Chapter 6.2 (1/2)

Chapter Six (Part 2 of 2)

Despite it was two in the morning, at the hospital there were many people from the Qin household. They all looked either anxious or frivolously waiting. Qin Song’s eyes swept over them coldly, he held Han Ting Ting’s hand and led her to where the largest crowd gathered.

Qin Song and Han Ting Ting found where Zhang Yu sat. Zhang Yu was surrounded by Qin household members from the top of the pyramid hierarchy. Uncles and brothers kept pressing Zhang Yu about the seriousness of Qin Yun’s condition. What those vultures were most concerned about was how it’d affect the change in power and share price of Qin’s company after the state of Qin Yun’s health was publicised.

The carefree and gentleness of Zhang Yu’s usual mood was non-existent. The Zhang Yu that sat in front of those vultures was like a dignified queen from a seventeenth century European oil painting. She sat there calmly, her back straight and ignored the vultures’ questions.

Zhang Yu’s n.o.ble aura made the vultures only dare to surround her from a distance and not one of them dared to use force to intimidate her to answer their questions.

Qin Song was within steps of the crowd’s circle, he halted and withdrew the anguish from his face. He coughed not too light or too heavy. ‘Gentlemen, what are you doing?’

The crowd heard Qin Song and immediately retreated from Zhang Yu’s spot and circled Qin Song. ‘Qin Song! Your father is dying!’

One by one they showed their true colours and Qin Song pursed his lips whilst they ranted.

‘I think we should convene an emergency meeting. Qin’s company cannot become a headless snake!’

‘A public statement needs to be issued. Many reporters have already called and asked about the nature of Qin Yun’s hospitalization.’

Qin Song quietly listened but the hand that held Han Ting Ting’s hand applied more pressure as he endured each of their heartless comments. ‘Uncles, there’s no need to worry. Everything will be dealt with in a satisfactory manner. It’s getting late, everyone should go back to their own homes. Tomorrow I’ll notify everyone if there’s a change in circ.u.mstances.’

Qin Song’s peers relied on their elderly status to bully Qin Song. ‘What would a child like you understand? It’s a critical moment that will affect the livelihood of Qin’s company.’

‘Oh? Uncle, do you have a better suggestion?’ Qin Song said with obvious anger and smiled coldly. ‘I respect you as my elder. But I’m married, no longer a child. Any business relating to Qin’s company, it’s up to me to make the final decision. Uncle’s opinion will not change anything.’

Qin Song knew when to hold back. He silently swept an icy look around the circle and everyone was intimidated by his cold aura.

‘Song Song!’ Zhang Yu called from behind the solemn circle. ‘You can’t speak to your uncles in a disrespectful manner. If your father knew about it then he’ll blame you for not knowing the difference between top to bottom.’

Qin Song laughed faintly and didn’t say anything else.

No one in the crowd dare to offer another opinion. For many years, Qin Song and Li Wei Ran have helped to establish Liang’s company to become a compet.i.tive company on the market. They were secretly happy that Qin Song had no desire to take over Qin’s company. They thought Qin Yun would choose someone from amongst them to be the next head of Qin’s company. But today they witnessed Qin Song’s determination to protect Qin’s company from their clutches and their hopes were dashed. Qin Song was Qin Yun’s legitimate heir and the Zhang household was a powerful force to be reckoned with. Qin Song also had his own merits, he’d achieved fame for his work ethics and drive.

There was a temporary stalemate between the two sides.

Han Ting Ting gently pulled Qin Song’s hand. ‘Song Song, let’s go inside to see dad.’

‘Um,’ Qin Song said and led Han Ting Ting and Zhang Yu into Qin Yun’s hospital room.

Before the senior members of the Qin household were able to ha.s.sle Zhang Yu because there were no guards. As a preventative measure Zhang Yu ordered two chauffers and a butler to guard outside Qin Yun’s hospital room. No outsiders were allowed to come into the room.

After closing the door, Zhang Yu collapsed and cried the tears she’d held in all night.

‘Mum…’ Qin Song said and pulled Zhang Yu up.

Zhang Yu twisted Qin Song’s ear. ‘b.a.s.t.a.r.d!’ Zhang Yu scolded him and cried at the same time. ‘Brat! It’s all your fault for making your dad angry! I hate you!’

Qin Song quietly let Zhang Yu twist his ear until it was on the verge of coming off.

‘Mum, don’t be like that…’ Han Ting Ting said and gently pulled Zhang Yu’s arm. ‘Song Song is sad too. Mum, let go.’

Zhang Yu listened to Han Ting Ting and let go then Zhang Yu sobbed.

Qin Song’s complexion was poor too. He didn’t know what to say. Compared to when he was outside confronting those vultures, inside the room he felt helpless.

A doctor stepped into the room and Qin Song pleaded silently toward Han Ting Ting to look after Zhang Yu. Then he and the doctor went into the living room next door to talk.

‘Yu Yu,’ Qin Yun whispered after Qin Song and the doctor left.

‘I’m here,’ Zhang Yu said gently and wiped her tears before she went to Qin Yun’s bed.

Han Ting Ting followed Zhang Yu. She saw Qin Yun on the bed, pale and weak. But his eyes that looked at Zhang Yu were gentle.

‘Ting Ting, you’re here too?’ Qin Yun asked.

‘Dad!’ Han Ting Ting said in a shaky voice.

‘Um, it’s good you’re here,’ Qin Yun said and nodded.

‘How are you feeling?’ Zhang Yu asked and sat beside him on the bed. She gently stroked his cheek. ‘Smile a bit more.’

Qin Yun held Zhang Yu’s hand and smiled.

‘You scared me to death!’ Zhang Yu gently scolded Qin Yun.

‘I know. I’m sorry,’ Qin Yun said and summoned enough energy to stroke Zhang Yu’s cheek.

The way Qin Yun and Zhang Yu spoke sweetly to one another moved Han Ting Ting deeply. Her eyes and nose stung. Then she quietly left the room to give them privacy.

Inside the hospital the soft lights gave the illusion of a warm spring day. Outside the hospital the night sky was dark and cold. Han Ting Ting carefully closed the door of Qin Yun’s hospital room and heard the soft voices from the living room. When she reached the living room the doctor had left. Qin Song was a lonely statue that stood beside the window.

‘Qin Song!’ Han Ting Ting called. She carefully walked toward Qin Song and stood beside him. ‘What did the doctor day?’

‘The doctor said it’s nothing to worry about,’ Qin Song said weakly that he couldn’t convince himself of the lie.

Han Ting Ting let out a sigh of relief. ‘That’s good… dad’s awake, let’s go see dad.’

Qin Song froze and kept silent.

‘Song Song, don’t be like that,’ Han Ting Ting said.

Han Ting Ting held Qin Song’s hand. ‘You fighting with dad isn’t right. But dad being sick isn’t your fault. Yes, you should apologise. You need to say sorry for opposing your dad over trivial matters. You don’t need to say sorry you caused dad’s illness.’

‘Is that true?’ Qin Song asked softly.

Han Ting Ting nodded her head. ‘Of course!’

‘Um,’ Qin Song said awkwardly and led them to Qin Yun’s bed.

That night Qin Yun and Qin Song talked for a long time. It was nearly dawn, Han Ting Ting from a light sleep heard footsteps and opened her sleepy eyes. She saw Qin Song opened the door of the hospital’s guest room.

‘Um… Song Song, what’s the time?’ Han Ting Ting asked.

‘A quarter past five. Go back to sleep,’ Qin Song said and rubbed ‘little country bun’s’ head.

Then Qin Song sat on the sofa beside the bed. He was tired but his heart felt light.

Qin Yun’s hospital room was an exclusive customised room. It had three bedrooms. The s.p.a.cious main bedroom for the patient, a medium guest bedroom and a smaller guest bedroom. Zhang Yu gave up the medium guest bedroom for the newlyweds so Zhang Yu slept in the smaller guest bedroom. The problem with the medium guest bedroom was that the bed would be a tight squeeze if two people slept on it. Qin Song was adamant he’d curl up on the sofa and Han Ting Ting should take the bed.

Han Ting Ting rubbed her face to wake herself up. Then she got off the bed and pulled Qin Song’s arm. ‘Go sleep on the bed. Let me sleep on the sofa.’

Han Ting Ting’s hair was knotty, her sleepy face was flush pink and her hands pulled Qin Song’s arm like she was pulling a radish out of the ground.

Qin Song laughed. He let Han Ting Ting pull him to the bed. Then he pulled her to sit on the bed next to him.

‘Why don’t we sleep together?’ Qin Song asked teasingly.

Qin Song only wanted to tease ‘little country bun,’ unexpectedly Han Ting Ting thought about it for a while then nodded her head.

‘Um, ok!’ Han Ting Ting said.

Qin Song’s tiredness and the strain of the night made Han Ting Ting’s heart ached. She didn’t want the two of them to be indecisive about who should take the bed all night.

‘Good friends should help each other, regardless of gender,’ Han Ting Ting’s heart whispered.

If ‘little country bun’ was determined to share the bed, Qin Song wasn’t going to disagree. He squeezed into the bed next to Han Ting Ting and covered their bodies with the bed sheet. He couldn’t resist lifting his head, smiled at her and looked at her seductively to tease ‘little country bun.’

Qin Song’s ‘little country bun’ was indeed tensed. Han Ting Ting closed her eyes tightly and slowly inched toward the edge of the bed like a turtle pulling its neck back into its sh.e.l.l.

Qin Song was amused. He poked ‘little country bun’ and caused her to cover her embarra.s.sed face under the bed sheet. The bed was indeed a tight squeeze for the two of them, Han Ting Ting provoked by him almost fell off the bed. Before she could let out a yelp, she held onto his arm to keep herself from falling. He didn’t hesitate to pull her into his chest and adjusted the bed sheet over them.

It was obvious that there were two separate hearts but Qin Song and Han Ting Ting both felt like there was only one heart beating loudly because both their heart beats were in sync continuously.

Qin Song held ‘little country bun’ inside his chest, she was too tensed that she didn’t dare move. He gently brushed his fingers through her soft knotty hair. Their surroundings were eerily quiet. Inside his heart he was secretly happy.

‘I knew it was you… on the night of my birthday, I kissed you,’ Qin Song whispered into Han Ting Ting’s ear.

Qin Song wanted to say that out loud to Han Ting Ting for a long time. It had nothing to do with Chen Yun or the past relating to Qin Sang and Li Wei Ran. That night, when he bent his head to kiss Han Ting Ting, inside his heart it was clear the person he was kissing was no one else but Han Ting Ting. It didn’t matter the gap of his feelings for Han Ting Ting back on that night compared to their night in the hospital, the person he wanted to kiss and did kiss was Han Ting Ting.

The dawn was radiant, a new day filled with love and happiness. Sunlight spread through the room of a pair of newlyweds who held each other tenderly and neither of them knew when they fell into a peaceful sleep.

‘Ting Bao, Ting Bao…’ Ting’s mum called.

Han Ting Ting in her sleepy state thought it was time to wake up to go to work. She rolled over and stretched her arm to hug Putt Putt. Out of habit she leaned her face against Putt Putt’s face. But she felt that there was something strange about Putt Putt’s face, she pinched Putt Putt and heard Putt Putt cried out. Then Putt Putt’s face buried into her chest.

Ting’s mum saw that not only did her daughter loved to sleep in but her daughter also loved to touch and pinch all over her endearing son-in-law’s body whilst sleeping. Ting’s mum couldn’t bear to watch her son-in-law suffer anymore and hit her daughter’s shoulder. ‘Ting Ting! Wake up!’

Han Ting Ting finally forced herself to wake up. She didn’t know in her sleep that she either pushed Qin Song’s body around the bed or wrapped him into her chest and relentlessly tormented him. In the morning she innocently sat up on the bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Qin Song was still sleepy, he half opened his eyes and innocently looked at Han Ting Ting. Afterward he rolled over and went back to sleep. Han Ting Ting’s flushed bright red, gently and carefully climbed over his body then in her wrinkled clothes stepped down the bed.

Ting’s mum covered Qin Song’s body with the bed sheet. Then she pulled her daughter over and scolded softly. ‘Qin Song’s parents woke up long ago. Kiddo, you have no manners.’

Han Ting Ting bent her head and ashamed enough to not say a word.

Ting’s mum rubbed her daughter’s head. ‘Go wash your face. I brought home cooked dishes.’

Han Ting Ting washed her face in the bathroom then walked to Qin Yun’s room. She saw Zhang Yu sat on the sofa beside Qin Yun’s bed. Zhang Yu was happily eating buns Ting’s mum made.

‘Ting Ting, you’re awake,’ Zhang Yu said, smiled and waved to Han Ting Ting to come toward her. ‘Come over here. Your mum’s buns are really delicious!’

Qin Yun reached for a tissue and gently wiped Zhang Yu’s lips.

‘Is Song Song still sleeping?’ Qin Yun asked his daughter-in-law.