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Cao Sheng brought Man Man back to the volunteer station just in time for lunch.
Aunt Gui saw Man Man and went to the kitchen to steam an egg custard for the little girl.
Cao Sheng didn’t know that Qin Tang had already left. While helping his daughter eat, he asked, “Where is Miss Qin?”
A Qi replied, “Sister Qin Tang had something to do and went back to Beijing.”
Xiao Cheng, who had been eating with his head down, heard this and sadly put down his chopsticks. “I wonder if Sister Qin Tang will come back. Yesterday, she said she’d go to Zhenba with Big Brother Jiang, but she left early this morning.”
Lü An said, “She should come back.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Qin Tang gave off a cold impression when she first arrived, and no one dared to approach her. Over time, everyone grew fond of her—even A Qi, who initially harbored some hostility, found her likable.
The ever-silent Jiang Chuan put down his chopsticks and said in a low voice, “Eat. What’s there to talk about?”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Everyone glanced at each other, especially those who had witnessed the “forced kiss” scene in the corridor upstairs a few days ago. They also thought about the handsome and elegant man who came to pick up Qin Tang in the morning—he seemed well-suited to her.
After the meal, a few people sat in the courtyard gossiping—
A Qi: “Big Brother Jiang seems to be in a bad mood, so gloomy...”
Xiao Cheng: “Of course! Sister Qin Tang left with another man. How could he be happy? I think...”
A Qi: “...”
She patted Xiao Cheng’s shoulder, furiously blinking to signal him to stop talking and gestured behind him!
“Are you having an eyelid spasm?” Xiao Cheng complained, oblivious. “Big Brother Jiang still owes Sister Qin Tang 870,000 yuan. Their connection won’t end so easily.”
“Xiao Cheng.”
Xiao Cheng trembled, slowly turning around with a nervous laugh. “Big Brother.”
Jiang Chuan was standing at the stairway entrance, looking at him indifferently. “Go to Zhenba for me.”
“Huh?” Xiao Cheng scratched his head, catching sight of Jiang Chuan’s dark expression. He didn’t dare refuse. “Alright.”
After giving some instructions, Jiang Chuan walked over to Cao Sheng and said, “Come on, I’ll drive you to the airport.”
Cao Sheng had a suitcase by his feet, mostly filled with Man Man’s things. He picked up Man Man. “Isn’t Lü An driving us?”
He remembered that yesterday Jiang Chuan had said he would go to Zhenba.
Now that Qin Tang had left, was he no longer going?
Jiang Chuan helped him with the luggage. “Lü An has other things to do.”
Cao Sheng smiled, kissed Man Man on the cheek, and said, “Once we get to Beijing, let’s ask Sister Qin Tang to come visit you, okay?”
Man Man replied cheerfully, “Okay, okay!”
Jiang Chuan: “...”
His lips tightened, and he remained silent, his heart heavy with suppressed emotions.
Upon arriving at the airport, Cao Sheng received a phone call. His tone turned serious. “Are you sure?”
After a few seconds,
Cao Sheng said, “I understand.”
Hanging up, Jiang Chuan looked at him. “Something up?”
Cao Sheng nodded. “Just now, Cao Yan called me. He said Jiang Kun has gone to Beijing, but we don’t know what for yet. It’s a good opportunity for me to follow up and investigate.”
“Mm.” Jiang Chuan replied expressionlessly.
“Zhao Qianhe is still in Xi’an. Keep an eye on him.”
“I know.”
Cao Sheng carried Man Man out of the car, holding the suitcase in one hand. “If you want to switch tasks with me, that’s fine too.”
Jiang Chuan smirked. “No need. You can see Man Man often in Beijing and take the chance to patch things up with your ex-wife.”
Cao Sheng laughed loudly. “Alright, I’m off.”
Jiang Chuan stood outside the airport for a moment before turning and leaving.
---
Beijing.
Qin Tang and He Cong’an hurried to the hospital. As they reached the hospital building, Qin Tang suddenly stopped, pulling He Cong’an back. Her fingers tightly clutched his sleeve as she asked, her throat dry, “Has Zhou Qi really woken up?”
He Cong’an knew she was afraid and gently held her hand to comfort her. Softly, he said, “Don’t panic. This time, it’s real.”
Qin Tang found it hard to believe and hesitated to move forward. The ward was surely packed with people. If she went in now… she didn’t know whether it would be good or bad.
“Let’s go. This is a good thing,” He Cong’an encouraged. “Don’t you want to see Zhou Qi?”
Zhou Qi had fallen into a vegetative state at just seventeen, about to enter his final year of high school.
Five years had passed, and his life had been put on hold during that time. Now twenty-two, if his body recovered well, he could return to his final year of high school in the second half of the year. But as a twenty-two-year-old senior high student, Qin Tang wondered if Zhou Qi could accept it, if he could forgive her...
He Cong’an seemed to sense her thoughts and patted her head gently. “Zhou Qi won’t blame you. And I think this isn’t entirely your fault. Everyone bears some responsibility and must face the consequences of their decisions.”
Qin Tang remained silent.
After a while, she took a deep breath and looked up at He Cong’an, withdrawing her hand from his grasp.
“Let’s go.”
With her head held high, Qin Tang walked ahead of He Cong’an.
Inside the ward, it was crowded—
“Kid, you’re finally awake! Do you know how long you’ve been asleep? If you slept any longer, my kid would’ve been born by now!”
“Bullshit! A single dog without a girlfriend, talking about kids!”
“What the hell does that have to do with you?!”
“Hey, hey, hey—stop arguing, or the doctors and nurses will scold us again.”
“Right, right, right. Zhou Qi needs rest.”
Standing outside the door, Qin Tang saw a group of young faces inside—friends who had grown up together in the same courtyard and Zhou Qi’s former classmates, about seven or eight of them, making a racket.
“Hmm... you guys are giving me a headache...”
For a moment, Qin Tang felt dazed, her eyes stinging with tears. That was Zhou Qi’s voice—hoarse and still carrying a hint of the pubescent croak from five years ago.
He Cong’an placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Won’t you go in?”
Qin Tang held back her tears and lowered her head. “I’ll go later. I’m afraid I’ll ruin the atmosphere.”
He Cong’an didn’t push her. “Alright, let’s grab something to eat first.”
Qin Tang stood there for a moment. “Okay.”
As she turned around, she saw Zhou Qi’s parents approaching.
Qin Tang felt a bit awkward and greeted them. “Uncle Zhou, Aunt Shu.”
Zhou Qi’s father looked at her and smiled. “An’an’s back?”
He had watched Qin Tang grow up and still called her by her childhood nickname.
Qin Tang nodded. “Mm.”
Zhou Qi’s father asked, “Have you gone in to see him?”
Qin Tang hesitated for a moment and shook her head. “Not yet. I’ll go later.”
He Cong’an smiled. “Uncle Zhou, you two go ahead. Tang Tang and I just got off the plane. We’ll grab something to eat first and come in when there are fewer people.”
Zhou Qi’s father didn’t say anything, nodding instead. “That works.”
---
At 8 PM, the ward had quieted down.
Qin Tang stood at the door and gently pushed it open. The nurse on duty quickly stood up. “Miss Qin.”
Qin Tang softly said, “You can go out for now.”
“Alright.”
Qin Tang sat by the bedside, staring at Zhou Qi. Aside from being a bit pale and thin, lacking vitality and sunlight, his appearance hadn’t changed much from when he was seventeen.
She spoke to him as she always did. “Look at you, sleeping for so long. I thought you’d never wake up…”
She rambled on, saying many things.
“Big Sister An’an…”
Zhou Qi woke up, opening his eyes to look at her, as if from another world.
Their families were close friends, and Qin Tang was over a year older than him. They had played together since childhood. Wherever Qin Tang went, Zhou Qi liked to follow, often teased by others. But he never cared, saying, “So what? Who cares?”
Qin Tang froze for a moment, then smiled. “Finally, I’ve managed to wake you up.”
Zhou Qi pursed his lips and gave a faint smile. “Yeah, you were too noisy.”
“How are you feeling?” Qin Tang asked.
“Not bad, just that lying down for so long made my whole body uncomfortable…”
Qin Tang tucked the blanket around him. “It’s alright. Soon you’ll be able to run and jump again.”
After looking at her for a while, Zhou Qi said, “Big Sister An’an, why are you here alone? What about Chen Jingsheng?”
Qin Tang’s heart suddenly ached, and her face turned slightly pale.
“Does he have a competition?” Zhou Qi’s memory was still stuck five years ago. He had asked about the accident earlier that day. Apart from him falling into a vegetative state, the other three had survived.
“No,” Qin Tang quickly composed herself. “Are you tired?”
“Not really.”
“You rest first. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
She stood up.
Zhou Qi called her back, and Qin Tang looked down.
He smiled at her. “Big Sister An’an.”
Qin Tang smiled faintly. “What is it?”
“Nothing, just remember to visit me tomorrow.”
Qin Tang smiled again. “Alright.”
---
He Cong’an waited for her downstairs. Qin Tang sat on a bench outside the hospital, unhesitatingly pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one, holding it between her long, slender fingers, and quietly exhaled a puff of smoke.
This side of Qin Tang added a touch of femininity.
He Cong’an had watched her grow up.
She was adorable as a child, charming and poised during her teenage years. After the accident, she remained silent for a long time and then changed.
He didn’t think she had changed for the worse. Some things were just surface-level. She had just become more closed-off, sometimes stubborn, but deep down, she was still the same Qin Tang.
Qin Tang asked him, “How should I tell Zhou Qi that Chen Jingsheng is dead?”
Her voice was too indifferent, betraying no emotion.
He Cong’an looked at her for a moment and said softly, “Don’t say anything for now. Wait until after he’s discharged.”
Qin Tang stubbed out her cigarette and stood up. “Alright.”
He Cong’an followed suit. “I’ll take you back. To your parents’ place or your apartment?”
“It’s late. I’ll go to my apartment.”
“Alright.”
---
Qin Tang originally thought she would have trouble sleeping, but she fell asleep quickly, perhaps because Zhou Qi had woken up. She slept soundly that night.
She woke up when her phone rang.
It was Cao Sheng.
She quickly sat up. “Mr. Cao, have you arrived in Beijing?”
Cao Sheng chuckled. “Yes, we arrived last night.”
Qin Tang checked the time—it was almost ten o’clock. She pulled off the blanket. “Where are you now? I’ll come over.”
Cao Sheng didn’t stand on ceremony and gave her the address directly.
After washing up and changing clothes, Qin Tang grabbed her car keys and headed out.
As soon as Man Man saw her, she called out, “Sister Tang Tang!”
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