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The place where Qin Tang met with Cao Sheng was a restaurant near the hospital. Man Man took off her shoes and stood on the sofa, reaching out for a hug. Qin Tang laughed and picked her up. Man Man quickly planted a kiss on her cheek and sweetly called out again, “Sister Tang Tang.”
Qin Tang patted her little head. “Good girl.”
She felt somewhat guilty for not having had time to say goodbye to Cao Sheng and Jiang Chuan when she returned so hastily the previous day. Holding Man Man, she sat down and said, “This meal should be on me.”
Cao Sheng smiled and didn’t argue. “Alright, next time I’ll treat you along with Man Man’s mother.”
After a while, Cao Sheng asked if something urgent had happened for her to return so quickly.
Qin Tang didn’t elaborate, only saying, “There was an urgent matter.”
Cao Sheng glanced at her and said, “That’s fine. Yesterday, you mentioned going to Zhenba to Jiang Chuan, but you left in a hurry. He was the last to know.”
Qin Tang froze, unable to refute his words. She indeed should have informed him first.
The waiter brought the menu.
Qin Tang flipped through it casually and looked up. “I’ll call him later.”
Cao Sheng smiled faintly. “Mm.”
After the meal, Qin Tang took Cao Sheng and Man Man to the hospital and introduced the expert who had returned from the U.S. to him. Cao Sheng took Man Man for a check-up, and during this time, his ex-wife arrived. Feeling it inappropriate to stay, Qin Tang excused herself and left first.
Zhou Qi was also staying at this hospital. When Qin Tang went to see him, he was asleep. She sat with him for a while and then left.
The weather in June was scorching, the blazing sun making people dizzy.
Qin Tang returned to her car, turned on the air conditioning, and after some thought, pulled out her phone.
Jiang Chuan’s number was buried in her contact list. She had never called him before. Staring at the number, she hesitated for a few seconds before dialing.
---
Xi’an.
Jiang Chuan was sitting in his car, his sharp dark eyes fixed ahead as Zhao Qianhe walked out of the jewelry exchange with a woman in his arms.
His phone rang. He glanced down briefly, then quickly looked up again.
Suddenly, he lowered his head again.
The screen displayed “Qin Tang.”
He answered the call expressionlessly, starting the engine and following Zhao Qianhe’s car.
Neither of them spoke.
After a few seconds of silence,
Jiang Chuan said lowly, “Talk.”
Qin Tang hesitated for a moment and said, “I had an urgent matter yesterday and came back without having time to inform you...”
The gloom that had weighed on him all night lifted slightly. Jiang Chuan turned the steering wheel and chuckled softly. “Say sorry and let me hear it.”
Qin Tang: “...”
Anyone could tell he was being deliberate!
“When will you come back?” he asked.
As soon as he asked, he instinctively tightened his lips.
It was an uncertain matter. If she decided not to return, it would be perfectly normal.
Jiang Chuan couldn’t force her. It was a very realistic issue.
He pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, lit it, and waited for her response.
Qin Tang looked out the window. His voice was calm, but she detected a hint of something else—like his earlier remark, “I’ve already given you a chance.”
“Uncertain,” she said.
Jiang Chuan exhaled a puff of smoke, watching Zhao Qianhe get out of the car with the woman and walk towards Zhao Feng.
He narrowed his eyes and said, “I understand. That’s all for now.”
Jiang Chuan tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, leaned back in his chair, and watched as Zhao Qianhe handed something to Zhao Feng. Zhao Feng patted his shoulder, and the two exchanged smiles, whispered a few words, and then parted ways.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Chuan followed Zhao Feng.
---
Qin Tang had been busy for over half a month, finishing the filming of the projects her agent had previously arranged. Then, without a break, she dived into preparing for the An Yi Foundation’s charity auction. This was her first time taking full responsibility for such an event, and she was overwhelmed with work.
Old Yuan handed her the list of items for the charity auction and said, “Your parents’ influence is great; many people are coming.”
While busy with her tasks, Qin Tang asked, “Anything else? After sending out the invitations, did anyone say they couldn’t attend?”
Old Yuan replied, “Yes, the general manager of Kunlun Group in Xi’an initially said he couldn’t make it, but this morning, he called back to say that a representative would come.”
“Who?”
“Jiang Kun.”
Qin Tang paused, looking uncertainly at Old Yuan. “Isn’t Jiang Kun the boss? Doesn’t he never show up in public?”
Old Yuan smiled. “I think it’s because of your parents. Moreover, the An Yi Foundation has been around for many years, and this time, many journalists will be present. Jiang Kun is a well-known philanthropist. If he shows up, it will help his company’s image. It’s a win-win situation. I was actually puzzled before about why he would refuse to attend.”
“Mm... I see.”
Qin Tang lowered her head, not questioning further.
Seeing how hard she had been working lately, Old Yuan couldn’t help but say, “You can delegate more tasks to others. Don’t exhaust yourself.”
Qin Tang smiled. “It’s fine. This time, I want to do it myself.”
The An Yi Foundation was originally established under her name. No one expected that her parents’ unintentional act back then would impact her entire life.
At ten o’clock in the evening, Qin Tang left the An Yi Foundation.
Passing by the hospital, she went upstairs to visit Zhou Qi.
The previous times she came, Zhou Qi was always asleep. After being informed by the caregiver, Zhou Qi felt regretful. This night, he stubbornly stayed awake waiting for her.
Qin Tang sat by the bed and smiled. “So energetic.”
Zhou Qi smiled, lips pursed. “Waiting for you.”
Qin Tang asked, “Your parents will scold you if they know you haven’t rested properly.”
“It’s okay. The doctor said I’m recovering well, and my intelligence hasn’t been affected. Do you believe me? I can still recite my high school history and geography for you.”
“Then recite something for me.”
“...”
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and reluctantly recited a piece of history.
Qin Tang laughed. “Alright, stop straining your brain. You’ll have plenty to memorize when you go back to school after discharge.”
Zhou Qi smiled. After a while, he softly asked, “Big Sister An’an, did you break up with Chen Jingsheng?”
Qin Tang froze.
“Is that so?”
That was the only explanation. Otherwise, why hadn’t Chen Jingsheng appeared?
“Yes, we broke up.”
Indeed, they had broken up, and it was Chen Jingsheng who initiated it.
That relationship only lasted for half a year.
Zhou Qi looked at her for a moment and asked, “When did you break up?”
Qin Tang said, “Four years ago.”
Zhou Qi: “Oh...”
Zhou Qi originally wanted to talk some more, but his energy wasn’t fully recovered yet. By now, his mind was getting fuzzy. Qin Tang stood up and said, “Go to sleep. Don’t push yourself. I’ll come visit you during the day when I have time.”
“Okay, it’s a promise!”
“Mm.”
---
Qin Tang returned to her car, lit a cigarette, but didn’t smoke it. She let it hang from her hand out of the car window, allowing the ashes to scatter with the wind.
Suddenly, the cigarette between her fingers was snatched away.
Qin Tang’s heart trembled, and she was about to speak—
The person’s rough fingertips brushed against her delicate fingers.
A strange sense of familiarity.
She pursed her lips and turned to look out the window.
The next instant, her eyes widened in astonishment.
A tall, muscular shadow stood outside, sideways to her, putting the half-smoked cigarette into his mouth and taking a deep drag. His cheeks slightly hollowed, and the next moment, smoke swirled around him.
He turned his head, looking at her indifferently.
Under the dim yellow streetlight, his deep-set eyes were dark. If not for the slowly dispersing smoke, she would have thought the scene was frozen.
Neither of them spoke.
He lowered his hand and flicked the ash off the cigarette.
Qin Tang watched him finish the half-smoked cigarette, extinguish it, and heard his deep voice say, “Women’s cigarettes are too mild.”
“No flavor.”
Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes, locking gazes with her. “Dazed?”
Qin Tang blinked, coming back to her senses, and asked calmly, “What are you doing here?”
“Are you visiting Man Man?”
Man Man was also staying in this hospital.
Jiang Chuan: “Mm.” He had just arrived in Beijing not long ago. Cao Sheng was watching over his daughter in the hospital, and he came to check on things, mainly to discuss matters with Cao Sheng. Zhao Feng had arrived in Beijing to meet with Jiang Kun, bringing something with him.
Jiang Kun’s participation in the An Yi Foundation’s charity auction next month was already known to him.
Cao Sheng needed his help.
So, he came.
But these matters he couldn’t tell Qin Tang.
After coming down from the hospital floor, he saw her.
He followed her all the way, watching her get into the car. Just as he was about to approach her, he saw her sitting in the car lost in thought, lighting two cigarettes but not smoking them.
The third one was halfway burned.
That’s when he made his move.
Jiang Chuan asked, “Why are you in the hospital?”
Seeing him appear here, Qin Tang was still somewhat dazed and softly said, “I’m visiting a friend.”
“Do you have time?”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“I guess so...”
Jiang Chuan glanced at her car, a white Maserati.
He walked around the front of the car, opened the door, and with his tall frame, bent down to sit in the passenger seat.
Qin Tang was somewhat stunned. “What are you doing?”
He was big and tall, and once he got in the car, the air instantly felt cramped.
Jiang Chuan leaned back in the seat, reaching to one side to push the seat back as far as it would go, allowing his long legs to stretch out comfortably. He rested his hands behind his head. “Take me to eat.”
Qin Tang: “...”
So arrogant!
Qin Tang drove around the streets, looking for a place to feed this demanding man.
After driving in circles and finding it hard to park elsewhere, she finally pointed to a KFC. “Do you want to eat here?”
Jiang Chuan frowned. “Is this all there is?”
Qin Tang retorted, “What’s wrong with this? I loved eating this when I was a kid.”
“Junk food.”
While complaining, he reached back, massaged his neck a few times, then opened the car door.
Qin Tang glared at his back as she got out of the car.
Jiang Chuan stood by the car, looked over the roof at her, chuckled, and walked off.
Qin Tang followed behind him.
At this hour, there weren’t many customers in the store. Jiang Chuan picked a seat by the window, crossed his legs, and watched her. “Go order. I haven’t eaten this stuff in years.”
Qin Tang glanced at him indifferently, feeling resigned as she turned to order.
She hadn’t eaten KFC in a long time either. Estimating Jiang Chuan’s appetite, she ordered three burgers, a family bucket, fries, popcorn chicken, egg tarts, and a large Coke, filling the tray to the brim.
Seeing her carrying a mountain of food, Jiang Chuan couldn’t help but frown. “Why did you order so much?”
Qin Tang looked at him calmly. “Aren’t you hungry? Eat more.”
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