As Qin Ningyi moved, Huo Rou instinctively hid An An behind her.
The wariness in Huo Rou's eyes deeply pricked Qin Ningyi's nerves.
He had always known Huo Rou loved An An dearly, but never had he seen her so utterly like a startled bird.
And he was the bow that startled her.
Qin Ningyi stepped forward anxiously, wanting to explain to Huo Rou that everything last night was not what he intended.
He wanted to be with her, to live with An An, he had never meant to fight for custody of An An, their future together had always been planned with her.
Before he could speak, Old Wang on the hospital bed coughed softly.
Huo Rou quickly put down the spoon and turned to look.
Old Wang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze, momentarily lost, fell upon Huo Rou's face.
"Why is your face injured again?" Old Wang's hoarse, ancient voice asked with affection, "Such a beautiful little A Rou, why don't you take better care of yourself?"
Huo Rou regained her usual composure and smiled faintly, "You're teasing me again?"
"A girl should take care of herself, don't always make An An, a child, worry about you," Old Wang said earnestly, his eyes full of heartache and care.
"Old man, you should also take care of yourself, don't always make us children worry about you!" Huo Rou used Old Wang's words to lecture him back.
This amused Old Wang, making him laugh heartily.
"This time, I've troubled the little miracle doctor..." Old Wang turned his head and said to Shen Wuyou, who was beside him.
As he turned, his peripheral vision swept across Qin Ningyi at the doorway. The person's appearance was familiar from afar, and he called out, "Are you A Rou's friend? Don't just stand there, come over and sit."
Qin Ningyi glanced at Huo Rou's expression. Usually full of confidence, he found himself in such a situation.
Huo Rou nodded, and he slowly walked in.
The scent of disinfectant grew stronger, and as he approached the bed, the old man's face became clearer.
The old man was connected to several monitoring instruments, his hair was white, and his wrinkled face was covered by an oxygen mask. The smile beneath the mask turned into a hint of surprise as Qin Ningyi drew nearer.
A similar emotion appeared on Qin Ningyi's usually calm face. Not for any other reason, but he had seen this person before.
Or rather, he had seen this person with half-white hair on television with his grandmother.
Wang Ximo!
His grandmother's favorite calligrapher. Since Wang Ximo's wife passed away six years ago, no more of his works had appeared on the market, and he was rarely heard of in calligraphy circles.
Some even speculated that Wang Ximo might have passed away. It was precisely because of this that Wang Rong, who studied under Wang Ximo, was able to gain fame so quickly.
Qin Ningyi had grown up by his grandparents' side and had some understanding of calligraphy.
Calligraphy was increasingly declining in the present day. After Wang Ximo, only a friend of Wang Ximo, whose name was unknown, could rival Wang Ximo's achievements in calligraphy.
"Who are you?" Old Wang's words interrupted Qin Ningyi's thoughts. He met Old Wang's confused gaze and bowed humbly to introduce himself.
"Hello, I am Qin Ningyi..."
"What is your relationship with An An?" Old Wang asked directly.
Qin Ningyi's gaze was clear, and his eyes held warmth when he looked at An An, "I am An An's father."
"Hahaha, good, good!" Old Wang extended his hand, and Qin Ningyi stepped forward to grasp Old Wang's weathered hand.
Old Wang's hand trembled uncontrollably. His face was full of joy, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
The nurse, having just recorded the data from the instruments, saw Old Wang wake up and hurried to call for a doctor.
At this moment, the doctor entered with the examination results, his steps heavy.
"Teacher Shen, could you come out with me for a moment?" The doctor approached Shen Wuyou and, despite being middle-aged, still respectfully addressed Shen Wuyou as teacher.
Huo Rou exchanged a look with Shen Wuyou, smiled, and patted An An's back, "Stay here and chat with Uncle Wang for a while."
Old Wang clearly knew his condition was not good, but seeing Huo Rou's smiling, gentle face, he didn't insist on them staying.
An An leaned in front of Old Wang, looking at him with a sweet smile, "Uncle Wang~~"
Old Wang was amused by his cooing voice and laughed, "You little clever one!"
Only the three of them remained in the room. Old Wang's smile faded as he looked at Qin Ningyi.
"Young man, do you like our little A Rou?" Old Wang couldn't ignore Qin Ningyi's gaze, which kept lingering on Huo Rou.
He was very familiar with such a look, the only difference being that Qin Ningyi's was outward and ardent, while Shen Wuyou's was restrained and enduring.
"I love her," Qin Ningyi nodded solemnly.
Old Wang's expression turned serious as he continued, "A Rou's emotions are not right today. Is it related to you?"
"Yes." Although it was not his intention, it was his blood relative's action.
"If you cannot cherish her, then do not approach her," Old Wang's face turned completely cold.
He couldn't always guess Huo Rou's emotions. For a person accustomed to hiding her feelings to reveal them, it must have been a part of her that was very important to her.
Old Wang saw the nervous and uneasy look in Huo Rou's eyes when she looked at An An, and the hint of fatigue and resentment that surfaced.
"I have already resolved it, and I am here to apologize and explain," Qin Ningyi responded very seriously to Old Wang's doubts.
Old Wang sighed deeply, looked at him, and said slowly, "I cannot interfere in matters of the heart, but I hope A Rou can live freely and joyfully in the future."
"What do you do?"
"Currently managing a company, involved in many sectors."
Old Wang nodded. "Are you rich?"
Qin Ningyi nodded, not understanding why.
"Wuyou's family is also very wealthy," Old Wang said calmly.
Qin Ningyi frowned. Was this...?
Old Wang ignored his confusion and continued, "Can you cook?"
Qin Ningyi nodded.
Old Wang said faintly, "Wuyou can too."
Was he comparing him to Shen Wuyou?
As Qin Ningyi was about to speak, Old Wang slowly said again, "Wuyou has excellent medical skills. He can make sweet and sour pills for A Rou and remove scars from her body."
Qin Ningyi was speechless. He truly couldn't compare in this regard. Even with his current efforts, that was still a medical family...
Seeing a flicker of insecurity on his face, Old Wang suddenly smiled. Love could make people insecure, and it could also make them childish. These young people nowadays were quite interesting.
"I will give all I have and do everything I can to protect her," Qin Ningyi followed Old Wang's lead, inwardly comparing himself. Apart from being absolutely richer than Shen Wuyou, he seemed to have no other advantages.
Moreover, Shen Wuyou might have known A Rou for even longer than he had.
Old Wang smiled for a while, looking a bit tired. "A Rou has had a hard time, always getting hurt, not taking care of herself. She needs someone to cherish her even more than she does herself. Look at her today, her face is injured again..."
Qin Ningyi temporarily set aside his childish comparison and seized on this sentence, asking, "What do you mean, 'again'?"