Zhao Xiyin remarked with a touch of emotion, "Brother Zhou, you're a bit different today."
"Um?"
"You've become unusually gentle; this isn't like you at all."
Zhou Qishen touched her face. "I know, this is just another way of accusing me of doing bad things in the past."
Zhao Xiyin chuckled.
"Are you going back to your dad's today?" Zhou Qishen was in a hurry and didn't linger for long. He took her hand and led her to the entrance, asking as she changed her shoes.
"Dad went to school, I'm going to find Xiaoshun and Liran." Zhao Xiyin hooked her little finger around his, gently shaking it as if she wouldn't let go.
Zhou Qishen squeezed her hand, said nothing, and hugged her directly. "Okay, sweetie, I'll try to come back as soon as possible."
Zhao Xiyin was truly reluctant to part with it; her eyes were fixed on it longingly, as if they could be squeezed to release tears.
Zhou Qishen hesitated for half a second, then said, "Then I'll postpone my work today."
"Go make money!" Zhao Xiyin immediately snapped. "No slacking off."
Zhou Qishen smiled, his thick eyebrows slanting upwards towards his temples, and gently pinched the bridge of her nose. Zhao Xiyin quickly kissed his chin, "Be careful on the road. When you come back tonight, I have something to tell you."
The driver was already waiting in the garage. After Zhou Qishen got into the car, he instructed, "Go to Xiehe Hospital."
――
At nine o'clock in the morning, he arranged to meet Zhao Wenchun at the hospital.
Teacher Zhao sat in the lobby waiting for his number to be called, holding his appointment slip. Zhou Qishen handed him a bottle of water. "Dad, please have some."
Zhao Wenchun sat upright and looked perfectly normal. He calmly said, "Qishen, if it's confirmed, I'll handle things with Xiaoxi myself."
Zhou Qishen listened quietly.
“I didn’t dare to get sick before, afraid that no one would take care of my daughter. Xiaoxi’s aunt is in the United States, which is far away and can’t help her in a timely manner. Although we have many relatives in Beijing, they all have their own small families. Who can truly take good care of Xiaoxi? I’m not at ease.”
Zhao Wenchun's eye wrinkles had deepened; with age, any sorrow caused his nasolabial folds to droop down his lips, making him appear even older. He looked at Zhou Qishen, his eyes filled with gratitude, "Qishen, please be more tolerant of her in the future. Xiaoxi is a good girl. If you treat her well, she will repay you tenfold."
Zhou Qishen pressed down on Zhao Wenchun's hand, stopping him from continuing. "Dad, you are not a burden to us. Whether you are healthy or sick, Xiaoxi and I will take good care of you. Don't worry. Xiaoxi is my wife, and I will not let her suffer in my lifetime."
Zhao Wenchun nodded repeatedly, and when he was deeply moved, he couldn't help but wipe the slightly wet corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.
When the name was announced over the loudspeaker, Zhou Qishen stood up with him, put his arm around Teacher Zhao's shoulder like a son, and said in a steady and firm tone, "Don't worry, I'm here for you."
After Zhao Wenchun went inside, Zhou Qishen sat back down in his chair. He kept his head down for a few seconds to steady himself before taking out a white medicine bottle from his suit pocket, pouring out two pills and swallowing them, enduring the pain as it gradually subsided.
Chapter 90 Come to My Gentle Universe (3)
Get the results in an hour.
Zhao Wenchun didn't let him come along, and his mindset calmed down. He said, "It's okay, I can do it myself."
He emerged from the doctor's office in a time so brief that even Zhou Qishen was surprised. Looking at Teacher Zhao's relieved smile, it was like the sun had finally come out after a long storm, and everything had settled. Like a child, he couldn't hide his joy: "Ah, the doctor said the results are great! The brain CT scan didn't show any problems!"
Zhao Wenchun hurriedly showed him the test report. "There were no obvious abnormalities. The doctor told me to pay more attention to my health, play cards and exercise regularly. It won't hurt to take preventative measures."
Zhou Qishen carefully examined the report, and a smile curved his lips. "Good thing."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhao Wenchun finished speaking, his eyes welling up with tears again. "Time waits for no one. This time it was a stroke of luck. In the future, in the future... sigh, never mind, I won't think about it anymore."
Zhou Qishen smiled and said, "Your mindset is correct."
Birth, aging, sickness, and death—who can truly be detached and carefree? Those seemingly enlightened truths come easily only because the events haven't actually happened to you. Separation by death is inherently a cruel and hopeless farewell. And with separation comes only the possibility of never seeing each other again in this life.
Zhou Qishen helped Zhao Wenchun out of the hospital. "I'll have my secretary bring you some vitamins and calcium tablets, which I bought in the US. As for this, Dad, we won't tell Xiaoxi about it."
Zhao Wenchun agreed, "I was just about to tell you that too."
The old man and the young man looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
――
Around noon, Li Ran finally finished shipping the orders. Although it was a cool April day, she and Xiao Shun were both sweating profusely.
"Every time I pack and send packages, it's like going to war." Li Ran fanned herself with a piece of cardboard, then glanced at Zhao Xiyin, who was fast asleep on the sofa. "Little darling, you've been sleeping since you came over at nine o'clock. Did you stay up all night last night?"
Zhao Xiyin had just woken up from a deep sleep. "No, I'm just feeling sleepy in the spring."
Li Ran sat down next to her and patted her bottom. "Move over a bit. I'm asking you, after filming that movie, are you really planning to just let it go like that?"
Zhao Xiyin hummed in agreement.
"No regrets? Such a great opportunity, so many people have to resort to underhanded tactics to get into the entertainment industry." Li Ran said with exasperation, "You just lack ambition and are content with the status quo. You'd be the kind of person who dies in two episodes in a palace drama."
Zhao Xiyue grinned sheepishly, "You, a Harvard graduate, are selling sexy lingerie? You have the nerve to talk to me like that."
Li Ran grinned, "What's wrong with sexy lingerie? Last year on Singles' Day, my store ranked tenth in sales among similar products."
Zhao Xiyin nudged her leg with her toe, a fawning smile on her face, "Let me hug your thigh."
"Get lost." Li Ran scoffed. "Go find your old man. He's the real diamond-encrusted thigh."
Xiao Shun, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand the conversation anymore. "Ugh, could you two be any more disgusting? I don't even want to eat braised pig's trotters for lunch."
Zhao Xiyin was displeased. "Don't think I can't tell you're making veiled accusations. You're not allowed to talk about my boss, Mr. Zhou."
Xiao Shun felt a chill run down her spine and silently walked away.