Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”It’s not safe with you?” Qin Xiang said almost without thinking. ”Little Sis, you live with the Qiao Family. With your status as the Eldest Young Madam, who in Xiangjiang would dare touch you? Given my current situation, it’s not safe with *me*.”

Ultimately, faced with Qin Mei’s persistence, Qin Xiang relented and dutifully put the passbook away.

Mrs. Gao came out of the hospital room and froze when she saw Jie Jingchen standing guard at the door. Her pupils contracted, and she stammered, ”Y-Young Master Qiao...”

Jie Jingchen let out a cold, disdainful laugh, making no effort to hide his loathing for the Gao Family.

Mrs. Gao wanted to say something but didn’t know what. The Qiao family was furious, and apologizing on her son’s behalf right now would only make them detest the Gao family even more. They would wait until her son was better, then bring him to the Qiao residence to offer a sincere apology.

She didn’t dare ask why Jie Jingchen was standing outside the door to the adjacent room and quietly walked away.

Mrs. Gao went to the dean’s office. As she was about to knock, she noticed the door wasn’t fully closed. Mrs. Gao didn’t have a habit of eavesdropping, but when she heard the dean mention Xu Jiali, she froze for a moment. She quietly pushed the door open a little further and saw the dean on the phone.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Gao returned to her son’s hospital room, looking utterly devastated.

”Where did you go?” Grandma Gao demanded of her daughter-in-law in a cold voice.

Mrs. Gao remained silent.

Grandma Gao became furious. She berated her, ”The moment I woke up, I rushed to Qiang’er’s room to see him, but neither you nor my son were here! Qiang’er is so grievously injured, yet you dare to not stay by his side. You’re unfit to be parents.”

But Mrs. Gao didn’t seem to hear Grandma Gao’s accusations at all; Dean Zhang’s words were still ringing in her ears.

”Mom, are you all right?” Gao Qiang asked with concern.

Grandma Gao also sensed that something was off with her daughter-in-law. ”What happened?”

Mrs. Gao took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and looked at Gao Qiang. With a grave and serious expression, she asked, ”Xiao Qiang, Jiali is sick. Did you know?”

Gao Qiang froze for a second, then nodded guiltily. ”I knew.”

’Jiali’s stomach condition had flared up, and he bore an undeniable responsibility. He knew she had a weak stomach, yet he’d watched her down drink after drink without stopping her. The thought of Jiali coughing up blood filled him with guilt.’

’He regretted it. He shouldn’t have used Jiali as a stepping stone just to climb up the social ladder.’

’Marrying Qiao Wei was now a distant dream, and as for getting back together with Jiali... even if Jiali would have him, he’d never be able to get past Jie Jingchen.’

”You knew?” Mrs. Gao stared at Gao Qiang in disbelief, her expression cracking. Her voice trembled with agitation. ”You knew she had a terminal illness and you still wanted to marry her? Xiao Qiang, what on earth were you thinking?”

”Terminal illness? What terminal illness?” Grandma Gao’s brows furrowed tightly.

”Xu Jiali has a terminal illness,” Mrs. Gao said.

Gao Qiang looked completely baffled. ”Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? Jiali just has a stomach problem.”

”A stomach problem? Hmph!” Mrs. Gao snorted. ”She actually lied to you, telling you it was just a stomach problem.”

Grandma Gao, however, said dismissively, ”It’s just a stomach problem. It won’t affect her fertility.”

Mrs. Gao took a deep breath, her voice laced with a hint of hatred. ”It’s not a stomach problem. It’s stomach cancer.”

”What?” Grandma Gao was stunned. Her thoughts mirrored Mrs. Gao’s; she felt they had all been deceived by Xu Jiali. ”She has a terminal illness and still demanded a sky-high bride price from our Gao family! Businessmen are all crooks! The Qiao Family is truly despicable, and Jie Jingchen is even more shameless. They’re cruelly trying to squeeze out every last drop of value from Xu Jiali.”

’Impossible,’ Gao Qiang thought in disbelief. ’Mom must be lying to me. It was clearly just a stomach problem, how could it possibly be stomach cancer?’

Grandma Gao added, ”It’s a good thing you couldn’t come up with that much for the bride price back then. Otherwise, our Gao Family would have been taken for absolute fools, marrying a terminally ill daughter-in-law. I wouldn’t have the face to see your grandfather after I die.”

”Mom, who did you hear this from?” Gao Qiang took a breath, forcing himself to calm down.

”Dean Zhang,” Mrs. Gao replied.

”Dean Zhang...” Gao Qiang was still unwilling to believe it. ”Mom, given Dean Zhang’s relationship with the Qiao Family, if he told you Jiali has a terminal illness, Young Master Qiao must have put him up to it.”

”I overheard it.” Mrs. Gao’s words cut off any hope Gao Qiang had.

”The Qiao Family has gone too far!” Grandma Gao could bear it no longer. She stood up and walked out of the hospital room, intending to go settle the score with the Qiao family.

”Mom, quickly, go stop Granny.” Gao Qiang grew anxious. ’Putting aside whether Jiali’s illness is real or not, it’s completely irrational for Granny to go looking for the Qiao family right now.’

”Xiao Qiang, the Qiao Family’s actions have truly gone too far.” Mrs. Gao had no intention of stopping her. She had her own selfish reasons. If her mother-in-law won, she would have vented their anger, which would be immensely satisfying. If she failed and something happened to her, the blame would just fall on the Qiao Family, and she could finally become the family’s matriarch.

’As for the consequences of offending the Qiao Family, that wasn’t a problem for a simple woman like her to consider.’