Chapter 28

Night fell and the air outside the boxing gym was chilly.

The light from the street lamps shone on the asphalt road, reflecting a sense of alienation and coldness.

Zou Ping pushed open the glass door, and the heat and noise of the hall were instantly left behind. She carried her bag, her shoulders still relaxed from exercise, and walked briskly.

But the next moment, a shadow suddenly blocked the way.

"Ping."

The voice was low and hoarse, carrying a familiar yet unfamiliar oppression.

Zou Ping was stunned and her breathing stopped instantly.

Under the light, the face looked haggard and rough, with messy stubble, but the eyes were as sharp as a hungry wolf.

Her father, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, stood right in front of her.

"Finally found you." My father grinned and forced a smile.

My heart suddenly tightened, as if something was uncovered from the depths of my memory.

Zou Ping's fingers were tightly clasped around the strap of the bag, and all those cold scenes about "marrying in exchange for a gift" came back to her mind in an instant.

"What are you doing here?" She said in a cold voice, trying her best to remain calm.

The father coughed, his eyes wandering, and then he changed to a flattering tone: "I am your father. I am in some trouble and need your help."

"what would you like?"

"Money." He enunciated the word crisply, as if it were the most natural thing.

The air grew icy cold.

Zou Ping's eyes grew colder: "I didn't."

The man's smile froze, and then he lowered his voice with a hint of threat: "Don't play dumb. You're with Tang Yuchuan, and you still need money? Doesn't he care about you very much? If you don't help me, who will? I'm your biological father."

He took a step closer, his voice filled with inertial pressure.

Zou Ping subconsciously stepped back, feeling nauseous.

How did he know that she was with Tang Yuchuan?

How did you find yourself here?

For a moment, the myriad things on her mind made her panic, but she forced herself to calm down.

"You have nothing to do with me." Zou Ping tried to keep her voice steady, but every word she said was sharp.

His father's smile completely faded, his eyes gleaming with sternness: "Don't be ungrateful! I've raised you to where you are today! No matter how good Tang Yuchuan is, he's not your biological father. Do you think you're sincere by being with him? Ha, it's just another kind of deal."

Zou Ping frowned. Was this a deal between her and him?

If it's a transaction, that's fine.

But there was nothing between them, only his help to her, her debt to him, her love for him, and his acceptance of her.

During the limited time that the two were together, Zou Ping had doubted the authenticity of their relationship countless times.

It seems like a dream.

Zou Ping didn't want others to criticize Tang Yuchuan. The father in front of her was like a bomb that could explode at any time.

She suddenly felt a strange fear in her heart, afraid that Tang Yuchuan would be dragged into some kind of controversy because of her. Although, in her heart, Tang Yuchuan was so powerful that he could do anything.

Seeing her silence, her father's eyes flashed with pride: "So? Something you don't want others to know, right? If you're sensible, give me some money and I'll shut up."

The wind blew through the street corner, bringing a cold and suffocating feeling.

Zou Ping's fingertips trembled slightly, but she forced herself to look up and face it.

Let's get rid of him first and then think about it later, she thought.

"How much?" Her voice was cold and steady.

My father narrowed his eyes and held up five fingers. His rough palm cast a shadow under the streetlight. "Fifty thousand."

Zou Ping's heart sank.

The balance in her bank account was only a few thousand yuan. Although Tang Yuchuan had given her a card, she always felt that living in his house was already a benefit and she didn't want to ask for more.

"Are you kidding?" she asked back coldly.

His father's eyes glared, and a sinister smile appeared on his lips. "Fifty thousand is not enough. You're following Tang Yuchuan. What's his status? Just giving you some pocket money is enough. Don't tell me you don't have a penny on you."

Zou Ping's breathing tightened slightly, but she suppressed her panic: "Tang Yuchuan and I are not that kind of relationship. I just don't have much money on me."

"Then find a way." My father's tone was cold, as if he was giving an order.

Zou Ping tightened her fingertips, and the fear in her heart turned into cold anger.

She stared at the man in front of her, her voice suddenly sharp: "I only have 3,000 in my card right now. If you want it, take it. If you don't want it, forget it."

My father was stunned for a moment, his face suddenly darkening: "Three thousand? Are you kidding me?"

"This is the limit I can give you." Zou Ping gritted her teeth, each word clear, "One more point, no."

The air suddenly became stiff.

Her father's chest heaved, his eyes devouring her.

Zou Ping did not give in, because she knew that if she took another step back, she would fall into an abyss.

The silence stretched to its limit.

Zou Ping suddenly pulled her phone from her bag, the light from the screen reflected on her stern face. Her fingertips rested firmly on 110.

"Do you want me to call the police or not?"

The voice was not loud, but it pierced the air like a knife.

Her father was stunned for a moment, then sneered. He pulled out an old phone with a cracked screen from his pocket, flashed the payment code, and pushed it in front of her: "Don't play tricks on me. Didn't you say you had three thousand? Transfer it now."

The lit QR code was dazzling under the dim street lights, like an approaching net.

Zou Ping's eyes darkened slightly, and she slowly took out her mobile phone and operated it quickly with her fingertips.

When she transferred the three thousand yuan, her expression remained cold and hard, without any wavering.

“Ding——” the payment reminder sounded.

The father glanced down and saw the double-digit balance in Zou Ping's purse. The corner of his mouth curled up, but his smile was full of sarcasm: "Tang Yuchuan, such a big boss, only gave you this little money? Is it to send away beggars? If I were to say, you should learn more from your father in this regard. You are a pretty girl..."

"Shut up!" Zou Ping interrupted angrily, "...I know what I should do."

She didn't have much time to hesitate, and she finally said this ambiguous sentence.

She didn't want others to think that Tang Yuchuan was a stingy person, because he was not.

But she couldn't let her father know she had money, otherwise she would be caught in a cycle of blackmail.

She didn't want people to think that Tang Yuchuan was a man who had improper relationships with women, because he was not.

But was her relationship with Tang Yuchuan really a normal relationship? Even she herself didn't think it was. They were very equal, and if she told anyone else, no one would believe it.

When her father heard what she said, he showed an expression as if he saw through her, and then he snorted, as if he had heard a joke.

"Want face? Ping, you really were raised by your mother. You're so obsessed with face that you suffer in your life." He smacked his lips and lowered his voice, but with a calculating excitement, "You'll definitely get some benefits from following Tang Yuchuan. Don't be silly. No matter how powerful a man is, it's only natural for him to spend some money on a woman. If you really know how to live, you should seize this opportunity."

Zou Ping had a cold face and did not respond.

But her father took her silence as tacit consent and lowered his voice even lower, his tone carrying three parts of flattery and seven parts of threat: "What's three thousand? Don't pretend to be sensible or rich. Money is omnipotent. What's the use of three thousand? Go get something bigger next time! Fifty thousand or a hundred thousand is just a drop in the bucket for him. Don't worry, your dad didn't ask for it for nothing. When I recover, when Tang Yuchuan doesn't want you anymore, maybe you will still have to rely on dad."

"I don't need to rely on you. After that day, there will be nothing between us." Zou Ping's voice was cold, with an unquestionable hardness.

They had a tacit understanding about that day.

My father was stunned for a moment, then smiled, his smile thick with sarcasm: "Okay, you can do it. Then you can figure it out slowly. Anyway, you can't get away, I will come to find you."

After saying this, my father turned around and was about to leave.

At this moment, Zou Ping suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait." She stared at him, her voice tense. "You came to Beijing, where's Mom? Where is she? I sent her messages recently, but she rarely replied. How do you treat her..."

Zou Ping suddenly felt a little hesitant to continue.

She always felt a little guilty towards her mother.

Although she was heartbroken at one point when her mother chose her father, she also understood that the concepts her mother had accepted since childhood were different from hers, and she always felt a little reluctant to see her abandon her and leave that home.

My father was slightly startled, turned his head, and a hint of impatience flashed in the depths of his eyes, but soon replaced by a meaningful look.

"Why, you're only thinking of your mother now?" He sneered softly, but his tone was deliberately heavy. "Your mother is ill and came to Beijing for treatment. But when she mentioned you, her face turned cold, saying that you've grown independent and no longer care about her. Ping, your mother is suffering, so she doesn't want to pay attention to you."

"Mom's sick?" Zou Ping's heart tightened, and her voice suddenly rose, but it sounded particularly thin under the streetlight. Her fingertips were stiff, tightly grasping the rough cloth. "What's wrong? Why didn't you tell me? Which hospital is she in?"

Her father looked at her panic, with a slight curl of his lips, showing a condescending attitude.

"Is it any use telling you? You're high and mighty now, living in a big house, following Tang Yuchuan. How can you remember the hard times back home? Your mother knows very well that you don't care about her."

"Is she...really sick?" Zou Ping lowered her voice, as if she was afraid the answer would be too harsh.

"Of course it's true." His father sighed, but with a hint of gloating, "Ping, it's okay if you don't believe me. You can go and see for yourself later. But your mother is upset now. She feels that you left her alone and only wanted a man instead of her biological mother. If you are truly filial, give her some money and treat her illness first."

With these words, he turned the topic back to money.

Zou Ping stared at him, her throat seemed to be stuck with something.

The news of his mother's indifference surfaced in his mind, and combined with the words of the man in front of him, it brought an indescribable sense of oppression.

She didn't dare to trust her father easily, but the worry about her mother grew like weeds in her heart.

His father's back disappeared into the night, but Zou Ping remained standing there.

The wind blew, and the street lights stretched her shadow very long, so long that it seemed to merge with the darkness.

Her fingers held the phone stiffly, but she didn't dare to click on the contact.

Her mother's cold words kept coming to her mind again and again, making her chest feel tight.

Her breathing suddenly became rapid, and a familiar feeling of suffocation surged in her throat. She subconsciously raised her hand to press her chest, as if to force the feeling of oppression back.

But my heartbeat became heavier.

The street lights swayed slightly in front of her eyes, and a low "tick-tick" sound seemed to ring in her ears - not the sound of rain, nor the sound of wind, but some kind of regular pulsation.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Like liquid medicine falling to the bottom of a bottle.

The brightly lit ward.

The cold white light shone on Tang Yuchuan's face, making the shadow of his brow bone darker.

He was half leaning on the hospital bed, with a needle inserted in his arm and medicine dripping into his blood vessels through a thin tube.

His breathing was slightly heavy, and there was a slight wheeze as his chest rose and fell.

The green curve of the monitor jumped one by one, and the cold numbers reminded people of the body's fragility.

"You're playing with your life." Lu Zhe's voice was steady, but he suppressed his anger, like a muffled sound hitting the air.

Tang Yuchuan didn't say anything, but just looked up at the ceiling, his eyes as dark as the night.

"Your lung function has declined significantly. If you continue to treat your allergic asthma, your heart will also develop problems." Lu Zhe closed the medical record and said in a colder voice, "If you keep holding on like this, you're not supporting the company, you're just wasting your time."

"Yeah." Tang Yuchuan responded, his voice low and muffled, perhaps because he was not feeling well.

"The weather has been terrible lately, and you refuse to rest properly. I reminded you yesterday not to go to the factory, but you ignored me."

Tang Yuchuan closed his eyes and seemed to have no strength to refute. He just raised his fingers and tapped the edge of the bed, as if to indicate "I understand."

"Know?" Lu Zhe sneered. "I just saw your lung function test. Allergic asthma shouldn't be exposed to dust, cold, or strenuous exercise for a long time. You've been enduring this for the past few years, and your heart has taken a toll. You're only 37, and you're already relying on medication to get by. What are you going to do in the future?"

The words were cold, but not heartless, instead they were filled with deep concern.

Tang Yuchuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm, as if he had been prepared for life and death: "It's not that serious."

"Don't fool yourself." Lu Zhe slammed the medical record shut and lowered his voice. "Your body is most vulnerable to emotional fluctuations and overwork. Don't think I don't know what's going on in your family. Your father passed away just like that, and Tan Jing dumped Hongsheng, such a mess, directly on you... Even the strongest person wouldn't be able to handle it, let alone your broken body..."

"Okay!" Tang Yuchuan raised the corner of his mouth. He was a little disgusted with Lu Zhe's nagging, but he also felt a little warm.

There are not many people in this world who truly care about him, and Lu Zhe is one of them, Tang Yuchuan knows that.

Lu Zhe wanted to continue talking, but when he saw the smile on Tang Yuchuan's lips and the hidden fatigue in his eyes, he suddenly didn't want to continue giving instructions.

Or, he knew that it was useless to give him instructions, so he might as well just let him rest for a while.

The sound of the intravenous dripping is like time being broken into pieces, knocking into the silent night bit by bit.