Huo Rou, walking ahead, looked back with concern. To ease her worry, Chen Long temporarily set aside the topic and approached her with the smile of an elder.
Chen Guochao had been paying attention to their situation. Seeing Qin Ningyi's expression, he could roughly guess what Chen Long had said to him. The Qin family patriarch's plea back then had put them in an extremely difficult position.
Loyalty and affection, which weighs more? Who could truly tell?
He was a simpleton, unsure of what a clever person like Qin Ningyi would do…
As he was pondering, Qin Ningyi had already arrived by his side.
"You know what the situation is, don't you?"
Qin Ningyi didn't even look at his face; his tone was certain.
Chen Guochao opened his mouth, and Qin Ningyi continued, "Is it related to the reason you distanced yourself from us back then?"
Yes.
Chen Guochao fell silent. Did this head of his need to speak?
No!
Seeing his silence, Qin Ningyi had already received his answer.
Back then, Chen Long was also Huo Jinyi's副队长 (fù duìzhǎng - deputy team leader). A man who hated evil and was full of passion.
His original intention for not wanting Huo Rou to be with him was still for Huo Rou's own good. This matter, if it unfolded as expected, should also be related to his grandfather's plea.
Judging by the timeline, Chen Guochao distancing himself and Chen Long moving out of the compound likely happened around that time.
Having figured this out, Qin Ningyi felt a sense of relief.
If it was because of this, then the problem could be resolved soon.
"Xiao You, are you here because of that kid's injury?" Chen Long squinted his eyes.
"Sort of." Huo Rou lowered her gaze, pondering. She felt something important was being overlooked.
"Wuyou is also injured. Two important patients were placed in his lab, and someone targeted him to silence them." Huo Rou thought. Could what she felt was overlooked be this?
But she had indeed planned to visit Shen Wuyou!
"That child Xiao Shen is very upright!" Chen Long said with great approval when speaking of Shen Wuyou. "Is he recuperating here?"
He should indeed go and see. When Huo Rou was in the special department, he was the doctor in charge. He had heard his voice on the phone; he was someone who spent a lot of time with Huo Rou.
Alright, for Shen Wuyou's sake, and because Qin Ningyi was injured on his way to pick up Huo Rou, he would put on a smile again.
Chen Long grinned and turned back, "Hurry, let's take the elevator."
Chen Guochao shuddered at his smile and quickly "carried" Qin Ningyi towards the elevator.
This smile, apart from his mother and Huo Rou, he was not worthy of receiving.
In the elevator, the four of them looked at each other, the atmosphere somewhat stagnant.
Chen Guochao scratched his head, "Dad, why was catching the BDD so smooth today? Did you plant a spy?"
It was too awkward, so he tried to find a topic.
Chen Long rolled his eyes, "I've studied them for decades, what do you think?"
Speaking of this, he hit Chen Guochao's chest with a fist, full of disappointment. "You have the nerve to say, they haven't improved at all. You made such a mess of it, didn't you think before leaving home?"
"I..."
He had clearly thought.
"From childhood to adulthood, your sister has had to worry about everything for you! It's time for you to protect her, you can't just take a bullet for her at the last moment, can you?"
"I... I thank you."
Listening to the father and son bicker, Qin Ningyi could roughly imagine what Huo Rou's life had been like in the Chen family for the past decade or so.
He looked at Huo Rou, who was smiling calmly, her eyes full of warmth.
It was good. Time had been kind to the girl he wanted to cherish.
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair from Huo Rou's face behind her ear. They looked at each other and smiled, the moment serene and beautiful.
Chen Long, seeing this out of the corner of his eye, felt an inexpressible complexity.
Fortunately, the elevator had arrived. The doors opened, and a cold wind blew in, dispelling the warmth.
The guard at the elevator entrance saw Qin Ningyi, canceled his alert, and moved aside. "Please."
"Xiao Qin, you go to the doctor first..." Chen Long's words were cut short by two small figures rushing over.
Amidst barking sounds, a clear and crisp voice exclaimed with immense excitement, "Mom! Mom, you're finally back!"
Huh? Mom?!