Chapter 20
No one noticed Shen Hanyang standing at the door.
In the kitchen, Qiao Yi and Yan Qing's conversation continued.
"So you two really have nothing going on?" Qiao Yi scratched his head, looking completely confused.
As Yan Qing wiped the table, she said, "It's like two curves of an inverse proportional function."
Qiao Yi asked, "What do you mean?"
Yan Qing shoved the rag into his good hand: "They're not even in the same quadrant."
Qiao Yi was even more confused: "No way, I've always had a keen sense for romantic relationships, he clearly has feelings for you..."
Yan Qing gave him a light tap: "You're just playing matchmaker!"
Qiao Yi sighed: "Maybe I was too impatient, wanting to see you find a good home as soon as possible, otherwise I wouldn't be able to rest in peace even if I were buried in the ground."
With a loud crash, the stack of bowls in Yan Qing's hands was slammed heavily onto the table.
Qiao Yi shrank his neck: "See, you get angry as soon as I mention this, but we can't keep running away from it. I can't bear to leave you all alone in this world, all alone and helpless."
After saying this, he noticed Yan Qing staring at him, and that look made him swallow the rest of his words. He only heard her say, "Next time, I will definitely bring a man back to fulfill your wish."
Qiao Yi was skeptical, unsure whether she had compromised or was merely stalling for time.
Yan Qing placed the last of the cooked dishes on the table, untied her apron, and only then did Shen Hanyang enter the room.
Qiao Yi hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "You must have come all this way to buy this, right? I forgot to tell you, there's a small shop in the alley to the left after you go out the main gate."
Yan Qing was serving rice in the kitchen when Shen Hanyang went over to help her, saying, "Give it to me." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that her eyes were a little red.
The meal was eaten very quietly.
Qiao Yi tried several times to start a conversation to liven up the almost awkward silence, but seeing that neither of them intended to speak, he had no choice but to give up.
Meanwhile, Yan Qing's WeChat kept buzzing with messages. Qiao Yi noticed that she looked unwell while looking at her phone.
While washing the dishes after dinner, Yan Qing was distracted and accidentally broke a plate.
Qiao Yi called out from outside, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Yan Qing said.
She bent down to clean up the mess on the floor, and accidentally cut her finger, blood seeping out. She didn't say anything, just rinsed it haphazardly under the tap. Just as she was about to continue cleaning, a hand stopped her.
"I'll do it." Shen Hanyang swept the plate shards into the dustpan, asked Qiao Yi for some wide tape, wrapped the shards together, and threw them into the trash can. Then, as if by magic, he produced a band-aid and tossed it to her: "Wrap it up."
Then, he picked up a dishcloth and silently washed all the remaining dishes and chopsticks in the sink. Yan Qing tried to help, but he physically blocked her from doing so.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Shen Hanyang and Qiao Yi said goodbye. Qiao Yi asked him to stay a little longer, but Shen Hanyang only said, "I won't bother you any longer. I have things to do back in S City."
During their polite exchange, Yan Qing remained silent, her eyes glued to her phone. Her screen was on WeChat, with new messages popping up every now and then.
"Qingqing, Qingqing."
Qiao Yi called her several times before she finally snapped out of her daze: "What?"
“Mr. Shen is leaving, and you’re going back to Anchuan, so this is convenient for you.” Qiao Yi hinted to her with his eyes.
Yan Qing remained silent.
Shen Hanyang glanced at the travel bag on the sofa. The old, faded, and deformed backpack was brought by Yan Qing. Before lunch, he saw her take out a few pieces of clothing from it and put them into a small storage box under the clothes hanger.
“Teacher Yan probably doesn’t plan to return to S City,” Shen Hanyang said.
“She should go back,” Qiao Yi said. “She always takes the bus, which is so inconvenient. Since she’s been able to get a ride here thanks to Mr. Chen, you should go all the way and take her back too. Qingqing, let’s go.” Qiao Yi nudged the dazed Yan Qing.
Yan Qing said blankly, "I originally planned to stay here for a while."
Why are you living here?
"I'll take care of you," Yan Qing said.
Qiao Yi was shocked: "Don't talk nonsense in front of Mr. Shen! I'm an innocent young man, if word gets out I'll ruin my reputation! I have hands and feet, why do I need a weak woman like you to take care of me?"
Qiao Yi urged her several times, almost trying to coax her out.
Shen Hanyang smiled faintly and walked out the door alone.
"Mr. Shen."
Hearing Yan Qing's call, he stopped. Turning around, he saw her looking at him with a melancholy expression.
"If it's convenient, could you give me a ride?"
It started raining heavily on the way back. The rain was torrential, and the windshield wipers seemed ineffective. Yan Qing's WeChat voice message rang. She stared at the lit-up profile picture on the screen for a long time before finally pressing the answer button.
"I'm on the highway, we'll talk when I get there... I told you I'm on the highway..." After hanging up, Yan Qing gripped her phone tightly. Her sigh could be heard in the quiet car, as light as a falling leaf.
In the dim light, Shen Hanyang caught a glimpse of her deeply furrowed brows.
"You live with Qiao Yi?" he asked, seemingly casually.
Yan Qing was stunned for a moment: "Us?..." She moved her lips, but didn't know how to explain.
“It’s not what you think,” she said softly.
Shen Hanyang smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" Yan Qing asked, puzzled.
Shen Hanyang glanced at the rearview mirror, the smile still lingering on his lips: "Don't be nervous, I won't overthink it. I know that not all men and women living under the same roof are considered cohabiting."
Yan Qing felt something was off about those words, as if they were implying something, but she didn't have time to analyze it. Every now and then, she would open the map on her hand, where the blue dot representing their location was moving at a steady pace.
Shen Hanyang glanced at her out of the corner of his eye: "In a hurry?"
Yan Qing quickly turned off the screen. But not long after, she couldn't help but ask, "Approximately how long will it take to get to S City?"
Shen Hanyang kept his eyes fixed on the steering wheel and said, "It's hard to say. The rain is too heavy and visibility is poor. We can only go up to 80 km/h. Going any faster is not safe. Besides, there are large trucks ahead."
Yan Qing had been distracted the whole way, and only now did she notice a truck driving far ahead. The truck body was blurred, and only two huge taillights reminded her of its presence in the torrential rain and fog.
The rain was pouring down harder and harder, showing no sign of stopping. The water on the road was already deep, and Chen Hanyang carefully controlled the car's speed and direction.
Suddenly, a Toyota CRV sped past them from the left rear. As it drove through the puddle, its tires slipped, the car swayed uncontrollably, and it hurtled towards them. Shen Hanyang tried to avoid it, but it was too late.
At the moment the two cars collided, Yan Qing was thrown against the car door with a dull thud.
Yan Qing felt her mind go blank for a few seconds. When her scattered consciousness returned, a voice came from afar: "Someone is injured. Please hurry, thank you!"
She slightly opened her eyes and moved slightly. Her body ached, but the worst pain was in her head.
Her body was still leaning against the car door, a position that made her very uncomfortable. She involuntarily tried to adjust her position, when she suddenly felt a warmth on her hand.
"Don't move, the ambulance will be here soon."
Outside the window, the torrential rain continued. Ahead, the Toyota CRV's front end was wedged against the guardrail, like a wounded wild animal, its headlights flashing in terror. In the flickering light, she saw her hand being gripped by another.
She gently withdrew her hand.
"I'm fine." She struggled to sit up straight, reached for her phone under the seat, and checked the map. "Is it impossible to walk anymore?" she asked, her voice full of worry.
"You can leave as soon as the ambulance arrives."
Yan Qing nodded, looking relieved: "I'll get off at the nearest subway station..."
"We'll take you to the hospital for a checkup first."
"I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital. Just take me to the subway station..."
"You're still taking the subway?" Shen Hanyang sounded angry. "What's so urgent that it's more important than your life?"
Yan Qing lowered her eyes.
Shen Hanyang leaned back in the driver's seat, no longer speaking. In the minutes following the crash, Yan Qing was unconscious, yet she clutched her phone tightly. The phone kept ringing; he saw the caller ID: Feng Xin. He didn't know what urgent matter they had that made her so attached to her phone even in a life-or-death situation—a phone so old he couldn't recognize the model. Only when she regained consciousness did the phone slip from her hand.
The Toyota driver was nowhere to be seen; he was most likely driving under the influence of alcohol and fled the scene to avoid liability. The ambulance sped Yan Qing and Shen Hanyang to the hospital.
They were injured to varying degrees.
Yan Qing bumped her head and got a rather large bump. The emergency room recommended a brain MRI to check for any intracranial injury.
Her phone rang again. She glanced at Shen Hanyang and walked straight into the corridor.
She answered the phone while hiding behind the fire door in the emergency exit.
Feng Xin's attitude was as rude as ever: "Your brother needs to pay his tuition soon, when will the money arrive?"
Yan Qing said, "I don't have that much money right now."
"Didn't you find a part-time job?"
"I've been fired."
"Are you kidding me? Even without a salary, the school still pays me quite a bit!"
"Qiao Yi needs a lot of money for medical treatment and medicine, and he also needs surgery. I really can't give you that much money right now."
Feng Xin snapped, "Did you lose your mind? What does Qiao Yi have? An incurable terminal illness! Spending money on him is basically throwing it away! You won't help your own brother, but you'll help an outsider? Don't you have any conscience?"
"First of all, I don't have a younger brother. Feng Yiming is your son, so the responsibility of paying his tuition is yours. Second, it's not your place to judge whether I have a conscience or not. Haven't I been oppressed and exploited by you enough since I was a child? Finally, if you're going to be a beggar, then act like one. Asking me for money with such a rude attitude, do you really think I can be manipulated like this?"
Feng Xin was furious: "You dare talk back to me? Keep being so stubborn. Let me tell you, if my son can't go to school, I won't live either. I'll fight you to the death!"
Yan Qing sneered: "Feng Xin, you're a mad dog."
"I'm insane! If you push me too far, I'll kill a couple to whet my appetite! Your teacher, and that brat who's your buddy, if I can't handle you, I can at least handle them! Don't forget what I do!"
Yan Qing felt a chill run down her spine. She knew Feng Xin wasn't just bluffing. This man was a layabout, a petty thief who had already been to prison twice. The last time, when a theft failed, he escalated to robbery, and during the ensuing struggle, he severely injured his victim, earning him a five-year sentence before being released.
Such a person is capable of anything.
She suppressed her anger: "Feng Xin, you're not only bad, you're also stupid. You keep harassing me at school, making it impossible for me to survive. What good does that do you? By ruining me, you'll get even less!"
"I'm not listening to your nonsense!" Feng Xin said arrogantly. "I need to see the money this month, or I'll visit your school anytime!" After saying this, Feng Xin hung up the phone.
Yan Qing was so angry that she trembled all over and leaned against the windowsill for a long time before she could calm down.
A fleeting figure on the other side of the door alerted her. She quickly stepped out; patients and medical staff hurried by, and nothing seemed amiss. She walked heavily toward the emergency room.
Before even entering the emergency room, she immediately spotted familiar faces: Secretary Gao, Wu Yanying, and Cheng Jiaming were all there. They were surrounding Shen Hanyang.
Secretary Gao's voice was loud and clear, easily standing out in the noisy environment: "Thank goodness he's alright, thank God!"
Cheng Jiaming, on the other hand, was much more relaxed: "Old Shen, you have divine protection, you're not going to kick the bucket."
Secretary Gao quickly covered Cheng Jiaming's mouth: "Pah, pah, pah, children say the darndest things!"
Shen Hanyang smiled: "What do you mean by divine light protecting the body?"
Cheng Jiaming pulled his hand away from Secretary Gao's: "It's written in a novel. Never mind, you wouldn't understand anyway."
Wu Yanying didn't speak, but her gaze never left Shen Hanyang's face.
Secretary Gao asked in confusion, "President Shen, weren't you on vacation today? Why did you go to Yaskawa?"
Yan Qing didn't listen any further and silently left the emergency room.
Outside, the rain was pouring down, and the rapidly falling rain quickly engulfed her figure.
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