Chapter 3-2
2
Qiao Wei's surgery was successfully completed. After Qiao Min specially asked someone to pull strings, he was moved from a multi-person ward to a single room.
He was woken up after the surgery and sent back to his ward. He quickly fell into a semi-conscious state and didn't fully wake up until the next morning.
He opened his eyes and saw Qiao Ru lying on a cot next to him, resting with her eyes closed.
He tried to move his body slightly, but he couldn't muster any strength. Not only that, his stomach was also aching, and the feeding tube inserted into his stomach greatly restricted his upper body.
Qiao Ruo was a light sleeper. She opened her eyes as soon as she heard the noise. Seeing Qiao Wei frowning and looking uncomfortable, she quickly got up and went over to him: "Dad, where does it hurt?"
Qiao Wei shook his head and said with some difficulty, "It's nothing." Because of the feeding tube in his throat, his speech was not very clear.
Qiao Ruo already knew from Lou Xufeng about the possible discomfort after the surgery, so she wasn't anxious. She smiled slightly and said, "The surgery went very well. Director Lou said that you can stay in the hospital for another week and rest at home for a while. You'll get better gradually."
Qiao Wei moved his lips, and Qiao Ruo immediately understood what he wanted to ask: "The extracted sample has been sent for pathological examination. We'll know the results in a couple of days. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Qiao Wei nodded and closed his eyes.
Qiao Ruo sat down by the hospital bed and massaged his legs and arms: "Mom was here last night too, but she couldn't stay awake any longer, so I told her to go home first. If you need anything, just tell me."
Qiao Wei hummed in response, sounding weak and listless.
“Dad,” Qiao Ruo stopped what she was doing a few minutes later and looked at Qiao Wei very seriously, “Xin Xin will come to see you later. It’s Sunday today, so she doesn’t have school. My sister… should be coming too.”
Last night, when Xu Mingyu chatted with her, she specifically instructed her to find an opportunity to persuade Qiao Wei to stop giving Qiao Min the cold shoulder. She wasn't really keen on being a peacemaker, not because she didn't want them to reconcile, but because she was unsure if Qiao Wei would listen to her advice. However, looking at Xu Mingyu's tired and noticeably aged face, she thought that if she showed even a hint of reluctance, it would be too hurtful.
Seeing that Qiao Wei still had his eyes closed and showed no reaction, she forced herself to continue, "You know how hard it has been for me these past few years. Xin Xin's... Dad is very busy, always either socializing or traveling for work, and he basically has no time to take care of the family and Xin Xin. You've been the one supporting the whole family. Xin Xin has grown up so well and is so lovable; you've really put in a tremendous amount of effort. Xin Xin is nine years old now and knows how to read people's expressions. She certainly doesn't want her grandfather and mother to have a bad relationship. Even for Xin Xin's sake, we have to let go of the past. And Mom, she loves you very much and loves me very much, but she also loves her other daughter. We can't put her in a difficult position."
She finished speaking in one breath, as if she had rehearsed these words countless times in her mind, and she couldn't help but be a little surprised. She suddenly realized that perhaps she had already forgiven Qiao Min a long time ago, but subconsciously she was unwilling to admit it. It seemed that once she admitted that she had let go, those feelings of loving someone would completely become a thing of the past, and she couldn't bear to let go.
Qiao Wei remained silent, whether he was asleep or pondering Qiao Ruo's words, it was unclear.
"Moreover... you are a very responsible and competent father, you have no doubt about that."
Qiao Wei suddenly opened his eyes and stared at her intently. She wasn't really comfortable talking so frankly with an elder, so she could only continue massaging his arm to try and distract him and ease the awkwardness.
Qiao Wei looked at Qiao Ruo, then at the clean, spacious, and brightly lit single ward in front of him, and sighed almost inaudibly.
Seeing his expression, Qiao Ruo knew he had listened to some of the advice, so she changed to a more relaxed tone: "Anyway, my sister will be here soon, and I can't stop her. If you continue to be angry with her, it won't be good for your recovery. You might have to stay in the hospital for a few more days, which will cost a lot more money." Her tone implied, "I don't care anymore, you have to accept it whether you like it or not."
Qiao Wei waved his hand at her, mumbled "I know, I know," and closed his eyes again.
Qiao Min brought Xin Xin to the hospital with Xu Mingyu. She didn't go into the ward but stayed outside. Before Xin Xin went in, she told her to keep quiet after seeing her grandfather and not to disturb his rest.
As soon as Xin Xin entered the room, she let go of Xu Mingyu's hand, rushed to Qiao Wei's bedside, grabbed his hand, and asked with her big, bright eyes, "Grandpa, Grandpa, are you in pain?"
Qiao Wei squeezed her hand, then shook his head with a smile.
Qiao Ruo also smiled: "Grandpa is fine, he'll be alright after a few days of rest. Sigh, why don't you call for your aunt?"
Xin Xin felt a little embarrassed and quickly called out "Auntie": "I'm here to see Grandpa, so of course I'll talk to him first."
Qiao Ruo touched her black ponytail: "Yes, you put Grandpa first. If Grandpa knows that, he will definitely recover faster."
"Really?" Xin Xin immediately turned to Qiao Wei and smiled sweetly, "I love Grandpa the most, Grandpa, you must get better soon."
Qiao Wei was in a great mood upon hearing this, nodding repeatedly with a kind expression.
Xu Mingyu looked at her granddaughter with a smile and said to Qiao Wei, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Xin Xin has grown up so much. She's not only healthy and beautiful, but also very sensible. I still remember when she was born, her skin was dark, she was thin and small, and she didn't have much hair, which was yellowish. At that time, I was worried that she would have a weak constitution and thin hair when she grew up. Now I see that I was really overthinking it. Old Qiao, look how well Xiao Min takes care of her. Her hair is black and shiny now."
Qiao Wei remained silent, his gaze fixed on Xin Xin's face.
Xu Mingyu stopped laughing, opened her mouth as if to say something more, when Qiao Ruo walked up to her, put her arm around her shoulder, and said softly, "Don't worry, Mom, Dad won't be angry with my sister anymore. The doctor came to check on her this morning, and so far, she seems fine. You keep an eye on the IV drip, I need to go out and make a phone call, I'll call my sister in then."
Xu Mingyu understood and was pleasantly surprised: "Then go quickly."
When Qiao Ruo left the ward, she saw Qiao Min leaning against the wall on one side of the corridor, standing there in a daze.
She hesitated for a moment, then said as she passed Qiao Min, "I talked to my dad this morning. Why don't you go in and see him? It'll be alright."
Qiao Min came to her senses, first surprised, then her eyes reddened, but she didn't say anything, just nodded and turned to walk into the ward.
Qiao Ruo didn't have time to imagine how her father would react to her sister's appearance. Holding her phone, she quickly walked into the elevator. After leaving the inpatient department, she went straight to the small square where she had talked with Qiao Min the previous morning.
She sat down on the bench, opened WeChat, and made a video call to He Yajun. It took her a while to answer.
When He Yajun's face appeared on the phone screen, Qiao Ruo let out a long sigh of relief, trying to calm her racing heart, which was pounding with nervousness and anticipation. The last time she saw his face was in a hotel room… Aside from the comforting voice call he made yesterday morning, they hadn't had many opportunities to chat properly in the past week. He was clearly very busy, and she didn't dare disturb his work or sleep. Plus, there was a time difference of over ten hours between them—one daytime, one nighttime—making it difficult to find a suitable time for a video call.
He Yajun looked a little thinner in the video, but her eyes and expression were gentle: "Are you up?"
“It’s almost ten o’clock here, how can I not get up?” She couldn’t help but smile. “The sun is out today, and I’m sitting outside sunbathing. It’s warm and comfortable.”
How is your father?
"I'm awake now. My mom just came over, so it's my turn to rest."
"Thank you for your hard work, baby."
She was stunned: "What did you call me?"
"..." He stroked his chin, puzzled, and asked, "What did I call you?"
She was speechless, stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly smiled: "What do you think, baby?"
He Yajun's lips curled up: "You called me 'baby' and I was so mesmerized that I forgot what I said."
"...You're something else," she said deliberately with a hint of resentment.
"What should I do? You've bewitched me, I won't be able to sleep tonight, you have to take responsibility for me."
Looking at his smiling face, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if a stone was blocking it, making her feel suffocated and uncomfortable.
She composed herself, winked at him, and smiled sweetly: "You're mine. Don't worry, I'll definitely take responsibility for you, baby."
His eyes flashed, and he laughed loudly: "That's it, now I really don't need to sleep."
"Anyway, if you can't sleep on the weekend, just use the time to think about me," she decided to end this mushy conversation. She stared at the background behind him, guessing that he was probably sitting somewhere in the living room. "Can I see where you live?"
He Yajun raised an eyebrow: "Wait a minute, let me tell the girl next to me to find a place to hide so you don't find her."
Qiao Ruo was amused: "No need to hide. Call her out. I believe that if I call you 'baby' again, you will voluntarily kick her out."
He Yajun laughed so hard his shoulders shook. As he laughed, he flipped his phone camera so she could see what was happening at his place.
She was right; he was indeed in the living room, sitting on the sofa.
"The apartment I rented isn't big. This type of apartment is called 1b1b, which means it has a separate bedroom and a separate bathroom. The kitchen is open-plan, and the dining room is quite small, or you could say there isn't one. However, the living room is a decent size." He explained carefully as he walked around. "I usually stay in the living room when I need to work."
As the camera moves, she sees a white dining table, two chairs of the same color, a half-open bedroom door that is indistinguishable between beige and gray, a long, dark desk, a black office chair, a television, a large floor-to-ceiling window, a sofa covered with a colorful striped blanket, a small table next to the sofa, and three brightly colored decorative paintings hanging on the wall behind the sofa.
"The living room is indeed very big; it feels like you could fit a bed in it."
“There’s no need to spend money to buy another bed,” he said, turning the phone camera back to himself as he sat back on the sofa. “The bed in the bedroom is big enough for both of us.”
"..." Qiao Ruo's lips twitched slightly. She smiled and asked seriously, "There's enough room for the two of us to sleep. What about that girl who was next to you just now? You saw how charming I am, didn't you? I didn't even call you 'baby,' and you already kicked her out."
He Yajun was taken aback, then grinned and laughed again, this time even more heartily, her eyes almost squinting into slits: "Qiao Ruo, I'm enjoying chatting with you more and more."
Qiao Ruo loved his smile, and all her worries turned into sweetness: "Since you're so happy, I'll call you every day from now on. Don't find me annoying."
"You can call me anytime you want. You're my girlfriend, so of course you have that privilege."
Hearing the word "girlfriend" made her both happy and a little shy.
“Qiao Ruo,” He Yajun’s smile faded slightly as she looked directly at her, her eyes swirling with emotions she couldn’t decipher, “would you like to come to America and spend the New Year with me?”
Qiao Ruo froze, a pang of bittersweet feeling welling up inside her. She loved him, and he clearly missed her too, perhaps wishing, just as she did, that they could walk hand in hand in the sunlight, in the night, and among the crowds. In a foreign country, she could do everything she wanted to do with him—things that normal couples do.
Go ahead, life is short, even if you can only experience it once, it's enough.
"Okay." She nodded.
He Yajun hadn't expected her to agree. He paused for a moment, then immediately smiled. The curve of his lips widened, and perhaps because of the warm lighting, his entire face radiated a gentle glow. His eyes were so deep that she involuntarily held her breath. She even had the illusion that he had fallen in love with her.
Qiao Ruo stared at him on her phone screen with near-obsession. After twelve years, she found herself hopelessly in love with his smile once again.
"Ya Jun, I will definitely go," she said with unusual determination.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you.” His voice came from halfway around the world, equally firm. “We need to hurry up and get our passports and visas.”
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have them all."
He Yajun was surprised, but quickly realized what was happening.
“I applied for it this June. At that time, the desire to go to the United States suddenly became very strong, so I asked a colleague who had been to the United States for advice. However, my visa was only valid for one year, but it should be enough.” Qiao Ruo chuckled. “But I wasn’t going to see you back then, because that’s not realistic, and I wasn’t even sure if you were still in the United States. I just wanted to go to Philadelphia, which you once told me about. I didn’t dare to hope for a chance encounter with you. But… in the end, reason prevailed over emotion, and I still couldn’t bear to spend the money.”
He Yajun smiled at her, and she felt a little awkward, waving her hand: "Yajun, don't make fun of me."
He shook his head: "I'd be crazy to laugh at you. I'm overjoyed. I was a little worried that you'd have trouble getting a visa since you resigned."
"Yes, luckily I acted impulsively at the time."
"Tell me your planned travel dates later, and I'll book the tickets."
Qiao Ruo was happy to let him make arrangements, but she made one request: she wanted to pay for her own round-trip airfare. He Yajun couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to agree.
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