Chapter 53#

The hand with which Qiao Nanqi held the business card didn’t retract for a moment.

The wind blew, making his hand somewhat cold, yet it seemed incomparable to the coldness brought by Zhao Rong’s words.

Just now, Zhao Rong spoke as if it were a casual matter, but he still noticed the pauses and corrections in his speech. When mentioning going home, Zhao Rong paused and changed it to “at your place.”

This business card missed the time it should have appeared, and Zhao Rong no longer referred to the place where they had lived together for over a year as home.

He reflected for a moment, thinking back to the period half a year ago when he had a huge argument with He Nan, which brought up the lingering nightmares of his youth, leaving him unable to sleep day or night.

He was at Lu Xingping’s place then. When his state slightly recovered, Lu Xingping told him that Zhao Rong had called.

Returning home in the middle of the night, he saw Zhao Rong sleeping soundly there and only thought Zhao Rong was once again urging him to come home. The next day, he went out of town to discuss business.

To think it was like this…

The two rows of trees around them were completely bare of leaves. In the rustling wind, they swayed without a hint of grace, only desolation. People out for a stroll occasionally walked by on the nursing home’s small path, passing in twos and threes or alone, occasionally bringing near a burst of chatter and laughter.

It made the quiet between them even more pronounced.

After a moment, Qiao Nanqi didn’t defend himself; he just slowly retracted the business card and tucked it back into his pocket.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Zhao Rong didn’t move either.

Previously, when Qiao Nanqi came looking for him like this, it always ended in an unpleasant entanglement. Rather than bypassing this person only to be blocked, it was better to finish saying everything at once before leaving.

While he was waiting for Qiao Nanqi’s usual words—which seemed like an attempt to keep him but were actually still a high-and-mighty handout—the man said: “It’s my fault for not asking clearly.”

Qiao Nanqi looked down slightly at Zhao Rong, his brownish eyes reflecting Zhao Rong’s figure.

He did nothing, even giving off a sense of extreme restraint. His gaze seemed like surging waves, yet it was masked by a heavy mountain peak, with no spray of water showing.

He said again: “It’s cold outside. Go in. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

For a moment, Zhao Rong was actually somewhat surprised.

He didn’t know what Qiao Nanqi was up to, but it was naturally a good thing to be able to avoid more entanglement.

He turned and walked quickly into the small courtyard.

Before opening the door, his steps paused, and he turned back to look at Qiao Nanqi.

He said: “Mr. Qiao, take off the ring.”

Qiao Nanqi instinctively touched the wedding ring on his ring finger. His face, whether from the cold or because of what Zhao Rong said, seemed to turn even paler.

His voice was slightly low: “I’m just wearing it myself… it doesn’t affect you.”

He was just wearing it alone; he no longer expected Zhao Rong to wear one too.

But Zhao Rong said: “The other ring never left my hand for over a year. All the friends around me recognize it.”

“It’s fine whether you don’t wear it, throw it away… or find someone who’s willing to obediently follow you to play this game of wearing wedding rings and buy a new pair.”

“But you wearing it now will only make others who know us misunderstand.”

“It will affect me,” he said slowly. “I don’t want people to think I still have any relationship with you.”

“I might still date and marry others. This kind of misunderstanding has a great impact on me.”

Qiao Nanqi had already clenched his fists.

He felt as if his head were filled with cold wind at this moment, making him think he had misheard.

Zhao Rong was unwilling to let him wear this wedding ring.

Zhao Rong also said he might date and marry in the future…

The more he said it, the less Qiao Nanqi wanted to take it off.

But Zhao Rong didn’t move, just looked at his hand.

After a long while.

Qiao Nanqi slowly loosened his hand and took the ring off his finger.

He took it off very slowly, as if expecting Zhao Rong to change his mind.

But Zhao Rong just watched.

Once the ring was off, Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze, opened the door, and entered the house.

Inside, the caregiver looking after Zhao Ming was cooking in the kitchen, and the clear aroma of food drifted through the hall. A variety show Zhao Rong didn’t recognize was playing on the television screen. Zhao Ming was sitting on the sofa with scattered yarn piled on her lap, seemingly knitting a scarf.

Her skill was very good. Although only a short piece of knitting hung on the needles, it was already enough to see that it was no different from those bought in stores. The yarn was a pale gray, clearly Zhao Rong’s preference at a glance.

“Mom,” Zhao Rong walked forward helplessly, “I already have over a dozen scarves.”

Zhao Ming looked up and smiled at him: “You’ve come just in time. I accidentally tangled the yarn just now. Come help me wind it up.”

Zhao Rong had already sat down beside her.

Although he complained about having too many, he was actually happy to see Zhao Ming doing these things that weren’t mentally taxing but allowed her to move. Zhao Ming’s illness was irreversible and required more communication and movement. Even if Zhao Rong stayed by her side, he couldn’t talk to her all day—after all, her life couldn’t only consist of him. It was good for her to do more of these things.

He smiled and picked up the end of the tangled yarn, saying: “Make it a bit longer then; I like to wrap it an extra turn.”

While speaking, he glanced out the window.

The driver, who had been waiting somewhere just now, had already driven the car to Qiao Nanqi and opened the back door for him. Before getting into the car, Qiao Nanqi turned back to look this way and happened to meet Zhao Rong’s gaze.

The glass windows of the nursing home were all one-way; nothing could be seen from the outside looking in.

But Zhao Rong still withdrew his gaze.

He heard Zhao Ming ask him: “That’s your friend, right?”

Zhao Rong was stunned.

He took a moment to react, then realized that perhaps Zhao Ming no longer remembered Qiao Nanqi. Zhao Ming was sometimes lucid and sometimes not. In these past two years, she had only seen Qiao Nanqi once. Even if she had heard this name countless times from Zhao Rong in the past, she likely didn’t recognize him now.

His expression shifted only slightly as he continued winding the gray, fluffy yarn in his hand and said: “…In a way.”

“Is Xiao Rong not on good terms with him?”

Zhao Rong believed he hadn’t shown anything. “Why do you ask?”

“I saw that you didn’t say many words to him,” Zhao Ming also glanced out the window, where no one was anymore. “Seeing him waiting for you outside, I thought you would invite him in to talk more.”

Zhao Rong hadn’t expected Zhao Ming to have noticed these things as well.

He truly had no intention of letting Qiao Nanqi in just now.

Unwilling to let Zhao Ming worry about it, he told a lie for once: “It wasn’t anything important, just a few words were enough. There was no need for him to come in.”

The variety show on television reached a segment where games were being played, and the overlapping laughter of several people came from it.

Zhao Rong finished winding the yarn and set it aside, finally speaking his main purpose for today.

“Mom, I want to tell you something.”

His expression was too solemn, and Zhao Ming unconsciously stopped her movements to look at him.

He smiled. “I might be getting married.”

Zhao Ming was slightly stunned. “Didn’t you say you weren’t planning to for the time being? To whom?”

“I suddenly changed my mind,” Zhao Rong said slowly. “Once things are settled, he will come to see you with me.”

He didn’t say that this was just a fake marriage to get an inheritance.

Previously, when Fang Zhuoqun came to have dinner with them and mentioned wanting Zhao Rong to be his best man, Zhao Ming had asked him about his future plans in this regard and would occasionally bring it up afterward. Although Zhao Ming always said Zhao Rong could choose whatever he wanted, Zhao Rong could see that she was actually worried.

She was worried that under the torment of her illness, she might suddenly leave one day, leaving Zhao Rong all alone.

All parents worry about their children following in their footsteps.

Zhao Rong thought that since he was going to fulfill the marriage contract, he might as well take advantage of the situation and act as if Zhao Ming knew he had a new marriage.

Lu Xingping also agreed. After returning from their trip this week, once the two finished the business regarding the marriage contract and inheritance, they would come to the nursing home together.

Anyway, during these past two years when he was with Qiao Nanqi, Zhao Ming hadn’t seen the person and didn’t think anything of it—after all, Zhao Ming was muddled half the time. At that time, even if he split the inheritance with Lu Xingping and took Zhao Ming to Zhuxi, she wouldn’t feel anything was wrong. Instead, she would be relieved that he wasn’t alone, which would be one less thing on her mind.

Sure enough, hearing Zhao Rong’s words, Zhao Ming didn’t doubt him. Instead, she was somewhat pleasantly surprised and smiled faintly: “Good, I’ll wait for you to bring him here.”

On the way home, after asking someone to see if there were any better doctors, Qiao Nanqi sat in the car looking at the wedding ring in his hand.

The one belonging to Zhao Rong, which he had picked up that day, lay in the safe at home. He wore this one originally just so he could see it from time to time, without thinking too much.

But Zhao Rong didn’t even want him to wear it.

He gripped the ring and looked at it for a long time. In the end, he didn’t go against Zhao Rong’s wishes to wear it again but just carefully put it into his pocket.

After arriving home, Sister Li was busy in the kitchen. Several kittens were lying on the cat tree in the living room, sprawled lazily. Hearing the sound of his return, they all scrambled down and rubbed against his ankles, clearly hungry.

After pouring out the cat food, he took a few close-up photos of the cats where the background couldn’t be seen and posted a new update using the account he added Zhao Rong with. Only then did he wash his hands and enter the kitchen.

Despite his prior instructions, the moment he entered the kitchen, Sister Li still felt somewhat uneasy and said: “Mr. Qiao is back… Are you starting to learn now?”

Qiao Nanqi stood at the door.

He had taken off his outer coat, wearing an informal white shirt underneath that was at odds with the domestic atmosphere here. He was very tall, and standing here, even though the kitchen wasn’t small at all, it was inexplicably made to seem somewhat crowded.

No matter how one looked at it, he didn’t seem like the type of person who would appear in a place like this.

But he nodded. “Is this what Zhao Rong used to eat often?”

At a glance, even if he didn’t enter the kitchen often, he could see that the things made from these ingredients and seasonings would inevitably be bland.

Clearly, it was for nourishing the stomach.

Sister Li shook her head. “Not entirely. When Sir was here, he didn’t eat these.”

Qiao Nanqi understood the implication.

He paused, then slowly folded up his shirt sleeves and walked in.

Sister Li knew he had never had experience in this area and chose the simplest thing to start with.

But no matter what, it was his first time touching these mundane matters. Even though those hands were flexible on piano keys and even though he learned quickly, things that required practice to make perfect were still somewhat clumsy.

Even caught off guard, the knife edge cut his fingertip.

But he just went to treat the wound and returned, saying: “Continue.”

Sister Li had worked at Qiao Nanqi’s house for over a year.

In this year or so, she had the most contact with Zhao Rong. Even if Zhao Rong had been missing for these few months and Qiao Nanqi wasn’t home often, she didn’t have much understanding of Qiao Nanqi.

She only knew that in her impression, Mr. Qiao was young and successful in his career, but he was truly too difficult to approach. His temperament was at odds with ordinary people like them, always making people lack the courage to chat with him.

Yet it was such a person who, at this moment, actually frowned at a piece of crookedly cut tofu.

She emboldened herself to advise: “Actually, if Mr. Qiao wants to eat these or give them to Xiao Zhao, just let me do it. Why should you go through this trouble?”

His voice was very deep, as if immersed in this steamy domesticity: “It’s different.”

In the past, he had let others do everything, never listening or seeing anything personally, which was why he had been blinded until now.

A moment later.

Qiao Nanqi suddenly asked: “Do you know what kind of younger generation a female elder in her fifties would generally like?”