"Alan, you're back, you're back!" Qin Xiuyuan threw down the stick and held her tightly in his hands.
Zhou Chunhua tried to pull her hand back, but after several attempts, she was unable to do so.
"Come on, let's go home." Qin Xiuyuan dropped the stick and pulled her into the yard.
Looking at that head of silver hair, Zhou Chunhua had to control her strength even when struggling, for fear of accidentally knocking him to the hospital.
The courtyard is paved with large and small bluestone slabs. The flower beds enclosed by the courtyard wall are full of flowers, and there is a small ditch under the flower beds where small fish swim together.
It's obvious at a glance that this courtyard has been carefully designed.
Zhou Chunhua kept trying to explain who she was, but Qin Xiuyuan acted as if he didn't hear her and simply pulled her into the house.
It wasn't until she saw the photos hanging on the wall that she realized the problem lay there.
Because the woman in the photo bore a striking resemblance to her, with seven or eight points in her features. However, the sorrowful gaze and pale face of the woman in the photo were heartbreaking to behold.
"Teacher Qin, I... am not her."
"I know you're not her." Qin Xiuyuan took the photo down, his eyes filled with sadness as he gently stroked the frame. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"No, it's nothing." Zhou Chunhua quickly explained, "I'm Attorney Gu's assistant. I'm here today for your case. There are some things here that I need you to take a look at."
Qin Xiuyuan nodded and pointed to the red wooden sofa under the window: "Let's sit down and talk."
She sat down, took out the documents, and placed them opposite her.
"What's your name?" Qin Xiuyuan didn't care at all about the documents she handed him; his eyes were fixed on her.
"You can just call me Xiao Zhou."
"Zhou what?" Qin Xiuyuan asked, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Zhou Chunhua didn't hide anything and introduced herself.
She figured that once she got to this point, Qin Xiuyuan would look at those documents. After all, they were important documents concerning news about his son.
However, Qin Xiuyuan's gaze remained fixed: "Where are you from? How old are you this year? Who else is in your family..."
A series of questions, even more detailed than a household registration check, left her completely speechless.
Zhou Chunhua glanced at the photo of Qin Xiuyuan holding her like a precious treasure, and she roughly knew the answer in her heart.
She sat up straight and said very seriously, "Teacher Qin, please listen carefully to what I have to say. First, I am not this person. Second, I am not the reincarnation of this person. Third, I am not the rebirth of this person. Fourth, I am not this person's clone in a parallel world."
Although I don't know her relationship to you, I can assure you that I am me, I am Zhou Chunhua, and not the person in your photo.
After saying that, she took a long breath and then opened the documents and laid them out in front of Qin Xiuyuan.
"Alright! Now please take a close look and pick out the people you think might be your son so that we can narrow down the search."
The problem with Qin Xiuyuan's case is that the photo of his son that Qin Xiuyuan provided when he entrusted the case was actually from his son's high school days.
His son went abroad after graduating from university and has been out of contact ever since.
Perhaps her explanation worked, because Qin Xiuyuan finally shifted his gaze from her to the printed photos.
"Xiao Zhou!" Qin Xiuyuan suddenly called out to her.
Zhou Chunhua quickly looked at the photo in front of Qin Xiuyuan.
Do you drink tea?
"Huh?" Zhou Chunhua was caught off guard.
"Do you want some tea?" Qin Xiuyuan looked at her again.
"No, thank you."
"OK."
Just when Zhou Chunhua thought Qin Xiuyuan would continue looking at the photos, Qin Xiuyuan suddenly got up and went into the inner room.
She looked at Qin Xiuyuan with a puzzled expression, and saw that he was holding a cup in his hand.
"Try it, jasmine tea, I made it myself."
Smelling the delightful fragrance of jasmine, Zhou Chunhua repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
Fortunately, after Qin Xiuyuan sat down again, he looked at the photos carefully.
Zhou Chunhua couldn't help but scrutinize Qin Xiuyuan.
According to the data, Qin Xiuyuan is only 67 years old, so what's with all that silver hair?
While looking through the photos, Qin Xiuyuan suddenly spoke up, "Are you hungry? Shall I get you something to eat?"
Suddenly realizing what was happening, Zhou Chunhua quickly declined.
However, the next second, just like before, he got up and went back into the inner room.
When he came out again, he was carrying a plate of snacks.
"Osmanthus cake, made this morning."
She was about to wave her hand to refuse when a piece was forced into her hand.
It's not polite to put something that's been in your hand on the plate again, so you can only awkwardly thank them and then slowly start eating.
However, the melt-in-your-mouth sweetness cannot be described simply by the word "delicious." The floral aroma in the mouth while chewing is truly unforgettable.
Such desserts cannot be made without dedicated study and practice.
But she was really curious why a medical genius would waste time on things like making tea and pastries.
After that came a long wait.
How long is it?
She sat there from 3:42 p.m. until 7 p.m., and Qin Xiuyuan was still looking at those photos over and over again.
But he couldn't pick out a single photo; he just mechanically flipped through them again and again.
As it was getting dark, she said, "Teacher Qin, why don't you take another look at these photos? I'll come back to pick them up tomorrow morning. It's getting late, and I don't want to keep you from resting."
"No delay, no delay." Qin Xiuyuan gestured for her to sit down.
"Let me take another look and I can pick out a few people who look very similar. Xiao Zhou, could you please wait a little longer?"
At this point, a sense of unease flashed through Zhou Chunhua's heart.
"Teacher Qin, you've already made your choice, are you just deliberately trying to keep me here with you?"
Qin Xiuyuan's hand, which was flipping through the photos, suddenly paused.
"Yes. I just wanted you to stay here with me a little longer. I... I just... miss her so much. Having you here gives me the feeling that my love is right beside me."
Qin Xiuyuan looked up, his eyes brimming with tears.
Their eyes met.
God knows how much impact those tears had on her.
The day she witnessed Liao Nanxing's extramarital affair, she lost faith in love.
However, Qin Xiuyuan in front of her was proving to her with facts that their love remained steadfast.
What about her love life? Was she blind or just unlucky?
"Is it okay?" Qin Xiuyuan's voice pulled Zhou Chunhua back from her wandering thoughts.
She sniffed, suppressing the stinging in her eyes.
"I'll cook for you, you can pick out the photos. I can take them back after we eat."
"Okay, okay..." Tears streamed down Qin Xiuyuan's face, but he was all smiles.
Even the way he looked at her changed from being dazed to being filled with gratitude.
Therefore, people are truly different.
Some people, perhaps, are destined to replicate their parents' selfishness from the moment they are born into certain selfish families.
Just like... Liao Nanxing.
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