Chapter 81: Dr. Vance Wants It Too?

After a restless night, Jean Vance hadn’t slept well. He splashed his face with cold water, blinked, and forced himself to look alert, only relaxing once he was sure no one could tell.

Amanda Vance had to perform acupuncture on Mr. Ford today, and there were preparations to be made beforehand, so she dropped Jean off at school early.

At the school gate, Amanda reached out and pinched his cheek, reminding him, "If anyone bullies you at school and you don’t want to tell me, you can always talk to your teacher."

She hadn’t said that to him ever since he’d fought off those troublemakers.

A flicker of light crossed Jean’s eyes. ’Those words were probably meant for Felix Ford.’

And the one bullying Felix Ford, if he wasn’t mistaken, was him.

He gave a light cough to suppress a pang of guilt and nodded. "Don’t worry about me, Mom. Just focus on your work."

Seeing his obedient demeanor, Amanda’s heart softened. "Okay. My Jean is the most capable; I really don’t need to worry about you. Go on."

"Okay." Jean followed his teacher inside.

Halfway there, he turned back and met Amanda’s gaze, giving her a wave with a small smile on his lips.

Amanda waved back, as was their habit.

Mother and son shared a smile, a picture of warmth.

Jean turned his head, the smile on his face gradually fading. He didn’t regret bullying Felix Ford. His mom belonged to him alone; they were the real family.

’I need to pick a house quickly and move out of the Ford family’s place.’

’It’s just a temporary place. No need to decorate it as meticulously as a permanent home. We can just buy a move-in ready house.’

He thought about the information on buying a house he’d looked up yesterday. He could check again later to see if there were any suitable options.

He just hoped his mom would cut ties with the Ford family soon, and that she’d never have to see Samuel Ford again.

At this thought, his pace couldn’t help but quicken.

Once his figure disappeared from sight, Amanda turned and got back in her car. It wasn’t long before she reached the hospital, where she ran right into Samuel Ford at the entrance.

They both got out of their cars at the same time and paused for a moment. Then Amanda smiled and greeted him, "Mr. Ford."

Samuel Ford gave a slight nod, the coldness on his face thawing a little. "Dr. Vance."

The entrance wasn’t the place for pleasantries, so they headed inside. They didn’t say much along the way, just exchanged a few casual words.

"Have you eaten, Dr. Vance?"

"Yes, I have."

"And you, President Ford?"

"I’ve eaten as well."

After that, the atmosphere grew a bit stiff. Amanda waited for a moment, but he didn’t say anything. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him knitting his brow in deep thought, likely struggling to find a new topic of conversation.

She couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. This kind of casual small talk was probably something he’d never experienced.

A wicked sense of amusement came over her as she watched him rack his brain, curious to see what he would say next.

Just as she had that thought, she heard him ask, "What did you eat, Dr. Vance?"

She couldn’t hold it back and a snort of laughter escaped her.

Samuel Ford stopped in his tracks. He glanced sideways at her, only then noticing her face was full of laughter, blooming freely. It made her already stunning features even more vivid, turning her into the most beautiful sight in the world.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. Samuel forced himself to look away, his gaze slowly filling with confusion. ’Did I say something funny?’

Amanda hadn’t meant to laugh out loud, but she just couldn’t help it when President Ford spoke up so perfectly on cue.

Now, seeing him looking at her, she felt a pang of ill-timed embarrassment.

She half-closed her fist and coughed lightly into it. Not daring to look at his expression and feeling a bit guilty, she discreetly lowered her eyes, suppressed the smile on her lips, and said, "Sorry, I just thought of something amusing."

Samuel gazed at her, and seeing her evasive expression, he understood. He replayed the recent exchange in his mind, then looked away as well, pursing his lips without another word.

He guessed she was laughing at him, but strangely, even knowing that, he didn’t feel angry. Instead, there was a pleasant feeling of having broken the ice.

’This isn’t like the polite relationship between a doctor and a patient’s family. It’s more like we’re friends.’

Amanda fiddled with her fingertips, the amusement in her eyes not yet gone. She glanced at Samuel Ford, and seeing he wasn’t angry, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her smile grew wider. She truly hadn’t expected President Ford to have such a... well, cute side.

’To think he’d be the type to desperately make small talk.’

The two walked to the hospital room in silence, both holding back a smile.

Mrs. Ford was wiping Mr. Ford’s face. When she turned around, she saw Amanda’s radiant smile. Looking at her eldest son, she noticed that although he wore his usual expressionless face, she somehow felt he was in a good mood.

How to put it? It was like he had a bit more of a human touch to him.

As she thought this, her gaze couldn’t help but travel between the two of them. ’Something feels a little different about these two.’

Amanda didn’t notice her train of thought. After entering the room, her attention immediately shifted to Mr. Ford, and the smile on her face faded slightly.

She took Mr. Ford’s pulse, then nodded and said, "We’re about ready. I’ll prescribe some herbs for a medicinal bath in a moment. Sir, you’ll just need to soak in it for half an hour. It will make the subsequent acupuncture more effective."

A medicinal bath?

Mr. Ford had never had one before, but he had indeed been feeling much more spry recently, and his speech had even become a little clearer. He didn’t hesitate. "I’ll do whatever Dr. Vance says."

Amanda loved cooperative patients like him. They were a pleasure to work with and saved a lot of trouble.

"Good. Please rest for a bit, then. I’ll go make the preparations."

The old headmaster had been delighted to learn she was an attending physician at Central Hospital. Seeing how tired she was running back and forth, he had decided to get admitted himself. His room happened to be right next to Mr. Ford’s.

Amanda went over to check on his condition. After all, the old headmaster had cancer, so she couldn’t be careless.

Fortunately, the localized cancer cells were already showing signs of receding. Compared with the initial test reports, the effect was now even more obvious.

"How is he?" the headmaster’s wife asked nervously.

Amanda released his wrist and said with a smile, "Much better. In a few days, ma’am, you can take the headmaster for another scan to see for yourself."

Seeing it for themselves would put them more at ease.

It wasn’t a matter of whether they trusted her; it was simply concern for a loved one.

The old headmaster watched her with a grin and waved his hand. "I feel much better, too. This old woman is just worrying for nothing."

The headmaster’s wife shot him an exasperated glare.

Seeing this, Amanda chuckled and said, "That’s because she cares about you, sir."

"Exactly! This old coot doesn’t know what’s good for him."

She’d even called him an "old coot," so she must have been genuinely a little annoyed. The old headmaster, a well-read man, knew that discretion was the better part of valor. He didn’t push back and quickly surrendered, begging for forgiveness. This earned him another glare from his wife, but after glaring, she couldn’t help but laugh and complain to Amanda that he was just an old kid.

Amanda watched this scene with a smile, a faint trace of envy in her eyes.

’The headmaster and his wife have such a wonderful relationship. They’ve really walked hand in hand through half their lives and have rarely ever argued. It’s so nice.’

When she walked out, Samuel Ford was waiting outside. He heard the sound and looked up, catching the lingering wistful look in her eyes. He was slightly taken aback.

He glanced behind her, then understood. He lowered his gaze to meet hers and asked, "Do you want a relationship like that too, Dr. Vance?"