Chapter 19:

Shen Qingzhou’s expression flickered with disappointment upon hearing those words, but he quickly recovered and briskly walked ahead, saying, “Your words can’t be fully trusted. You keep coming up with terrible ideas. I think it’s more practical for you to think about how to clean up the mess you’ve made.”

Du Xinling followed closely behind him, watching his tall, upright back view, suddenly feeling that the road ahead was full of hardships and that a hero might not easily return.

“Hey, Shi Heng, after all these years of friendship, can’t you cut me some slack?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t even turn his head, tossing back from a distance, “I’m afraid I’ll spoil you so much you won’t even remember your own surname.”

With Shen, the master, having spoken thus, how could Du Xinling dare not go to Lin Qiao to extract information?

As a result, while waiting with Qin Muyao after registering for an appointment, Lin Qiao “coincidentally” encountered Du Xinling and was “coincidentally” approached by him.

“Miss Lin? What are you doing here?” Du Xinling warmly stepped forward to shake her hand. “I was just talking about you with Shi Heng. I never expected to meet again so soon. You really click with us.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Muyao couldn’t help but cough. Thinking he had caught a cold, Lin Qiao immediately apologized to Du Xinling and turned to him. “Senior, are you okay? Do you have a fever?”

Qin Muyao shook his head, softly replying, “I’m fine.” After speaking, he looked at Du Xinling with a puzzled expression and asked, “May I ask who this is?”

Lin Qiao hurriedly introduced, “This is Mr. Du Xinling, a partner of Master Shen. This is Qin Muyao, my friend.”

Upon hearing the name “Master Shen,” Qin Muyao’s face showed a complex smile. He stood up to shake hands with Du Xinling. Both applied considerable force. Du Xinling, determined not to disgrace Shen Qingzhou, increased his grip, but Qin Muyao exerted even more force. Not only that, but he could maintain a polite smile without changing his expression, making Du Xinling, who couldn’t help wincing, feel quite conflicted.

“Mr. Du, nice to meet you,” Qin Muyao smiled.

Du Xinling took a breath and pulled his reddened hand back, saying, “The pleasure is mine. You’re doing well too.”

Shen Qingzhou, quietly observing from a corner, saw this and decisively turned to leave, heading straight for Xiao Ning’s ward.

When Du Xinling, having eased the atmosphere, glanced casually toward the corner, he found Shen Qingzhou was already gone. He immediately felt utterly doomed, his expression involuntarily turning mournful.

“Mr. Du, are you okay?” Lin Qiao asked with some concern. “What’s wrong with your hand? Why is it so red? Are you cold?”

Du Xinling slowly shoved his hand into his pocket, glancing meaningfully at Qin Muyao. “I’m perfectly fine. Not cold at all, actually—just a bit warm.”

“Warm?” Lin Qiao rubbed her arm. The strong air conditioning made her find his statement quite absurd.

After this exchange, the three quickly fell into an awkward silence. At that moment, it was Qin Muyao’s turn for the appointment, so he went inside.

Actually, Lin Qiao had intended to go in as well, but unfortunately, Du Xinling blocked her way, emphasizing that he had something to discuss with her. Therefore, she could only wait outside.

“Mr. Du, what did you want to talk to me about?” Lin Qiao asked.

Du Xinling quickly searched his mind for an excuse but couldn’t come up with a reasonable reason for a while. Just when he was at his wits’ end, Shen Qingzhou appeared in the distance carrying Xiao Ning. After exchanging glances with him, he instantly formulated a plan.

“Shi Heng!” Du Xinling raised his hand to beckon the father and son pair over.

Upon hearing those two words, Lin Qiao’s body immediately tensed. She stiffly turned her gaze to see Shen Qingzhou holding Xiao Ning standing not far away, seemingly searching for Du Xinling.

“What are you doing here?” His words effectively confirmed her guess—it was indeed Du Xinling he was looking for.

Du Xinling replied, “We met halfway and chatted for a while.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly, slowly shifting his gaze to Lin Qiao. Standing tall, he looked down at her, making her feel instantly overpowered.

There were seats nearby, but none of the three adults and one child sat down. Understandably so—Master Shen’s presence was too overwhelming. If he didn’t sit, no one else dared to either—not because they didn’t want to, but because they simply couldn’t.

Lin Qiao remained silent for a long time before awkwardly greeting Shen Qingzhou. “Master Shen, hello.”

At this unfamiliar title, Shen Qingzhou slightly furrowed his brow. His expression had always been cold, and this frown immediately made Lin Qiao feel as if winter had come, almost taking her life.

“I should thank you,” Shen Qingzhou unexpectedly said, then immediately turned his face toward Du Xinling. “Let’s go back.”

Du Xinling was stunned, wondering how he could abandon such a great opportunity. He had finally managed to separate the two who were alone together, so why was he leaving now?

Soon, Du Xinling realized Master Shen had a hidden move. As soon as he had taken a few steps, Xiao Ning, who was in his arms, struggled. “Dad, I don’t want to go. I want to play with Auntie Lin!”

Indeed, this “Auntie Lin” also unsettled Lin Qiao, just as Shen Qingzhou was unsettled by being called “Master Shen.”

Du Xinling was practically awestruck by Shen Qingzhou, silently bowing to him where Lin Qiao couldn’t see. Shen Qingzhou cast a sidelong glance at him, and he immediately understood his intentions.

“No, you need to go back and rest,” Shen Qingzhou said firmly, holding Xiao Ning while insisting on leaving.

Opportunistically, Du Xinling spoke up. “Don’t be so stingy, Shi Heng. Xiao Ning rarely sees Miss Lin. It’s understandable that he wants to play with her a bit.”

Shen Qingzhou frowned, disagreeing. “His health isn’t good. He shouldn’t stay here too long.”

Du Xinling quickly added, “Then why don’t we wait until Miss Lin finishes her business here and have her come to Xiao Ning’s room for a while?” He paused, then turned to Lin Qiao, who was completely confused, saying, “Miss Lin will surely agree, right? Fulfilling such a simple wish of a child.”

…With the two of them playing good cop, bad cop like this, how could she possibly refuse? When Qin Muyao came out of the examination room, he cast a calm glance at Shen Qingzhou. After receiving an even calmer look in return, he slightly lowered his head and curled his lips into a smile.

He spoke, “Qiao Qiao.”

After Qin Muyao spoke, Du Xinling shot Shen Qingzhou a meaningful look, as if to say, “See? He calls her Qiao Qiao, while you still call her Miss Lin and address her by name directly. Your progress is really too slow.”

Shen Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, meeting Lin Qiao’s inquisitive gaze. Not a flicker of emotion showed on his face.

Unable to read anything from him, Lin Qiao gave up her slight hope of developing anything and returned to her role as a client, turning to Qin Muyao. “Senior Qin, are you done? How did it go?”

Qin Muyao softly replied, “It’s nothing serious, just some scratches. The medicine has already been applied.” He raised his hand, showing the bandages on his wrist.

Lin Qiao guiltily pursed her lips. “It’s all my fault.”

Qin Muyao said, “Don’t say that. I’m actually relieved it wasn’t you who got hurt. That would have been much worse than me getting hurt myself.”

Du Xinling looked at Shen Qingzhou with frustration. Listen to what Qin Muyao just said! If Shen Qingzhou had even a bit of his eloquence, he could have any girl he wanted!

Shen Qingzhou impatiently frowned, staring at the pair conversing. After a while, realizing he wasn’t getting Lin Qiao’s attention, he simply turned and left with Xiao Ning in his arms, leaving behind a back view that was as cold and aloof as it was noble and elegant.

Shen Qingzhou left cleanly and gracefully, but Du Xinling dared not follow. If he didn’t bring Lin Qiao back with him, he feared Shen Qingzhou would give him a severe scolding the next time he came out.

“Miss Lin, would you like to come with me?” Du Xinling hesitantly interrupted the harmonious conversation between Qin Muyao and Lin Qiao, hinting, “Xiao Ning’s health has been quite poor these days. Ah, such a young child suffering so much—it’s really pitiful.”

Lin Qiao immediately frowned. “I’ll go see him. Let’s go now.” She turned to Qin Muyao with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, Senior Qin. I have something to do today. I’ll treat you to dinner another day to make it up to you.”

Qin Muyao was very generous, waving his hand. “No problem, you go ahead. Just remember that you owe me a meal.”

In his heart, Du Xinling sighed, lighting a candle for Shen Qingzhou. This guy had met his match indeed.

Lin Qiao nodded in agreement. “I definitely won’t forget.” After speaking, she turned to Du Xinling. “Let’s go.”

Du Xinling quickly replied, “Alright, then goodbye, Mr. Qin. We’ll be off first.” He politely bid farewell to Qin Muyao and led Lin Qiao toward Xiao Ning’s private ward. Neither of them looked back, naturally missing the sudden darkening of Qin Muyao’s expression.

Some words can only be spoken to oneself. When too many of them pile up inside, a person’s mood becomes unpredictable. This description fits Qin Muyao perfectly.

Fortunately, there are some people in a lifetime who will never witness this side of him.