Chapter 38: Just Like Stars, Like the Warm Sun

“So today, she stood in front of you and took that punch without any hesitation. Chaoyi was raised by her parents like a treasured jewel—she’s never been treated that way before.” Zhou Jinglong didn’t buy Yi Qingzhuo’s excuse.

But Yi Qingzhuo had weathered enough storms to get where she was today. She wasn’t someone Zhou Jinglong could easily read.

She replied calmly, “So I’ll thank her face to face, and I’ll remember this debt. At the same time, I’ll make sure Zhou You apologizes to her in person.”

“Sounds like you two aren’t close,” Zhou Jinglong probed.

“Director Zhou, I have no ill intentions—at least not toward Doctor Shen. And I won’t let my personal affairs affect the hospital again. You can rest assured.” Yi Qingzhuo was as placid as if she were detached from it all.

But that very calmness actually lent credibility to her words.

She knew what Zhou Jinglong was worried about, and she gave him a straightforward answer.

It shut down any further questions he might have.

She didn’t want her personal life to feel like an interrogation—one question and one answer, laid bare for everyone to see.

Zhou Jinglong’s weathered face froze for a moment at her words.

Only then did he really look at Yi Qingzhuo, at that sickly face that became aggressively sharp when it sank into expressionlessness.

There was no denying it—Yi Qingzhuo’s beauty was a unique blend of strength and softness.

A touch of gentleness melted into her heroic features, making them look surprisingly harmonious.

“Alright. You should also keep yourself safe. If you can’t handle it, call the police ahead of time. In your situation, involving the justice system will save you a lot of trouble.” Zhou Jinglong nodded and couldn’t help adding a warning.

He was referring to the relatives who kept coming after Yi Qingzhuo.

If you looked into it closely, it all boiled down to that house.

But that house was already sold now.

Yi Qingzhuo sat upright on the bed, her back straight. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Take good care of yourself, and I hope you recover soon.” Zhou Jinglong smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

That was the typical manager’s expression—smiling on the outside, completely indifferent on the inside.

Impossible to read, yet leaving no loose ends.

“Mm.” Yi Qingzhuo nodded calmly.

It seemed doctors all gave the same advice.

Shen Chaoyi had said the same thing to her.

“Let me see you out, Director Zhou.” Yi Changhuan followed Zhou Jinglong to the door. “Thanks for coming all this way, Director Zhou. Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s fine, no trouble.” Zhou Jinglong waved his hand and disappeared into the flow of people.

Yi Changhuan watched until he was out of sight, then turned and took three quick strides back to the bedside.

Yi Qingzhuo seemed to have anticipated something and slowly shifted, ready to lie down and pretend to sleep.

But Yi Changhuan wasn’t about to let her get away with it. She grabbed the blanket. “Did you know Doctor Shen before this? When did that happen? How come I don’t know? You never mentioned it to me!”

How could this be?

Even she, her own mother, found it hard to believe.

Yi Qingzhuo was not the type to socialize. How could she be connected to Shen Chaoyi?

Yi Qingzhuo couldn’t use her hands effectively, so she just let Yi Changhuan pull the blanket away.

She lay down silently, turning her back to Yi Changhuan.

Four words, short and simple: “We crossed paths once.”

If it weren’t for Shen Gan, they wouldn’t even have that.

Yi Changhuan circled around to the other side and faced Yi Qingzhuo. “Crossed paths once? When?”

“Her little brother came to the internet cafe to play games. She came to find him.” Yi Qingzhuo didn’t even lift her eyelids.

“Did you get into an argument with her? Is her brother an adult?” Yi Changhuan nagged, “If he’s a minor, you can’t let him in to play games. You have to run the business legally.”

People were already looking for any excuse to cause trouble for Yi Qingzhuo. If they found a real one, they’d never let go.

“Mm.” Yi Qingzhuo curled her long legs and crossed her arms.

“Mm? That’s it? Talk to your mom about it.” Seeing her stubborn silence, Yi Changhuan was afraid she’d catch a chill, so she pulled the blanket back over her.

Feeling the blanket settle on her, Yi Qingzhuo opened her eyes. “Her brother is an adult, but he’s still in high school. She wanted me to stop letting him in.”

Under Yi Changhuan’s expectant gaze, Yi Qingzhuo said calmly, “I said no.”

The first time she ignored her. The second time she refused.

So on the issue of Shen Gan using the internet cafe, they never reached an agreement.

Yi Changhuan pretended to be angry and patted Yi Qingzhuo’s hand. But since Yi Qingzhuo was under the blanket and Yi Changhuan didn’t use any force, Yi Qingzhuo didn’t even flinch.

She just heard Yi Changhuan say, “You kid, he’s just a customer. And he’s Doctor Shen’s little brother, still in school. You shouldn’t have let him in.”

“He’s an adult. I have no obligation to stop him.” Yi Qingzhuo held her ground, unswayed by anyone.

And she knew Yi Changhuan was siding with Shen Chaoyi now.

Which was completely understandable.

Because Shen Chaoyi already had the halo of a good doctor, Yi Changhuan was willing to step back and take her side.

Yi Changhuan was both frustrated and helpless with her “stubborn” daughter.

By now, she had to admit a fact.

Yi Qingzhuo might have a decent IQ, but her emotional intelligence… was really not that high.

“Are you that hard up for the internet fees? Look at how good of a doctor Shen is. Can’t you be a little flexible?” Yi Changhuan wasn’t truly angry, but her tone wasn’t exactly sweet either.

Yi Qingzhuo stayed silent, just listening.

The moment Yi Changhuan’s voice stopped, she threw off the blanket, held her waist, and got out of bed.

She grabbed the black jacket draped at the foot of the bed and put it on.

With a sharp zip, she pulled the zipper all the way up.

Seeing her about to leave, Yi Changhuan asked, “Where are you going?”

“To the restroom.” Yi Qingzhuo didn’t look back.

“Isn’t there one in the room?” Yi Changhuan looked at the bathroom door in surprise.

Two seconds later, she realized Yi Qingzhuo was annoyed with her nagging again.

So she was going outside to hide.

Yi Changhuan stood up and smoothed the blanket on the bed.

She also put away the book and the white MP3 player that were on the windowsill.

Carefully coiling the earphone cord, Yi Changhuan looked at the white MP3 player in her hand and tilted her head.

She remembered… wasn’t the new MP3 player Yi Qingzhuo had bought black?

Why was it white now?

Had she remembered wrong?

…

Actually, Yi Changhuan had guessed wrong. Yi Qingzhuo wasn’t going out to escape her nagging.

It was just that her mind had been full of Shen Chaoyi all afternoon, and then Zhou Jinglong and Yi Changhuan had taken turns mentioning Shen Chaoyi in her ear tonight.

That made Yi Qingzhuo’s thoughts grow wild like vines.

Her heart wasn’t calm, and Yi Changhuan’s voice was still in her ears.

Thinking of the bruise on Shen Chaoyi’s face, Yi Qingzhuo found a reasonable excuse for herself.

Throwing off the blanket, getting out of bed, putting on her jacket, closing the door—all in one smooth motion.

Even though the bone-deep pain was still there, Yi Qingzhuo bit her lip and quickened her pace without changing her expression.

She had already been to Shen Chaoyi’s office. She kept her head down the whole way and soon arrived at the office door.

Since it was already late, most of the doctors besides the ones on duty had gone home.

Yi Qingzhuo peeked in a little to see her.

Shen Chaoyi was still wearing a mask, so Yi Qingzhuo couldn’t see the condition of her face.

She sat at her desk, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

Her eyes were clear as water, reflecting the light from the screen.

At first glance, they sparkled like stars and glowed like a warm sun.

Her long hair was casually pinned up at the back of her head, but a few unruly strands had fallen loose by her cheeks.

Dressed in a white coat, her skin like congealed fat, she occasionally lowered her head to write something in her notebook, her expression serious.

All Yi Qingzhuo could see was that slender figure. The corners of her mouth curled a little deeper—not a big change, but more like a real smile than usual.

Maybe Yi Qingzhuo’s gaze was too intense, because Shen Chaoyi quickly sensed something was off and looked toward the door.

Their eyes met just as Yi Qingzhuo was about to look away.

Her pupils dilated. Shen Chaoyi was surprised to see Yi Qingzhuo there.

She hadn’t expected Yi Qingzhuo to show up this late.

Shen Chaoyi raised an eyebrow. “Looking for me? Come in.”

That invitation was like a key turning the lock.

The surging flood inside Yi Qingzhuo was nothing compared to the turmoil in her heart.

Yi Qingzhuo moved her stiff legs. The panic from being caught off guard a moment ago had already vanished.

Standing in front of Shen Chaoyi’s desk, she confirmed there was no one else in the office before speaking slowly. “I feel like my condition is pretty good. The episode this morning was just a sudden rage. I feel fine now. So I wanted to ask—roughly when can I be discharged?”

In those five short seconds it took her to walk inside, Yi Qingzhuo had quickly come up with an excuse.

It was a kind of nervousness she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Have a seat first. Let me look at your report from today.” Shen Chaoyi didn’t suspect anything, nor did she ask what Yi Qingzhuo had been staring at from the doorway. She simply pointed to the chair in front of her and spoke softly.

Then she clicked the mouse a few times, looked at Yi Qingzhuo’s examination report on the screen, and said, “Two or three days or so. After that, you can go home and rest.”