Chapter 46 Snatching Someone

Chapter 46 Rushing to Help

After hearing what Da Ya had said, Ms. Liu had initially intended to go pick up Big Chen to take him to the hospital. But her husband reminded her that Big Chen's mother was still there, and the two women had nearly come to blows earlier. After thinking it over, she finally decided to seek out Xie Xinyi.

Big Chen had no relatives or friends here—he was only familiar with a few people from the workshop.

Having worked with him for so many years, Ms. Liu had long regarded this honest, simple-minded man as her own younger brother.

She had a soft heart by nature, and since the child (Big Chen) had asked her for help, she felt compelled to step in.

But stepping in had to be done wisely.

Ms. Liu was impulsive, but her husband was not.

Having worked in the food department for so long, her husband had become a savvy veteran—not only did he maintain good relationships with colleagues, but he also got along with officials like old buddies.

Ms. Liu wanted to intervene in the Chen family's affairs, and Brother Wei didn't object. However, considering the previous tensions between the two families, he held back the impulsive Ms. Liu.

After discussing it at home, they figured Xie Xinyi was a new face, full of ideas, and since they were all in the same team, it shouldn't be a problem to ask for her help. So they went to her first.

Ms. Liu briefly explained the reason for coming to Xie Xinyi and was about to ask if she wanted to call Xiao Jiang to come along when she noticed a tall figure approaching through the night.

Having witnessed Gu Yu's cold demeanor at the state-run restaurant last time, Ms. Liu was much more prepared this time.

As the man approached under the cover of darkness, holding a woman's coat, he nodded slightly at her but paid no further attention to her or her husband. Instead, he deftly draped the coat over Xie Xinyi's shoulders.

Ms. Liu had already seen how differently this stern-faced man treated outsiders compared to his own wife, so she wasn't too surprised. But her husband, Lao Wei, had never met Gu Yu before. Seeing the man's cold expression and recognizing him as military personnel, his first impression was that Gu Yu would be difficult to deal with. He never expected that the same man who had been so aloof toward them would completely change his demeanor the moment he laid eyes on his wife.

It couldn't be called fawning, but it was undoubtedly tender.

This was the first time Wei Ge had seen a man so attentive to his own wife, especially someone who appeared cold and detached by nature. He was astonished and momentarily lost in thought.

Xie Xinyi didn’t notice Wei Ge’s expression. After Gu Yu draped the coat over her, she casually smoothed it out and said to him, "I’m going to the hospital with Ms. Liu and the others."

She didn’t mention going to Big Chen’s house but directly said the hospital. Ms. Liu guessed that Xie Xinyi already had a plan in mind. She took the girl’s arm and was about to leave when Gu Yu, who had been silent until then, chimed in at just the right moment, "I’ll go with you."

As he spoke, he took the girl’s hand and started walking ahead, not giving Ms. Liu and the others any time to react.

Under the moonlight, the group headed in the direction of Big Chen’s house. Xie Xinyi looked at the hand that had been holding hers without letting go, wondering when exactly Gu Yu had arrived. After all, she had clearly said they were going to the hospital, yet he was leading the way to Big Chen’s house.

He must have grabbed the coat and rushed out right after she left.

That was just like him—clearly concerned but never saying it, as if he had no mouth. Unlike other men who sweet-talked without taking real action, Gu Yu didn’t have a way with words, but he had one good quality: he often understood what Xie Xinyi wanted or needed without her having to say much.

Just like now, Gu Yu politely knocked on the door of Big Chen’s house and, together with Wei Ge, calmly and reasonably explained the situation to the Chen family. Then, they quickly helped Big Chen onto a stretcher cart.

"—Hey, who are you people? Where are you taking my Big Chen? He’s still unconscious—Is no one going to do anything about this?"

Wei Ge and Gu Yu pushed the stretcher cart while Ms. Liu gently supported Big Chen to keep him from falling off. Xie Xinyi followed alongside them, with Chen’s mother shouting at the top of her lungs behind them, her voice piercingly sharp in the quiet night.

So she knew her son was still unconscious. The family clearly had a stretcher cart and a strong man like Second Chen at home, yet when they barged in, the Chen family was sitting around calmly eating dinner, paying no attention to Big Chen lying unconscious in bed.

They were all family, sharing the same roots—how could people be so heartless?

If it hadn’t been for Da Ya, a barely-grown child who bravely went all alone with a flashlight to find Ms. Liu, Big Chen might not have made it.

"Scalp hematoma and a ruptured spleen. Good thing you brought him in time. If it had been delayed until tomorrow, whether he would have survived would have been uncertain."

The doctor who performed the rescue was still shaken up, unable to understand how anyone could be so ignorant.

The man fell down the stairs—even if you didn’t bring him to the hospital right away, you should’ve at least kept a close watch on his condition at home.

The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We’ve stabilized him for now, but the next two nights are critical. It’s best if someone stays with him."

Xie Xinyi agreed, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Good thing Gu Yu came with us. With the way the Chen family acts, there’s no way they would’ve let Old Wei take him away."

Ms. Liu patted her chest, still rattled from the confrontation at the Chen house.

Wei jumped in, "When I went in, Second Chen was acting fierce, but the moment Gu Yu stepped forward, he didn’t dare utter a word."

The couple heaped praise on Gu Yu enthusiastically before turning their criticism back to the Chen family.

"...What a messed-up family. Their eldest son is in such a state, yet they were busy stuffing their faces without a care. What kind of people are they?"

"Just selfish, plain and simple."

Xiao Jiang, who had came running after hearing what happened, glanced at Big Chen lying in bed and snorted contemptuously. "Now I understand why Eldest Brother Chen worked himself to the bone—turns out he had a bunch of leeches sucking him dry."

He was the only one working, being both mom and dad to three children, yet instead of helping, his family were trying to milk him for everything he had.

Xiao Jiang spoke bluntly, but she had a point.

A family like that not only drove away their daughter-in-law but couldn’t even be bothered to care about their own son’s life.

It wasn’t just Xiao Jiang who was furious; even Xie Xinyi, who rarely meddled in others’ affairs, couldn’t help but feel sorry.

In her previous life, she’d heard plenty of stories about "sisters who are doormats for their brothers" who supported their siblings unconditionally, but she never expected to travel back in time only to witness a family that couldn’t even treat their own two sons fairly.

"Emperors favor the eldest son, common folks dote on the youngest."

This saying fits the Chen family to a T, and it made Xie Xinyi hesitate for the first time about second-guessing having more than one kid.

After deciding who would stay to look after Big Chen, on the way back, she couldn’t help but ask the man beside her, "Does having more children really mean parents’ love gets divided?"

As an only child in her previous life, she never experienced having to wait for her younger brother to eat first or for her older sister to wear new clothes first.

She didn’t understand the dynamics of larger families, nor had she ever felt it firsthand, so she genuinely wondered if every family with multiple children faced this issue.

After all, a parent’s love only stretches so far—the more people there are to share it, the less each person gets.

"It depends on how the parents balance it."

The man’s deep voice carried through the night, emotionless, merely stating his view. "Like me, Gu Ying, and... him."

This was the first time Gu Yu had mentioned his half-brother in front of her. There was no trace of emotion in his words, as if he were talking about a stranger. Gu Kai was his example in answering Xie Xinyi’s question—a contrast to Gu Ying, just to prove his point.

Parental balance.

If, like Aunt Wen, there was no favoritism or bias, siblings could be the closest people in the world. But if, like Father Gu, one was favored and the other suppressed, even half-brothers like Gu Yu and Gu Kai could become enemies.

This was something he’d learned from experience, and Xie Xinyi was all ears. If Gu Yu’s perspective held, then what about Big Chen and his brother’s relationship...

She still had some doubts and was about to turn and ask him when he spoke first.

"Actually, just having one is okay too."

At first, Xie Xinyi didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his words, until the man abruptly added, "If we had two, I wouldn’t favor either one." Then it finally clicked.

This guy really knew how to make everything about himself. They were discussing the dynamics of multi-child families, and he went ahead and declared his stance right then and there.

Who asked him how many kids he wanted to have? He really knew when to speak up and when to keep quiet—except he always had it backwards.

And claiming he wouldn’t show favoritism?

They’d been married this long and were still stuck at the "just kissing buddies" stage without moving an inch further—and he was talking about having two?

Xie Xinyi couldn’t help but roll her eyes. If she hadn’t seen his reactions before, she might’ve even thought he was deliberately creating a smokescreen.

She didn’t respond to Gu Yu’s comment and just kept walking homeward.

But not answering led to being cornered for a personal demonstration.

When the man’s hand settled on her waist, Xie Xinyi knew she was in for it tonight.

But she didn’t try to escape—she knew it would be useless.

Gu Yu was a man of few words but a man of action. He’d missed out the previous two times, and tonight, with the stars aligning perfectly, there was no way he’d let her go easily.

In the darkness, her senses sharpened. Xie Xinyi could feel the man’s rapid heartbeat, his increasingly rough breathing, the tense muscles under her hands, and that hard, obvious bulge…

She closed her eyes, her palm sweating under his roaming touch. In a daze, she felt him pause.

There was a rustling noise. Curious, she opened her eyes and saw him struggling with a packet in the faint moonlight.

Just as Xie Xinyi was about to ask what it was, he quickly succeeded in opening it. Then, like a storm sweeping in, Xie Xinyi felt herself gradually swept away, like a small boat surrendering to his rhythm.

—

By the time she woke up the next morning, Gu Yu had already left for the military base.

Xie Xinyi lounged in bed, her entire body feeling as if it had been run over by a truck. She didn’t want to move an inch.

The pain others often described wasn’t too intense for her. Though his approach was fierce, he was keenly attuned to her reactions—gentle when needed, slow when necessary, wielding self-control with ease. So, she didn’t feel much pain, but all the moving around had left her sore all over. She could barely get up.

Lying in bed, she counted the red marks on her skin, faintly visible against her fair complexion. Luckily, the height of summer had passed. If Gu Yu had done this while she was wearing short sleeves, their notorious reputation would’ve spread far and wide.

Dragging her aching body, Xie Xinyi sat up in bed for a while until she finally felt a bit better.

Her work shift wasn’t busy today, but after work, she still needed to go to the hospital. After a quick cleanup, she headed to the workshop. Ms. Liu had already visited the hospital that morning and updated them on Big Chen’s condition. Hearing that he was relatively stable, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.

After work in the afternoon, Ms. Liu went home to bring food for Eldest Brother Wei, while Xie Xinyi and Xiao Jiang went to the hospital together.

Thinking Big Chen would be hospitalized for a while, they brought some healthy foods and fruit.

The group had already decided the previous night that Eldest Brother Wei would take the night shifts. Xie Xinyi and Xiao Jiang didn’t put up a fuss with Ms. Liu and her husband—both were women, one recently married, the other recently divorced. Not only would it be inconvenient for them to provide care, but it could also lead to gossip.

Fortunately, Eldest Brother Wei’s unit wasn’t too busy during this period, so taking a few days off wasn’t a big deal.

But Xie Xinyi felt this couldn’t go on forever. Big Chen’s illness meant an uncertain hospital stay, and Eldest Brother Wei wasn’t always available.

Ms. Liu also had her own family to care for. They weren’t related to Big Chen, and helping to this extent was already going above and beyond. They couldn’t keep burdening Ms. Liu just because Big Chen’s family refused to step up.

A solution was needed for Big Chen’s situation. The next day at the hospital, she shared her thoughts with Ms. Liu and the others.

"...It’s been days, and they haven’t shown up. Expecting them to come and care for him probably isn’t going to work."

Eldest Brother Wei knew Xie Xinyi meant well, but the Chen family’s attitude was clear. They hadn’t cared when Big Chen was unconscious at home—why would they show up now that he was in the hospital, under the care of doctors and nurses?

Ms. Liu wasn’t hopeful. "If they wanted to come, they would’ve been here by now. They haven’t shown up all these days because they’re counting on us not abandoning Big Chen."

Xie Xinyi understood the Chen family’s mentality.

They had come to mooch off Big Chen, never expecting him to get injured.

And now that he was injured and hospitalized—in this era, hospitals weren’t places ordinary folks could afford. Once you entered, money flowed out like water. The Chen family knew this and naturally had no intention of rushing to the hospital now.

They had no money—not only that, but they relied on Big Chen for everything, even daily necessities.

But now that Big Chen was hospitalized, working wasn’t possible. Yet, he still had money.

"Tomorrow is payday. We’ll collect his pay for him."

Since Big Chen was injured while inspecting machinery, Cui Mama had gone to the factory director’s office the next day to apply for work injury benefits.

The hospital expenses were fully covered by the factory, and Big Chen would receive his salary as usual during his hospitalization.

As a state-owned unit, Guohui Food Factory had always had generous benefits. The Chen family, coming from the countryside, weren’t aware of these perks.

They thought hospitalization required out-of-pocket payments and didn’t know about paid sick leave.

Xie Xinyi suggested Ms. Liu collect Big Chen’s salary in advance to force the Chen family, who relied on him for support, to come to the hospital out of necessity.

"Will this work?"

After hearing Xie Xinyi’s explanation, Ms. Liu still seemed uncertain. But Eldest Brother Wei thought it was worth a try. "We have no other options anyway. Let’s test it out. Things are already at their worst—how much worse can it get?"

They agreed, and the next day, on payday, Ms. Liu collected Big Chen’s salary for him.

Three days later, Big Chen woke up.

Ms. Liu briefly filled him in on what had happened while he was unconscious but didn’t mention breaking into his home to rescue him.

Big Chen didn’t ask—perhaps he had already guessed or grown accustomed to such things. He thanked Ms. Liu and the others. When Ms. Liu handed him his salary and explained why they had done it, he fell silent.

Five days later, Big Chen began eating.

Ms. Liu brought millet porridge from home and steamed a soft egg.

No one brought up the fact that the Chen family still hadn’t shown up. As they were leaving, Ms. Liu sighed, "Big Chen has had a hard life, surrounded by heartless people—"

"Where’s my Big Chen? What have you done with him?"

Before Ms. Liu could finish her complaint, Mother Chen’s scolding voice interrupted from not far away.

Dressed in rough-spun clothes with her sleeves rolled up, Mother Chen hurried toward the hospital room, demanding answers.

When Xie Xinyi and Ms. Liu didn’t respond, she stepped closer and angrily repeated, "I’m talking to you! Where’s my Big Chen?"

Behind her followed Second Chen and his family, even the youngest child in tow.

Sure enough, this family only thought of their meal ticket, Big Chen, when they were completely out of resources.

"It’s been days, and only now do you remember your injured son?"

Ms. Liu was furious and immediately lashed out at Chen Mama, who showed no concern for her son's condition and instead demanded to know his whereabouts. "What’s the matter? Run out of food and drink? Bringing the whole family to the hospital to scrounge for free meals?"

The Chen family was left speechless by her outburst. Just as they were about to retort, Ms. Liu continued her tirade.

"Sorry, but you’ve come to the wrong place. Your son can only have porridge right now. Don’t expect any rich or spicy foods here—he’s got none."

Ms. Liu shot them a scornful glare, her sharp words leaving them no room to save face.

Chen Mama was dumbstruck, taking a long moment to process the barrage of accusations.

"I’m here to see my son. What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Yeah, who do you think you are?"

Second Chen, who had been silent until now, quickly stepped forward and loudly confronted Ms. Liu as Chen Mama lost her temper.

Unlike the timid ostrich hiding its head they had seen at Big Chen’s home, Second Chen was unusually worked up today.

Perhaps driven by hunger or aware of their purpose for coming, he first joined Chen Mama in harshly questioning Ms. Liu, then pushed past Xiao Jiang blocking the doorway and squeezed into the hospital room.

"Brother, we’re here to see you. Are you feeling better?"

Before even reaching the bedside, he began showering Big Chen with concerned questions. Close behind, Chen Mama finally made it past Xiao Jiang guarding the door and approached the bed, soon bursting into tears.

The emotions seemed well-rehearsed, the act convincing—had Xie Xinyi and the others not witnessed the family’s true nature firsthand, they might have believed the Chens were genuinely there for Big Chen.

Faced with their insincerity, Big Chen, lying in bed, remained impassive. He even turned his face away to avoid Chen Mama’s outstretched hand attempting to touch him.

"Why are you here?"

After days unconscious and only beginning to eat again, Big Chen was clearly still weak. His voice lacked its usual vigor, making the question sound less forceful.

Chen Mama wiped her tears and scolded him, "What nonsense! Why else would we be here? To take care of you, of course."

"Right, Brother. The other day, these people took you away without a word. Mom and I searched for ages to find this place. We’ve been worried sick."

Second Chen, standing by the head of the bed, handed an apple from the bedside table to his wife and child before hastily explaining why they hadn’t come sooner.

He pinned all the blame on Xie Xinyi and the others, absolving himself completely, and even had the audacity to claim they had searched for days to find the hospital.

When Cui Mama brought Big Chen home, she had already told them about his fall down the stairs.

They knew Big Chen needed careful observation, yet not only did they ignore this, but they also waited days after Xie Xinyi took him away before coming to the hospital.

Their claim of "searching for ages" was laughable—anyone with half a brain would know someone that seriously injured would be sent to a hospital.

Their failure to come immediately wasn’t just neglect; it was mostly because they still had enough supplies at home to last a while.

Now that the food had run out, they suddenly "found" Big Chen at the hospital. Ms. Liu and Xiao Jiang sneered coldly by the door. Chen Mama shot them a glare before turning back to fawn over Big Chen.

"With you gone these past few days, we haven’t been eating or sleeping well. Your brother has even lost weight."

(Implied meaning: The food kept running out. If you didn’t come back soon, Second Chen would have starved.)

"...Quick, let Mom see how badly you’re hurt. Why are you even in the hospital?"

(Implied meaning: Making a fuss over nothing and rushing to the hospital. Let me see just how serious this "injury" really is.)

"Did the doctor say how long you’ll need to stay? If it’s not too serious, we could just recuperate at home."

This time, Xie Xinyi didn’t wait for Xiao Jiang to translate. She stepped forward and responded to Auntie Chen: "The doctor was just here. Auntie Chen, since you weren’t around, you might not know the situation. Eldest Brother Chen’s injury may not look serious on the surface, but the damage is internal—especially to his head and organs. These areas are delicate. He not only needs to recover in the hospital, but even the doctors can’t say how long it will take."

The girl spoke softly and was strikingly beautiful. When she had come to their home days earlier to take Big Chen away, she had addressed them with the same calm, unhurried tone, making them think she was easy to bully. But then, right after she finished speaking, two strong men rushed in, swiftly carried away the man lying in bed, and left without a word—only leaving behind a gentle smile.

Chen Mama remembered that smile all too well. Now, seeing the girl speak with the same composure, she didn’t want to hear another word and exploded on the spot. "Who are you? Why are you everywhere? I’m talking to my son. Why are you interrupting?"

She glanced dismissively at Xie Xinyi, expecting Second Chen to back her up as he had earlier. But after waiting with no response, she turned to find Second Chen standing there like an idiot, apple in his mouth, staring dumbfounded at the girl as if he hadn’t seen a woman in eight lifetimes. Drool dripped from the apple onto his clothes with a soft "plop."

Chen Mama: "..."