Chapter 31:

Back in the car, Shen Qingzhou glanced at the black roses on the passenger seat—symbolizing “You are a demon, and you belong to me” and “Gentle and sincere love, I would give everything for you.” He heavily slumped onto the steering wheel.

After hearing Du Xinling’s warning, Shen decided to change the flowers. Although his intention was to apologize, yellow roses carried multiple meanings, and in some contexts, they symbolized a breakup. He didn’t want Lin Qiao to misunderstand, so he decided to choose another flower instead.

Given Du Xinling’s attitude at the time, there was no way he would help buy new flowers again. So Shen had no choice but to go himself.

His frustration and anxiety transformed into violent actions, leading him to destroy the yellow roses scattered on the ground. Yet this large bunch of black roses still hadn’t made it into Lin Qiao’s hands.

Actually, he could have gone out to stop her when she was about to drive away, but for some unknown reason, he lost his courage at that crucial moment.

Straightening up and loosening his tie, Shen backed the car out of the parking lot and drove away. Passing a trash can, he threw the unclaimed black roses on the passenger seat into it, drawing various curious glances from passersby.

He didn’t spare anyone a glance, rolled up the windows, and sped off. A few female college students passed by, hesitated for a moment while looking at the fading white Ferrari, and then picked up the roses.

“There’s a card here too,” one of the girls said.

“Let’s see what it says,” another suggested.

The girl holding the roses nodded, took out the card, and read aloud the words written on it: “I’m sorry.”

Three simple words—”I’m sorry”—without any address or signature. They were written in black ink with a bold, elegant handwriting, clean and precise from start to finish. People often say that handwriting reflects the person, and it was clear this came from someone of great refinement.

“What kind of woman could possibly reject an apology from a man like that?”

The girl sighed with pity and left with her classmates.

As Lin Qiao exited the convenience store, she noticed three female students passing by, one of whom was holding a large bouquet of black roses.

She was momentarily distracted, almost feeling envious.

If only Shen Qingzhou had made a little effort to please her, they wouldn’t have reached this point.

Opening the yogurt in her hand, Lin Qiao began drinking it as she walked toward where she had parked. She didn’t go home but drove straight to her company, continuing her busy work.

It was August 2nd—five days until her birthday. This was the final deadline she had set for Shen Qingzhou. If he hadn’t reached out to her by the day after her birthday, she wouldn’t have any reason left to justify making excuses for him anymore.

Days passed, and Lin Qiao still hadn’t received any calls or seen Shen Qingzhou. Two days before her birthday, Lin Weiming told her he planned to throw her a birthday party. After hearing her father’s arrangement, Lin Qiao shook her head and declined.

“In past years, Jiaqi and the others have celebrated with me. It’s been fun just chatting with classmates. But this year, Jiaqi’s family went through something tragic, and with many people around, someone might speak carelessly and unintentionally hurt her,” Lin Qiao thought for a moment and said, “Forget it. I’ll just invite a few close friends over for a simple dinner at home.”

Lin Weiming found her reasoning reasonable and nodded in agreement, “That works too. I’ll leave it all to you.”

Lin Qiao slightly nodded and softly said, “I’ll go prepare dinner. It’s still two days until my birthday, Dad. You’re rushing too much.”

Lin Weiming sighed watching her increasingly thin back, “The one who should be anxious isn’t, so I have to be anxious for them.”

Who should be anxious? Who should be making such efforts for someone else’s birthday? No one.

On the evening of August 7th, the usually quiet Lin household became lively. Qin Muyao, Wang Jiaqi, and others had come to celebrate Lin Qiao’s birthday. The entire living room was beautifully decorated, filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Standing in this scene, Lin Qiao’s previously gloomy mood improved somewhat. She accepted the gift from Qin Muyao and placed it aside, softly saying, “Thank you, Senior Qin. Your presence is enough; there was no need to bring a gift.”

Qin Muyao’s gaze swept around the room before settling on Lin Qiao. “I had to come in person, and I had to bring a gift too.”

Lin Qiao smiled and invited him to sit next to Wang Jiaqi.

Wang Jiaqi could clearly see the thoughts lingering in Lin Qiao’s heart. She kept glancing toward the door. As the time for cutting the cake approached, the doorbell still hadn’t rung.

Damn it, what was going on with him? She had sent him a message several days in advance about the event, and he had promised to come. Why was he letting her down at such a critical moment?

Qin Muyao sat beside Wang Jiaqi, observing her impatience. He could easily guess the reason.

He slightly lifted the corners of his mouth, sipped his champagne, leaned back on the sofa to relax, and behind his glasses, his sharp eyes followed Lin Qiao’s every move.

Lin Qiao was wearing a white long dress tonight, which made her look even taller and more graceful. Her long black hair occasionally blew in the wind, making her look almost too beautiful to be real, like a painting.

Without seeing the person she had hoped for, Lin Qiao’s mood wasn’t high. When it was about time, Lin Weiming urged her to cut the cake. Lin Qiao didn’t hesitate and took the knife to prepare.

Coincidentally, her phone rang just then. Thinking of someone specific, she immediately put down the knife and picked up the phone. Although she wasn’t sure whether she would answer if it really was Shen Qingzhou calling, she really hoped it was him.

Her heart told her she didn’t want to end things with him so easily. She felt不甘心—unwilling to give up, and she couldn’t do it.

Unfortunately, the caller wasn’t Shen Qingzhou. Surprisingly, the name displayed on the screen was Du Xinling.

Lin Qiao looked at the people waiting for her to cut the cake, pressed the answer button, and picked up the call. Du Xinling’s urgent voice came through immediately.

“Miss Lin, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s something I must tell you—Shi Heng has had a stomach hemorrhage from excessive drinking and is currently in the hospital being treated.”

Lin Qiao was stunned and asked in disbelief, “What did you say?”

“To be honest, Shi Heng has been going out every night for the past few days and drinking heavily, often to the point of unconsciousness. I’ve told him many times, but he wouldn’t listen. Now, he’s had an accident,” Du Xinling’s voice didn’t sound like he was joking.

Lin Qiao bit her lip, moved away from her watching friends to the window, and asked, “Which hospital is he at?”

“He’s at the same hospital where Xiao Ning is staying. I know it’s your birthday today, happy birthday to you. I’m not calling for any other reason—I just want you to know that he didn’t intentionally avoid coming to celebrate with you. He had already chosen your birthday gift last month, but circumstances didn’t allow him to give it to you.” He paused slightly, then lowered his voice, “Miss Lin, I probably shouldn’t say this, but before he met you, Shen Qingzhou never touched alcohol.”

Lin Qiao felt her mind in a whirl, unsure how to respond. Du Xinling didn’t wait for her reply and simply said his goodbyes before hanging up.

Dazed, Lin Qiao put down her phone. Gentle and soft, Qin Muyao’s voice came from beside her, “Was that Shen Qingzhou’s call?”

She turned to look at him and denied, “No.”

Qin Muyao observed her expression and softly said, “But judging from your expression, even if it wasn’t him, it definitely had something to do with him.”

Lin Qiao pursed her lips into a bitter smile.

She left Qin Muyao and walked to the table, apologizing to her friends who were waiting for her, “I’m really sorry, but I suddenly have something urgent to take care of. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves. My dad can cut the cake for me. I have to go now.”

She dragged her father over to her seat and bowed sincerely to apologize. Everyone there was her friend, so naturally, they didn’t hold her back, though they were all quite curious why she suddenly had to leave.

“What could be more important than your birthday?” Her father disapproved.

Lin Qiao was silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over everyone watching her, and finally, with a helpless sigh, she said, “My boyfriend had an accident and is now in the hospital. I have to go see him.”

“Your boyfriend?” Her classmates and friends couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “We haven’t heard you mention having a boyfriend before!”

Wang Jiaqi quickly jumped in, “I know about this. Don’t waste her time with questions. Her heart is already gone. Let’s just enjoy ourselves. Come on!” She waved her champagne glass in her hand and gave Lin Qiao a meaningful look.

Grateful, Lin Qiao took her car keys and left the Lin residence. Qin Muyao rushed to the door, watching her car disappear into the distance. His hand by his side slowly clenched into a fist as he leaned dejectedly against the nearby wall.

The silver Buick sped toward the hospital. Upon arriving, Lin Qiao called Du Xinling to ask about the situation. He told her that Shen Qingzhou was already in the ward and had not yet regained consciousness, though his condition was relatively stable.

After confirming the ward number, Lin Qiao hung up and entered the hospital. As she stepped into the elevator, she was still thinking whether she should wait for Shen Qingzhou to wake up. But when she arrived, she realized she had overthought it. By midnight, Shen Qingzhou still hadn’t regained consciousness. Du Xinling had to take care of Xiao Ning and couldn’t stay, so Lin Qiao found herself unavoidably taking on the responsibility of looking after him.

She tried to refuse, but Du Xinling gave her no chance. He presented a series of difficulties and reasons, then emotionally appealed to her, making it impossible for Lin Qiao to say no.

Sitting by Shen Qingzhou’s bedside, looking at the pale, unconscious man, Lin Qiao felt as if she were in a dream.

It had only been less than a month since they last saw each other, yet he had lost so much weight. Probably due to his illness, his complexion was terrible, but despite that, his face remained impeccably clean, without any stubble. Indeed, his personal hygiene was never neglected, no matter the circumstances.

While watching Shen Qingzhou, Lin Qiao kept thinking about what she would say to him when he woke up—how she could speak without hurting him or seeming too eager. She thought deeply for a long time, considering various approaches, only to realize she was overthinking again.

Shen Qingzhou remained unconscious.

Time dragged on. Her birthday had already passed, but Shen Qingzhou was still asleep. She continued to stay by his side, taking care of him. It had already been four days since he fell into a coma that night.

When Du Xinling came to bring Lin Qiao some food, she was sitting on the chair, staring blankly at Shen Qingzhou. He sighed, placed the food box down, walked over to her, and gently said, “Don’t worry too much. He’ll be fine.”

Hearing this, Lin Qiao’s expression changed, as if all the tension and anxiety of the past few days had finally erupted. With a heavy nasal tone, she said, “But it’s already been four days. Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

Trying to change the subject, Du Xinling asked, “Has the doctor come by?”

Lin Qiao lowered her head and replied, “Yes, he just finished giving him a nutrient injection.”

“You should eat something too. Hospital food isn’t good. I brought this from outside for you.” Du Xinling patted her shoulder, gesturing for her to come eat.

Lin Qiao shook her head and said, “I’m not hungry. Just leave it here for now.”

Du Xinling hesitated for a moment but eventually left her be. Xiao Ning had treatment today, and he needed to take care of her, so he quickly left.

Lin Qiao leaned over the bed, gazing at the closed eyes of the unconscious Shen Qingzhou. He looked terrible, but the doctors had told her not to worry too much, assuring her that he would be fine, that he would wake up. But he just wouldn’t wake up—what kind of situation was this?

Sighing deeply, Lin Qiao lowered her head and buried her face in the blanket. She had so much she wanted to say, but not a single word came out.

After all this time, she no longer felt angry toward him, nor did she want to cry or break up with him. Not even a little bit.

After everything he had done, was it pathetic of her to still feel this way?