Chapter 23

After a long consultation which put Li Shaoze on needles all day, he was finally let go. Prof. Gu asked too much questions which wasn't to his liking but he couldn't stop her from doing her job.

She touched every detail like his eating habits from the past, his severe insomnia and his clinical depression that had become better after he lived several years in Country E. She also advised him to stop taking the sleeping pills and learned to sleep without them for a few days.

This was an advice she had long urged on him but was ignored by Li Shaoze. However, now that he thought of Li Junfeng's worrisome attitude, he really felt that he should stop being reliant on the pills.

"I hope to see you again in a few months," said the older woman who smiled so gently. Li Shaoze ignored her words as he bowed his head before he walked out of the room.

A small sigh escaped Li Shaoze's lips as he walked out further down the hallway. When Zhu Zijin finally saw his boss, he immediately put down his tablet to stand up and escort Li Shaoze naturally.

"Let's go back," said Li Shaoze as he turned to the corner.

All of a sudden, he was bumped against by a man he knew so well. What a small world, he mused.

"You...?" it was his own father, Li Qinfeng.

Zhu Zijin was inwardly surprised as this was his first time seeing the president of Li Group up close. He looked closer and found no similarities between the father and son.

"What are you doing here?" Li Qinfeng asked after he faked a cough. He seemed taken aback to see his own son that he had abandoned long ago.

Li Shaoze didn't reply as his eyes were fixed on a small kid trying to hide behind Li Qinfeng. The boy appeared timid and was only around seven. His eyes were exactly the same color like Li Qinfeng.

Li Qinfeng soon realized this mistake and he gritted his teeth, trying to appear calm. However, everyone could see he was a little bit nervous.

Neither sides said a word and the stands off was quite heavy on the air. There was no one else using the hallway so it made the atmosphere appear more sullen. Zhu Zijin knew his employer's ill-fated relationship with his family so he instantly thought of something.

He went to Li Shaoze's side and offered him a phone, saying, "Sir, a phone call for you. We should get going,"

Li Shaoze raised his brows in a split second. He didn't know his assistant was this smart. Taking the phone into his hand, he nodded and gave an excuse to Li Qinfeng to get away.

Li Qinfeng felt like he was ignored and it left a bad taste in his mouth. So he clicked his tongue and gave way. His face still remained ugly.

When Li Shaoze walked by him, the older man didn't forget to give a piece of his mind, "Forget what you see here or I'll find reasons to make sure you never step foot in this country again,"

Li Shaoze didn't stop as he walked away but Zhu Zijin was sure he could hear the threat in his father's indifferent tone. He inwardly shook his head and wondered how a father and son relationship could get this ugly. Nevertheless, he made a mental note to forget about this and never mention it to anybody.

'The world of the riches...' he mused as he stole a glance at the expressionless Li Shaoze, feeling bad in his place.

"Zijin," a single call from Li Shaoze caught Zhu Zijin by surprise as he answered a tad bit late.

"Y-yes sir?"

"Make a duplicate of all my data from Prof. Gu and destroy everything else. Tell Gu Chen to also do the same,"

"... Sir?" Zhu Zijin understood what Li Shaoze was saying immediately. He must not want Li Qinfeng to dig into why he was here in the hospital today.

"Although he's never interested in my life, he'll still be curious. So take note," Li Shaoze said matter of factly.

"Understood, sir," Zhu Zijin nodded and then he pursed his lips as if he wanted to ask something but couldn't.

"What?" Li Shaoze glanced over his assistant in an uninterested manner.

"Could I ask something, sir?"

"Ask away,"

"What about you, sir? Aren't you curious about it since he seems to be having a 'son' outside?" Zhu Zijin was asking why his employer wasn't issuing an order for him to investigate.

Li Shaoze's answer to such question was just a quiet, humorless chuckle. His eyes reflected neither curiosity nor expectations. Such emotions would be wasted on people that didn't see him eye to eye anyway.

Why would he bother digging up some dirt against someone he didn't consider as anything important?

***

Li Junfeng disappeared long before Li Shaoze even came in for consultation. Since Li Shaoze hated the fact that his brother would have to see him being asked many strange questions by Prof. Gu, he had asked for understanding and Li Junfeng gave him some privacy.

So he flew away to the top floor of the hospital to wait on Li Shaoze.

"I guess he still has some lingering feelings from the past," Li Junfeng mumbled alone as the wind caressed his formless white self. He rested his body on the railing carelessly, neither afraid for others to see him nor scared to lose his footing and fall.

The one thing that Li Junfeng noticed as he stayed by his brother's side was this; his brother would be alright in showing sickness or physical helplessness in front of him. But the only thing he was reluctant to share were his mental condition and his past depression.

"Not like I haven't got a clue," Li Junfeng sighed. He had long known about Li Shaoze's condition because Gu Chen was someone he himself recommended.

He could get any information about his brother if he wanted. It was as easy as breathing. He also had read some reports on Li Shaoze's past diagnosis. It seemed that Li Shaoze also knew about him sneaking around to look into the reports but he was never reprimanded.

He knew his brother tolerated it because he did it secretly. If Li Junfeng wasn't planning to confront his brother about the reports, then that wouldn't bother Li Shaoze so he pretended he didn't know.

"Idiot. You let me read but you don't ever want to talk about it," Li Junfeng closed his eyes and recalled some childhood memories with Li Shaoze. All of them were bittersweet and it stung his chest a little bit.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already on his way to meet Li Shaoze downstairs.

And that was the moment when he saw his father getting into a hospital VIP room in tow with a little boy he didn't recognize.

The nameplate of the said room wrote an unfamiliar name of a woman. His chest immediately constricted.