Chapter 410 - Rejection, She Has Someone in Mind
Du Zhongshu struggled to get up to bow and kowtow to the two of them. Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. Why did the ancient people have to be so outdated?
"Just lay down, don’t hurt yourself internally." Bai Ruozhu said bluntly.
Bai Zepei helped Du Zhongshu and also advised, "We appreciate your good intentions, but we aren’t concerned about these formalities. Your recovery is what matters."
Bai Ruozhu handed a prescription to Du Zhongshu’s attendant and said, "Make another batch of this medicine for him. Once he drinks it, the poison should be completely purged."
The attendant hurriedly expressed his thanks and left with the prescription to prepare the medicine.
With no one else in the room, Du Zhongshu looked embarrassed and slightly nodded at the two, as if to bow in apology, saying, "I heard everything during the detoxification. I apologise on behalf of my younger sister."
"No need to apologise, but don’t let your sister bother me. I kindly saved you, and she came to hit me. Without knowing, one might think she wants me injured so I can’t treat you." Bai Ruozhu was somewhat displeased at the mention of Du Fuling.
Bai Zepei also grimaced and said, "Originally, with you being ill, you shouldn’t have to worry about such things. But Miss Du not only failed to help but also caused more trouble. You might as well send her home when your family comes, to avoid trouble for us."
A faint blush surfaced on Du Zhongshu’s pale face, and he looked even more embarrassed as he said, "It’s my fault for not disciplining her properly. I will definitely deal with her when we get home."
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t here to complain; she wanted to check on Du Zhongshu’s condition. She took his wrist to check his pulse. After a moment, she let go and said, "Rest well after taking the medicine and try not to overthink."
Du Zhongshu’s face grew redder. Seeing Bai Ruozhu was about to leave, he hurriedly called out, "Ruozhu... "
Just as Bai Ruozhu was about to leave, she was a bit astonished to hear him call her by her name. Didn’t he used to call her "Miss Bai" before? When did he become so familiar to call her by her name?
Du Zhongshu couldn’t bring himself to look at Bai Ruozhu or Bai Zepei. He spoke with his head slightly lowered. "Today, you helped me detoxify, which may harm your reputation. But don’t worry, I will take responsibility."
Upon finishing his words, he feared that they might misunderstand him and quickly continued, "I will talk to my family, and I will marry you in a few days."
Both Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zepei froze when they heard this. What on earth was he talking about?
Regaining her senses and feeling slightly embarrassed, Bai Ruozhu stared at Du Zhongshu and said, "There’s nothing to harm my reputation. It’s the duty of a doctor to save lives. I’m not afraid of your sister spreading rumors. You don’t need to take responsibility for me."
This time, Du Zhongshu was downright anxious. He looked at Bai Ruozhu and his eyes revealed sincerity. "No, I promise to convince my family. I certainly won’t let you become a concubine. I swear I’ll take care of your children."
Bai Ruozhu felt that what he was saying was totally different from what she meant. She sighed, repeated herself, "You really don’t need to take responsibility for me and I definitely don’t want to marry into the Du family. Your family is so chaotic. I’m not interested in playing family politics. Please don’t bring this up again."
"Do you know who poisoned me?" Du Zhongshu looked at Bai Ruozhu in surprise.
Bai Ruozhu shrugged and replied, "How would I know? But it’s clear that somebody is scheming against you. You usually study and don’t offend anyone. So, the only explanation is that someone is plotting against you for the family’s wealth."
Du Zhongshu’s face turned pale again. His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes reddened, "When I didn’t focus on my career, they were all very kind to me. But now that I’ve finally decided to do something serious, what I get in return is a poisoning plot." He let out a bitter laugh and his face was imbued with a thick sense of irony.
However, he calmed down quickly and looked at Bai Ruozhu, "Don’t worry, I will protect you. You don’t need to worry about such people." His face became red again since it was a promise to the girl he liked.
Bai Ruozhu was getting a little anxious. She quickly looked at her brother, hoping that he would help explain the situation to Du Zhongshu. Whether it was out of gratitude or genuine affection, she didn’t want any entanglement with Du Zhongshu.
Upon seeing Bai Ruozhu’s plea for help, Bai Zepei’s eyes glinted with amusement, as if to say: Look, you’ve attracted another admirer.
Bai Ruozhu clenched her teeth at her brother. Besides collaborating on selling toothpaste business, she had no relations with Du Zhongshu. They had barely met a handful of times. Who knew what had got into his head?
"Zhongshu, my sister already has someone she likes. She won’t marry you." After teasing Bai Ruozhu, Bai Zepei directly addressed Du Zhongshu.
Bai Ruozhu was startled. Did her brother have to be so blunt? She was a woman with a missing husband and a child, what sweetheart did she had? Wouldn’t this invite the town’s gossip?
Du Zhongshu was also taken aback. Soon his expression turned gloomy as he asked, "Is it the gentleman?"
Bai Ruozhu was dumbfounded. Before she even had a chance to think about how to deny it, she heard her brother say, "Yes, he will marry my sister, and his home situation isn’t complicated either. So it’s just a matter of time."
Bai Ruozhu was frozen again, it was as if her brother knew everything clearly. What was going on?
Du Zhongshu looked as if he had lost his soul, and his body, leaning against the head of the bed, became softer. He murmured to himself, "I was one step too late. But who can I blame?"
Bai Ruozhu returned to her senses and hurriedly said, "You should rest now." She signaled to her brother with her eyes, and the two left the room, one after the other.
"Brother, what kind of nonsense did you spout just now?" Scared that she would be the one incriminating herself, Bai Ruozhu asked her brother aggressively.
Bai Zepei raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Stop pretending. I have no opposition to you two being together. I even think that he might be a good match for you. But his background is sort of unique, so whether you should marry him depends on our observation. You’re not in a hurry now, it’s not even three years yet."
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth dropped open. "You, you..."
Bai Zepei looked at his stunned sister and couldn’t hide his smugness. "Go to your room to rest. It seems our journey will be delayed by two or three days."
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes but didn’t question her brother further. Because she already knew that the scoundrel, Jiang Yichun, must have discussed this with her brother. And she had been kept in the dark! Huh, she vowed to teach him a good lesson.
The next day, before dawn, the Du family sent several people over. They included Du Zhongshu’s father, Du Wenbin, a manager, two young boys, and two maids.
Du Wenbin first went to check on Du Zhongshu’s situation. Presumably, Du Zhongshu told him about the poisoning suspect, and his face was not very pleasant the whole time until he met Bai Ruozhu and her brother. Then, he put away his stern look.
"Thank you both for saving Zhongshu. My son and I are forever grateful." Du Wenbin respectfully gave a salute to them.
Seeing that the person in front of him was an elder, Bai Zepei quickly stopped him saying, "Master Du, there’s no need to be so formal."
"Since you and Zhongshu are classmates, you can just call me uncle." Du Wenbin said.
Just as Bai Zepei was about to agree, he heard Du Fuling’s scream from the next room, "Father, I’m going to die!"