CHAPTER 683: CHAPTER 460: HEART KNOT

Updated today.

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"Of course, I’ve got something to say, come out," Zhou Mikang said, then turned and walked away.

Chuxia looked to Wang Jing for help: "Senior sister..."

Wang Jing quickly gestured to Chuxia with her hands: "Go on, go on, I’ve got this place covered."

"Thank you, senior sister," Chuxia thanked her, and quickly followed after Zhou Mikang.

The two had agreed early on that Zhou Mikang would always park his car in the same spot every time he came. When Chuxia approached, he was leisurely leaning against the car, calmly watching her arrive.

"What’s the rush to find me?" Chuxia asked.

Zhou Mikang raised an eyebrow at her: "What, I can’t look for you if there’s no reason?"

Chuxia earnestly nodded: "Of course, I’m at work."

Zhou Mikang glared at her: "Haven’t you thought about how I’ve only come back for a few days?"

Chuxia made a face: "That’s not a reason."

Zhou Mikang crossed his arms: "What would be a reason, then?"

"There is no reason," Chuxia quickly shook her head, "You need to take work seriously, that’s what you’ve always said. What, is it only okay for officials to start fires, but not for the common folk to light lamps?"

"Your mouth..." Zhou Mikang shook his head, amused, "When will you ever spare someone?"

"Pssh!" Chuxia made a face, "Can’t win the argument, so you blame my mouth? Clearly, you’re just stirring up trouble for no reason. Speak up, what’s the matter? If it’s nothing, I’m going back."

Zhou Mikang’s face darkened: "Do you find me that annoying?"

"It’s not about being annoyed, you should be happy I’m taking my work so seriously," Chuxia said, shrugging her shoulders, "If every time you come around, I lose all motivation to work, fluttering about in front of you like a peacock, then what kind of doctor would I be?"

"Alright, alright, with you, every word I say is met with ten from you," Zhou Mikang stretched his hand out of his pocket, revealing a piece of paper folded into quarters, "I took care of it for you today, here you go."

"What’s this?" Chuxia asked, puzzled as she took it and unfolded it, only to see "A Medical University Admission Notice" written on it. She quickly widened her eyes, "You... the exams haven’t even taken place yet, and you’ve got the admission notice for me? It isn’t fake, is it?"

After speaking, Chuxia felt a bit sheepish. It wasn’t as though they were in the era where fake documents were rampant, and moreover, with Zhou Mikang’s status, how could he possibly resort to faking it?

Fortunately, the squad leader, Tongzi, wasn’t angry and even patiently explained to her: "I’ve presented your past academic achievements and Director Song’s evaluation of you. This is a special case, and it can’t be considered pulling strings."

Chuxia was at a loss for words: what would count as pulling strings then?

However, she wasn’t the type to masochistically go through all the challenges alone to get the notice, nor did she feel that Zhou Mikang was insulting her by doing this. She beamed with appreciation: "Thank you, now I can finally relax, no need to worry about someone replacing me again."

So, she still had a shadow from the last incident? Zhou Mikang couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head: "With your current status, who would dare replace you? Unless they think they’re too comfortable and are looking for some trouble."

"Right, now that I’ve got someone backing me, what’s there to fear?" Chuxia laughed gleefully, carefully folding the admission notice, "And tell me, couldn’t I just swagger all I want without anyone bullying me anymore?"

Zhou Mikang smiled and nodded: "If you think it’s more convenient to walk that way, you can go sideways, I don’t mind."

"Annoying!" Chuxia glared at him and ran back cheerily. She was truly in high spirits because the notice clearly stated that she only needed to participate in the exams, and the school would send her class notes periodically. It felt like service delivered right to her doorstep~

"Zhou Mikang, thank you."

Her voice carried from the distance. Zhou Mikang’s lips curled into a smile, and then he turned, got into his car, and started the engine. The vehicle quickly drove off, and by the time he got back to the conference room, everyone had left, leaving only Zhou Jingping sitting there by himself. Zhou Jingping glared at him: "What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until after the meeting?"

"Couldn’t wait," Zhou Mikang shook his head, "Dad, is everything settled then?"

"Yeah," Zhou Jingping nodded, then hesitated, "Your Uncle Ye still didn’t make it through. Ah, his daughter Ye Meiru, she’s such a handful, always causing trouble. And now, she’s even dragged her father’s uniform into the mess."

Zhou Mikang frowned: "What foolish thing has Ye Meiru done now?"

"She wants to study medicine. Neither Grandpa Ye nor Uncle Ye agrees, and then, she went behind their backs to the Huang Family, asking them to get her paperwork done, promising that her unborn child would take the Huang surname."

The Huang Family agreed, but on the condition that she must move in with them and be cared for by their people. If her family missed her, they could go and see her. In the end, she really moved in. Her mother and grandmother took her there. What does it mean to others when they see this?"

"Is Grandma Ye and Auntie Qiang thinking Uncle Ye and Grandpa Ye have it too easy?" Zhou Mikang helplessly shook his head, "Dad, how did Grandpa Ye ever marry someone so troublesome?"

"Ah!" Zhou Jingping patted Zhou Mikang’s back and said nothing. His own family had Liu Lingmei, so what could he say? Marrying a wife meant marrying a family’s peace. A good marriage meant tranquility; a bad one brought disaster. On this matter, his son had a clearer vision than everyone else. Thus, he felt he had no right to lecture his son, who understood life even better than himself.

"By the way, Dad, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. Didn’t you promise Mom that you’d stand up for her? What happened? Qin Xiangyi is still out there, pushing Mom around. If it’s inconvenient for you, I can do it."

"You..." Zhou Jingping looked at him with amusement, "Do you want to stand up for your mom or your wife?"

"Both. I can’t let unrelated people bully my family. Dad, in this regard, you don’t measure up to me. How can you not keep a promise you made to Mom?"

Zhou Jingping sighed, "How do you know I didn’t do anything?"

"What did you do?" Zhou Mikang countered.

"At my age, I can’t exactly run over to the Jiang Family and curse out Qin Xiangyi, can I? Think about it, what does someone like her fear the most?"

"The thing she fears most?" Zhou Mikang thought for a moment, "She probably fears most that Jiang Xinyu won’t want her anymore."

"That’s one aspect. There’s another." Zhou Jingping’s mouth curled into a faint smile, "What she fears most is losing her status, and her status comes from Jiang Xinyu. So, how do you think my actions would hurt her the most?"

After musing for a while, a smile crept into Zhou Mikang’s eyes, "Dad, I didn’t see it before, but you can be quite cunning. Not bad, you’ve improved. If you’d been so clever before, Xiao Rao wouldn’t have left."

As they touched on this subject, both their expressions darkened. Zhou Mikang regretted bringing up a topic that should have remained untouched, a knot between him and his father that persisted for many years. Even if they managed to untie it with all their might, the scars would be hard to erase.

"Are you still blaming me?" Zhou Jingping sighed deeply and asked.

"Dad, I’m not," Zhou Mikang said, somewhat embarrassed, "I really didn’t mean to, it just came out when I thought of it. I know you’re in pain, too. Actually, on this matter, you’re probably hurting even more than I am. I’m sorry."

"In fact, I’m still blaming myself," Zhou Jingping said with a desolate smile, "Sometimes, growth comes at a price, but the cost has been too heavy. Regret will follow me for the rest of my life, and no matter how much it scabs over, the scar will never heal. If time could flow backward, I’d rather bear the stigma and save my daughter."

"Dad, I’ll be honest with you; even if I say I’ve forgiven you, there’s still some discomfort in my heart. This matter is like a thorn embedded in flesh, even though it’s been pulled out, the pus hasn’t fully drained.

Whether to squeeze through and get the pus out or keep the surface looking good, letting the abscess grow and eventually erode our flesh, we must make a decision.

To probe again might be painful, but to live healthily, we must do it. I’m ready. Dad, are you ready?"

Zhou Jingping looked puzzledly at his son, unsure of what he meant.

Zhou Mikang then tugged him outside. Passersby smiled and greeted them as they walked by, and Zhou Mikang let go of his hand. Father and son stepped out the door into the yard.

"Get in the car," Zhou Mikang said, opening the door and taking the driver’s seat.

Then Zhou Jingping roughly understood what his son meant, his legs feeling so heavy that it was hard to move them. Zhou Mikang looked at him without expression, "Dad, you must take this step."

With a heavy sigh, Zhou Jingping forced himself into the car.

Indeed, Zhou Mikang had brought him to his daughter’s grave. Over these years, he had only dared to come here on his daughter’s death anniversary, each time fainting at the graveside, or perhaps, it was his way of escaping the past. The whole family accepted this, but now, it was time to face it.

Thinking this, his head began to roar, a harbinger of fainting.

Seeing his poor condition, Zhou Mikang said, "Dad, you must face it. Running away solves nothing."

Zhou Jingping bit hard on his teeth, his mind overwhelmed with his younger daughter’s images from birth to death—every frown and smile so vivid that his heart ached...

...

"Why are you here again?" Seeing Zhou Mikang at the door again, Chuxia spoke with a puzzled and slightly impatient voice. Qin Mei was having surgery tomorrow, and she had plenty to do as the third assistant, didn’t she?

"Dad’s in the hospital," Zhou Mikang’s voice had a trance-like ethereal quality, "Do you want to go see him?"

Chuxia abruptly stood up, "What’s wrong with him? Where is he now?"

Song Xiaoyu also looked up quickly at Zhou Mikang at the door, anxiety written all over her face. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)