After that night’s heart-to-heart talk, although their relationship status wasn’t clearly defined, He Qingshi’s attitude had clearly improved a lot. Their private contact also increased.
Huo Chuxue felt this was quite good. Whether they were officially together or not wasn’t that important anymore; it was just a formality anyway.
Qiao Shengxi said she was too easily satisfied, and that having this formality or not made a big difference.
Doctor Huo tilted her head, puzzled. “What’s the difference?”
Nurse Qiao laughed with a lewd expression. “Kissing, hugging, being lifted up—those are trivial. The key is you can roll in the sheets! Happy? Roll around. Unhappy? Also roll around. A great joy in life!”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
She was actually left speechless!
In Qingling during August, the weather remained scorching hot, with temperatures over thirty degrees Celsius every day.
The intense heat was unbearable. Huo Chuxue was terribly afraid of the heat. Unless she was going out to see He Qingshi, she didn’t want to go anywhere on her days off. She just wanted to stay home and lie around like a corpse.
Qiao Shengxi was a bit more diligent than her. Whenever her husband was away on business, she would come over to Huo Chuxue’s place to visit from time to time.
At the beginning of August, it was Zhou Mo’s birthday. Zou Yi invited a large group of relatives and friends to Xizi Renjia to celebrate for him.
Zou Yi invited both Huo Chuxue and Qiao Shengxi to go. Zhou Mo himself also personally notified them. With the couple making it so formal, the two girls naturally had to agree.
Huo Chuxue didn’t pay much attention to this. In her view, it was just going for a meal, so she’d just go.
But Qiao Shengxi was clearly thinking more about it. Nurse Qiao planted her hands on her hips and said coldly, “That woman Zou Yi definitely has some big news to announce. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so deliberate about calling the two of us, making such a big fuss, practically wanting the whole world to know. It’s definitely fishy.”
Huo Chuxue fetched a loquat can from the refrigerator for Qiao Shengxi. “Try this, it tastes amazing.”
Nurse Qiao’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Xiaoxue, you still have this in stock!”
“Last time, He Qingshi gave me so many loquats. I ate some but couldn’t finish them all, so I made them into cans.”
Qiao Shengxi praised, “You’re the one with the hidden stash.”
Huo Chuxue ate a loquat herself. It was sweet and sour, refreshing and delicious, truly a wonder for relieving summer heat.
Holding a porcelain spoon, she scooped loquats into her mouth and said to Qiao Shengxi, “Celebrating Zhou Mo’s birthday is normal, isn’t it? It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”
She completely dismissed the idea.
“Doctor Huo, I say you’re naive and you don’t believe it. After all these years, can’t you see what kind of person Zou Yi is? That woman is very scheming. She’s always seen you as a rival, after all, you and Zhou Mo were the couple everyone recognized back then. Even after she married Zhou Mo, her hostility towards you hasn’t faded.”
“No way?” Huo Chuxue was startled.
“You still say ‘no way’? On their wedding day, with so many people standing around her, she deliberately threw the bouquet to you, and you were standing so far from her. You know what catching the bouquet symbolizes, right? She just hopes you’ll get married early so she can rest easy. Over the years, whenever she and Zhou Mo have any big event, which time hasn’t she formally insisted you be present? She’s just repeatedly reminding you that Zhou Mo is hers, telling you not to have any improper thoughts, telling you to give up.”
“But she invited you too, didn’t she?”
“That’s because she knows if I don’t go, you absolutely won’t go.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
Goodness, such scheming!
After hearing Qiao Shengxi’s words, Huo Chuxue couldn’t help but recall the last high school reunion. When it ended, she ran into Zhou Mo and his wife at the restaurant entrance. Zhou Mo asked if she had driven and wanted to give her a ride back. Zou Yi had so urgently pulled Zhou Mo away, clearly not wanting him to have any contact with her.
And that time when she went home, Zou Yi’s words, “Mom and Dad like you a lot too.”
That was clearly loaded with meaning.
If what Qiao Shengxi said was true, then she had been too insensitive. All these years, she never knew Zou Yi had seen her as a rival and had been guarding against her.
Huo Chuxue asked, “So what should I do?”
Qiao Shengxi smiled slightly, a smile full of cunning. “Since Mrs. Zhou is so uneasy about you, of course you should put her at ease!”
“How do I put her at ease?” she pressed.
“You bring He Qingshi along. When she sees you have a man, she’ll naturally be at ease.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
On the night of Zhou Mo’s birthday, Huo Chuxue and He Qingshi arrived a bit late.
By the time they arrived, the private room was already full of people, men and women, very lively.
Getting He Qingshi to come had taken Huo Chuxue some effort.
Her original words were, “Everyone going is in pairs, only I’m alone. Shouldn’t you go and back me up?”
What kind of person was He Qingshi? He hated trouble the most. Naturally, he wouldn’t agree to something so easily misunderstood and refused on the spot. Huo Chuxue pleaded in every way possible and finally even brought Lan Yi into it before he agreed.
Huo Chuxue had her own motives. Putting Zou Yi at ease was one of them, but more importantly, she wanted others to meet He Qingshi.
Most of the people at Zhou Mo’s birthday party were hospital colleagues.
Seeing Huo Chuxue quietly show up with a man naturally caused an uproar.
“Doctor Huo, you’re something else! Your confidentiality work is done very well!”
“Exactly, we didn’t hear a thing.”
“When are you giving us wedding candy?”
…
Huo Chuxue just smiled and didn’t explain.
He Qingshi had known it would cause misunderstandings, but since he was already here, he could only brace himself and endure it now.
One thing Huo Chuxue hadn’t lied about: among the more than twenty men and women in the private room, basically everyone was in pairs.
She took He Qingshi to greet Zhou Mo and his wife.
When Zhou Mo saw He Qingshi, a flash of surprise immediately appeared in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, returning to normal.
He Qingshi recognized Zhou Mo—he was the male doctor who had examined his teeth last time, Huo Chuxue’s childhood friend.
Zou Yi was all smiles. “Xiaoxue, you’re too sneaky! You didn’t even tell me and Zhou Mo. It seems my bouquet was very useful after all! It worked so quickly.”
Huo Chuxue just pursed her lips and smiled, not explaining He Qingshi’s identity, letting everyone misunderstand. She pointed at He Qingshi and said, “He Qingshi, a teacher.”
Then she turned to He Qingshi and said, “Doctor Zhou, you’ve met him. The one next to him is his wife.”
He Qingshi was modest and polite. “Nice to meet you.”
Zou Yi smiled lightly. “Nice to meet you, Mr. He.”
Zhou Mo nodded at He Qingshi as a greeting.
Immediately after, Zou Yi casually struck up a conversation. “Where do you work, Mr. He? How did you meet our Xiaoxue?”
She had seemingly turned into the protective family on the bride’s side.
Qiao Shengxi listened nearby and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. She immediately walked over with a wine glass and cut in, “Our Mr. He is a professor at University A, with boundless prospects!”
Upon hearing this, Zou Yi was not at all stingy with her praise. “Mr. He is already a professor at such a young age, truly impressive.”
“Our Xiaoxue has such good taste!” Qiao Shengxi said proudly. “There are plenty of good men in the world, and our Xiaoxue specifically picks the good ones.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
With He Qingshi present, Huo Chuxue felt a bit awkward. She hurriedly shot Qiao Shengxi a meaningful look.
For a moment, the atmosphere became subtle.
Seeing this, Zhou Mo quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Everyone is pretty much here, let’s begin.”
The large group ate, drank, and made merry, finally cutting the cake later.
After Zhou Mo blew out the candles, a bunch of people egged Zou Yi on to bring out the birthday gift. Everyone wanted to see what Zou Yi had prepared for Zhou Mo.
Zou Yi touched her flat belly, a look of happiness on her face, and said softly, “Zhou Mo, my gift is a bit special. You’re going to be a father.”
Zhou Mo was overjoyed, hardly able to believe it. “Really, Yi Yi? I’m going to be a father?”
“Just found out. Two months.”
Zhou Mo picked Zou Yi up in a hug. “That’s great! I’m going to be a father!”
Everyone present was fed a mouthful of dog food!
Qiao Shengxi crossed her arms and sneered. “See? Wasn’t I right?”
Sure enough, there was big news to announce!
Huo Chuxue’s mind was entirely on He Qingshi, so she perfunctorily hummed in agreement.
—
The group didn’t wrap up until around ten at night.
He Qingshi went to the parking lot to get the car. Huo Chuxue didn’t want to walk and waited for him at the hotel entrance.
He found his car, got in, and was about to start it when he heard faint talking from the car next to him.
He had no intention of eavesdropping, but he really did catch a couple of sentences.
“Xiaoxue is really not considerate, quietly finding a boyfriend without saying a word to us. After all, we’ve known each other for so many years.”
“Don’t complain. That gentleman couldn’t possibly be Xiaoxue’s boyfriend. At most, he was brought along to show up for her. Among our group, she’s the only one still single, so it’s inevitable she feels pressure.”
“How is it impossible? I think that Mr. He is excellent!”
“Xiaoxue brought him to see me for his teeth before. The medical record showed he’s already thirty-seven, and he’s been married before. If Xiaoxue found a man like that, her parents would go crazy! With Uncle Huo’s temper, he’d definitely break Xiaoxue’s legs…”
…
The car beside him quickly drove away.
He Qingshi unconsciously tightened his grip on the steering wheel. From the force, the veins on the back of his hand bulged, and his knuckles turned white. It was a long time before he finally started the car.
—
The car drove out from Xizi Renjia, passing by that Japanese restaurant. The restaurant was brightly lit, with a few customers scattered about, very cozy.
Huo Chuxue simply suggested, “How about we go in and sit for a while?”
He Qingshi glanced at the gilded signboard and nodded in agreement.
The shop happened to be playing the theme song from Gone with the Wind, My Own True Love. The familiar melody, the familiar lyrics, lingered in their ears.
They ordered a few small dishes and some wine.
He Qingshi had to drive, so Huo Chuxue didn’t let him drink with her. She was happy tonight, in high spirits, and drinking alone was equally enjoyable.
The music wove around her like silken threads, incessant in her ears.
Huo Chuxue pricked up her ears to listen to the song and said softly, “In high school, our English teacher showed us Gone with the Wind, but we were young then and didn’t really understand it. Last time I went back, I specifically dug out the movie and watched it again. After so many years, I had some different feelings.”
He Qingshi, sitting across from her, became interested. “How so?”
“Scarlett loved Ashley with an obsessive, bewildered obsession. In her eyes, Ashley was unattainable, flawless, and no one could replace him. So she rejected Rhett’s love to pursue that distant and beautiful dream.”
However, a dream is after all just a dream. One day she would wake up. She finally discovered that the perfect Ashley in her eyes actually escaped reality and couldn’t bear reality at all, even bordering on cowardice. At that moment, her dream finally woke up. But it was too late. Rhett was gone. She had been in happiness all along without realizing it.
Some say this is Scarlett’s sorrow. Many of us fall into this kind of sorrow. We pursue a person or a thing too obsessively, get lost in it, almost madly, and can’t get out for a long time. And we easily overlook what we already have by our side.”
Huo Chuxue seemed to casually voice these feelings, but in reality, every sentence was meant for him. Someone as smart as He Qingshi, how could he not know.
“My late wife loved this movie very much. Her view was different from yours. She said that in this life, one must always pour everything into someone or something, even if the result isn’t satisfactory.” He looked out the window. The shops on both sides of the street were brightly lit, and the main road had a constant flow of traffic. For a moment, his voice became very, very low.
Huo Chuxue held her wine glass and raised an eyebrow. “Even knowing it’s just an illusory dream?”
“Yes.”
“Silly!” she said bluntly. “I wouldn’t. I’m a pragmatic person. I need to see returns.”
Back then, she was young, passionate and full of drive, always calculating gains and losses, needing to see returns. She thought Scarlett was silly, pinning her whole life on one man.
When she pursued He Qingshi, she was full of confidence and hope, believing it wouldn’t be long before she got her wish.
Many years later, she discovered that back then, she didn’t completely understand herself. The later Huo Chuxue, guarding one person, was terrifyingly obsessive.