Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Jie Jingchen’s expression was incredibly solemn, but he still firmly believed in Qin Mei. ”I believe in you.”

Qin Mei gritted her teeth, the pressure suddenly immense. ”With today’s medical capabilities, swapping out his internal parts is a bit of a stretch. Jie Jingsi, you want a miracle cure for your grandfather, and I’m not that confident. Extending his life, giving him a few more days... that, I can do.”

”That’s good enough.” Jie Jingchen didn’t pressure her any further.

Qin Mei let out a breath of relief. She looked at the side of Jie Jingchen’s face and saw an inconsolable sadness in his eyes. She swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue.

Jie Jingchen led Qin Mei into a room. It was vast and lavishly decorated, every piece of furniture clearly expensive. Mrs. Xie was sitting by the bed, her expression filled with worry. Beside her sat an elegant, wealthy-looking woman. The two looked so much alike that Qin Mei knew, without any introduction, that this must be Jie Jingchen’s maternal grandmother.

Her grandmother’s gaze swept past Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei before locking onto Jie Jingshan. As she watched Jie Jingshan approach, her eyes welled up with relieved tears.

”My precious Jing Shan, come give your grandma a hug.” Her grandmother opened her arms, her face filled with affection as she waited for Jie Jingshan to throw herself into her embrace.

”Grandma.” Jie Jingshan’s nose tingled, and tears welled in her eyes as she threw herself into the older woman’s arms. ”Grandma, what’s wrong with Grandpa?”

Her grandmother hugged Jie Jingshan tightly, seemingly deaf to her question. Her lips trembled as she kept repeating, ”This is wonderful. Just wonderful.”

Qin Mei watched the scene, her heart aching a little. She couldn’t help but glance at Jie Jingchen. ’His grandmother definitely favors granddaughters over grandsons,’ she thought. ’Consider it confirmed.’

’No wonder Jie Jingshan ended up changing her surname to Qiao and inheriting the Qiao Family’s fortune. Judging by their grandmother’s attitude toward them, Jie Jingchen wouldn’t stand a chance of inheriting it. He’d have to take a backseat.’

’Their grandmother doesn’t particularly like her grandson, Jie Jingchen, so I, his future wife, probably won’t be winning any points with the old woman either. There’s a reason Mrs. Xie didn’t wait for Jie Jingjue. If even Jie Jingchen isn’t the favorite, what chance does Jie Jingjue have?’

’If Jie Jingjue had been home and Jie Jingshan wasn’t, Mrs. Xie would have surely sent them to go find her. The person her parents truly wanted to see was Jie Jingshan.’

”Grandma.” Jie Jingshan gave her grandmother a little push, trying to pull away from the hug to check on her grandfather on the bed. But her grandmother held on tightly. The old woman was getting on in years, and Jingshan didn’t dare to push too hard. With her grandfather already collapsed, if she were to knock her grandmother over, they might not blame her, but she would never forgive herself.

Qin Mei looked at Mrs. Xie. ’Was I brought in here to treat their grandfather, or to watch their grandmother fawn all over Jing Qi?’

”Xiao Mei, come here.” Mrs. Xie beckoned to Qin Mei, then stood and moved aside, making a space for Qin Mei to take her grandfather’s pulse.

”Don’t be afraid. Go on,” Jie Jingchen said, patting Qin Mei on the back before giving her a firm push forward.

Qin Mei stumbled forward a step. ’Before we got on the helicopter, Jie Jingchen told me not to be afraid. After we got off, he told me not to be afraid again. And now he’s saying it again.’

’What am I so afraid of? Does he think I’m as timid as a mouse?’

Qin Mei shot Jie Jingchen a glare, then took a deep breath and walked over to Mrs. Xie. Standing by the bed, Qin Mei looked at the old man lying there. His face was pale, but it wasn’t the paleness of sickness. It was a strange, unnatural pallor—the kind that was deliberately created.

’In short: makeup.’

’When a man is on his deathbed and wants to see his daughter and grandchildren, even if he wants to spruce himself up a bit, he’d try to look like he has some color in his cheeks, not be so pale he looks completely bloodless.’

’Something was fishy. Definitely fishy.’

”Xiao Mei, check your grandfather’s pulse,” Mrs. Xie urged.

Qin Mei’s gaze shifted from her grandfather to her grandmother, who was still doting on Jing Qi. The old woman was so overjoyed with her granddaughter that any trace of worry for her husband had vanished from her face.

Qin Mei’s gaze then fell on Mrs. Xie. She looked worried, but beneath the worry was a complex sense of helplessness.

Qin Mei took a breath. ”Mom,” she asked Mrs. Xie, ”have you examined Grandfather?”

Mrs. Xie froze for a second, glancing at her father on the bed, whose eyes were shut tight and breathing seemed faint. ”I have.”

Qin Mei chose her next words carefully, then asked a question that seemed to come out of left field. ”Is it real gold?”

Real gold, as the saying goes, is not afraid of the fire’s test. Qin Mei was referencing the time she had exposed an aunt for faking an illness, a fact known only to Mrs. Xie and Jie Jingchen. Her grandmother and Jing Qi just looked on, completely baffled.

Mrs. Xie shook her head. ”My medical skills are no match for yours.”

Qin Mei said no more. She sat down by the bed and took her grandfather’s pulse. ’Well, I’ll be damned,’ she thought. ’He really is faking it. Faking a terminal illness just to trick his daughter and grandchildren into coming home. It’s despicable... and yet, so terribly sad.’