Hospital 444

Fang Zhou really wanted to explore Mount Shuyuan, but Han Ming warned him never to go there.

"If you don’t want to end up in the Demons Department’s operating room, don’t act rashly." Han Ming cautioned him, "I didn’t give you the Gift of Flesh just to send you to your death."

"I am the deputy director of the Department of Fierce Spirits..."

"Do you think that being a deputy dean or a department head is something impressive?" Han Ming pointed to his head: "We are but ants at best, just slightly stronger ones within our group."

...

"Merry Christmas!"

Carrying flowers and gifts, Fang Zhou walked into his home, where his wife Wen Xiaoshu and daughter Xiao Meng were decorating the Christmas tree together.

"Daddy!"

Xiao Meng ran swiftly to Fang Zhou’s feet, hugged his legs, and said, "Mom said that as long as I wake up tomorrow, Santa Claus will leave presents by my bed!"

Actually, the gifts should have been given on Christmas Eve, but since they were Chinese, there was no need to be so particular about a foreign holiday.

"Yes, that’s right."

Wen Xiaoshu then approached, saying, "I bought a Christmas turkey tonight. Since you weren’t here yesterday, let’s enjoy a Christmas feast together."

"Great!"

Not being able to accompany his family on Christmas Eve made Fang Zhou feel a bit guilty.

But...

Looking at the family that appeared to be very happy in front of him, he always felt an intense sense of guilt. Especially when he realized he might have misdiagnosed his late wife’s curse...

Keeping Xiao Meng’s mother’s death a secret was a tacit decision among them. And Fang Zhou could see that the person most unsettled by this decision was his wife Xiaoshu.

"Let me help in the kitchen," Fang Zhou rolled up his sleeves and said, "Since it’s a Christmas feast, it must require a lot of preparation."

"No need," Wen Xiaoshu hurriedly stopped Fang Zhou, "The hands of a surgeon are meant for healing and saving lives, and it would be troublesome if you cut yourself while chopping. I can manage on my own, you go watch cartoons with Xiao Meng."

Fang Zhou promptly said, "Don’t worry, that won’t happen."

Cutting his hand while chopping? Even severing a finger wouldn’t be a problem for him.

"By the way, I bought a new set of kitchenware. It was quite a bargain, and it was delivered the next day after I ordered it."

Before marriage, Wen Xiaoshu hadn’t been very skilled at cooking, but now she could make a good meal, knew how to haggle with vendors at the farmers’ market, and tracked when eggs were on discount at the supermarket.

"Also, next time don’t take Xiao Meng to eat salmon sashimi," Wen Xiaoshu tied her apron, opened the fridge, and said, "The TV says some places pass off freshwater fish as salmon for sashimi. Freshwater fish are full of parasites, and some ’experts’ insist that rainbow trout, a freshwater species, is also salmon. I’ve been wondering if they dare to say this nonsense because they don’t have children. I’ve asked my dad, and he’s assured me with his thirty years of experience as a biology teacher that rainbow trout should definitely not be used for sashimi like salmon."

"Alright, got it," Fang Zhou watched this scene, thinking who could tell that this was a reconstituted family?

Xiao Meng turned on the TV, switched to the channel that was about to play a cartoon, and began watching "Boonie Bears."

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Fang Zhou went to the door and opened it. Outside stood a delivery man.

"Fresh delivery."

"Ok." This was ordered by Fang Zhou.

After signing for the delivery, Fang Zhou was about to close the door when the delivery man suddenly said something to him.

"About the surgery, if you’re not confident, I can arrange for someone else to do it."

Fang Zhou was startled.

The voice of the delivery man at this moment sounded exactly like Han Ming!

"I... I think I need to consider it," Fang Zhou examined the delivery man before him, lowering his voice, "Deputy Director Han, it’s not easy being a delivery guy, so please don’t occupy his body. Besides, this is my home."

"Alright then. Merry Christmas to you."

After closing the door, Fang Zhou felt a heaviness in his heart.

Even though Han Ming could have called, he had chosen this method to converse with him; his purpose was self-evident.

He simply wanted to remind him: I’m watching you all the time.

Fang Zhou looked at his wife and daughter, realizing that if Han Ming wished, he could take control of their bodies whenever he wanted, which was as easy for him as turning his hand over.

In a way, it was also about demonstrating his power.

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, dusk had arrived.

Fang Zhou had helped Wen Xiaoshu a lot in the kitchen and had prepared a table full of dishes.

"All right, let’s eat."

After Fang Zhou set the bowls and chopsticks on the table, he called his daughter to come eat—just as the cartoon she was watching ended.

Fang Zhou picked up the remote control.

His home had satellite TV, so he could tune into channels from other regions.

He switched to the local news station of W city.

He couldn’t go to Suyuan Mountain right now... but perhaps, something might happen in the city where Dai Lin lived, in the future. He had left blood in many places in W city, blood that couldn’t be washed away by any means.

At that moment, the news being broadcast was of no importance.

"Fang Zhou," Wen Xiaoshu looked at her husband, who had shifted his gaze away from the television, and finally spoke up, "Xiao Meng... has started going to kindergarten too, so... I, I want to start working again."

"Work?"

"Yes."

Wen Xiaoshu had been out of work for a year now.

"Shuangshuang is going on her own and starting a business. She’s now operating an app for publishing various romance novels. Hmm, the studio isn’t too far, very close to Xiao Meng’s kindergarten. I can drop her off in the morning and go straight to Shuangshuang’s place to work. She said that as soon as the app started, I was the first person she thought of."

Fang Zhou knew that the Shuangshuang she was talking about was the editor Wen Xiaoshu used to work with at Jiuyan Literature Network. Wen Xiaoshu was also an editor for that website, but her main job was being a ghostwriter for the site’s leading authors.

Being a shadow writer was clearly not something to be proud of. But what choice did Wen Xiaoshu have; she couldn’t offend the leaders and had to step in for authors who had hit a creative wall. Later, a novel for which she served as a ghostwriter became a popular ancient-style IP, and she had written about 80% of the content.

She had contributed the most, but the glory was someone else’s. She had signed a non-disclosure agreement and had no choice. Wen Xiaoshu ultimately grew disillusioned and decided to resign to be a housewife and take care of her child after getting married.

"Don’t worry, Shuangshuang is very easy to talk to. I can definitely pick up Xiao Meng in time," she said.

Fang Zhou noticed that his wife was very anxious as she said these things.

She seemed to be afraid that he might think her an inadequate stepmother.

"Okay," Fang Zhou nodded, "You’ve been a housewife for a year, indeed it’s time to consider going back to work."

Wen Xiaoshu’s face immediately showed relief.

"I, I’m going to check on the steamed mandarin fish I have in the kitchen," she said.

Wen Xiaoshu moved to a blind spot in the kitchen where her husband couldn’t see her, raised her right hand to make a fist, and let out a triumphant "Yes!"

Playing the role of a gentle, respectful, thrifty, and yielding wife and mother had been truly exhausting for her. She hadn’t even given birth, yet she had become a mother, caring for a child not of her own blood. To say she had no personal feelings about it was impossible!

But the world was so harsh on stepmothers: they were either seen as inhumane or as saints reincarnated, yet Wen Xiaoshu was just an ordinary person! She too liked to go shopping with her best friends, enjoy spas together, and occasionally hit the nightclubs.

Finally, she wouldn’t have to be a full-time nanny and cook at home anymore! Over the past year, her skin had deteriorated slightly, and when she smiled too hard, you could even see her forehead lines!

She quickly grabbed her phone and messaged Lin Shuangshuang: "Sis, it’s settled! I always said that my husband listens to everything I say!"

At that moment, the TV screen in front of Fang Zhou was broadcasting local news from W city.

"The Jiu Lin Art Gallery’s exhibition of new domestic painters is about to come to a dismal end. The gallery has decided to close the exhibition half a month early."

Fang Zhou watched the paintings displayed on the TV and the visitors standing in front of them and suddenly his expression subtly changed.

"Wait, the person that was just caught on camera... doesn’t he look very much like... Dai Lin?"