CHAPTER 1364: CHAPTER 1364: IN SUCH A SORRY STATE, YET STILL LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Luo Qiao left early in the morning to cover a shift for someone at work.

The kids didn’t want to stay at home, so Lu Yichen took them over to the police station.

During the morning ward rounds, Luo Qiao arrived at Mo Haiying’s room just as Zhang Chao was packing up her things. Mo Haiying greeted Luo Qiao as she entered: "Director Luo, Happy New Year! I’m being discharged today."

Luo Qiao smiled and replied, "Happy New Year! Make sure to rest well after going home. Don’t take on any heavy work; your health is the foundation of everything. Don’t rush and end up leaving lasting problems—it’s not worth it."

Mo Haiying nodded, "Thank you, Director Luo. I’ll keep that in mind."

Luo Qiao gave her another check-up: "Hmm, you’ve recovered quite well."

Just as Luo Qiao exited Mo Haiying’s room, she heard a commotion from another area. Someone ran over to check on the situation, while Luo Qiao continued her rounds into the next room.

Shortly after, the person who had gone over came back, reporting, "Director Luo, it’s Cao Guobin’s family causing a ruckus. Someone has already informed the security department."

After finishing her rounds in the next room, Luo Qiao walked to Cao Guobin’s room, where security personnel had just arrived. "Clear the way, please," they said as they entered.

Once security stepped in, the family quieted down somewhat. Luo Qiao quickly gathered that the family had learned about the incident where the fifth sibling had nearly killed the sole surviving younger brother.

After regaining consciousness, Cao Guobin had explained that it was his fifth brother-in-law who had brought people to drink with him that day. He originally suggested calling someone to drive, but the fifth brother-in-law convinced him otherwise, saying he’d only had a little and it wouldn’t be serious.

Taking his brother-in-law’s advice, he got behind the wheel and later engaged in a reckless road rage incident, leading to the accident. Forced to confront this series of events, Cao Pandi finally admitted the truth under questioning.

Her husband had indeed told her that he feared the younger brother might survive and expose how he had encouraged him to drink and drive. Moreover, he thought the medical costs might pile up exorbitantly without a guarantee of recovery. If the younger brother didn’t survive, perhaps they might even receive compensation.

It was then that Cao Pandi made her fateful decision.

The family could no longer tolerate her actions; she was nearly beaten by their parents, who berated her for being utterly heartless and cruel. To harm their only son showed true malicious intent.

Having learned that the younger brother had improved yesterday, she came early today seeking his forgiveness. However, none of her family members were willing to pay her any attention, which sent Cao Pandi into a teary, dramatic tantrum.

As Cao Guobin had only recently started to recover, the Cao family refused to let her disrupt the peace, which led to them trying to drive her away. That’s when things turned physical.

Luo Qiao shook her head, thinking to herself how money could ruin people—how it could make someone harm even their own blood brother. Cao Pandi truly had a ruthless heart.

It was fortunate that she had been at the hospital that day; otherwise, saving him might not have been possible. Humanity, truly.

Over the past few days, the injured victims from the car accident had been discharged one after another. Luckily, no lives had been lost, but the compensation sum wasn’t trivial either—it seemed unlikely that the relocation compensation funds would leave anything substantial behind in the end.

After security escorted Cao Pandi out, Luo Qiao entered the room to continue her rounds.

Cao Guobin’s mother sat in the corner, quietly sobbing. It was clear she had been deeply hurt by her fifth daughter’s betrayal. Still, it wasn’t hard to see that the root cause traced back to how they hadn’t taken their daughters’ feelings into account in the beginning, enabling the fifth daughter and her husband’s treacherous deeds.

After completing the examination, Luo Qiao said, "Your recovery is progressing well. However, this is a hospital, and you need a relatively quiet environment for healing. Incidents like today shouldn’t happen again—they affect not only you but other patients as well."

The other family members, polite enough, quickly assured her, "We’ll be more careful in the future."

Exiting the room, Luo Qiao headed toward the emergency department but ran into Ning Xueling and He Qiuping downstairs.

Luo Qiao nodded briefly at He Qiuping and prepared to leave.

Ning Xueling called out, "Wait a moment."

Luo Qiao stopped and looked at Ning Xueling, "If you’ve got something to say, say it quickly. I’m busy."

Ning Xueling glanced around at the people nearby. Before she could speak, Luo Qiao interjected, "Don’t try anything underhanded. I won’t hesitate to publicize the things you’ve done."

Knowing Luo Qiao meant what she said, Ning Xueling had no choice but to say, "I heard Luo Haotian got married?"

Luo Qiao smirked with sarcasm, "You’ve remarried three times already. Isn’t him remarrying perfectly normal?"

With that, she turned and walked away, not giving her another look.

Initially, Luo Qiao thought Ning Xueling had called her over concerning her leg injury. But to her surprise, even in such a miserable state, this woman was still looking to stir up trouble. Utterly ridiculous.

Ning Xueling watched Luo Qiao depart, clutching the wheelchair’s armrest tightly with both hands, infuriated to the core.

He Qiuping, observing Ning Xueling’s expression, felt a pang of displeasure. What was this supposed to mean—was she still holding a torch for her ex-husband?

Irritated, he snapped, "Stop staring. You need to go for your check-up."

He himself was in a foul mood. Beyond work, he had to care for Ning Xueling. Divorce wasn’t an option he dared to entertain—back then, Luo Xuyuan had made it clear that while they might not consider her family, they wouldn’t allow others to mistreat her either.

If he truly brought up divorce, her children would undoubtedly retaliate against the He family. In essence, Ning Xueling had become a burden on the He family, and there was no way around it.

******

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the five siblings of the Luo Family gathered at the Mechanical Factory Residential Compound, arriving in five separate cars. Their appearance sparked a new round of gossip among the compound’s residents.

Gu Qianru had begun preparations since yesterday afternoon. By the time the families arrived in tow, everything was ready.

Gu Qianru and Luo Haotian were overjoyed, even bringing out special jade pendants they’d prepared for the children. Grandsons, granddaughters, and grandchildren from all sides each received one—such a generous gesture.

Gu Qianru said, "This is a little token from me. Please accept it."

The four daughters-in-law looked to their husbands, who gave them a nod. Only then did they thank her and accept the gift on behalf of the children.