Chapter 56:

Lin Qiao was half-asleep when she felt someone adjusting her arms and legs. Then something cool brushed against her forehead. Instinctively, she reached for the child in her arms, only to find the bed beside her empty. She jolted awake, panic rising, and quickly checked the space beside her. There she saw Shen Qingzhou standing by the hospital bed, holding a drowsy Xiaoning in his arms. Xiaoning rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Good, good. For a second I thought she’d rolled off the bed, coughed Lin Qiao to herself.

Shen Qingzhou, watching Lin Qiao’s expression shift from shock to relief, quietly asked, “Not sleeping anymore?”

Lin Qiao touched her face, slightly embarrassed. “Mm, since you’re here, it must be really late.”

Shen Qingzhou placed Xiaoning on a chair and walked to the window, pulling the curtains wide open, opening one half of the window, and sliding the mesh screen back into place. “Not really. It’s only a bit past seven. If you’re tired, go back to sleep.”

Lin Qiao stretched and threw off the blanket, hopping off the bed and turning her back to him. “No, I’m up now. I’ll go wash up.”

Shen Qingzhou sat down on the wicker chair beside the bed, untying the breakfast bag. Without looking up, he said, “Go ahead. Take Xiaoning with you. Come back when you’re done and eat.”

Lin Qiao obediently walked around the bed and scooped up the still-groggy Xiaoning, glancing casually at the bag in Shen Qingzhou’s hand. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Yonghe Soy Milk,” Shen Qingzhou listed off casually, “fried dough sticks, dumplings, tofu pudding, and… quite a lot more.”

That was indeed a lot—enough to fill an entire bag. He stopped listing them, since he couldn’t remember everything anyway.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but smile slightly, feeling like the three of them were just an ordinary family of three. Waking up to the morning sun, sharing breakfast together in quiet harmony, just like millions of other families in the world—nothing special, just simple and peaceful.

Ordinary life is a blessing.

She gently patted Xiaoning’s sleepy face and carried him to the bathroom to wash up. While brushing her teeth, she supervised him doing the same, reminding him as they went, “Brush well, especially your back teeth.”

Xiaoning nodded with a mouthful of toothpaste foam. “Mission accomplished!”

Lin Qiao’s eyes crinkled in laughter as she rinsed her mouth. After brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water, she applied some skincare products and helped Xiaoning wash his face and hands. Once they were ready, the two of them returned to Shen Qingzhou’s side in the hospital room. The small sitting area was now filled with steaming, aromatic dishes.

“Time to eat,” Lin Qiao said, placing Xiaoning on her lap. The three of them sat across from each other, and she accepted the chopsticks Shen Qingzhou handed her and began eating.

“Which one do you want?” she asked Xiaoning.

Xiaoning pointed at the tofu pudding. “That one!”

Lin Qiao brought it over and handed it to him, then turned to Shen Qingzhou with a cautious question. “Is it sweet or savory?”

“Sweet, of course,” Shen Qingzhou replied.

Xiaoning chimed in, puzzled. “Lin Auntie, isn’t tofu pudding always sweet?”

Lin Qiao twitched her lips and glared at the two of them. “Heretics!”

Shen Qingzhou chuckled. “So if someone doesn’t share your opinion, they’re heretics?”

Lin Qiao lifted her chin. “Exactly. Sweet-lovers are all heretics.”

Shen Qingzhou continued eating and asked, “So what about sweet rice dumplings? Are they heretic food too?”

“Of course not! Rice dumplings should definitely be sweet. Salty ones are just rice with toppings!” Lin Qiao said with a wink, a chopstick between her teeth.

Shen Qingzhou put down his chopsticks and looked at her for a moment before suddenly saying, “So we don’t share the same taste in food. What should we do?”

“What do you mean?” Lin Qiao asked, puzzled. “Is that really a problem? Not at all. We don’t have to eat the same things. I won’t look down on you.” She paused, glanced at Xiaoning, and added a “guys” at the end.

Xiaoning burst into laughter, his food almost spraying out of his mouth. Lin Qiao couldn’t stand it anymore and grabbed a tissue to wipe his face before continuing her meal.

Shen Qingzhou seemed to be thinking about her words. After a while, he said, “You’re right.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small box, handing it to her naturally. “Then marry me.”

Lin Qiao froze completely. So did Xiaoning. The two of them stared blankly at the only adult male in the room, making Shen Qingzhou feel slightly awkward.

“Did I say something strange?” Shen Qingzhou lowered his eyes and continued eating.

Lin Qiao was silent for a moment before murmuring, “Not really…”

Shen Qingzhou looked up. “Then why are you both staring at me like that?” He glanced at her. “Don’t tell me you’re saying no?”

Lin Qiao couldn’t help herself. “Of course not…” Then she realized how eager she sounded and quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed.

Shen Qingzhou didn’t look at her but continued softly, “I told you before that I’d give you a better proposal. But I’ve been thinking for a long time and couldn’t come up with anything better. So I just did it this way. Do you mind?” He looked at her again, his eyes filled with sincerity and curiosity.

Lin Qiao’s face slowly flushed. She turned her gaze away, flustered, and mumbled, “Isn’t this a bit too fast? We’ve only known each other for a few months, not even a year…”

Xiaoning had already recovered from the shock. Seeing Lin Qiao hesitate, he hugged her tightly. “Not too fast at all, Lin Auntie! Ten months is enough time to have a baby. Do you really need longer than that to get married?”

Lin Qiao raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, so you know about pregnancy lasting ten months?”

Xiaoning nodded. “Of course I do. It’s common knowledge. Do you think babies come out of rocks?”

Lin Qiao huffed. “Then they come from the trash bin.”

Xiaoning gave her a strange look, his expression turning into a Conan-like one. Lin Qiao coughed lightly and turned her gaze to Shen Qingzhou, who was watching them quietly, a faint smile on his face. The morning sunlight gave his smile a golden glow, making him seem almost unreal. Lin Qiao instinctively reached out to touch him.

Shen Qingzhou misunderstood her movement as a gesture to accept the ring. Calmly, he opened the box, took out the ring, and gently slid it onto her finger.

Lin Qiao blinked, as if waking from a dream. The man in front of her wasn’t some distant fantasy—he was real, someone who truly wanted to marry her and become her husband.

Looking at the sparkling diamond on her left ring finger, she heard Xiaoning’s excited cheers in the background, calling them “Mom” and “Dad.” She couldn’t bring herself to refuse anymore. She pulled her hand back and smiled softly.

Shen Qingzhou saw her quiet, delicate smile and knew he had won.

Actually, this kind of proposal was perfect. A normal morning, the two of them casually having breakfast, and in the middle of it all, he said, “Let’s get married.” And she naturally replied, “Okay.” That kind of effortless harmony was more touching than any grand gesture.

Not long after Shen Qingzhou proposed to Lin Qiao, Lin Weiming returned from Dubai.

As soon as he came back, he showed up at Shen Qingzhou’s doorstep. Lin Qiao answered the call and opened the door to find a middle-aged man in sunglasses and casual clothes standing there. He looked a bit tanned but healthier and more energetic than before. She didn’t say anything, but she thought to herself that the trip had definitely been worth the money.

“Hey, sweetheart! Dad’s back!”

As soon as he saw Lin Qiao, Lin Weiming gave her a warm hug. Lin Qiao endured it with a slight smile and stepped back. “You come back from a trip and you seem like a totally different person.”

“What? Don’t you think Dad’s got more charm now?” Lin Weiming dragged his suitcase inside, looking around the house. “I traveled all over the world on this trip. It really opened my eyes.”

Lin Qiao closed the door and followed him inside, smiling. “You talk like you went to Thailand or something.”

At the mention of Thailand, Lin Qiao suddenly remembered what she had found under her father’s desk that day, and her mood soured.

Lin Weiming had his back to her and didn’t notice her expression. He continued cheerfully, “Actually, it doesn’t matter where you go. The most important thing is to get out and see the world, relax your mind. When you’re stuck and stressed, don’t just stay in one place and pressure yourself. Success doesn’t come from pressure—it comes from flexibility. Shen, your future son-in-law, understands this better than you do.”

Leaning against the staircase, Lin Qiao looked at Lin Weiming sitting on the sofa. “Shen? So he really won you over with all that effort.”

Lin Weiming shrugged. “Even if he hadn’t gone all out, I wouldn’t have opposed your relationship. Let’s be honest—what kind of man is he? I’m your dad, but I’ll admit it: this society is messed up. Handsome men with money can basically have any woman they want. No exceptions.”

Lin Qiao touched her face thoughtfully and sat down beside him, pouring him a glass of water. “And what about women?”

“Women? If a woman is rich and beautiful, she’s usually a career woman. And even if she gets married, she might end up divorced. On the other hand, women who are just pretty but not rich usually end up marrying ugly old men with money, dragging down the overall looks of the human race.”

Her father’s words weren’t without merit. Lin Qiao thought of Xie Jiayi—rich, beautiful, and a career woman, who had married two men, both marriages ending in failure. Some things just couldn’t be explained.

“Oh, by the way, where’s Shen? Why are you home alone?” Lin Weiming suddenly asked.

“Oh, he’s at the hospital with Xiaoning,” Lin Qiao replied.

Lin Weiming frowned. “You’re getting married, and he’s not even making arrangements? Can’t Xiao Du take over for a while?”

Lin Qiao was stunned. “How do you even know he proposed?”

Lin Weiming glanced at her left hand and smirked. “You think your dad is blind just because I’m wearing sunglasses?”

Lin Qiao looked at her left hand and laughed awkwardly. Experience really did make all the difference.