Ling Ruoke was taking a nap when the phone suddenly rang loudly. Listening to the person on the other end identify themselves and explain the purpose of the call, she couldn't help but furrow her brow deeper and deeper.
The call was from Zhuang Botao, asking her to go to T City to see Zhuang Yuqi. The child had been on a hunger strike for several days.
Ling Ruoke was then alarmed by her carelessness; Zhuang Yuqi hadn't called her for half a month! The last time he called, he was still talking about how summer vacation was coming soon and that he would come to Z City to spend the summer with her. Then July arrived, and the weather was too hot. She was only thinking about her own discomfort and forgot that her child was already on summer vacation.
Could Zhuang Yuqi's hunger strike be because Zhuang Botao wouldn't let him come to Z City? "Uncle, you were able to send Zhuang Yuqi to Z City, if you believe me. You know, my current health makes it inconvenient for me to travel far."
Ling Ruoke was surprised by their answer. They were willing to let Zhuang Yuqi come to Z City, but Zhuang Yuqi himself refused to go out, and even refused to call Ruoke. He even said that if his grandfather dared to throw him off the plane, he would bite his tongue and commit suicide, which made Zhuang Botao, who only had one precious grandson, he dare not make any rash moves. This child was a stubborn one, and it was hard to say what terrible things he might do.
Ling Ruoke couldn't figure out what the child was really thinking. But with her belly almost eight months along, it was really inconvenient for her to travel far.
She sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time, then an idea came to her. She could record a short message and send it to Zhuang Botao so he could play it for little Zhuang Yuqi; maybe that would work.
So, after spending more than an hour, Ling Ruoke finally figured out what she wanted to say and recorded it. She managed to send it to Zhuang Botao and was now waiting for his reply.
When Zhuang Botao got the tape, he immediately had someone play it for little Zhuang Yuqi. The little boy cried and kept calling for his mother; he looked so pitiful.
Zhuang Botao thought he would definitely be willing to go to Z City, but he didn't expect that Zhuang Yuqi would listen to the tape over and over again, crying pitifully, but still refused to leave T City or eat.
Ling Ruoke was deeply troubled by this feedback. Judging from his reaction, Zhuang Yuqi clearly missed her. But why was he so insistent on her going to T City?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she understood. This silly child wasn't doing it for himself; he wanted her to go see his father, Zhuang Yicheng!
Ling Ruoke's feelings became even more complicated, for the poor child and the poor man. A stone weighed on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. She sat on the sofa in a daze until it got late before she came to her senses and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
Huo Qingfeng climbed in through the window and saw that the food was already laid out on the table. His wife sat at the table, seemingly lost in thought. He frowned slightly, then reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean against him. "Baby, what's wrong?"
Ling Ruoke snapped out of her daze and shook her head at him. "It's nothing. Go wash your hands and eat, or the food will get cold."
The two ate their meal in silence, but the atmosphere was definitely off, and Huo Qingfeng knew it all too well. "Wife, what's wrong?"
Ling Ruoke sighed. "Honey, can I go to T City tomorrow?"
"Looking at Zhuang Yicheng?" Huo Qingfeng frowned and asked. Although he sympathized with Zhuang Yicheng's misfortune, no man would want his wife to care about another man, even if that care didn't involve love. Moreover, Zhuang Yicheng had always coveted his wife.
Ling Ruoke knew he would definitely be unhappy, so she reached out and gently stroked his chin in a conciliatory manner. "No, it's about Zhuang Yuqi. Zhuang Botao called me today and said that Zhuang Yuqi has been on a hunger strike for several days. They've tried everything, but they haven't been able to get him to eat. I want to go see him, and also to see Yuan Meng and Fu'an."
"Damn it!" Huo Qingfeng cursed immediately. "His father coveted my wife, and now his son wants to covet her too!"
Ling Ruoke couldn't help but laugh and leaned in to kiss him. "Don't be angry, I'll only be gone for two days, okay? I originally wanted Zhuang Botao to bring him to Z City, but he refused and even threatened to bite his tongue and commit suicide. To be honest, I've felt a bit guilty since Zhuang Yicheng was in a car accident. If I hadn't gone to T City that day, hadn't asked him to pick me up from the airport, and hadn't asked him to take me and Yuan Meng back, maybe he wouldn't have had the accident. If he hadn't been so tired, maybe he could have avoided it..."
After hearing what she said, Huo Qingfeng was completely at a loss. He knew his wife had been blaming herself. "Silly girl, everyone else is trying to shirk responsibility. But you, you're just taking it all on yourself. I'm not happy that you're going through all this trouble for others, but if you really want to go, then go ahead and do it."
Huo Qingfeng understood perfectly well that Ruoke was always thinking of others and wishing all good people in the world could be happy. He felt sorry for her being so tired, but he also understood that it was for her own good. If this made her happier, he didn't want to stop her. Once that changed, she wouldn't be his Ruoke anymore. Although he wasn't happy that Ruoke cared about Zhuang Yicheng and his son, he knew in his heart that his wife only had eyes for him and no other man.
"Thank you!" Ling Ruoke hugged his neck. "I just understand that feeling too well, so I always think about what I can do to help them and make them feel better. You made me happy, so I have the mind and energy to help others be happy."
Huo Qingfeng hugged her tightly, looking at her pitifully and saying, "But what am I going to do when you're not by my side?"
The next day, Ling Ruoke flew to T City. Being so heavy was indeed very inconvenient.
Zhuang Botao had sent people to wait for her at the airport early on. As soon as he saw her, he drove straight to the Zhuang family mansion.
Ling Ruoke was worried about Zhuang Yuqi, so she didn't pay any attention to the appearance of the mansion, only noting its grandeur. After exchanging a few polite words with Zhuang Botao, she was led to Zhuang Yuqi's room.
Ling Ruoke gently pushed open the door and peeked inside. She saw Zhuang Yuqi lying on the bed with his back to the door. He wasn't asleep, but he didn't seem to care at all when he heard someone come in; he didn't move or make a sound.
Ling Ruoke sighed softly in her heart, her eyes filled with even more heartache. This little brat, so young, had already learned to stage hunger strikes. The cruelty of life had forced him to resort to such methods far too early. "Zhuang Yuqi, are you asleep?"
Zhuang Yuqi shuddered and suddenly turned to sit up. But because he was so hungry, his body was limp, and he fell back onto the bed. His eyes were wide open, staring at her in disbelief.
"Don't you recognize me?" Ling Ruoke smiled gently, sat down on the edge of the bed, and reached out to touch his face. Seeing that he was so weak from hunger, and his lips were bloodless, her heart ached.
Zhuang Yuqi was stunned for a moment, then started to cry. He pitifully threw himself into her arms, calling out, "Mommy, Mommy..."
Ling Ruoke stroked his head, letting out a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, he hadn't started acting up, otherwise it would have been troublesome. She reached out and shoved him away!
"You brat, how can you not eat? If you starve to death, you'll never see me again! Didn't you not want to go to Z City? Didn't you say you were going on a hunger strike? Then go ahead and continue your hunger strike. I don't like disobedient children. I'd better go see my Fu'an instead." This kind of wrong behavior cannot be tolerated!
Ling Ruoke stood up and walked towards the door.
"Mom, don't go!" Zhuang Yuqi cried out in fright, lunging forward and nearly falling to the ground.
Ling Ruoke reacted quickly, turning back and grabbing him.
Zhuang Yuqi clung to her like a vine, using both hands and feet, refusing to let go no matter what. He cried so loudly it was like a scene from a TV show where a child is abandoned by their mother.
Ling Ruoke let out a long sigh. "Don't cry! Wipe away your tears!"
Zhuang Yuqi then let go, obediently wiping away her tears, biting her lip to keep quiet. Her red eyes and pale face made her look pitiful.
"You tell me, were you wrong? Will you dare to do this again?"
"Mom, I was wrong, I'll never do it again, please don't abandon me!" Zhuang Yuqi started crying again, heartbreakingly.
Zhuang Botao and his wife stood at the door, their feelings complicated.
Ling Ruoke then reached out and stroked his head. "No matter what happens in the future, you can't joke around with your health and life, understand? If you get hungry, you'll be the one who suffers, and the people who care about you and love you will be the ones who feel sorry for you, understand?"
Zhuang Yuqi dared not say no, and obediently nodded, nodding vigorously. "Mom, I will never do it again."
Before Ling Ruoke could speak, he said pitifully, "Mom, I'm hungry."
Ling Ruoke didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She reached out and wiped away his tears. She tapped his brow and said, "Let's see if you dare to go on a hunger strike again!"
Zhuang Botao had already prepared congee and side dishes, and as soon as he heard Zhuang Yuqi say he was hungry, he immediately sent someone to bring them in.
Ling Ruoke personally fed Zhuang Yuqi porridge.
With the hunger subsiding and feeling exhausted from being hungry for the past few days, Zhuang Yuqi soon fell asleep holding her hand.
It took Ling Ruoke a while to successfully pull her hand away. She turned on the air conditioner, covered him with the air conditioning blanket, and then left the room.
"Mrs. Huo, thank you so much!" Zhuang Botao said with a smile.
Ling Ruoke looked at him, smiled slightly, and nodded. "You're welcome. Although he's not my son, in my heart, Zhuang Yuqi has always been my child. I do have a few words I'd like to say to you, Uncle, and I hope you won't think I'm being presumptuous."
"Not at all! Please speak, Mrs. Huo."
Ling Ruoke turned around and looked down from the courtyard. “In this life, we want so many things—fame, fortune, love, so much more. But some things we are born with, like the love, acceptance, and happiness of family. I always feel these things are more important than what we pursue later in life. If we lose happiness, even the joy of family, in order to gain something, isn't that too much of a waste? After a hundred years, we're all just a handful of dust. Why not take those things we can't take with us more seriously? Uncle, don't you agree?”
"The young mistress is absolutely right."
"I apologize for the intrusion." Ling Ruoke smiled faintly and went downstairs. She needed to get some fresh air in the courtyard; she didn't like such a stifling place. No wonder Zhuang Yuqi refused to return to the mansion last time. If it were her, she wouldn't want to live in such a place either, where even the right to breathe freely was taken away.
The servants of the Zhuang family prepared lunch.
Ling Ruoke was also hungry and ate a good meal. After eating, she took a walk in the yard, planning to go check on Yuan Meng and Fu'an later. But she had to wait for Zhuang Yuqi to wake up, otherwise the little girl would think she had gone back and cause a scene.
Zhuang Yuqi slept until dinnertime. As soon as he woke up, he jumped out of bed and ran downstairs without even putting on his shoes, calling for his mother as he ran. His voice was panicked, and he was almost crying. Later, when he heard from the servants that Mrs. Huo was in the garden, he rushed out.
Ling Ruoke was enjoying the cool air under the pavilion in the garden. The pavilion was made of vines twining around its top, trimmed to resemble a pavilion, making it particularly cool. There were also lounge chairs in the pavilion; lying in the shade, with the cool breeze blowing, was very pleasant.
Ling Ruoke was lying there, half asleep, when Zhuang Yuqi called out and ran over. After a nap, his complexion had improved. He was still a child; the recovery system worked well, and he was soon lively and energetic again.
"Mom, I thought you had secretly left again!" Zhuang Yuqi grabbed her hand and rubbed his face against her palm.
Ling Ruoke was both amused and exasperated. So much time had passed, yet he still remembered that time he left without saying goodbye. "Didn't I promise you I would never secretly disappear again?"
Zhuang Yuqi grinned but didn't answer. Next to the recliner was a small stone stool; he sat down there, took her hand, placed her face on the recliner's armrest, and pressed his own face against it. His eyes looked up, blinking, still smiling.
"Are you hungry?" Ling Ruoke was already pregnant and her maternal instincts were running high. Seeing him looking at her like that made her feel so sorry for him.
Zhuang Yuqi straightened up, looked at her blankly. "Hungry, I'm starving."
So the two of them went to have dinner. After dinner, Ling Ruoke left the Zhuang family mansion, and Zhuang Yuqi followed her.
They took her to the hospital to see Zhuang Yicheng.
Zhuang Yuqi is on a hunger strike and hasn't seen her father for several days.
They arrived around 8 p.m. The hospital was no longer as bustling as it was during the day. Zhuang Yicheng was in a VIP ward, and there were even fewer people on that floor.
Zhuang Yicheng lay quietly on the bed, his face serene, as if he were asleep. However, due to his inability to eat and exercise normally, he had become extremely thin. If it weren't for the meticulous care he received from a nurse hired by Zhuang Botao, he would have already developed muscle atrophy.
Ling Ruoke had also heard that some unconscious patients didn't receive proper care in the hospital, sometimes even developing body odor and skin problems. She looked closely and saw that Zhuang Yicheng was being well cared for; he didn't have those issues. Thinking about it, it made sense; this was a VIP ward, frequented by wealthy and powerful people, and the hospital wouldn't dare offend them.
Zhuang Yuqi leaned close to Zhuang Yicheng's ear and whispered to him. As she spoke, she began to cry.
Ling Ruoke walked to the bedside, looked down at his peaceful sleeping face, and smiled bitterly. "You sleep so comfortably, but you have no idea how much we awake people are suffering. If you really want to rest, then you should have rested enough and wake up."
Just then, the caregiver came in, and Ling Ruoke inquired about the situation in detail, giving him some instructions. "By the way, is there another woman who often comes to see him?"
The nurse immediately smiled and asked, "You mean Miss Yuan?"
Ling Ruoke nodded.
“She has come many times, but she needs Mr. Zhuang’s permission to enter the ward, so she can only peek in from outside. Even so, she comes at least once a week. She’s a very thoughtful person.”
Ling Ruoke despised Zhuang Botao and his wife from the bottom of her heart. Their son was already in such a state, yet they stubbornly clung to their old ways. It was fortunate that Yuan Meng had broken things off; she hadn't ultimately been indifferent. Perhaps she could try asking Zhuang Botao to let Yuan Meng meet Zhuang Yicheng.
I stayed in the ward until after nine o'clock, almost until visiting hours ended, before coming out with Zhuang Yuqi. "Do you still hate Yuan Meng?"
Zhuang Yuqi shook her head, her little face showing a sad expression. "Mom, as long as the commander can wake up, I won't object to who he marries. If the woman he marries is not good to me, it doesn't matter, I have Mom." As she spoke, as if holding her hand wasn't enough, she reached out with her other hand as well.
Ling Ruoke looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears. This poor child! "Don't worry, your father won't let anyone treat you badly. If your father is with Yuan Meng, Yuan Meng will definitely treat you well. And Xiao Fu'an, he can play with you, so you won't always be playing alone."
After saying that, Ling Ruoke regretted it. She shouldn't have dangled such a pie in the sky for the child; if things went wrong in the future… that would be too cruel!
Zhuang Yuqi nodded earnestly. He truly only wanted his father to wake up; he didn't want anything else.
Once they arrived at the hospital, they got into the car and asked the driver to take them to Yuan Meng's place.
Ling Ruoke covered her mouth and yawned; she was a little tired. She hadn't taken a nap today and was extremely sleepy. She would tell Yuan Meng later that she needed to check into a hotel and get some sleep, otherwise she really wouldn't be able to stay awake.
As soon as Zhuang Yuqi got on the bus, he snuggled up to her, holding her arm with both hands. He didn't say a word, just pressed his face against her arm, staring at the seat in front of him with his big eyes, lost in thought.
Ling Ruoke reached out her other hand and patted his head. "Your father will wake up, don't worry."
Zhuang Yuqi nuzzled against her, but still didn't say anything.
Just as Ling Ruoke was thinking of something else to comfort him, the car suddenly stopped. She looked up and saw a car blocking their way. It was a black car, and she couldn't see the people inside.
After a while, the car door opened, and a tall man in black got out and headed straight for their car.
People dressed in all black are often associated with bad people, so Ling Ruoke's heart sank.
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