Chapter 37:

Lin Qiao’s response greatly relieved Shen Qingzhou. He lay back on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm, and remained silent for a while.

Standing beside him in confusion, Lin Qiao shifted to various angles, attempting to catch a glimpse of his expression, but she couldn’t. Finally, she simply pulled his arm away and bluntly asked, “What are you hiding?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at his arm, which she had just pulled, then suddenly clasped her hand and pulled her tightly into his arms, kissing her lips without hesitation.

Lin Qiao instinctively struggled, but Shen Qingzhou was no longer receiving an IV. He powerfully embraced her, rolled over, and pinned her onto the hospital bed, pulling the blanket over both of them as he kissed her deeply in the darkness.

“Mm…” Lin Qiao couldn’t help but softly moan. Her arms slowly and unconsciously wrapped around him. He carried a faint scent of medicine, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Instead, it made her mind race, forgetting where she was.

A knock on the door came just as the two were caught up in their passionate moment. Lin Qiao suddenly snapped out of it, pushing Shen Qingzhou off her with all her strength. Hearing the knock, Shen Qingzhou also sat up, his lips still slightly red as he looked at her.

Light returned to their world. Lin Qiao sat half-upright on the edge of the bed, disheveled and glaring at him with a mix of annoyance. Shen Qingzhou smiled faintly, fastening the buttons of his hospital gown that had come undone during their tussle, then slowly turned his gaze to the door.

The knocking continued persistently, and between the knocks, a familiar female voice called out, “Master Shen, are you there?”

While tidying her hair, Lin Qiao looked at Shen Qingzhou and asked, “Jian Shi?”

Shen Qingzhou furrowed his brows, as if trying to recall something. After a while, he replied, “Not sure.”

“…You can’t possibly have such a bad memory.”

“I only remember useful things.” He lay back down on the bed, looking perfectly healthy except for his still-pale complexion. “Whoever it is, get rid of them for me.”

Lin Qiao sighed helplessly, “Why can’t you do it yourself?”

Shen Qingzhou looked at her, “She’s a woman. I’m afraid you’ll get jealous. So better you handle it—once and for all, clean and efficient.”

“…” Although his words were blunt, there was some truth to them.

Lin Qiao tidied herself up a bit and stood to open the door. Jian Shi was quite polite; even though the door was open, she didn’t try to come in without permission. She seemed a bit nervous, her voice hesitant. When Lin Qiao opened the door and the two locked eyes, Jian Shi’s carefully prepared gentle smile immediately froze.

“Hello,” Lin Qiao pretended not to know her, “Miss, who are you looking for?”

Jian Shi was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, composing herself. “Hello, I’m Jian Shi, Mr. Fang Mingjun’s secretary. Madam Fang asked me to come and check if Master Shen is feeling better.”

Madam Fang was Xie Jiayi, so Jian Shi’s intentions were obvious.

Lin Qiao stepped aside to let her in, smiling warmly and gracefully. “Since Madam Fang sent you, please come in, Miss Jian.”

Jian Shi nodded and walked past Lin Qiao, holding a bouquet of beautiful lilies. Shen Qingzhou, sitting halfway on the edge of the bed, glanced at her briefly, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment. In his hand was a glass of water Lin Qiao had poured for him before she went to open the door.

“Master Shen, you look much better,” Jian Shi said, looking at the fresh flowers in the vase. She wasn’t sure where to put her lilies.

Lin Qiao stepped in to help, taking the bouquet from her hand. “Let me take care of that.” Her tone was warm and friendly, without a hint of fault.

Shen Qingzhou glanced at Lin Qiao with mild surprise, slightly taken aback by her natural demeanor, though the surprise quickly faded. He then replied to Jian Shi, “Yes, thank you for coming all this way, Secretary Jian.”

Jian Shi softly replied, “It’s nothing. We could even be considered friends. It’s only natural.” She slightly lowered her head, seeming a bit awkward. “Madam Fang didn’t know Master Shen already had someone taking care of him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent me. She said she was worried about the nurse.”

Before Shen Qingzhou could respond, Lin Qiao said, “Yes, you’re right. Madam Xie told me she wanted me to rest more and not get too tired, but I still think it’s better for me to take care of him.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling politely at Jian Shi. “What do you think, Miss Jian?”

“I think that’s great too,” Jian Shi said with a relieved smile. “Then since Master Shen is well taken care of, I should head back now. There’s a lot of work waiting for me at the company.”

Shen Qingzhou said, “Alright, goodbye.”

Lin Qiao removed her hand from Shen Qingzhou’s shoulder and walked to see Jian Shi out. “Please take care, Miss Jian.”

Jian Shi nodded and quickly left the ward. Lin Qiao closed the door behind her and turned around, startled.

Shen Qingzhou had somehow appeared behind her, and as she closed the door, he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. She quickly hugged his neck to steady herself.

“What are you doing? Put me down,” Lin Qiao said nervously.

Shen Qingzhou said seriously, “I’m testing if I’ve recovered yet.”

“…You can’t recover that fast. You were out in the rain so heavily just yesterday.”

Shen Qingzhou carried Lin Qiao back to the bed, gently placing her down, then lay down himself, pulling the blanket over both of them. “I won’t do anything. Just stay with me for a while. I’ll be fine when I wake up.”

He looked at her with his dark eyes, his refined face showing a bit of expectation, a bit of awkwardness, and a bit… shyness? Was she seeing things? Probably. How could someone like Shen Qingzhou ever be shy?

Lin Qiao sighed, looking at him helplessly. “Don’t you even check the time? Who sleeps in bed in the morning?”

“Me.” Shen Qingzhou said indifferently, then closed his eyes. “Good night.”

“…Good night.”

Silence.

Neither spoke again.

Lin Qiao quietly watched Shen Qingzhou’s calm face. With his eyes closed, his features looked much softer. If he had a slight smile and wore glasses, he would look like a gentle university professor.

Compared to his usual formal and serious demeanor, this side of him made Lin Qiao feel powerless to resist.

After a long while, when Lin Qiao thought he had fallen asleep, she gently brushed his disheveled hair back and murmured, “Are you feeling sad?”

She hadn’t expected an answer, assuming he was already asleep. But as soon as she finished speaking, she heard him let out a soft “Hmm?” with his eyes still closed.

Lin Qiao paused briefly, then continued, “Throwing tantrums, making me angry, hurting me… are you sad?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t respond immediately. After about half a minute, he let out a deep “Hmm.”

That meant he was sad.

Lin Qiao gave a slight smile. “Then remember this.” She withdrew her hand and gently touched his face, softly saying, “Go to sleep.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t speak, but silently tightened his arms, pulling her closer.

It was almost noon when Du Xinling came to ask what the two wanted for lunch. Neither of them had woken up.

Du Xinling knocked on the door but got no response, assuming they had gone out. When he opened the door and saw them tightly hugging each other in bed, his eyes nearly popped out.

He hadn’t expected that Shen Qingzhou, who usually seemed so composed, would act so quickly. Had they already done everything?

Du Xinling’s gaze swept around the room with mixed feelings. Seeing nothing unusual, he left the room with a slight sense of disappointment and reluctance.

Back in Xiao Ning’s ward, Xiao Ning didn’t see his father and Lin Auntie behind Du Uncle and pouted, “Where are my dad and Lin Auntie? Du Uncle, you’re lying to me again.”

Du Xinling whispered, “Uncle isn’t lying. Your Lin Auntie is practically your mom already. We absolutely cannot disturb your dad right now.”

Xiao Ning’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“If Du Uncle lies to you again, let Du Uncle eat the table!” Du Xinling confidently declared, then looked out the window at the bright sunny weather, sighing, “Your dad really isn’t famous for nothing. Today is truly an auspicious day.”

*

With Lin Qiao’s care, Shen Qingzhou recovered quickly and soon returned to his usual self.

Du Xinling had already mentioned that during his illness, he had taken on a job to inspect a burial site, waiting only for Shen Qingzhou to recover before starting.

Xiao Ning’s condition also improved day by day. However, his illness was special, requiring long-term hospital treatment. But with Du Xinling around, Shen Qingzhou could go to work without worries.

However, without Du Xinling as his assistant, Shen Qingzhou would have to bring someone else along when he went out to work.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Ning, Shen Qingzhou took a taxi to the airport. On the way, he called Lin Qiao, who was currently opening a package.

Answering the call, Lin Qiao asked in confusion, “Why is it so noisy on your end?”

“The driver is listening to the radio,” Shen Qingzhou replied.

“The driver? Are you out? With Du Xinling?”

“No, it’s a taxi.” Shen Qingzhou looked out the window, his low, soft voice like a droplet falling into a spring, traveling through the phone line to Lin Qiao’s ear, making her want to record it and listen to it over and over again. “I’m waiting for you at the airport.”

“What for?” Lin Qiao asked softly, absentmindedly opening the package to find a plane ticket to Terminal 3 of the Capital Airport.

“The time is almost up. Pack your things and come quickly. You should have seen the ticket by now,” Shen Qingzhou said gently. “Come with me. All the money from this job will be yours.”

Lin Qiao chuckled, “So you really want me to come with you?”

“Mm,” Shen Qingzhou replied. “A trip that earns hundreds of thousands. Such a good opportunity, you definitely won’t miss it.”

Lin Qiao pretended to think, “Only hundreds of thousands? I’m currently negotiating a deal worth billions.”

After she said that, Shen Qingzhou was silent for a while. Until Lin Qiao thought he was angry, he finally slowly and seriously said, “Lin Qiao, don’t mess around with spirit money.”

“…It’s you who uses spirit money!”

No matter what Lin Qiao said, in the end, she still obediently went with Shen Qingzhou onto the plane. In fact, Du Xinling had already told her beforehand. He needed to take care of Xiao Ning and couldn’t spare the time. Shen Qingzhou needed an assistant for work, and as his girlfriend, she should accompany him both emotionally and logically. She had already packed her things and handed over her work, preparing to go out with him.

Although career is important for women, the man in front of her was obviously more important right now.

Shen Qingzhou’s client this time was a northern tycoon named Xu Boqin. He was only in his mid-forties, had children, and a virtuous wife, yet he was in a hurry to ask Shen Qingzhou to help him choose a burial site. This made Lin Qiao somewhat puzzled.

When Lin Qiao asked Shen Qingzhou about this, he only gave her a brief glance and said, “You should read more books.”

“…I’m not planning to do feng shui for anyone,” Lin Qiao lightly smirked.

Shen Qingzhou got out of the car with Lin Qiao and walked up the mountain together. In the summer heat, he wore a modified black Zhongshan suit, exuding an aura of solemnity and sanctity that made Lin Qiao, who followed behind him, want to strip him bare.

“Aren’t you hot wearing so much?” she asked, catching up to him with a quick trot.

Shen Qingzhou slid a folding fan from his sleeve, opened it, handed it to Lin Qiao, and casually clasped his hands behind his back without turning his head. “When the mind is calm, the body feels cool.”

“…” Sigh. No matter how their relationship changed, she often found herself at a loss when facing him.

They climbed a moderately high mountain together, walking through the woods. Lin Qiao lazily fanned herself with the folding fan and said, “You still haven’t answered me. Why is Mr. Xu in such a hurry to find a burial site?”

Shen Qingzhou looked back at her, then raised his hands and made a cross in front of his eyes, carefully calculating the surroundings. After a moment, he said, “A burial site is where the deceased rest after their time in this world. Choosing a burial site must be done carefully and seriously. Otherwise, at best, things will go poorly, and at worst, calamities will follow, leading to misfortune and even the ruin of a family.”

“So?” Lin Qiao leaned against a tree, asking with interest.

Shen Qingzhou looked at her, his lips curling into a meaningful smile. “So it’s expensive.”

“…Shen, I didn’t ask you about the price,” Lin Qiao gave him an annoyed look.

Shen Qingzhou stopped joking and explained concisely, “Good burial sites are hard to find. Moreover, due to the relationship between cosmic cycles and personal fate, even if a good site is found, it might not be usable immediately. Sometimes one has to wait for years or even decades, entirely depending on fate.”

Lin Qiao nodded as if she understood, though she still looked a bit confused.

Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly and rephrased, “To put it simply, good burial sites are limited. Each one used is one less. And because of time constraints, they become even scarcer. Mr. Xu arranging things at his age is already considered late.”

Lin Qiao was surprised, “Then we’re doomed. My dad is already fifty. Isn’t it too late for him?”

Shen Qingzhou gave her a meaningful glance, then turned and continued walking forward. Lin Qiao felt uneasy under his deep look and hurried to catch up with him, walking up the mountain alongside him. “Hey, Qingzhou, what did that look mean just now?”

Shen Qingzhou kept his eyes forward, his stern face expressionless. “Nothing.”

“Don’t say nothing. There must be something. I can tell,” she hugged his arm. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll go back.”

Shen Qingzhou immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her to continue climbing the mountain, lowering his voice. “It’s nothing really. I just wanted to tell you that, as long as you want it, no matter what it is, I will help you find it.”