Zhou Mingyuan clenched his fists. “Maybe Second Brother isn’t that childish, but what about Tan Qingwen? Are you saying she didn’t have any intentions either?”
His mother’s birthday banquet should have been held at home. But he’d thought that house would belong to Second Brother in the future, so he’d suggested hosting it at a hotel instead. They had already gone out of their way to avoid him by moving the celebration here, yet they still had to come here on purpose just to make things difficult for them…
Zhou Jia said, “I wouldn’t know. Second Brother’s mom is so stern, and her eyes are so sharp…”
Whenever she happened to run into her, she would keep her distance, not daring to cross paths with her.
Without another word, Zhou Mingyuan went straight to Zhou Kanghui and Sun Yurong. Pulling them aside, he lowered his voice and said, “I just ran into Second Brother.”
Zhou Kanghui’s eyes widened as he looked around. “Your second brother’s here? Where is he?”
“He’s upstairs having dinner with his mother and Miss Lin and her mother,” Zhou Mingyuan replied. “What do you think they’re trying to do? Why did they have to choose today to eat here? Are they deliberately trying to let everyone know that even though they came to the hotel, they still refused to attend Mom’s birthday banquet? Or…”
Sun Yurong’s expression darkened. She didn’t care whether Tan Qingwen had done it on purpose or not. But if people found out that Zhou Mingshi had brought his mother here for dinner and, despite being in the same hotel, still refused to attend her birthday banquet, she would be utterly humiliated.
After thinking it over, Zhou Kanghui said, “It must just be a coincidence. Tan Qingwen only got back from her business trip yesterday, and she arranged to have dinner with the Lin family today. She couldn’t possibly have known we were holding the birthday banquet here.”
Sun Yurong said, “There are so many people who know her. How do you know none of them told Tan Qingwen?”
Zhou Mingyuan suddenly asked, “How did you know Tan Qingwen was away on a business trip?”
Zhou Kanghui replied, “I called her. How else would I know?”
Zhou Mingyuan stared at him. “Why were you calling her out of the blue? You two have been divorced…”
Zhou Kanghui glared at him. “What nonsense are you talking about? With your second brother around, it’s impossible for us not to stay in touch. Besides, Tan Qingwen has never regarded your mother as someone worth her attention, and your second brother isn’t the type to do something so childish. It’s all just a coincidence. Stop flattering yourselves.”
Suppressing her anger, Sun Yurong said, “That’s right. I’m not important enough. Someone like her naturally wouldn’t bother acknowledging me.”
Zhou Kanghui turned to her. “Look at you, getting upset over this. I’m only stating the truth. She’s never once mentioned you in front of me. Even though we’re divorced, I know what kind of person she is. She’s an upright woman. She wouldn’t stoop to the kind of petty things small-minded people do. It’s true that she never paid you any mind. Don’t overthink it. It’s your birthday, you should be enjoying yourself.”
‘Enjoy herself, my foot.’ Sun Yurong was furious. So in this man’s heart, she wasn’t even worthy of being noticed by Tan Qingwen? Tan Qingwen was upright, while she was the inferior one?
After hearing his father’s words, Zhou Mingyuan also felt stifled. He didn’t know whether he wanted to believe that Second Brother and Tan Qingwen hadn’t deliberately chosen today to dine here, or whether he wanted to believe they had intentionally picked this hotel and this day to embarrass them in front of everyone.
Either way, the thought left him deeply uncomfortable.
Tan Qingwen, on the other hand, hadn’t given the encounter with them a second thought. She had already forgotten about them. The hotel had been booked in advance, and as soon as everyone was seated, the dishes were served.
Sitting beside Wang Yuehua, Tan Qingwen looked at the two young people across the table. Seeing her son ladle soup for An’an and hand her the spoon, a knowing smile spread across her face. Her son had always been accustomed to a life of comfort, with others accommodating him, taking care of him, serving him tea and waiting on him. When had he ever looked after someone else?
It seemed exactly as he’d said. The two of them were getting along very well.
Seeing that, she finally felt reassured.
This was also Wang Yuehua’s first time watching the two of them interact. Seeing Zhou Mingshi remembering to look after her daughter even while eating himself, she couldn’t have been more pleased.
It might have been an arranged marriage between two prominent families, but both sides had only agreed to it after careful consideration, knowing the other party was an excellent match in every respect.
In her eyes, a son-in-law with good character, proper upbringing, a strong sense of responsibility, and solid family values was far more reassuring than one who cared only about romance and love.
Lin Yi’an had a moderate appetite and always ate until she was about eighty percent full. A bowl of soup, a bowl of rice, and a few dishes were enough for her.
The moment she set down her chopsticks, Zhou Mingshi, seated beside her, also put his down.
Seeing this, Tan Qingwen said to her son, “Your Aunt Wang and I are going to have a chat. The two of you can make your own plans. Just don’t disturb us.”
Wang Yuehua smiled. “That’s right. Go do whatever you young people want. Don’t interrupt our conversation.”
Looking at Lin Yi’an, Zhou Mingshi said, “Looks like we’ve been kicked out by our mothers.”
Lin Yi’an pressed her lips together in a smile.
Watching the smile on her face, Zhou Mingshi asked, “Where would you like to go?”
Just as the words left his mouth, the phone on the table rang. Seeing the caller ID, he answered.
His cousin, Tan Chengjun, spoke from the other end. “Mingshi, where are you?”
Zhou Mingshi smiled. “Having dinner with our two mothers and Yi’an.”
Tan Chengjun asked, “A few days ago, you said Miss Lin was a very capable Chinese medicine practitioner?”
Zhou Mingshi replied, “That’s right. Is someone feeling unwell?”
Tan Chengjun said, “Your aunt has been suffering from lower back pain. She kept quiet about it for the past couple of days, so none of us knew. Today, she suddenly had trouble even walking, and only then did she tell us. I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she said your fiancée runs a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, and she’d heard a lot of people had gotten good results there. I think she feels more at ease since you’re family…”
“I’ll ask Yi’an,” Zhou Mingshi said.
Tan Chengjun: “Go ahead.”
Without hanging up, he turned to Lin Yi’an and asked, “My aunt’s back is hurting so badly that she’s having difficulty walking. She wants to come to your clinic for treatment?”
Lin Yi’an said, “No problem. Are they coming over now?”
With the call still on speaker, Zhou Mingshi asked, “When will you be here?”
Tan Chengjun replied, “We’ll come over right away. Is that all right?”
Zhou Mingshi looked at Lin Yi’an. She nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll head back immediately.”
Tan Qingwen and Wang Yuehua had heard the entire conversation. Wang Yuehua turned to Tan Qingwen and said, “Why don’t we go visit your sister-in-law together?”
Now that they knew she was ill, and she was going to be treated at her daughter’s clinic, it was only proper to stop by and see how she was doing.
Tan Qingwen was also worried about her sister-in-law. “I’ve never been to An’an’s Chinese medicine clinic before. Let’s go take a look.”
The group headed for the Chinese medicine clinic. By the time they arrived, Tan Chengjun and his mother were already there. He was sitting beside her while a nurse was taking her blood pressure.
They walked over, and Auntie Tan greeted them. “Why did all of you come?”
Tan Qingwen replied, “Of course we came to see you. How did your back suddenly start hurting?”
Auntie said, “It’s an old problem.”
Lin Yi’an greeted her, “Auntie,” then looked at the blood pressure monitor. “Your blood pressure is a little high, but your heart rate is normal. Have you had any imaging done before?”
Tan Chengjun handed her the scans. “Yes. These were taken in April. I brought them with me. The doctor said she has a herniated lumbar disc.”
Lin Yi’an carefully examined the scans. After she finished, she handed them back to him, then sat down and took Auntie Tan’s pulse. When she was done, she said, “It’s nothing too serious. Most likely you’ve recently been exposed to cold from staying in air-conditioned rooms during the hot weather. Cousin, please help Auntie into the treatment room. I’ll go change into my work clothes.”
Lin Yi’an entered the treatment room and had Auntie Tan lie face down on the treatment bed. She lifted the back of her shirt, leaned over, and gently pressed several precise points on her lower back.
“Does it hurt here?”
Auntie Tan immediately nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly where it hurts.”
Lin Yi’an asked, “Does it hurt here?”
Auntie Tan replied, “No, that spot doesn’t hurt.”
After finishing the examination, Lin Yi’an said, “Auntie, you’ll need acupuncture along with some herbal medicine. The combination will work faster. Have you had acupuncture before?”
Auntie Tan nodded. “I have. Go ahead and do it. If I need the needles, then use them. I’m not afraid of acupuncture.”
Lin Yi’an took out a set of silver needles. Lowering her head, she began inserting them with complete concentration. Each acupoint was located with flawless precision. As she slowly twirled and gently lifted and thrust the needles, she asked, “Do you feel any soreness or fullness?”
Auntie Tan answered, “It feels both sore and full.”
Lin Yi’an said, “That’s deqi. The qi has arrived.”
Tan Qingwen and Wang Yuehua sat on the sofa nearby, keeping Auntie Tan company.
Tan Chengjun and Zhou Mingshi were seated on the sofa behind them as well. Once Lin Yi’an had finished inserting the needles, Tan Chengjun turned to Zhou Mingshi and said, “Miss Lin may have a very youthful face, but once she puts on that white coat and calmly starts performing acupuncture on my mother, there’s something about her confidence that naturally inspires trust.”
Smiling, Zhou Mingshi looked toward Lin Yi’an. She had always been composed and steady.
Seeing the expression on his face, Tan Chengjun couldn’t help teasing him quietly. “I never understood why you chose Miss Lin before. Now I think I’m beginning to.”
Zhou Mingshi said, “She’s wonderful. We’re a perfect match.”
Lowering his voice, Tan Chengjun asked, “Just a perfect match?”
Zhou Mingshi: “…”
Just as Tan Chengjun thought he wasn’t going to answer, Zhou Mingshi slowly said, “Finding someone who’s truly compatible with you is already incredibly rare. Some people spend their entire lives without ever meeting a partner who understands them and suits them so well. I’m very fortunate.”
Lin Yi’an was exceptional in every way. He admired her. She was his fiancée, his future wife. Falling in love with her would be easy. But someone who was truly right for him, someone who fit him so perfectly, she was the only one he had ever met.
After giving it some thought, Tan Chengjun nodded. “That does make sense.”