The meal concluded with Chen Jiaojiao storming off.
Zhan Beijue, unfazed, helped his beloved wife return home to reunite with their children.
Lu Qingxu went to work.
Lu Mingzhe accompanied his soon-to-be wife home.
Only Zhou Jinbei, worried about Chen Jiaojiao, followed her out.
She didn't know how to comfort her, as it seemed everyone had made mistakes in this situation.
She followed Chen Jiaojiao to the restaurant entrance, where Chen Jiaojiao told her:
"You can go back. I'm fine. I was mentally prepared long ago. I won't do anything rash."
"Lu Mingzhe is nothing. He isn't so outstanding that I would do anything rash for him."
Zhou Jinbei breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are you going to do next?"
"Go home. I drank a bit too much today, so I'll go back and get some beauty sleep. Ruining myself for a man is not my style, Chen Jiaojiao."
Zhou Jinbei gave her a thumbs-up.
"Then I'm leaving. If you feel unwell after sobering up, call me. I'm always here for you."
On the way back to the hospital by taxi, she unexpectedly received a call from Ah Zhong.
Her father had been sick for a long time, and Ah Zhong had been busy with work and hadn't visited yet.
He had some free time these past two days and drove back late at night.
He asked which room Zhou Jinbei was in.
She hadn't seen him in a long time and, truthfully, missed him quite a bit.
Especially after the scene tonight, seeing everyone else paired up made her miss Ah Zhong even more.
"I'll wait for you downstairs. We'll talk when you get here."
Soon, they met at the entrance of the inpatient department.
Ah Zhong looked the same as before, just a bit darker, with a very short haircut.
A black shirt, black pants, coupled with this hairstyle and skin tone, made him look like a tough guy.
Oh my, he looked better and better.
He walked ahead, and Zhou Jinbei followed, watching his subtle muscle lines, unable to help but feel a pang of desire.
She really wanted to taste him again!
In the elevator, Ah Zhong asked about his father's basic condition. Zhou Jinbei answered truthfully, and as they spoke, they arrived at the ward.
Her father slept during the day and night, but now he was quite energetic and chatting with the nurse who had been changing his dressing.
He was very surprised to see Ah Zhong enter.
"Dad, are you feeling better? I haven't had time to visit you. Don't be mad at me."
Dad Zhong said:
"We're father and son. I know what kind of person you are. Why be so polite to your dad?"
"Why did you rush back so late? Just got off work, right? Have you eaten?"
"It's tiring to travel back and forth. Little Zhou has been taking good care of me here, and your company's benefits are good, so there's no need for you to make this trip."
"Look at you, you've gotten darker and thinner."
After changing his dressing, the nurse turned and looked at Ah Zhong.
Her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Uncle Zhong, is this your son you always talk about? He's so handsome. Tall and upright, so good-looking."
Dad Zhong smiled and introduced Ah Zhong.
"This is Nurse Wang. She's been taking care of me during my hospitalization. She's very kind. Thanks to her and Little Zhou, thank them quickly."
Long-term hospitalized patients naturally need to build good relationships with medical staff. Ah Zhong smiled and shook her hand.
"Thank you for your care. Sorry to trouble you."
"Oh, why be so polite? It's my duty!"
Nurse Wang was in her early thirties, fair-skinned and plump, with a kind and approachable demeanor.
She smiled and held Ah Zhong's hand, looking him up and down again.
"Oh, you're so handsome, so good-looking. Your dad said your unit is quite good, working at Zhan Corporation, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
The topic switched too quickly, and Ah Zhong was taken aback.
"Huh?"
"Oh, it's like this."
Nurse Wang smiled.
"In our line of work, we have plenty of young girls we know, especially those who just graduated."
"Every day, besides going to work and getting off work, we're working overtime. We don't even have a chance to date."
"They complain to me every day, 'Sister Wang, when can you introduce me to someone?' Youth is only a few years, and we spend it all in the hospital, not even dating. Life is so boring!"
"So, I'm particularly attentive to this matter. You catch my eye, and I can tell at a glance that you're a good young man, and I'm already familiar with your dad. I hope you don't find this too forward?"
Is it not forward?
Zhou Jinbei stood behind him, watching Ah Zhong's hand being held tightly by Nurse Wang, listening to her words.
She wished she could forcibly separate the two of them.
They had only met for less than two minutes, and she was already asking if he had a girlfriend. Are you a nurse or a matchmaker?
Ah Zhong's expression turned awkward.
After all, Zhou Jinbei was standing beside him.
Others didn't know about their past, but he knew it in his heart.
This question was difficult to answer.
But before he could speak, his father interjected:
"No, no, he's single now. Nurse Wang, I've told you this before. He really doesn't have a girlfriend."
"I haven't seen you before, but now that I've seen you and confirmed you catch my eye, I'll handle this for you, Uncle Zhong!"
Nurse Wang looked at Ah Zhong with the affection of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.
"Your name is Zhong Jiaming, right? How old are you this year? Where did you buy your house?"
It seemed that his father had talked about his situation with Nurse Wang quite a bit during their casual chats.
Ah Zhong never expected to encounter something like this right after his appearance.
He strongly disliked being set up on blind dates by elders, especially with Zhou Jinbei present.
Just as he was about to refuse, his father answered for him again:
"He's 29 this year, not young anymore. When I was his age, I could already run errands."
"Alas, he's not married at this age. I'm almost worried to death. I bought a house long ago, in that XYZ neighborhood. Tell your Sister Wang about it."
Zhou Jinbei plopped down onto the nearby companion bed with a "clatter."
Ah Zhong, who had smelled her strong scent of alcohol upon meeting her, couldn't help but glance at her when he heard the noise.
Zhou Jinbei's face was drawn, and she sat with her legs crossed, scrutinizing him.
He felt that she seemed quite displeased with Nurse Wang.
Ah Zhong turned his head and smiled at Sister Wang.
"I'm sorry. My conditions aren't very good. I did buy a house before, but I've already sold it."
His father was clearly unaware of this.
He was stunned for a moment.
"When did you sell the house? How come I didn't know? Why did you sell it?"
Ah Zhong said, "Just a few days after I returned to the country, I needed money for working capital."
"You child, you should have told me if you needed money!"
"Dad has saved money his whole life, just for you for emergencies. Look at you..."
"And you, Sister Wang, none of this matters. If the house is gone, we can buy another one. I have savings, so please don't..."
The implication was that her son was already old, so she should introduce someone quickly, or there wouldn't be any good girls left.
Ah Zhong was helpless at his father's attitude but didn't dare to get angry with him.
He smiled and interrupted, "Just stop it, Dad. I don't want your money."
"With your health, you're uncomfortable every few days. Taking care of your body is more important than anything else."