Everyone knows that Zhao Zhongsheng has no good intentions towards Yu Xiaoru. It's hard to imagine that Yu Xiaoru has ever been fooled by him before, accompanying that lecherous scoundrel to any social event without suffering a loss.
With Yu Xiaoru's outstanding looks, even if Zhao Zhongsheng doesn't take advantage of her, she'll inevitably be the object of attention for his clients.
The reason why Zhao Zhongsheng achieved such outstanding results in business is said to be mainly because he was very skilled at using his looks to seduce women. Apart from a few men, his business development department was full of young, beautiful and sexy women... What a damn business development department, it was practically a brothel.
Although Yu Xiaoru is a translator and shouldn't be in the same department as Zhao Zhongsheng, and even if Zhao Zhongsheng couldn't force Yu Xiaoru to do anything, he is not only the head of the business development department, but also Huang Lianshu's confidant. If he really has any bad intentions and forces Yu Xiaoru to do something, as long as Huang Lianshu is willing to step in and smooth things over, Yu Xiaoru probably won't be able to do anything about it.
These thoughts flashed through Zhou Ziwei's mind. If Yu Xiaoru hadn't claimed to be Yang Hongtao's wife, Zhou Ziwei probably wouldn't have cared too much about what kind of work she did or what path she took. But now it was different... Whether he liked it or not, the woman in front of him was already his wife in name, at least in the eyes of many outsiders. And his dead husband had come back to life. Although he couldn't see his family for the time being, now that he was in Zhongdu, he didn't want his nominal husband to be cuckolded for no reason. Therefore... he had to take care of Yu Xiaoru's affairs. However, Yu Xiaoru probably didn't trust him very much yet, and there were many things she couldn't say. Zhou Ziwei could only keep it to himself for the time being.
The house where Zhou Ziwei's parents live is not big. This community is selling the environment, and it doesn't blindly pursue a large living space. There are various types of apartments of different sizes in several buildings.
The apartment that Yu Xiaoru rented for Zhou Ziwei's parents was only a little over 70 square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room. The layout looked quite nice, and the decoration was done directly by the original real estate company. It matched the outside environment and had a touch of closeness to nature.
Although the house wasn't big, it was still more spacious than the one Yang's parents used to live in. Even though Yu Xiaoru usually lived here, it didn't feel crowded.
Yu Xiaoru unlocked the door, and Zhou Ziwei immediately spotted his mother sitting on the sofa watching TV. His mother wasn't actually that old, only in her early fifties, but she looked like she was over sixty. Her hair was at least twice as white as it had been three years ago, the crow's feet around her eyes were much deeper, and her eyes were lifeless. She didn't react at all when she suddenly saw Zhou Ziwei, this "stranger," until the two had changed their shoes and entered the living room. Only then did she weakly ask, "Xiaoru…who is this? He looks unfamiliar…"
When Yu Xiaoru saw that Yang's mother looked at Zhou Ziwei without any impression, she gradually became suspicious. Just as she was about to ask Zhou Ziwei again, she saw that Zhou Ziwei's tears had already started to flow down his cheeks.
"Mom...it's me...um...godmother...it's me!" Zhou Ziwei said, and then he couldn't control himself and knelt down in front of his mother, hugging her thin legs and crying bitterly.
"Oh dear... what's going on with this child!" Upon seeing this, Yang's mother was so shocked that she became flustered. While supporting Zhou Ziwei, she said to Yu Xiaoru, who was also dumbfounded, "Who... who is he? Why... why does he call me Mom?"
Zhou Ziwei looked up, choking back tears, and said, "Godmother, it's me... Don't you remember me? I'm Xiaodong... Hongtao's classmate from junior high, the son of that migrant worker from Northeast China who was always bullied... Don't you remember me? Back then, you personally told me to call you Mom and to be your godson..."
"Ah... Xiao Dong... you... you were Xiao Dong all along."
Yang's mother was stunned for a long time before suddenly exclaiming. Memories from many years ago finally surfaced in her mind like a tide. To be honest, she and her husband really liked the son of that migrant worker from Northeast China named Xiao Dong back then.
Children born and raised in big cities are born with a sense of superiority, and the more affluent their lives are, the more spoiled they become. But Xiao Dong doesn't have any of these problems. He's as simple and honest as a stone, which makes the old couple genuinely fond of him. They also know that Xiao Dong's family is struggling financially, which is evident from the fact that he's wearing patched clothes.
That's why they often let their son bring him home and have Xiao Dong call them godfather and godmother.
Unfortunately, not long after, Xiao Dong's family moved back to Northeast China. After that, they never saw the child again. Over the years, the elderly couple had almost forgotten about the somewhat chubby-cheeked boy from Northeast China. But now, with Zhou Ziwei bringing it up, that memory has suddenly become vivid again.
Although the somewhat simple-minded man in front of her didn't look much like the chubby-faced child from back then, Yang's mother believed without a doubt that he must be the same simple child from back then. After all, they weren't rich people, and who would be so bored as to impersonate them and become the godparents of this poor old couple?
In that instant, the pent-up resentment and maternal love that had been building up in her heart for three years because her son had died unjustly were all poured out without reservation in that cry of "Xiao Dong". Yang's mother hugged Zhou Ziwei's head tightly, her body slid softly off the sofa, and knelt on the ground just like Zhou Ziwei. Then she buried her face in Zhou Ziwei's shoulder and couldn't help but waile loudly...
"Why are you crying for no reason, you old hag?"
The sound of a door creaking came from the master bedroom next door. Then, Mr. Yang, dressed in clean pajamas, walked out with a somber face. When he saw his wife hugging a strange young man and crying her heart out, he felt a momentary lapse in judgment. He was about to pull his wife up and ask her a few questions when he suddenly heard Mrs. Yang calling out "Xiao Dong's" name repeatedly. He then suddenly remembered the godson they had jokingly taken in years ago. Instantly, his dry eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing the elderly couple's strong reaction, Yu Xiaoru no longer had any doubts and had completely accepted Zhou Ziwei. However, seeing how excited Yang's mother was, Yu Xiaoru also had some doubts about whether bringing him along was the right decision. She was really afraid that the two elderly people would be severely traumatized by this.
As for what Zhou Ziwei had said about his knowledge of traditional Chinese massage, Yu Xiaoru didn't dare to take it seriously.
"Dad... how are you feeling? Has your back pain gotten any better these past few years?" Zhou Ziwei and his mother hugged each other and cried for a moment before he looked up to greet Yang's father. He even consciously omitted the word "godfather" from the title.
Yang's father had initially been somewhat doubtful because the young man in front of him was so different from the Xiao Dong he remembered. However, when Zhou Ziwei asked about his back pain, all his doubts disappeared. He couldn't help but sigh softly and said, "When people get older, ailments that didn't exist when they were young will come on their own, let alone old ailments left over from before... Haha... Just now, I sat with your godmother for a while, and my back couldn't take it anymore."
Seeing Yang's father rubbing his lower back with a wry smile, Zhou Ziwei quickly stood up, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said, "Dad... I learned some traditional Chinese massage techniques from my grandfather, just so I could help you cure this back pain. Come on, don't worry about anything else, lie down on the sofa right now, I'll give you a couple of massages and see..."
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 240: Traditional Chinese Medicine Massage
"You can give massages?"
Mr. Yang looked at Zhou Ziwei with some emotion, but waved his hand to refuse, and then said with a smile, "But it's still not necessary. I'm already very satisfied with your thoughtfulness. You've come all this way, and I haven't even had a sip of water yet. How can I trouble you to do something for this old man? My dear... what are you standing there for? Hurry up and wash some fruit and get some snacks for Xiao Dong... Oh... Xiao Ru, you sit with Xiao Dong for a while. I'll go buy some groceries and we'll have a good drink together today."
Mr. Yang was truly happy today. Although Yu Xiaoru was indeed very filial to the elderly couple, even more so than their own daughter, it was Yu Xiaoru's sister who had harmed their son. So no matter how filial Yu Xiaoru was, they could not forget their son's tragic end. Although they knew that Yu Xiaoru had nothing to do with this, the knot in their hearts was still hard to untie.
Every time the night is quiet, the elderly couple can't help but think of their son... Even though they had a daughter by chance, it can't replace their longing for their son.
Now, seeing a godson they had jokingly adopted years ago come all the way from the far northeast to visit them, Mr. Yang suddenly felt a sense of fatherhood again. For a moment, it even eased his depressed mood, and he showed a rare, happy smile.
Over the past three years, Yu Xiaoru had seen Yang's parents smile before, but usually, the occasional smiles they gave her always seemed bittersweet. But today... Yu Xiaoru found Yang's father's smile to be so bright, like sunshine after the rain, making her feel warm inside... This must be his true smile!
Yu Xiaoru breathed a slight sigh of relief. What she feared most was that this strange godson would make her parents miss their deceased son even more and become even more depressed.
But now it seems... she really made the right decision to bring this young man from Northeast China to meet her parents. Although they seemed very sad just now, they seemed much more cheerful after shedding their tears.
People often say that only a mental illness can be cured by a mental illness. In Yu Xiaoru's opinion, the reason why the old couple's health is getting worse and worse is because their mental illness is hard to cure. Physical illness can be treated and regulated by taking medicine and supplements, but there is no cure for mental illness. And now, isn't this young man from Northeast China the medicine that can relieve the old couple's mental illness?
As Mr. Yang spoke, his wife hurried off to prepare fruit and pastries, while he himself turned to go back to his bedroom to change his clothes, but was stopped by Zhou Ziwei.
"Dad... my traditional Chinese massage really works. Can you trust me just this once? Five minutes at most... just try it for five minutes first. If you don't feel any effect after five minutes, I'll never mention this again, okay?"
“Xiao Dong, you…” Yang’s father turned his head and saw the sincere concern and pleading look in Zhou Ziwei’s eyes. In the end, he couldn’t persuade Zhou Ziwei otherwise and could only nod and say, “Alright! Xiao Dong, since you insist on trying, then let’s try! But… let’s make it clear first, no matter whether your massage works or not, it can’t last too long, um… five minutes is enough. Anyway, my old bones are already like this, even if I need treatment, a day or two won’t make a difference. We can’t delay dinner. Today I’m going to give you a proper welcome-back party, and we have to have a couple more drinks.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. He then had Yang's father lie down on the long sofa in the living room. Zhou Ziwei stood beside him, rolled up his sleeves, and began to gently massage Yang's father's lower back with his fingers. However, after a short while, his speed gradually increased, and finally, he suddenly began to move his hands up and down like spinning windmills, patting Yang's father's lower back repeatedly. The sound gradually increased in speed, becoming a series of pats.
At first, Yu Xiaoru just stood aside and watched the father and son with a smile. She didn't really expect Zhou Ziwei's traditional Chinese massage to have any effect. She just wanted to make the old man feel cared for and happy.
But when Zhou Ziwei gradually increased the speed at which he slapped his palm down to three times the normal speed, she was also slowly stunned into silence.
Because once Zhou Ziwei's hands moved at a certain speed, his arms became completely invisible to onlookers, turning into a blurry, indistinct shadow due to the rapid movements.
However, Zhou Ziwei's legs and upper body remained completely still throughout the entire sequence, creating an eerie combination of extreme movement and stillness that amplified the visual impact.
"Smash—" Yang's mother, who had just finished washing a plate of fruit and came out of the kitchen, was so frightened by Zhou Ziwei's appearance that she dropped the plate on the ground. She ran a few steps and rushed towards Zhou Ziwei, crying and shouting as she ran, "Oh God... Xiao Dong... where... where are your hands? You don't have either of your arms... Damn God... why do all these disasters have to befall my son... You killed my own son, and now you're bullying my godson?"
Seeing this, Yu Xiaoru quickly grabbed Yang's mother and comforted her, saying, "Mom... don't worry, Xiaodong is fine. He's just giving Dad a massage..."
"What... he's giving that old man a massage." Yang's mother was stunned for a moment, then said in disbelief, "This... how is that possible? He doesn't even have hands, how can he give someone a massage?"
Yu Xiaoru said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "His hands are perfectly fine, how could they be missing... It's just that he was moving his hands so fast that we couldn't see them at all. If you don't believe me, close your eyes and listen carefully... That series of crackling sounds, isn't that the sound of Xiaodong constantly pounding his father's back with his hands?"
After hearing this, Yang's mother closed her eyes to listen, then opened them again, closed them again, and opened them again... After repeating this several times, she finally confirmed that she was not experiencing auditory or visual hallucinations. She breathed a sigh of relief and finally believed Yu Xiaoru's explanation...
About five or six minutes later, Zhou Ziwei stopped as promised. As his movements gradually slowed down, Yang's mother's eyes widened. Finally, she saw Zhou Ziwei's arms appear in a blurry shadow, and she breathed a sigh of relief, murmuring, "Thank God... his arms are still there... they really are still there!"
"Dad... how are you feeling? Is your back pain any better?"
Zhou Ziwei wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked the question while slightly out of breath.
This time he was really sweating, and he wasn't faking it. He had used almost all his strength in that massage. The initial slow kneading was his way of evenly channeling his soul power into Yang's father's body, but the subsequent patting was to stimulate the soul power that had seeped into Yang's father's body to quickly and fully integrate with it.
Although on the surface Zhou Ziwei was just gently tapping Yang's father's body with his palms, these seemingly simple movements actually contained the most profound essence of Niu-style Tai Chi.
The Niu-style Tai Chi Chuan can stimulate the process of the soul power merging with the body's cells. Zhou Ziwei had already fully proven this on his own body, but this was the first time he had used it on someone else's body.
However, experiments have proven that this method is indeed feasible. Although Yang's father did not know Niu-style Tai Chi, Zhou Ziwei could use those dense taps to transform the boxing techniques he had comprehended into a tangible boxing intent that permeated into Yang's father's body. This greatly accelerated the fusion speed of soul power and cells.
If Zhou Ziwei didn't use this method, his soul power could slowly nourish Yang's father's body. However, after a day, Yang's father's body might not even be able to absorb one percent of the soul power that Zhou Ziwei had input into his body. The remaining ninety-nine percent couldn't just stay in Yang's father's body indefinitely; it would only gradually dissipate over time. It was estimated that in less than a day, all the soul power would be completely lost.
However, after Zhou Ziwei's patting, the absorption speed of Yang's father's body increased by at least several hundred times. In just five or six minutes, about one-tenth of the soul power that Zhou Ziwei had just input into Yang's father's body had been absorbed by Yang's father's cells.
In this way, the effect will naturally be immediate. Back then, Zhou Ziwei's body only took one day to completely get rid of his sickly state.
Even if it wasn't as effective on Yang's father, it was still countless times better than letting Yang's father slowly absorb that soul power himself.
"That's incredible."
In fact, after Zhou Ziwei's soul power entered his body and thoroughly cleansed his lumbar nervous system, Yang's father felt a completely different sensation. He knew that his "godson" was not bragging; the traditional Chinese medicine massage technique was indeed amazing.
However, he did not expect that the initial feeling was just a small appetizer. After Zhou Ziwei's rapid and intense patting, he gradually felt that his body was bathed in a magical glow. Almost every second, he could clearly feel a change happening inside his body.
Although the changes that occur in each second are not very large, the accumulation of countless one-second changes creates a dramatic transformation.
After Zhou Ziwei stopped patting, Yang's father felt an immense sense of ease and comfort wash over him. So much so that when Zhou Ziwei asked him about it, he was still somewhat dazed. It wasn't until much later that he let out a sigh of relief, sat up, and twisted his waist forcefully. He then discovered that the back pain that had plagued him for decades had completely disappeared at that moment.
"It's cured... my back pain is actually gone."
Despite the clarity and distinctness of his physical sensations, Mr. Yang still found it hard to believe his own feelings.
He had suffered from back pain for so many years and had tried many treatments, including a lot of Chinese and Western medicines, and more than a dozen different kinds of plasters. He had also tried Chinese massage a few times, but none of them had any significant effect. Over time, he gave up and became too lazy to seek treatment, letting the pain get worse and worse.
But he never expected that after just one treatment from his "godson," he would be completely cured. No wonder he found it hard to believe...
Seeing Mr. Yang twisting his waist so dramatically, Mrs. Yang broke out in a cold sweat. She knew that Mr. Yang's back pain was a chronic condition. Even walking a few steps quickly would cause him to break out in a sweat from the pain. When he sat down or stood up, he had to use his hands to slowly move his waist. Now, with him straining like this, he was bound to fall apart.
But when she saw that after Yang's father moved around for a while, he not only didn't cry out in pain, but instead grinned from ear to ear, she was completely stunned by this miraculous change.
"There are hidden masters among the people... It seems he wasn't lying. Just based on his amazing traditional Chinese massage techniques, regardless of the effectiveness, his dazzling skills alone would definitely attract countless eyes if he were to step into the public eye. Yet... he remains so unknown. This... is truly unbelievable!"
At this point, Yu Xiaoru finally believed Zhou Ziwei's words completely, believing that Zhou Ziwei really possessed miraculous medical skills, or that he could really improve the health of the two elderly people with just his traditional Chinese massage techniques!
Seeing how excited the two elders were, Zhou Ziwei was happier than ever before. Without saying a word, he gave Yang's mother the same "massage" until her shoulder periarthritis was completely cured, and only then did Zhou Ziwei stop.
However, this is only the beginning. After all, this is only a localized treatment, and the soul power he just infused into the two elders has not yet been fully distributed throughout their bodies.
Zhou Ziwei also plans to give the two elderly people this kind of massage once or twice a day. He estimates that it won't take more than a few days for them to get rid of their weakness and become more than ten years younger.
Without the burden of his back pain, Yang's father walked with great vigor. Despite Zhou Ziwei's objections, he insisted on going out alone to buy a lot of food and wine, and then had Yang's mother and Yu Xiaoru work together to prepare a sumptuous feast.
However, the family had only been sitting down to eat and drink for a short while when Zhou Ziwei became restless... After all, there was a mentally challenged girl waiting for him in the hotel, and if he weren't there, who knows what would have happened to her.
She can't eat, she can't drink, she can't even use the toilet... It's not a big deal for the time being, but Zhou Ziwei has been out for most of the day now, what if she... Zhou Ziwei doesn't want to go back and smell the stench of the whole house.
So Zhou Ziwei hurriedly drank two glasses of wine with his father and ate a little something. Then he opened the canvas bag he had brought, took out the gifts of Northeast specialties, and prepared to leave, saying that he would come to see his parents again tomorrow.
The two elderly people lost their biological son, but now they have an adopted son. This adopted son is not only filial but also capable. He cured the two of them of their long-standing ailments as soon as he arrived.
This immediately unleashed the paternal and maternal love that they had suppressed for three years. The more they looked at their godson, the more they liked him. They wished they could tie Zhou Ziwei to their belts and were unwilling to let him leave.
Zhou Ziwei didn't want to be separated from his parents so soon, but he simply couldn't stay here. Putting aside the fact that he couldn't just abandon the demented girl killer, there was nowhere for him to live in the house... It was a two-bedroom apartment, with the two elderly people living in one room and Yu Xiaoru occupying the other. If Zhou Ziwei were to live here, he would probably only be able to be the head of the living room.
But in this sweltering heat, it's already hot to sleep on the sofa. If it weren't for Yu Xiaoru, he wouldn't mind wearing less clothing in front of his parents, but with Yu Xiaoru in front of him... he couldn't very well lie naked in the living room for everyone to see! That would definitely make Yu Xiaoru feel very embarrassed.
However, Mr. and Mrs. Yang seemed not to have considered this issue at all, and only tried to persuade Zhou Ziwei to stay, not allowing him to leave at all.
Left with no other choice, Zhou Ziwei revealed that he had also brought a mentally unstable "cousin" with him, and that he had come to Zhongdu to seek treatment for her.
He couldn't bear to leave his cousin alone in the hotel, so he had to go back to take care of her.
Hearing Zhou Ziwei say this, Yang's parents could no longer object, but they insisted that Zhou Ziwei must bring his "cousin" along the next day so that they could show him hospitality.
As for Zhou Ziwei's cousin having a mental illness, they were simply full of sympathy and didn't feel any disgust towards her.
Seeing that Mr. and Mrs. Yang were still holding Zhou Ziwei's hand and reluctant to let go even after seeing him off to the door, Yu Xiaoru also grabbed her small handbag and went over to say, "Dad, Mom, let me see Xiao Dong off for a bit! I also have something to do and need to go out for a while."
"Oh... okay then, take care of the journey... You're both young, it'll be easy for you to chat... Hehe... Well then we won't go out, you two take your time!"
When Mr. and Mrs. Yang saw that Yu Xiaoru had taken the initiative to see Zhou Ziwei off, they exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a loving smile...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 241: Let's Go Together!
When Yu Xiaoru saw the meaningful smiles on Yang's parents' faces, she knew how she could not understand the meaning behind their smiles after spending more than three years with them. Her pretty face flushed red, and she felt a little annoyed, but she could not vent her anger on Yang's parents. She could only glare at Zhou Ziwei in annoyance, and then silently walked out of the room and went downstairs first.
"Uh... what's wrong with her?" Zhou Ziwei was completely baffled when he saw Yu Xiaoru suddenly get angry. He didn't think he had done anything to her, so why was she glaring at him?