Chapter 47

After the engagement party, Guan Ying was busy every day discussing and preparing application materials with the consultants of the agency. Because her purpose was clearly to serve the family business after further studies, and her physical conditions were good enough, and Xiao Weiyan used his connections to recommend professors for her, the agency consultant quickly secured a one-year visiting scholar program for her at the University of Seattle School of Law.

Although the school wasn't highly ranked, and she wouldn't receive a formal degree, Guan Ying had no real ambitions. Her goal was simple: to apply what she learned, not become a lawyer. Xiao Weiyan connected her with a professor specializing in global trade law, who happened to be welcoming to visiting scholars from Chinese companies, making her application a breeze.

Xiao Weiyan contributed a lot to this matter. Guan Ying knew that he wanted to make amends to her, so she fulfilled his wish.

The application process was proceeding smoothly. She only needed to prepare herself and wait for the fall semester to start in a month. To quickly familiarize herself with life in Seattle, Guan Ying planned to leave a month early.

Mr. Guan hadn't expected his daughter's application to study abroad to be arranged so quickly and decisively. He couldn't bear to let her go so soon, and insisted on following her to Seattle. Now retired, he had plenty of time to spend with his daughter, and he was looking to make up for the missed opportunity. Mrs. Guan, worried that his going there would cause trouble for her, decided to go too and take care of her.

The family of three has been busy applying for visas and packing their luggage for days... It seems that everything in western Beijing has nothing to do with the old Guan family at this time.

The sun rises on time every day. This is how the world is. It will continue to turn without anyone.

But every Sunday night, Guan Ying would watch that rap show.

On the show that night, Qiao Qi was overrated and underplayed, a major upset that sent shockwaves through the internet. For over two weeks, fans and casual observers alike took to social media to speak out in her defense, accusing the production team of exploiting talented but unconnected minor stars to generate buzz. Sure enough, starting with the fourth episode, the production team responded to the public outcry and introduced a revival competition. Everyone assumed Qiao Qi was a grassroots figure with no connections, but little did they know she was backed by Qian Shaowei, one of the original initiators of the rap show.

In fact, except for the first episode, Qiao Qi did not appear in the second, third, and fourth episodes. But every time when watching the show, Lao Guan would come to disturb Guan Ying, sometimes interrupting her angrily, and sometimes criticizing her. The old man just couldn't appreciate hip-hop rap in any way.

Lao Guan often said, "Can this still be called a song? Is it listenable? These young people can't even speak clearly!"

Guan Ying was afraid he would cut off the power again: "Hey, Lao Guan, you're old and can't appreciate it. Go and do your own thing."

Lao Guan was not convinced: "Hey, your dad was young once too. What you listen to now are the leftovers from our generation. The best singers of this stuff are those black American guys, who adapted songs based on sex, drugs, guns, violence... We Orientals don't sing it that way. I think for us Chinese, the best thing is to listen to Peking Opera." As he said that, he stubbornly wanted to change the channel.

Fortunately, my mother would definitely uphold justice and pulled Lao Guan away in a strange tone: "Ha, Lao Guan, you are really fashionable, you are the most fashionable! If you want to listen to the opera, go listen to it by yourself, don't disturb her here."

Lao Guan didn't dare to offend his wife, so he would leave with a grumble at such times.

Guan Ying knew that Old Guan still couldn't let go of the Zheng-Qiao engagement. Actually, she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with her watching the show. Perhaps it was because she hadn't had any contact with the Zheng family in the past two weeks, and her only glimpse into their lives was through this show. Everything was calm, as if the dust had settled. There was a sense of emptiness that was hard to get used to. Perhaps this was the withdrawal effect!

Mrs. Guan, considering the feelings of the father and daughter, even though she still kept in touch with Aunt Zheng, she deliberately did not mention it at home. She would only occasionally let it slip, accidentally saying a few words, such as:

"Do we have to spend Mid-Autumn Festival in Seattle? Oh, I can't come back for the wedding. Why don't we prepare the red envelopes and give them to Lao Zhao in advance?"

"We should treat everyone to a meal before we go. We should invite Engineer Li along. If he hadn't been working overtime at the steel mill recently, the cooperation between Old Zheng and Shenzhen wouldn't have been going so smoothly. Before we go, let's arrange a thank you on behalf of Old Zheng. Last time in Old Zheng's yard, Engineer Li couldn't eat or drink because of our family, so we have a responsibility to make it up to him."

"I'll be gone for at least half a year. I can't leave my orchids unattended! Oh, forget it. I'll pack up and go to Aunt Zheng's house in a couple of days. Ju Yong is the same way. He was so anxious that he flew to Saudi Arabia on a business trip the night of his engagement. Old Zheng hasn't been home lately, and Aunt Zheng is so distracted at home every day. I'll just give her something to do!"

......

It seems that everyone is breaking away from some kind of relationship in their own way.

As the day of departure for Seattle approached, Lao Guan, following his wife's advice, decided to treat his old friends to a meal. The first call he made was to Zheng Dongfang.

Zheng Dongfang sounded very tired: "You've packed everything up so quickly?"

The old steward pretended to be calm. "Hey, most of the things will have to be bought again when we get there. There's not much we can bring from China, so it's easy to pack. I need to ask about your schedule first, as you're a very busy person, so I can arrange a date for dinner that works with your schedule."

Zheng Dongfang sighed. "Alas, when did we have to set a date in advance for our two families to have a meal? Guan Guan is so promising. Her aunt and I are so happy for her. Brother Guan, you can decide the date. I will definitely make it, but I'm afraid my wife won't be able to make it these days. She was called to Guangzhou early this morning."

The old steward was surprised and asked, "Did the girl go to Guangzhou? Wasn't she lying at home for the past two days, unable to be called out?"

Mrs. Guan rushed over and whispered, "Why are you going so far to Guangzhou? Isn't Juyong in the Middle East?"

The old steward knew that she was worried about the girl, so he pressed the hands-free button on his phone.

Zheng Dongfang, who seemed to have heard Mrs. Guan's words, explained, "Alas, Qiao Qi was recording a program all night last night and fell on the stage... Ju Yong is abroad and can't get back for the time being. I can't spare the time either, so his mother went over first."

Mrs. Guan was so frightened that her legs and feet went weak: "Oh my, what the hell, what's going on... That baby in her belly... Oh my, what should I do? How can her aunt go alone?"

Zheng Dongfang sighed. "Alas, I'd like to go with her, but the new factory is about to start construction, and the district government leaders attach great importance to it, so I have no choice but to stay."

Because of the tacit [withdrawal reaction], this time, no one in the Zheng family asked Guan Ying for help.

Lao Guan: "Then of course you can't leave. Alas! How did you all get together..." As he spoke, Lao Guan looked at his daughter who was sitting not far away.

Guan Ying's brows furrowed. If Aunt Zheng had been the energetic woman of the past, going to Guangzhou to deal with such matters wouldn't have been a big deal. But from what her mother had said recently, Aunt Zheng's condition had taken a turn for the worse, and it wasn't looking good. Qiao Qi desperately needed care, but Aunt Zheng couldn't even take care of herself right now.

No one said anything, but she couldn't just sit back and watch.

After Old Guan hung up, Guan Ying stood up and unpacked a few pieces of clothing and belongings from her suitcase for the trip to the United States. Mrs. Guan was about to ask her what she was planning to do, but Old Guan silently stopped her, shaking his head and waving his hand, "Since you're worried anyway, just let her go."

That afternoon, Guan Ying rushed to Guangzhou. The hospital arranged by the program team had obviously been taken care of by someone, and the confidentiality measures in the intensive care unit were in place. If Aunt Zheng had not come out to pick her up in person, she probably wouldn't have been able to get in.

"Guanguan, I heard from your mother that you rushed here as soon as you got the news. I felt really bad... You are going abroad in two days, and you came so far for our family's affairs..." Aunt Zheng burst into tears while speaking.

Guan Ying took out a tissue and gently wiped Aunt Zheng's tears. She glanced at the door of the ward and said, "Aunt, let's not talk about this anymore. How is Qiao Qi? Is her condition serious?"

Aunt Zheng shook her head. "She had just had surgery this morning, and she's been very emotionally unstable since she woke up. When I arrived, her mother was already inside with her, so I didn't dare go up to her and say anything... Just take care of her, and you definitely shouldn't go in... Just sit with me outside."

Guan Ying thought: It sounds like Qiao Qi probably didn't keep the baby in her belly. If I go in now, it will only upset her. It is indeed better not to meet her for the time being.

But he couldn't help feeling a little bitter in his heart: Aunt Zheng began to feel sorry for Qiao Qi, and he had finally become an outsider of the Zheng family.

Guan Ying didn't ask any more questions about the inside story, so as not to upset anyone. She nodded and said, "Okay, I won't go in. Let's do it quietly."

Aunt Zheng held her hand tightly, patted the back of her hand with gratitude, guilt and helplessness, tears welling up in her eyes.

Not long after, a plump, slightly fat but sophisticated woman hurried in, followed closely by a man wearing a black baseball cap and a mask.

The woman glanced around before entering the ward and hesitated when she saw Aunt Zheng and Guan Ying.

The man said, "It's okay, it's someone from her husband's family."

Guan Ying recognized the man's voice as Qian Shaowei.

The woman smiled and nodded to the two of them, then pushed the door open and walked in. After the man followed her in, she turned around, locked the door, and pulled up the curtain on the door frame.

This behavior is very strange, as if she is trying to prevent her husband's family from coming in.

Guan Ying reminded quietly: "Aunt, that person is Qian Shaowei."

Aunt Zheng thought for a moment. "Is it him? I guess his agent told him to come. I didn't see his face clearly, and I didn't even get up to say hello... He's a really good teacher to come all the way from western Beijing."

Guan Ying: "Is the one walking in front Qiao Qi's agent?"

Aunt Zheng nodded. "Yes, I heard people call her Sister Ling earlier. We're not from the same group, so I didn't say hello to her."

Guan Ying frowned. "Aunt, don't you know that Qian Shaowei is the producer of Qiao Qi's rap show? He should have been in Guangzhou recently. Such a big incident happened to the production team last night, and he only arrived this afternoon, which is really not early..."

Soon, the sound of bottles breaking was heard in the ward, accompanied by Qiao Qi's crying and scolding, Qiao's mother's coaxing, and the agent's persuasion...but Qian Shaowei's voice was nowhere to be heard.

Aunt Zheng couldn't help but worry and stood up to knock on the door.

Guan Ying held her back and asked, "Aunt, does Ju Yong know what's going on here?"

Aunt Zheng: "He only heard Sister Ling say this morning that Qiao Qi had fallen, and he anxiously asked me to come and check on her. He doesn't know about the surgery yet. As for the child... I didn't dare tell him... It's his first time in Saudi Arabia, and there are so many things waiting for him to deal with. Sigh..."

Guan Ying thought for a moment and said, "Aunt, did he say when he would be back?"

Aunt Zheng: "I didn't tell him the truth. He thought the problem was not serious. Besides, it seems that there are some problems in Saudi Arabia that he needs to deal with. It will probably take at least half a month for him to come back."

"Ah? Half a month?!" This is not like Zheng Juyong's behavior. Qiao Qi is pregnant and can't afford to fall. If it were before, he would have rushed back in a hurry.

Aunt Zheng said absentmindedly, "Am I being very selfish?... If Ju Yong came back now, I really can't imagine the scene. He likes Qiao Qi so much, and this child is their first child... Alas, I can't bear it, I can't say it..."

The ward door was pushed open, and Qian Shaowei hurried out with his head down. His agent, Sister Ling, quickly followed him out: "Mr. Qian, you can't leave. Let's discuss this. Qiao Qi, she's been upset now. Wait until she calms down..."

The two of them left the intensive care unit area one after the other.