WBSGVS Chapter 43 V1

As the youngest member of the team, a well-behaved and intelligent girl who is quick to learn and never troublesome, Qingli is the beloved pet of the sunlit laboratory.

Moreover, she knows how to prepare incredibly delicious meals for everyone!

Naturally, everyone is curious about her situation, concerned that she might need help since she is too shy to speak up.

Qingli came here to fulfill the original owner’s dream, not to waste her talent, and she also has a purpose: to expose everything Pei Mingjiang has done to her grandfather.

So, whenever someone asks her about her situation, she will speak openly and share everything.

Gradually, everyone learns that she is an orphan.

It turns out that the family who adopted her initially benefited from her grandfather, yet they refused to treat her well, subjecting her to emotional neglect. Although they appear to outsiders as a good family, they mistreat her.

People discovered that her previous poor academic performance was due to being bullied.

The more they learn about Qingli’s past, the more outraged her senior colleagues in the lab become, deeply resenting the Pei family and keeping it in mind.

Occasionally, when chatting with their teacher, Dong Qing, they will mention this little junior sister, hoping that the teacher can take more care of this unfortunate girl.

After all, if Qingli had not been born into such an environment, she wouldn’t have wasted so many years and would have already begun to shine this year.

Furthermore, if the Pei family had treated Qingli well, they wouldn’t even need to invest much effort in her. Once her talent was recognized by the school, she would have received serious attention and her achievements would have soared!

Dong Qing is also someone who appreciates talent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have persuaded Fu Qingli to temporarily accept the Mathematics department’s exemption at Professor Zhang’s request. He even personally assessed her and discovered her talent, leading him to eagerly bring her under his wing.

Therefore, he remembers these matters very well.

Now, when Lin Hengzhi mentions her, he immediately recalls what his student said, and his expression turns serious.

Originally, it was said that the Pei family adopted her out of gratitude for her grandfather saving them, but now it appears there was a blatant monetary transaction involved in that life-saving favor!

What the Pei family did is simply appalling!

Lin Hengzhi begins to panic. Since the cafeteria is nearly empty, they can speak quietly without being overheard, but he doesn’t dare continue the conversation there. Fearing he might lose his composure, he calls the director, saying, “I have something to attend to this afternoon; I won’t be going to the office.”

The director becomes alarmed. As a model employee, Lin never asks for leave unless he is ill, so the director bombards him with questions.

Only after confirming multiple times that Lin Hengzhi is indeed fine does he hang up.

Lin Hengzhi is unable to eat and asks Dong Qing to pack up their things. The two hurry back to their residence, where he grabs Dong Qing’s hand, urging, “Tell me everything you know! Quickly!”

Dong Qing helps him sit down and nods, “I’ll tell you right away. First, have some water. Maybe… take some medicine?”

Lin Hengzhi, now thirsting for information, agrees to anything Dong Qing suggests. After taking the medicine, he calms down a bit and eagerly waits.

Dong Qing takes a deep breath and begins, “Actually, I don’t know much, but my student mentioned that she lives in a cold family. The Pei family provides her with good material conditions, but when there are no outsiders around, they don’t like her. They view her as someone who was saved by the Pei family, yet she occupies the position of the Pei family’s eldest grandson’s fiancée. I later looked into the Pei family, and they do have a respectable background…”

He shares some fragmented information he knows.

Indeed, their material conditions are good; Lin Hengzhi had specifically chosen a suitable family for her.

However, Lin Hengzhi’s reluctance to meet her has led Fu Qingli to be unaware of the story behind her adoption. Therefore, when she faces the Pei family’s disdain, she feels particularly inferior and timid as an outsider.

In light of the Pei family’s increasing financial burden, she feels immense pressure.

Especially given that the Pei family adopts a patronizing attitude, her feelings of inferiority multiply.

Under such circumstances, she becomes increasingly silent, while Pei Mingjiang completely ignores her suffering, letting her endure bullying, only scolding her when she crosses a line.

He never hints at his daughter-in-law’s disdain for Qingli, and he completely indulges his grandson’s contempt for this fiancée.

All of this indicates that he does not genuinely care for this girl.

The more Lin Hengzhi hears, the paler he becomes, shaking with anger!

“I heard that once, a child from the Pei family pushed her into the swimming pool in the dead of winter, and she was sick for a week afterward. Yet, she didn’t dare say a word of blame to the other party.” After finishing his account, Dong Qing adds one more detail he just learned: this was the reason Qingli caught a cold so easily.

Lin Hengzhi is already in tears, trembling as he exclaims, “I… I knew about this! She told me that Ah Li accidentally fell into the water!!!”

As he utters those last few words, Lin Hengzhi nearly shouts.

Pei Mingjiang told him about her illness, but he only learned of it a month later. When he called to inquire, he was told she was fine and even saw pictures taken by Pei Mingjiang, with the little girl watching television with him, which reassured him. Children inevitably have their bumps and scrapes while growing, and although falling into the water is dangerous, he thought she had recovered well.

All he could do was remind Pei Mingjiang to ensure she got enough nourishment; she was too thin.

Now, he realizes he was mistaken!

His error is worse than the one that almost harmed his wife!

Lin Hengzhi’s face turns ashen as he weeps, crying out, “I didn’t know! I thought she was doing well! Wuwuwu…”

Nothing is more painful than discovering that his granddaughter, whom he believed was living comfortably, has been enduring such hardship under his misguided assumptions.

That feeling is a mix of anger and an unbearable frustration because he is the culprit!

He is the one who personally chose Pei Mingjiang; he is the one who, after more than a year of gradually trusting the other party, chose to stop paying close attention. He naively thought his granddaughter was doing well, even worrying that once they recognized each other, she would suffer separation and loss again, leading him to avoid meeting her out of self-righteousness.

Lin Hengzhi clutches his chest, feeling a sharp pain that makes it difficult for him to sit up straight. He curls up his body, weeping to the point of palpitations.

Dong Qing keeps patting Lin Hengzhi’s back, fearful that he might be too distressed and something might happen, but he, too, is feeling an unbearable sadness.

To say the teacher doesn’t love his granddaughter?

That’s not true.

If he hadn’t chosen the wrong person, any family with such favorable conditions would have treated a girl like Fu Qingli with utmost care.

Unfortunately, there are no “ifs.” He chose the wrong person, almost ruining his granddaughter’s entire life!

Adults often think they know what’s best for their children, believing that the paths they pave for them are the right ones because they are still young. But is that truly the case?

In reality, no one knows.

However, after this incident, Dong Qing realizes that children should be kept close at hand.

Suddenly, Lin Heng let out a sharp intake of breath, and his face turned pale.

Dong Qing was startled and quickly lifted him, carrying him out.

Seeing this, the people in the research institute hurriedly drove over to take him to the hospital.

Qing Li was hooked up to an IV at the hospital.

It truly was an accident.

She had been so engrossed in her work lately that she neglected her health. The research project was at a critical juncture, and time waits for no one. This is why many researchers often fall ill.

To keep up with deadlines, they are forced to work late into the night.

Qing Li’s health had improved significantly, but due to the original owner’s condition, her foundation wasn’t good. She made a makeshift bed, but it was still a bit chilly; she could feel the coldness of the tiles even through the blanket.

As a result, she started experiencing dizziness and nasal congestion the next day.

Her condition worsened throughout the morning, and by noon, she could no longer hold on. She asked her seniors for permission to leave, and they noticed her pale, flushed face, which prompted them to take her to the hospital immediately.

Sister Xu stayed with her, while the seniors returned. Qing Li sat in a recliner, drowsy, when she faintly heard Sister Xu making a phone call, her voice filled with surprise. After hanging up, Sister Xu gently called out to Qing Li, “Ah Li~~~”

Qing Li opened her eyes, blinked, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, you can continue resting,” Sister Xu said, feeling sorry for her. Even though she was anxious, she knew that patients shouldn’t visit other patients. She quietly stepped aside to call Dong Qing and share her thoughts.

Dong Qing hadn’t realized how serious her illness was and quickly agreed. This had always been his intention—if he were the teacher, he certainly wouldn’t want his granddaughter to visit him while she was sick. Even if they were to recognize each other, it wouldn’t be a joyful occasion.

So, the meeting was postponed.

By the next day, Qing Li had recovered, with only a bit of nasal congestion. According to the doctor’s advice, she still needed another shot.

Sister Xu accompanied her again, and after the shot, she hesitated and said, “Ah Li, I have a patient—oh no, a friend—who is sick and hospitalized here. Can you come with me to see him?”

Qing Li immediately nodded, “Of course! Should we buy some fruit or flowers now?”

“No, no, he doesn’t care about that,” Sister Xu quickly shook her head and pulled her toward the inpatient department.

They went to a high-end ward.

Qing Li’s heart skipped a beat as a suspicion began to surface. The closer they got, the stronger her feeling became, making her almost feel unsteady with excitement.

When they pushed open the slightly ajar ward door and saw the elderly man on the single hospital bed, her heart suddenly dropped, and she calmed down. She immediately turned to Dong Qing and displayed a sweet smile, saying, “Hello, Teacher! Hello, Mr. Lin!”

Dong Qing was taken aback. “You know the teacher?”

Qing Li blinked and replied matter-of-factly, “Of course! Teacher, I searched your Baidu Encyclopedia page, so I naturally know your teacher is Mr. Lin!”

Dong Qing felt dumb for forgetting that Lin Heng’s name was well-known in the research field.

Not to mention the relationship he had with him.

While he reflected on this, Lin Heng stared at the beautiful young girl in front of him, captivated. Her eyes were so big, and her face was lovely, though she looked a bit thin. As he watched, tears welled up in his eyes, but he bit his lip to keep from alarming her.

Qing Li felt a bit uneasy and took a couple of steps back, forcing a smile.

Dong Qing noticed something was off and cleared his throat. “Sister Xu, thank you for your hard work. You should head back now; it’s not something we can manage here in a little while.”

Sister Xu nodded, patted Qing Li on the shoulder, and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen.”

She left.

Qing Li remained in place, looking at Dong Qing with a hint of panic in her expression.

Dong Qing took a deep breath and said, “This is Lin Heng, my teacher. Over forty years ago…”

He recounted Lin Heng’s story, and at the end, he said, “I’m sorry it’s taken so long for us to recognize each other. The teacher always thought you were doing well in the Pei family and didn’t want to disturb you. But now he knows you’ve been suffering, and it pains him.”

At this moment, Qing Li likely heard this for the first time. After listening to the story, her gaze fell, and she forced a smile, saying, “Teacher, you’re joking. My parents passed away, and my grandparents have long been gone. I have no relatives. The Pei family adopted me because they felt sorry for me and because my grandfather saved Pei Mingjiang’s life; there was no transaction involved.”

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, seemingly casual.

Yet it made Lin Heng tremble with discomfort, filled with regret. Thankfully, having just received a shot, his physical condition was stable. Although he felt awful, it wouldn’t lead to any major issues. After several seconds, he said with rising agitation, “It wasn’t out of pity! It was truly a transaction between me and him! We agreed that I would sell the patent to him at a low price, and he would treat you well, giving you a complete family. I was afraid to show up; I worried that if I did, you would blame me…”

He was filled with remorse. “I was wrong! I didn’t expect him to deceive me! He didn’t treat you well, despite the benefits I gave him. He promised me he would treat you like his own granddaughter!”

Lin Heng felt a deep resentment each time he mentioned this.