Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Yu Jurong leaned against a pillar in the airport waiting hall, his posture casual and relaxed.

When he took a cigarette out of the pack, the airport staff initially wanted to intervene, but seeing that Yu Jurong only held it in his mouth without lighting it, they did not approach.

Shen Tingzhou watched Yu Jurong—this was the first time he had seen him "smoking."

As if sensing his gaze, Yu Jurong looked over, holding the cigarette in his mouth and nodding slightly at Shen Tingzhou as a greeting.

Yu Jurong's composed demeanor left Shen Tingzhou unsure of his purpose for being there.

"Doctor Shen."

He Zitan's voice brought Shen Tingzhou back to reality.

Just as Shen Tingzhou turned his head, He Zitan hugged him tightly, his arms around Shen Tingzhou’s back, conveying a hint of reluctance.

He Zitan whispered in Shen Tingzhou's ear, "I'm leaving; please take care of my mom for me."

"I will," Shen Tingzhou patted He Zitan. "Don't be reckless over there. Call me if anything happens; you're always welcome."

He Zitan relished this concern, nodding vigorously.

After finishing his work call, He Yanting walked over and glanced at his watch. "It's about time."

He said to He Ranjie, "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him."

He Ranjie discreetly wiped her eyes. "Alright, prioritize your safety."

He Yanting acknowledged with a nod.

He Zitan waved goodbye every few steps, saying, "Mom, Doctor Shen, we’re off."

Even after He Zitan and He Yanting passed through security, Yu Jurong remained leaning against the pillar, not coming over to stop them or say goodbye.

Once they were gone, Yu Jurong threw the cigarette in his mouth into the trash and approached them instead.

"Aunt He."

He Ranjie was surprised. "Xiao Yu? What are you doing here?"

"Here to pick up a friend." Yu Jurong asked knowingly. "What about you, Aunt He?"

He Ranjie replied, "I came to see someone off."

Yu Jurong asked, "Was it Zitan? I heard he’s going abroad for work. Didn’t expect him to leave so soon. I was thinking of inviting him out for dinner on the fifteenth."

Shen Tingzhou felt that everyone from Huacheng was quite skilled at acting; the regret on Yu Jurong's face seemed genuine.

Though He Ranjie was reluctant, she said, "Young people, they think work is important."

Yu Jurong smiled lightly. "That’s true, but wherever he goes, he’ll come back someday."

His tone and smile reminded Shen Tingzhou of Scarlett’s words in "Gone with the Wind" after Rhett left—

After all, tomorrow is another day.

After all, this is He Zitan’s home; no matter where he goes or how long he stays, he will eventually return.

So Yu Jurong didn’t feel any sadness over He Zitan’s departure; he gave Shen Tingzhou a sense of always being in control.

After leaving the airport, Shen Tingzhou drove He Ranjie back.

When the car stopped at their destination, He Ranjie didn’t rush to get out and asked Shen Tingzhou, "Is Little Tan dating him?"

Shen Tingzhou nearly choked on his saliva.

Though He Ranjie hadn’t met Yu Jurong many times, she still sensed the subtle atmosphere between him and He Zitan.

Looking at the stunned Shen Tingzhou, He Ranjie said, "Little Tan is quite slow when it comes to feelings."

He wasn’t just slow; Shen Tingzhou had never met anyone more clueless than He Zitan.

He Ranjie sighed, "Being slow has its advantages; at least he won’t get hurt."

Indeed, apart from the He family, no one could hurt He Zitan.

He Ranjie asked again, "Doctor Shen, what do you think of Yu Jurong?"

Shen Tingzhou had mixed feelings about Yu Jurong. "…I can’t really say."

He Ranjie nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Doctor Shen."

Shen Tingzhou quickly added, "You’re welcome, Xiao Tan is my friend."

He Ranjie liked Shen Tingzhou very much. If He Zitan truly liked men, she would hope it would be Shen Tingzhou.

But seeing the ring on Shen Tingzhou’s finger, she didn’t say anything more.

-

When Shen Tingzhou got home, he saw Xu Xun sandwiched between the Steward and Old Lady Fu, petting a cat with his head down.

The moment Shen Tingzhou returned, Xu Xun immediately came out of his zombie-like state, looking at him with a pitiful expression as if he had suffered greatly.

Old Lady Fu laughed. "Oh, his savior is back."

The Steward chimed in, "Doctor Shen, come sit down. Young Master Xiao Dai must have a lot of grievances to share with you."

Shen Tingzhou: …

Because of Su Yu, Shen Tingzhou had perfected the art of feigning ignorance, directly ignoring the jibes as he walked to the old lady's side. "When did you come?"

Madam Fu: "Just now. There were a bunch of boring people at home, so I came over to chat with the Steward."

Steward: "You're welcome anytime. Talking to such an excellent and beautiful lady always brightens my mood."

The old lady beamed with joy. "Indeed, in this family, only the Steward and Tingzhou know how to speak nicely."

The Steward accepted the praise and said, "Another day, I'll teach Young Master Xiao Dai to speak nicely too."

The old lady feigned gratitude. "That would be such a bother for you."

The Steward smiled. "It's my pleasure."

Hearing their back-and-forth, Shen Tingzhou could imagine how much verbal abuse Xu Xun had endured before his return.

It was impressive that the old lady, in her seventies, had traveled all the way here to confront Xu Xun.

Seeing they were about to continue, Xu Xun finally said what they wanted to hear—

"Alright! In a few days, I'll apply for a name change."

As soon as he spoke, the old lady said, "Honestly, only our little Xun is worthy of Tingzhou."

Steward: "Young Master Xiao Xun proposed to Dr. Shen, and Dr. Shen accepted."

Their tone didn't differ from when they were jibing at Xu Xun, but their attitude was worlds apart.

Shen Tingzhou was dumbfounded and amazed.

Xu Xun wasn't surprised at all; he remained expressionless as he took Shen Tingzhou's hand and led him upstairs.

The old lady praised, "Look at how agile little Xun is."

Steward agreed: "Young Master Xiao Xun was not only good at basketball in school but also excellent at skiing."

Shen Tingzhou was once again dumbfounded and amazed.

-

The voices of the Steward and the old lady gradually faded away as Xu Xun closed the door after entering the room.

Seeing Xu Xun lower his eyes, Shen Tingzhou reached out to rub his face. "You've been wronged."

Xu Xun seized every opportunity to act cute in front of Shen Tingzhou and immediately buried his face in Shen Tingzhou's neck.

Shen Tingzhou felt a surge of guilt. "From now on, I'll practice my eloquence and try to hold my own against them."

Facing a master of passive-aggressive remarks, Shen Tingzhou felt it was already quite an achievement to have a back-and-forth.

Xu Xun lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes fixed on Shen Tingzhou. "I'm already very happy that you said that."

Shen Tingzhou, fed a mouthful of green tea, couldn't help but kiss Xu Xun's eyelids.

The orange cat napping on the balcony came over to beg for food, but Xu Xun quickly pushed it away.

The cat persisted and brushed its tail against Shen Tingzhou's leg.

Feeling the furry touch, Shen Tingzhou's eyes lit up, and he picked up the cat. "Hungry?"

Xu Xun said, "Spring is coming; it must be in heat."

Shen Tingzhou glanced at the neutered orange cat. "Isn't it already neutered?"

Xu Xun took the cat from Shen Tingzhou. "Then it must be acting crazy."

Shen Tingzhou: ?

Xu Xun carried the cat outside and turned to see Shen Tingzhou looking at him puzzled. He approached and rubbed his face against Shen Tingzhou's.

Shen Tingzhou chuckled and patted his knee. "Lie down here; I'll clean your ears."

Xu Xun obediently lay down.

-

On Monday morning, Shen Tingzhou received a call from the landlord's old lady.

Last time, when Shen Tingzhou's house had a burst pipe and accidentally flooded the neighbors below, he had directly given the landlord a compensation payment, leaving her to hire a renovation team.

Now that the house was renovated, the old lady called Shen Tingzhou to verify the bills.

Shen Tingzhou trusted the old lady's character, having dealt with her before.

"There's no need to check the bills. You said we'd settle any difference, so just send me the total amount. If it's less, I'll transfer the remaining balance."

The landlord's old lady spoke with a local accent. "No can do, even brothers should keep accounts clear. I'm not someone who doesn't understand things; we must check."

Shen Tingzhou had no choice but to drive over.

The old lady had redecorated the living room and handed him a bill.

"This part is due to the water leakage from your house. This part is what I wanted to do myself—I paid for these walls and wallpapers. Look, I even added window guards. If another tenant tries to jump, I'll be scared to death."

It was understandable that the old lady was still concerned about that incident; even Shen Tingzhou had been shocked.

After verifying the bills, the old lady needed to refund Shen Tingzhou more than 1,200 yuan.

Shen Tingzhou initially didn't want to accept it, but the old lady insisted and transferred the exact amount.

"As the saying goes, 'An old person who doesn't die is a thief.' I'm not that kind of person who takes advantage of others. It's exactly what it should be."

Shen Tingzhou explained, "I feel that you often come here to supervise, which is hard work. Keeping the thousand yuan would be reasonable."

The elderly landlady exclaimed, "What hardship is this? If doing a little bit of work like this counts as suffering, then those renovation workers must be eating bitter gourd every day. Let me tell you, I know good people when I see them. The dried and fresh goods you sent me are so expensive; I remember your kindness in my heart."

"Listen to what this old lady says, put away the money. Young people shouldn't be so extravagant; earning money is hard."

Shen Tingzhou chuckled, "Alright."

The elderly landlady lowered her voice and leaned closer, "If you break up, remember to tell me. I'll introduce you to plenty of great men. Don't worry, they'll match you in looks and wealth."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Now Shen Tingzhou was glad he hadn't brought Xu Xun with him.

The elderly landlady lectured Shen Tingzhou, "Young people like you should talk more. Talking more will prevent you from being deceived like Xiao Kang."

Xiao Kang referred to Kang Qiqiao, the landlady's previous tenant.

Kang Qiqiao, who almost jumped off the building here, served as a negative example. Just as they were discussing this, the main character unexpectedly arrived.

Seeing Kang Qiqiao at the door, the elderly landlady couldn't close her mouth.

She patted her chest and scolded, "You scared me! Why did you suddenly come out?"

Kang Qiqiao looked much better than before, still slim but not as pale and weak as before.

Seeing that he had startled the landlady, Kang Qiqiao felt a bit embarrassed, "I came to get some things. I mentioned it to you a few days ago."

Last time he left, Kang Qiqiao didn't take everything with him.

His rent wasn't due until the end of the month, and besides getting his things, he was also returning the keys to the landlady.

The elderly landlady hit her head, "I forgot about this. You came just in time. This old lady won't take advantage of you; the rent will be calculated until the day you left."

Kang Qiqiao was taken aback and waved his hand, "No need, no need."

"Just take it. Live well. Whatever troubles you have, don't scare your grandpa like last time." The landlady asked with concern, "Those two haven't been bothering you again, right?"

She was referring to Yan Xun and Jiang Chengyan.

One was Kang Qiqiao's ex-husband, and the other had once taken advantage of him while he was drunk...

Mentioning the incident with the jump, Kang Qiqiao looked embarrassed and shook his head, "No."

Shen Tingzhou stepped in to smooth things over and asked, "Did you come alone?"

Kang Qiqiao pursed his lips, "Li Yang came with me."

Shen Tingzhou remembered Li Yang, a brother complex rival to He Zitan.

Unlike He Zitan, who had super-high combat skills, Li Yang used his brain. He designed a situation where Yan Xun and Jiang Chengyan stabbed each other in a hotel.

After Jiang Chengyan injured Yan Xun, the police took him away.

Shen Tingzhou had specifically followed this case. Yan Xun had one kidney removed, classified as a serious injury, but Jiang Chengyan refused to seek a settlement and was sentenced to three years.

Hearing that the two hadn't bothered Kang Qiqiao anymore, Shen Tingzhou felt relieved.

The things Kang Qiqiao had left behind weren't many, and Shen Tingzhou helped him carry them downstairs.

Li Yang waited in the car outside. He had poor health and easily caught colds during winter, so he didn't get out of the car.

Seeing them emerge, Li Yang opened the car door, his gaze shifting from Kang Qiqiao to Shen Tingzhou, "Mr. Shen."

Noticing his poor complexion, Shen Tingzhou showed concern, "How's your health?"

Li Yang smiled faintly, "It's an old problem."

Seeing Kang Qiqiao walk around to the back of the car to put the things in the trunk, he coughed a few times, his voice hoarse, "I can hold on for a few more years. At least until he gets out of prison before I die."

This "he" likely referred to Jiang Chengyan.

Shen Tingzhou felt a chill run down his spine.

Li Yang laughed gently, looking very mild-mannered, "I'm joking, Mr. Shen. What could someone like me do?"

Shen Tingzhou felt he could do quite a lot, but he didn't say it aloud.

With Kang Qiqiao's return, Shen Tingzhou's conversation with Li Yang ended.

"Thank you for your help today, Mr. Shen." Kang Qiqiao offered, "Do you have time for lunch? I'd like to treat you."

Shen Tingzhou politely declined, "I have plans with Xiao Xu for lunch."

Kang Qiqiao didn't insist, "Then we'll be going. If you ever visit my hometown with Mr. Xu, you're welcome. Although our economy isn't developed, the scenery is beautiful."

Shen Tingzhou gladly accepted, "Sure, I'll call you if we go. We'll definitely trouble you then."

Kang Qiqiao was delighted that Shen Tingzhou considered him a friend.

In the car, Li Yang started coughing, seemingly catching a cold, and it got worse.

Kang Qiqiao glanced at him and then said to Shen Tingzhou, "We'll be going now."

"Close the door quickly; it's chilly today," Shen Tingzhou instructed, "Make sure he drinks plenty of hot water and rests."

Kang Qiqiao nodded, "I understand. Goodbye, Mr. Shen."

Watching the two leave, Shen Tingzhou was about to go when he saw Li Muye wrap his arm around Song Qingning's waist and lift her up.

Shen Tingzhou: !!!