"Xiao Zhou, I heard from Lao San that you're going back to the countryside tomorrow to bring your family over?"
The old man wiped the tiny bit of blood from his fingertips and asked with a smile.
Zhou Xuan nodded, and after helping the old man lie down slowly, he replied, "Yes, sir, after I treated you today, there shouldn't be any major problems after another ten days. I will give you continuous treatment when I return, and you will be completely cured."
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Volume 1, Chapter 71: Luxury Cars Like Beautiful Women
After returning to his room, Zhou Shang found it incredibly difficult to sleep, despite having been away for many years. The sudden thought of going back made it impossible for him to calm down.
Moreover, he could be said to have returned home in glory and made a fortune. For the past few years, he had been sending money home in hundreds of dollars at a time. But this time, after suddenly becoming rich, he didn't send a single penny home. His family didn't even know where he was. Thinking about it, he felt somewhat unfilial. Perhaps his family was worried about him.
There was a soft knock on the door. Zhou Xuan got dressed, got up, and opened the door. Standing by the door was Wei Xiaoqing.
Her older sister, Wei Xiaoyu, had returned to her unit, leaving only her and Zhou Xuan living on the third floor. Strangely, Wei Xiaoqing didn't seem to like going back to her own home, especially considering her imposing military father. Zhou Xuan was also troubled, guessing it was because her father felt at ease staying at Wei Haihong's house, and since the old man also lived there, Wei Haifeng and his wife were reassured that Wei Xiaoqing wasn't going home.
"Is there something you need?" Zhou Xuan asked her.
Wei Xiaoqing's face appeared somewhat hazy and beautiful under the light. She tilted her head and asked him, "Aren't you going to let me in?"
Zhou Xuan quickly stepped aside, and Wei Xiaoqing floated past him like a gentle breeze, her body light and graceful. Zhou Xuan smelled a faint, sweet fragrance.
Wei Xiaoqing sat down on the bed without any ceremony, picked up a few books that Zhou Xuan had placed on the bedside table, looked at them, and saw that they were all about antiques and jade appraisal. She pouted and said, "Why are you reading all these old men's books?"
Zhou Xuan asked in surprise, "Who said these books are only for old men to read?"
“I said it!” Wei Xiaoqing chuckled, revealing her white, round teeth, then put her hand down again: “Zhou Xuan, how long will it take to cure my grandfather’s illness?”
Without thinking, Zhou Xuan replied, "It should take about two months to cure completely." Suddenly realizing something was amiss, he glanced at Wei Xiaoqing and saw her smiling at him. Knowing he had been tricked, he said nothing more.
Wei Xiaoqing said with a smile, "I felt something was off about you. Last time in New York, you were the one who tampered with my foot, weren't you?"
Zhou Xuan simply didn't answer, choosing silence instead. This girl was too clever; one wrong move and he would fall into her verbal trap.
Wei Xiaoqing continued, "I just don't understand. My broken leg would have taken more than a month to fully heal, but I don't know how you did it, I'm completely healed. I think the only time I can think of it is when you helped me downstairs from my place. It must have been around that time. Later, when I got to Lawrence's place, my leg was always unbearably itchy, which was probably a reaction."
At this point, her bright eyes looked at Zhou Xuan, and seeing that he still didn't say a word, she said, "I know about my grandfather's illness; it's incurable, but you were able to cure him, and I witnessed it with my own eyes. I think perhaps only a god could do such a thing. Are you a god?"
"What the hell!" Zhou Xuan couldn't help but blurt out, but he desperately held back the last word.
Wei Xiaoqing could guess what the words were, and smiled, saying, "Oh well, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Everyone has secrets, right? Anyway, I'm still very grateful to you. Thank you for saving my grandfather. I sincerely thank you. Although there are many things about you that I can't explain, I will keep your secret!"
Although Wei Xiaoqing is lively and mischievous, she is gentle on the outside but cautious on the inside. After knowing her for the past few days, Zhou Xuan also knows that when she is serious, she takes everything seriously. Not to mention anything else, just look at how she gave up her comfortable life a year ago to go to New York to work and study hard, which is worthy of his respect.
Wei Xiaoqing patted the bed again and said, "Come sit down and chat. Standing is tiring, and you can't sleep anyway."
Zhou Xuan thought to himself, "This Wei Xiaoqing has none of the shyness of a young lady from an official family." He walked to the other end of the bed and sat down.
Wei Xiaoqing curled her legs up on the bed, rested her chin on her hands, and asked with wide eyes, "Zhou Xuan, you seemed a little reluctant to let me go to your hometown with you this afternoon. Why? Can you tell me?"
"Well," Zhou Xuan scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "In our rural area, when we bring a girl home, it can only be someone we're married to, someone who's not married yet. If a young woman like you comes back with me, what will the neighbors say? Can you handle it?"
Wei Xiaoqing smiled in surprise, "That's it? What's there to be afraid of? I'm not going to spend my whole life there anyway. Let them say what they want. They'll be gone in a few days, and we won't see each other again. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, let's talk about it."
Wei Xiaoqing glanced at Zhou Xuan and said with a smile, "If a pretty girl like me goes back with you, even if people gossip, it'll still be a boost to your image. Where else can you find such a good deal? Since you treated my leg injury, I won't charge you for your performance. I'll just give you a chance to shine and play the role of your girlfriend!"
Zhou Xuan's face flushed red instantly, and he stammered, "You, you...aren't you ashamed?"
"Sigh!" Wei Xiaoqing sighed, gazing unsteadily out the window.
Zhou Xuan thought he had hurt her with his words, so he looked up and saw Wei Xiaoqing gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought.
On the bed, Wei Xiaoqing's bare feet were delicate, with toes like pearl particles and nail polish painted green, resembling emeralds she had seen before.
After a while, Wei Xiaoqing said softly, "Do you think I'm happy? Do you think I can be happy?" "Of course I can!" Zhou Xuan thought for a moment and replied, "You're beautiful, smart, and have a lively personality. I think your family likes you a lot. Besides, with your family background, you can have anything you want and never have to worry about anything in your life. How could you not be happy?"
"Sigh," Wei Xiaoqing sighed again, "I know that in other people's eyes, I have a good family, a good environment, and I'm beautiful. What more could I want? But do you know why I left? Do I want to live such a hard life alone?"
Zhou Xuan gazed at Wei Xiaoqing's beautiful profile. He noticed her eyelashes flutter, and a glint of tears seemed to well up in her eyes, but she ultimately held them back.
It turns out that even this wealthy young lady from a prominent family has a lot of worries! Just like before, she thought that as long as she earned a few tens of thousands of yuan, went back to her hometown to repair her old house, and married a country girl, she could make do for the rest of her life without much trouble. But now that she suddenly has money, she seems to have more complicated and numerous things to think about, and she can't even keep up with them all.
"My older sister, you know, she's an hour older than me, but she's always been better than me at everything. Our parents love her, and she's very competitive. From kindergarten to university, she was always number one. If she came in second, she'd be angry for days, refusing to eat or drink, and studying until she caught up. Later, she got into a top-tier ping-pong school. Now she's a lieutenant colonel. And me? I've never gotten first place. My mom always criticizes me… saying I'm not as good as my sister in this or that. I know I'm not as good as her, but my parents don't value me, so they're unhappy. I remember once in third grade, I got second place and happily went home to show my mom. She glanced at the report card and threw it aside, then told me to look at my sister's, saying I should learn from her and get first place. My parents feel proud because of my sister." And me, I always make them lose face.
As Wei Xiaoqing spoke, she finally couldn't hold back her tears.
Zhou Xuan was at a loss for what to do. He just couldn't stand seeing girls cry, so he quickly grabbed a handkerchief from the table and handed it to her.
Wei Xiaoqing took a tissue but held it in her hand, letting her tears fall one by one, soaking into the pajamas on her legs.
Zhou Xuan sighed with pity. Even a girl like Wei Xiaoqing had so many worries. It turned out that children from wealthy families weren't necessarily destined for a good life. Worries don't care how much money you have or how high your position is.
I just don't understand why Wei Xiaocai suddenly started talking to him about these things!
Zhou Xuan had no idea that Wei Xiaoqing, outwardly gentle but inwardly cunning, harbored too many secrets, yet had no friends to confide in. She didn't get along with her sister, who was quite cold towards her, and her parents didn't value her. The only person she was close to was her uncle, but how could she bring herself to tell him? And of course, she couldn't tell her grandfather!
Since meeting Zhou Xuan in New York, she hadn't paid much attention to him at first. Later, she noticed that her uncle cared about him a lot, so she started to pay more attention. Then, Zhou Xuan did some surprising things, such as miraculously curing her leg and her grandfather's terminal illness. Later, she felt that Zhou Xuan was a very simple and down-to-earth person. Although he looked ordinary, he had a good heart. Before she knew it, she had developed a liking for him. Of course, it was far from love. She just felt that she could confide in him like a close friend, and she believed that Zhou Xuan would not tell anyone else.
Zhou Xuan didn't know how to comfort her. Wei Xiaoqing's tears fell like pearls from a broken string. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Xiaoqing, I actually think you're very lively and confident, smart and beautiful. Wasn't it because your grandfather missed you that he insisted your parents and your uncle come to pick you up? How can you say your family doesn't value you? Besides, what about your sister? Maybe your parents think she's very outstanding, and I have to admit that, but being outstanding doesn't mean you're likable, and being outstanding doesn't mean you're happy. There are many outstanding people in the world, but not many are happy. The happiest people are actually those ordinary, not-so-outstanding people. They're happy because they're content with what they have, while outstanding people aren't, because they still strive to be even more outstanding. Don't you think so? Like your sister, she's like an ice cube. I don't like her. What's so good about being cold? Xiaoqing, cheer up. Actually, you're more likable than your sister, really."
Wei Xiaoqing burst out laughing through her tears and said, "Really, what does my sister have to do with whether you like her or not?"
However, after laughing for a moment, Wei Xiaocai wiped away her tears and stopped crying. Her expression became much brighter. She then asked Zhou Xuan about her family members, what her hometown was like, and so on. Later, she became sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.
Perhaps his sleeping position wasn't comfortable. When Zhou Xuan woke up in the morning, he stretched, but when he reached out, he suddenly touched a soft body. He was startled and opened his eyes to take a look.
But he found Wei Xiaoqing sleeping in his arms. The movement woke her up. She opened her eyes, and when their eyes met, she exclaimed "Ah!"