Chapter 13:

Lin Qiao naturally wanted to clarify immediately regarding Shen Qingzhou’s deliberate attempt to mislead others about their relationship. However, Shen Qingzhou quickly removed his hand from her shoulder, only to clasp her hand instead.

He glanced sideways at her, his eyes brimming with intense emotion, sharp and piercing, evoking in her a conflicting sensation of warmth and unease, leaving her unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse.

In the brief moment she lost her composure, the doctors and nurses who had come to greet the child’s parent had already left. Lin Qiao frowned and pulled her hand away from Shen Qingzhou’s grasp, stepping aside to create some distance between them. She looked down at Xiao Ning and softly said, “Xiao Ning, don’t speak recklessly in the future. Although you’re still young, people might take your words seriously, which could trouble your dad. Do you understand?”

Xiao Ning, hugging his toy car, glanced uncertainly at Shen Qingzhou. Since Shen had turned his body toward the child without looking back, Xiao Ning carefully nodded and said, “Okay, I’m sorry, Auntie Lin. I just don’t like that Dr. Liu.”

Lin Qiao’s lips twitched. In such a short time, she had gone from being called “Auntie” to being at the same level as “Dad.” Well, children’s words were innocent after all.

“Alright, you’re sick now. Rest well. Sis… Auntie is leaving now.”

Lin Qiao said goodbye to Xiao Ning, then politely took her leave of Shen Qingzhou and Du Xinling. As she turned to leave, Shen Qingzhou said, “Wait.”

Lin Qiao paused, looking at him expressionlessly. His narrow eyes gazed at her quietly, his dark pupils glittering with a deep, meaningful intensity.

“I’ll drive you.”

His Mandarin was crisp and clear, as if it had pierced through the night sky, slowly and deeply plucking at her heartstrings.

“No need. Master Shen, you should stay here with Xiao Ning. I have a flight tonight, and I can just hang out somewhere until then.”

Lin Qiao immediately declined without hesitation and turned to leave. Watching Shen Qingzhou silently staring at the door, Du Xinling noticed that Shen didn’t seem angry at being rejected. Instead, he merely curled his lips slightly without smiling, then looked somewhat awkward, his eyes wandering restlessly around the hospital room, unable to settle anywhere.

“Shi Heng,” Du Xinling leaned closer, puzzled. “Have you fallen for Miss Lin?”

Shen Qingzhou looked down at Du, who was half a head shorter, and softly asked, “What’s it to you?”

Du Xinling touched his face and said, “Don’t be so stingy. Aren’t we partners who share everything? This is the first time I’ve seen you act so warmly toward a girl. You really like her, don’t you? Honestly, she doesn’t have a very good impression of our line of work, especially of you. Why not pick someone easier?”

Shen Qingzhou scoffed lightly. “The car, the house, the bag she carries—I can give her several, even ten times better versions of each.”

Du Xinling shrugged. “Shi Heng, not every beautiful girl these days is only after money. That girl’s family also runs a big company. Don’t oversimplify things.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly and, gazing at Du, softly said, “I’ve kissed her.”

“…” Du Xinling stared at him for a while before finally saying, “Forget I said anything.”

Shen Qingzhou smirked mockingly and turned his gaze back to the little patient in bed. The child had somehow fallen asleep, snoring on the blanket while tightly hugging the toy car Lin Qiao had given him.

Shen Qingzhou approached, gently pulled the toy from the child’s arms, examined it for a moment, then placed it aside. He tucked the blanket around the child and quietly asked Du, “What else did the doctors say about Xiao Ning’s condition?”

Du replied, “Don’t worry. The doctor said it’s acute promyelocytic leukemia, M3 type. There’s effective medication, and the cure rate is up to 80%. It’s just more dangerous in the early stages, and long-term treatment is required. The child will have to endure quite a bit.”

Shen Qingzhou slightly furrowed his brows, gazing at the sleeping Xiao Ning for a while, as if speaking to himself, he murmured, “Maybe transferring him to a well-known hematology hospital would be better?”

Du thought for a moment and nodded. “That makes sense. The better the facility, the more at ease we’ll feel.”

Shen Qingzhou looked up and said, “Beijing, as the capital city, must have some good hospitals.”

Du instinctively replied, “Of course. After the doctor told me, I looked it up. Peking University People’s Hospital is quite good.”

Shen Qingzhou stood up. “I’ll arrange the transfer.”

Du stood there, stunned for a moment, before slowly realizing something—wasn’t Lin Qiao from Beijing?

And wasn’t she also a graduate of Peking University?

Mr. Du, belatedly aware of this, dared not voice his suspicions, fearing he might upset Shen Qingzhou. After all, maybe Shen was only trying to find the best treatment for his foster son. If he said anything, wouldn’t he be making too much of it?

That same night, Lin Qiao, flying back to Beijing, never expected to run into Shen Qingzhou there again. After all, with Xiao Ning’s illness, as a father, he shouldn’t leave. And he himself had said he disliked traveling and wouldn’t leave Qiancheng once he returned.

Although Shen Qingzhou left in a hurry, he still fulfilled his responsibilities. Soon after Lin Qiao returned to Beijing, she moved houses. Together with the housekeeper, she spent a long time packing and arranging everything.

During the move, Lin Qiao’s father had been busy with company matters, reportedly negotiating a major deal that, if successful, would greatly improve their family’s financial situation.

After settling everything at home, Lin Qiao officially returned to work. She accompanied her father to meet many clients and lived a hectic life, adapting to the fast-paced lifestyle of the capital city. Until one day, Wang Jiaqi called to say she had divorced.

Lin Qiao was shocked when she heard the news. In her memory, Fang Zheng was a family-oriented man who treated his wife very well. He was also considerate to his in-laws, even managing their business affairs efficiently.

Such a man hardly seemed like someone who would betray his wife or frame his in-laws. Yet, things had indeed happened that way.

Wang Jiaqi and Lin Qiao agreed to meet at a cafe near the south section of Xizhimen Avenue. Lin Qiao parked her car and quickly walked inside, unaware that a silver-colored Land Rover Range Rover passed by, slowly parking beside her car.

“Shi Heng, do you think that’s Miss Lin?”

Du Xinling peered out the window. Shen Qingzhou, sitting in the back seat reading, lifted his head and looked outside. Sure enough, he saw Lin Qiao hurrying into the cafe.

Du, very considerately, said, “Well, you haven’t really slept for days. Why don’t you go in for something to drink and perk up? I’ll go keep Xiao Ning company first. You being like this might make him uncomfortable too.”

Indeed, Xiao Ning was a very considerate and mature little boy. In the past few days, as Du had said, he had been genuinely worried about Shen Qingzhou’s health. Undergoing chemotherapy himself, he had become afraid that those around him might also fall ill. He constantly reminded them to “take care of themselves,” making the two adults both laugh and cry.

Shen Qingzhou thought for a moment, closed his book, and calmly said, “Alright.”

The silver car door opened, and a tall, handsome figure stepped out, slowly entering the modest cafe.

At that moment, Lin Qiao was sitting in a corner, talking with a tear-streaked Wang Jiaqi. Wang told her that Fang Zheng had not only deceived her financially and emotionally but had also secretly taken over her family’s company. The Wang family was now just an empty shell, on the verge of bankruptcy. To make matters worse, she had discovered she was pregnant, leaving her in a dilemma over whether to reveal it.

Lin Qiao frowned and handed her tissues, unable to utter a word for a while, only sighing deeply.

Indeed, appearances could be deceiving. Fang Zheng, who seemed so reliable on the surface, turned out to be such a scoundrel. Wang Jiaqi’s life had essentially been ruined by him.

“It’s not just about whether I should speak out or not,” Wang Jiaqi suddenly whispered. “My pregnancy was an accident. He always took precautions, so I don’t know how it happened. Even if I do tell, he probably won’t believe it’s his child.”

Lin Qiao rubbed her throbbing temple, about to speak, when she spotted a familiar figure in the distance. She widened her eyes in surprise, instinctively calling out, “Shen Qingzhou?”

Shen Qingzhou’s hearing was extremely sharp. Almost immediately, he turned toward the corner where she sat. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, but when he saw Wang Jiaqi crying beside Lin Qiao, his expression shifted to understanding.

“Master Shen?” Wang Jiaqi stopped crying, stood up, and looked behind her. Indeed, there stood the tall man, calmly returning their gaze. After a moment, he slowly approached their table.

“What are you doing here?” Lin Qiao instinctively asked, then politely added, “Would you like to join us?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at the two-person sofa facing them and without hesitation sat beside Lin Qiao. His long fingers tapped the table a few times as he quietly asked, “You’re divorced?”

Wang Jiaqi looked at him in astonishment, her lips trembling. The tears she had just managed to suppress threatened to spill again.

Lin Qiao disapprovingly tugged at Shen Qingzhou’s sleeve. He looked at her hand, and she immediately pulled it back as if burned, sitting quietly without daring to touch him again.

At that moment, the waiter brought Shen Qingzhou’s coffee, slightly curious why he had changed seats. Shen Qingzhou cast a glance at the waiter, who quickly left.

Holding the coffee cup, dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, Shen Qingzhou stood out among the cafe-goers dressed lightly for the warm weather. He seemed to always wear neatly pressed shirts and trousers, regardless of the occasion.

Now, sitting in the cozy, softly lit corner, he idly played with his coffee cup. From Lin Qiao’s perspective, she could only see his perfectly sculpted profile. His face remained unreadable, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking—but she found herself almost mesmerized.

“I warned you before, but you didn’t take it seriously. Now it’s too late to cry.”

After a long silence, Shen Qingzhou finally spoke, addressing Wang Jiaqi. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “I… I thought you were just joking back then… I’m such a foolish woman, not like Master Shen, who excels at everything and sees everything clearly.”

A faint curl touched Shen Qingzhou’s lips, though it wasn’t a smile. His dark eyes shimmered with emotion, his expression sharp and unfeeling. “I don’t excel at everything, nor do I see everything clearly. I only know what the right thing to do is.”

Hearing his words, Wang Jiaqi’s tears flowed even more intensely. One hand covered her stomach, the other her mouth, trying not to appear too pitiful in public.

Shen Qingzhou observed her hand on her stomach, his gaze contemplative, as if realizing something.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but glare at Shen Qingzhou. Handsome as he was, there must have been water in his brain. Wang Jiaqi was clearly on the verge of breaking down, and instead of comforting her, he was pouring salt into the wound.

“Jiaqi, don’t blame yourself too much. Everyone has weaknesses. Even Master Shen has them. You didn’t see his, and that’s okay. You’re still young. You have a long road ahead. If you collapse now, who will take care of your parents?” Lin Qiao tried to comfort her.

Wang Jiaqi looked up at her blankly, showing some signs of calming down. Just as Lin Qiao was about to continue, Shen Qingzhou, inappropriately as always, said, “I have no weaknesses. Between men and women, it’s all about sex. Even if I had a weakness, it wouldn’t be related to that.”

“…If he could just keep his mouth shut, no one would ever guess how annoying he truly is.”