Chapter 783 - 752: True Friends
Elder Qiao said, "Once Rulong recovers, I will suggest he withdraw from Hua Tou. He has always liked business—it was my idea to make him give it up. From now on, he can do as he pleases and pursue what he enjoys. Over the years, he’s built up a considerable estate, half of which belongs to Qingya."
Elder Ye replied, "Qingya wouldn’t want it, and neither would the Ye Family. Even if the two of them split, Qingya should be the one to bring it up."
Both understood that if Qiao Rulong and Ye Qingya decided to separate, it would mean far more than just a divorce; it would signify the end of the alliance between the Qiao and Ye families.
Elder Qiao sighed, "Looking back now, many things are predestined; no matter how you try to avoid them, you can’t escape."
Elder Ye said, "There’s nothing worth avoiding. At our age, there’s nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. When it’s time to let go, just let go. Whether you admit it or not, you’re not the kind to accept aging."
Elder Qiao responded, "Who says I don’t accept it? I just have too many worries and am unwilling to resign myself to fate. What happened to Rulong made me see things more clearly."
Elder Ye looked at him, his expression skeptical.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Suppose—I mean, hypothetically—your precious grandson makes a full recovery."
Elder Qiao said, "There’s no ’suppose’."
Elder Ye said, "He hasn’t given up yet, but it seems you already have."
Elder Qiao understood that his old friend didn’t want this marriage to end, and neither did he—even maintaining appearances was better than divorce.
As the one at fault, Qiao Rulong would surely want to keep the marriage going. However, the key issue wasn’t with him but with Ye Qingya. If she insisted on separating, no one could intervene.
Elder Ye and Elder Qiao, although not discussing specific matters, understood each other’s thoughts. It seemed Elder Qiao had given up on supporting Qiao Rulong, subtly indicating he would use his influence to help Ye Changyuan as compensation to the Ye Family.
Elder Ye was clear about what his old friend wanted but made no promises. He decided to leave the final choice to his granddaughter. As he had just said, when people age, it’s time to let go.
They were both incredibly strong-willed individuals. In the past, Elder Ye would not have been so calm, but a recent illness had changed him significantly.
When Xu Chuan arrived, Elder Ye was working with wood in the tool room, a hobby of his.
Seeing the various wooden creations in the tool room, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but praise, "Wow, I didn’t know you had these skills!"
Elder Ye chuckled, "There are many things you don’t know." He picked up a large wooden bowl he was polishing to show Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan said, "Impressive—even if Lu Ban came back to life, he wouldn’t be any better."
Elder Ye replied, "That’s obviously flattery. I worked in a woodworking factory when I was young, learned a few skills, and do this in my spare time. This set of tools was bought by Rulong for me, though I haven’t used them in a while. Once I finish this bowl, I’ll give it to you."
"You should give me a metal rice bowl for good luck."
Elder Ye laughed heartily, "You’ve got some nerve. Why not ask for a golden bowl?"
Xu Chuan replied, "I still have some self-awareness. A golden bowl that big is too heavy; I’m afraid I can’t lift it."
Elder Ye told him to look around as he pleased and continued polishing the large bowl.
Xu Chuan touched this and picked up that, saying, "You’ve got a lot of creations here. This vase is nice too."
Elder Ye said, "I’ve promised that vase to Qingya, so don’t even think about it."
"Alright, a gentleman doesn’t covet what others love."
"I heard Rulong had his surgery at your hospital."
Xu Chuan corrected, "My former hospital. I’ve moved to the Bureau of Culture and Tourism."
Elder Ye said, "With such medical skills, why leave healing to work at the culture and tourism bureau? Young people should be steadfast, hard-working, and not just think about enjoying themselves."
Xu Chuan laughed, "Do you think I went to the bureau just to play? Not at all. The Bureau of Culture and Tourism is more exhausting than the hospital. I wasn’t treating patients there but managing things."
Elder Ye stopped his work and placed the large bowl on the shelf, then pointed to his teacup.
Xu Chuan helped bring over the teacup. Elder Ye took off his gloves, accepted the cup, and took a sip. "So today you say there’s a chance for Qiao Rulong to fully recover?"
Xu Chuan said, "There’s certainly a big possibility. I heard from his surgeon today that his recovery is excellent. There’s been almost no rejection after the transplant, which is quite rare in organ transplants."
Elder Ye said, "So his luck is quite good."
Xu Chuan said, "Typically, only identical twins have such smooth organ transplants because their genes, and therefore expressed surface antigens, are almost identical, so the body doesn’t recognize the organ as foreign, resulting in almost no immune rejection. The chance of this happening between unrelated individuals is very slim—reportedly less than one in a million—but it really did happen. You could say he’s passed the toughest hurdle."
Elder Ye nodded, already confident in Xu Chuan’s medical skills. Now it seemed Qiao Rulong’s luck wasn’t bad either. Surviving such a severe car accident and receiving a heart transplant in such a short time, with a perfectly matched donor heart and without severe rejection, was extraordinary.
Elder Ye suddenly remembered a saying: After calamity comes fortune. If Qiao Rulong were to have fortune after this, wouldn’t it mean that the Qiao Family’s luck hadn’t run out?
Elder Ye said, "Did you have any particular thoughts when you told me that today?"
Xu Chuan laughed, "Whatever thoughts I have, I can’t hide them from you."
"Stop playing tricks with me. You know everything. You said that merely to tell me there’s still hope for Qiao Rulong, and that you’re siding with the Qiao Family."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’m just an observer, and I have no right to meddle in your family affairs. However, I feel that it’s better to destroy ten temples than to ruin a marriage. Qiao Rulong is, after all, Mei Ru Xue’s brother. If I can help, I will. I just can’t stand by and do nothing."
Elder Ye shook his head and said, "You can’t help."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’d rather not know about this. If it gets out someday, others could suspect me."
"Chunliang, if you were Qiao Rulong, what would you do?"
"Please spare me, sir. Let’s not make such assumptions, as there’s no possibility of that."
"Then tell me, from an observer’s perspective, how do you see Qingya and Rulong’s relationship?"
Xu Chunliang thought for a moment and said, "Mutual respect."
Elder Ye found those four words extremely appropriate and couldn’t help but sigh, "I really don’t want Qingya to be hurt."
Xu Chunliang said, "This isn’t about what you want or not. Whatever’s meant to come will come eventually."
Ye Qingya returned to the hospital room and found someone visiting Qiao Rulong. Surprisingly, it was Wang Jiancheng.
"Sister-in-law, I just got back from abroad, and I’ve already heard about Brother Rulong’s situation." Wang Jiancheng’s expression was full of sympathy.
Ye Qingya didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. She had been extremely exhausted both physically and mentally these days. She didn’t want any visitors, but she had to maintain a façade of politeness. She forced a slight smile and said, "He’s fine."
Wang Jiancheng said, "I just spoke to Brother Rulong on the phone."
"Did you see Xiaoxue?" Ye Qingya believed Wang Jiancheng’s visit wasn’t just to see Qiao Rulong.
Wang Jiancheng shook his head, "Is she in Dongzhou too?" From his words, it was clear he wasn’t aware of Mei Ru Xue’s situation.
Ye Qingya said, "She should be coming soon. She went to the accident squad to handle some procedures today."
Wang Jiancheng said, "I heard Qi Shuang was also in the car."
Ye Qingya was taken aback and looked up at Wang Jiancheng. He coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, "Sister-in-law, is there anything I can help with?"
Ye Qingya said, "Do you know her?"
"I’ve met her. She’s the CFO of He Dong Group and seems to have some business dealings with Brother Long."
Ye Qingya didn’t respond, still staring into Wang Jiancheng’s eyes. He blinked, looking even more uneasy.
Ye Qingya said, "Her name wasn’t mentioned in the initial accident report."
"Really?"
"Jiancheng, are you hiding something from me?"
"Sister-in-law, don’t misunderstand. Don’t listen to outside rumors."
"Wang Jiancheng, are you my friend?" Ye Qingya knew him even before she met Qiao Rulong.
Wang Jiancheng said, "I truly don’t know. I’ve known Qi Shuang for quite some time, maybe four or five years ago. She once interned at Mingsheng Investment. I thought she was quite pretty back then, but after her internship, she went to North America for further studies."
Ye Qingya nodded, "So you’ve known her for a while."
Wang Jiancheng smiled wryly, "Don’t overthink it. I trust Brother Rulong’s character."
Ye Qingya said, "Thank you for coming to see him. It’s good that he has a friend like you."
Wang Jiancheng pursed his lips and said softly, "I’m also worried about you."
Ye Qingya said indifferently, "Xiaoxue is here."
Mei Ru Xue was also surprised to see Wang Jiancheng. She had made things clear enough with him. Given Wang Jiancheng’s status, he wouldn’t pester her. The only plausible explanation was that he came specifically to see her brother.
However, the Qiao family had tightly controlled information about her brother’s condition. Other than the Qiao and Ye families, outsiders were unaware of the exact details. Wang Jiancheng’s arrival was therefore unexpected. Given his family background, he should know that it’s not appropriate to visit at such a sensitive time.
Mei Ru Xue silently pondered Wang Jiancheng’s motives but remained polite on the surface as she greeted him.
Wang Jiancheng offered some words of comfort to Mei Ru Xue, reminding her to take care of her health and to ask for his help if needed—something he had mentioned to Ye Qingya earlier.
Mei Ru Xue said, "Thank you for your concern, but there’s nothing I need your help with."
Mei Ru Xue’s direct refusal left Wang Jiancheng in an awkward position once again.
Wang Jiancheng said, "Alright, I have to go now. If you need my help, call me anytime."
Mei Ru Xue said, "Who told you about my brother’s situation?"
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