Chapter 36: With Just That Sentence from You, It’s Enough…

While the herbal medicine was simmering in her room, Jiang Zihan called.

She was still working night shifts and had just woken up.

“The weather has turned cold recently, and a lot of people have caught the flu. The hospital is extremely busy right now. I feel like I’ve almost caught a cold too. I only managed to sleep for a bit last night, but I’m still feeling dizzy. I need to head back early to help out.”

Jiang Zihan’s voice carried a slight nasal tone. Xu Wu glanced at her ankles, reminded of what Zhou Min had said earlier.

“The temperature difference between day and night is significant. Does your hospital have heating? Take care of yourself.”

“There are quite a few patients in the hospital. Because of the temperature drop, they turned on the heating a few days ago.” Jiang Zihan seemed to be drinking water on the other end. “The night shifts are exhausting.”

The small porcelain pot used for boiling herbs was heated by the induction stove until it was scorching hot. White steam spiraled upward from the spout. She put her phone on speaker and set it aside. Herbal medicine had to be consumed immediately after boiling.

She carefully placed the porcelain jar containing the herbal decoction onto a prepared towel and spoke into the phone: “Do you want to switch back to day shifts? Maybe start working during the day instead?”

With the call on speaker, Xu Wu could hear Jiang Zihan’s faint sigh. “I was planning to request a shift to the day schedule next week.”

Concerned, Xu Wu asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, just a sore throat after waking up.” Jiang Zihan coughed slightly on the other end. “Oh, and I forgot to call you to wish you a happy birthday these past few days. Happy birthday, Wu Wu.”

“I sent you a custom gift for your last birthday, but it was delayed by a few days. It should arrive soon, so remember to sign for it.”

Xu Wu was somewhat surprised that she remembered, even though it was late. Still, her heart warmed. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m really looking forward to seeing you wear it.” After saying this, Jiang Zihan added, “Has that guy surnamed Li come to your place looking for me?”

That man surnamed Li… Xu Wu frowned. This was the first time Jiang Zihan had brought him up, but she responded gently: “No.”

The person on the other end didn’t mention Li Qingyang again.

After hanging up, Xu Wu poured the freshly boiled herbal medicine into a cup. It was still slightly hot. She blew gently on the bitter liquid while browsing recent entertainment news.

All traces of the exhibition incident had been erased. Xu Wu re-downloaded Weibo, where the information was mainly related to finance or industry reports.

The first thing she saw was the person featured in the financial news she had read earlier that morning.

Having already seen it, she intended to exit the page. Holding the cup, she drank the herbal medicine. Besides its bitter taste, it was also scalding. When the hot liquid touched her tongue, it triggered an involuntary shiver, causing a few drops to spill onto her phone screen.

Xu Wu wiped it off without turning off the screen. Accidentally tapping the screen, she realized she had unintentionally clicked on the report.

Weibo was Weibo; the comments section was far more active than what she’d seen in her browser. Many people were discussing Zhou Jinye, and the comments uncovered a lot of information about the individuals involved.

Scrolling through the comments, she marveled at how they had dug up all this information. One comment mentioned Qin Shili’s deceased wife—Zhou Jinye’s mother.

The comments below expressed sympathy for her.

Though the deceased had passed, the truth remained hidden under the shadows.

Based on what this person had said, the admiration some held for Qin Shili quickly shifted.

She clicked on the user’s profile. On Weibo, one could see the registration date. This account had been created just half a month ago.

The account was new, which might mean the person truly knew something about what Qin Shili had done to Zhou Jinye’s mother.

She followed the account and sent a polite greeting via the chat function.

________________________________________

On his way home, Zhou Jinye received a call from Uncle Xu. He was a bit puzzled.

When he answered, Uncle Xu got straight to the point: “That old fox Qin Shili still has such big ambitions. He bought a new phone, registered a Weibo account, and saw himself in a financial report. Turns out, he’s invested in many companies domestically. I had someone look into it—he’s invested in several companies, including one abandoned by the Qin family. Now, under his management, it’s performing better than some of the Qin family’s other companies.”

LUNAR needed to expand domestically, so Zhou Jinye had attended some domestic industry events. Sometimes, he would meet Lin Zongyu from Boheng, who was one of his grandfather’s students. They discussed the domestic market, including Lin Zongyu mentioning Yangkang Intelligence, a company that collaborated with Boheng on medical products. Zhou Jinye had heard of it—it was a company Qin Shili had invested in early on.

“It seems he wants to return to the Qin family.”

Everything pointed back to the Qin family.

Uncle Xu continued slowly: “He’s a bastard child. Back then, when the Qin family couldn’t find a suitable heir, they took him in. But now, with someone else in control of the Qin family, he probably can’t return.”

“What do you think he’ll do based on his personality?” Zhou Jinye asked.

“That’s something only he knows. He’s like a snake hibernating, hiding very deeply. Even while abroad, he was investing domestically. After lying low for so many years, he’s now appearing in public. If he’s standing tall for others to see, then who is he trying to impress?”

“You mean the Qin family?”

Uncle Xu remained silent on the other end, implying agreement. After all, the Qin family had once elevated him, only to discard him later.

“I also found out that Qin Shili attended the Qin family patriarch’s 80th birthday celebration a few days ago. From what I heard, the old man didn’t look pleased.”

Behind the Qin family’s power lay the patriarch. Currently, the Qin family was controlled by a younger generation around Zhou Jinye’s age.

Qin Shili’s father had died unexpectedly, leaving no heirs. Only then was Qin Shili brought back into the family. By that logic, Zhou Jinye would technically also belong to the younger generation of the Qin family.

“The matter regarding your mother—I’m still looking for the doctor who performed the surgery when she miscarried. He’s no longer in Linjing, and someone seems to be hiding his whereabouts.” Uncle Xu explained further: “I posted a message on Weibo to see if anyone notices. At my age, nearing sixty, I should try using the internet to see if anyone can dig up information for me.”

After losing both his wife and child, Uncle Xu had aged significantly. When Zhou Jinye was young, their relationship had been close, almost like father and son. One willing to teach, the other willing to learn. Most of Zhou Jinye’s childhood memories included Uncle Xu taking care of him. Now, driving while speaking in his gravelly voice, Zhou Jinye said earnestly: “Thank you, Uncle Xu. Even after all these years, you’re still willing to help me.”

“I’ve told you before, kid. I’m doing this to repay the kindness your mother showed me.”

Back when Zhou Jinye was abroad, Uncle Xu had helped him retrieve his passport and ID from Qin Shili. Hearing this, Zhou Jinye chuckled: “Regardless, I’m still grateful. In the future, I’ll take care of you in your old age.”

Zhou Jinye was driving, and Uncle Xu heard the sound of car horns honking. Not wanting to delay further, he ended the call.

The sun was setting, casting an orange-yellow glow in the sky.

The sleek black car weaved through traffic, heading toward its destination.

________________________________________

When Zhou Jinye arrived home, he knew Xu Wu was on her period. Seeing the door closed, he knocked directly.

The setting sun’s rays slanted through the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows, resting on Xu Wu’s shoulders. When she returned, she had bought some dark-colored yarn. With the temperature dropping, she had turned on the underfloor heating. Lying there with Pudding, Xu Wu, now unemployed, had taken up knitting. The scene was peaceful and harmonious.

Hearing the knock, Xu Wu rose from the heated floor. Pudding was curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly. Xu Wu slowly moved away from its side.

Peering through the peephole, she saw it was Zhou Jinye and opened the door. As usual, she hugged him tightly. The cold air he brought in from outside was quickly neutralized by her warmth.

“You’ve never been this clingy before,” Zhou Jinye teased as he steadied her. Glancing down, he noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes and lifted her into his arms like a princess. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

“I turned on the underfloor heating. I didn’t bother putting them on just to open the door,” Xu Wu explained, wrapping her arms around Zhou Jinye’s neck.

Pudding’s ears twitched, and it opened its eyes, looking over before trotting to Xu Wu and Zhou Jinye’s side.

Zhou Jinye glanced at the underfloor heating and gently placed her back onto it. He stared at her abdomen for a moment. “Are you still in pain?”

“I went to the clinic and got some herbal medicine to regulate it. I don’t feel any menstrual cramps now,” Xu Wu said, sitting on the carpet. “It’s the same traditional Chinese medicine clinic where your aunt works.”

He gently caressed her face. “Later, I’ll take you to formally meet my aunt.”

His words made it sound like they were already planning marriage. After a brief pause, Xu Wu smiled and nodded without hesitation. Since reconciling, they both understood each other’s feelings and spent time together whenever possible. Zhou Jinye’s intentions were clear, and Xu Wu trusted him completely.

“You sit here. I’ll go make dinner.” Zhou Jinye hung his coat on the sofa behind him.

After finishing dinner, Zhou Jinye noticed Xu Wu seemed preoccupied. After washing the dishes, he joined her by the underfloor heating.

Reaching around from behind, he hugged Xu Wu and looked at the sweater she was knitting. “Who are you knitting this for?”

With the weather growing colder, she had specifically bought dark-colored yarn to knit scarves. Back in school, she had been too busy studying to knit anything for him. Her first attempt had gone to Pudding. “For you.”

A smile spread across Zhou Jinye’s face as he leaned in to kiss her lips.

But Xu Wu had something to say and stopped him. “I have something to tell you.”

Her expression turned serious. Zhou Jinye paused and looked at her. “What is it?”

She picked up her phone, which had been lying quietly on the sofa, and opened the saved video. “The accident during the exhibition setup wasn’t an accident. Did you know?”

After hearing this, Zhou Jinye glanced at her phone. “I know. It was Qin Shili.”

Xu Wu froze. When she had asked someone to investigate the video, they had already mentioned that someone had specifically requested that segment.

So Zhou Jinye had discovered it long before she did.

She looked at him and said, “Before, when you lost too much blood, I agreed to his condition to separate us. Now, violating that agreement led to this ‘accident.’”

Seeing the worry in Xu Wu’s eyes, Zhou Jinye tightened his embrace. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle his affairs. He won’t hurt you.”

“How will you handle it?” Xu Wu leaned against his chest, but he didn’t respond. After a long silence, she said softly, “I’m also afraid he’ll hurt you.”

Like tender shoots basking in the sunlight, their intertwined emotions were nearly enveloping them.

Zhou Jinye gently pulled her back. “With just that sentence from you, it’s enough.”