The park and the hospital were separated by just a tree-lined road. On nice days, many patients would head over to get some sun and take a walk.
Ji Zhanming spotted the bench where the young man had been sitting earlier. The scene of him teasing the little child still seemed to carry the warmth of sunlight.
Ji Ping openly admitted he had been sneaking a look. “I told you, the two of you look good standing together—and you were even holding a kid.”
Ji Zhanming: “…” He didn’t want to respond, held it in for a moment, but finally said flatly, “Not my kid.”
The old man snorted. “You think I don’t know that? Did you really need to say it?”
Ji Zhanming let out a silent sigh. Since the old man had a bad leg, he didn’t bother arguing.
But the old man insisted. “I just ran into him. What a fine young man! My wheelchair got stuck and he even helped me out!”
Ji Zhanming replied helplessly, “Eighty percent of young people wouldn’t hesitate to lend a hand.”
Ji Ping knew he had already said before that if the two didn’t click, then so be it. Bringing it up again now felt pointless.
But after actually seeing the person, the feeling was different. The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt.
“Helping out is one thing, but in an earthquake, his first instinct was still to save others. That kind of character—so upright and bright,” the old man sighed. “Not to mention his bearing—rare among young people.”
“You’re not someone who’d stop to help just anyone. Since he made you pause, even if not affection, your impression of him must at least be above average, right?”
Ji Zhanming listened quietly until they entered the consultation room, where Ji Ping finally fell silent.
Inside sat a doctor. Ji Zhanming’s gaze swept over the nameplate on the desk—Yu Jingyun.
A member of the Yu family. Judging by her age, she was likely one of Lin Yunxu’s cousins.
Rongmu served many VIP clients; the old man came here for an annual check-up.
This was a private hospital run by the Yu family—Ji Zhanming had long known this.
It hadn’t meant anything before, and even now it didn’t carry special significance, but his thoughts unconsciously extended in a new direction—Lin Yunxu’s family.
The thought passed in an instant. Ji Zhanming pushed the old man forward.
Yu Jingyun smiled in greeting. “What happened to your leg, sir?”
She nodded at Ji Zhanming as well.
As a long-time client, she was quite familiar with the old man—she handled his annual check-ups.
The leg injury had already been treated by orthopedics, and all other tests had been completed. The reports had been sent to her.
As soon as she spoke, Ji Zhanming could tell she likely didn’t know he had been on a blind date with her younger brother.
Ji Ping chuckled. “Getting old—bad eyesight, slower reflexes. Didn’t react in time and fell.”
Yu Jingyun looked up from the report, a little curious as she examined him more closely.
In his youth, this old gentleman must have been strikingly handsome. But years in a high position, combined with sharp features, had given him an imposing aura with age.
In the past, even though he was tolerant toward younger people, he still made others wary. Today, however, he seemed unusually approachable.
Ji Zhanming sat beside him. “Doctor Yu, how is my grandfather’s health?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Ji. He’s quite strong—no major issues.”
She gave the conclusion first to reassure them.
Ji Zhanming quietly waited for the “but” that would follow.
“But he’s nearly eighty, so there are some common age-related conditions, like high blood pressure,” she said, circling values on the report. “His sensory functions have slightly declined, and bone density has decreased.”
Most routine check-ups were based on Western medicine. Some values might appear normal but didn’t fully reflect the body’s condition.
Ji Zhanming always valued his grandfather’s health and combined both Western and traditional Chinese medicine for a more comprehensive assessment.
Yu Jingyun glanced at the TCM report. “The Chinese medicine specialist should have explained this—pay attention to emotional regulation.”
“The body is very sensitive to emotions. As people age, overthinking and worry can have a greater impact on cardiovascular health and cognitive function. Even if you’re healthy now, prevention is important.”
Seeing the two of them silent, she lightened the mood. “You seem like an open-minded person—why think so much? Your grandson is outstanding. Just focus on being happy.”
Ji Ping patted Ji Zhanming’s hand. “Who doesn’t worry about their children and grandchildren?”
Yu Jingyun understood immediately. Elders usually worried about the same things—career, marriage, and so on.
Ji Zhanming clearly had a bright future, so the concern was likely his love life.
Since they were familiar, she had heard a bit before.
While prescribing medication, she said, “Young people have their own ideas. My younger brother is the same. The family worries but can’t do anything about him.”
Ji Zhanming lifted his gaze, taking the report.
She added gently, “Everyone has their own fate—you can’t force it. For your own health, you should relax. Who knows, maybe fate will come when you least expect it.”
Ji Ping smiled. “You’re right, Doctor Yu. I’ll take your words as a blessing.”
After the consultation, Ji Zhanming wheeled him out.
The old man flipped through the report, sounding optimistic. “At my age, this condition isn’t bad, right?”
“The doctor said you should worry less.”
“I know, I won’t think too much. I won’t bother about you anymore.”
Ji Zhanming was surprised. “You’ve come to terms with it?”
“What else can I do? Worrying won’t help. You can’t force these things. If you won’t deal with your parents, then I’ll at least take care of myself and stay around longer for you.”
Ji Zhanming paused, looking down at the old man in the wheelchair.
At some point, the once vigorous and imposing architect from his childhood memories had shrunk into a frail old man needing care.
Sometimes, realizing someone has truly aged happens in an instant.
When it came to his son and daughter-in-law, Ji Ping fell silent for a moment, then folded the report and said wistfully:
“What I care about most isn’t whether you get married. I asked you to go on blind dates not for that—I just hoped you’d meet more people, maybe experience what a healthy relationship feels like. Don’t reject intimacy because of your parents.”
Ji Zhanming walked in silence as they reached the open-air parking lot.
After helping him into the car, Ji Ping, used to his grandson’s quiet nature, wasn’t surprised by the silence.
Once seated, Ji Zhanming suddenly asked, “Do you like Lin Yunxu?”
Ji Ping admitted, “He made a very good impression.” Then he added, “But what matters most is whether you like him. Even if you like someone others don’t think highly of, I wouldn’t object. You’re not marrying for business.”
The car started, driving away along the shaded road.
Tree shadows flickered past the window.
Ji Zhanming said softly, “I’ll think about it.”
Ji Ping thought he meant whether to keep seeing the person. “Thinking alone won’t help. Whether you can even win him over is another matter—I can tell that kid has strong opinions.”
Ji Zhanming: “…”
He sighed silently.
Lin Yunxu drove straight home. Being alone with a small child was still too risky.
When they arrived, Tangyuan was still asleep. Aunt Wu helped carry the child out. “The children’s room is ready. I’ll put him to bed.”
Lin Yunxu nodded. “Is my mom home?”
“Yes,” Aunt Wu whispered. “Mr. Lin is back from his business trip too. They’re in the garden.”
Lin Yunxu headed to the backyard and saw Lin Zhang trimming plants while Yu Yiling watered flowers.
Spring had made the garden vibrant, flowers blooming in abundance.
Yu Yiling, famous for years, had hardly aged—just gained a more mature charm.
Lin Zhang, equally handsome, stood beside her like a perfect match.
People often said Lin Yunxu resembled Yu Yiling in appearance and Lin Zhang in spirit.
His features were more like his mother’s, but his overall temperament resembled his father.
Lin Zhang carried a gentle, scholarly aura, like a teacher from another era.
Just as Lin Yunxu was about to approach, he heard Lin Zhang say, “I heard you turned down Director Li’s offer. Didn’t you like the script? You practically wore it out reading it.”
Yu Yiling didn’t deny it. “I liked it, but it’s fine. Wenwen rarely stays home this long, and I’ve already acted enough when I was younger.”
“You couldn’t be there much during his childhood—that’s already a regret. Now I don’t want to miss more. You’ve also cut back on work, haven’t you?”
Lin Yunxu stopped.
Lin Zhang smiled. “He’s already handling some work remotely. Who knows when he’ll get busy again.” Then he added, “By the way, didn’t he meet a Ji family kid recently?”
“Don’t even think about it. No chance,” Yu Yiling replied calmly.
“Oh? You’re taking this calmly? Didn’t even mention it.”
“When have I ever forced him?” she countered.
“Then why push him into blind dates?”
Lin Yunxu leaned against the doorframe, curious himself.
After a pause, Yu Yiling said softly, “Because I was angry.”
Lin Yunxu froze.
“I was really angry.”
She turned away, tending flowers as she continued, “I couldn’t bear to watch the footage of him being buried under debris while protecting someone. Just thinking about it is unbearable.”
“Did he think of us when he rushed in? If something had happened, how heartbroken would we be?”
Lin Yunxu felt a sudden ache—how could he not think of them?
As his life was slipping away back then, they were the ones he worried about most.
Her voice continued.
“I was upset. I wanted to hit him, but I couldn’t. I didn’t have the heart to scold him either. So I could only give him some harmless ‘trouble.’”
“If the blind date worked out, great. If not, at least it would give him a headache.”
Lin Yunxu was stunned.
He had thought his parents were pressured by elders because of his age.
Instead, they had always shielded him.
His heart softened completely.
Lin Zhang laughed. “Isn’t that childish?”
Yu Yiling grew annoyed again. “If he’d just acted cute and said ‘Mom, I’m sorry,’ it would’ve been over!”
“But instead he keeps arguing with me—it makes me so mad!”
Lin Yunxu couldn’t help but smile.
Lin Zhang chuckled. “Even if you weren’t forcing him, you do want him to fall in love and get married, right?”
“Of course. I want him to experience all the good things in life.”
“He seems surrounded by people, but I know his heart is hard to warm. Most friendships are superficial—only family members are truly close. He doesn’t trust outsiders.”
She hesitated. “Do you think it’s because of me…”
Lin Zhang interrupted gently, comforting her.
Lin Yunxu stepped back and deliberately made noise as if just arriving. “Mom, Dad.”
The heavy mood lifted.
“How was the check-up?” Lin Zhang asked.
“No problems. My sister will send you the report later.”
They finally relaxed.
Lin Yunxu pointed upstairs. “Tangyuan’s here—should be waking up soon.”
Right then, Aunt Wu came over carrying the child.
With a child around, the atmosphere instantly brightened.
Later that night, after dinner and a walk, Lin Yunxu returned to his room.
Taking advantage of the time difference, he joined a remote meeting.
After work ended, only he and his friend Cyril remained.
“Rhys,” Cyril teased, “something on your mind?”
They had worked together for years—he knew him well.
And after hearing his parents’ conversation, Lin Yunxu’s thoughts were indeed unsettled.
“A little.”
Cyril didn’t push. “So when are you coming back to Switzerland? Plenty of people are eyeing your position.”
Lin Yunxu said lightly, “Let them watch. Watching alone won’t do anything.”
Cyril laughed. “Good you know. So, still stuck at home going on blind dates?”
When Lin Yunxu didn’t reply, Cyril paused. “Don’t tell me you actually liked someone?”
Lin Yunxu didn’t like discussing himself.
Just as he was about to brush it off, his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
But he had a good memory—he and Ji Zhanming had exchanged numbers just in case.
“Sorry, I have a call.”
He left the meeting but didn’t answer immediately.
He hadn’t expected further contact—but since it was a call, it must be important.
Important…?
He quickly reviewed their interactions but couldn’t think of anything.
Finally, he answered.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Lin.”
“Mr. Ji? Calling this late—what’s the matter?”
A brief pause. “Are you available recently? There’s something I’d like to discuss in person.”
Lin Yunxu raised an eyebrow, sipping water slowly.
Earlier, Ji Zhanming had clearly cut things off.
And now, suddenly calling to meet?
Was he supposed to just agree?
Mr. Lin wasn’t easy to invite.
“I’ve been on leave too long—work has piled up. It’s hard to find time lately.”
Ji Zhanming: “…”
Curiosity got the better of him.
“You can briefly explain over the phone. I’ll see if I can adjust my schedule.”
Meaning: if it’s not important, don’t waste his time.
The night was quiet, moonlight spilling across the room.
Then—he heard a soft laugh.
Ji Zhanming’s voice, slightly hoarse with fatigue, came through.
“Does Mr. Lin happen to need a marriage?”
“Please think it over—should it take a place in your busy schedule?”
Lin Yunxu froze completely.