Although she had received Old Master Wan’s assurance, Chuxia couldn’t truly settle down in her heart. She wanted to see Zhou Mikang, but no visits were allowed during the quarantine inspection period, and she didn’t feel right troubling Elder Wan any further, so she forced down the anxiety in her heart and sat at the piano to practice the advance—pretending to be adequate even when you’re not, right?
Strangely enough, after tinkering with the piano for a while, she actually calmed down and couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly to herself. Indeed, what you’ve lost always seems the best.
When she faced it every day in the past, had the piano ever had such an effect? Thinking that Old Master Zhou and the others were still worried, she got up quickly, notified Elder Wan, Lin Baohe, and Zhao Yulan, and ran out.
After the door closed, Old Master Wan shook his head helplessly. He had seen through Chuxia’s thoughts long ago but, when it came to taking a stand, he couldn’t interfere too much, lest it be misunderstood that he was helping an old friend to gain favor.
In fact, what he was doing already led to misunderstandings, yet he didn’t mind that. What mattered most was not to let Old Master Zhou think he was pressuring the Zhou family.
Ensuring Zhou Mikang’s safety was a priority, but only under the premise that the Zhou family would reflect deeply upon the situation. Of course, the guarantee for Zhou Mikang’s safety was indeed for Chuxia’s sake.
After a serious illness, this girl seemed to have forgotten some things, but he could never forget.
He would always remember being left at the door after that winter’s struggle session. If it hadn’t been for the girl bringing him a bowl of hot water and dragging him into the house, he might now be under a mound of yellow earth.
It was after that incident that he began inviting the girl to his home to play. Initially, she was timid and unwilling to get close, but later, lured by food, she warmed up to him.
After spending more time together, he realized she was actually a spoiled child. He had purposefully asked her why she had helped him, and her response was that she feared dead bodies. She passed by his door every day, so she insisted he couldn’t die.
A rather absurd answer, but if she saved him, it was fate, and he had to recognize the kindness.
Latter, after falling gravely ill, when he invited her in again, her gaze was no longer timid but instead held a hint of estrangement.
He tested the waters and found out she seemed to have forgotten certain things. But what of it? She was still his benefactor, and that was something he could not deny or forget.
So he reestablished a relationship with her and found she had become more sensible than before, and her interests had changed drastically. She was even extremely fascinated by the books in his room.
He appreciated this change, and since the political climate had improved with no one watching him anymore, he spent his time in Dalin Village quite leisurely. When he played the piano or played chess alone, she would sit quietly beside him with a book in hand.
Later, after being exonerated and departing, when his own daughter argued with him unpleasantly, he would often recall that period and even hoped his own daughter would undergo a transformative change akin to Xiao Chuxia’s rebirth from the ashes.
Unfortunately, to this day, his hopes hadn’t been realized, with his daughter even refusing to acknowledge him as her father.
He had thought about visiting Xiao Chuxia, but his identity was too sensitive. With the political situation still unclear, he didn’t want to complicate the girl’s peaceful life.
When the national college entrance examination was reinstated a while ago, he had considered bringing the girl over for tutoring after the New Year, so she could participate in next year’s exams.
Who would have thought he would meet her again so soon?
And Xiao Chuxia was even married, to someone from the Zhou family no less!
What kind of fate was this?
Honestly, had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it if someone else had told him. What kind of background did the Zhou family have, and the gap was so wide—a country girl actually married into the Zhou family!
It was also because of this reason that when he heard Xiao Chuxia’s name and saw that she truly was the Xiao Chuxia he knew, he made the decision without hesitation to acknowledge her as his god-daughter.
For someone with his temperament, this was an extraordinary move.
Others might think he was doing it for the Zhou family, but in truth, he was repaying a kindness.
When he called an old friend the day before yesterday, the friend was surprised, saying it didn’t seem like something he would do. He couldn’t deceive an old friend, nor could he let the old friend be mistaken, so he told him the truth.
Since then, the old friend has been helping to protect the Zhou family on his behalf.
Otherwise, how could the guards for Zhou Mikang and Zhou Jingping have been swapped out so swiftly for those from a neutral faction? However influential the old friend was, there’s a limit to reach.