After a long while of staring, Jiang Shuxuan finally accepted that this child was serious, and this was not just a passing fancy.
After knowing each other for so long, he was well aware of her temperament. If she believed in something, she wouldn't give up on it so easily. She was very stubborn, to the point it was distressing.
The cold stern eyes softened slightly, and he backed out from the room—closing the door softly as he instructed Mrs. Zhang to stay silent so that Gu Xiqiao could work in peace. He then proceeded downstairs with a softer gait than usual.
When Gu Xiqiao came down, Jiang Shuxuan was sitting by the window, holding a small ball in his hand. He would throw the ball out randomly after a while, and Haha would shoot off to chase after it, bringing it back to his feet—its tail wagging in delight.
Strangely, Jiang Shuxuan's senses were sharp, as well as his gaze, and his whole body exudes a chilling aura. Sometimes, Gu Xiqiao still felt some apprehension while in the same vicinity as him, but it seems that Haha was getting less afraid of him as time passed.
"You're down? Just in time for dinner then," Jiang Shuxuan said when he saw her, placing the ball on the glass table and heading towards the kitchen to call for dinner.
Haha ran straight to Gu Xiqiao's side, looking up to her with its big, round, shimmering eyes. Gu Xiqiao's heart melted at the sight. Haha had been in a rich environment for almost a month. Adding on the fact that Mrs. Zhang would bring it for grooming every other day, Haha had completely transformed into a good pedigree dog. The fur on Haha was smooth and silky, like snow, which made people unable to resist the urge to touch it.
Dogs were intelligent creatures, they understood who was good to them, and it was precisely because of the occasionally kind gestures from the usually cold Jiang Shuxuan that made Haha like this.
Gu Xiqiao scooped him up in her arms, and stumbled a little at the weight. "Haha, if you gain another few pounds, I won't be able to carry you like this anymore."
Haha whimpered pitifully, glancing up at her, widening his already big, innocent eyes.
"Alright, alright, stop pretending to look so pitiful." Gu Xiqiao scratched his ears, and seeing that dishes had been brought out, she let Haha down as she went to the kitchen to wash her hands.
Gu Xiqiao would take Haha out for a few laps every day after dinner, but Jiang Shuxuan had called for her today.
He looked at her, staring into her eyes—his expression solemn. "Why did you suddenly take an interest in medical studies?"
She had the talent in the medical field, but he was still worried. Among the people he knew, there were a few families that had ventured into medicine. Those people have been busy since they were a child to adult, going through mountains of books since a young age. Once they went into college, in addition to laboratory experiments, there were also theory classes. From time to time, they were also required to take up internships. Once they became doctors, they got even busier, and there was little time to rest. Sometimes, they would even be pulled away to attend to emergencies with just a phone call.
The profession of a doctor was good and all, and it was a job. But when things go wrong, the public wouldn't hesitate to throw their hurtful opinions at you.
In all fairness, it was not really a flattering profession to take up.
Thinking about how Gu Xiqiao was usually quite laid back, Jiang Shuxuan felt he had to properly discuss this issue with her.
"This is not something I took up on a whim, I just hope to have the ability to help my friends and family. I have the talent, right?" Gu Xiqiao touched the bracelet on her hand unconsciously, thinking of Mu Jiatong and Luo Wenlin who were still in the intensive care unit. Both of them had looked to her like they were looking at a small sun. How could she let their lives end, when it had barely even started?
Seeing that Jiang Shuxuan was unmoved, Gu Xiqiao brought up Yin Guofu's arm. Her observations wouldn't be wrong, Yin Guofu had an injury on the arm that was hidden, and it hadn't gotten any better.
Jiang Shuxuan raised an eyebrow. "It's difficult to turn an occupation into a professional career. The purpose of studying medicine is to save the world, and it's only valuable if you are able to specialize in the entire field. A person only had so much time in their life, and some live their lives never knowing what they were doing in the end. Do you really intend to let go of your other interests, like oil painting?"
He hoped that Gu Xiqiao had the resolve, there were not many geniuses in the world, but there were even more people who ended up like the story of Shang Zhongyong, which talked about a genius who was brilliantly talented, but eventually becoming ordinary due to his slack.
Her family only existed to her in name, having them was like having none at all, so he hoped that he could give her a little more guidance in her life.
Gu Xiqiao nodded without hesitation, if she didn't take a liking to it, she wouldn't have wasted so much time putting in the effort to read through the books. To be honest, this was the first time she had found a direction that she liked.
Of course, what she didn't say was that the thing she lacked the most was time. As long as she had the points, she basically had unlimited time in her hands. Not only that, the system had also released various growth type missions, so her interest was definitely higher than the average person.
However, she also planned to continue improving her oil paintings in the void space, so that it wouldn't be shown in front of Jiang Shuxuan during the normal days, otherwise he might have something to say about it.
It wasn't like she would give up everything else if she pursued medical studies.
"Alright, then you can go ahead and take a look at Grandfather Yin's arm over the next few days," Jiang Shuxuan said, seeing the determination in her face. He then turned around, taking his car keys before leaving the house.
Watching as he left her sight as fast as possible, Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She didn't know what he meant, but what couldn't be denied was that, with someone being so concerned about her life and her plans for the future, it actually felt quite nice.
***
This person who was recently immersed in being a 'nursing dad' was now at the Yin family house.
The Yin family guards recognized him, because Yin Shaoyuan was afraid that these little guards would offend a great god, he had deliberately passed them Jiang Shuxuan's photograph to ensure they knew who he was. This was to avoid these guards from being sent to their death without knowing who it was that killed them.
Jiang Shuxuan had come over this time to meet Yin Guofu, and he completely ignored Yin Shaoyuan, who had come over to greet him.
Yin Shaoyuan's hands were stretched out halfway before it retracted, with Tang Yanling at the side chattering away. "Oh, Shuxuan is here. Take back the clothes that I just bought for Qiaoqiao to try on! I'll need to send her a message on WeChat to try it on one by one, and to send me pictures."
Over the past few days, Tang Yanling's circle of friends had been bombarded by praise for Gu Xiqiao. Once the woman had started boasting about this dazzling girl, she couldn't stop even if she wanted to.
This led to Young Master Yin's wondering, was he going to be sidelined no matter where he went?
Tang Yanling had never taken his photo to show off in her circle of friends, he was still her son by blood, right?
Yin Guofu was sitting in his study, his hand holding a sleek brush with a weasel bristle. The tip of the brush was barely touching the paper, but he didn't write on it for a long time. If you looked closely, you would realize that the brush was shaking slightly. After a long while, he placed the brush down and let out a long sigh.
It was still not possible.
When Jiang Shuxuan came in, Yin Guofu was already seated at the low table, making a pot of tea.
He was old. His children as well as grandchildren were all independent and didn't cause him any worry, so he was able to be at peace with all this. He liked to spend his time among the flowers and plants, making tea and watching the birds, and it was a very leisurely life. When he saw the junior that he admired, he couldn't help but reveal a skill that he usually didn't show.
Making tea was a very technical skill. Jiang Shuxuan took a sip, admiring Yin Guofu's skill while affirming it at the same time.
Yin Guofu chuckled at that, but he didn't forget the point of the visit. "You've come at a late hour, I'm sure it's not just to drink my tea?"
"Of course," Jiang Shuxuan replied, putting down the cup, and shooting him a solemn look. "I'd like to know, Grandfather, if you've injured your right arm before."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Yin Guofu raised his head in surprise, staring at him in slight shock.
Yin Guofu had been sent out to the frontlines when he was just a teenager, the military medals hanging in his study were exchanged using his life and blood over and over again. At that time, he was the sharpshooter of the army, using his military strength, he climbed through the ranks and became commander when he was middle-aged. What soldier didn't have injuries? He had suffered a gunshot wound on his right arm—the bullet had impacted his bones. With the medical facilities in those times, it was impossible to fully mend an internal injury, and it left a lasting mark, and he wasn't able to use his arm fully until now.
Who would have known, the sharpshooter back in those days that had not touched a gun in twenty years, was because he was afraid.
Now, it took a lot of effort just to write a few characters. Don't even talk about the hundred steps to lift up a gun.
"How did you know?" Yin Guofu's eyes were slightly hazy, lost in nostalgia. Outsiders had seen his actions as abandoning the gun, but he had never even discussed this matter with his family. The internal injury was also only known to himself. With just a short amount of time, his junior had identified it, and he could only sigh at that. This was the first time he had discussed his injury with anyone, and he had calmed down so much from the time he had gotten it. "It has been many years since I've gotten this injury, I guess it won't matter even if I discuss it with you."
"At that point in time, the medical technologies were all not able to help. I've also tried to secretly look for the miracle doctor, Rong Feishuang. But this doctor was too secretive, and I didn't manage to get him on the line."
Jiang Shuxuan hesitated a little after listening to Yin Guofu's words. An internal injury wasn't easy to treat, adding on the fact that it had been many years since he had gotten the wound. If it was that easy to cure, then the old man wouldn't be in this state in the first place.
But thinking back to Gu Xiqiao, who had been tirelessly researching in the past few days, to the point that she seemed to have forgotten to sleep and eat, Jiang Shuxuan couldn't bear to let her down.
Even though she didn't say it, he knew that she was studying acupuncture for the sake of Yin Guofu.
He knew of the doctor called Rong Feishuang. He was globally famous as a doctor, having a strange temperament, able to wrestle people back from the hands of death. Someone who was out of everyone's reach, and you would be lucky to catch a glimpse of him. He seemed to have good friends all over the world. No one would dare to go after the life of someone who would possibly be the one saving their lives in the future, after all.
Jiang Shuxuan narrowed his eyes in contemplation. If she really crippled Yin Guofu's hand, then he would find Rong Feishuang.
Others were helpless against the divine doctor, but he would find a way to do it.
"Grandfather, I want to ask a favor of you." Jiang Shuxuan stood to move in front of him, bowing low to Yin Guofu. "The child of my house has seen your injury, and she has bought countless medical books to study every day and night. She intends to diagnose and treat you, I hope that you will be able to agree to her treatment when the time comes. No matter what happens after, I will bear the responsibility. Don't put any of the blame on her."
Yin Guofu wasn't about to throw the courtesy he was shown back to his face, and he hurriedly pulled Jiang Shuxuan out of his bow. "I'm very happy that she has such a heart and intention, how could I place any blame on her?"