Chapter 40:

It was already very late when she returned to Beijing. Due to the tight schedule, Lin Qiao looked extremely tired when she got off the plane.

This time, Lin Qiao had returned to the capital alone. Shen Qingzhou still had work to finish there, but she couldn’t accompany him anymore because something had happened with her father, Lin Huiming.

Fang Mingjun had just divorced Xie Jiayi and was likely in a very bad mood. Soon after, he sold the new house they had just moved into and moved back into the old family home. He used every connection he had to smooth things over for Fang Zheng and personally handled the business errors and mishaps Fang Zheng had caused.

Several major contracts that had originally shifted from Fang Zheng to Lin Huiming were all reclaimed due to Fang Mingjun’s interference. Lin Huiming had worked hard for a long time only to end up with nothing, and the blow he suffered was already significant. Fang Zheng, unable to take out his anger on Shen Qingzhou or Lin Qiao, ended up mocking Lin Huiming, which enraged him so much that he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

When Lin Qiao received the call, Shen Qingzhou had already left for work. She didn’t tell him about it, fearing it would distract him, and only said that there was some urgent company business requiring her immediate return. She went straight to the airport and bought the earliest flight back to Beijing.

After landing, Lin Qiao picked up her car from the parking lot and headed directly to the hospital, not even eating before rushing to see her father. Ever since her mother had passed away years ago, it had always been just the two of them, father and daughter. Now that Lin Huiming was ill and had no one by his side, every time Lin Qiao thought about it, her heart ached unbearably.

After parking the car downstairs, Lin Qiao hurried upstairs. In her rush, she accidentally bumped into someone while entering the elevator, causing the items in that person’s hands to scatter to the floor. Lin Qiao quickly bent down to help pick them up—several books and a notebook. The name “Qi Zheng” was elegantly written on the notebook’s cover. It was an unusual surname, and the way the character “Qi” was written was particularly stylish, making it hard for Lin Qiao not to notice.

“I’m sorry,” Lin Qiao said, handing the items back to the person. She looked up and noticed he was wearing a white coat—likely a doctor at the hospital.

“No problem,” the doctor replied with a gentle smile. His handsome features were as clean and distinctive as his demeanor. He took the items from her, nodded, and then turned to leave.

Lin Qiao didn’t linger either. She quickly got on the elevator before the doors closed and headed upstairs, while the doctor who had been bumped into walked out of the hospital and handed the books to a young man waiting by the entrance.

“Little uncle, thank you so much! Once I get accepted, I’ll treat you to a big meal to show my gratitude!” the young man happily took the books.

The doctor smiled slightly and said, “Your thoughtfulness is enough. Go back now, I still have patients to attend to.”

The young man said his goodbyes and left. The doctor watched him drive off before returning to the hospital and taking the same elevator floor as Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao found Lin Huiming’s room by checking the ward number. When she entered, her father was still awake. His complexion didn’t look great, but it wasn’t too bad either.

“Dad,” Lin Qiao closed the door and walked to the bedside, sitting down on the chair and frowning at him. “Are you okay?”

Lin Huiming turned his gaze from the window, reached out from under the covers to hold her hand, and softly said, “Dad’s fine. I’ll be discharged in a couple of days. Don’t worry.”

Lin Qiao let out a breath of relief. “That’s good. Don’t let unnecessary things affect your health—it’s just not worth it.”

“I won’t. I still have my daughter. I haven’t even saved up enough for your dowry yet. How could I dare to get sick?” Lin Huiming joked.

Lin Qiao blushed slightly, smoothing her hair as she said, “You don’t need to worry about a dowry. Even without one, I can still get married. What matters most is your health.”

Lin Huiming’s expression turned half-serious as he said, “No, I have to save more. You’re so clueless—how else can you get married off with a small dowry?”

“…And a big dowry will make you marryable?” Lin Qiao frowned.

Lin Huiming replied solemnly, “Of course. Half sold, half given.”

Lin Qiao was speechless, rubbing her temples in frustration.

Lin Huiming smiled slightly. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. You came back in such a hurry—does Xiao Shen have any objections?”

“You’re my father. Of course I came back. You’re more important than him,” Lin Qiao replied without hesitation.

“That sounds good, but don’t let Xiao Shen hear it—he might get upset,” Lin Huiming chuckled.

Lin Qiao shook her head and said, “It’s okay. It might sound harsh, but it’s true. Without you, there wouldn’t be me. Parents always come first.”

“So I just don’t understand those kids online who chase Korean stars and say they can live without their parents but not without their oppas,” Lin Huiming sighed in frustration.

“That’s their business. We can’t control everything,” Lin Qiao stood up, looking at the apple on the table. “Do you want to eat an apple? I can peel one for you.”

Lin Huiming shook his head. “No thanks. Apples these days don’t taste good—they’re not in season yet. No flavor.”

“Who brought this?” Lin Qiao asked casually.

“Fang Zheng.”

“What?” Lin Qiao exclaimed in shock. “He still had the nerve to come? When was he here?”

“Not long before you left,” Lin Huiming said indifferently. “He came to vent. It’s understandable—he’s been in a bad spot lately. Although Fang Mingjun helped him, he had to hand over all his actual power. Compared to us, he’s even worse off.”

Lin Qiao bit her lip, wishing she could rush to Fang Zheng and punch him right now. “Then don’t eat it. I’m afraid he might have poisoned it.”

Lin Huiming laughed. “Fine, then throw it away. Although Dad hasn’t earned much money lately, I can still afford to throw away a few apples.”

“Dad, enough already,” Lin Qiao rubbed her temples and picked up the kettle. “I’m going to get some water.”

“Alright,” Lin Huiming softly replied, closing his eyes. “I’m tired. You go ahead.”

Lin Qiao grabbed the kettle and went out to get water. On her way, she saw the doctor she had bumped into earlier on the first floor. He seemed to recognize her too and politely nodded with a friendly expression, appearing very approachable.

Lin Qiao smiled slightly and nodded back. As they passed each other, both instinctively slowed their steps. After a moment of hesitation, the doctor finally spoke politely.

“Hello, what a coincidence. You’re on this floor too.”

“Yes, my father is hospitalized because he’s not feeling well, and I’m here to take care of him,” Lin Qiao replied gently.

“Mr. Lin?” The doctor, being very perceptive, figured it out from just those few words.

“Yes, do you know my father?” Lin Qiao asked.

The doctor said softly, “Mr. Lin is an entrepreneur. He’s very approachable, and everyone here gets along well with him.”

She hadn’t expected her father to be so impressive that he had already become familiar with the hospital staff in just a couple of days. Lin Qiao smiled and said, “You’re too kind. I need to go get water now, so I’ll go first.”

The doctor nodded, watching Lin Qiao walk away before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

After getting the water, Lin Qiao returned to the ward. Lin Huiming was already asleep. She placed the kettle down, sat back on the chair, and suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She quickly took it out and saw it was a call from Shen Qingzhou.

Glancing at her father resting quietly, Lin Qiao stepped outside into the hallway and found a quiet spot to answer the call.

“Hello,” she whispered.

“Why are you speaking so softly?” Shen Qingzhou’s calm and indifferent voice came through the phone, carrying a magnetic quality that made him sound even more commanding when heard remotely. His composed tone always gave people the impression that he was not someone to be trifled with.

“I’m in the hospital. I can’t be loud,” Lin Qiao replied.

“You can speak normally. I didn’t ask you to shout,” Shen Qingzhou said casually before changing the subject. “Why did you suddenly go back?”

“I told you on the phone—it’s some urgent company matter that I needed to handle. I came back first.”

“You hung up right after saying that. You didn’t even check if I understood.”

Lin Qiao touched her cheek sheepishly. “I thought you understood. You’re so smart—I didn’t even consider that you might not…”

“Lin Qiao, don’t think flattery will save you,” Shen Qingzhou said coldly. “Your father being hospitalized is considered an urgent company matter? I thought that was a family issue.”

“You found out?” Lin Qiao asked in surprise.

Shen Qingzhou replied, “There are very few things I want to know that I can’t find out.”

“…Yes, that’s exactly what happened. I just didn’t tell you the truth because I was afraid it would distract you from work,” Lin Qiao admitted honestly.

There was a brief silence on Shen Qingzhou’s end before he said, “I’m already back.”

“What?” Lin Qiao couldn’t help but raise her voice slightly. “You’re back? When did you come back?”

“I returned on the flight right after yours,” Shen Qingzhou said indifferently. “I tried calling you when your phone was turned off.”

“…” She had been on the plane and couldn’t use her phone then.

“Which hospital are you at? I’m coming over now.”

Lin Qiao felt a mix of warmth and guilt as she told him the hospital’s name, then hung up and returned to the ward.

Having a boyfriend like Shen Qingzhou, who seemed capable of handling anything, truly fulfilled every woman’s ideal of a man. Perhaps because of that, Lin Qiao always felt a sense of unreality, as if he might disappear at any moment.

When Shen Qingzhou arrived, Lin Qiao opened the door. He was wearing a simple white shirt tucked neatly into black trousers. From the waist down, his long, straight legs were undeniably eye-catching—even without looking at his face, those legs alone made it impossible for him to go unnoticed.

To Lin Qiao’s surprise, Shen Qingzhou was wearing a pair of glasses today. His dark eyes were silently gazing at the inside of the ward through the rimless lenses.

“Why are you wearing glasses today?” Lin Qiao asked in confusion.

Shen Qingzhou didn’t look at her, stepping inside as he replied, “I have a bit of farsightedness.”

“I’ve never seen you wear them before,” Lin Qiao muttered, pouring him a glass of water.

Shen Qingzhou sat down on the other chair and lowered his voice. “I only felt the need recently.”

“Huh? Didn’t you used to think it didn’t matter if you couldn’t see clearly up close?”

“More or less.”

“So now it matters?”

“Yes,” Shen Qingzhou accepted the glass from her hand calmly. “I’ve recently realized that the closer you get, the less clearly I can see you.”

“…” She felt like there was something more behind his words.

While Shen Qingzhou was visiting Lin Huiming, Xie Jiayi, who had returned with him, was confronted by Fang Zheng at her doorstep.

Xie Jiayi no longer lived with Fang Mingjun. He had given her a property in the capital, and now she was standing outside that house, face to face with Fang Zheng.

“What are you doing here, Xiao Zheng?” Xie Jiayi asked with a faint smile.

Fang Zheng looked different from usual. Lately, he seemed more mature—though not old, he had grown a bit of stubble on his chin, and his eyes were red—not from the urge to cry, but from extreme fatigue.

“Please come home,” Fang Zheng said bluntly.

Xie Jiayi looked puzzled. “Home? I’m already at my doorstep. Weren’t you the one trying to drive me out of your house all along? Now that you’ve succeeded, why do you look unhappy?”

“Fang Mingjun isn’t happy,” Fang Zheng said expressionlessly.

“…His happiness doesn’t concern me anymore. What you’re saying is pointless,” Xie Jiayi replied indifferently.

“Mrs. Xie, do you really have no heart at all? After all these years, you know how my father treated you. You left him for Shen Qingzhou just like that, without a second thought for your years of marriage?” Fang Zheng’s expression grew increasingly dark as he spoke.

Xie Jiayi folded her arms and smiled slightly. “Are you accusing me, Xiao Zheng? Then let me ask you something too—after all these years, how many times have you married? Do you have any heart at all? I won’t mention your past relationships, but take Jiaqi, for example. How good she was to you. Yet you not only ruined her financially but also caused the death of your unborn child, refused to acknowledge it as your own, and then denied all responsibility after deceiving her emotionally and financially. You’re nothing but scum, a social outcast. How could Fang Mingjun have raised a son like you? It doesn’t even seem like his genes. Could it be the American blood in your other half causing this? The United States must really be something.”

Each word from Xie Jiayi pierced Fang Zheng’s heart like a needle. He clenched his fists tightly, barely suppressing his anger. After a deep look at her, he turned and left.