Volume One, Chapter 16: Aftermath of a Secret Affair

Page 1/3

Su Li saw Auntie Da holding a gong as she came out and rode her bicycle around to the back of the courtyard. She knew there was a door there.

“Dang dang dang…”

The clear sound of the bronze gong instantly echoed through the narrow alley.

“Someone’s having an affair!”

Auntie Da’s voice was loud, and since the phrase “having an affair” naturally drew attention, after just a couple of calls, a crowd quickly gathered at the courtyard entrance.

“Aunt Qin, there really are people inside—one man and one woman, hurriedly pulling at their clothes.”

Wang Er was a loafer who loved to watch drama. Hearing Aunt Qin beating the gong, he was the first to come out, peeking through the door crack with narrowed eyes.

“Who dares to have an affair in broad daylight? This courtyard is still reserved for the mechanical factory’s leadership.”

“Who knows? Probably they had their feet in the door long ago, otherwise how could they have secretly copied the keys? They must know no one’s home.”

The alley buzzed with gossip and lively chatter.

Hearing the gong from afar, Su Li calculated the time—those two should be coming out soon.

Just as they were reluctant to part, suddenly misfortune struck. Su Li thought to herself that she was becoming increasingly wicked.

But such wickedness wasn’t enough; she wanted them to suffer a hundredfold.

She waited less than two minutes before the backdoor of the courtyard was indeed opened from inside.

Su Li secretly took two photos with her camera.

Shao Ting’an’s collar was undone, obviously not fastened in time, and the gentle man now looked as embarrassed as a lost dog.

Zhao Xinran’s hair was disheveled, and she was tugging at her skirt as she walked.

Once outside, the two didn’t dare linger; they hastily mounted their bicycles and fled.

Shao Ting’an, her good husband; Zhao Xinran, her good student—both treated her so well!

Looking at her handiwork, Su Li bit her lip and smiled, then put away the camera and rode her bicycle away.

...

Su Dayan happened to be off work and passing by. Hearing someone shout about an affair, he didn’t take it seriously and rode his bike home.

He pedaled along, humming a little tune, barely avoiding a collision with the bicycle suddenly emerging from the alley.

“Oh, riding so fast! Is there a dog chasing you?” Su Dayan joked with a grin.

Seeing who had stopped ahead, he exclaimed, “Ting’an?”

“Dad!” Shao Ting’an clearly didn’t expect to run into Su Dayan. His face was panicked and flustered, his collar wide open, and with someone riding behind him.

The smile on Su Dayan’s mouth froze. “What are you and Xiao Zhao doing?”

Zhao Xinran had been to the Su family home with Su Li before, so Su Dayan was not unfamiliar with her.

Recalling the crowd in the alley talking about an affair, he examined the two with suspicion.

Page 2/3

“Shao Ting’an, you better explain yourself!” Su Dayan demanded.

“Dad, dad...” Shao Ting’an rolled his eyes. “Su Li was off today, so I thought she might have something and went to pick her up. Didn’t expect she left early. I ran into Xinran and brought her back instead. I was just thinking about buying Su Li something she likes, but I accidentally twisted my ankle.”

Su Dayan looked at him, half convinced. He knew how good Shao Ting’an was to his daughter.

“Uncle Su, Brother Ting’an cares about Teacher Su. He said she hasn’t had much appetite these days, so he deliberately took a detour to buy her a watermelon.”

Su Dayan glanced between Shao Ting’an and Zhao Xinran. It seemed both true and not true!

Both looked quite natural.

“Take it easy, don’t ride so fast.”

Zhao Xinran smiled, “Brother Ting’an wants to chill the watermelon with well water before Teacher Su gets home.”

Su Dayan nodded. “Don’t spoil her too much, take it slow on the way back.”

“Dad, why don’t you come back and have watermelon with us?”

“I’m not going, I’m heading home.”

Watching Su Dayan leave, Shao Ting’an stood there stunned for a long time without moving.

That night, Shao Ting’an didn’t return until very late. Su Li slept restlessly, dreaming of her father standing before her, blood pouring from his head, grinning and saying, “Girl, take care of yourself!”

The dream was so vivid that Su Li woke with a start.

She sat on the bed for a moment, realizing it was just a dream, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

At that moment, Shao Ting’an came home.

“Why so late?”

Su Li took his bag and was about to hang it up when Shao Ting’an wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Sorry, wife, I’m late. There’s a problem with the experiment…”

Suppressing the disgust in her heart, Su Li gently pushed him away. “You still have to take care of yourself. Go wash up and get some sleep. You have work tomorrow.”

This man was wholly devoted to his affair, not even asking if she was pregnant.

Su Li blamed his enthusiasm that night on guilt.

Shao Ting’an looked truly remorseful, his dog-like eyes gazing deeply at Su Li.

“Wife, I haven’t done well lately, only focused on work and neglected you.”

Su Li frowned, wondering if this was a side effect of cheating.

Yet her voice was gentle, “It’s okay. I know you’re under pressure. Get some rest.”

Shao Ting’an reached up to stroke her head. “Okay, I’ll shower; you get some sleep.”

Su Li returned to her room and lay down. Half-asleep, she heard Shao Ting’an lie down on the balcony, restless all night.

The next morning, Shao Ting’an bought Wang’s steamed buns and two cups of soybean milk.

Just as they were about to eat, a sudden, urgent knocking broke the morning calm.

Page 3/3

“Xiao Li, open the door.”

Hearing Sister-in-law Wen Yu’s voice, Su Li hurried to open.

“Sis, why are you here so early? Is something wrong at home?”

Su Li had felt uneasy all night. Wen Yu arriving early surely meant something had happened.

Wen Yu took Su Li’s hand, her eyes slightly red. “Xiao Li, Dad… Dad’s had an accident!”

Su Li’s heart sank, voice urgent: “What happened to Dad?”

Wen Yu choked up. “Last night, Dad was about to sleep when he heard someone calling him outside. He went out and didn’t come back for over an hour. Mom asked your brother and me to look for him. We found Dad lying by the river. He’s still unconscious in the hospital.”

Su Li’s vision darkened; she nearly fainted.

Shao Ting’an quickly steadied her. “Su Li, sister-in-law, don’t panic. Let’s get to the hospital.”

Su Li hurried to grab some money and followed Wen Yu to the hospital.

“Wife, Dad will be fine. Don’t worry,” Shao Ting’an comforted her as they walked, but Su Li was tense and silent.

Su Dayan lay in the hospital bed, his head wrapped in bandages, pale and lifeless.

Su Li trembled as she reached out to touch her father’s face, memories flooding back to the moment he handed her money on Saturday. Tears poured down her cheeks.

“How could this happen? How could this happen?” she muttered.

“Xiao Li, Dad hates to see you cry. Be strong!” Su Mingde patted his sister’s shoulder.

Shao Ting’an anxiously asked, “What did the doctor say?”

“The injury is severe—intracranial bleeding. He needs immediate surgery, or it will be life-threatening.”

Su Li jumped up, tears hanging on her lashes. “Then do the surgery! What are they waiting for?”

“The surgery is difficult. It’s uncertain if Dad will even make it off the operating table.”

Su Mingde sighed dejectedly. “The doctor said if Dr. Fu, the best surgeon here, could operate, the chances would be much better. But Dr. Fu is on a business trip today.”

At the mention of “Dr. Fu,” Shao Ting’an looked at Su Li. “Is that Fu Jinzhou?”

They both knew Fu Jinzhou was the top surgeon in the department. Shao Ting’an’s sister, Shao Tingting, had always admired him.

“Brother, that Dr. Fu is my high school classmate. I’ll go find him and beg him to operate on Dad.”

Shao Ting’an’s expression grew complicated. “Where will you find him? Do you even know where he lives?”

Just then, Fu Jinzhou appeared.