"Thank you, Dr. Xiang. I'm so lucky to have you as a friend."
Zhao Shuyao held Xiang's hand.
Xiang was stunned for a moment. Looking at Zhao Shuyao's familiar face, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, ultimately remaining silent.
After leaving the hospital, Zhao Shuyao took Xiang to the hotel where she was staying and booked a room for him next door.
Living in a hotel wasn't a long-term solution. Zhao Shuyao browsed online for apartments and went to view them the next day. She looked at two-bedroom, one-living room layouts and finally settled on a river-view apartment.
The housing prices and rent in Jingcheng were not cheap. Although her heart ached, Zhao Shuyao gritted her teeth and rented it, signing a one-year lease and paying the deposit. In the afternoon, she knocked on Xiang's door.
She placed a key into Xiang's palm. "I don't know how long you'll be staying in Jingcheng, but I've rented a place and kept a room for you. Since you lost your job, I won't charge you rent. You can stay as long as you like."
With only one suitcase, they took a taxi directly to their new home.
Although it was rented, Zhao Shuyao cleaned it meticulously.
She took a deep breath. The air still carried the scent of disinfectant, a smell she once disliked but now found surprisingly pleasant.
Perhaps it was because the hospital had the same smell, and Xiang also carried that scent.
Xiang returned from the supermarket, opened the door, and was carrying two large shopping bags filled to the brim with food and other items.
Zhao Shuyao stood up and hurried over, taking one of the bags from Xiang and placing it on the floor by the entrance. She noticed that Xiang had bought items from one of the most high-end supermarkets in Jingcheng, filled with imported foods and even imported fruits, which were naturally expensive.
Even before divorcing Qin Yusheng, Zhao Shuyao wouldn't have dared to shop there.
"Dr. Xiang, don't you have a job? Why are you buying such expensive things? These two bags must be worth at least ten thousand, if not over a hundred thousand!"
Zhao Shuyao found the receipt and glanced at the price. She pinched the bridge of her nose to stop herself from fainting.
It was a five-digit sum, and not starting with one.
"Don't worry about me. You've worked hard cleaning. What other furniture do we need? I'll go to the furniture store."
"No, no, this is fine. The landlord left all the furniture."
"Then you rest. I'll cook."
Xiang said this, rolled up his sleeves, and headed towards the kitchen.
Watching Xiang go in, Zhao Shuyao sighed, picked up her phone, and saw a missed call from Li Huiyun. She went to the balcony to call back.
"Yao Yao... The Qin family has withdrawn their investment, and their assets have been seized. Your father and I moved to the apartment we bought earlier today. Don't worry..."
Listening to Li Huiyun's tone, Zhao Shuyao felt something was off. After hanging up, she called Zhao Shuhui.
"I'm at work, I don't have time to answer. I'll call you back after I finish."
Zhao Shuhui hung up quickly, seeming very anxious.
Strange...
Zhao Shuyao frowned at her phone, sensing something was wrong but unable to pinpoint it.
Xiang made four dishes and one soup, all of which were visually appealing and surprisingly delicious, even better than some restaurant dishes.
After dinner, Zhao Shuyao checked her phone. It was past seven, and Zhao Shuhui still hadn't called her back. She called her, but no one answered.
They should have finished work by now. Why wasn't Zhao Shuhui answering? Was she still working overtime?
Zhao Shuyao suppressed her unease and didn't make a second call, waiting for Zhao Shuhui to call her.
The clock hands moved towards ten. Zhao Shuyao glanced at her phone; Zhao Shuhui still hadn't called.
Could something have happened?
Zhao Shuyao grew increasingly anxious.
Xiang emerged from the bathroom, wiping his wet hair. He saw Zhao Shuyao pacing back and forth in the living room, clutching her phone.
Zhao Shuyao was pacing anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan.
"What's wrong?" Xiang asked faintly, his voice a little hoarse.
"I'm a bit worried about my parents. Although they told me everything is fine, I just feel something is off..."
Zhao Shuyao explained the situation to Xiang.
Li Huiyun always tried to present the good news and hide the bad. Although she claimed they had moved into the apartment they bought, Zhao Shuyao still worried about what Qin Yusheng might do to interfere.
"You rest first. Leave this to me. Give me the numbers."
Zhao Shuyao gave Xiang all her family's contact information.
Xiang warmed a cup of milk for Zhao Shuyao. Strangely, after drinking the milk, her previously agitated nerves suddenly made her yawn.
The moment Zhao Shuyao lay down, she fell into a deep sleep and only woke up the next morning.
She walked out of her room to find Xiang gone, his room empty, and his suitcase missing.
Opening her WeChat, she saw a message from Xiang.
"I've returned to Haicheng to help you with your family matters. I've got it all handled. You live your life well."
Looking at the message, Zhao Shuyao's nose inexplicably felt a sting.
Xiang had flown back to Haicheng at midnight?
She had thought Xiang's words last night were just to comfort her, but she hadn't expected this man, who had just arrived in Jingcheng, to fly back to Haicheng overnight just to help her deal with these matters.
In an instant, her emotions were a complex mixture, like a spilled bottle of five flavors.
Zhao Shuyao couldn't articulate what she felt.
She clutched her phone, looking at the message.
She found it incredible.
She had married Qin Yusheng right after graduation and hadn't even dated anyone before marriage, never holding another boy's hand.
This was the first time an opposite sex had treated her so well.
Even when she was abroad, Zhao Shuyao had resisted men getting close to her.
She was afraid these men would treat her like Qin Yusheng.
But Xiang was completely different, expressing his feelings through actions.
But...
Zhao Shuyao sighed softly and slowly put down her phone.
She walked to the window and took a deep breath of the cold air.
She would not be a substitute.
Even so, she would not accept Xiang.
Just like Qin Yusheng, even if they hadn't divorced, his heart belonged only to Huo Yanxue.
Even if she found evidence, it would be useless, wouldn't it?
Zhao Shuyao thought with a wry smile and picked up her phone again.
She wanted to call Xiang, but fearing he might be busy, she didn't dial.
Upon returning to Jingcheng, she received her salary from the coffee shop, which was just enough to cover the rent.
Now that the Qin family was gone, although the old man treated her well, he wasn't her biological grandfather, and she didn't want to rely on him.
Zhao Shuyao bit her lip and opened the job search website, browsing through the listings.
She hadn't worked in many years. After marrying Qin Yusheng, she enjoyed a pampered life as a rich wife, always having money whenever she needed it, no matter the amount.
Her three years abroad were easy, but she didn't neglect her studies and obtained many computer-related certificates.
Finding a job shouldn't be difficult.