57 Opportunity
Zhou Qi brought a stack of stationery, tied it into a roll with a leather string, and tucked it into the side of his backpack. Standing tall and straight on the black backpack, the roll looked a bit out of place. He shook his head and smiled, thinking he was used to doing things that were unnecessary. After all, using his phone's memo pad meant there was no risk of losing it.
But he always felt that writing a letter, rather than typing on a keyboard, offered a more communicative feel. His wrist pressed against the paper, his knuckles gripping the pen as the tip of the pen dropped, following his thoughts. It was as if, through the black words on the white paper, he could peer into the other person's eyes and heart from afar.
What if something happens to me.
I have to leave something for Yang Xiao, whether it's the years of longing or that little inheritance.
But the severity of the situation far exceeded his imagination. He was wrapped in thick protective clothing all day, unable to remove it. The mask left a clear scratch on his face. Sweat sometimes dripped through his hair, rolling into his eyes, causing a burning sensation. He had originally planned to find time to slowly fill out a piece of paper, but in the two weeks he had been in Wuhan, he had only written half a page. His handwriting was crooked and ugly.
Zhou Qi sighed helplessly, crumpled it up, and was about to throw it into the trash can when he was called away by his colleagues.
Suddenly, the epidemic spread rapidly across the country, with suspected cases appearing in many locations. Zhimiao also switched to online work. Fortunately, Xiao Fei had hired new employees before the switch, and after negotiations, they all began to stay at home.
Wang Ruopeng also switched to online teaching, even having to supervise two hours of evening study sessions as a homeroom teacher. Sometimes, Wuwu would jump on the table and snap his camera into view, prompting a barrage of comments from students, all peppered with questions. This filled Ruopeng with pride, and he'd often pick Wuwu up in the middle of a lecture, show him around, and continue stroking his fur.
Although Yang Xiao was at home, she was incredibly busy. More and more hospitals were connecting to the Zhimiao system, and the volume of negotiations was increasing. She kept repeating the same things over and over again, until her mouth was dry. Mu Tao was also looking for a suitable assistant for her, but with the pandemic, progress was slow, so she had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility herself.
The day before yesterday, I sent Zhou Qi a birthday greeting. He replied with a thank you, but nothing more. There's an unwritten rule in Lu Town that younger generations can't celebrate birthdays while there are still elders in the family. When Zhou Daye was alive, he didn't really care about it. He always gave everyone a red envelope, poached an egg, and made a bowl of longevity noodles.
After he passed away, Yang Xiao no longer had the heart to celebrate birthdays, and neither did Zhou Qi. Furthermore, their relationship had become increasingly complex, so naturally, their birthday wishes became simpler and more uninspired. Just a simple "Happy Birthday, Good luck with your work," nothing more.
But the last message was clearly from Zhou Qi, who wanted to spend the autumn with her in Beijing. He said he hadn't been to Lao She's former residence yet and wanted to see the vibrant red persimmons in the courtyard. During Yang Xiao's troubled time.
So she replied with an OK, and that was it.
Yang Xiao scrolled through the chat logs again. Zhou Qi had said the flower of friendship had withered, that he was curious about the taste of soy milk, that he wanted to go to the Lama Temple to ask for a sympathizer to ensure he could work his night shift safely—a whole bunch of random things. But between those two or three lines, Yang Xiao could see his surging heart, a heart that was all about her.
She also imagined what would have happened to them if she hadn't spoken that day.
No matter how busy he was, Zhou Qi would still take some time out, taking the trouble to fly from the city to Beijing, even with the bruises under his eyes, to spend a day and a half with her before leaving. And she would have to watch him travel away again and again, enduring the pain of separation, and then burying herself in work again.
Exhausted.
This is an unsolvable problem because the time conditions are wrong.
Yang Xiao has always felt that life offers many opportunities for courage: the courage to confess one's love in the naiveté of youth, the courage to grit one's teeth and keep going when academic setbacks strike, the courage to work hard for a promotion and a raise, the courage to accept the consequences of giving up...but each of these courageous moments has its own corresponding time and frequency. Once time is misplaced, it's like a puzzle with a missing piece, impossible to piece together.
So, perhaps what was missing between her and Zhou Qi was the puzzle piece called "timing".
Yang Xiao looked out the window and saw a lone turtledove flying by, spreading its wings and heading towards another tree, causing the branches to sway.
Less than a moment later, Hu Yufang called, saying the Third Municipal Hospital wanted to partner with Zhimiao and asking for her price. Yang Xiao had finally seen the true meaning of two-faced behavior. She declined, after all, a partner who went back on their word could easily go bankrupt.
But I didn't expect that two days later, I would receive a call from Miao Yue unexpectedly.
"Mr. Yang, I'm Miao Yue." Miao Yue's voice was cold, and she always gave people a sense of arrogance when she spoke.
Miao Yue, Yang Xiao had almost forgotten this name. Once upon a time, she too had longed to be Miao Yue. Beautiful face, long, flowing hair that casually swept over her waist, a dress that fitted her perfectly, never the same, every day, a slender figure, a distinguished elegance. She couldn't imagine what troubles someone like Miao Yue could have.
But beyond that, there was also a subtle undercurrent of emotion within her. She felt that only by becoming someone like Miao Yue could she win her beloved's affection and make him linger. Therefore, her feelings towards Miao Yue were particularly complicated. There was no comparison or jealousy at all. She didn't feel she had the strength to compete with Miao Yue.
But if I had to describe it in words, it would probably be a mixture of envy and curiosity: envy of her life, curiosity about her life, surprise and sadness: surprise at her straightforwardness, sadness at her own ordinariness. So, at that time, she fell into another vortex: Would Zhou Qi still like her after becoming like this?
So in high school, she secretly took scissors to cut her own hair, imitating the pretty girls in her grade by parting two strands on either side of her ears and trimming them short. Because she wasn't very skilled, the two strands kept getting in her eyes, which led to the time Zhou Qi took her to get a haircut. As the hairdresser was cutting, he asked, "Little sister, did you cut your hair yourself?"
Yang Xiao didn't answer. She still had the thick apron from the hair salon tied around her neck, and was secretly observing Zhou Qi's expression through the mirror in front of her.
Not too salty or bland.
It seemed like no matter what she became, he would always look at her like that. Yang Xiao felt a little lost, just a little. Because she realized that this couldn't change her. She was born from the earth. Roses have their own rich fragrance, and wildflowers have their own unique style.
"Yeah, I remember you." Yang Xiao responded, as a response to her brief and direct self-introduction.
"You decide the terms for our cooperation with the Third Municipal Hospital," Miao Yue said straight to the point. She was never one to mince words when negotiating terms. "We'll give you nothing more, nothing less."
"Why?" Yang Xiao knew the reason well enough, for the Zhimiao system was fast and accurate. But she insisted on asking them to personally acknowledge Zhimiao's merits, to vent her anger at their previous inconsistency.
"Zhi Miao is very good." Yang Xiao got what she wanted.
"The Third Municipal Hospital sent some volunteers to Wuhan, and medical resources will only become tighter now. I know that the cooperation was unpleasant at the beginning, and we should take full responsibility. I apologize to you here." Miao Yue's tone was softer, but Yang Xiao heard the subtext of her words.
"You're trying to tell me that Zhou Qi went to Wuhan, right?" Yang Xiao, a surge of rage rising within her, then pointed it out directly. "So, he went to Wuhan because you were behind the scenes fanning the flames? Do you think we can still cooperate under these circumstances?"
"As expected, you are a smart person." Miao Yue raised the corner of her mouth. The purpose of her making this call was about to be achieved. "In that case, you must have guessed what Zhou Qi was doing a long time ago, but he has always lacked something substantial."
"Are you going to exchange this 'substantial thing' with me?" Yang Xiao didn't understand which side Miao Yue was on. Why did she want to tease them one moment and help Zhou Qi the next? "This is my project." The implication was that Zhou Qi was Zhou Qi and she was her.
Naturally, she would not use her own project to exchange for benefits for Zhou Qi.
"Hahaha, you're much more sober than him." Miao Yue actually laughed after hearing this, her voice crisp, and then changed the subject, "This thing is related to you, to him, and to your adoptive father as well."
"Threatening me?" Yang Xiao didn't buy it, and her tone immediately turned cold. "In the years I've been at Zhimiao, I've never met anyone who talks business like Mr. Miao." After saying that, she was about to hang up the phone when Miao Yue spoke slowly again on the other end:
"Don't you want to know how Zhou Yigang died?"
"What do you mean?" Yang Xiao's head was buzzing, and her brows furrowed. She stood up from the chair, sweat oozing from her palms, and her expression was solemn.
"It's not that simple, Mr. Yang." Miao Yue seemed to be deliberately trying to whet her appetite and began to play tricks on her. "Zhi Miao only needs to cooperate with us for three months. You name the price. I'll give you those things as well."
"Why should I trust you?" Yang Xiao continued to probe Miao Yue's mind while repeatedly recalling the items on the consent form she signed to give up treatment and the conversation between her and the doctor at that time, which mentioned the drug-resistant infection. "I signed the consent form when Uncle Zhou passed away. I gave up treatment. What hidden truth is there that I wouldn't know? Besides...what good does it do you?
Miao Yue felt that Yang Xiao was a clever and difficult person. It seemed that if she didn't throw some bait to her, she wouldn't believe it.
"After Zhou Yigang passed away, my husband gave some money to the nurse in charge of his bed."
"The timing and the people are so coincidental. You can think about it." Miao Yue didn't define the matter, leaving some room for interpretation, but also enough for Yang Xiao to make assumptions. "I'm tired and want freedom. It's that simple."
In fact, the latter half of the sentence was her true feelings. She didn't know why, but during the discussion with Yang Xiao, she easily and unpreparedly said something that she had never said before. Perhaps subconsciously, she had never put Yang Xiao in the other camp.
"Give me the stuff first." Yang Xiao's heartbeat quickened, and her stomach began to ache slightly. Her physical discomfort conveyed her nervousness and anxiety at the moment. "I don't believe unfounded words. You say you want so-called freedom, but in fact, you called me and wanted to discuss cooperation."
"Haven't you heard of two peaches killing three warriors?"
"I'll take credit for capturing Zhimiao, and then give you some fun things."
"Then wait patiently for the monkeys to scatter when the tree falls."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
