Lu Huai'an's expression was grim as he looked at her for a long moment. He turned his back and walked upstairs, not answering her.
"Fine. I've been away from home for over a month. I thought you'd all be happy to see me when I returned, but instead, I'm treated like this. It seems this home can't accommodate me at all. I'll leave, I'll leave, alright?"
Lu Yushan's eyes welled up with tears. She pushed her suitcase and strode towards the door.
"Yushan, where are you going? Come back quickly." Bai Yirong panicked at the sight and shouted towards the door.
Lu Yushan stopped in her tracks, looked back at her, and said, "Mom, I'm staying in K City and won't be going abroad again. Take care of yourself."
With that, she quickly rushed out of the Lu family's main gate.
***
The next day, Shen Xi took half a day off and went to work at the hospital in the afternoon.
Before finishing work, she took out her phone and sent Qin Siye a message.
"Mr. Qin, starting tonight, I plan to go to the Qin family to perform acupuncture for Grandmother."
This should have been done last week, but due to an accidental injury, it had been delayed by a week. Regardless of how much unpleasantness had occurred between them, she, as a medical professional, had to fulfill her duties. Moreover, the patient was Xu Zhilan.
Upon receiving the message, Qin Siye immediately replied with two words: "No rush."
Shen Xi said, "My leg injury has completely healed now, and driving is no problem. Moreover, Grandmother's treatment cannot be delayed any further."
She recalled how yesterday at the kindergarten, she had turned and resolutely gotten into her car and left, the car disappearing from his sight in a flash.
"Alright." Qin Siye said nothing more.
In the following days, Shen Xi would drive to the Qin family's house every day after finishing work, picking up the children, and having dinner.
Qin Siyue rarely sought her out when he got off work, seemingly very busy.
At the Qin family's residence, Xu Zhilan would occasionally mention that day's events, always speaking highly of Qin Siye to her. Each time, Shen Xi would subtly change the subject.
In these past few days, Shen Xi had not encountered Qin Siye at the Qin family's home. It seemed he was deliberately avoiding her. This was for the best; with fewer interactions, life felt much more relaxed.
On Friday evening, Shen Xi finished dinner with the children, picked up her medicine box, and prepared to go to the Qin family's.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Qin Siye's tall figure approaching the main entrance, carrying three cakes.
"Mr. Qin." Shen Xi paused slightly and greeted him, then remembered it was Friday.
"I apologize. I just returned to the country, so delivering the cakes today is a bit late." Qin Siye looked at her with his usual expression.
Just returned to the country? So he hadn't been in the country these past few days.
A faint smile touched Shen Xi's lips. "Mr. Qin, you've had a tiring journey. You really didn't have to... deliver them yourself."
She had actually wanted to say, "You didn't need to bring them," but fearing he might be unhappy, she quickly changed her words.
"Mommy, is that Uncle Qin outside?" Hearing Shen Xi speaking to a man with the door half-open, the three children guessed it was Qin Siye and ran towards them.
Shen Xi pushed the door fully open with one hand, stood outside, and made way for Qin Siye.
"Uncle Qin, we guessed it was you. Come in quickly." Upon seeing Qin Siye step inside, the three children excitedly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the living room.
Qin Siye looked down at them, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Were you waiting here all along?"
"Of course. It's Friday, we remember," the three children replied in unison. Being able to see Uncle Qin every Friday was their biggest anticipation of the week.
Qin Siye placed the cakes on the dining table, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Were you waiting for me, or for the cakes?"
The three children glanced at each other and replied simultaneously again, "Of course, we were waiting for both."
Qin Siye couldn't help but frown, thinking: It seems that in their minds, he is as important as the cakes. However, he was quite satisfied with this answer. It was much better than someone he knew who clearly didn't want to see him.
Standing at the doorway, Shen Xi's heart was filled with mixed emotions as she witnessed this heartwarming scene. Although they didn't know if there was a father-son relationship between them, such a moment of camaraderie surely brought them happiness.
"Mommy, Uncle Qin is here, aren't you going to chat with him for a while?" Chenchen suddenly looked back at her and asked loudly.