Chapter 24 You bastard!
Four years ago, in late autumn or early winter.
Qin Qiao posted a photo of Lanchuan International Airport on her WeChat Moments, which Zhang Shuang saw. Zhang Shuang immediately called her, and Qin Qiao answered almost instantly.
After a few more words, Zhang Shuang hung up the phone and raised an eyebrow at him: "Qiao Qiao has returned to China and is in Jiang City."
Although Qin Qiao blocked all of his social media accounts, she did not cut off contact with Zhang Shuang. Just a few days ago, Zhang Shuang told her all about his troubles on the phone.
“See, Qiaoqiao still cares about you, doesn’t she…” Zhang Shuang tossed her phone into the corner of the sofa, raised her legs and propped them up on the glass coffee table. “She blocked you because she was angry that you acted on your own. Knowing you were out, she immediately dropped everything and came over.”
"Then I'll go find her." He strode to the coat rack, took off his trench coat, and headed outside.
Zhang Shuang stopped him at the door: "Wait a minute, Qiao Qiao said she's staying in China for a week."
Jiang City is more than a thousand kilometers away from Lanchuan. Fortunately, there are frequent flights. His assistant bought him a ticket for 10 a.m. The thought of seeing Qin Qiao in two hours made him restless.
He arrived at Jiangshi Airport at 12:30, his heart pounding with anxiety, wishing he could get there in a second. But remembering he should bring Yang Shuhua a gift, he had the taxi take a longer route, stopping at an imported goods supermarket to pick up two boxes of gifts.
He ran up to the third floor in one breath and knocked on the dark green security door without pausing. The door opened from the inside, and Yang Shuhua stood in front of him.
"Mom, I heard you've returned to China..."
When he brought up divorce back then, he not only broke Qin Qiao's heart but also completely chilled Yang Shuhua's heart. Now, seeing Yang Shuhua's cold expression upon meeting her again, he had no doubt about it.
"Jiashu... Qiaoqiao went to the supermarket to buy things, please come in." Yang Shuhua stepped aside and let him in.
The living room connects to the balcony, and the bright sunlight streams into the room without leaving any gaps. Dust particles float in the golden light, and there is a dry, slightly rough smell in the air, as if the room has been empty for a long time.
Yang Shuhua brought him a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, then sat down on the sofa opposite him.
"Mom...I came here because I wanted to..."
He wanted to remarry Qiaoqiao, but before he could finish saying that, Yang Shuhua pulled out several medical records from under the coffee table and placed them on it.
The nine bold characters "Lanchuan City First People's Hospital" on the light blue medical record book made him pause slightly.
"Jiashu, you and Qiaoqiao have been married for two years. I've been completely devoted to you both, and this is how you repay me?"
His dilated pupils were filled with those words. He had always been ashamed to talk about his blindness in his left eye. One day, Qin Qiao told him that she had told her parents. They were initially surprised but quickly accepted it because in their hearts, Chen Jiashu's character was more important than anything else. She said it so naturally, even with a faint smile on her lips.
So he believed it.
He admitted that he hadn't thought about it deeply, but subconsciously he needed an answer. If he pressed him further, he would have to confront the question he had been afraid to face: what if his aunt and uncle really minded?
He loosened and tightened his clenched fist, then relaxed it again, and met Yang Shuhua's gentle questioning, saying sincerely, "Mom, I didn't confess to you in person. What I did was wrong. I owe you an apology. I'm sorry."
“But Mom, losing sight in my left eye hasn’t affected my ability to take care of myself. I can go to work like a normal person, socialize, and work overtime…” He swallowed the words “can make money” because he felt they were too blunt.
The dripping sound came from the kitchen, probably because the faucet wasn't turned off tightly or the rubber seal had loosened over time, causing the leak.
He remembered three years ago, also here. He and Qin Qiao had just entered the house when Yang Shuhua shouted from the kitchen, "The water pipe is leaking!" He rushed to fix it. There were tools readily available at home. He half-squatted on the ground, and Qiao Qiao shone a flashlight on him. The two of them worked together to save the day from the flood.
He had just lifted his buttocks when he sat back down, because Yang Shuhua pulled a video sheet out of the drawer, leaned over, and placed it beside him.
The words "traumatic optic nerve" below the two eye images on the front page of the imaging report seemed to come alive and 'jump' in front of his eyes.
Then, Yang Shuhua pulled out a slightly yellowed medical record and flipped to the last few pages. The doctor's handwriting was illegible, but the last line was unusually clear: "[Pupillary reflex is normal, but the possibility of further deterioration cannot be ruled out]".
He's had a problem with his eyes for over ten years. It started when he was in a car accident with his parents in his second year of high school. This is the reason he has night blindness, but it didn't progress for many years. Later, he developed glaucoma, and doctors couldn't determine if it was related to it. He didn't hide this from them, and he didn't understand Yang Shuhua's intentions.
"Last year, when Qiaoqiao and I were abroad, our neighbor, the owner of the car dealership, got glaucoma. I watched him go from being a perfectly healthy person to needing help to walk. The medical care abroad is top-notch, but it couldn't cure his disease."
Yang Shuhua always spoke softly and was exceptionally gentle and patient with people, both before and after marriage.
He was always grateful to this mother. During the two years she came to Lanchuan to help them, she would always say, "You young people just need to focus on your work, leave the family matters to me."
Later, when he underwent retinal detachment surgery, Yang Shuhua worked tirelessly, shuttling between the hospital and home, delivering three meals a day to the hospital on time, even handing him chopsticks. Once, when he accidentally spilled soup from his bowl, Yang Shuhua said in a coaxing tone, "It's okay, Mom will feed you."
Lost in thought for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbed nervously, but remembering the possibility of the example Yang Shuhua had given, he lost his confidence: "Mom...you mean I might also go blind...and become a burden to Qiaoqiao..."
A surge of sourness welled up in his nose, making his eyes burn, forcing him to lower his head in a panic.
He grew up amidst his parents' cold wars and arguments, never experiencing the warmth of a harmonious family. That is, until five years ago when Qin Qiao introduced him to her parents.
In stark contrast, their family was always filled with laughter. Even when Qin Qiao's father was seriously ill, the family always discussed things together, and he never saw them argue or get angry.
Over time, he gradually grew accustomed to and dependent on this mother, but now she seems to want to sever the bond they've built over the years.
Yang Shuhua let out a sigh of relief, crossing her right leg over her left. She has always had a great figure. Several times when she took them out shopping or to scenic spots, acquaintances would praise her for looking young when they saw that her children were already this big.
"Let me tell you the truth, Mom wants to remarry Qiaoqiao, but I don't agree."
These words made him feel a lump in his throat, causing his eyes to ache and his lips to tremble uncontrollably.
“You made the decision to divorce all by yourself. Qiaoqiao and I both found it hard to accept. The day you went to register for divorce, did I take you to the kitchen alone and ask you if you had really thought it through? You said to me then, ‘I have thought it through, Mom, I’m sorry.’ Since things have come to this point, I can’t stop you. After the divorce certificate was issued, you didn’t come home for two days. Qiaoqiao and I packed up and rented a place.”
“I recently flipped through a book that said: All things in the world, once gone, never return. I remember when you got married, I gave you a pair of porcelain dolls. On the day I packed my bags and moved out, Qiaoqiao accidentally broke one of them. Now that I think about it... once it's broken, it can never be repaired.”
At this point, Yang Shuhua's eyes reddened, and she looked tearful. This made him feel even more that what he had done back then was inhuman. A bitter feeling churned in his throat, and he suppressed the sob that was about to escape his throat: "Mom, I will make it up to you. I promise that every penny I earn in the future will be Qiaoqiao's share."
Any promise seemed weak, except for 'material things'—he knew nothing else, this was the only thing he could think of.
My vision blurred, and I suddenly found myself unable to speak.
"No one can guarantee that you won't get sick in the future... I shouldn't be saying these things, but I can't bear to see Qiaoqiao's sacrifices met with your coldness. Before we got married, we only knew that you had injured your eye and had night blindness, but we didn't know that you were blind in your left eye. Let's not talk about that..."
Yang Shuhua was utterly disappointed in him. A cold glint flashed in her tearful eyes, and her tone hardened: "Ask yourself honestly, how has Qiaoqiao treated you? Sometimes you work very late, and she'll run out in the middle of the night to pick you up; once you had a bad cold, and she stayed up all night with you, even though she got infected herself the next day, and wouldn't let me tell you because you were going on a business trip; she even had 'follow-up appointment' written in her phone's notes app, afraid she'd forget to remind you..."
He unconsciously clenched his fists, his fingertips digging into his palms. Strangely, he didn't feel any pain in his hands; instead, it was his heart that seemed to bear the pain.
He acknowledged all of this... he understood a mother's heartache for her child, and he knew all of Qiaoqiao's sacrifices. Wasn't this just a normal, trivial matter between husband and wife?
Or perhaps he was just being presumptuous...
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Shuhua, who was already prepared, took out a light yellow piece of paper with the words "Marriage Certificate" printed on it.
The marriage certificate... He was deeply shocked.
British marriage certificates do not have photos of the couple; they are more like documents containing information about both parties, the date of marriage registration, and so on.
October 11, 2015.
It was eight months after their divorce.
"Jiashu, Qiaoqiao is already married and has a pair of lovely children."
As he came downstairs, he encountered Qin Qiao, who was returning from outside, on the main road leading to the gate of the community. She glared at him angrily with red eyes. As they passed each other, he grabbed her arm, but she forcefully shook him off.
He gave up, moving slowly and woodenly, while she continued walking towards the apartment building, her high heels clattering heavily. The two of them were like cars traveling in opposite directions in a book, drifting further and further apart on the same line.
But he hadn't gone far when his high heels suddenly stopped with a "click," and then the usually gentle-spoken Qin Qiao burst out with a low growl behind him: "Chen Jiashu! What are you doing here now!"
There were only a few pedestrians on the road; I looked back at them.
He mistakenly assumed that her words still held some expectation for him, so he quickly turned around, ran over, hugged her tightly, and held her close in his arms.
She called him a bastard, a man who broke his word, and someone who would never change... He apologized again and again.
The question that had been swirling in my throat finally came out: "Have you fallen in love with someone else?"
Qin Qiao suddenly froze, looked up sharply, her eyes red, her lips twitching and the muscles in her cheeks twitching, staring at him with an incredulous look.
He was wrong again, terribly wrong.
"Qiaoqiao...I'm sorry..." he apologized hastily, flustered and at a loss. She raised her hands and pushed him away abruptly, staggering back several steps herself.
He wanted to get closer to her, but as soon as he took a step, he saw tears welling up in her eyes, and she hysterically cursed:
"Chen Jiashu, you bastard!!"
It was all his fault. If he hadn't broken Qin Qiao's heart, she wouldn't have been so heartbroken as to marry someone else.
What do we do now?
All we can do is wait, wait for a 'possibility'...
This is what he told Zhang Shuang after he went to England and saw Qin Qiao and that man sitting in the yard sunbathing.
"So what if Qin Qiao got married?" Zhang Shuang yanked him off the bed. "Is this all you've got, Chen Jiashu? Get up and go play ball. I'll be with you every day I live. Hurry up while I can still move."
A chill crept in through his collar, and a coldness spread throughout his body. Chen Jiashu shivered and suddenly opened his eyes.
In the dense fog with visibility of less than a meter, he saw the ghostly shadows of trees. It seemed to be in a desolate wilderness. A red figure stood not far away, her appearance unclear. He blinked and was certain that it was Qin Qiao.
“Qiaoqiao…” His voice was in my ear.
Qin Qiao left, and he took off after her. She walked faster and faster, and he chased after her relentlessly. Suddenly, a bump appeared under his foot, and he tripped, falling to the ground. When he looked up again, Qin Qiao was nowhere to be seen.
"Qiaoqiao!!"
Chen Jiashu sat up with a shout. This sound was different from the previous one; it wasn't just beside his ear, but seemed to come from an empty room.
He saw many phantom images of objects before his eyes, and his clenched fingers dug into the bed. His consciousness gradually returned, and he was able to distinguish between reality and dreams.
Qin Qiao is really gone.
The blanket was thrown to the floor, and Chen Jiashu, hunched over, searched for something on the bed like a headless fly, his fingertips touching the still-warm pillow.
He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes regaining their light, and fell straight off the bed. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his phone from the bedside table, and dialed Qin Qiao's WeChat number.
She didn't answer; the call ended automatically.
Why did you go back on your promise to spend time with him tonight? Didn't you also say you wanted to 'repay' him?
So you've sobered up and changed your mind, huh?
Chen Jiashu supported himself against the wall and walked outside, picked up his white cane from the side table, opened the door and left the room.
Only two hours had passed between when they went to sleep and when he woke up. It was 4:20 a.m., the time he checked before going downstairs.
A light rain was still falling outside; the summer heat had dissipated, and the raindrops hitting his body brought a slight coolness.
"Qiaoqiao!"
Chen Jiashu walked along the roads inside the villa area, leaning on his white cane and calling out as he went. The sound of his cane tapping the ground and his footsteps blended into the pattering rain around him.
Chen Jiashu tried to walk as close to the side as possible, but his left foot slipped and fell into the drainage ditch next to him, soaking his trousers. He lifted his leg and continued walking forward, feeling completely disoriented.
The yellow light in front of me brightened a few degrees. On this rainy night, the sound of speeding wheels rolling over the wet road was especially clear.
He had reached the roadside.
Even after walking for more than ten minutes in the light rain, Chen Jiashu was soaked.
"Qiao Qiao".
He looked around, and his shouts gradually turned into murmurs.
The bloody hole in his calf was burning with pain. Before going to bed, Qin Qiao had helped him apply medicine and patiently put a medical bandage on the wound.
The warmth still lingers, but she has vanished without a trace...
The first thing he did upon regaining his senses was to get away from him. Chen Jiashu forced a pale, bleak smile, turned around, and prepared to walk back.
However, just as he took a step, a piercing, sharp screech of brakes shattered the silence of the night.
The next second, a crushing pain shot through my right leg, as if my bones were being smashed.
His body leaned backward uncontrollably, his back hitting the ground first. A muffled thud reverberated from his chest, and the last glimmer of light in his vision shook violently before being swallowed by the boundless darkness.
*
Qin Qiao received a call from Old Xia at the gatehouse and hurried downstairs. It was midday, and the golden sun was shining brightly in the sky. The moment she pushed open the door, a wave of heat hit her.
The light was blinding, and the temperature was even more intense. Her exposed skin was burning from the sun, and she had to raise her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Her gaze inadvertently swept forward and she saw a familiar figure standing under the rain shelter of the guardhouse.
Her eyelids twitched, and she almost instinctively stopped in her tracks.
The man was wearing a black T-shirt and black trousers; he was very tall. The black color made him appear even thinner, like a clothes hanger. He was on the phone, his raised arm long and slender with smooth lines.
All surrounding sounds ceased, and the figure seemed to trigger a mechanism in a certain scene, instantly transporting her back to that time.
"Here's your milk tea."
That was the nth time Chen Jiashu had brought her milk tea. Each time he would buy more than a dozen cups, enough for her to share with everyone in the department.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she softly uttered "Jia Shu." 'Chen Jia Shu' heard her soft call and turned to look at her.
Her skin was dark, her facial bones were prominent, and she had thick eyebrows and large eyes. The man slightly raised his eyelids, and a smile gradually appeared on his lips when he saw her.
It was him...
I fast-forwarded through some of the events that happened at the bar last night, like watching a TV drama.
Last night, when she was being harassed by a drunkard, the man stepped in to help her, and in doing so, he injured his own arm.
Qin Qiaoquan remembered; it was him.
There was a plaster on her left wrist. Qin Qiao's gaze lingered on it for a moment, but feeling like she was about to melt from the heat, she quickly ran over.
A strong smell of medicine lingered in the slowly floating air. Qin Qiao stopped in front of him, but before she could speak, the man pulled a three-inch photo from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I found it on the ground after you got into the taxi yesterday.”
This man not only helped her out of a predicament last night, but also escorted her outside the bar and hailed a taxi for her.
The three-inch photo contained miniature full-body images of two adults, namely her and Chen Jiashu.
In the photo, Chen Jiashu's eyes are lowered and his gaze is fixed on her as she looks up. A golden beam of light cuts across their faces, depicting the interplay of light and shadow, and the faint smiles on their lips seem to glow.
The background is a pink plum grove, and the composition is perfect. She loves this photo the most and has kept it in a pocket of her wallet.
"Thank you." Qin Qiao accepted the photo.
Holding her phone, she looked up at the man and said, "Thank you for yesterday. I'll pay your medical bills."
“I didn’t go to the hospital, so I didn’t incur any medical expenses,” the man shrugged.
The barrier next to her rose and fell, and cars drove in and out one after another. The exhaust fumes from the vehicles mixed with the scorching air and were carried to her face by the breeze. The smell was so unpleasant that it was suffocating.
"I'll transfer it to you anyway... Your injury is affecting your work." Her tone became somewhat anxious.
The man didn't refuse anymore. He took out his phone from his pocket, swiped to the payment QR code, and turned the screen up.
Point the phone camera at the top and a "beep" sounded. Qin Qiao entered 500, then entered the password to transfer the money.
The man glanced at the amount on the screen, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashing in his dark eyes, but he said nothing and simply stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
"May I ask your name?"
She couldn't let a man who helped her not even know his name.
"Chen Cheng." Chen Cheng raised his left eyebrow.
"Er Dong Chen?"
"Yes."
It's difficult to judge the age of a man in his twenties to thirties from his appearance, but you can vaguely tell from his eyes and demeanor.
The man had arrogance and an unpolished sharpness in his eyes; he looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six.
"Mr. Chen, thank you." This time she was even more solemn.
The man nodded: "You're welcome."
The man then turned and walked away, going about forty or fifty meters before scanning a QR code to push a shared bike. He straddled the seat with his long legs, twisted the handlebars, and the fabric of his shirt billowed in the wind as he disappeared into the traffic, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Qin Qiao looked away, feeling like she had missed something.
Just as the elevator doors were about to open, a WeChat call rang.
Chen Jiashu's WeChat profile picture on the screen made her eyelashes flutter slightly...
Last night, after applying the medicine to Chen Jiashu, she accompanied him to bed. Still under the influence of alcohol, she vaguely agreed to stay with him tonight.
She woke up shortly after, the alcohol completely gone. Looking at the sleeping man on the bed, she carefully removed his arm from her waist, tiptoed into the walk-in closet, and changed back into the clothes she had brought. Before leaving, she glanced at him on the bed, making sure he showed no signs of waking, then turned and closed the door behind her.
Are you here to confront me and demand an explanation?
Stepping into the elevator, Qin Qiao swiped the screen to answer the phone, casually brushed aside the stray hairs by her ear, and held the phone to her left ear.
“Qiaoqiao…”
The man's voice had an unusual huskiness: "I'm sorry to have disturbed your work."
The elevator ascended floor by floor, and she was the only one there, the hissing sound of the conveyor belt echoing in her ears.
But his words felt like ants crawling across her back, a prickly, itchy, and uncomfortable sensation.
He then said, "I...I'm in the hospital."
It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head; her hands and feet instantly became icy cold.
"Where?" She heard her own voice trembling and out of tune.
*
There was a meeting in the afternoon that Qin Qiao couldn't leave. Her mind was in turmoil, and by the time the meeting ended it was already three o'clock. She clocked out, left work, and rushed to the Dongxin Private Hospital that Chen Jiashu had mentioned.
Instead of going upstairs immediately, she went into the store, picked out a fruit basket and a box of imported milk, and carried them into the elevator.
A gust of cold air blew from the ventilation vents on the top of the elevator, and the chill seeped in from the back of her neck, running straight down and giving her goosebumps all over her body.
Chen Jiashu only briefly mentioned on the phone that he had been hit by an electric scooter and suffered a fractured tibia in his right leg, requiring a cast. He usually travels by car with a driver and assistant, so the possibility of him being hit by a car is unlikely.
The only possibility is that the two things in my hands suddenly became too heavy to lift.
Putting them down, Qin Qiao clenched her fists to relax, then looked through the glass panel embedded in the door and immediately saw Old Song standing against the wall, a scene almost identical to that of last month. Old Song keenly sensed someone outside and turned to see her as well.
Qin Qiao simply gripped the doorknob and pushed it open. Old Song strode towards her, and Chen Jiashu's voice came from behind: "Qiao Qiao, are you here?"
Old Song took the fruit basket and milk from the ground, and he didn't forget to reply, "Chairman Chen, Ms. Qin has come to see you."
There was a soft rustling sound coming from inside. Qin Qiao closed the door behind her, walked through a one-meter-long corridor, turned left, and suddenly the view opened up.
The private hospital's wards were also divided into business suites, with offices and meeting rooms combined. On a simple, light-colored wooden desk sat a closed laptop, with documents piled up in two places on the desk. Chen Jiashu, wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, sat inside, facing her directly. Knowing she was coming, he slightly raised his chin, his gaze fixed on her face.
Qin Qiao: "Chairman Chen... I've come to see you."
"Ms. Qin brought a fruit basket and milk." Old Song's background voice chimed in at the opportune moment: "Chairman Chen, I'll head out now."
Chen Jiashu nodded slightly. Old Song withdrew, and he focused only on the blurry black figure. She slowly moved towards him, gradually revealing her graceful outline.
Hearing the door click shut as it locked, Chen Jiashu finally spoke: "I'm sorry to have worried you."
His tone was casual and reserved, but his gaze was undeniably intense.
Qin Qiao had already reached the table, and the way he stood and sat made it look like a subordinate and his superior reporting to each other.
Chen Jiashu also felt it was inappropriate. There was a sofa on his left. He propped himself up slightly with his hands on the edge of the table and gestured for it: "Sit there."
"Your legs..."
As Qin Qiao walked along, she looked under the table and could only see that her right leg, which was in a cast, was completely covered by loose trousers and could not be seen.
“A fracture…the mildest kind.” A self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. “Now I’m blind and lame, don’t mind me.”
Don't mind me?
Before Qin Qiao could even process what was happening, she saw Chen Jiashu leaning on the edge of the table, hopping twice on his left leg, each hop feeling like a blow to her heart.
After leaving his desk, Chen Jiashu crouched down, stretched out his left hand, his fingertips touching the back of the sofa in front of him. He grabbed the corner of the backrest and was about to jump when Qin Qiao blurted out, "Wait!"
Chen Jiashu remained hunched over, her arms held by a pair of warm hands. She said in a critical tone, "Are you trying to prove you're strong? Your legs are like this, why aren't you resting?"
"Many documents are waiting for approval," he said in a low voice, straightening his back.
Qin Qiao said coldly, "Your way of working will only prolong the course of your illness. The result is that you're 'losing more than you gain.' Is it worth risking your recovery period for these few documents?"
Even after being scolded, the man smiled and pointed to the bedroom inside, saying, "Could you please push my wheelchair over here?"
Because of his poor eyesight, Chen Jiashu couldn't even push himself in a wheelchair, so he let Qin Qiao push him into the room.
The wheelchair was placed against the bedside. When he got up, Qin Qiao helped him up, and Chen Jiashu slowly sat down.
"Qiao Qiao..." Chen Jiashu lifted the covers and lay down, looking up at Qin Qiao: "Do you remember what you said last night?"
Qin Qiao lowered her eyes and clenched her hands, which were hanging at her sides.
“You will come to me whenever I need you,” Chen Jiashu murmured.
Bright lights shone on his face, and his deep, dark eyes, as dark as the sea, shimmered with a fragile, pleading light.
Qin Qiao felt a pang of pain and bit her lower lip tightly.
She ran away last night because she was scared. In fact, she was always afraid of Chen Jiashu... afraid of feeling heartache, afraid of softening her heart, afraid of forgiving him.
But the effects of alcohol last night were definitely a factor; she remembered what she said and even her feelings at the time.
The two fell silent, the room so quiet it was as if even breathing had stopped.
"I need you, Jojo."
It was Chen Jiashu who broke the silence, each word spoken with utmost seriousness. Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, the water splashed high, and the ripples lingered for a long time afterward.
Qin Qiao couldn't help but recall the night Chen Jiashu proposed to her eight years ago.
He did what he saw on TV, first contacting a fireworks company, and then taking her to the lakeside.
Fireworks exploded on the opposite shore of the lake, their colorful bursts illuminating half the sky. Against this breathtaking backdrop, he knelt down and proposed to her.
"Qiaoqiao, marry me."
They shared so many beautiful memories, making it impossible for her to be completely heartless towards this man. Qin Qiao's gaze swept over Chen Jiashu's hand clutching the blanket, a movement that seemed almost unconscious. She glanced outside, pursed her lips, and asked, "There are apples in the fruit basket, would you like some?"
Chen Jiashu's eyes widened in surprise, but his thin lips moved slightly: "Okay."
Qin Qiao took a few steps, stopped, turned around, and asked, "By the way, there are still pomegranates. Do you want to eat apples or pomegranates?" When Grandma Chen Jiashu was still alive, she had more pomegranates than she could eat every year. She had looked up online that pomegranates were very nutritious.
She met the man's tender gaze without missing a beat.
Chen Jiashu wasn't the conventionally handsome type; his more striking feature was his mature and sophisticated charm. His high-arched eyebrows and delicate eyes with double eyelids complemented each other perfectly. When he wasn't smiling, his eyes held a sharp edge, as if they could see right through people; but when he smiled, his eyes became bright and sunny, radiating a warmth like a gentle spring breeze.
No matter how many years have passed, a single smile from Chen Jiashu will always stir her heart.
“Pomegranates take too much time to prepare,” Chen Jiashu said. “Let’s eat apples today.”
Qin Qiao nodded: "Okay." Finally, she added: "I'll ask you to peel a pomegranate tomorrow."
Chen Jiashu was very skilled at peeling pomegranates, able to extract the flesh without damaging the fruit in the slightest, which Qin Qiao found extremely impressive.
Back then, every time she ate pomegranates, Chen Jiashu would peel them, put them in a bowl, and hand them to her.
Qin Qiao walked out.
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Chen Jiashu breathed a long sigh of relief. He leaned back, his reassuring smile deepening.
After finishing her apple, Qin Qiao sat for another forty or fifty minutes. She looked down at her phone and replied to messages. Chen Jiashu said in her ear, "Qiao Qiao... go home early."
"You ran out to find me?" Qin Qiao's gaze fell lightly on his right leg, her brows furrowing slightly.
Chen Jiashu reached out, touched her fingertips, lifted her wrist half an inch, and pulled her close: "You used to be the one who came to me, Qiaoqiao... Even though my eyesight is failing, I can still pursue you."
Turning her gaze back to Chen Jiashu's face, Qin Qiao paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "I remember every word I said yesterday, Chairman Chen, it's not limited to anything."
Chen Jiashu smiled: "Just come see me often, that's enough..."
Qin Qiao smiled faintly, her almond-shaped eyes curving slightly. "Okay, then I'll be going."
Chen Jiashu showed no intention of letting go. She got up and sat down again, glancing at his clean, white hand, which was as white as jade. The skin on the back of his hand was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the blue veins underneath were clearly visible.
As she was still studying his hands, Chen Jiashu's extremely gentle voice drifted over: "Be careful on the road."
The dazzling neon lights lingered on Qin Qiao's solemn face. On the way back, she thought of Chen Jiashu's face again. He begged her to 'stay,' but there was a subtle sense of estrangement between them. This feeling of needing and pushing away was familiar yet suffocating. Chen Jiashu... was still the same as before.
The night was thick, the night wind carried heat, and the bright moonlight covered the rooftops, trees, and people like a thin veil. Old Song rested his hands on the railing, looking down at the building below.
Unlike public hospitals, Dongxin Hospital is not busy; the streets are deserted as soon as night falls. The hospital has a high green coverage rate, and during the day, the winding paths are like being in a private garden. At night, the ground lights in the woods cast faint shadows, making it extremely quiet.
"Clang!"
A loud metallic crash echoed from the bathroom, accompanied by the clatter of items scattering. Old Song rushed over, but instead of opening the door immediately, he stood in the doorway, about to raise his hand to knock, when Chen Jiashu's calm voice rang out:
"Old Song, come in and help me up."
Upon opening the door, Chen Jiashu sat on the floor with his legs crossed, next to him an overturned iron storage cabinet, with small components that had been piled on top scattered all over the floor.
Old Song bent down, supported Chen Jiashu under his armpits, and struggled to lift the 1.9-meter-tall man, then helped him walk outside.
However, as soon as he stepped outside, Lao Song caught a glimpse of Qin Qiao standing at the bedroom door, and his arm trembled in shock.
Chen Jiashu smelled the cool fragrance that belonged to Qin Qiao. After Qin Qiao left, her scent in the room had faded, but now it had become strong again. Connecting this with Lao Song's sudden reaction, Chen Jiashu's breath hitched, and he abruptly turned to look at the doorway.
The figure was indeed standing there, but it was somewhat ethereal, like a wisp of smoke that would dissipate with a gust of wind.
“Qiaoqiao…”
Qin Qiao gave an almost perfunctory "hmm," and only after Chen Jiashu sat on the bed did she walk up to him, standing straight with her eyelids lowered and her long, curly eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow under her lower eyes.
This time, Lao Song left without saying a word.
"Qiaoqiao, why are you back?" Chen Jiashu tilted his chin up to the limit, a smile on his face. "Did you leave something here?"
It's rare for him to be in the dark or surrounded by shadows, so this was quite unusual, and I was inexplicably happy.
“You were injured because of me. I won’t be able to sleep if I go back now. I’ll stay here tonight,” Qin Qiao said calmly. “Although I can’t help you much, this will make me feel better.”
Her fingers were touched, and then Chen Jiashu grabbed her wrist.
The man's eyes were dark and deep, his voice low and magnetic: "Having you by my side is enough."
By ten o'clock, Qin Qiao was yawning frequently. She wanted to sleep on the long sofa in the bedroom, but Chen Jiashu wouldn't allow it.
Ignoring him, she took a blanket from the closet. Before she could even put it on, Chen Jiashu fell off the bed. Qin Qiao dropped the blanket and ran to help him up, but as soon as her hand touched his arm, he pulled her into his arms.
She had reason to suspect that he did it on purpose.
Behind Chen Jiashu was the hospital bed. Because she was lying on her side in his arms, half of her body was pressed against the edge of the bed, and her long legs were straight and touching the ground.
His large hand gripped her back, and when she tried to remember, he pressed her back down, her head hitting his hard jaw.
"Chen Jiashu, what are you doing?"
Qin Qiao was both angry and anxious, but when she thought that Chen Jiashu's injury was because of her, she immediately lost her temper, and the strength in her fingers gripping his shoulder lessened considerably.
Chen Jiashu's eyelashes drooped low, and his voice lingered in her ear: "Do you remember when we first went on a trip together, the shower head in your room was broken, so you had to share a room with me?"
Qin Qiao turned her head away from him, saying, "I don't remember."
Her words made Chen Jiashu burst into laughter, a short, soft laugh that came from the heart.
His hand, which had been on her back, moved to the back of her head, his knuckles digging into her dark hair. His warm palm caressed her there, drawing her closer to him. Her soft breath tickled his neck like a feather.
"What did you say back then? I'd share your bed with you."
What do you mean her bed? It's clearly Chen Jiashu's room, his bed. That day, the showerhead in her room was broken, and the whole room turned into a waterfall. Because it was the peak tourist season, the hotel had no other rooms available. Out of kindness, Chen Jiashu invited her to stay in his room, while he decided to sleep on the sofa.
He had just had eye surgery, so how could she let the patient sleep on the sofa? She suggested that she sleep on the sofa herself, but Chen Jiashu disagreed. He even planned to make do in the lobby downstairs for the night, which was even more unacceptable. The two argued back and forth for a long time without reaching a conclusion. She patted the bed and suggested that she share half with him, but Chen Jiashu remained stubborn. Frustrated, she grabbed her coat and headed for the door. In the end, he had no choice but to give in.
This time she gave in too... She reluctantly climbed onto the bed, knelt beside Chen Jiashu's bent right leg, and carefully rolled up his trouser leg. The more than 20-centimeter-long cast covered the bloody hole he had made when he hit the coffee table.
Chen Jiashu told her that the doctor had also treated his injury, so she could rest assured.
"Where is the person who hit you? You're staying in such a good hospital, how can he possibly compensate you?"
Qin Qiao tucked the blanket around him and moved back until her back rested on the raised headboard.
Chen Jiashu kept staring at her, barely blinking, as if afraid she would fly away.
He chuckled softly: "He was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy who cried when he saw me lying on the ground unable to get up."
He took her hand, which was hidden under the blanket. Qin Qiao moved her fingers, and he quietly applied pressure.
He continued, "I didn't flee. I even called my parents and dialed 120. I was also at fault for not checking the road conditions before walking away. Oh well."
After a few seconds of restraint, she smiled and praised, "Chairman Chen is such a kind person."
He laughed again: "Fifteen years ago, it was a 'great person' who helped me get to where I am today. I guess this is my way of giving back to society."
For the next three days, Qin Qiao visited Chen Jiashu every night, staying until 11 or 12 at night. On the fourth day, Chen Jiashu was discharged from the hospital, not because he was cured, but because he no longer wanted to stay there.
That evening, as usual, Qin Qiao came to see him, and Chen Jiashu invited her to stay for dinner.
There are four dishes and a soup on the table.
"Garlic spinach, sweet and sour fish, stir-fried shrimp, and cumin-flavored stir-fried mushrooms," Old Song leaned close to Chen Jiashu's ear and recited the menu. "And there's also old duck soup."
Qin Qiao heard it all.
She picked up her chopsticks, and as she looked up, her eyes met Chen Jiashu's dark gaze. He had a faint smile on his lips, as if he hadn't noticed her. He turned to Lao Song and said, "Take two bites of the sweet and sour fish, and the rest as usual. Then you can go out."
Old Song was like a waiter in a restaurant with little expression. Following his instructions, we picked up the food and put it on the plate next to him. Once the job was done, we quietly left.
This was the third time Qin Qiao had seen Chen Jiashu eat. The first time was when he used a plate at the company; the second time was when he was having Western food with Chengcheng. She wondered if she was overthinking it, but Chen Jiashu could have asked the aunt to put the dishes on his plate in advance, but he had Lao Song announce the names of the dishes and pick up the food, as if he was demonstrating it on purpose.
"Since my eyesight deteriorated, I've reduced my dinner invitations by 80%, but there are always some banquets I can't refuse. For example, maintaining relationships with major clients, government receptions... That's when I need Lao Song to help me set the table, while Assistant Ye and Assistant Zhang make sure I don't mistake the Finance Bureau Director's wine glass for the Investment Promotion Bureau Director's..."
Before she could ask anything, Chen Jiashu explained the 'demonstration' he had just given her, showing how Qin Qiao pinched the tip of her thumb, which was holding the chopsticks, into the inside of her index finger.
It's hard to describe the feeling. Chen Jiashu candidly talks about how he needs to rely on others in his life, but there's also a certain stubbornness to it, as if that's not the case.
"Guess what those big shots said? They said... my 'glasses' are more expensive than theirs."
He thought he had a great sense of humor. The man's thick eyebrows curved into a beautiful arc, and the bright white light shone on the ends of his eyebrows, making them dance. But Qin Qiao felt a tightness in her chest because she couldn't understand him as much as possible.
After having dinner with Chen Jiashu, Qin Qiao accompanied him to his study to work. Chen Jiashu was completely focused on his work, a faint vertical line appearing between his brows. His glasses were heavier than regular glasses and kept slipping down, which he would frequently push back up as he concentrated.
Every time they were about to make eye contact, Qin Qiao would look away first.
It was 11 p.m. when we got ready to go home.
"Qiaoqiao... stay tonight." Chen Jiashu insisted on getting up, his hands gripping the edge of the table. He used too much force and his injured leg hit the ground with a long, painful hiss.
Qin Qiao instinctively ran to his side, pulled over a wheelchair for him to sit in, and scolded him in a low voice for not taking care of his body: "Don't move around."
"Stay tonight." Chen Jiashu craned his neck, eagerly awaiting her reply.
This man, now so cunning and shrewd, couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood. Out of guilt, Qin Qiao gritted her teeth and agreed.
"good."
With the cast still on his leg, taking a shower became the biggest challenge. Chen Jiashu had endured it for three days in the hospital, but he had to take a shower today.
Being blind and lame, he could only rely on others; otherwise, if he tried to do it himself, he might end up like Qin Qiao had said before, 'losing more for less.' He called Lao Song and asked him to come upstairs.
The bathroom light was cold and white, shining on Chen Jiashu's forehead, which was covered in sweat, like water droplets condensing on the outside of a glass jar just taken out of the refrigerator. He let out a long breath, his chest sinking down. Chen Jiashu's eyes paused, his hands gripped the armrests of the wheelchair tightly, and he pushed himself up with all his might, putting 70% of his weight on his left leg. He walked to the mirror, where his reflection appeared.
Since he was seventeen, he had never been able to clearly see a person's face on the street at dusk, and now he couldn't even see his own face clearly. He gave a mocking smile. The only dignity he had was to avoid becoming a 'trouble' for his family.
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