After entering the house, Jiang Ling first invited Chen Ziming to sit on the sofa. After some polite greetings, she sent Su Yue to the kitchen to wash the fruit.
Su Yue didn't want to go, but Chen Ziming nudged her lightly, and only then did she get up to go to the kitchen.
With her mother present, she believed Su Minghua wouldn't say anything untoward.
Seeing Su Yue leave, Jiang Ling quietly breathed a sigh of relief, a gentle smile on her face, and said to Chen Ziming, "It was me who asked her father to find you earlier, please don't mind."
Su Minghua smiled and silently shook his head at Chen Ziming, appearing quite helpless.
Chen Ziming immediately replied respectfully, "Not at all, Auntie. I completely understand your and Director Su's feelings."
Jiang Ling looked at him, finding him more and more satisfactory. Just as she was about to exchange more pleasantries, Su Minghua leaned into her ear and quietly asked her to help Su Yue in the kitchen.
Knowing her husband wanted to chat with Chen Ziming alone, she smiled meaningfully and got up to leave.
"Ziming, have some tea." As soon as a pot of tea was brewed, Su Minghua picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Chen Ziming.
"Thank you, Director Su," he replied calmly and politely, immediately reaching out to steady the teacup.
Su Minghua smiled faintly, and as he put the teapot down, he lowered his voice, saying, "It's not entirely your aunt's idea to have a chat. As a father, I naturally worry about my daughter."
Chen Ziming took a sip of tea, then replied with a smile, "I understand, Director Su."
He paused, then casually added as if an afterthought, "She's told me about your care for Yueyue."
As he expected, Su Minghua's body visibly stiffened for a moment after he said this.
But it was only for a fleeting moment, observable only by his sharp gaze.
"Yueyue is finally mentioning me. Good, good," Su Minghua said with a pleased smile, also taking a sip of tea.
But in the next second, he said with some concern, "Actually, I've always hoped she could resolve her issues and come home to see us more often. It's fine for me, but her mother gets upset when she doesn't come home."
"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, she insisted on going to your place, which made her mother so ill that she had to stay in the hospital for over a month before recovering."
Chen Ziming's expression suddenly showed surprise, "Auntie was sick? When? What illness? Has she recovered?"
"About two months ago. It's nothing serious, just chest tightness and shortness of breath. The hospital diagnosed her with pneumonia," Su Minghua said, waving his hand with a smile to ease his concern.
Chen Ziming suddenly remembered that when he returned to the imperial capital after completing his mission, Su Yue had rushed to hug him when she saw him.
At the time, he noticed something off about the scent but didn't have the time to think about it.
Upon reflection, it seemed to carry the scent of a hospital. Calculating the time, his return coincided precisely with the time Su Yue's mother had just recovered.
Chen Ziming suddenly looked at the kitchen with a pang of sympathy. Through his gaze, he could vaguely see Su Yue's virtuous and quiet figure.
It turned out that she had just finished taking care of her mother before coming to take care of him without a moment's rest.
Seeing the expression on his face, Su Minghua couldn't help but secretly marvel at his "daughter's" charm.
But he immediately put on an expression of sudden realization, as if remembering something:
"Speaking of which, the day before her mother was discharged from the hospital, Yueyue took a phone call and then ran off. Was it you who called?"
Su Yue had said she had something to do that day and left in a hurry. Later, her phone was unreachable.
Su Minghua made some inquiries and found out that Chen Ziming had returned from his business trip.
"It was me," Chen Ziming said, withdrawing his gaze and replying calmly.
Su Minghua pondered for a moment and then asked in a low voice, "I heard this mission was quite dangerous, and a police officer named Chi sacrificed his life. Were you injured?"
Chen Ziming's expression dimmed for a moment, but he quickly adjusted, "No, Director Su."
This fleeting shadow of despondency was caught in Su Minghua's eyes.