"Mom!" An'an turned back in surprise.
Huo Rou had woken up, her eyes looking at him tenderly.
An'an walked to the bedside. Qin Ningyi stood by the door, watching Huo Rou smile gently at An'an as she stroked his head.
"Who is that? Your friend?" Huo Rou asked.
An'an lowered his gaze, remembering Zhou Qingyan's silent observation that day, and felt a pang of sadness.
Just as Qin Ningyi was about to walk over, the hospital room door was knocked.
Xiao Konglin stood outside the door and nodded at Qin Ningyi through the small glass panel of the room door.
Qin Ningyi glanced again at Huo Rou on the hospital bed, who hadn't looked at him since waking up, and at his son, who hadn't looked at him since seeing Huo Rou awake.
He shook his head in resignation and opened the door to go out.
"Mr. Qin, this document is extremely urgent, so I brought it over for you to review." Xiao Konglin was very curious about what would happen between An'an's mother and Qin Ningyi.
He had come to watch the excitement under the guise of delivering documents, but Qin Ningyi had closed the hospital room door directly after stepping out.
As Qin Ningyi reviewed the document, Xiao Konglin checked the time and asked, "Mr. Qin, have you had breakfast yet?"
Qin Ningyi paused his hand holding the pen. "Go buy some breakfast from nearby."
Having said that, Qin Ningyi remembered something and added, "Buy some plain congee with minced meat."
Xiao Konglin guessed that this must have been a special instruction for Huo Rou, and he turned away with a secret smile.
Hearing Qin Ningyi's cough, he held back his laughter and replied, "Mr. Qin, Dr. Wang will surely instruct the hospital to provide the patient's meals. You don't need to worry about this."
There was a clear hint of mockery in his words. Qin Ningyi narrowed his eyes, displeased. "Hurry up."
Xiao Konglin went downstairs, and Qin Ningyi signed the documents with his pen. He looked up at the sunlight outside the balcony, thinking that he didn't seem to have remembered to go to work today.
A moment later, Xiao Konglin returned with breakfast. Qin Ningyi handed him the documents and, before Xiao Konglin left, instructed, "I might not be going to the company today. If there's anything, come find me here."
Mr. Qin, who never skipped work, was now voluntarily asking to take the day off, which made Xiao Konglin even more curious about the mother of An'an inside.
Under Qin Ningyi's gaze, he didn't dare to pry further. He acknowledged the instruction and left quickly with the documents.
Qin Ningyi brought the breakfast to the door of the hospital room. From inside, Huo Rou's voice, still sweet though slightly hoarse, could be heard: "An'an, it's okay. There will always be some people who aren't worth being friends with."
She was likely talking about Zhou Qingyan's matter. Huo Rou continued, "It's good to realize early that he's not suitable as a friend. That way, we can cut our losses in time and use that emotion to find true good friends."
An'an seemed less dejected and replied, "Mhm, Mom, you're right."
"An'an will have better and more worthy friends in the future," his voice was full of conviction.
Huo Rou said gently, "Yes, our An'an is so good, he'll definitely make more friends." She paused and then asked, "An'an, are you happy studying here now?"
"Happy, Mom. An'an has learned so many new things here, math, Chinese, English, and science. It's so fun," An'an's voice was full of excitement.
Huo Rou asked, "So, An'an still wants to stay here?"
"What's wrong, Mom?" An'an sensed a hint of reluctance in Huo Rou's words and sounded confused.
"An'an, it's my fault for not noticing your developmental needs." Huo Rou's tone held a trace of apology. "You need to grow up, you need to go to school, you need friends. I can teach you knowledge, but I can't give you friends."
"It's my oversight," Huo Rou spoke slowly, but her voice was full of tenderness.
"Mom, you're wonderful. An'an likes learning from Mom. An'an can continue learning with Mom while he's at school," An'an proudly presented his idea.
Huo Rou hesitated. "An'an, can Mom find you a new school? Can we go to another city to study?"
"What about Dad?" An'an had finally found his father and didn't want to be separated from him.
Huo Rou was silent for a long time. Just as she was about to speak, Qin Ningyi knocked and entered.
"An'an, it's time to eat."
An'an turned around and saw Qin Ningyi entering, his father, whom he had finally found, walking in slowly in the sunlight, carrying the aroma of food.
An'an turned to look at Huo Rou. "Mom, isn't it good for us to stay here? An'an found Dad!"
Huo Rou looked at Qin Ningyi as he entered. There was no obvious change in her expression; she still looked gentle and patient, but her eyes became instantly wary.
She looked at Qin Ningyi like a wounded deer, which made Qin Ningyi feel strange. He thought he had saved her, not hurt her.
Why was she looking at him like that?
Qin Ningyi met Huo Rou's gaze and didn't look away for a long time.
An'an ran over to take the breakfast and walked to Huo Rou's bedside. "Mom, you eat first."
When Huo Rou looked at An'an, the tenderness in her eyes was completely different, making Qin Ningyi even more certain that Huo Rou was hostile towards him.
Huo Rou shook her head. "An'an, Mom isn't hungry. You eat first."
An'an put on a serious face, his mature demeanor reappearing. "You need to eat. Mom, are you being picky again?"
Huo Rou smiled helplessly. Although she was indeed a bit hungry, she really had no appetite for the greasy buns and flatbread.
Qin Ningyi also noticed her reluctance. He walked over and patted An'an's head, reassuring him, "An'an, you eat first. The hospital will prepare Mom's breakfast and it will be delivered soon."
An'an was satisfied when he heard that Huo Rou would have her own breakfast. He handed a bun to Qin Ningyi before slowly starting to eat his own.
Qin Ningyi, having helped Huo Rou out of her predicament, did not receive any change in her demeanor. She continued to look at him coldly.
"Miss Huo, I..." Qin Ningyi tried to communicate as best he could.
As soon as he spoke, Huo Rou turned her head and looked out the window.
The leaves outside the window were clearly visible in the sunlight, just like Huo Rou's attitude towards him and An'an – distinct and defined.
Qin Ningyi held the bun An'an had given him and took a bite, feeling somewhat at a loss.
He had little experience interacting with women, and this woman was unusual; she had borne his child.
An'an watched the awkward atmosphere between them and became anxious. He quickly finished his breakfast and came to pull Qin Ningyi.
Qin Ningyi followed An'an to the bathroom by the door. As An'an washed his hands, he asked, "Dad, what's going on? Didn't you say you wanted to live with Mom?"
He had casually answered An'an's question that day, not expecting him to remember it.
Even if he was willing, judging by the current situation, Huo Rou did not seem to be friendly towards him.