Chapter 118 The Return: Zuo Qinghuan's Reappearance and Qin Wanshu's Wait

Chapter 118 The Return: Zuo Qinghuan's Reappearance and Qin Wanshu's Wait

"How is she?" Zuo Qinghuan suddenly asked Li Xin, who was driving. She really wanted to know how Qin Wanshu was doing.

"Qin Wanshu?" Li Xin asked, a knowing tone in her voice.

"Of course, it's her." Zuo Qinghuan felt like hitting Li Xin. She knew perfectly well how anxious she was about Qin Wanshu's well-being over the years, yet she was still teasing her.

"How could someone like Qin Wanshu ever be unwell?" Li Xin retorted, raising an eyebrow. On the contrary, that woman seemed to be living her life to the fullest, independent and free.

"Yeah, I just want to know what she's been up to lately." It would be great if she was doing well, but Zuo Qinghuan still had so many questions.

"According to Yan Yan, Qin Wanshu has dedicated a lot of her energy in recent years to recovering precious cultural relics that were taken overseas. Right now, she's in France negotiating with the relevant parties for an extremely valuable artifact. I hear the negotiations were successful, and it's already on its way back to China. The exact return date is still unknown, but as the driving force behind it, she'll definitely be at the charity gala this Saturday. Qin Wanshu is either traveling between countries for these relics or doing charity work. She's incredibly busy. They say the mayor even wanted to give her an Outstanding Youth Award, but she politely declined." The Qin Guang Charity Foundation, you know, was her idea, established with the Qin family's financial support and managed jointly by her and Yan Yan. Their public welfare achievements in recent years are remarkable, and the Qin family has gradually transformed from just a powerful local entity into a truly distinguished family. Qin Wanshu is like the outward manifestation of that transformation. Qin Zheng might be after the family's honor, but Qin Wanshu is very hands-on, wanting to see tangible results. Yan Yan once said something really telling about Qin Wanshu: that in the past, Qin Wanshu was proud to be born into the Qin family, but in the future, the Qin family will be proud to have Qin Wanshu."

"She really sounds like an amazing woman." Kitano Aoba had been listening intently to Li Xin's description of Qin Wanshu and found herself increasingly wanting to meet this perfect woman her sister admired so much.

Hearing this, Zuo Qinghuan felt a mix of emotions. She was incredibly proud of the woman she loved but also felt a pang of inadequacy. She had tried her best to keep up, but it was frustrating to realize she might never reach Qin Wanshu's level. Zuo Qinghuan suddenly questioned if leaving had been the right decision, but she immediately pushed that thought away. There was no going back, and even if she had stayed, things might not have been better. No matter how high Qin Wanshu soared, she would eventually come down to earth. If Zuo Qinghuan couldn't fly at the same altitude, at least she could be there to support her when she landed.

Given Aoba's and her current status, getting an invitation to the Qin family's event wouldn't be difficult. The thought of seeing Qin Wanshu in three days made Zuo Qinghuan's heart race.

Later that evening, Zuo Qinghuan asked Li Xin to head back first. She planned to take Aoba to visit Aunt Xiao.

"Sister is really looking forward to seeing Miss Qin, isn't she?" Aoba asked Zuo Qinghuan, who was driving. She could sense the excitement in Zuo Qinghuan's heart.

"Whenever I think about her, my heart feels a little fluttery, a mix of anticipation and nerves." She had already imagined her reunion with Qin Wanshu countless times, thinking about what she should say, rehearsing it in her mind over and over, feeling both excited and apprehensive. Zuo Qinghuan felt like no one could truly understand what she was going through.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting her too," Aoba said with a smile. She was very curious to meet this woman named Qin Wanshu.

Zuo Qinghuan smiled. Qin Wanshu was indeed someone worth looking forward to.

"Yan Yan." Li Xin saw Yan Ruozhe sitting on the sofa in the living room and practically leaped into her arms.

"This is the living room. Mom and Dad could be back any minute. Try to be a little more discreet." Although Yan Ruozhe said this, she didn't push Li Xin away but casually put her arm around Li Xin's waist.

"Zuo Qinghuan came back today. She seems to have matured a lot. It's not just a feeling of maturity, but she looks so young, still the kind who could fool anyone, so ethereal." Li Xin wrapped her arms around Yan Ruozhe's neck, sounding happy.

"Naturally, everyone grows up a bit, except for you, who doesn't seem to have changed at all," Yan Ruozhe teased. Li Xin seemed as unserious and unreliable as ever, but under her supervision and guidance, she had become much more dedicated to her work. She hadn't had much contact with Zuo Qinghuan herself, but Li Xin often talked about her, so she felt like she knew her.

"What do you mean I haven't grown? Go ask at the hospital. Doesn't everyone say Doctor Li is a responsible, beautiful, and capable doctor?" Li Xin complained playfully. Although she was a grown woman, she still had the heart of a little girl, enjoying acting cute and liking cute things.

"Doctor Li, please continue to maintain this work ethic," Yan Ruozhe said to Li Xin with the air of a superior commending a subordinate.

"Do you think Qin Wanshu still loves Zuo Qinghuan?" Li Xin asked. It was always hard to tell what Qin Wanshu was really thinking.

"Maybe," Yan Ruozhe replied, unsure herself. She felt that Qin Wanshu was the kind of woman who kept her inner thoughts hidden, giving off a very cool vibe that made it impossible to guess what she was thinking. It was only through these three years of close contact that Yan Ruozhe had vaguely sensed there was still a passionate core within Qin Wanshu, but she hid it incredibly well. Whether that passion was still for Zuo Qinghuan was anyone's guess.

"But in case Qin Wanshu doesn't love her anymore, Zuo Qinghuan also has a god-sister. That god-sister gives me a good feeling too, so young and adorable, you just want to tease her. She and Zuo Qinghuan seem quite well-suited, at least there wouldn't be so much pressure. Qin Wanshu is too much of a goddess; ordinary people can't handle that kind of pressure..." Li Xin gossiped.

"Someone who has loved Qin Wanshu, would they still be able to love someone else?" Yan Ruozhe thought this unlikely.

"That's true. Once you've seen the ocean, all other water seems insignificant; having experienced the clouds over Wushan Mountain, no other clouds are worth seeing," Li Xin said with a sigh.

Qin Wanshu's negotiations and dealings in France, which had lasted for over a month, finally came to an end. She had successfully sent the artifacts to the museum, and the matter was temporarily resolved. This brought her a sense of relief but also a touch of weariness. There were still three days until the charity gala on Saturday night. There was no real need to rush back, but she felt an urgent pull to return. She didn't need to analyze the reason for her eagerness too deeply, but the date on the calendar clearly reminded her that Zuo Qinghuan had left exactly three years ago today, promising she would definitely return after three years. No matter how deliberately she tried to let things unfold naturally, without consciously thinking about it or interfering, her subconscious had already made a choice. She was waiting for Zuo Qinghuan to return.

After taking a shower, Qin Wanshu quietly dried her hair. Zuo Qinghuan, even though I'm willing to wait for you, it doesn't mean I'll forgive you easily. It's been three years. She had kept herself busy to make the time pass more quickly, because waiting always felt like the longest time.

Lin Jingxian knocked on the door and entered Qin Wanshu's room.

"Wanshu, how long will you be staying home this time?" Lin Jingxian took the hairdryer from Qin Wanshu's hand and gently finished drying her daughter's hair. Her daughter's travels over the past three years had worried Lin Jingxian deeply. She somewhat blamed her father-in-law for resorting to such tactics to make that girl leave back then. If she hadn't left, Wanshu would have had a stable life instead of constantly traveling and working so hard. Although her daughter's actions were always admirable, she longed even more for her to have a peaceful life and be by her side more often. This was every mother's hope. Every time Qin Wanshu left home, Lin Jingxian felt a sense of reluctance. She hoped that girl would return as promised and allow her daughter to settle down and not leave again.

"I haven't decided yet, but I'll stay longer this time," Qin Wanshu said with a smile. Of course, she understood her mother's feelings and knew she worried about her being away, but she couldn't stop, nor did she want to. She wanted to do something meaningful.

"That girl should be back, right?" Lin Jingxian asked suddenly.

Qin Wanshu remained silent.

"Do you miss her?" Lin Jingxian saw Qin Wanshu's silence and knew her daughter still couldn't let go of that girl.

"Yes, very much. Every time I think of her, I get so angry," Qin Wanshu confessed her true feelings to her mother. Although she tried her best to avoid having time to think about Zuo Qinghuan, as soon as she had a moment of free time, the loneliness of that longing was overwhelming, and it only made her angrier.

"It's because you care so much that you get so angry," Lin Jingxian said with a soft smile. She was genuinely afraid that her daughter would end up alone. Whether it was a man or a woman, she simply hoped her daughter would find someone to share her life with and make her feel settled.

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