authorized edition first.