CHAPTER 374: CHAPTER 373: KEEPING A SAFE DISTANCE

Of course, this is just the first step. There’s still a long way to go for Fang Shaohan to truly get out of his current situation.

Moreover, this might just be a flash in the pan.

"Shaohan, Shaohan, you finally..."

He Cui tightly held Fang Shaohan’s hand, unwilling to let go for even a moment. Her son finally showed some improvement, how could she not be happy.

Originally, when discussing this idea, He Cui wanted to do it herself. Letting Gu Xiaoqing, a young girl, do such a thing was risky. After all, what if Fang Shaohan reacted intensely after being provoked? No one could be sure.

He Cui thought that letting Gu Xiaoqing do it was too risky.

As a mother, she understood Fang Shaohan’s temper. On the surface, he appeared gentle and not very aggressive, at most a bit cold and distant. But if Fang Shaohan lost his temper, no one could withstand it.

As his mother, she had reservations when acting, and as a mother, there weren’t many things that would cause Fang Shaohan to lose his composure, so He Cui wasn’t worried.

But Gu Xiaoqing was different. She was the girl that her son had always wanted but couldn’t have. If she appeared with complete disdain, or even mocked Fang Shaohan’s pride, Fang Shaohan might not remain so calm.

However, Gu Xiaoqing insisted that it should be her. She believed that it was because there weren’t many ties involved, making Fang Shaohan might care more. After all, confronting parents and friends was different; you might fight with friends, but you’d never lay hands on your parents.

Only if Fang Shaohan were provoked to completely lose his reason could he forget about his leg problem, making the outcome most effective.

Any man would probably be unable to withstand the ridicule and mockery from a woman, making it the best form of stimulation.

Looking at the swollen half of the face, making the other half look fierce and frightening, you could imagine the strength Fang Shaohan used at that time.

He Cui felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

She hugged Gu Xiaoqing tightly, tears in her eyes, "Child, you’ve suffered. I said it wouldn’t work. Once this child gets mad, he doesn’t know how to control himself. Normally, he’s fine and looks down on hitting women. But this time, he must’ve gone mad and used all his strength. Seeing you like this, Aunt’s heart aches." She gently patted Gu Xiaoqing’s back.

Gu Xiaoqing’s sacrifices were clear to He Cui and Fang Jianguo.

Without Gu Xiaoqing, who knows what state Fang Shaohan would be in now?

Gu Xiaoqing not only put in physical effort but also mental effort, trying all means to set traps for Fang Shaohan to give him a chance.

The purpose was to get Fang Shaohan to stand up.

Gu Xiaoqing awkwardly tried to smile, but the swollen, disfigured face didn’t cooperate. A smile would look like something out of a horror movie, scaring everyone around.

Fang Shaohan was pushed into a wheelchair, and upon seeing Gu Xiaoqing held by He Cui, his expression softened considerably. The violent dragon everyone feared just moments ago seemed to vanish in an instant.

"Mom, stop hugging her, let the doctor apply some medicine, or else her face will swell even more." Fang Shaohan came to Gu Xiaoqing’s rescue.

He knew his mom’s nature.

If she started to lament continuously, it would never end.

He Cui quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to the doctor, "Quick, see what medicine this child needs."

She also blamed herself internally for being so caught up in her own thoughts, ignoring the child. Truly, she was out of her mind.

The doctor immediately came over, looked at the situation, and applied some medicine to Gu Xiaoqing, saying with a smile, "It’s nothing serious, just looks severe. It’s mostly surface bruising. With the right treatment, the swelling will go down in a few days. Rest assured, she’ll still be a beautiful blooming flower."

Gu Xiaoqing, smelling the antiseptic, frowned, knowing well that her face must not look good now.

Sigh, such is fate.

But with a frown, Gu Xiaoqing realized that Fang Shaohan’s woman-beating nature would make her keep her distance. Her past memories were vivid enough, with Fu Guoqiang’s brutal beating still haunting her. She truly couldn’t accept men who hit women.

No matter how dazzling Fang Shaohan was, to the extent of making her heart flutter, it was no excuse for hitting a woman.

She could never accept this.

Everyone was overjoyed, after all, Fang Shaohan had regained some sensation. What a huge surprise!

Only Fang Shaohan could sense that Gu Xiaoqing was keeping a distance from him.

Gu Xiaoqing, who usually pushed him back to the ward, was absent today, with Fang Jianguo taking over the task instead.

Helping him lie in bed, all these tasks were completed by Fang Jianguo, while Gu Xiaoqing did not enter the ward.

"Dad, where did Gu Xiaoqing go?"

He couldn’t help but worry. Since just now, Gu Xiaoqing seemed off.

Having sensation in his legs was a good thing, but if it also distanced Gu Xiaoqing from him, Fang Shaohan couldn’t understand.

Fang Jianguo glanced outside, shook his head, "I don’t know, your mom probably let her go rest. Her face is quite swollen, pretty frightening to see. In this, you’re far behind me, son. These many years, no matter how unreasonable your mom was, I never even lifted a finger against her."

"I think the girl was scared by you. A man hitting a woman is unacceptable anywhere. I think you’re in trouble."

Fang Jianguo, though a soldier, wasn’t a leader for years for nothing. In such a short time, he had already spotted the root of the problem. After all, if he couldn’t read the expression on Gu Xiaoqing’s face, he had been a leader in vain.

So, he tried to enlighten his son.

Fang Shaohan covered his face with regret, embarrassedly saying, "Dad, I lost my head just now. I mistook Gu Xiaoqing for that guy, Feng Qingyang. I really didn’t mean it. Go explain for me. When I got angry, all I saw in my mind were the ways Feng Qingyang taunted me, as if I wanted to strangle the person in front of me."

Fang Jianguo tucked the blanket in for Fang Shaohan, "You rest first. Don’t worry about anything else. The most important thing right now is for you to recover. Once you can stand again, everything else can wait.

If you can stand up, you will have plenty of time to seek out Gu Xiaoqing and explain. And she can’t escape before you’re fully recovered, your mom and I won’t let her leave.

But everything else waits until you can stand up, right?"

Fang Shaohan nodded, closing his eyes. His father was right.