His eyes were icy cold, revealing a clear intent to kill.
Before the knife could fall, Zhao Xiyin screamed, "Brother Zhou!!" Then, disregarding everything, she grabbed his waist from behind and dragged him back with all her might, shouting, "He's your father! It's not worth it! It's not worth it!"
Zhou Boning's legs went weak with fear. "You little brat, you little brat, if you want to kill me, you beast that deserves to be struck by lightning!"
Zhao Xiyin roared, "Go! Go away!"
Zhou Boning seemed stunned, cursing as he backed away until the door slammed shut.
Zhao Xiyin held Zhou Qishen tightly, her fingers intertwined, her face pressed against the man's back. "It's alright, it's alright, it's alright."
Zhou Qishen's muscles relaxed bit by bit, his bravery faded, leaving only fragility. He slid down, as if he had lost all his strength, and finally squatted on the ground. In this vast world, the soft embrace of the woman behind him became his final refuge.
Zhao Xiyin spoke softly and gently, repeating over and over again, "Good boy, Zhou Qishen, you're a good boy."
Zhou Qishen's cheek rested against her chest, and he could hear the girl's steady, strong heartbeat. He slowly closed his eyes to the sound of her heartbeat, took deep breaths, and gradually synchronized his own heartbeat with hers.
Zhou Qishen's eyes were completely dry, devoid of any moisture. He felt utterly hollowed out, his soul like a pulp, long since lost the ability to be rebuilt. His throat was hoarse, and every word he uttered was a sound of heartbreak. He called out, "Xiao west."
Zhao Xiyin lowered her head, her soft lips lightly touching his hair: "I'm here."
Zhou Qishen calmed down after a few minutes, his emotions somewhat restored. Exhausted, he took his phone and went into the bedroom. Judging from his voice, he was probably giving instructions. Zhao Xiyin sat in the living room, not disturbing him.
The drawer beneath the mahogany table was opened a crack, about the width of a hand. Zhao Xiyin's eyes darted over it, then slid back in half a second later. She hesitated for a moment, then bent down and pulled the drawer open a little more.
Inside lay a small paper bag, used for dispensing medicine. A small line of text was printed on the bag—
Psychological counseling room.
Lin Yi is a certified Level II National Psychological Counselor.
Chapter 25 One's Purgatory, Another's Paradise (2)
What is hell for one person is paradise for another (2)
Zhao Xiyin was torn between two conflicting thoughts, and several times she couldn't control herself and wanted to reach out and pick it up to see what it was. Finally, she pinched herself hard to stop the thought.
Zhou Qishen was in his bedroom, making a phone call to his secretary. Zhou Boning wasn't familiar with the neighborhood and probably wouldn't know where to go after going downstairs. Zhou Qishen gave him a few instructions, not forgetting to clean up the mess.
He came out and plopped heavily on the sofa, tilting his head back and leaning against the seat, his posture not upright, sinking in like soft mud. Zhou Qishen stared at the ceiling, his eyelashes unblinking, his handsome features tinged with a desolate loneliness.
After sitting quietly for a moment, Zhou Qishen turned his head and said, "Let me see."
Zhao Xiyin instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but she was no match for the man's strength. He sat closer and grabbed her forearm. Zhou Boning pushed her away, leaving several finger marks on her fair skin.
Zhao Xiyin struggled for a moment and said, "I'm fine."
Zhou Qishen remained silent, only gently touching it with his fingertips, his expression restrained yet tender. He lowered his head, his tone filled with self-reproach and inferiority, "It's as if I'm always saying 'I'm sorry' to you. All these years, no matter how many 'I'm sorry's I say, I still hurt you again and again."
Zhao Xiyin withdrew her hand; the spot he had touched felt like a torn hand warmer, gradually warming and burning. She didn't speak, she didn't dare to speak.
Zhou Qishen perfectly embodies the definition of "unfortunate." His childhood was spent in endless smoking, drinking, beatings, and abuse; his adolescence was devoid of any brilliance; and his path to success through ten years of diligent study was cruelly cut off by his father. His youth was a choice between riding into a desolate city and facing certain death. His current success and triumph are the result of long ago, in a secluded place, he chewed up the bitter iron that life had given him, swallowing it down whole. Those fragments of iron, settled deep within his heart, represent his most sensitive and acute inferiority complex.
Zhao Xiyin understood all too well that this kind of inferiority complex was a lifelong trauma, and a few words were simply scratching the surface.
Zhou Qishen's Adam's apple bobbed, then he shook his head. He bent down slightly and randomly picked out two medicine boxes from a pile on the table, not even looking at the names, since they were both painkillers anyway.
Just as the bottle cap was unscrewed and the bottle was about to fall, Zhao Xiyin suddenly called out, "Zhou Qishen."
The action of pouring the medicine stopped.
"Teacher Zhao always says you don't wear long johns, why did you lie to him?"
Zhou Qishen frowned. "I didn't lie to him."
“You were clearly wearing long johns, light gray, with a fleece lining.”
My attention was diverted, and I unconsciously put the painkiller back down.
Zhou Qishen looked at her, his lips pressed tightly together, and said seriously, "I don't have pants like that."
Zhao Xiyin's eyes were slightly curved as she looked at her.
“If you don’t believe me, go look in the closet now. If you find a pair, I’ll eat them right away.” Zhou Qishen was very serious, as if wearing long johns was a great insult to him. “I never lie to Dad. If he doesn’t believe me, I can take them off in front of him this winter.”
That's terrible. Zhao Xiyin couldn't help but laugh out loud, then looked at him with a sly expression and bright eyes, and said softly, "Okay, you won't wear long johns."
Zhou Qishen was stunned for a moment before he realized that Zhao Xiyin had deliberately lied to him.
Zhao Xiyin reached out and took all the painkillers on the table. "Are you going to eat them like candy? It only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. No matter how many you take, it won't get better. A friend of my dad's is a professor at a university of traditional Chinese medicine. If you need, I can ask for his number for you."
Zhou Qishen's throat was sore that he couldn't utter a single syllable.
Zhao Xiyin was quite relaxed, crossed her arms, and leaned back on the sofa. "Actually, you should learn more from my dad. He's great in every other way, but he's extremely cautious. He treats even the slightest discomfort like a major crisis. If his toe hurts, he'll go to the hospital for an X-ray to make sure it's not broken. You have to trust the doctors and not always make decisions on your own."
Zhou Qishen was about to say something to explain when Zhao Xiyin glanced at him and directly copied his thoughts, "I know you're going to say you're busy."
Zhou Qishen's lips twitched, like a student being trained.
Seeing that he was behaving himself, Zhao Xiyin figured it was enough, so she simply tucked the headache medicine at the bottom of the box. She said, "You should get some sleep. Uncle Zhou has gone downstairs; I'll go look for him for you."
"No need, I've sent someone to find him a hotel. Let him do whatever he wants." Zhou Qishen was truly exhausted. He covered his eyes with his hand, his jawline taut. "Just let him owe me. I still have a debt to settle with him."
"Any progress on your search for that person?"
“I asked my comrades for help and used connections. I’ve basically traveled all over the country. A while ago, three people who roughly met the requirements came, and I met them.” Zhou Qi sighed deeply, his eyes filled with despair. “But when I asked about the details, none of them matched up.”
When Zhou Qishen was five years old, his mother, unable to endure Zhou Boning's violent treatment after each bout of drunkenness, left home. His memories were hazy, but Zhou Qishen always remembered that his mother was a beautiful woman from a village in northern Shaanxi. Due to famine, she wandered south and met Zhou Boning. Perhaps as repayment for a meal he had given her, they married somewhat haphazardly. Details about her past were unclear, but judging from the old man's current character, his mother's life back then must have been difficult.