“My leg—is it broken?” Her dramatic voice left even the doctor exasperated.
“Let’s do an X-ray first,” the doctor replied, patience wearing thin.
In all his years of practice, he’d never met anyone quite this unreasonable.
Le Sheng stayed unruffled. Taking the doctor’s cue, she added, “It’s best to give her a full examination. I’ll cover all the costs.”
If this woman was truly hurt, she’d pay the medical bills—but if this was a scam, she wasn’t about to become anyone’s easy target.
“You think an exam is enough? I want compensation! You made me fall and hurt myself. This is all your responsibility!” Judging by her tone, this clearly wasn’t her first attempt at something like this.
Le Sheng arched an eyebrow. “So how much are you after?”
Hu Guixiang hadn’t expected her to be so agreeable. After a moment’s hesitation, she held up two fingers. “T-Two hundred thousand.”
Le Sheng smiled. As expected, just another swindler. Did she really look that easy to take advantage of?
She strode over, bent down, and with no warning, squeezed Hu Guixiang’s calf. Hu Guixiang yelped in pain and leapt from her wheelchair.
“Ow! Are you trying to kill me?”
Le Sheng narrowed her eyes and turned to the doctor. “All good now?”
The doctor couldn’t help but chuckle. “This patient looks perfectly healthy to me—full of energy, too.”
It finally dawned on Hu Guixiang that she’d walked straight into Le Sheng’s trap.
“I’m calling the police! You’re all in on this together!”
“Be my guest. In fact, I’d been thinking the same thing. We’ll have the police check the security footage, and you’ll get a proper examination. If compensation’s due, I’ll pay. Fair and square.”
At the mention of surveillance cameras, Hu Guixiang’s bravado faltered.
“Just you wait,” she muttered.
Flustered, she beat a hasty retreat from the ER, as if scared Le Sheng might really call the cops.
But she hadn’t gone far before a sharp cry rang out—Hu Guixiang had tripped again, this time entirely by herself. Watching her scramble up, Le Sheng couldn’t help but laugh. Serves her right!
After resolving that mess, Le Sheng finally made her way to the old lady’s room.
Her mother was waiting inside.
The elderly woman lay in bed, a smile lighting her face when she saw Le Sheng. “Shengsheng, you’re here.”
Earlier that morning, while out for a walk, the old woman had slipped and twisted her ankle.
Le Sheng’s father was away on business in East China, so her mother had rushed the old woman to the hospital and called Le Sheng afterward.
“It’s really nothing serious,” the old lady reassured them. “You both look so worried! At my age, bumps and scrapes are inevitable.”
She tried to put their minds at ease.
“Auntie? What happened to you?” A voice piped up at the door. They turned to see Cindy Hunt breezing in, looking more nosy than genuinely concerned.
Le Sheng’s mother glanced at her daughter in confusion, wondering who’d tipped her off. She’d only told Le Sheng about the accident—how did Cindy Hunt know?
“Cuirou, how did you know I was at the hospital?” the old lady asked.
Cindy Hunt glanced meaningfully at Le Sheng, a hint of schadenfreude in her tone. “I just saw Le Sheng outside and thought something was wrong. So I came to check it out.”
Turns out it was just the elderly woman who’d taken a tumble.
Given her poor rapport with Le Sheng’s mother, Cindy Hunt was never one to pass up a bit of family gossip.
Le Sheng’s mother was visibly displeased. She knew full well that Cindy Hunt couldn’t keep her mouth shut and would be gossiping before long.
“It was just a little slip—nothing serious. I’ll be out of here in a few days’ rest.” Although she wasn’t fond of Cindy Hunt, the old lady kept up appearances. After all, they were family.
“Le Sheng, I saw you arguing with someone outside. What was that about? Do you know that woman?” Cindy Hunt had witnessed the commotion with Hu Guixiang earlier and clearly relished bringing it up.
Le Sheng saw right through her. She wasn’t here out of concern for the old lady, but just to stir up trouble.
“Arguing?” Her mother shot her a questioning glance.
Le Sheng gave a relaxed smile. “Oh, I just accidentally bumped into someone outside. She wanted me to pay her off, but I refused. It’s all sorted now.”
“People these days can be so nasty. You really never know what kind you’ll run into,” the old lady warned. “Next time, be careful. Keep your distance from people with bad intentions.”
“You’re right, Grandma. I’ll remember.”
Yet Cindy Hunt showed no sign of leaving. Le Sheng’s mother eyed her pointedly. “So what brings you to the hospital today?”
“My little grandson has a fever. I’m here with Yuan Yuan,” she replied.
Just then, Dr. Yancy Shaw, dressed in his white coat, walked in.
“Mom, Shengsheng—how’s Grandma doing?”
“The doctor says she needs to stay in bed for a while. Luckily, it’s only a sprain,” Le Sheng reported.
Cindy Hunt, never letting an opportunity slip, shot a sly look at Le Sheng’s mother and said in a mockingly sweet tone, “How could you let Auntie fall at her age? You should’ve been at her side. Isn’t it your responsibility to look after her?”
Her implication was clear: was Le Sheng’s mother to blame for the old lady’s fall?
The comment made Le Sheng’s mother’s expression cloud over. Was she being accused of neglect?
“It wasn’t her fault. I fell on my own,” the old lady interjected, clearly annoyed.
This was a family matter; outsiders like Cindy Hunt had no right to meddle. Her gossipy mouth was a nuisance.
But Cindy Hunt had no intention of stopping.
She now eyed Yancy Shaw, sizing him up. He was handsome, true, but in her view, not as accomplished as her own son-in-law. Still, her envy bubbled beneath the surface.
“Does Le Sheng’s husband work at this hospital?” she asked, feigning ignorance though the doctor’s white coat said it all.
Le Sheng was speechless. Was the coat not obvious enough?
Yancy Shaw shot her a cold glance. He hadn’t liked her since their last meeting—she was simply too much.
Undeterred by his silence, she prattled on, “Next time we come to the hospital, could you give us VIP treatment? Otherwise we’ll have to wait in line like everyone else. It’s such a hassle.”
“Cuirou, Yancheng is very busy. Don’t bother him with little favors like that,” Le Sheng’s mother said, masking her irritation.
“But it’s not much to ask, is it? We’re family! Surely it’s not too much to hope for a helping hand?”
“It absolutely is too much,” Le Sheng’s mother shot back. “Why should he give you special treatment? Everyone waits their turn—you can't just use family as an excuse.” She didn’t bother with pretense anymore. Enough was enough.
“I was just asking, you know! No need to get so worked up over your precious son-in-law. I never said he had to do it,” Cindy Hunt retorted, refusing to back down.
Le Sheng jumped in to diffuse the tension. “My mom just tends to be direct, but she’s not wrong—not everything’s her fault. Imagine if every relative thought the way Aunt Cuirou does. Where would it end? People shouldn’t be so selfish, right?”
She spoke with a smile, her words polite on the surface but edged with irony. Whether Cindy Hunt picked up on it or not was anyone’s guess.