Chapter 48: Then let him get lost

The next day, Zongyiyuan.

A Land Rover parked steadily in front of the outpatient building, the car door was pushed open from inside, and Huo Jingcheng bent over and crawled out of the door.

A cold wind blew straight into his face; he raised his hand, clenched his fist and pressed it to his lips, the joints whitening slightly from the force, as if a clump of cotton were stirring in his throat, occasionally triggering a few coughs, his voice rising and falling.

After the cold of the past few days, the doctor had prescribed cold medicine; he took it for several days, expecting gradual improvement, but instead his condition not only failed to improve, it grew worse.

After the doctor finished the examination, Lin Cheng took the elevator to the first-floor outpatient pharmacy to get medicine for Huo Jingcheng, while at the same time Huo Jingcheng went to the ward to visit Qi Zhiwen, who was also in the hospital.

Inside the ward.

Qi Zhiwen leaned half against the window, looking down at the crowd below, boredly gazing at the chat area filled with green chat boxes on the screen.

Suddenly he heard a knocking at the door, thinking it was the effect of the text message he had sent to Hezhiyun that morning, he hastily lay back on the bed, quickly pulling the blanket over himself to feign extreme weakness.

A few seconds later, the door was pushed open; Qi Zhiwen lifted his eyelids eagerly toward the doorway, his long lashes fluttering, but once he saw the visitor's appearance, he instantly felt bored, lazily closing his eyes to feign sleep.

"How are you?" Huo Jingcheng saw his half-dead appearance, casually closed the door, then strolled over to the bedside.

Qi Zhiwen: "I won't die."

Huo Jingcheng stood by the bedside, with no intention to sit, his gaze falling on Qi Zhiwen on the bed: "How did you end up in the hospital again?"

The only reason he knew Qi Zhiwen was at Junzong was because that morning he saw his son's post on social media, mistakenly thinking Qi Zhiwen was feuding with Hezhiyun and had faked illness to get into the hospital.

Qi Zhiwen, with his hands clasped behind his head, casually threw out a sentence: "Last night I apologized to Miss Su, drank a whole bottle of wine, and finally she accepted my apology, but,"

His tone shifted abruptly, his expression carrying a hint of inscrutability: "You… I'm not sure about that."

As for this apology, Qi Zhiwen's sincerity stemmed not only from his friendship with Huo Jingcheng, but more so for the Su family behind Su Ruoyun and her relationship—at the very least, to avoid doing harm.

Huo Jingcheng raised his brows, about to speak, when suddenly a hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a bang as the door was shoved open from outside.

A small figure shot into the ward like a cannonball, then scrambled onto the bed using hands and feet, crying out in a wailing voice: "Dad, why did you just collapse? Mom is still so young!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Zhiwen's face darkened instantly, like the sky before a storm—black and heavy.

Meanwhile, Huo Jingcheng, standing nearby, couldn't hold back and let out an unkind laugh: "I won't disturb your 'filial father and son' act; I'm leaving first."

Qi Zhiwen felt his words were ambiguous, he ground his teeth, raised his hand and patted his son's little head, gesturing to him; the little fatty obediently turned his head sweetly and said, "Uncle Huo, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

After the ward door closed, Qi Zhiwen suddenly reached out and grabbed his son's neck in one motion, like an evil eagle in the air precisely seizing a wild rabbit on the grass; the rabbit struggled a few times but ultimately could not escape the eagle's talons.

He slightly leaned forward, locking eyes with his son's wide-open gaze, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, instead hinting at a chill, he questioned sternly: "This morning, what's the deal with that WeChat Moments post you put up? What do you mean by 'your mom is still young'?"

……

In May, the weather of Sijiucheng was unpredictable, sunshine and rain intermingling, faint light spilling onto the ancient city walls, gilding the red bricks and glazed tiles with a golden edge; tender green leaves sparkled in the sunlight, and occasionally a few roses about to wither fell lightly.

When the phone rang, Su Ruoyun was sitting upright at an elegant rosewood zither table, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her ten fingers wearing nails, she plucked the strings back and forth, producing a pleasant, melodious sound.

She occasionally lifted her head to look at the fat cat on the opposite cabinet, soaking up the music.

The 'Panda' sat half‑squatted with a solemn expression, its round eyes blinking now and then, head tilted, occasionally raising its meaty paw to scratch its own head, as if it understood, yet as if it didn't.

Truly living up to its name: 'playing the zither for the cat'.

Su Ruoyun stopped playing, took the phone in her palm, her gaze falling on the screen's note, her fingertip smoothly swiped to answer, "Hello?"

Xiao Hu's voice was a little low: "Hello, Boss Lady."

"What's wrong?"

"Mr. Huo has arrived, saying he wants to see you."

Here Su Ruoyun was on the phone, while at the other end the 'Panda' crept down the cabinet edge step by step, walking with its distinctive cat gait, its short legs wobbling adorably as it spontaneously lay down beside Su Ruoyun's feet.

Su Ruoyun bent over accordingly, with one hand she scooped up the fat cat, placing its fluffy head in the crook of her arm, and said: "Didn't I say I'm not here?"

Xiao Hu hesitated: "He said he saw your car."

"... Then let him get lost." Su Ruoyun rubbed the 'Panda's head, her tone utterly nonchalant.

The earpiece leaked two tones, and the word 'get lost' came through crystal clear into Huo Jingcheng's ear.

Xiao Hu reacted a bit slowly, not having time to cover the earpiece; she instinctively lifted her eyelids and glanced quickly at Huo Jingcheng, seeing the man with one hand in his pocket, his expression stern, his face blank, as if he had heard, yet as if he hadn't.

Several minutes earlier, Huo Jingcheng strode into the front courtyard, stating his purpose; Xiao Hu, following Su Ruoyun's instructions, told him that Su Ruoyun was not at the teahouse today, but Huo Jingcheng insisted he had already seen her car at the entrance.

Xiao Hu felt pressure mount under the man's inscrutable gaze, hesitated a moment, then still pulled out his phone and called Su Ruoyun.

——

Upon hearing that, she silenced her phone and then said to Huo Jingcheng: "Mr. Huo, our Boss Lady doesn't want to see you; why don't you go back first and come another day?"

Huo Jingcheng's brows rose with a touch of arrogance, his tone unquestionable: "Can you give me the phone so I can speak to her directly?"

Xiao Hu didn't immediately agree; she first softly asked Su Ruoyun on the other end of the line, and only after receiving her reply did she hand her phone over to Huo Jingcheng.

Huo Jingcheng held the phone in his right hand, walked out of the front courtyard, stood still in the garden, his gaze falling on the verdant welcoming pine at the entrance, his tone low: "I am here——"

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden 'beep' came from the other end of the line, and the call was decisively hung up.

?? final day pk, dear readers keep reading, mua~