Hearing the door open, the man looked up.
The moment his gaze landed on her, the smile on his lips softened with affection.
“Chuchu, you’re back?”
He Ruchu snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.
“Mm.”
Drawing from the original owner’s memories, she quickly identified him.
It was Zhou Chenyu, the childhood friend who had grown up with the original owner.
The novel did not describe him in much detail, only mentioning that they were childhood sweethearts.
He was also the fiancé carefully chosen for her by her parents.
“Chuchu, come sit down.”
Zhao Qiaoyun waved her over.
Seeing her daughter return safely finally eased some of her worries.
Following her mother’s invitation, He Ruchu sat beside her and greeted her parents.
“Dad, Mom.”
He Yaoguang nodded.
“Our girl is back.”
Zhao Qiaoyun held her hand.
“Why did you come back so late? Chenyu has been waiting for you for quite a while.”
“I wandered around a bit longer than planned.”
He Ruchu casually made up an excuse, choosing not to mention her trip to see Shen Siyuan.
Then she looked at Zhou Chenyu.
“What brings you here? Is something wrong?”
The Zhou family’s status was also quite impressive, and they had long intended to form a marriage alliance with the He family.
After the original owner came to Beijing, the Zhou family arranged for Zhou Chenyu to come as well.
“I haven’t seen you for a few days, so I came to check on you.”
His voice was gentle as he looked at her.
“Chuchu, while chatting with Uncle and Auntie, we mentioned that it’s been a long time since we’ve returned to the Northwest. I was thinking of going back for a visit. Would you like to come with me?”
He Ruchu paused.
Looking at her parents, who were also watching her expectantly, she immediately understood.
The novel had mentioned that her parents had more or less guessed the truth about what had happened between her and Shen Siyuan.
They worried Shen Siyuan might not treat her well and therefore weren’t particularly eager for her to marry him.
After the incident, following Zhou Chenyu’s suggestion, they planned to send her back to the Northwest for a while and bring her back after the rumors in the compound died down.
Unfortunately, the original owner had been obsessed with marrying Shen Siyuan and had no intention of leaving.
A thought crossed He Ruchu’s mind.
If I make choices opposite to the original owner, could I change her fate?
But then another concern surfaced.
If I leave now, what about Shen Siyuan’s injury?
For a moment, she hesitated.
Finally, she said,
“Let me think about it.”
“Alright.”
A faint smile appeared on Zhou Chenyu’s lips.
This answer was already much better than he had expected.
“When you’ve made up your mind, let me know.”
She nodded.
Her parents also breathed a little easier.
Despite everything that had happened, they still preferred the reliable and familiar Zhou Chenyu over Shen Siyuan.
Deep down, they hoped their daughter would leave for the Northwest with him.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhao Qiaoyun went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
As always, the doting He Yaoguang followed to help his wife.
He Ruchu originally intended to help too, but after watching for a few moments and realizing she was completely useless in the kitchen, she gave up.
Returning to her room, she took out paper and a pen and carefully wrote down everything she remembered from Shen Siyuan’s medical records.
She planned to study them thoroughly.
Downstairs in the living room, after everyone else left, only He Yi’an remained with Zhou Chenyu, who had been invited to stay for dinner.
Leaning lazily against the sofa, He Yi’an glanced at him.
“What are you thinking now, kid?”
It wasn’t hard for him to guess what Zhou Chenyu and his parents were planning.
But…
“What if Chuchu refuses to go back to the Northwest?”
Ever since coming to Beijing, his little sister had devoted all her attention to Shen Siyuan.
Getting her to leave now would be difficult.
Thinking about it, He Yi’an glared at Zhou Chenyu in frustration.
“You, honestly…”
Why were you so useless?
A perfectly positioned childhood sweetheart had somehow lost to a newcomer.
What a waste of all that advantage.
Sighing deeply, He Yi’an said,
“Forget it. I’ll talk to her myself later.”
Zhou Chenyu smiled slightly.
“Thank you, Second Brother.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
He Yi’an rolled his eyes.
“Whether I can persuade her is another matter entirely.”
“You know better than anyone how stubborn Chuchu is. Once she sets her mind on something, changing it is nearly impossible.”
“I know.”
Zhou Chenyu lowered his eyes and gently rubbed the rim of his teacup.
“No matter what happens, I can’t trust anyone else to take care of her.”
After dinner, He Ruchu planned to visit the library.
Although she had studied medicine and possessed excellent medical skills, she wasn’t an andrology specialist.
For the time being, she had no clear solution for Shen Siyuan’s condition.
She figured the best approach was to find relevant books and study while researching the problem.
Seeing her preparing to leave again, Zhao Qiaoyun couldn’t help worrying.
“Chuchu, where are you going at this hour?”
Noticing her mother’s anxious expression, He Ruchu suspected the day’s events had affected her deeply.
So she answered honestly.
“I’m going to the library. I’ll be back soon.”
Before anyone else could respond, Zhou Chenyu stood up.
“Perfect timing. I need to find a book at the library too. I’ll go with Chuchu.”
“That’s good.”
Zhao Qiaoyun immediately relaxed.
“At least you’ll have company.”
Seeing this, He Ruchu said nothing more and left with Zhou Chenyu.
The compound was lively in the evening.
Groups of children ran around laughing and playing while the adults paid little attention.
One mischievous boy, chasing his friends, failed to notice He Ruchu and charged straight toward her.
“Chuchu, be careful!”
Zhou Chenyu reacted instantly and pulled her away.
In his urgency, he used a bit too much force.
Although she avoided the child, she ended up crashing directly into Zhou Chenyu’s chest.
Immediately stepping back, she apologized.
“Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?”
He shook his head.
“I’m fine. What about you? Did you get hurt?”
“No.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly felt someone’s intense gaze on her.
Looking up, she found Shen Siyuan standing not far away.
Beside him stood Xie Qingwan.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Siyuan quietly looked away.
For a brief, absurd moment, He Ruchu felt as though she’d been caught doing something wrong by her husband.
She quickly shook her head.
What ridiculous nonsense am I thinking?
Noticing her staring into the distance, Zhou Chenyu followed her gaze.
The moment he saw Shen Siyuan, irritation surged within him.
Ever since Shen Siyuan entered He Ruchu’s world, all her attention had been focused on him.
There was no room left for anyone else.
A bitter ache filled Zhou Chenyu’s heart.
Then he thought about how Shen Siyuan had treated her.
The hand hanging at his side clenched tightly into a fist.
At that moment, he genuinely wanted to beat Shen Siyuan senseless.
Sensing his gaze, Shen Siyuan merely glanced at him casually.
Just another fool who couldn’t see clearly.
Not worth his attention.
“Ruchu!”
Xie Qingwan enthusiastically hurried over.
With a playful reproachful look, she said,
“You were so careless just now.”
“Good thing Comrade Zhou was here. Otherwise, you definitely would’ve been knocked over and ended up crying again.”
As she spoke, Xie Qingwan linked arms with He Ruchu, acting like an affectionate best friend.