Volume 1, Chapter 40: An Intimate Pat on the Head

After breakfast, Jiang Shuwei held He Tingting’s small hand as they got into the car, with He Jingcheng also getting in. Huang Yujie, seeing the mischievous expression on her son’s face, worried that Jiang Shuwei might be bullied by him. So, she stood outside the car window, giving her son a warning look, silently telling him not to cause trouble.

He Jingcheng pretended not to see his mother’s warning and coolly said to the driver, “Let’s go.”

The car smoothly drove toward the school.

Inside, He Tingting showed Jiang Shuwei the drawings she had made at school and sang two songs.

He Jingcheng watched quietly beside them. Seeing his niece grow and improve day by day brought him a quiet sense of satisfaction.

Upon arrival at the school, He Tingting only wanted Jiang Shuwei to walk her to the school gate, so He Jingcheng remained in the car.

Jiang Shuwei knelt at the school gate to tidy He Tingting’s clothes and gently said, “Go on in and study hard.”

“Mum, Auntie, next week we have a parent-child event. Will you come with me?” He Tingting clasped her small hands together, lowered her head, and asked with hopeful eyes.

Jiang Shuwei was momentarily taken aback; she couldn’t promise so easily. “Okay, I’ll see if I have time.”

“All right, thank you, Auntie,” He Tingting said politely despite her youth, then planted a kiss on Jiang Shuwei’s cheek.

Jiang Shuwei was stunned for a moment, then reached out to touch her cheek, a gentle smile forming at the corner of her lips.

After seeing He Tingting off, Jiang Shuwei decided to hail a cab to leave.

However, He Jingcheng rolled down the car window and said to her, “I’ll take you to the studio.”

“No need, it’s not on your way,” Jiang Shuwei replied coldly.

A shadow of gloom crossed He Jingcheng’s proud brow. He rolled up the window and told the driver, “Let’s go.”

Watching the Bentley drive away, Jiang Shuwei sighed. He and He Jingcheng were finally drifting apart.

Ten years of silent love, admiration, and heartbeats—at this moment, she let it all go completely.

The world’s rules had always been such that life goes on well without anyone in particular.

Jiang Shuwei hailed a cab directly to the studio, where a mountain of work awaited her.

Zhou Haixin had also endured a harrowing night yesterday and was now busily lost in her tasks.

Busy until ten at night, Jiang Shuwei finally returned to her apartment and took a shower. Suddenly, she remembered the box she had brought from her mother’s rooftop last time.

She opened a drawer and found a necklace her mother had left her.

She recalled the necklace had a pendant resembling a key and wondered if it might unlock the box.

She inserted it into the lock and gently pressed. Inside the box, the faint sound of mechanical movement could be heard. After a moment, with a click, the lid sprang open.

Startled, Jiang Shuwei looked closely and was struck with surprise.

Inside was a book on the Golden Acupoints, with “Volume One” inscribed on the lower right corner.

She flipped through it and found it was a book about acupuncture points.

It seemed that Qin Weizhou had filmed the second volume last time, while this was the first.

Reaching to the bottom of the box, Jiang Shuwei pulled out a photo—a group portrait featuring her young, beautiful mother and a man whose face had been cut off.

Her heart instantly ached painfully. Her mother must have loved that man deeply to keep the photo, yet the man had surely shattered her mother’s heart so badly that she couldn’t bear to see his face.

“Mom, is he my father?” Jiang Shuwei’s eyes reddened. In her memory, her mother was a strong, capable woman with a kind heart.

It was truly unimaginable what that man had done to wound her so deeply.

Jiang Shuwei noticed a few more medical books in the box and a leather pouch beside them.

Blinking back tears, she opened the pouch to find a row of fine silver needles—her mother’s acupuncture needles.

Surprised, Jiang Shuwei wondered if her mother had been an expert in acupuncture. Otherwise, why would she keep so many books on the subject?

She opened the Golden Acupoints book again, and a faint herbal fragrance wafted from the pages, refreshing and invigorating the mind.

“Mom, did you leave this box for me because you hoped I would inherit your medical skills?” Jiang Shuwei searched for a letter from her mother but found only these books—not a single word written.

Her heart tightened painfully, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

She understood why her mother hadn’t left a message: she had died unjustly, murdered suddenly with no chance to say goodbye.

“Mom, what really happened? The killer is dead, the case is closed, but how can I help you?” Jiang Shuwei had later gone to the local police station to investigate, but the case was closed. Officials said the culprit confessed to a home invasion robbery.

Jiang Shuwei sensed there was more beneath the surface.

Though her mother had expanded her practice, she hadn’t made much money. Sometimes, she even treated patients for free and spent her own money on medicines.

Wiping away tears, Jiang Shuwei resolved firmly to carry on her mother’s legacy—to pass down her acupuncture skills.

From now on, besides earning money from work, she would diligently study these medical books.

Once she achieved financial freedom, she too would retreat to some secluded place to live quietly, like her mother. But unlike her mother, she would not trust others so easily. Though kind and charitable, she would always place her own safety first.

Jiang Shuwei packed up the box and, relying on her extraordinary memory, committed every page of the Golden Acupoints to mind.

She decided to take notes and find opportunities to practice.

More than a week later, Jiang Shuwei visited her new office to check on the renovation progress. The thousand-plus square meters were halfway done, and thanks to the responsible building management, no project delays had occurred.

Leaving the building just as night fell, Jiang Shuwei received a call from her senior fellow student Yan Hong.

“Shuwei, the teacher invited us to his home for dinner tonight. Come along, okay? Need me to pick you up?” Yan Hong asked gently.

“I’ll come by myself,” Jiang Shuwei smiled. “The teacher likes wine, so I’ll bring a good bottle. Is that okay?”

Yan Hong chuckled, “See? You don’t get out much—you didn’t even know the teacher quit drinking.”

“Ah, he quit?” Jiang Shuwei was embarrassed.

“Yes, for health reasons; his wife made him stop. Just bring some fruit,” Yan Hong said kindly.

“All right,” Jiang Shuwei nodded.

She bought plenty of fruit and hailed a cab straight to the teacher’s house.

Her teacher, Luo Yufu, had joined the national research team four years ago. He was a revered elder in their field, with many students under him, though only a handful had actually conducted research alongside him.

When Jiang Shuwei arrived, Yan Hong was waiting downstairs.

“Where’s your car?” Yan Hong asked, seeing her arrive by taxi.

Jiang Shuwei smiled, “It’s being repaired after an accident.”

Yan Hong affectionately stroked her hair. “I told you I’d come pick you up, but you wouldn’t let me. Always causing trouble.”

As they teased each other, a black Porsche pulled up nearby.

The passengers who got out were none other than Su Mian and He Jingcheng.

They caught sight of Jiang Shuwei’s radiant smile as Yan Hong gently touched her head.

He Jingcheng’s expression darkened. He slammed the car door shut with force and strode over, grabbing Jiang Shuwei away from Yan Hong’s side.