At that, Secretary Huang fell silent. Several seconds passed before she nodded, her expression grave. "I went."
She had hesitated a little at first. After all, what Ye Mo had said was simply too horrifying to contemplate. But then she thought of the money tree and made a trip to Fourth Hospital after all.
Even now, recalling what had happened that day, Secretary Huang still found it surreal.
Following Ye Mo's instructions, she went to the eighth floor of Fourth Hospital's inpatient building and asked a nurse whether someone named Hong Tao was staying in room 809.
Then she received an affirmative answer.
No one knew how great a shock Secretary Huang had suffered at that moment. She stood rooted to the spot, her thoughts churning, and only came back to her senses after a long while.
"I was afraid I'd misunderstood, so I stayed at the hospital for a while..."
Although the possibility of a coincidence was almost nonexistent, Secretary Huang still decided to verify it repeatedly to be safe, so she stayed at the hospital until "Hong Tao's" parents appeared.
And that couple were none other than the parents of the "Hong Tao" she had gone on a blind date with.
At that moment, the last shred of hope in Secretary Huang's heart vanished.
Standing outside room 809, she watched the couple fuss over the person in the hospital bed and heard Hong Tao's mother wipe away her tears and say, "Son, just wait a little longer. You'll have a wife soon. Then even if you die, you won't be lonely underground. You'll have someone keeping faith with you..."
Who she meant by that "wife" went without saying.
Hearing that, Secretary Huang had trembled all over with rage. Her reaction had been conspicuous enough that a passing nurse noticed and, thinking she was feeling unwell, asked her out of concern.
That question also alerted the Hong Family to Secretary Huang's presence. This really stirred up a hornet's nest.
"...His family clung to me and almost refused to let me leave. It was only thanks to the hospital nurses that I managed to get away!" Secretary Huang said through gritted teeth.
Ye Mo pressed, "What happened after that?"
"After that..." Secretary Huang pursed her lips. "Naturally, things between Hong Tao and me were over. The Hong Family even came to my home looking for me. They probably realized I already knew the truth, so they smashed the already cracked pot and outright demanded that I marry their son!"
Previously, the Hong Family had at least put on an act, getting Hong Tao's older male cousin to deceive Secretary Huang. Now that they realized they could no longer fool her, they simply chose to abandon all shame. They actually had the nerve to demand that Secretary Huang marry their gravely ill son, even declaring with righteous conviction:
"You've already had your birth charts matched with our son's and gone on a blind date, so you have to marry him!"
That family would throw a tantrum even without a leg to stand on. The people listening nearby all thought they were bizarre, but they did not care in the slightest. They simply dug in their heels: since Secretary Huang had already had her birth chart matched with their son's, she had to marry her son.
Secretary Huang's mother had nearly fainted from anger. Even now, that family refused to leave Secretary Huang alone, going to the Huang Family's home every day to make trouble and making their lives utterly miserable.
Secretary Huang gave a bitter smile as she spoke of it. She pointed at the dark circles around her eyes. "Because that family comes over to make trouble every day, I can't even sleep properly now..."
Looking at her bitter expression, Ye Mo asked, "When his family comes to your home to make trouble, what does your family do?"
Secretary Huang paused. "Call the police, of course."
Ye Mo sounded helpless. "And after you called the police, was the problem solved?"
Secretary Huang said nothing.
Ye Mo shook her head. "Your family has been far too civilized in dealing with this. No wonder that family won't stop pestering you."
Secretary Huang was no fool. She instantly understood what Ye Mo meant and pursed her lips. "You mean...?"
Ye Mo said as though it were only natural, "Since his family comes to your home to make trouble, your family can go to theirs and make trouble too. Go to their relatives' homes, their workplaces... If you're willing, there's always a way to let their friends and relatives know what they've done!"
She smiled. "Since they're determined to make your life miserable, you might as well make everyone's life miserable. Then you can see who outlasts whom!"
Secretary Huang began to consider it seriously.
As Ye Lin's secretary, Secretary Huang was naturally capable. But she was an educated person, and her first reaction when something happened was to call the police and seek their help. She had forgotten, however, that when it came to scoundrels like the Hong Family, what the police could do was very limited.
"Besides, isn't their son about to die?" Ye Mo's tone was light. "Just see who can outlast whom."
"What do you mean, who can outlast whom?"
Ruan Xianyue walked over just in time to hear Ye Mo's last remark and asked casually.
Secretary Huang instinctively said, "Nothing..."
"It sounds like Secretary Huang ran into some trouble," Ye Baozhu interjected. Seeing Ye Mo look over, she hastily added, "I wasn't deliberately eavesdropping. I just happened to hear!"
She looked apologetically at Secretary Huang. "I'm sorry, Secretary Huang. I really didn't mean to. Please forgive me."
Secretary Huang gave a polite smile, but Ye Mo smiled and said, "Putting it that way leaves Secretary Huang not knowing what to say. If you really feel sorry, just give her a proper apology."
Ye Baozhu faltered and instinctively looked toward Ruan Xianyue, who reflexively spoke up for her. "Baozhu didn't mean any harm..."
"Mom," Ye Mo called with a smile, "only the person concerned has the right to judge whether what she said was offensive."
Ruan Xianyue said nothing.
Ruan Xianyue fell silent.
Ye Mo looked at Ye Baozhu. "Sister Baozhu, do you understand what I mean?"
Ye Baozhu said nothing.
Although Ye Mo had called her "Sister Baozhu," Ye Baozhu somehow had the impression that she was saying, "Sister Baozhu, come kneel here. I have something to say to you."
She looked to Ruan Xianyue for help, but Ruan Xianyue could only give her a look of helplessness.
It was strange. Ye Mo had always treated Ruan Xianyue very well, yet Ruan Xianyue was a little afraid of her. In front of her, she was like a cat held by the scruff of its neck.
Of course, Ruan Xianyue was not angry. After all, she was already familiar with the feeling-before Ye Mo, the person who made her feel this way had been Ye Lin.
So now that Ye Mo had spoken, Ruan Xianyue stayed silent.
And without her speaking up on her behalf, Ye Baozhu began to panic a little.
Even Ruan Xianyue was afraid of Ye Mo. She was afraid too.
"It's all right, Miss Momo," Secretary Huang said then. "I believe Miss Baozhu didn't mean it..."
She looked toward Ye Baozhu, who hurriedly nodded. "Yes, I really didn't mean it. I truly only overheard your conversation by accident! If you felt offended, Secretary Huang, I apologize."
As she spoke, she kept stealing glances at Ye Mo, as though nervously watching for her reaction.
Watching this scene, Secretary Huang felt something odd: Why do Madam Ye and Miss Baozhu both act like mice facing a cat when they're with Miss Momo?
To describe it in a single sentence, it was as though Ye Mo had both of them in the palm of her hand-and firmly at that.
...Ye Mo had only been back with the Ye Family for a month.
Secretary Huang found it rather unbelievable.
"It's all right..." With these assorted thoughts flashing through her mind, Secretary Huang naturally chose to accept Ye Baozhu's apology. "We weren't really talking about much anyway, just some of my personal affairs."
She was embarrassed to bring these things up with other people. After all, they were rather humiliating. Since Ye Mo already knew about them to begin with, Secretary Huang naturally had fewer reservations with her.
Ye Mo smiled at Secretary Huang. "Secretary Huang, if you really want to resolve this, you might consider my suggestion. Although the approach I mentioned is somewhat unethical, extraordinary circumstances sometimes call for extraordinary measures. Sticking to the rules will only fan those people's arrogance... Consider that advice from my own experience."