Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Shang Huoyong heard Su Tinghe's shout and looked up to see a shadowy figure rushing towards him, while a car was sliding down the slope from the left side.

Shang Huoyong reacted swiftly, grabbing Su Tinghe and rolling to the side, barely avoiding the out-of-control car.

Shang Huoyong's father and mother were terrified by the dangerous scene before them, watching helplessly as Su Tinghe lunged forward. The sliding car then blocked their view until it finally crashed into a plane tree in the roadside green belt.

Shang Huoyong's father and mother rushed over, only to find Shang Huoyong holding Su Tinghe as they lay on the ground. Seeing no blood around them, their worries were somewhat eased, and they quickly helped the two up.

After getting up, Shang Huoyong was fine, with only a small scrape on his hand. However, Su Tinghe felt intense pain in his foot after taking a few steps.

Shang Huoyong took off Su Tinghe's shoe and discovered a large swelling on his foot.

The car owner hurried over, apologizing repeatedly and explaining that the handbrake hadn't been fully applied after parking, and the slope had caused the car to slide. Given that no one was seriously injured, he asked to settle the matter privately.

The car owner, a young man around twenty, was met with Shang Huoyong's refusal to settle privately. Shang Huoyong promptly called the police.

While waiting for the traffic police to arrive, Su Tinghe's ankle swelled up significantly, and he started sweating profusely, biting his lip, his face pale.

Shang Huoyong supported Su Tinghe, wanting to take him to the hospital first, but Su Tinghe's foot hurt so much upon touching the ground that he started sweating profusely.

Shang Huoyong had no choice but to carry Su Tinghe in his arms, heading to the hospital accompanied by Shang's mother while leaving Shang's father behind to handle the situation.

Before leaving, Shang Huoyong made sure to jot down the car's license plate number.

At the nearest hospital, Su Tinghe underwent X-rays and an MRI. The doctor confirmed that there were no bone injuries, but Su Tinghe had suffered a ligament tear, resulting in him needing a wheelchair, crutches, and an ankle brace.

Shang's mother felt immense pity for Su Tinghe, even beginning to suspect that her son might be bringing bad luck upon him. After all, it hadn't been long since their marriage, and Su Tinghe had already suffered injuries to both his wrist and ankle, as if facing minor mishaps every few days and major ones every five days.

However, Su Tinghe didn't dwell on these thoughts. In the heat of the moment, he had acted on instinct without thinking. Fortunately, both he and Shang Huoyong were unharmed, and his ligament injury was something that could heal with rest.

Shang Huoyong pushed the wheelchair, his gaze intense as he looked at Su Tinghe, unable to comprehend when Su Tinghe had become so concerned for him.

It was only then that they remembered the abbot's warning to be cautious when going out. It seemed the warning had been foreshadowing this incident.

As for the traffic accident, everything was being dealt with according to procedure. On the surface, it appeared to be an unintentional error by the driver, but Shang Huoyong couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it, much like the incident at the equestrian club, which had been too coincidental.

However, after the equestrian club incident, Shang Huoyong had ordered a follow-up inquiry into the relevant staff, but nothing unusual had been found.

This time, Shang Huoyong again sent someone to investigate, as it couldn't be a coincidence both times.

If the target at the equestrian club had been Su Tinghe, then today's target was clearly Shang Huoyong himself. If Su Tinghe hadn't intervened, the outcome could have been disastrous.

Seeing the serious expressions on Shang Huoyong and Shang's mother, Su Tinghe tried to lighten the mood by joking, assuring them that he was fine.

Shang Huoyong, seeing Su Tinghe still able to smile, asked, "Why did you rush forward? Didn't you know it was dangerous?"

Su Tinghe thought for a moment and replied, "Of course, I knew it was dangerous afterward, but at that moment, my mind went blank. When I saw it was you, I just acted on instinct."

Shang Huoyong suddenly choked up, coughing twice before saying with an unnatural expression, "Next time, just take care of yourself. I'll be fine."

Shang's mother chimed in, "Exactly, next time, take care of yourself first. He's lucky and doesn't need you to worry about him."

Shang Huoyong frowned, giving his mother a reproachful look, as if to say, "Am I still your son?"

Shang's mother patted Shang Huoyong's shoulder in consolation, "Tinghe took the hit for you, so you must take good care of him. I'll make him some nourishing soup later, and you make sure he drinks it all."

Shang Huoyong sighed helplessly, "Mom, can you please stop making soup?" Su Tinghe had a small appetite and couldn't eat much at once. Last time, Shang Huoyong had to help finish the soup and then lied to his mother, saying Su Tinghe had drunk it all.

It seems that the white lie from last time has given Shang's mother great confidence, and now she wants to make soup again.

Having her kindness rejected by her own son, Shang's mother was very unhappy. "Tinghe didn't say anything, why are you butting in? Besides, I'm making soup for Tinghe, not for you. Don't flatter yourself."

Shang Huoyong tactfully said, "We have a cook at home. Whatever Tinghe wants to eat or drink, the cook can make it. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself."

"Can the chef’s soup compare to mine? My soup has a mother’s touch, right, Tinghe? Did you like the soup I made for you last time?" Shang's mother asked, looking at Su Tinghe.

Su Tinghe smiled, his eyes curving, and nodded vigorously, "It was delicious."

With Su Tinghe’s approval, Shang's mother was satisfied and proudly looked at Shang Huoyong, "See that?"

Shang Huoyong replied, "I see." He didn’t know why his mom had suddenly gotten so into cooking in recent years, but her dishes always turned out a bit off. However, Shang's mother was not discouraged and finally discovered her talent in making soup. Compared to her oddly flavored stir-fries, her soups at least tasted normal.

When his mom wasn’t looking, Shang Huoyong crouched down and whispered in Su Tinghe's ear, "Next time, you drink the soup yourself. I won’t help you."

Su Tinghe widened his eyes, about to speak, but Shang Huoyong stood up straight, so Su Tinghe had to close his mouth again, fidgeting with his fingers.

When Shang Huoyong carried Su Tinghe to the car, Su Tinghe wrapped his arms around Shang Huoyong's neck and took the opportunity to press his ear to Shang Huoyong's ear, "I got hurt because of you, so you owe me."

Shang Huoyong settled Su Tinghe into the seat, fastened the seatbelt, and whispered, "We’ll see."

Su Tinghe took Shang Huoyong’s hand and wrote "Please" in his palm. After Su Tinghe finished writing the three characters, Shang Huoyong held Su Tinghe's hand.

When he couldn’t pull his hand back, Su Tinghe moved closer to Shang Huoyong, poked him with his other hand, and then mouthed "Please."

Shang Huoyong didn’t speak but wrote "I'll help you drink" in Su Tinghe's palm.

Su Tinghe was satisfied and leaned against Shang Huoyong in the car, slowly falling asleep. When he woke up, they were already home.

Shang’s parents stayed for dinner at the villa before leaving, repeatedly reminding Shang Huoyong and Aunt Qin to take good care of Su Tinghe.

The one who usually cuddled up to him suddenly slept so properly, which felt a bit strange to Shang Huoyong, but then he thought it was for the best.

For a while after that, Su Tinghe was stuck staying still, either lying down or sitting in a wheelchair, unable to go anywhere. As a result, Su Tinghe only kept his weekday calligraphy class and weekend pinyin class.

When Bai Hua's teacher, Qi Yuanshan, saw Su Tinghe wheeling into the classroom, he was surprised and praised Su Tinghe’s determination, making Su Tinghe blush. After the praise, Qi Yuanshan reached out and asked Bai Hua for the calligraphy practice results from this period.

Su Tinghe's facial muscles twitched a few times, and he pointed to his foot, "I’m injured, and you’re still asking me for homework?"

Qi Yuanshan said, "You injured your foot, not your hand. And since you can't go anywhere now, why not practice more calligraphy at home? There's an exhibition by the Calligraphy Association coming up, and I can submit your work for it."

Su Tinghe: "..."

The classmates, who were of various ages, all laughed and said to Su Tinghe, "He’s pushing you because he believes in you. He doesn’t even care about old folks like me who write poorly."

"With your scribbles, how could you compare to the young ones? I couldn’t care less," Qi Yuanshan retorted, his eyebrows raised, clearly having a good relationship with the speaker, joking openly without fear of offending. Sure enough, the other person laughed even harder after hearing Qi Yuanshan's words.

Su Tinghe felt awkward, but he had to admit that Qi Yuanshan's calligraphy was indeed excellent. The people who had previously studied with Bai Hua were noticeably younger, while those studying with Qi Yuanshan were slightly older, likely successful in their careers and coming here to practice calligraphy for self-cultivation.

Seeing that Su Tinghe's calligraphy was good, the classmates weren't jealous but instead looked at him with a fond, encouraging gaze, urging him to practice well. Some even offered to buy Su Tinghe's calligraphy works.

Su Tinghe didn't agree, thinking everyone was just joking around. He wasn't at the stage where he could sell his calligraphy for money.

On the weekend, Su Tinghe went to his pinyin class as usual. The kids were curious when they saw Su Tinghe in a wheelchair, gathering around him and chattering, each wanting to push his wheelchair.

Ruan Xitian stepped in and stopped them, saying they were too rough and might tip Su Tinghe's wheelchair over.

Su Tinghe pictured it in his mind and had to admit it was pretty likely.

After finishing the pinyin class, Su Tinghe saw Ruan Xiting again at the entrance of Jiusong Academy. Ruan Xiting was very angry when he saw Su Tinghe in a wheelchair: "What’s up with your husband? He let you end up in a wheelchair?"

Su Tinghe quickly explained: "It’s not his fault, it was my own carelessness."

Ruan Xiting squatted down, looking at Su Tinghe's leg: "How did you get injured? Where is the injury?"

Su Tinghe brushed it off: "Just a minor car accident, no bones were broken, just a sprain."

"What!" Ruan Xiting was shocked, "That's at least a second-degree sprain, and you say 'just'? I don’t know if you’re just optimistic or way too chill."

Su Tinghe: "I’m just stuck in a wheelchair for now, can't go anywhere, the doctor doesn’t allow me to move around."

"You must be so bored." Ruan Xiting sighed, "Your husband’s probably swamped with work, he can't play with you, if you’re bored, hit me up to hang out."

"It’s okay." Su Tinghe himself is not the type who likes to go out, chilling at home, watching TV, and scrolling on his phone is plenty fun, and if Shang Huoyong is at home, he can play with him.

Ruan Xiting suddenly thought: "Our university’s having its anniversary celebration next week, do you want to go and see? It’s gonna be a blast, and our band will perform at the school's cultural evening."

Su Tinghe’s eyes lit up immediately, he only knew that the original body was a university graduate, but he had never been to a university, and he was very curious about what universities in this world are like.

Su Tinghe nodded immediately, "I want to go."

Ruan Xiting: "I’ll swing by your place then."

Su Tinghe: "No need, the driver will take me there, you’ll probably be swamped on the day of the celebration."

Ruan Xiting thought about it, "Just shoot me a text when you get to the school gate, and I’ll come to pick you up."

Ruan Xitian looked at her brother, then at Su Tinghe, pointing at herself: "What about me?"

Ruan Xiting rubbed Ruan Xitian's head, smiling as he said something cruel: "Sorry, kiddo, you’ve got class."

Ruan Xitian: "..."

Su Tinghe was amused by the siblings, but when he actually went to the anniversary, he didn't expect to meet someone the original body knew.

Su Tinghe: Oh no, am I gonna get busted? QAQ