The purifying agent from Songju Li was jointly researched and developed by Shen Wuyou and his father, resulting in a small cup of medicinal liquid.
After drinking the medicine, Old Wang once again fell into a deep sleep.
When the sky brightened again the next day, and the morning sun streaked across the sky, the data from the monitoring instruments had indeed developed in a positive direction.
Old Wang felt his body regaining strength and wanted to be discharged from the hospital to explore more.
Shen Wuyou, holding his medical reports, saw that all his indicators were improving and agreed to Old Wang's request to be discharged, only asking him to return for check-ups every few days.
Old Wang, overjoyed at his "regained freedom," invited everyone to dine at "Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy."
Zhao Hengyu was aware of Qin Ningyi's recent busy schedule and greeted Old Wang with effusive compliments.
"Old Wang, congratulations on your discharge. Tonight's meal is on me! Order whatever you like."
As he spoke, he retrieved a stack of items from the room. "Xiao Qin is holding a concert at the city stadium tonight. Want to go together?"
Old Wang usually disliked crowds, but after this ordeal, he wanted to experience the life of young people, lest he be unable to try it again someday.
"Let's go, let's go! Young man, what kind of songs are they? Do you have enough tickets?"
Zhao Hengyu stuffed the stack of tickets into Old Wang's hands. "More than enough. If not, come find me again. I'm very close to Xiao Qin; I can even get backstage passes!"
"Old Wang, all the songs for Xiao Qin's concert this time are written by Zhao Xianjun, and a few are composed by R. The ancient style will surely suit your taste."
Hearing this, Old Wang was eager to go immediately.
Huo Rou was surprised to hear the name of the lyricist and composer. Had they written so many songs already? Enough to hold a concert...
"It just so happens that Xiao A'rou has a background in classical music, so let's all go!" Old Wang smiled at Huo Rou and distributed the tickets one by one.
At the entrance of the concert venue, Huo Rou's group was exceptionally eye-catching.
The old man looked like an immortal, the child looked well-behaved and adorable, and the remaining three men were handsome in their own ways.
And the girl they were surrounding, in the midst of several tall men, appeared particularly soft, cute, and petite, her straight black hair accentuating her fair complexion.
"Is that also a celebrity? Did Qin Bao invite any guest performers for this concert?"
The speaker was a motherly fan who wasn't very familiar with the entertainment industry, merely liking Qin Qijian's ancient-style songs. Seeing this group of handsome men and beautiful women, she assumed they were celebrities.
"No, brother didn't invite any guests this time. They're probably fans. Are brother's fans' looks this high now?"
A cute young lady answered her question and then picked up her phone to start a livestream. "Before entering, I saw some very handsome young men with a beautiful young lady. I'm so happy for my brother that he has such good-looking fans."
Zhao Hengyu's tickets were for seats right in the center of the stage, very close to the front, and they were soft seats with cushions – truly the best viewing spots.
As the group settled down, An An was held by Qin Ningyi, his eyes wide, watching the smoky stage.
"Daddy, what is that?" An An had never seen such a scene before. He thought it was special effects on TV, but now that he was there and saw the mist, he was truly curious.
Qin Ningyi, holding him, explained meticulously, "Dry ice. When it heats up, it turns into white mist."
An An lowered his head and pondered for a moment. "Dry ice is carbon dioxide, right?"
"You know all this?"
Zhao Hengyu stretched his neck to lean in. "You really are Old Qin's biological son, with that sharp mind."
An An, hearing him praise him, became a little pleased, his face flushed. He then remembered Huo Rou was also there and retorted, "Mommy is also very smart. An An is also Mommy's biological son."
Zhao Hengyu clicked his tongue in amazement. If he had this skill of balancing things, he wouldn't always have women fighting over him.
"Sister Huo?" A sunny voice came from behind.
Huo Rou turned her head and saw Shen Sitong, as expected.
"Are you also a 'jianjiao'?"
Shen Sitong's face was filled with excitement, holding a support sign with the characters "Xiao Qin" flashing a greenish light.
Qin Qijian's fans all referred to themselves as "jianjiao."
Huo Rou shook her head in confusion.
Shen Sitong didn't press further but happily shared, "Sister Huo, ever since you came and cured Old Luo's strange habits, he's been incredibly kind. He helped me write a program to snag VIP tickets at a low price!"
"Did you also write a program yourself to get tickets? I suddenly feel that people who study computing are so amazing."
She was indeed an energetic little sun. Huo Rou felt a hint of envy and smiled as she replied, "No, a friend gave me the tickets."
She glanced to her sides, signaling to Shen Sitong that she was with them.
At this moment, Shen Wuyou was looking sideways at Huo Rou.
Shen Sitong followed Huo Rou's gesture and happened to meet his gentle gaze.
Handsome and elegant, with an outstanding demeanor.
It was as if fireworks exploded in the sky for an instant. Shen Sitong felt that she had saved money for so long to get these tickets just to meet him.
Usually cheerful, she narrowed her eyes and smiled brightly and cutely. "Are you also Sister Huo's friend?"
Shen Wuyou paused upon hearing this and then shifted his gaze to Shen Sitong, a vibrant young girl.
He nodded, his gentle voice cutting through all the clamor to reach Shen Sitong's ears. "A'rou and I are very good friends."
"My name is Shen Sitong. I'm Sister Huo's colleague, and, well, also a friend! What's your name?"
"Shen Wuyou."
"Shen, Wu, You," Shen Sitong murmured the three characters softly.
At this moment, she didn't know what these three characters would mean to her. She only felt that these three characters sounded beautiful, and just whispering them sent sweetness to her heart.
As they spoke, the sound of strings and bamboo drifted from the stage, and the noisy crowd below instantly fell silent. Shen Wuyou turned his head to look at the stage and no longer continued talking to her.
Gentle yet distant.
The prelude of the guzheng began, its melody melodious and imbued with a rich sense of memory.
Old Wang had come with the mindset of "keeping up with the times," but as he listened to the prelude, he unconsciously nodded his head.
The guzheng continued to play. The performer on stage was a rising star in the guzheng world, Gu Yue.
Gu Yue, ancient music—it seemed she was born to play the guzheng. Everyone called her a guzheng prodigy.
Huo Rou, being close, could see Gu Yue's finger techniques. The arpeggios were not clear enough, and her control over finger strength was still somewhat lacking.
The melody, which should have been expansive, sounded a bit constrained by her playing.
Huo Rou rubbed her fingers. Why had she come to listen to this kind of thing? To suffer like this?
An An listened to the music. At first, he was engrossed, but as it continued, something felt off.
"I've heard this song before!"
Zhao Hengyu had been watching An An closely, finding him incredibly endearing. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and poked An An's cheek. "It's Xiao Qin's signature song, so it's normal that you've heard it."
"No, Mommy!" An An turned to look for Huo Rou, seeking affirmation. "This she's playing sounds so strange. Is she playing it badly?"