Li Qiutao's melancholy was brief.
He knew the path was under his own feet, depending only on whether he was willing to return home.
But—
Not now.
"Let's go. It's a good time to see the child Meng Zhi. If possible, we can have the engagement ceremony in a few days," Li Qiutao said as they walked. Yu Wendong had no objections. After all, his daughter and Chen Jinzhao had a stable relationship, and they were a match made in heaven.
"I have no objections."
"I wonder if they have any?" Yu Wendong said with a wry smile.
Li Qiutao also shook his head, knowing that the "they" Yu Wendong referred to was not Chen Jinzhao and Yu Mengzhi, but someone else.
The two soon arrived at the door of Chen Jinzhao's ward.
Li Qiutao frowned when he saw it was just a regular ward. Yu Wendong explained, "This was Chen Jinzhao's own request. He said his injuries were nothing serious, and Meng Zhi couldn't persuade him otherwise."
At the door.
Li Qiurong and Yu Mengzhi were standing there chatting.
When Li Qiutao approached, Li Qiurong's expression froze for a moment before quickly turning into a polite smile.
Li Qiutao called out somewhat distantly, "Sister, I'm back."
"You and Jinzhao have suffered all these years."
"It's all my fault."
Li Qiurong quickly said, "Big Brother, you don't have to say that. If anyone's to blame, it's me for marrying a man with a short life. Jinzhao had only met his father a few times before his father passed away."
Li Qiutao gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.
Yu Mengzhi stepped forward at the opportune moment to ease the tension. "Mr. Li, I am Yu Mengzhi from Gouchen Group. We've spoken on the phone a few times before, and I'm very happy to meet you."
"Hello, hello," Li Qiutao said, examining Yu Mengzhi. He couldn't be more pleased.
Seeing Yu Wendong accompanying Li Qiutao, Yu Mengzhi couldn't help but ask, "Dad, why are you here too?"
Yu Wendong had to explain, "Mr. Li and I have some business dealings. It's thanks to Mr. Li's intervention that our Yu Corporation managed to avoid the crisis. We can be considered business partners."
There were some things he didn't elaborate on.
Yu Mengzhi's intuition told her that the relationship between her father and Mr. Li was unusual, like old friends who had known each other for many years.
Since her father didn't say more, she didn't press.
Li Qiutao kept glancing at Chen Jinzhao inside the ward, clearly eager. "Sister, why don't I go in and see Jinzhao? I never expected Jinzhao to be so grown up."
"You go ahead," Li Qiurong said indifferently.
Li Qiutao responded with an "Mm-hmm" and quickly entered the ward.
Chen Jinzhao, sitting on the hospital bed, also saw Li Qiutao entering from outside. Li Qiutao immediately said to him, "You child, you really… Lie down quickly, lest you aggravate your wound."
Chen Jinzhao said, "Uncle, I'm fine."
"That's good that you're fine, that's good. I immediately booked a flight when I heard you were injured, for fear of anything happening to you." Li Qiutao spoke with genuine emotion, then held Chen Jinzhao's hand and chatted with him about everything from his childhood to the present, making Chen Jinzhao feel that his uncle was a bit too enthusiastic.
Logically speaking.
Shouldn't Li Qiutao have met with his mother first?
Chen Jinzhao suppressed his doubts. Li Qiutao then brought up Chen Jinzhao's relationship issues. "I think you and Yu Mengzhi are doing very well. Why not find a time to set the wedding date while I'm still in Ninghai?"
"Uncle, I don't think it's urgent yet. Moreover, I have a mission to attend to," Chen Jinzhao replied.
He wanted to get settled before marrying Yu Mengzhi.
He had discussed this with Yu Mengzhi, and she had agreed.
Li Qiutao didn't insist further, nodding. "Since you both feel that way, there's no rush. Rest well during this period. If you encounter any problems, you can come to me anytime. I may not have much, but I do have some influence, and I should be able to help you resolve some matters."
"Thank you, Uncle," Chen Jinzhao said with a smile.
After their conversation, a brief awkwardness settled between them.
Li Qiutao then got up and said, "Alright, you rest well. I'm going to talk to your mother about some things."
Leaving the ward.
Li Qiutao said to Li Qiurong, "Sister, why don't we have lunch together? We haven't seen each other in so many years; I've missed you dearly."
Li Qiurong hesitated on how to refuse. The two, having been apart for so many years, had become strangers to each other.
"Let's not talk about us; let's talk about Jinzhao," Li Qiutao added.
Li Qiurong then relented. "Alright then."
Li Qiutao breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to bid farewell to Yu Wendong and left the hospital with Li Qiurong.
Yu Wendong entered the ward to visit Chen Jinzhao. Chen Jinzhao said with a wry smile, "You guys are making such a fuss, as if I were on the verge of death. I'm actually doing quite well."
"Haha, youth is full of vitality. All I wish is for your injuries to heal soon. My daughter is counting on you to protect her," Yu Wendong joked with Chen Jinzhao, smiling.
Chen Jinzhao responded with a smile.
In comparison, he preferred dealing with Yu Wendong. He always felt his uncle's concern was too enthusiastic, leaving him a bit flustered.
Yu Wendong also left not long after.
The ward was once again occupied only by the young couple. Yu Mengzhi hesitated to speak several times. Chen Jinzhao asked with a smile, "If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to be secretive between us."
"Never mind, I won't say it then," Yu Mengzhi replied.
Chen Jinzhao's eyes darted. "Are you trying to say that my uncle is a bit strange?"
Yu Mengzhi looked at Chen Jinzhao in surprise. Her thoughts had been seen through by Chen Jinzhao. After a pause, she nodded. "Yes, that's what I wanted to say. Didn't you notice how much your uncle dotes on you? Normally, your uncle should have shown concern for your mother first, but it's the other way around."
This was also the point that Chen Jinzhao found peculiar.
"Have you investigated whether my uncle has any children?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Yu Mengzhi nodded. "Yes."
"I checked both internal and external networks and found that your uncle has a daughter, who is apparently two years younger than you, named Wu Lingyun."
"Her surname is Wu?" Chen Jinzhao asked in surprise.
Yu Mengzhi said with a wry smile, "Of course her surname is Wu. After all, she's from the Wu family in Yanjing. You know that the Wu family's power might be the strongest among the Nine Great Families. Therefore, their daughters rarely marry out; they usually take in sons-in-law. And your uncle happens to be someone the Wu family favored. I heard that your cousin is very capable and, under the family's arrangement, she's taking charge of a hundreds-of-billions-worth investment company. She's definitely much stronger than I am."
The moment Chen Jinzhao heard about family arrangements, he felt a headache coming on.
Yanjing was indeed still that Yanjing. You could probably hit a high-ranking official of some department with a brick. Figures like Wu Lingyun and Qin Fengwu were as numerous as fish in a river, countless.
"That's the Wu family…"
"I hope she won't hate me, her cousin, in the future."