Chapter 186

Chapter 186

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

The only sound in the ward came from the cold medical equipment.

Xie Tianqi was still waiting.

Only after a long time did his gaze move from the doorway back to Xie Qiyan.

He seemed to have so much he wanted to say, but when he looked deeply at Xie Qiyan, there was only endless regret and reluctance in his eyes.

In the end, all those emotions became a single, silent apology.

I’m sorry.

Xie Qiyan read the words on his lips.

Faced with Xie Qiyan’s indifference, Xie Tianqi began to cry again. His breaths grew weaker and weaker. With great difficulty, he lifted his fingers, still trying to pull off the ventilator.

He did not dare hope for forgiveness.

He knew he did not deserve it.

Knowing that he did not have much time left, he was afraid it would be too late, afraid he would never have another chance.

Stubbornly, he wanted to say one last thing.

“I want… to see…”

“I’m… sorry…”

He wanted to see Yao Qin, to see her one last time, to tell her he was sorry with his own mouth.

His weak, muffled voice came through the ventilator. The doctor held him down, refusing to let Xie Tianqi move the equipment on his own.

But he struggled fiercely.

The Old Master could not bear to watch the scene. He looked at Xie Qiyan with eyes that were almost pleading. “Ayan, I want to call your mother…”

The outgoing call rang for ten seconds before it was answered, but before the Old Master could speak, Liu Shubai’s irritable voice came from the other end. “What are you rushing us for? Ah Yao is sleeping.”

The call was mercilessly hung up again.

From the sound of it, she had no intention of coming.

Xie Qiyan avoided the Old Master’s gaze.

He would not interfere with Yao Qin’s decision.

If not for the Old Master’s sake, he would not have come either.

“The patient’s heart is failing and he has fallen unconscious. His blood pressure is dropping rapidly…”

“Begin emergency resuscitation immediately!”

“Prepare the defibrillator!”

“Family members, leave at once…”

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly turned urgent. The abrupt turn of events left everyone’s minds blank for a brief moment, and everyone except the medical staff was ushered out.

The closed door cut them off.

During that brief minute, Xie Qiyan stared fixedly at the door.

Then the door opened again.

The doctor removed his mask and, with a heavy expression, announced the clinical death notice.

“The patient suffered repeated cardiac failure due to stimulation. Resuscitation was unsuccessful, and he has passed away…”

“Please accept our condolences.”

The words had barely fallen when a familiar figure suddenly appeared around the corner of the corridor.

Yao Qin stopped in her tracks. Her body swayed faintly, and then she sank into a long silence.

“Mom.” Worried about her health, Xie Qiyan stepped forward to support her while frowning at Liu Shubai.

The phone call had clearly made it sound like she was not coming.

Liu Shubai understood the meaning of that glance and explained, “Dragging someone here in the middle of the night-your mother’s body can’t take that. I let her keep sleeping in the car. Is there a problem?”

After the doctor announced the death notice, the Old Master broke down in tears.

Who was there to blame?

It was nothing but retribution.

Among the rest of the Xie Family, Xie An was the most visibly shaken. They surged inside in a crowd to see Xie Tianqi one last time.

For a while, the scene was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

It was then that Yao Qin came back to herself and said faintly, “It’s fine.”

“It’s fine…” she murmured, yet her body collapsed downward.

Xie Qiyan and Liu Shubai caught her at the same time.

Tears slid silently down her face, but she was smiling. “Maybe… this is just our fate.”

Never seeing each other again in this life meant they truly would never meet again.

Many years ago, she had wanted to see him but could not.

Many years later, he had wanted to see her, but life and death now stood between them, and they would never meet again.

–

Seven days later, Xie Tianqi’s funeral was held at the cemetery.

The rain was not too heavy. Xie Qiyan held an umbrella, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Whatever father-son affection he had once had for Xie Tianqi had long since been worn away by years of neglect.

Hou Mengqiu had taken Xie An away on the day Xie Tianqi passed. Xie An did not attend the funeral. Perhaps from now on, Xie An would never appear before the Xie Family again.

From then on, there would be no more Xie An.
The Old Master had been hit hard by Xie Tianqi’s passing and ended up hospitalized. Half a month later, once some color finally returned to his face, he was discharged.

The April sun was warm and gentle, and the flowers were in full bloom. In the blink of an eye, Grain Rain had arrived.

Grain Rain was the final solar term of spring.

Which meant Start of Summer was not far off.

As usual, Xia Wanzhi’s Studio was flooded with orders around April and May. Spring was turning into summer, and with the drowsiness of spring and the fatigue of summer came restless sleep and vivid dreams.

The more strange and fantastical dreams people had, the more of them came to Xia Wanzhi to have their dreams painted and interpreted.

That evening, Xie Qiyan came to pick Xia Wanzhi up from work as he always did.

Only this time, he brought Yao Qin with him.

“Don’t disturb Wanzi.” Yao Qin caught hold of Xie Qiyan, who had been about to step forward, and stopped a short distance away. Through the glass door, she watched Xia Wanzhi’s busy figure, making no attempt to hide the smile in her eyes.

Xie Qiyan chuckled. “Well? The wife I found for myself isn’t bad, right?”

After spending more time together, Xie Qiyan and Yao Qin had grown increasingly natural around each other. Mother and son understood each other without words. Even after so many years apart, Yao Qin still had a fairly accurate grasp of what kind of person her son was.

That mouth of his had taken after his great-grandmother.

Sharp-tongued and just begging for a smack.

Yao Qin laughed softly and teased, “She’s far more than ‘not bad.’ Marrying her is a blessing for our whole family.”

Xie Qiyan only smiled without replying. After watching his wife a little longer and satisfying his craving, he finally took Yao Qin to the Sky Garden nearby.

Strictly speaking, they should have come much earlier, but Xie Tianqi’s matter had delayed them.

During that period, Yao Qin had been in no mood for anything. It was only recently that she had begun to feel a little better.

The moment the enclosed door was pushed open, the spring breeze high above the city rushed toward them. A garden full of spring colors filled their vision. Yao Qin stood stunned for a long while, unable to find words to describe the incomparable beauty before her.

Almost immediately, she remembered that Xia Wanzhi had once mentioned a Sky Garden back when they were in Ireland.

After returning to China, Xia Wanzhi had also, intentionally or not, brought up the idea of having her and Xie Qiyan go somewhere.

That place was here.

Xie Qiyan circled behind Yao Qin and gently pushed her forward with both hands. “Do you like it? This is the gift we prepared for you.”

Yao Qin’s eyes instantly reddened.

“This is also the place where your daughter-in-law proposed to me,” Xie Qiyan said with a sly smile.

He had not even taken down the decorations Xia Wanzhi had arranged for the proposal.

Yao Qin was amused by his smugness and laughed. After looking around for a while, she finally stopped in front of a flourishing asparagus fern in a pot.

“After you and Wanzi hold your wedding, I want to go back to Nancheng.” This was the first time Yao Qin had taken the initiative to tell Xie Qiyan what she wanted.

There was a small courtyard in Nancheng, the courtyard where Yao Qin had lived since childhood.

Xie Qiyan knew what Yao Qin was thinking. He barely hesitated. “I’ll agree if Uncle Liu goes with you.”

Yao Qin merely smiled and said nothing more.

Before they left, she gently held Xie Qiyan’s hand, her voice soft. “I like your gift very much.”

Just as she had many years ago, when her Little Ah Yan had offered her what he believed to be the most wonderful thing in the world, she responded to him earnestly and tenderly.

The wedding proposal plan was finally settled on its final version. The custom wedding rings, gown, and shoes had all been delivered to Qingcheng Villa before May arrived.

To prepare for this grand wedding, Xia Yongqing and Rose had also returned to the country early to help with everything.

The elders bustled in and out, while Xia Wanzhi herself was so busy she could barely tell north from south.

May was the Studio’s busiest month for orders, and once Xia Wanzhi threw herself into work, she had a tendency to become obsessed. She nearly missed the time she and Xie Qiyan had agreed on to go choose the final versions of their wedding photos.

She had thought Xie Qiyan would be a little upset and had already prepared herself to coax him. But when she turned around, she caught Xie Qiyan looking at her with utter bliss, completely absorbed.

Even more absorbed than she was when she worked.

“What are you looking at?” Xia Wanzhi asked with a teasing smile.

“My wife.” Xie Qiyan held out a hand to her. “Bag.”

Xia Wanzhi handed it over with practiced ease. “Thank you, little assistant.”

“You’re very welcome. Your little assistant is at your service twenty-four hours a day.” Assistant Xie held her bag in one hand and his boss’s hand in the other, then happily led her out the door.