Chapter 6: Sun Xiufen's Identity

Linyun Central Hospital, second floor ward.

Yang Dong’s head was wrapped in white gauze bandages, faint traces of blood seeping through. In his hazy state, he vaguely heard voices speaking beside him.

“Mom, if Yang Dong hadn’t shielded me, I might have been the one lying here unconscious.”

“And at the karaoke lounge, it was Yang Dong who helped me out—otherwise, I would’ve been dragged off to drink with Wu Jiancai.”

“Mom, the officials in Linyun are corrupt, public safety is terrible, it’s been this way for years. Maybe I should just go back to work in the provincial capital?”

Yang Dong slowly regained consciousness. Just moving his shoulder sent a searing pain shooting through his whole body, making him cry out involuntarily.

“Hiss—”

Guan Jiujui, who had been recounting last night’s events to her mother Sun Xiufen with a face full of anger, spun around at the sound from the hospital bed.

“Yang Dong, you’re awake…”

She hurried over, her tone soft with concern.

Sun Xiufen sat in a chair, her bearing dignified. Though in her forties, she looked quite young. Even in a simple red coat, she exuded an extraordinary air.

Watching her daughter show such care for this young man, Sun Xiufen couldn’t help but frown. But seeing Yang Dong’s battered state, she sighed. If not for this young man, her own daughter might have been in real danger.

“Jiujui… what happened to me? Where am I?”

Yang Dong touched his head, wincing at the bandages and the large bump on his forehead. Any movement sent pain lancing down his spine.

“You’re in the hospital. Don’t you remember what happened last night?” Guan Jiujui’s eyes were red as she looked at him, worry etched on her face.

Yang Dong was stunned, then recalled a group of men getting out of a van and beating him without a word. He’d shielded Guan Jiujui, and then… nothing.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” he asked anxiously, looking her over.

“I’m fine, you protected me. But you—last night you had an emergency CT. They said you have a mild concussion. The rest are just bruises and scrapes.”

Guan Jiujui felt both guilty and deeply grateful to Yang Dong. Last night, he had saved her twice—once her dignity, once her life.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I’m tough, a few punches are nothing.” Yang Dong breathed a sigh of relief and tried to smile, but the split at the corner of his mouth made it painful.

“Young man, thank you for saving Jiujui,” Sun Xiufen said. “Don’t worry about hospital bills—just rest and recover.”

Yang Dong hadn’t realized there was someone else beside him. He looked in surprise at Sun Xiufen, then at Guan Jiujui, puzzled.

“Yang Dong, this is my mom. You can just call her Aunt Xiufen,” Guan Jiujui quickly introduced.

“Ah… Auntie, hello.” Yang Dong struggled to sit up; it was disrespectful to speak to elders while lying down.

“It’s alright, young man, just lie down!” Sun Xiufen hurriedly pressed him back, alarmed. “The doctor said you need rest.”

She was pleased with his manners—he wasn’t arrogant or entitled just because he’d helped her daughter.

“Rest? I can’t, I have to get to work.” At the mention of bed rest, Yang Dong became anxious. He looked at the window; it was already midday.

“Jiujui, what time is it?” he asked urgently.

“You’ve been unconscious all night. It’s already noon the next day.”

“No, no, I have to get to work…”

He was already half a day late, and he hadn’t called in. The General Office was swamped with work, and recently, things hadn’t been going well for him. He’d offended several leaders just yesterday, making himself an easy target.

Until Secretary Yin was safe, he had to be cautious.

“Hey, what are you doing…” Guan Jiujui exclaimed as Yang Dong stubbornly pushed himself up and tried to get out of bed.

Sun Xiufen was astonished—she’d never seen a young man so badly hurt insist on going to work.

“Young man, it’s alright, just rest for a day or two,” she urged.

Yang Dong grimaced, “Auntie, I work in the General Office. There’s too much to do—I really can’t be absent.”

“Oh? You’re a civil servant?” Sun Xiufen raised her brows in surprise. Her daughter hadn’t mentioned this.

“Yang Dong works in the General Office, but things have been rough lately,” Guan Jiujui explained to her mother.

“I really can’t stay. Jiujui, Aunt Xiufen, I’m sorry.” Yang Dong didn’t dare waste another minute. He pulled out his IV needle, pressed the site, and headed for the door.

“Yang Dong, wait—” Guan Jiujui started after him.

“Jiujui, let him go,” Sun Xiufen stopped her.

She could see that Yang Dong was determined. She’d rarely encountered such a stubborn young man.

“Jiujui, tell me more about him. Why has it been so tough for him lately?”

Guan Jiujui sighed and began to explain.

“He broke up with his girlfriend half a month ago—well, actually, she cheated on him. She’s my colleague at the hospital, Han Wen.”

“And the day before yesterday, Secretary Yin Tiejun from the General Office was taken away by the disciplinary commission. Yang Dong was brought into the office by Secretary Yin himself, he’s one of Yin’s people.”

“Now that Secretary Yin’s been taken away, it’s clear Yang Dong’s days in the office won’t be easy.”

“And last night, to save me, he offended Deputy Secretary Tang from the City Committee Office, Director Ma from the Investment Bureau, Deputy Secretary Tian Guanghan from the General Office, and Deputy Chief Chen from the Public Security Bureau.”

“Most importantly, he offended Wu Jiancai from Jiancai Industries. The thugs last night were definitely sent by him—it’s outrageous!”

Guan Jiujui told her mother everything she knew.

Sun Xiufen was stunned. She realized she’d underestimated the gravity of Yang Dong’s actions. Was the kid an idiot? Risking so much for someone he barely knew, offending so many city leaders?

Or did he have ulterior motives?

But that seemed unlikely—no one would risk their entire career for such a gamble.

Could he know her own identity, and be deliberately getting close to her daughter?

That, too, seemed impossible. She’d never publicly appeared in the Linyun government circles, and her daughter was never the type to flaunt family connections. She’d never mentioned their family background to anyone.

As for whether Yang Dong could have heard rumors about her husband’s transfer? That seemed even less likely—the news was so sudden, she herself had only found out yesterday.

No, as a low-level official, there was no way he could have known.

Sun Xiufen thought deeply, her expression complicated. In the adult world, one always considered such things first.

“Mom, if Yang Dong loses his job, it’ll be because of me,” Guan Jiujui said anxiously.

Sun Xiufen shook her head and smiled gently. “Don’t worry, if he’s forced out of the General Office, our City Committee’s Publicity Department will take him in! Honest and unafraid of power—he’s a good young man.”

Guan Jiujui finally smiled, her eyes turning to crescents. That was exactly what she’d hoped for in telling her mother—after all, her mother was the executive deputy director of the Linyun City Committee’s Publicity Department, in charge of daily operations.