Chapter 34 Why did she return to Chu City again?

Yu Xin frowned: "Chu City?"

A soft "Mm" came from the other end of the phone.

He paused for a moment before saying simply, "Okay."

Not long after, the call was disconnected.

Another attempt that ended in failure.

Yu Xin leaned against the wall for a while. The hospital's fire escape route was quiet and brightly lit, illuminating the deep, layered staircases.

He turned around, opened the heavily closed emergency exit door, and returned to the corridor. There was still no sound around; the VIP wards in the high-rise hospital ward were always so quiet.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils. Doctors and nurses in white uniforms passed by him. Yu Xin stopped outside an ICU ward and peered into it through the glass with a gloomy look.

Aunt Chen just came out. She saw Yu Xin, tugged at his arm, and whispered, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Are you hungry? Go eat first. I'll stay here and watch over you."

Yu Xin didn't move, but asked her, "Aunt Chen, do you have a cigarette?"

Aunt Chen glared at him: "Where would I get cigarettes from?"

"Where are my dad's cigarettes?" Yu Xin asked.

Aunt Chen pinched him hard and said, "You little brat, with your dad's lungs, it's a miracle he's alive. And you still dare to smoke. Does he think he's not sick enough?"

She wasn't done scolding him yet, glaring at him and saying, "Try smoking again. Don't think you're young and your body can take it. You'll end up with this disease like your dad."

After saying that, Aunt Chen felt it was an ominous sign, so she quickly spat a few times, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Yu Xin's lips twitched, and he slowly walked out.

"Where are you going?" Aunt Chen asked from behind him.

Yu Xin didn't turn around. His back looked thin and lonely under the cold white lights of the hospital corridor.

He said, "Let's go eat."

Yu Xin was wearing a black coat, his face was pale and bloodless, and his eyes were cold. When he entered the elevator, there was a mother and daughter standing inside. When the little girl looked up and saw him, she subconsciously shrank behind her mother, not daring to look at him. She thought this man looked like a messenger from hell in a TV series.

There are many restaurants near the hospital, but Yu Xin just wants a bowl of hot wontons, preferably the kind Shen Mengqing makes, with dried shrimp and seaweed.

He had Aunt Chen make it for him a few days ago, but the taste was just not right, and he couldn't eat more than half a bowl.

Ever since that person came to see him, his appetite has been getting worse and worse.

He hadn't walked far when he was lucky enough to come across a noodle shop. Yu Xin lifted the oilcloth curtain at the entrance and went inside.

The shop owners were an elderly couple, so Yu Xin ordered the cheapest vegetarian wontons and found a corner seat to sit down.

The restaurant was quite crowded, and the steam rising from the pots drifted out of the kitchen and wafted into the main hall, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

The wontons he ordered were served on the table, sprinkled only with chopped green onions, and were very bland.

Yu Xin pulled out a piece of paper, wiped the spoon, then stirred the soup with the spoon before scooping up a wonton and putting it in his mouth.

He didn't have high hopes, but it turned out to be surprisingly good.

He looked out at the street, chewing slowly as the delicious flavor of the wontons spread in his mouth.

Yu Mochen's condition suddenly worsened tonight, just half an hour ago.

He and Aunt Chen sat in the ward. Aunt Chen had been taking care of him all day and was catching up on sleep in a chair, while he leaned against the door, looking at messages on his phone.

Upon hearing the machine emit a sharp sound, he reacted quickly by pressing the call button to summon a nurse. At the same time, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed, making it difficult to breathe normally, and his fingertips were trembling slightly.

It turns out that he was also afraid of Yu Mocheng's death.

Aunt Chen was startled awake, and many people rushed into the room. After examining Yu Mocheng, the doctor and nurses said his condition was not optimistic and recommended that he be transferred to the ICU.

Yu Xin and Aunt Chen helped the nurse push the hospital bed. After it was settled in the ICU ward, the nurse told the family members to wait outside, so he came out.

He had already settled down. Through the glass, he gazed at Yu Mochen's face as he fell into a deep sleep, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

Ironically, the days he spent in a deep sleep were the most harmonious period they had ever had since becoming father and son.

The surroundings were completely silent. He looked at the clock hanging in the hospital corridor and suddenly felt an urge to call Shen Mengqing and tell her everything he had been hiding.

He wanted to meet her, but he never expected that she would be in Chu City.

Why did she return to Chu City again?

Yu Xin paused, remembering something.

Last month, he met Yang Chuan from Santong at a business dinner. As they chatted, Yang Chuan mentioned that a salesperson from Yusheng had recently applied for the position of assistant to the chairman at Santong. He was very satisfied with the person and planned to keep him.

Yu Xin casually asked who it was, and Yang Chuan immediately opened the resume on his phone. When he saw Shen Mengqing's smiling ID photo on the screen, his eyes instantly turned cold.

Didn't she keep saying she wanted to buy a house in Beicheng, that she wanted to live in Beicheng for her father's sake? Why would she want to go back to Chucheng?

Seeing that he was staring at the screen in a daze, Yang Chuan asked him if he knew this person. Yu Xin shook his head and said he didn't know him.

He advised Yang Chuan that the position of assistant to the chairman was very important, and the evaluation period should be longer before making a decision. His father had also made mistakes at work because of his assistant. Of course, he wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with the applicant, but he just hoped that Yang Chuan would be careful.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Chuan agreed that he made sense, and Yu Xin thought he had taken his words to heart.

Could it be that Shen Mengqing is going to Santong to confirm his employment?

Thinking of this, he immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Hao Qisi, asking him what Shen Mengqing was doing back in Chucheng.

Hao Qisi quickly replied:

"My aunt had surgery, and she's going back to visit her."

Yu Xin breathed a sigh of relief, but was still inexplicably afraid.

He hesitated for a moment, then opened the ticketing app and bought a ticket to Chucheng for tomorrow.

-

Shen Mengqing asked Liang Jun for leave that night. Liang Jun was obviously a little dissatisfied with her. After agreeing, he gave her a warning, saying that she had been asking for leave too often lately.

She has now come to terms with it and can calmly face Liang Jun's accusations against her.

In order to get back to Chu City as soon as possible, she bought a sleeper ticket for the night and didn't even pack much. She just stuffed a few work clothes into her bag and rushed to the train station.

After her father passed away, she became extremely sensitive to Hao Meng's health condition, even more so than Hao Meng himself. Even though Hao Qisi told her that Hao Meng's surgery went smoothly and was a minor procedure, she was still incredibly worried, as if a heavy burden was pressing on her chest.

The sleeper berth was conveniently located, and she bought a lower berth ticket. To prevent herself from overthinking, she fell asleep fully clothed as soon as she boarded the train.

She lay in bed for eight or nine hours that night, but didn't actually get much sleep. She was constantly woken up by the coming and going of passengers. After waking up naturally at six o'clock, she was too lazy to go back to sleep. After a quick wash, she was almost at the old train station in Chucheng.

After successfully exiting the station, Shen Mengqing hailed a taxi and headed straight to the hospital.

Hao Meng was in a regular hospital ward. There were three beds in the room. When Shen Mengqing walked in, the middle bed was empty, and an old lady was sitting near the door. Hao Meng was lying on the innermost bed with his back to the door.

It was still early, and Hao Meng was still asleep. Shen Mengqing knelt beside her bed and closed his eyes to catch up on sleep.

About an hour later, her third aunt came to deliver breakfast. When she saw Shen Mengqing lying by the bed, she rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.

She gently patted Shen Mengqing, and when she slowly woke up, she asked softly, "You child, why did you come back? You didn't even tell me beforehand that you were coming to pick me up."

Shen Mengqing stood up sleepily, tied her loose hair into a low ponytail, and said, "I made this decision on the spur of the moment."

Auntie rummaged through the insulated bag she had brought: "Luckily, I brought a lot of porridge and steamed buns, enough for you and your mom to eat."

Hao Meng woke up at this moment and was taken aback when he saw Shen Mengqing. He murmured, "Why are you back?"

Shen Mengqing snorted and said, "If I hadn't come back, I wouldn't have known you had surgery."

Hao Meng glanced sharply at his third aunt. His third aunt guessed that it was Hao Qisi who had told Shen Mengqing. She pretended to be busy and served them breakfast, saying, "Eat breakfast first, don't let it get cold."

The steamed buns were made by her third aunt. Shen Mengqing took a bite; the skin was thin and the filling was generous, making them very delicious. She asked, "Third aunt, I heard you want to open a shop?"

"Why does Hao Qisi tell everyone everything?" Auntie San smiled awkwardly.

"That's great. If you need any help, just let me know," Shen Mengqing said.

Auntie waved her hand: "There's no need for you. Just focus on your work in Beicheng. You came by sleeper train, right? Go back and rest first. I'll stay with your mom. Come back when you're rested."

“Yes,” Hao Meng chimed in. “Xiao Qing, you should go back and get some sleep.”

Shen Mengqing: "I'll go back after I finish eating."

As she was eating, a nurse came to check on her. Fearing that her aunt and Hao Meng might be hiding something, she asked the nurse. Fortunately, Hao Meng was indeed fine and could be discharged in a few days. Shen Mengqing finally felt relieved.

She hadn't rested well and looked even more haggard than Hao Meng. After finishing her meal, she left the hospital and went home to catch up on her sleep.

...

Shen Mengqing slept for almost six hours without eating lunch, and woke up at 3 p.m.

Auntie would prepare Hao Meng's three meals a day. After going out, Hao Meng would eat a quick meal near the neighborhood to fill her stomach, and then she would mooch off Hao Meng's dinner in the evening.

When she arrived at the hospital, the ward was much livelier. A middle-aged couple, presumably her child, were sitting next to the grandmother on the bed by the door. Shen Mengqing met their eyes and nodded with a slight smile.

She sat down next to her third aunt, who patted her pants and said, "It's perfect that you're here. I'll go back and cook some dishes, and come back tonight."

After her aunt left, the atmosphere between her and Hao Meng soon became quiet. Shen Mengqing glanced at the fruit on the bedside table, picked up an apple, peeled it, and gave it to Hao Meng.

Hao Meng rubbed his leg, glanced at Shen Mengqing, and said, "I met Xiaolin's parents once last month."

Shen Mengqing paused in his grip on the knife, then replied, "Oh."

"He found a rich second-generation girlfriend not long after breaking up with you. Why didn't you tell me about this? Could he have cheated on you?" Hao Meng said with a frown, looking preoccupied.

Shen Mengqing handed her a cleanly peeled apple and said, "No, if he really cheated, I would definitely confront him and demand an explanation. However, his situation could be considered seamless."

Hao Meng took a few big bites of the apple in frustration: "That won't do either. I thought Xiao Lin was a good person. If I ever run into his parents again, I won't give them a nice look."

She changed the subject: "By the way, how are things going between you and Li Qinghe?"

The door to the ward was suddenly closed. The middle-aged couple had come out, but through the blurry glass in the center of the door, a dark shadow could be seen, as if someone was standing in front of the door.

"That's fine then."

Shen Mengqing gave a perfunctory reply.

Seeing that Hao Meng still wanted to ask more questions, Shen Mengqing changed the subject and brought up another matter.

"Mom, I want to go back to Chucheng to develop my career. What do you think?"

Hao Meng was completely stunned, forgetting to chew the apple he had just eaten.

Upon realizing what Shen Mengqing was talking about, she was overjoyed, her eyes lighting up: "Really?!"

Immediately, she lowered her head and stared intently at Shen Mengqing, saying, "You weren't bullied in Beicheng, were you?"

"No." Shen Mengqing smiled slightly. "I just wanted to come back."

Hao Meng smiled sincerely and said, "Of course I support you. I was worried that Dad's situation would keep putting pressure on you. But, are there any good job opportunities in Chucheng?"

"I've already contacted a company, and I'll go there tomorrow for a few days of trial work. There shouldn't be any problems."

Hao Meng said, "That's great. I'll buy you an apartment as soon as you get back. Oh, and a car too."

Hao Meng chattered on and on about the arrangements for Shen Mengqing's return. Shen Mengqing listened quietly, but for some reason, she wasn't as happy as she had imagined about returning to Chu City.

After a while, the middle-aged couple came in carrying bags of packed food. The aunt, who was behind them, was carrying several bags of fruit and skincare products. She walked up to Shen Mengqing and said, "You ordered these things, right? I just saw them left at the door. There are only our two families in this house."

"I don't think so."

Shen Mengqing picked up her phone in confusion and found an unread message from Hao Qisi, saying that he had bought some things and had a delivery person bring them to the ward.

She quickly stood up to take the things and said, "I'm sorry, they're ours. Thank you for your help."

"Did you buy these?" Hao Meng glanced at the delivered items; none of them were cheap.

Shen Mengqing frowned: "No, it was a gift from a friend."

If she said it was a gift from Hao Qisi, her third aunt would be furious if she knew he spent so much money on it.

She replied to Hao Qisi by saying:

"Where did you get the money? These things cost almost several thousand."

Hao Qisi said, "Sister, don't worry about it. I have my own difficulties too."

Shen Mengqing: "..."

She was looking down at her phone when she heard the sounds of people chatting in the hospital beds.

"Did you just see that young man? He's tall and handsome, and a lot of nurses were secretly looking at him."

"It's not that exaggerated. I'd say I have a normal appearance among men."

"I think you're blind. That's not handsome."

...

It was as if two wires had been connected in Shen Mengqing's mind, sparking with a snap.

She immediately picked up her phone and hurried out the door. There were many people in the hallway, but she didn't see that familiar face.

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Author's note: Curiosity's mouth is a complete sieve!