Chapter 30:

It felt like entering a strange realm. Ever since that unpleasant night when they had sex, Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou had not contacted each other for several days. Shen Qingzhou would come to Lin Qiao’s father to discuss matters concerning the Fang family, but never mentioned anything about her.

Lin’s father sensed something abnormal between them and wanted to ask Lin Qiao what had happened. However, she locked herself in the company every day and rarely came home. Eventually, he stopped asking, fearing his daughter might run away from home.

Unable to ask Lin Qiao, Lin’s father could only turn to Shen Qingzhou. Upon hearing that Shen Qingzhou’s adopted son was hospitalized in Beijing due to illness, Lin’s father thought this was a good opportunity and bought some gifts before heading to the hospital where Shen Ning was staying.

He hadn’t informed Shen Qingzhou beforehand, so when he arrived, Du Xinling had no idea who he was.

“May I ask who you are?” Du Xinling handed the PSP to Xiao Ning and glanced at the gifts in Lin Weiming’s hands. “Are you here to visit Xiao Ning?”

Lin Weiming nodded. “Yes, I’m a business partner of Master Shen. I heard his son was sick, so I came to visit.”

Du Xinling was the only other person besides Lin Weiming who knew that Shen Qingzhou had invested in Lin Group. Upon hearing Lin Weiming’s words, he immediately recognized the man’s identity.

“You must be Chairman Lin?” Du Xinling politely took the gifts from Lin Weiming and invited him to sit down. “Please have a seat. Why didn’t you call ahead? Master Shen isn’t here now. I’ll call him back right away.”

Lin Weiming had come specifically to see Shen Qingzhou, so naturally he nodded in agreement. Du Xinling then went out to make a call, leaving Xiao Ning alone in the room, who had been secretly watching Lin Weiming.

Xiao Ning quietly examined Lin Weiming while holding the PSP. Lin Weiming looked at him affectionately and asked, “What’s your name, little one? How old are you?”

Xiao Ning didn’t answer everything, just saying, “I’m Shen Ning.”

Lin Weiming nodded and took out his phone to check the time without saying anything else.

Seeing him fall silent, Xiao Ning took the initiative to speak. “Earlier, I heard Uncle Du call you Chairman Lin. Uncle Lin, are you Auntie Lin’s father?”

Lin Weiming looked at him in surprise. “You know?”

“I guessed,” Xiao Ning said as he put down the PSP, got off the bed, ran to Lin Weiming’s side, and looked up at him. “Uncle Lin, why hasn’t Auntie Lin come lately? I haven’t seen her for a long time. Did my dad make her angry?”

Lin Weiming sighed and gently patted the child’s head. “Xiao Ning, Uncle doesn’t know what exactly happened between them either. Later, can you help Uncle ask your dad, okay?”

Xiao Ning immediately nodded. “Okay. He never tells me when I ask him alone. If Uncle asks him together, he will definitely tell us.”

Lin Weiming nodded slightly and looked toward the hospital room door. Just then, Shen Qingzhou and Du Xinling appeared at the doorway. Lin Weiming immediately stood up to greet them.

“Master Shen,” Lin Weiming shook hands with Shen Qingzhou and smiled. “I came uninvited and didn’t give you any notice. I’m really sorry for the disturbance.”

Shen Qingzhou wore a simple white, modified Chinese silk robe, which highlighted his graceful and tall figure, making him look elegant and noble.

He wore a long string of prayer beads around his neck, his skin was very pale, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating he hadn’t slept well recently.

Shen Qingzhou politely returned Lin Weiming’s greeting. He invited him to sit down and after everyone sat down and closed the door, he slowly spoke in a low, calm voice. “Chairman Lin, you’re too kind. Actually, I should thank you for coming to visit Xiao Ning. You shouldn’t have gone to the trouble.”

Lin Weiming smiled but didn’t speak immediately. Xiao Ning still stood in his original spot. Seeing the sudden silence among the adults, he spoke up first. “Dad, Uncle Lin is here to ask you what’s going on between you and Auntie Lin.”

When Shen Qingzhou heard the term “Auntie Lin,” his previously calm expression instantly froze. After a while, he awkwardly glanced at Du Xinling.

Du Xinling understood his silent signal and immediately picked up Xiao Ning, softly saying, “Sweetheart, didn’t you say you wanted to go out in the sun earlier? Uncle will take you out now.”

Xiao Ning struggled. “No, no, I want to stay here and hear Dad’s answer.”

Du Xinling covered Xiao Ning’s mouth and took him out without saying another word. The room became quiet, making it suitable for conversation.

Lin Weiming got straight to the point. “Xiao Shen, I’ve never treated you as an outsider. Now that they’re not around, I don’t need to call you Master anymore. Xiao Shen, tell me the truth, what exactly happened between you and Qiaoqiao.”

Shen Qingzhou’s expression turned grim as he was asked this. He pinched his brow, reached for the unopened pack of cigarettes on the table, and as he picked it up, he heard Lin Weiming say, “Xiao Shen, this is a hospital. You can’t smoke here.”

Shen Qingzhou paused, slowly withdrawing his hand. Although his outward appearance remained calm, his voice carried deep guilt and helplessness, and he sounded extremely tired. “Uncle Lin, this is my fault. It has nothing to do with her.”

“Your fault? What did you do?” Lin Weiming asked in confusion.

Shen Qingzhou was silent for a while, then frowned and looked at him. After thinking for a moment, he honestly explained everything.

So, not long after Du Xinling and Xiao Ning had left the room, they soon saw Lin Weiming. He came out of the room with a displeased expression and left without looking back.

Du Xinling knew immediately that the conversation had gone badly. It seemed that Shen Qingzhou had told the truth.

This man, when he should have concealed things, didn’t. And when he should have spoken the truth, he stayed silent. He wasn’t understood, yet he never explained. Du Xinling didn’t know what to say.

After returning home, Lin Weiming never asked Lin Qiao about Shen Qingzhou again. Lin Qiao noticed her father’s change and guessed that he might have met with Shen Qingzhou. She was very surprised that Shen Qingzhou had actually told the truth. For something like that, it was barely understandable that he had done it, but the fact that he had told her father made her feel inexplicably confused.

Actually, Shen Qingzhou’s thoughts were easy to understand. He didn’t want to make another mistake. He was worried that hiding this matter would make Lin Qiao unhappy and make her feel that he didn’t want to take responsibility.

Clearly, the thought processes of men and women were completely different and could never be on the same wavelength.

Fang Zheng had been busy dealing with his family’s troublesome matters recently and hadn’t had time to deal with the Wang family. The Wangs, relatively speaking, had a quiet environment for recovery, which helped to ease their bad mood.

Lin Qiao had been busy for several days and finally found time to visit Wang Jiaqi in early August.

According to Wang Jin, after Wang Jiaqi was rescued that time, she got much better. She stopped refusing to eat and drink and stopped sulking. She even began to comfort her parents and younger sister, as if she had returned to the past.

This made the Wang family very happy. At least their daughter had returned, something that couldn’t be bought with money.

Lin Qiao brought fruits and flowers as she walked into the hospital, feeling relieved that Wang Jiaqi and Xiao Ning were not in the same hospital. Otherwise, she might have met Shen Qingzhou, which would have been very awkward for both of them.

During this time, Shen Qingzhou had not contacted her, and she had not reached out to him either. Naturally, the man should take the initiative. Even if he didn’t come begging for forgiveness, he should at least apologize or show some sign of remorse. But he did nothing, as if he had disappeared without a trace.

It would be a lie to say she didn’t hate him. Right now, Lin Qiao wished she could give him a good beating so he would know what pain was, but even that opportunity was denied to her.

Standing outside Wang Jiaqi’s hospital room, Lin Qiao composed herself and knocked on the door. It was opened quickly, and the person who opened it startled her.

It was Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou was holding car keys, and there was fresh flowers inside the room, indicating he had been there for a while and was just about to leave.

At that moment, Wang Jin happened to return from outside. Seeing Lin Qiao at the door, he warmly greeted her. “Qiaoqiao, you’re here. Why are you standing outside? Come in. Jiaqi will be very happy to see you.”

Lin Qiao stood stiffly, pursing her lips as she said, “Hello, Uncle Wang.”

Wang Jin nodded with a smile. As he approached her, he noticed Shen Qingzhou standing there, staring at her intently, and couldn’t help but say, “Master Shen, are you leaving? Have you finished talking?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t respond to him, his gaze fixed on Lin Qiao. He seemed emotionally unstable, his voice carrying involuntary pauses and hoarseness. “You’re here.” He said, stepping aside to let her in. “I’m leaving. Are you coming in?”

Lin Qiao forced herself to appear calm, not revealing any of her thoughts on her face, merely nodding politely and thanking him. “Thank you.” She said, then walked past him into the room, greeting Wang Jiaqi, who was half-sitting up and looking toward the door. “Jiaqi, why are you up? Lie down quickly.”

Wang Jiaqi looked between Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou. Shen Qingzhou was still standing at the doorway, not leaving. His back was to them, and the glow of the evening light outlined his much-thinner figure. It was unclear what he was waiting for.

A moment later, before Wang Jiaqi could speak, Shen Qingzhou turned to look at Lin Qiao. His face bore an indescribable expression, and he spoke in a tone of surprising compromise that startled Wang Jiaqi. “Can we talk?”

His words were clearly directed at Lin Qiao. She heard him, but didn’t turn around. While placing the flowers on the table, she said, “This is someone else’s hospital room. It’s not appropriate to talk here. Sorry, Master Shen. We can talk another time if there’s an opportunity.”

Shen Qingzhou clenched his fist. Seeing that Lin Qiao truly had no intention of acknowledging him, he bid farewell to Wang Jin and left the hospital.

Hearing the door close, Lin Qiao paused her action of peeling an orange for Wang Jiaqi, and resumed a few seconds later.

“Qiaoqiao,” Wang Jiaqi spoke uncertainly, “what’s going on between you and Master Shen?”

Lin Qiao handed her the peeled orange. “Nothing. What could there be between us? We’ve never been anything.”

Wang Jiaqi said, “That’s not true. You still want to fool me? We’ve grown up together since we were little. Don’t you think I can tell?” She sighed. “Even if I couldn’t read your feelings, I could tell Master Shen’s. He’s such a proud man, yet he spoke to you in such a humble tone. Besides loving you, what other reason could there be?”

Lin Qiao’s expression tightened, and she changed the subject. “What did he come here for?”

Wang Jiaqi answered truthfully. “He talked about the Fang family matters. He’s helped our family a lot recently. If it weren’t for him, I’m afraid we wouldn’t even have the money for hospitalization.”

Lin Qiao murmured, “Fang Zheng is legally his older brother. Helping you is like making up for the Fang family’s sins.”

Wang Jiaqi shook her head. “I’ve always wanted to know why he helped us. He’s someone who really hates trouble. Although his mother married Fang Zheng’s father, he has no connection with the Fang family at all. I’ve been wondering what his real purpose was. Now I know it’s because of you.” She boldly guessed, “Did you ask him to do this? Or is he trying to please you?”

Actually, regarding Shen Qingzhou’s motives, Wang Jiaqi’s guesses were partially correct. However, Lin Qiao didn’t want to talk about it now.

“I came to see you, not him. Please stop bringing him up.” Lin Qiao touched her thin face gently. “You should take care of yourself first. Look how worried your parents are about you. You mustn’t do anything like that again.”

Wang Jiaqi gave a bitter smile. “I won’t. I’ve died once already and have come to terms with things. As long as one is alive, there’s nothing that can’t be resolved in life.”

Lin Qiao slowly exhaled and picked up the remote control to turn on the TV. She said softly, “I’m glad to hear that.”

Wang Jiaqi looked at Lin Qiao, wanting to say something else, but Lin Qiao was watching the news intently, so she swallowed her words.

After leaving the hospital, Shen Qingzhou didn’t go far. He went to the parking lot, found Lin Qiao’s car, parked his car in the adjacent parking space, and sat quietly in the car waiting for her to come down.

During this time, Shen Qingzhou made a phone call to Du Xinling. Du Xinling hurried over, just because of Shen Qingzhou’s one sentence.

“Are you sure this will work?” Du Xinling placed several large bunches of yellow roses around Lin Qiao’s car, stood up and caught his breath. “I remember yellow roses aren’t a good flower, right? Don’t they symbolize breaking up? What do you mean by giving these?”

Shen Qingzhou showed him on his phone. “They also mean apology.”

Du Xinling drew out a long “Oh,” then helplessly said, “But Sheng Heng, I think you should do something practical instead. Miss Lin doesn’t seem like someone who needs such superficial gestures. Do you really think it will help?”

Leaning against the white Ferrari, Shen Qingzhou stared at the pile of flowers. “Better than nothing.”

Du Xinling sighed. “I’m not going to interfere anymore. I need to go back and watch over Xiao Ning. I’m not comfortable with that nanny.” As he walked toward his car, he said, “You’re not much of a father compared to me, the uncle. Not only are you always absent from his side, but you keep sending me on errands.”

Shen Qingzhou looked at him. “I’m just afraid that Lin Qiao will leave while I’m buying the flowers.”

“Then why don’t you just go find her directly? Why wait here like this?” Du Xinling asked pointedly.

“…” Shen Qingzhou couldn’t answer, so he simply said, “Thanks. You can go back now.”

Du Xinling looked at him, shook his head, got on his car, and prepared to leave.

However, just as he backed up the car and was about to step on the gas, he was surprised to find that Shen Qingzhou, for some unknown reason, had trampled all the yellow roses that had originally been placed by Lin Qiao’s car. He punched the white Ferrari heavily, swept all the trampled yellow roses to one side, and then got into the car and drove away without looking back.

Du Xinling stared in shock at the white car disappearing in the parking lot, his mouth agape for a long time.

When Lin Qiao had stayed at the hospital long enough and was ready to leave, she discovered this wasteful scene in the parking lot.

Numerous yellow roses near her car had been crushed into a mess, with petals and leaves scattered everywhere, making it almost impossible for her to find a place to step.

“What’s going on here,” Lin Qiao muttered in confusion, glancing around and seeing no one. She quickly got into her car and left, clearly worried about being targeted by a stalker.

Shen Qingzhou, who had returned, watched Lin Qiao’s reaction from a corner, slightly leaning back against the wall. It was a hot summer day, and his several trips back and forth had made him sweat a lot, leaving a wet patch on the back of his white shirt.

He remained hidden in the shadows, unnoticed by her. He watched her leave, watched her disappear at the end of the road, and then began to feel regret and loneliness.