Old Master Ye’s condition was stable and Ye Qingqiu accompanied him in the ward for two hours.
“Someone is guarding this place. Go back and rest.”
Li Tingshen had been accompanying her. After looking at his watch countless times, he finally spoke.
Ye Qingqiu shook her head and refused to leave.
The ward fell silent again and the sound of the medical equipment became clearer.
After a long while, Li Tingshen got up from the sofa and walked to her side.
“Get up, I’ll send you back.”
Impatience flashed across Ye Qingqiu’s face. “Are you done?”
Li Tingshen stared at the hair on her head that was surrounded by a halo and said indifferently, “Didn’t you say you were going to Grandma Bo’s house for the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Ye Qingqiu’s face froze.
Her head exploded with a bang.
Linlin?
Sensing her stiff body, Li Tingshen narrowed his eyes and his voice was hoarse.
“There are people guarding Grandpa. You can rest assured. Since you’ve promised to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with them, don’t let them wait for you. That’s not good.”
After a pause, Li Tingshen slowly reached out to hold her shoulder.
“I’ll send you there.”
“No need!”
Ye Qingqiu seemed to have been stabbed by something. She suddenly stood up and flung Li Tingshen’s hand away.
Realizing that her reaction was too exaggerated, her eyes flashed and she took a deep breath.
“I mean… I’ll go back myself.”
Li Tingshen pursed his lips and stared at her nervous face. He said in a hoarse voice,
“… I’ll only send you there. Can’t I not enter?”
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes suddenly trembled. She felt that she had heard wrongly.
From the first time she met Li Tingshen when she was young, she had never heard such pleading words from him.
Moreover, he had everything now. He had power and authority, and he was domineering. Such a humble tone shouldn’t have come from his mouth.
But why?
Just because he wanted to send her home, he put on such an attitude.
“What if I say no?”
Li Ting narrowed his eyes and his voice seemed to be dragged out by him. “Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival… let’s… wait for a while.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going in.”
“I’m not going in.” Li Tingshen stepped forward and held her arm. His dark eyes were locked on her fair and beautiful face, and his hoarse voice seemed to come through the thick fog. “…I’m passing by.”
Ye Qingqiu looked at him quietly for a while.
After a long while, she retracted her gaze calmly. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and cold.
“If I don’t agree, are you going to spend the night with me?”
Li Tingshen pursed his lips and remained silent.
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
*
After getting into the car, Ye Qingqiu leaned against the seat and looked out of the window expressionlessly.
Li Tingshen got into the car from the other side. There was a long distance between them.
Halfway there, there was silence.
Xiao Chu felt that the atmosphere was suffocating.
The old man had survived this ordeal, but did the two of them intend to continue in this stalemate?
Each of them was more stubborn than the other. How should she end this?
Ye Qingqiu clenched her fists tightly.
He didn’t believe Li Tingshen. Or rather, he was more afraid of the “accident”.
Everything that happened three years ago was unexpected.
Even when she was outside the operating theater today, she was worried that something would happen.
And now, even if Li Tingshen really couldn’t enter as he said, she didn’t know if there would be anything else. If he stepped through the door…
She couldn’t imagine the consequences she would face.
But she couldn’t not go back.
She had promised Linlin that she would spend the holidays with him.
No matter how difficult it was, she couldn’t go back on her word.
Otherwise, she would be disappointed, sad, and sad. Then, she might cry in a place where no one could see.
At the thought of this possibility, her heart ached.
Those days when she hid and cried were so sad.
She didn’t want to.
There were a few obvious bite marks on his index finger. The further the car drove, the tighter the tension in his mind.
There was a rustling sound beside her, but she had no time to care. Not long after, Li Tingshen reached his hand out to her.
She looked down and saw a half-broken mooncake on his slender and well-defined knuckles.
“You should eat more later, so eat half first.”
A deep voice sounded in the car. Ye Qingqiu paused and turned to look at the man.
In the dim car, she could only vaguely see the man’s side profile. His dark eyes were looking at her quietly, purely wanting her to take the mooncake.
Her gaze landed on the mooncake again. Her eyes flashed and she took it.
He had said that they would spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together…
Under his unwavering gaze, she bit him lightly.
Seeing that she had eaten it, Li Tingshen pursed his lips and glanced at the remaining half of the mooncake in his hand.
Xiao Chu, who was driving, felt sad.
“This… is the first time I’ve seen CEO Li eat mooncakes.”
But… was this considered the Mid-Autumn Festival?
‘I guess.’
After all, no one had celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with CEO Li in the past three years. No one had eaten mooncakes and reunion meals with him.
Including the other festivals, he had always been alone.
Ye Qingqiu felt a lump in her throat. The mooncake in her mouth was stuck and she couldn’t vomit or swallow it.
In the end, she took another bite of the mooncake and swallowed it in one gulp.
The car soon arrived at Old Lady Bo’s villa. After Li Tingshen finished the mooncakes, Ye Qingqiu still had some left.
The moment the car stopped, Ye Qingqiu couldn’t wait to open the door.
Xiao Chu got out of the car first.
Ye Qingqiu was pulled back.
Her body stiffened and she turned to look at Li Tingshen.
“You said before…”
“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Li Tingshen said calmly. These words instantly blocked Ye Qingqiu’s words, making her feel ashamed.
“…Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”
She hesitated for a few seconds before she opened the car door.
Li Tingshen let go of her.
Xiao Chu sent all the gifts into the villa. She had to make three trips before she was done.
Wanwan was playing with Linlin at the side. When she saw the toys, she pulled Linlin over.
Xiao Chu placed all the gifts neatly at the side and turned around to wish everyone a happy mid-autumn festival. When he turned around, he suddenly saw the two children beside him. His gaze was fixed on Linlin.
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Her expression gradually turned into shock as she turned to Ye Qingqiu with her mouth agape.
By the time Ye Qingqiu reacted, it was already too late. She could only step forward to block Linlin.
“What are you looking at?”
Xiao Chu retracted her gaze and closed her mouth slowly. She shook her head and said, “No… No, I’m leaving.”
As for how he left, he had no recollection of it.
That child…
It was not until he got into the car that he rubbed his face.
Li Tingshen turned his head to look at the brightly lit villa through the car window, his eyes filled with longing.
“CEO Li…”
Xiao Chu’s stiff voice suddenly sounded.
Li Tingshen didn’t respond.
“I just saw… a little boy in the villa.”
Only then did Li Tingshen’s eyes move. He glanced at the villa again and slowly retracted his gaze.
“She looks like you… and I think Miss Ye is wary of me. Is it…”
“Drive.”
Li Tingshen’s calm reaction made Xiao Chu pause. A few seconds later, he reacted.
CEO Li… already knew.
On the way back, Xiao Chu was silent. After some thought, she gradually sorted out the mess in her mind.
“CEO Li, why didn’t you expose her?”
The sweetness of the mooncake lingered in his mouth. Li Tingshen slowly opened his eyes and fell silent for a while.
“She’s not even willing to let me send her now.”
If she was exposed, would she have to hide with that child?
Xiao Chu pursed her lips. “But we can’t keep pretending not to know.”
“Let’s see… how long she wants to hide it from me.”
He had promised Shen Fanxing that he wouldn’t use the child as a bargaining chip.
He had used the wrong method back then. He couldn’t repeat the same mistake and hurt them again.
Xiao Chu felt a sense of suffocation in her heart.
Even a bystander like him felt that way. He couldn’t imagine what that overly calm man was enduring.
*
After confirming that Li Tingshen’s car had left, Ye Qingqiu bent down and hugged Linlin tightly.
“Linlin, sorry… Mommy is late.”
Linlin pursed her lips, her eyes red and teary.
“It’s okay… Linlin knows that Mommy will definitely come…”
He buried his head in Ye Qingqiu’s arms and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck. In the end, he couldn’t help but sob softly.
Ye Qingqiu felt her heart shatter.
If not for Li Tingshen’s reminder, she would have disappointed Linlin tonight.
He trusted her so much…
Tears welled up in Old Lady Bo’s eyes.
“This child doesn’t cry or make a fuss. She’s just waiting for you to come back. I’ve never seen such an obedient and sensible child.”
Ye Qingqiu nodded and stood up with Linlin in her arms. “Grandma Bo, sorry to disturb you today.”
“I’m not disturbing you! I’m old and can’t wait to have more fun. I like being with you children! Linlin is obedient and likable.”
“Linlin likes great-grandmother too.”
“Great-grandmother… Aiyo, your mouth is so sweet…”
Linlin’s voice was still sobbing, and it made one’s heart soften.
“Aren’t you waiting for Mommy to eat mooncakes together? Hurry up and let Mommy have a bite. This child insisted on waiting for you to come back to eat mooncakes…”
Ye Qingqiu sat down on the sofa with Linlin in her arms. When she heard the old lady’s words, she lowered her head to look at Linlin.
Upon hearing this, Linlin moved his body, wanting to get off Ye Qingqiu. His dark eyes swept across her anxiously and blankly as he raised his hands to search the air.
“Auntie Shen… Linlin’s mooncake…”
Auntie Shen said that she would help him put it away, but he didn’t know where she had put it.
Everyone’s hearts were gripped by this scene.
Such a young child had just begun to explore this world and was curious about everything in it…
Her eyes were beautiful but lifeless. She rubbed her arms in a daze. The eagerness and helplessness on her face tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
Tears welled up in Ye Qingqiu’s eyes. She reached out to hold Linlin’s hand and kissed it.
“Linlin, Mommy… Mommy has also prepared mooncakes for you…”
Linlin instantly quietened down and turned to face Ye Qingqiu, her eyes filled with anticipation.
“Where is it?”
Ye Qingqiu looked at the remaining half of the mooncake in her hand. Li Tingshen had just given it to her and she hadn’t finished it.
“Here…”
With a thought, she swallowed the sourness and brought the mooncake to her lips.
“Mommy has already eaten. It’s delicious. Linlin, try it too…”
Linlin blinked and held Ye Qingqiu’s hand with both hands. She opened her mouth and took a bite.
“Is it good?”
Linlin nodded and smiled happily. “Delicious.”
Ye Qingqiu pursed her lips bitterly.
Linlin finished the mooncake very quickly.
Shen Fanxing didn’t give Linlin the one she gave him. “It’s almost time to eat. Let’s eat after.”
Lin Lin “looked” at Ye Qingqiu, who kissed his cheek lightly.
“Have more for dinner later, okay?”
Linlin nodded. “Okay.”
Bo Jinchuan sat silently on the sofa, occasionally glancing at his phone as though it had nothing to do with him.
Wanwan leaned against Ye Qingqiu’s legs and reached out to touch Linlin’s beautiful face.
“Aunt, Linlin is so beautiful… and obedient. His forehead was hot yesterday, but he didn’t cry…”
Ye Qingqiu paused. “Your forehead is hot?”
Shen Fanxing didn’t intend to hide it. “I had a high fever yesterday afternoon and couldn’t contact you.”
Ye Qingqiu recalled the missed call notification on her phone.
“The director said that he didn’t sleep much last night before he came out. He should be feeling unwell the next day. He’s probably… afraid that others will not let him out if they find out that he’s sick.”
No one could understand Ye Qingqiu’s feelings.
If possible, she was willing to bear all the hardships and pain for Linlin.
She was the one who was sick and couldn’t see.
But even when he was sick yesterday, she wasn’t by his side.
*
Grandma Bo instructed the kitchen to prepare many dishes. There were seven to eight dishes that the children liked.
Ye Qingqiu had been feeding Linlin the entire time. Even though she didn’t do this often, it seemed to have become a mother’s instinct.
Gentle and attentive.
Shen Fanxing had seen Ye Qingqiu back then.
The arrogant and pampered little princess of Ping Cheng City actually looked so different.
Time would always allow one to grow stronger.
After dinner, Ye Qingqiu and Linlin ate the mooncakes that he had been longing for. Then, Wanwan pulled her to open the toys.
Ye Qingqiu’s gaze was fixed on Linlin. Wanwan was opening the gift. Although he was very curious, he only sat there obediently. After Wanwan talked to him for a long time, she stuffed the toy into Linlin’s hand and grabbed his hand to guide him on how to play with it…
Every time she looked at him, the heartache and regret lingered in her heart.
How good would it be if Linlin could see it?
“Did he send you back today?”
Shen Fanxing, who was sitting beside Bo Jinchuan, asked suddenly.
Ye Qingqiu retracted her gaze and turned to look at her.
“… Yes.”
Shen Fanxing nodded and pondered for a while before saying, “Get Linlin out of the orphanage.”
Her body stiffened and she was stunned for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No…”
“Sorry.” Shen Fanxing interrupted her and looked at her coldly. “He has already met Linlin.”
Ye Qingqiu’s body stiffened and the string in her mind snapped.
Something exploded in her head and the blood drained from her face.
Shen Fanxing replied calmly, “We brought Linlin to the hospital and bumped into him.”
“But you don’t have to worry. He’s only sending you back tonight, right?”
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes trembled.
Yes, he had lowered himself just to send her here.
“You can’t hide it from him forever. No one can deny the fact that he’s Linlin’s father. Don’t try to deprive him of his rights and responsibilities as a father. That way, both of you will have an easier time.”
Ye Qingqiu was silent for a long time before she calmed down.
“You’re right, but I can’t think of a way for me to live with him and Linlin.”
“I don’t know either,” replied Shen Fanxing calmly. She was rational and she felt that she should do this. However, she couldn’t put herself in Ye Qingqiu’s shoes and sense her state of mind.
“I just feel that since he already knows, there’s no need for you and Linlin to separate. Moreover, it’s safer to have Linlin by your side than at the welfare institute. If he really wants to harm the child, the welfare institute can’t stop him.”
Ye Qingqiu clenched her fists tightly.
Indeed.
Shen Fanxing was right.
But what should she do?
If Li Tingshen refused to let her off, did she have to bring Linlin to live with him?
‘No.’
Such a life was too abnormal.
“We’ll think about it in the future,” said Bo Jinchuan suddenly, successfully attracting everyone’s attention.
“The expert just sent a message. The surgery is in three days. Get ready and we’ll set off the day after tomorrow.”
Ye Qingqiu’s gaze froze. Upon hearing this news, she felt her heart stop beating.
The whole world was silent.
Bo Jinchuan’s voice echoed in her ears.
After a long time…
“So… Linlin is about to see it, right?”
Bo Jinchuan glanced at her and said, “If nothing goes wrong.”
Ye Qingqiu nodded.
If Bo Jinchuan couldn’t be trusted, no one in this world could.
She got up and walked to Linlin’s side. She reached out to touch his face lovingly and said softly,
“Linlin, can you live with Mommy in the future?”
Linlin was stunned.
Ye Qingqiu suppressed the sadness in her heart. “We won’t go to the orphanage anymore. We’ll follow Mommy from now on.”
Linlin pouted. Ye Qingqiu could tell that he was suppressing his emotions, but his dark eyes were misty.
“Yes!”
He nodded heavily. “I want to be with Mommy forever…”
Ye Qingqiu couldn’t hold back her tears.
*
The next day, Ye Qingqiu woke up early and dressed Linlin. She ate breakfast at Old Lady Bo’s house and carried him out.
“Mommy… where are we going?”
Sitting in the car arranged by Shen Fanxing, Linlin asked obediently.
“I’ll bring you to see your great-grandfather.”
“Great-grandfather? Is he Mom’s grandfather?” He remembered that there was such a song on the smartphone.
Even though she didn’t know what a two-year-old child should know, when she recalled her age… she didn’t have any impression.
“Yes, Linlin is amazing.”
Linlin smiled happily.
He liked being praised by his mother.
*
Opening the door to the old man’s ward, Li Tingshen was inside.
When she saw Ye Qingqiu carrying Linlin, she was stunned.
Ye Qingqiu walked into the ward expressionlessly and stood in front of the bed. She looked at the sleeping old man and bent down to let Linlin touch his hand.
“Linlin, call me Great Grandpa.”
Linlin placed his hand on the back of the old man’s hand. “Great-grandpa, my name is Linlin…”
Li Tingshen clenched his fists tightly and stared at the mother and son.
Her heart was tightly bound by a force, afraid that the sound of her heartbeat would shatter the scene in front of her.
In the end, Ye Qingqiu bent down and sat on the chair beside him. She placed Linlin on her lap and watched Old Master quietly.
The atmosphere in the ward was not right.
Perhaps because she couldn’t see, her nerves became more sensitive. Linlin reached out to grab the fabric on Ye Qingqiu’s body and asked curiously,
“Mommy, is there someone else in the room?”
“Yeah.”
“Then… why isn’t he saying anything? Is he afraid of waking up Great-Grandpa?”
These words made Li Tingshen frown slightly.
Ye Qingqiu’s voice remained calm. “Maybe.”
Linlin opened his mouth and said softly, “Then be quiet and don’t wake Grandpa up.”
Ye Qingqiu smiled.
“Good girl.”
Linlin fell silent for a while before looking up at Ye Qingqiu and searching her face.
“What is Linlin doing?”
“I wonder if great-grandpa looks like Mom… Mom, what do you think?”
Ye Qingqiu paused and looked at the old man. “Oh… their noses should be similar.”
Linlin’s small hand touched Ye Qingqiu’s nose. After a long while, he touched his nose again with a disappointed expression. “Yes… Linlin’s nose doesn’t look like great-grandfather’s…”
Ye Qingqiu paused.
Indeed, they didn’t look alike.
The most similar thing was the other person in the room. Not only her nose, but her eyes, eyebrows, and even her entire face were exactly the same as that man.
A gust of wind suddenly blew past her.
By the time she reacted, Li Tingshen had already reached out to her. His well-defined fingers pinched Linlin’s chin, forcing him to raise his head.
Those eyes that were identical to his were dark and unfocused. They were filled with confusion and fear, like a deep pool.
There was a loud smack.
Ye Qingqiu suddenly slapped his hand away and stood up with Linlin in her arms. She looked at him angrily.
“What are you doing?”
Linlin hugged Ye Qingqiu’s neck tightly in fear. Even though he couldn’t see, he could clearly feel the domineering aura of the man opposite him.
Li Tingshen felt a muffled thunder in his head.
Her heart, which had been calm because of her restraint, suddenly trembled. Shock and intense pain instantly spread throughout her body.
“What happened to his eyes?”
Ye Qingqiu didn’t expect him to not know after seeing the child. But this question… She paused and bit her lips before looking elsewhere.
“As you can see.”
Li Tingshen’s hands were clenched into tight fists, and his voice became hoarse due to his erratic breathing.
“What… happened?”
Although it was a completely reasonable question, Ye Qingqiu’s emotions seemed to have been crushed by a feather.
In the past few years, everything had piled up on her. She blamed herself every day and repented. How many days and nights had she been woken up by what had happened three years ago? She was worried about Linlin’s health, whether Linlin was well-fed or not, and she was even more worried about Linlin’s eyes…
“What’s going on? If I knew everything, would I have to wait until now?!”
She subconsciously didn’t speak too loudly, but her tensed body and low growl made Linlin stiffen. Her arms around her neck tightened in fear.
Ye Qingqiu realized that she had lost her composure and carried Linlin out of the ward quickly.
Just as she left the ward, she bumped into a few people in uniforms…
[Three in One]
