“These personal items are still better worn the old ones. You’ve just started jumping, so there’s bound to be an adjustment period. Don’t be too eager to succeed; it takes time. Just loosen up your muscles and avoid getting injured.” Zhao Wenchun’s earnest and gentle tone made Zhao Xiyin want to cry.
She frowned, reached out and hugged her father, and said in a coquettish tone, "Teacher Zhao, how can you be so kind?"
Zhao Wenchun was so jolted by the impact that she almost fell to the ground. "Zhao Xiyin, you really should lose weight."
Zhao Xiyin was so angry that she gestured with her hands, "I weigh 98 pounds and I'm 1.66 meters tall!"
Teacher Zhao suppressed a laugh and said, "Oh, then you're very honored."
As Zhao Wenchun went to the kitchen to wash the fruit, she turned around at the door and looked at her daughter, who was hanging her head and looking aggrieved. She smiled and said, "Xiao west, I have something to tell you."
"The results of the evaluation for full professorship are out, and I've been promoted."
——
Zhao Xiyin invited Li Ran and Xiao Shun to dinner that evening. Xiao Shun jokingly called it a farewell dinner, and he and Li Ran, in cahoots, boldly insisted on going to the China World Trade Center for Japanese food. Zhao Xiyin said they were heartless and ruthless.
The Japanese restaurant was on the third floor, and the window seats offered a view of the new CCTV building. Xiao Shun's emotions were written all over his face as he said, "Sister Xi, once you're successful, you won't remember your little follower like me."
Li Ran, ever the righteous one, said, "It's alright, I'll take you in and let you be my model for live streams."
Zhao Xiyin said with a smile, "There's no such thing as being successful or not. Like any other job, it's about finding a way to make a living and getting by."
Those who have experienced setbacks take fame and fortune less seriously and have a more open-minded perspective. It's all the more valuable when everyone thinks you deserve to rise to prominence and you remain clear-headed and clear-headed.
Zhao Xiyin let them talk nonsense and responded nonchalantly, since it wouldn't matter after she woke up from her nap anyway.
It was a delightful dinner, but Zhao Xiyin groaned when it came time to pay the bill. Li Ran and Xiao Shun chuckled to themselves. The three of them walked out chatting and laughing, only to run into an acquaintance by the elevator doors.
Gu Heping exclaimed, "This Beijing city is really small!"
Zhao Xiyin was also surprised. Judging from his formal suit, he must have just come from some social gathering. Gu Heping was carrying several takeout boxes, which he wasn't holding properly, and some oily soup spilled out.
Without thinking, Zhao Xiyin said, "Brother Heping, are you still hungry?"
Gu Heping chuckled upon hearing this, and was about to speak when he suddenly changed his mind: "Oh, no, it's for Brother Zhou. He's in the hospital, you know, and he complains about the hospital food. You know how picky he is. Who can tolerate his temper like that, except for me, the most kind person in the world?"
Li Ran, who was standing next to her, cooperated perfectly by making a gesture as if she was about to vomit.
Gu Heping raised an eyebrow and stared at her, "Little sister, how many months pregnant are you?"
Li Ran smiled innocently, "My son is already in his thirties, and he's very eloquent. He's even taller than his mother when he stands in front of me."
It's prickly and not to be trifled with.
Gu Heping, being pragmatic, didn't press the issue. He then said to Zhao Xiyin, "Tonight we're entertaining clients from Hunan. We're having Hunan cuisine, including dishes like spicy blood curd, skewers, and spicy fish head. Zhou Ge'er wants to try them all. I'll pack some up and deliver it to him."
Zhao Xiyin frowned almost imperceptibly. "He's in the hospital, and he's eating this?"
"He can eat, he can eat a lot." Gu Heping said, "He refused to drink milk in the morning and insisted on drinking Red Bull with ice. He didn't eat a proper lunch either, he ordered oden and whiskey."
Li Ran was stunned. "He's not dead yet?"
Gu Heping said, "That's about it."
It was a joke, half-seriously. Gu Heping stopped there, waving his hand, "Let's go, or you'll be rude if you're late."
Zhao Xiyin hesitated several times before finally speaking, until Gu Heping stepped out of the elevator. The words that had been stuck in her throat were no longer available, leaving her feeling choked up and uncomfortable.
Zhou Qishen had always suffered from migraines, and there was no cure; he just took care of himself. When he was focused on his career, he neglected everything else, and when the pain came, he would take two ibuprofen pills. Later, when the domestic medicine stopped working, he started taking imported ones. After Zhao Xiyin got together with him, she devoted a lot of time and effort to him, staying by his side and watching over him. Sometimes when he worked too late, around one or two in the morning, she would set an alarm, sleepily rush to his study, and pitifully say, "Brother Zhou, your sweet little nurse is online again!"
Zhao Xiyin went around behind the desk, hugged him from behind, kissed his ear, and then gently massaged his temples. She had learned this technique at the Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital. The renowned professor had initially refused to teach her, but Zhao Xiyin had persistently pressed him until she finally won him over.
The order of acupoints, the pressure of the massage, and the sensation were excellent.
Zhou Qishen almost thought he was cured, until after the divorce and his nurse left, he realized that he was terminally ill, had no cure, and that this was how his life would be.
The next morning, Zhao Wenchun was preparing breakfast when he went into the kitchen and saw Zhao Xiyin sitting at the stove, deep in thought, cooking porridge.
"What are you daydreaming about? The porridge is overflowing." Zhao Wenchun took a spoon, lifted the lid, and stirred it. He pushed Zhao Xiyin aside, "Don't get burned."
Zhao Xiyin stood to the side, not going out.
Teacher Zhao took a closer look at the portion and exclaimed, "Wow, this much! How can the two of us possibly finish it?"
Zhao Xiyin gave a vague answer, saying, "If we can't finish it, we'll feed it to Mao Mao."
Mao Mao is a stray dog in her neighborhood. Zhao Xiyin often feeds it when she has free time, and the dog wags its tail every time it sees her.
At lunchtime, Zhao Xiyin said she wanted something light, so naturally, Teacher Zhao made her a yam and pork tripe soup. Teacher Zhao felt that she was acting quite strangely today; she seemed distracted, ate quickly, and then lurked in the kitchen like a thief.
"Dad, I'm going out for a bit." Zhao Xiyin took small, quick steps, pulling her hands behind her back, practically walking right up to the wall.
Zhao Wenchun was cleaning up the leftovers, saying, "Be careful." Half a second later, he yelled from the kitchen, "Where's the soup?" He rushed out of the living room demanding, "There's half a pot left!"
Zhao Xiyin slipped out through the crack in the door and said without batting an eye, "Feed the dog."
She has a good memory; she can remember the way to a place she's been to only once. The hospital Zhou Qishen is staying at is a very well-known private hospital in the east. Zhao Xiyin walked along, thinking, and asked a nurse to help her pass it on.
She had planned everything meticulously, but as soon as she entered the hospital building, she ran into someone she had never expected.
Meng Weixi, alone, stepped out of the elevator. They met face-to-face, a straight path with no way to avoid each other. Zhao Xiyin was lost in thought when Meng Weixi approached and called out, "Are you daydreaming?"
Zhao Xiyin was startled and reflexively took a step back. After seeing that it was him, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Meng Weixi saw her reaction and thought to himself, "She's still the same as before. She likes to get distracted while walking. She's either looking at the shops on the street or lost in thought." He took her hand and instructed her like an old father, "Lift your left foot, there's dog poop on the left. Right foot, there's a stone on the right. Come on, jump with both feet and do a somersault for me."
After saying a few words, he simply squatted down, turned his head, and said, "Get on, I'll carry you."