Chapter 67 Zuo Qinghuan, I really like you

Chapter 67 Zuo Qinghuan, I really like you

"Do you know what I like about you?" Qin Wanshu's fingertips gently brushed across Zuo Qinghuan's cheek as she softly asked.

Zuo Qinghuan shook her head; she truly didn't know what Qin Wanshu liked about her.

"You're sensitive and intelligent, resilient and strong. You never give up on yourself or wallow in self-pity. You always strive to change your circumstances. You're a lot like Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind a smart and beautiful girl, exactly the type I like.

"Actually, from the moment I first interacted with you, I had a rough idea of your profession. When I found out about your involvement with Han Shibin, I looked into your past. But I didn't care. I could sense what kind of person you are, and I have complete faith in my judgment."

Qin Wanshu looked at Zuo Qinghuan seriously as she spoke. It was precisely those circumstances that shaped the Zuo Qinghuan of today. That environment made her more perceptive and insightful than others, more adept at understanding people's hearts. Because she had received so little, she naturally learned to cherish more than the average person.

That environment also left her with an indelible wildness a woman who could be recklessly carefree on one hand, yet fiercely restrained on the other, a contradiction that made her somewhat endearing.

In truth, Zuo Qinghuan had great potential. Had she received a proper education, she would undoubtedly have excelled. But Qin Wanshu wasn't sure she would have fallen for that version of Zuo Qinghuan. So, many hypotheticals were unnecessary.

"Qin Wanshu, promise me you'll never abandon me. I'm terrified of being left behind. She always left me before, and I kept waiting for her to come back. It wasn't until after being abandoned countless times that I stopped expecting anything from her.

"I told myself I wouldn't expect anything from anyone ever again. But then Qin Wanshu, such a wonderful woman, appeared before me like a goddess, radiating warmth..." Her only family was gone, and Zuo Qinghuan instinctively clung to the lifeline that could offer her warmth now. If Qin Wanshu wasn't her salvation, then she would be her ruin.

"If you don't let go, I won't let go either."

Qin Wanshu gently kissed the corner of Zuo Qinghuan's eye, tasting the saltiness of her tears.

"How did you get out? Will there be any trouble?" Zuo Qinghuan asked. Qin Wanshu had come in a hurry, her usually neat hair slightly disheveled.

"Don't worry, I can handle these things."

Qin Wanshu was meticulous in everything she did. Even in her urgency, she had taken precautions before coming to see Zuo Qinghuan.

Hearing this, Zuo Qinghuan felt reassured.

"Can you accompany me back to the hospital to take care of some paperwork?" Zuo Qinghuan asked Qin Wanshu. Her eyes were still red, her eyelashes wet with tears, making her look utterly pitiful. Qin Wanshu couldn't help but be moved.

"Of course, I'll go with you."

Qin Wanshu stood up to help Zuo Qinghuan, but the latter's legs had gone numb from squatting for too long, causing her to stumble forward. Luckily, Qin Wanshu caught her before she fell.

"Are your legs numb?" Qin Wanshu asked.

Zuo Qinghuan nodded.

"Sit here, let me massage them for you."

Qin Wanshu had Zuo Qinghuan sit on the steps while she crouched in front of her, gently massaging Zuo Qinghuan's calves. As Zuo Qinghuan watched Qin Wanshu diligently tending to her, tears streamed down her face again. Perhaps this was heaven's compensation to her, or maybe this woman owed her a great deal in a past life, which was why she had met Qin Wanshu in this one.

"Does it hurt?" Qin Wanshu asked, seeing Zuo Qinghuan's tears and thinking she might have caused her pain.

Zuo Qinghuan shook her head, wiping her tears haphazardly.

"It's not numb anymore."

Zuo Qinghuan couldn't bear to have someone as refined as Qin Wanshu stoop to massaging her legs.

Qin Wanshu took a tissue from her bag and handed it to Zuo Qinghuan.

At the hospital, Zuo Qinghuan ran into Wang Qi, who had already taken care of the paperwork. Wang Qi had also covered the medical expenses, which surprised Zuo Qinghuan.

"Have you been taking care of my mother these past few days?" Zuo Qinghuan asked Wang Qi, her feelings complicated as she looked at her.

"I came by occasionally."

Wang Qi glanced at Zuo Qinghuan, then at Qin Wanshu beside her. She had to admit that she couldn't compare to Qin Wanshu in any way whether it was looks, family background, or demeanor. They looked strikingly well-matched standing together.

"You two talk; I'll wait outside."

Qin Wanshu, ever considerate, left them alone to talk. She knew there were likely many things they wouldn't say in front of her.

Although their last meeting had ended on a sour note, they were still old acquaintances and, legally, sisters. The fact that Wang Qi had taken care of Zuo Yan showed that their relationship wasn't as bad as Qin Wanshu had imagined.

Wang Qi watched Qin Wanshu leave thoughtfully. This woman was incredibly perceptive and carried herself with grace. Qin Wanshu was even better than Wang Qi had expected cultured, gentle, and tactful. It was hard to dislike someone like her.

"She is indeed different, but she doesn't belong in our world."

Wang Qi was reminding Zuo Qinghuan that someone like Qin Wanshu was out of their league; she belonged to a different world.

"With my mother gone, I've completely severed ties with the past."

Zuo Qinghuan didn't like others repeatedly reminding her of things she already knew. If she wanted Qin Wanshu, she would have to withstand all the pressure. Nothing in life came for free.

"Naive thinking!" Wang Qi scoffed.

"Thank you for taking care of my mother. I'll repay you for the medical expenses, but I don't need to endure your sarcasm."

Zuo Qinghuan spoke earnestly to Wang Qi. She was genuinely grateful for the care Wang Qi had shown her mother. Zuo Qinghuan had always been clear about gratitude and grudges.

"Zuo Qinghuan, back then, I treated you so well, and you never once thanked me. Hearing a 'thank you' from you now is rare."

Wang Qi was also surprised to hear gratitude from Zuo Qinghuan. She didn't want to argue with Zuo Qinghuan, but she harbored too much resentment toward her.

"The circumstances now are different from back then. If you were in my position at the time, I doubt you'd have been able to feel grateful either."

Back then, she had only wanted to protect herself. In such a situation, it was hard to feel grateful toward anyone.

"True. You hated your mother, hated my father, and by extension, didn't like me either. But my father wasn't that bad to your mother."

Wang Qi felt her father hadn't wronged Zuo Qinghuan and her mother too much, aside from that one attempted assault.

"It's all in the past."

Zuo Qinghuan didn't want to dwell on the topic.

"Did my mother live well these past few years?" Zuo Qinghuan asked, hoping she had at least had some peace in her final years.

"My father died two years ago. She didn't go back to her old ways. She wanted to find you, but you had just disappeared."

Wang Qi looked at Zuo Qinghuan. This woman had a fiery temper. Once she decided to cut ties, she vanished for years without a word.

Zuo Qinghuan fell silent. She hadn't expected her mother to truly change in the end. But she had been too stubborn to return, and now it was too late. If only she had come back sooner but the world was full of "if onlys," and things rarely went as one wished.

That man was dead too, which explained why Wang Qi had changed. The people she had hated were gone, and those who remained had changed. Everything was different now, and it was time to let go.

"If my insincerity has upset you, I apologize. I'm sorry."

Zuo Qinghuan bowed deeply, her apology sincere. She didn't truly feel indebted to Wang Qi, but she wanted to sever all ties to the past, to cut away the rot.

Wang Qi stared at Zuo Qinghuan in shock. She had been waiting for an apology, but now that Zuo Qinghuan was offering one so solemnly, it wasn't what she had wanted. Instead, it made her feel emptier. She realized that Zuo Qinghuan was drawing a clear line between them, moving toward the light while she remained in the shadows, unable to find her way out or any companions.

"Zuo Qinghuan, I really like you."

Wang Qi's eyes were red as she spoke, a stark contrast to her usually composed demeanor.

Zuo Qinghuan looked at Wang Qi and suddenly saw the young girl from years ago, dressed in pink, naive and innocent, tearfully confessing how much she hated that her father was a gang leader, how she despised the violence, and how her mother had died in a gang fight.

Back then, Zuo Qinghuan had felt a sense of helplessness watching her. She couldn't even save herself, so how could she care about others?

Now, Zuo Qinghuan felt a flicker of pity for Wang Qi, but it quickly faded. The world was full of unfairness. You like me, I like her, and so your feelings become irrelevant. That environment had taught Zuo Qinghuan early on to accept unfairness and to harden her heart.

"I didn't like you back then, and I won't like you in the future."

Zuo Qinghuan spoke calmly.

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