Teacher Zhao is always so thoughtful and kind, knowing how to defuse awkward situations. He didn't just brush it off; he actually took an empty vase out of the cabinet right in front of Meng Weixi, then carefully arranged the champagne roses in it, and finally held out his hand to Meng Weixi with a gentle smile: "It looks beautiful, Meng Weixi is so thoughtful."
Meng Weixi acted with composure and bid farewell at the right time. Before leaving, he said to Zhao Xiyin, "Take good rest. I'll send you a WeChat message."
After the person left, Zhao Wenchun didn't immediately ask his daughter. Only after breakfast did he calmly ask her, "Xiaoxi, what are your thoughts on Xiaomeng?"
Zhao Xiyin didn't shy away. She pulled up a small stool and sat obediently in front of Teacher Zhao. The father and daughter looked at each other for five seconds, one with a furrowed brow and a distant expression, the other calm and accepting. Under her father's gaze, Zhao Xiyin gradually calmed down and whispered, "Dad, do you know that Meng Weixi attempted suicide?"
Zhao Wenchun frowned.
Zhao Xiyin remained lost in thought and didn't say anything more.
After a long pause, Zhao Wenchun saw through his daughter's thoughts and asked, "So you feel guilty?"
Zhao Xiyin gave a bitter smile. "It seems so, but it also seems not. He used to be so cheerful and sunny. He's changed a lot now. I never thought he would commit suicide. Sometimes when I see him like this, I wonder if I did something wrong?"
"When you broke up with him, were you sure you had thought it through?"
Zhao Xiyin paused for a moment, then nodded seriously, "I've thought it through."
"Have you ever regretted it all these years?"
"I don't."
Zhao Wenchun smiled and said, "Then you did nothing wrong. Be true to your heart, true to your feelings, true to others, and true to yourself. Every step we take, if we follow our hearts and do not harm others, is upright and honorable."
Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips, and her heart gradually calmed down.
“Ah, I’m not targeting Xiao Meng specifically,” Zhao Wenchun said. “Whether it’s Meng Weixi or Zhou Qishen, or maybe others in the future, Dad hopes you’ll be happy. But if that happiness has to be achieved through compromise and reluctance, then it’s not worth it. Dating is good, marriage is good, but being single or divorced doesn’t make you inferior. Inner self-reflection and richness are the most important things.”
As Zhao Wenchun spoke, he brushed away a stray hair stuck to Zhao Xiyin's shoulder. "You need to distinguish between momentary goodwill and your true feelings. Don't let your compassion hold you hostage. One wrong step leads to another, and in the end, you'll both be hurt and regret it. That's truly harming yourself and others. Xiao west, do you understand what your father is saying?"
Zhao Xiyin smiled, her white teeth gleaming like pearls. She looked up at her father as if gazing at a beacon in a vast ocean. She whispered, "I understand."
Zhao Wenchun nodded, thought for a moment, and asked quite seriously, "Has Xiao Meng lost some weight compared to before? He seems to have grown a bit taller too."
Zhao Xiyin sighed, "Teacher Zhao, your focus is too strange. Do you even remember how tall and heavy he used to be?"
"I remember, he was a little over 1.8 meters tall, but not as muscular as Qi Shen." Zhao Wenchun sighed to himself, "Those who have served in the army are really different. They are very strong. Beijing winters are so cold, yet Qi Shen never wore long johns. He is really in good physical condition."
Zhao Xiyin was immediately dumbfounded, "How did you know he wasn't wearing long johns!"
Zhao Wenchun said matter-of-factly, "He told me himself. At that time, I still had some reservations about him being seven or eight years older than you. He told me that he took cold showers all winter in Beidaihe. He reassured me that he would live to be a hundred and take care of you for the rest of his life."
Zhao Xiyin was stunned, and Zhao Wenchun was also stunned after he finished speaking. He immediately changed his words, "I'm sorry, daughter, Dad didn't mean to mention him."
Zhao Xiyin gave a muffled "hmm," and said, "I can tell, you really like him."
Zhao Wenchun laughed and tapped her forehead with his index finger, "Naughty."
The phone rang in the bedroom. Zhao Xiyin stood up, her voice gradually softening, "He is your real son."
When she reached the table and saw the flashing numbers on the screen, Zhao Xiyin frowned.
——
Zhou Qishen went on a short business trip to Tianjin these past two days. He drank quite a bit at a social gathering and slept the whole way back on the highway. His phone was in his suit pocket on silent, and he didn't even notice it ringing repeatedly.
Later, the call reached his secretary, who had to muster up the courage to wake him up, "Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Qishen had a bad temper, especially when he was sleeping. He was so dizzy that when he opened his eyes, the sunlight almost made him vomit. He said with a bad face, "I heard you, stop yelling."
The secretary handed him the phone, hesitated for a moment, and said, "It's your father."
Zhou Qishen's face was as dark as an impending storm. He leaned back in his chair, pinched his brow, and answered the phone. The other end called out "hello" several times, but it was unclear whether Zhou Qishen was even listening. Zhou Boning, even less patient than him, launched into a barrage of complaints and grievances.
"You try to hide, go ahead and hide! Let's see where you can hide! You won't answer my calls, huh? Let me tell you, I'll call your secretary, your company, your wife, one by one, and I don't believe I can't find you!" Zhou Boning was imposing, his voice was hoarse all year round, and when he raised his voice, it sounded like a shattered wine bottle, extremely loud.
Zhou Qishen didn't hear anything else, only grasped the key point. He interrupted coldly: "You went to see Xiao Xi?"
"It's only natural for me to look for her!"
Zhou Qishen's teeth were practically grinding to dust. "What exactly do you want to do?"
Zhou Boning said, "I want to come to Beijing, I want to see my legs!"
Zhou Qishen is absolutely awful.
He knew his father's character perfectly well. He was impulsive, easily swayed, and readily manipulated by relatives. What was with the leg? They were clearly here to make things difficult for him! Zhou Boning brought up Zhao Xiyin, Zhou Qishen's biggest weakness. He had been holding back, showing a rare moment of politeness, "I'll arrange a hospital in Xi'an for you and have someone take you there."
There was no room for negotiation; Zhou Boning was stubborn and insisted on coming to Beijing.
Zhou Qishen raised his hand and slammed the phone down. Then he leaned back heavily, resting his head on the back of his head, unbuttoned his shirt collar, and gasped for breath. The car's air conditioning was on, but a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead from the anger.
After a long while, Zhou Qishen opened his eyes and said in a hoarse voice to his secretary, "Buy a new phone."
He took out his own phone from his suit pocket, paused for a moment, and then called Zhao Xiyin.
Zhao Xiyin answered quickly, speaking rapidly, "Uncle Zhou's leg isn't good, he's coming to Beijing for medical treatment. Were you busy and that's why you didn't answer the phone? It's okay, don't argue with him, I've already explained it to him. Also, he's taking the high-speed train tomorrow at noon, remember to pick him up."
Strangely enough, Zhou Qishen's heart gradually calmed down. He let out a long sigh, his expression dejected and ashamed, and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry."
"Um?"
"He thought we weren't divorced."
She truly felt guilty. When her cousin came to Beijing and there was that misunderstanding, Zhou Qishen promised her that he would explain things back home and prevent such a misunderstanding from happening again. Zhao Xiyin remained silent for a long time before replying, "Let him get sick first, we'll talk about it later."
The relationship between Zhou Boning and his son Zhou Qishen was extremely strained, but to be fair, Zhou Boning didn't really have any major disagreements or conflicts with Zhao Xiyin. Zhou Qishen rarely returned to Xi'an, but the Lunar New Year was unavoidable, and during those two or three days at home, Zhao Xiyin acted as a mediator. The clever and quick-witted girl always found ways to prevent a direct confrontation between the old man and the young man, defusing several tense verbal battles that were about to erupt.