Yang Shuo's exceptional talent had been evident since kindergarten. He was six years old and was set to start preschool in September. He had previously attended a regular kindergarten, which had caused a few years' delay. Xing Zheng now wanted to persuade Ruan Yufei to agree to transfer Yang Shuo to a different school.
Ruan Yufei lowered her head in shame, her eyes reddening. She hastily wiped away her tears but couldn't hide her sobs, "I'm such an unfit mother. I've failed Yang Shuo..."
Xing Zheng handed Ruan Yufei a few tissues and said, "Since you agree, I'll find a school for Yang Shuo. You can take him for a trial class then."
In the past few years, Xing Zheng had been abroad and couldn't care for his mother and son as closely as he could now. Since he had returned, he couldn't possibly neglect them, especially when it came to Yang Shuo's future. He wouldn't dare to be careless.
Ruan Yufei nodded through her tears. She looked so pitiable. After nodding, she hesitated, "If you help me and Yang Shuo like this, will your girlfriend be unhappy?"
Xing Zheng didn't elaborate on the girlfriend issue with Ruan Yufei, assuming she was referring to Jiang Chubi. "She already knows about your situation and won't have any objections."
Ruan Yufei then realized he had misunderstood her. "I, I wasn't talking about Miss Jiang..."
"It matters even less with anyone else," Xing Zheng told her. "You just need to take good care of Yang Shuo. Don't worry about anything else."
Ruan Yufei lowered her head, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. After Xing Zheng finished discussing Yang Shuo's arrangements, he left. Ruan Yufei couldn't keep him.
—
The chance encounter at the supermarket that day became a topic of conversation among Lin Mei's three best friends over hot pot. Lin Mei told them about seeing that mother and son at the妇幼医院 (Maternal and Child Health Hospital). She wasn't sure of the woman's and child's identities, so she didn't definitively claim it was Xing Zheng's illegitimate son.
Lan Lan, succumbing to her addiction, wanted to place a bet on whether the child was Xing Zheng's. "I bet he is. I'm putting down ten thousand yuan. If I lose, I'll send red envelopes. What about you two?"
Feng Feng followed suit, "I bet he's not. I'll put in fifty thousand. Lin Mei, what about you?"
Lin Mei found it both amusing and exasperating. Their addiction was truly strong. However, on this matter, she agreed with Lan Lan: "Then I'll bet he is too, along with Lan Lan."
"You're right to follow me. What kind of person is Xing Zheng? If he wasn't his own son, would he accompany them to the supermarket?" Lan Lan analyzed logically as she dropped fish balls into the pot. "I didn't get a good look at the child, but at first glance, he's quite tall. Must take after his father."
Lin Mei had indeed observed the little boy's appearance. Although he wasn't as sharp as Xing Zheng due to his young age, there was a resemblance in his brows and eyes. "He does look quite like him."
Lan Lan: "Then won't he be a menace like his father in the future?"
"Just because he looks like him doesn't mean he's his. Maybe he's a relative's child," Feng Feng still didn't believe the child was Xing Zheng's. "That little boy looks about six or seven years old. Xing Zheng is the same age as us, it's unlikely."
"What's unlikely about it? In their wealthy families, it's common for people to have illegitimate children at that age. I heard Xing Zheng didn't listen to his family much since he was young," Lan Lan shared some gossip she had previously gathered. "I haven't heard of Xing Zheng having older brothers, but he seems to have a few cousins."
Lin Mei also agreed with Lan Lan's analysis. Although the child's identity was irrelevant to her, she felt that someone as unrestrained as Xing Zheng getting someone pregnant before twenty was perfectly normal.
After the weekend, Lin Mei decided to officially break up with Chen Qi. On Sunday evening, Lin Mei sent Chen Qi a WeChat message, asking him to meet at a restaurant after work the next day.
However, when Lin Mei went to work at the bank the following day, she didn't see Chen Qi. When she went to the pantry, colleagues from Chen Qi's department saw her and looked exceptionally surprised. "Lin Mei? Didn't you go to the hospital to take care of Chen Qi?"
"Hospital?" Lin Mei was bewildered. "What happened to him?"
He was still able to come to her apartment to argue and yell on Friday night, so how did he end up in the hospital after just one weekend?
A colleague said, "Chen Qi is on leave! Zong Zong said he was in a car accident on Friday night and seemed to be seriously injured!"
Lin Mei: "..."
Could it be that the car accident happened on his way back from her place on Friday night?
Lin Mei remained silent. The colleague assumed she was overcome with worry for Chen Qi, leading to her distress, and tried to comfort her. "Chen Qi must have kept it from you because he didn't want you to worry. Zong Zong said he's out of danger, so don't worry!"
Lin Mei said "Thank you" and returned to her office with her coffee. Just as she was about to contact Chen Qi, she received a call from him.
When Lin Mei answered, it wasn't Chen Qi's voice but Chen Jing's. "Lin Mei, where are you? You're not even here to take care of my brother after his car accident. What kind of girlfriend are you?"
Chen Jing's tone was spoiled and sharp. Lin Mei moved the phone slightly away from her ear and asked, "Which hospital is he in?"
Chen Jing provided the hospital name and room number, impatiently saying, "You'd better come over quickly. Don't forget my brother is your savior. You ungrateful wretch!"
Lin Mei didn't want to stoop to Chen Jing's level. After getting the hospital information, she hung up. She asked her supervisor for leave and drove to the hospital.
Forty minutes later, Lin Mei arrived at Chen Qi's hospital room. As soon as she entered, Chen Jing walked up, grabbed her shoulders, and berated her.
"My brother has been lying in the hospital for two days, and you, as his girlfriend, haven't come to take care of him! He shouldn't have saved your life in the first place. He should have just let you die on the roadside!"
"Chen Jing! Let go of your sister-in-law!" Chen Qi reprimanded Chen Jing sternly. "I didn't tell her! She didn't know at all. Can you stop being unreasonable!"
Chen Jing was scolded and ran out of the room in anger. Her frantic behavior caused the other patients and their families in the room to whisper.
Lin Mei tidied her hair and walked to the bedside. She glanced at Chen Qi. His arm was in a cast, and his head was bandaged. "How did you get injured?"
"That night, I left your apartment feeling down, and this happened," Chen Qi sighed. "I didn't want you to worry, so I didn't let Zong Zong tell you. Jing Jing only found out today. Don't take it personally with her."
Lin Mei didn't care about Chen Jing at all. "Where are you injured?"
Lin Mei wasn't heartless. Chen Qi had saved her life back then. Although their relationship had deteriorated to this point, she only wanted to break up with Chen Qi; she never wished for him to be injured.
"My arm. It's an old basketball injury that flared up," Chen Qi looked at his arm, reminiscing. "Do you remember that time I won you tickets to the lecture you most wanted to attend?"
Lin Mei replied with an "Mm," her tone softening slightly from before. "I remember." That was one of the most beautiful memories she had.
"Wife." Chen Qi took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "I know I've done many things wrong and hurt you. I promise I won't anymore... Look, I've already been punished. Can you stop being upset with me? Let's be good together."
Lin Mei remained unmoved. Chen Qi added, "For the sake of our past, okay?"