Huo Chuxue’s question came naturally, asked on a whim without much forethought.
The moment she finished asking, she clearly felt the atmosphere shift.
He Qingshi’s expression changed slightly as he looked at the child in his arms. Xiao Qingtian smiled up at him with innocent glee.
He felt a surge of emotion and unconsciously clenched his fists.
Lan Yi carefully observed He Qingshi’s face and changed the subject. “Doctor Huo, Qingtian needs to be fed. Could you pass me the bottle?”
Huo Chuxue’s attention was indeed diverted. “Where is it?”
Lan Yi pointed to the long wooden table on the right. “It’s on the bottle warmer.”
He Qingshi pressed his lips together. “I’ll go check if Gui Shu has finished cooking.”
He sounded almost like he was fleeing in disarray.
Huo Chuxue prepared the formula and sat on the edge of the bed to feed Xiao Qingtian.
Xiao Qingtian sucked vigorously on the nipple, eating with great satisfaction.
Huo Chuxue asked, “Auntie Zhang, does Mr. He not like children?”
Every time children were mentioned, He Qingshi’s expression turned a bit off. She had noticed it before.
Lan Yi sighed softly, her tone full of feeling. “It’s not that he dislikes children. He’s afraid of them.”
—
The couple was very enthusiastic and insisted on Huo Chuxue staying for lunch. It was hard to refuse their hospitality, so she stayed.
Gui Shu’s cooking was excellent. They were all homely dishes, but the flavors were quite delicious. Especially that dish of braised prawns in oil, it was simply irresistible.
Gui Shu and his wife were warm and kind. Huo Chuxue enjoyed their company; it felt like being with her own family.
She ate until she was extremely full. He Qingshi, however, seemed to have little appetite and didn’t eat much.
Huo Chuxue had to visit her parents’ home in the afternoon and couldn’t stay long. After lunch, she sat for a short while before getting up to leave.
Gui Shu gave her a large box of loquats.
Huo Chuxue was flustered and quickly declined. “I didn’t drive here today, I can’t carry this.”
Her car had been borrowed by Lin Yao this morning to pick up a friend, so she had taken the subway here.
He Qingshi, however, said, “I’ll drive you back.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
He Qingshi carried the box of loquats downstairs for her. He walked to the back of the car and put it directly in the trunk.
When Huo Chuxue opened the passenger door, she unexpectedly saw a book.
It was ‘The Sound of Wind and Rain’. It should have been the same copy she saw at Cenling Villa. The book was lying open on the passenger seat, its pages flat. Clearly, He Qingshi had been reading it recently.
After putting away the loquats, He Qingshi saw Huo Chuxue holding the door open, not getting in.
He quickly walked to her side. “What’s wrong?”
Before she could answer, he followed her gaze and saw the book.
He gave a wry smile and quickly removed it. “Sorry, I forgot to put it away.”
Huo Chuxue smiled and said nothing, but her mood grew somewhat complicated.
She got into the car. He Qingshi also took the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Last time, after drinking, he had driven her back. This time, he knew the route well and headed directly for First Hospital.
Huo Chuxue currently lived in the staff apartments of First Hospital.
The drive from Gui Shu’s home was quite far, and the road seemed to stretch on endlessly.
The car left the residential area and entered a quiet street.
There was little traffic on this road. It was far from the hustle and bustle, incredibly peaceful. Occasionally, a few pedestrians passed by, their steps hurried.
Rows of metasequoia trees stood tall by the roadside, their straight branches and leaves reaching high into the clouds, a lush green pleasing to the eye.
The sky was exceptionally blue, almost pure, with clouds gently chasing each other in the wind.
The blue sky and green trees added a touch of brilliance to the early spring.
“Did your wife like Siluo very much?” The two hadn’t spoken for a long time. It was Huo Chuxue who finally broke the surrounding silence after a good while.
“Hmm?” He Qingshi was focused on driving and didn’t immediately catch her meaning.
“Siluo, the author of ‘The Sound of Wind and Rain’.”
“Yes, Siluo was my wife’s favorite writer. She collected many of her books at home.”
“Was yours a special signed copy?”
“No. When ‘The Sound of Wind and Rain’ was first released, it was incredibly popular. My wife tried many times but never managed to get a special signed copy.” Siluo’s special signed books were so sought-after back then that they were nearly impossible to obtain.
“Do you want a special signature?”
“What do you mean?”
She looked at him calmly and said leisurely, “I can have Siluo add a special signature for you.”
He Qingshi: “…”
Lin Yao was delayed by some matters and didn’t return Huo Chuxue’s car until evening.
Lin Yao handed back the keys. “Sorry, Doctor Huo, for delaying your use of the car.”
Huo Chuxue smiled. “It’s fine, I wasn’t in a hurry to use it.”
It was just a trip to her parents’ home, no rush.
When she went back to her parents’ home, Qiao Shengxi hitched a ride with her back to her own parental home.
She shared some of the loquats Gui Shu gave her with her aunt, gave some to Qiao Shengxi, and took the rest back for her mother.
Qiao Shengxi took the bag, looked inside, and asked, “Loquats? Where did these come from?”
“Auntie Zhang gave them to me.”
“You went to their house this afternoon?”
“Mhm, a routine follow-up visit.”
Qiao Shengxi scoffed, seeing right through her. “All your little thoughts are written all over your face. Did you see him?”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
She could hide nothing from her best friend’s eyes!
“I saw him. We even had a meal together.”
“Not bad!” Qiao Shengxi expressed deep approval. “Knowing how to create opportunities for yourself.”
“Xixi, you’re not opposed anymore?” Huo Chuxue glanced sideways at her friend.
“I was never opposed, okay!” Qiao Shengxi looked at her and said, “I know you too well. Once you’ve set your mind on something, you never change it. Just like when you decided to study medicine. Your whole family was against it, your aunt was especially vehement in her opposition, but you went ahead and did it anyway. And in the end, of all things, you chose the hardest, most exhausting department—obstetrics—which nearly made your aunt explode with anger. It was the same with Zhou Mo. You liked him since we were kids. Everyone around us thought you two were a match made in heaven. But then Zou Yi appeared, and Zhou Mo chose her. You said you stopped liking him, and you were clean and decisive about it, without any lingering attachment.”
“You’ve always understood your own heart, had your own opinions, known what you wanted, and made your own decisions. What I said to you last time was just to make you see clearly that this path is destined to be thorny and difficult. Once you set foot on it, you’re bound to get badly hurt. But just like you said yourself, this is your own life. As a friend, I can offer advice, but I can’t make the decision for you. The road, after all, is yours to walk.”
Perhaps this was what a true friend was. No matter what decision you made, good or bad, she would analyze the pros and cons for you but wouldn’t interfere with your choice. The final say was always in your hands. Once you made your decision, they would only support you unconditionally.
If she weren’t driving, Huo Chuxue really wanted to give Qiao Shengxi a big bear hug.
She was deeply moved. “Xixi, you’re the best!”
Qiao Shengxi said disdainfully, “Cut it out!”
“Xiaoxue, I have to remind you. Although your parents will be a big obstacle, the primary one is still He Qingshi. This man is very devoted, his feelings for his deceased wife run deep. Are you sure you can make him fall for you?” Qiao Shengxi looked Huo Chuxue up and down and said leisurely, “You, Doctor Huo, do have some looks, but he’s not bad-looking either. And the clothes he wears clearly show he’s wealthy. He might not even fancy you.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
That was definitely her bestie (true, close friend)!
Actually, even without Qiao Shengxi saying it, Huo Chuxue knew He Qingshi’s family circumstances were probably excellent. After all, the Audi he drove started at a million yuan. The clothes and shoes he usually wore were all big-name brands. They were just low-key brands that at first glance looked like ordinary labels.
If she and Qiao Shengxi didn’t usually pay attention to the fashion circle, they probably wouldn’t have recognized them.
For a university professor to be so well-off, he must have made some private investments.
But these external things were unimportant to her. Her own family’s conditions weren’t fabulously wealthy, but they were more than sufficient to surpass many ordinary families in Qingling.
Just as Qiao Shengxi said, her biggest obstacle was always He Qingshi himself.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but recall the book she saw on He Qingshi’s passenger seat this afternoon, and a wave of melancholy washed over her.
The revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to strive!