CHAPTER 364: CHAPTER 363: SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS

The next day, Fang Shaohan woke up with less of the previous day’s frantic resistance and began cooperating with the treatment. However, he still did not speak to Gu Xiaoqing, as if they were strangers.

Apart from necessary interactions, Fang Shaohan avoided speaking to or touching Gu Xiaoqing. More often, he sought the help of nurses to accomplish many tasks.

He directly refused Gu Xiaoqing’s help.

The relationship between the two seemed to have reached a freezing point.

However, many of the bandages on his body and face had been removed. After all, Fang Shaohan had been lying in the hospital bed for more than a month. Even if he had been in a coma, his wounds, regardless of the coma, would have healed somewhat.

Seeing him again, Fang Shaohan no longer appeared as frightening as he did initially to Gu Xiaoqing, but he seemed even more frail and weightless.

Gu Xiaoqing felt heartache watching him but did not say or do anything. Fang Shaohan was not a child. This transitional period required him to undergo his own mental reconstruction, which no one could replace.

To stand up again, Fang Shaohan’s effort and determination were needed. No one else could help, not even Gu Xiaoqing. Besides standing idly by, she had no means to assist him.

In the afternoon, unexpected people appeared in the ward.

He Cui and Fang Jianguo both came to the ward.

The moment He Cui saw Fang Shaohan, she cried silently, holding her son on the bed as if about to faint.

Fang Jianguo was the first to speak with the doctor for a long time, finally calming He Cui’s emotions.

Gu Xiaoqing stood awkwardly beside them, watching it all unfold.

This was not a scene she could step into.

Their mother-son and father-son reunion was something Gu Xiaoqing considered herself an outsider to.

He Cui, coming back to her senses from the initial breakdown, noticed Gu Xiaoqing standing silently in the corner of the room and kindly took Gu Xiaoqing’s hand to talk.

"Xiaoqing, you’ve been taking care of Fang Shaohan this whole time. Auntie truly wants to thank you. I was scared to death when I got the call from the hospital yesterday. Only then did I know Fang Shaohan was in such a big incident. Thank you for your hard work."

He Cui was sincerely grateful to Gu Xiaoqing. When she first saw Gu Xiaoqing here, she was surprised. But a woman willing to care for her son at his most critical time was something He Cui was heartfully grateful for.

This had nothing to do with anyone’s perception or feelings but everything to do with a mother’s heart.

Gu Xiaoqing felt a bit embarrassed, and she demurred, "Auntie, when the police officer came to find me, I was also startled and didn’t think much about it before coming. It’s a relief that Fang Shaohan has woken up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to explain this to you.

Now that you and Uncle are here, it’s good. With your devoted care, I believe he will recover quickly. Besides, I can’t fall behind in my schoolwork, so I’ll return tomorrow."

She was not foolish; Fang Shaohan was indirectly trying to get her to leave. If he wanted her to leave, she would. After all, what needed to be done had been done, and what could be done, she had already done.

The rest was left to fate.

Fang Shaohan’s body noticeably tensed at Gu Xiaoqing’s words, and He Cui’s heart fluttered.

She was aware of her son’s thoughts.

Patting Gu Xiaoqing’s hand, she said, "Xiaoqing, don’t rush. Your uncle and I have just arrived and don’t know the situation yet. You’ve been taking care of Shaohan and are familiar with his condition, so please stay a few more days until we get more acquainted. How about that?"

Gu Xiaoqing nodded. It wasn’t a difficult decision, and it was only right for her to do so.

With He Cui and Fang Jianguo’s arrival, Fang Shaohan was transferred directly to a regular ward of a private high-grade room.

It was convenient for the family to accompany and care for the patient.

He Cui and Fang Jianguo busied themselves arranging the ward, and He Cui hardly left Fang Shaohan’s side, either feeding him water or asking if he was hungry or needed something to eat.

Changing clothes, wiping his body, she even shaved Fang Shaohan’s beard and gave him a simple haircut.

She embodied the image of a loving mother. Although Fang Shaohan felt awkward, he did not reject He Cui’s care, albeit looking a bit bedraggled.

Gu Xiaoqing had essentially a supporting role, helping with fetching water, serving meals, doing some physical work to pass the time.

In the evenings, she could go to the guesthouse and have a good sleep as the night’s care duties were handed over to He Cui and Fang Jianguo, allowing Gu Xiaoqing to relax.

Fang Shaohan still couldn’t move, and most tasks had to be attended to by the parents.

Particularly during restroom needs, Fang Shaohan would become especially irate and frenzied, finding fault with everything, wanting to rip things to shreds. At this time, Fang Shaohan was like a time bomb.

He would explode at whoever approached, detonating into pieces.

He Cui and Fang Jianguo aged and haggard overnight because, in the face of such a Fang Shaohan, apart from heartache, there was profound sorrow. The once proud and indomitable son, the irreplaceable pride of all, had been tormented into this state.

What parent wouldn’t be moved?

The two parents employed infinite patience and love to endure this son who had never been so willful, almost showing no resistance to verbal or physical blows, obeying every whim.

Gu Xiaoqing stood by, merely as an onlooker. Despite internally disagreeing with this approach, what else could she do?

He wasn’t her son, nor her closest family. Even with the clarity of an observer, she remained merely an observer.

Watching this chaos and nonsense unfold.

"Mom, let Gu Xiaoqing leave tomorrow."

In a rare moment of calm, Fang Shaohan spoke to He Cui.

He couldn’t bear facing the woman he loved every day, feeling powerless and impotent and filled with overwhelming shame and a wish for death.

He wanted to sever this connection, this lingering tie. Everything had ended the moment he spoke those decisive words and took on this task. It had to end.

He Cui glanced at Fang Shaohan, recognizing that only after his temper had subsided would he show moments of peace and rationality.

"There’s no hurry. I have yet to familiarize myself with all your habits, and I think Xiaoqing is willing to stay a little longer."

Speaking nonchalantly, He Cui didn’t want to let go. Gu Xiaoqing was currently Fang Shaohan’s lifeline. Even if Fang Shaohan verbally dismissed it and appeared indifferent or annoyed, as a mother, she understood why her son acted this way.

If people are indeed selfish, He Cui admitted that at this moment, her only focus was protecting her son. Anyone could become part of this foundation and sacrifice.

Even though she liked Gu Xiaoqing very much, compared to Fang Shaohan, nothing else mattered.