Chapter 134 Respect the Old and Love the Young

She could only pray constantly not to get burned, secretly asking her family to help suppress this matter. Fortunately, her parents loved her enough. Even knowing she had done something bad, they only blamed it on the wild man outside leading her astray, and were willing to clean up her mess.

Unexpectedly, her boyfriend was dissatisfied that she could retreat unscathed. During their late-night rendezvous, he wanted to force a consummation with Bai Miaomiao to make it a done deal. Bai Miaomiao, panicking and desperate, smashed her boyfriend’s head with Shi Tou. She misstepped and fractured her bone, screaming loudly, which attracted the attention of the family’s nanny, allowing her to escape danger. Both were rushed to the hospital. For the sake of Bai Miaomiao’s reputation, they only claimed the boy was Bai Zhenglin’s friend.

The hospital no longer had any private wards. Bai Miaomiao didn’t want to squeeze into a room with others to sleep, so she went back home. It wasn’t until the next day, by leveraging their connections and pleading persistently, that they found a patient who might be willing to give up their private ward. The hospital refused to disclose too much information about the patient, only mentioning it was a girl from a poor family with some connections. They suggested the Bai Family could try offering her some money to switch wards.

Upon hearing this, the Bai Family immediately rushed to the ward, only to find it empty. They asked the nurses in the inpatient department to keep an eye out and notify them when the patient returned.

“Miao Miao, how about staying at home? The doctor said your condition doesn’t require hospitalization,” Mrs. Bai persuaded.

Bai Miaomiao sat in a wheelchair, her eyes slightly red, clearly having cried. “Mom, I’m scared. My foot keeps hurting. I won’t feel at ease if I don’t stay in the hospital. This is the first time I’ve been hurt this badly.”

She definitely had to be hospitalized. If she wasn’t, the nannies would all know about her careless choice in friends. She had no face to stay at home anyway, so she wanted to change environments to clear her mind.

“Sigh, I’m just worried I won’t be able to take good care of you in the hospital. You’re already sick,” Mrs. Bai said, looking affectionately at her cast-covered foot.

“Just hire two caretakers for me and come visit me more often. The doctor said the cast can be removed in a month, and I’ll go home then.” Bai Miaomiao furrowed her brows slightly. She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling gently, and peeked up at Mrs. Bai. She was the very picture of a spoiled little daughter acting coy.

Mrs. Bai was helpless against her fussing. “They might not even be willing to give it up. I heard the patient in this ward is scheduled for surgery.”

Bai Zhenglin stepped forward and knocked on the door. A childish, milky voice rang out from inside, “Who is it?”

“Hello, little one. I’m here to discuss switching wards with you,” Bai Zhenglin answered.

Faint whispering came from inside. Wu Ying sat on the bed, her expression revealing unconcealable astonishment. She never expected to hear her brother’s voice here. Tuantuan asked in a low voice if they should open the door. Wu Ying shook her head.

Soon, the child’s voice sounded again, “We’re not switching.”

“The price is negotiable. Little one, can you get an adult to come out and talk to us?” Bai Zhenglin’s voice was gentle.

Wu Ying was somewhat panicked. She didn’t dare to bet on whether the Bai family could recognize her voice. If they knew she was the one in the ward, they would definitely demand she give it up for Bai Miaomiao. She wondered what to do and how she should have Tuantuan reply.

Tuantuan ignored Wu Ying’s inner conflict and replied instantly, “Tuantuan is already twenty years old. I am an adult! We’re not switching.”

Bai Zhenglin chuckled. “Alright then, is there another adult in the ward? Can I have a few words with her?”

Tuantuan looked back at Wu Ying. Wu Ying looked at her in a panic, completely at a loss. Tuantuan knew what to do.

“Then you wait! When Tuantuan’s mom gets back, she’ll talk to you. Tuantuan can only open the door if Mom says so.”

Bai Miaomiao suddenly chimed in, “Tuantuan? Is your mom Deng Yuyuan?”

She frowned in thought. She didn’t remember Deng Yuyuan being injured. Furthermore, according to the information she had gathered, Deng Yuyuan and her daughter had come to Shangjing City as a widow and orphan, and didn’t have any relatives needing care.

Tuantuan fell silent.

Mr. Bai and Mrs. Bai also remembered that rude child they had seen at the Wei Family. Mr. Bai scoffed coldly and said, “Indeed a habitual liar. She can even spout such nonsense as being twenty years old.”

“No matter what she said, it’s not as ugly as your whole family blocking the door and making a scene.” Deng Yuyuan hurried over. “What are you doing here?”

Bai Miaomiao tried to smooth things over. “Mr. Deng, I’m really sorry. My foot is injured, and there are no vacant private wards in the hospital. So we wanted to try our luck and see if you could give up a private ward for us. I will compensate you.”

“Oh, then your luck has failed. Please go back. We’re not switching. No amount of money will make us switch.” Deng Yuyuan crossed her arms and looked at them.

Mr. Bai spoke up, “Young people shouldn’t forget their place and cast aside the traditional virtues of respecting the old and caring for the young, just because they are basking in another family’s glory.”

[Player, they are guilt-tripping you.]

“The ‘young’ is resting inside, so keep your voice down and don’t disturb her. Demanding respect without acting like a proper elder won’t work on me. I don’t buy it.” Deng Yuyuan slipped through the gap, leaned against the door, and completely blocked their path.

“Mr. Deng, this outfit looks really nice on you. Is it a gift from the Wei Family? Or from a new partner you found?” Bai Miaomiao asked her with a beaming smile.

Bai Zhenglin’s eyes paused as he scanned Deng Yuyuan’s outfit. Although elegant and simple, the material was clearly high-end goods from a department store at first glance.

“Neither, Student Bai. You can’t just casually apply your own experiences to others. I bought this with my own money.”

Bai Miaomiao’s smile stiffened. “I remember Mr. Deng comes from an educated youth background. Do you have enough money?”

Deng Yuyuan gave them a strange look. “I believe that raising a daughter with abundance isn’t just about material wealth, but also spiritual wealth. At the very least, her horizons should be broadened so she doesn’t lack basic common sense. Our country is vast and abundant, and has a tradition of hermits since ancient times. It’s perfectly normal for me to have money but still go down to the countryside.”

This sentence even managed to insult Mr. Bai and Mrs. Bai.

Listening from inside, Wu Ying also revealed a smile. Now, she wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache for her biological parents anymore, nor would she long for illusory familial love.

Deng Yuyuan appeared calm and breezy on the surface, but she was somewhat anxious inside. The Bai family clearly wanted to linger here until the doctor made the rounds, and she couldn’t possibly refuse to open the door for the doctor. They wanted to confirm the true identity of the patient inside first, so they could judge whether they could use their connections to force Deng Yuyuan and the others to switch wards in the next step.

Wu Ying also quickly realized this. If she hid inside, even if Deng Yuyuan could protect her well, she wouldn’t be able to avoid exposure once the doctor arrived. It would be better to open the door early and strive to resolve the matter before the doctor arrived.

Although Deng Yuyuan was capable, she had just arrived in Beijing and lacked deep foundations. Arranging a private ward for her was likely her limit. The Bai Family should be more powerful than Deng Yuyuan; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been this long without a nurse coming over to check on the situation. It seemed the hospital staff felt both sides were not to be trifled with, so they chose to let them resolve it themselves.