Chapter 160: Related to Her?

Mr. Ford didn’t wake up until the next day. When he did, he just stared blankly at the ceiling, refusing to speak or move. He didn’t react at all when anyone spoke to him.

It was easy to imagine what a heavy blow this had been for him—not just physically, but psychologically.

When Amanda Vance arrived, Mrs. Ford was wiping away tears. She forced herself to smile upon seeing her. "Megan, you’re here."

On the bed, Mr. Ford, who had been completely still, finally shifted his gaze toward Amanda Vance. His expression was complex.

Amanda didn’t understand why, so she stepped forward to check his pulse. But the moment she placed her hand on his wrist, he suddenly grabbed it. She looked up at Mr. Ford in surprise.

Mr. Ford only held her hand for a moment before letting go. Then he turned his head away, presenting her with the back of his head.

’He doesn’t want to see me?’

Now Amanda was even more baffled.

Mrs. Ford was stunned as well. She gave Amanda an embarrassed look and said, "He’s probably still not all there. He’s just dazed."

As she spoke, she secretly shot Mr. Ford a glare, completely baffled by his behavior.

Amanda smiled, not letting it bother her. She said softly, "Mr. Ford, let me check your pulse. You’re very weak right now, so please try not to get worked up."

He didn’t pull away this time. Amanda checked his pulse. Everything was fine—no major issues or lasting effects. He was just a bit weak. However, he still refused to turn his head back toward her.

Confused but unwilling to press the issue, Amanda simply turned to Mrs. Ford, gave her a few instructions, and then left.

Mrs. Ford jotted down every word. After seeing Amanda out, she returned to the room and walked around to the other side of the bed. Frowning at her husband, she complained, "What was that all about? If it weren’t for Megan, you wouldn’t even be alive right now. Why are you giving her such a hard time?"

Mr. Ford closed his eyes.

Seeing this, Mrs. Ford grew even more irritated. "Listen to me, I’ve already picked out Megan as my future daughter-in-law. You need to be nicer to her. Things are already difficult enough for our son; don’t you dare drag him down..."

She continued to mutter and grumble. Just as she finished her sentence, Mr. Ford suddenly turned his head toward her and said hoarsely, "No."

"No to what?"

"Samuel and Megan... no."

’They can’t be together.’

Mrs. Ford had long considered Amanda her own daughter-in-law, so she was not at all pleased to hear this. "What are you trying to do? I told you not to make things worse, and now you’re cursing them? If those two really don’t end up together, it’ll be all your fault."

"They cannot be together!" Mr. Ford suddenly became agitated, his voice sharp.

Mrs. Ford was taken aback and stared at him, stunned, for a long moment. Seeing that he wasn’t joking in the slightest, she didn’t dare provoke him further. "All right, all right. Don’t get worked up. Just lie back down. I’ll drop it."

Only then did Mr. Ford lie back down. A look of profound pain flashed in his eyes as he avoided his wife’s searching gaze.

’It wasn’t that he didn’t want Megan as his daughter-in-law... but it was impossible.’

’Mrs. Ford truly didn’t understand. He had always been so supportive whenever she’d brought it up before. Why the sudden change of heart?’

’She thought back carefully. The change seemed to have started right after he woke up. He had been perfectly fine before his episode yesterday.’

’So, could it be that he thinks Megan is a bad doctor and is blaming her for what happened?’

’How could he be so ungrateful!’

She shot him another secret glare, her heart crying out at the injustice toward Amanda.

’It was his brother who set him off! What does Megan have to do with any of this?!’

’He’s getting old and senile.’

Amanda was also mulling over the incident. She could sense Mr. Ford’s rejection of her.

’It wasn’t disgust, but something more like helplessness and regret, mixed with a hint of pain... It was too complex for her to fully decipher.’

This only deepened her confusion. ’Why would he look at me like that?’

"Master."

Just as she was lost in thought, Mr. Lynch came in. He had dark circles under his eyes, but his expression was electric with excitement. "I think I’ve made another breakthrough with the Nine Revolutions Needle Technique!"

He launched into an excited explanation as soon as he entered, detailing his new insights. "Master, am I on the right track?"

Amanda nodded. He had indeed made significant progress.

Her approval made Mr. Lynch even more ecstatic. "I got a copy of the procedure recording. I’ve been watching it nonstop since I got home. It’s just incredible."

Even though he was already well-acquainted with the legendary Nine Revolutions Needle Technique and had even practiced it himself, he was still mesmerized every time he watched Amanda in action.

Once his initial excitement faded, he finally noticed that Amanda’s expression was off. "Master," he asked, puzzled, "did something happen?"

Amanda was still preoccupied with Mr. Ford. Hearing his question, she replied, "From now on, I’ll leave Mr. Ford’s care to you. He’s out of immediate danger, so you can observe his condition. You might even gain some new insights."

The effects of the Nine Revolutions Needle don’t manifest all at once; the body continues to gradually improve over time. That’s part of the technique’s magic. It would be fine for him to monitor the patient’s progress up close.

For some reason, Mr. Lynch felt there was a hidden meaning in her words, but he couldn’t put his finger on it and decided to drop the matter.

"All right. I’ll be sure to update you if anything changes."

"Good."

Mr. Lynch had his own patients to see, so he didn’t stay long before returning to his office.

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose and began seeing her patients. When noon arrived, she still hadn’t gone to see Mr. Ford.

After his clear reaction to her that morning, she felt showing up again might upset him. Even though the blockage in his blood vessels had been cleared, his body was still weak. It was best for him to remain calm.

But even after thinking about it all morning, she couldn’t figure out the reason for his behavior.

He had been perfectly fine before, and now he was acting like this. The only thing that had happened in between was his medical crisis.

And that crisis had been triggered by Samuel’s second uncle.

’So, did the uncle say something to Mr. Ford? And was it about me?’

This confused Amanda even more. She had never met Samuel’s second uncle. Before returning to the country, she’d had no contact with the Ford family whatsoever. She couldn’t imagine what they could possibly have to say about her.

Just as she was pondering this mystery, a knock came at the door, and Samuel Ford walked in.

Amanda snapped out of her thoughts. "President Ford, what brings you here?"

Samuel Ford was holding an insulated lunch container. "I noticed you hadn’t gone for lunch, so I came to check on you."

He held out the container. "I happen to have an extra serving. Would you like it, Dr. Vance?"

"Sure."

Seeing her accept, Samuel opened the container.

Inside were rice, a few side dishes, and a fish soup at the bottom. It was a complete, untouched meal.

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Did you miscount how many people you were feeding, President Ford? To just ’happen’ to have one extra meal."

At her words, Samuel let out a soft chuckle. He looked up at her, and seeing she had already seen through his excuse, he decided not to hide it. "It’s not extra," he admitted freely. "I brought it specifically for you, Dr. Vance."

Of course, Amanda already knew that. But hearing him say it so directly made it feel... different.

Her eyes flickered away, avoiding his gaze. Amanda changed the subject. "President Ford, have you heard about what happened with your father?"