"I'm satisfied that it can be returned to its rightful owner." Lu Zheng vaguely sensed that her words were implied. "Don't overthink it."

Qiao Zhen gave a mocking smile. "Of course not, I'm asleep."

As she spoke, she retreated to the doorway and was about to close it without hesitation.

Lu Zheng raised his hand to block the door.

Qiao Zhen tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She patiently asked, "Is there anything else you need, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Zheng said, "I'll ask a caregiver to come and keep Auntie company. You should go and rest. You don't look well..."

"I'm not comfortable with that," Qiao Zhen said decisively.

Lu Zheng looked at her long, fine eyelashes, which trembled slightly like butterfly wings, casting a dim blue hue under her eyes, and her delicate face showed signs of fatigue.

His heart clenched, and he slowly lowered his hand.

Qiao Zhen closed the door, and soon the dim light shining through the curtains went out.

Before Lu Zheng could even ask for the ointment, the red rash on his face had subsided somewhat and wasn't as irritating anymore, but he still had to continue applying the ointment.

She proactively applied medicine for him this morning, but now she doesn't even see him.

Because of her mother's illness, Qiao was exhausted and had no time to care about anything else.

Lu Zheng picked up the plastic bag and waved it in front of him; the aroma of food wafted out.

Forget it, I have plenty of time with Qiao Zhen.

Qiao Zhen spent the whole night worrying about her mother's health and couldn't sleep well. When she woke up the next day, her dark circles were even worse, and she also had back pain.

She had experienced similar situations before when she stayed with Qiao's mother and slept on a folding bed for one night. She was used to it. She casually rubbed her waist, and before Qiao's mother woke up, she went to the bathroom to put on light makeup, returning to everyone with a healthy and radiant appearance.

The first thing Mrs. Joe did after waking up was to look at the Heart of Eternity.

Qiao Zhen felt helpless but glad that she had asked Lu Zheng for the ring last night. She took out the ring box from her bag and handed it to her mother.

The treasure she cherished as her life was back in her hands. Qiao's mother was in tears, and the crystal tears fell onto the diamond, making its brilliance even more magnificent. "That's wonderful... Zhenzhen, you and Lu Zheng must grow old together and make up for your father's and my regrets."

Qiao Zhen's eyes sparkled, and she smiled broadly. "I will, Mom."

Qiao's mother leaned down and hugged her daughter, patting her back, "I really want to see you wearing a wedding dress and walking down the aisle soon."

"Um..." Qiao Zhen felt even more guilty.

Mother Qiao then asked, "By the way, what about the men's ring?"

"..." Qiao Zhen licked her dry lips awkwardly, "They're with President Lu."

Mrs. Qiao laughed, "That's right, it should be with him. Speaking of which, how did you find the Heart of Eternity?"

Qiao Zhen found it even harder to speak; how could she dare let her mother know that Lu Zheng had spent seventy million on a ring...

She thought for a moment and said vaguely, "President Lu has a wide network of connections and is well-informed. He found out that someone wants to do charity and sell these rings."

"Then..." Mrs. Qiao was a little worried. She knew how much Mr. Qiao had spent on the rings back then. "That boy Lu Zheng must have spent a lot of money to buy these rings back, right?"

Qiao Zhen felt her throat getting even drier and hoarse. She swallowed hard and joked lightly, "Mom, Dad bought the Heart of Eternity and made a promise to you. This affection is unparalleled. Talking about money would be vulgar."

Qiao's mother patted her daughter's hand, "You must treat Lu Zheng sincerely and live a good life together."

"I will." Qiao Zhen was relieved to see the medical staff arrive. "Mom, the doctor is here for rounds. You need to have some tests done today. I'll take you to the examination room."

"Okay." Qiao's mother took one last, reluctant look at the Heart of Eternity before returning it to Qiao Zhen.

Qiao Zhen quickly put it away.

Qiao's mother's legs were not very good. She supported her arm, and as soon as she exerted force, her waist throbbed with pain. She silently gritted her teeth, first moved Qiao's mother to the wheelchair, and then immediately held her waist, feeling as if it was about to break.

"Zhenzhen?" Qiao's mother noticed something was wrong and looked at her nervously.

Qiao Zhen immediately grabbed the wheelchair handle, smiling easily and gently, "Let's go, Mom."

Mrs. Qiao looked at her again and again, and nodded.

Qiao Zhen pushed the wheelchair out of the ward, the pain in her waist was more severe, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

She hastily raised her hand to wipe her face, and after a brief blur, the figure in front of her gradually became clear, and Lu Zheng's acting sunny smile came into view.

It's like a persistent ghost.

Lu Zheng waved to Qiao's mother, "Good morning, Auntie."

Mrs. Qiao perked up immediately. "Lu Zheng is here." She called to the nurse to push her wheelchair. "You two don't need to stay with me. Go downstairs for a walk."

"Auntie," Lu Zheng glanced at Qiao Zhen, "I have some work to attend to and need Qiao Zhen's assistance. Could I borrow Qiao Zhen for a few hours?"

"Sure, sure!" Mrs. Qiao was eager for the two of them to spend more time alone together and nurture their relationship.

"Mom!" Qiao Zhen glared at Lu Zheng with a headache and resentment.

Those cunning and manipulative men are truly adept at winning people's hearts.

Lu Zheng smiled back at her calmly, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Don’t worry about me,” Mrs. Qiao said, pointing to the nurses. “They’ll take care of me.”

Lu Zheng said, "I know you're worried, so I hired a caregiver to look after Auntie during your work hours."

As they were talking, a woman in her thirties came up to Qiao Zhen and her mother and showed them her identification.

She graduated from a top medical school with a nursing degree and previously worked as the head nurse at the best private hospital in Jiangcheng. Her competence is beyond question.

Qiao Zhen couldn't find any fault with her. Encouraged and expectant by her mother's eyes, she first escorted her mother to the examination room door, and then went downstairs with Lu Zheng.

As she stepped down the stairs, the corners of her mouth twitched a few times.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!