When Xia Zhe pushed open the door and entered the room, he happened to witness the scene of Qiao Qiang scolding Xia Jun. He immediately regretted barging in so hastily.
“Look, I still can’t win against you!” Xia Jun said resignedly.
“Hmph, when have you ever beaten me? You’ve never beaten me before,” Qiao Qiang said with a cold snort.
“Grandfather, are you playing chess?” Xia Zhe said with a smile.
Qiao Qiang looked up in disdain and totally ignored Xia Zhe. He turned around and gave Xia Zhe the cold shoulder. Xia Jun spread his hands out at Xia Zhe, indicating that there was nothing he could do. Looking at Qiao Qiang’s attitude now, it looked as if no one would be able to coax him.
“Grandfather, I came back in a hurry this time and didn’t bring you anything. My friend has some good Pu’er tea. I’ll bring some for you to try the next time I come,” Xia Zhe said.
“The next time you come? Am I supposed to stay in this hospital for the rest of my life? Are you going to make me stay here until I die of old age!” Qiao Qiang roared angrily.
“No, no! That’s not what I mean!” Xia Zhe quickly explained.
“Alright, alright. The two of you should just leave. Don’t keep appearing in front of me anymore and making me annoyed. Come and see me only when you’ve caught the culprit! Since you have so much free time, you should go and capture him!” Qiao Qiang said.
Xia Jun waved his hand to ask Xia Zhe to go out quickly. He was here to take care of things. If Xia Zhe provoked Qiao Qiang now, he would keep getting nasty scoldings.
Xia Zhe retreated silently and left the ward. He stood in the corridor and looked at the door of Qiao Mei’s ward. He felt like going in to see Qiao Mei again, but the urgency of the situation meant that he had to endure it for a while longer. Once the culprit was caught, their little family would be able to reunite again.
Xia Fang drove back to the Xia family residence with Xia Zhe. Along the way, Xia Zhe remained silent. He slowly tried to connect all the information he already knew but there were still many parts that were incomplete. He knew that when he reached home later, Xia Mao would show him the intelligence reports. Perhaps he would be able to connect all the dots then.
Xu Lan and Xia He were cleaning up the house. The house was in a mess and they did not have time to look for someone to replace Sister Fan, so they had to do all the chores themselves. Suddenly, they could hear the sound of a car outside the door. Xu Lan looked out warily and Luo Yu also asked everyone to be on guard. Luo Yu felt at ease only when he saw that the approaching car’s plate number belonged to the Xia family.
“Xia Zhe! You’re finally back! I miss you so much!” Luo Yu went forward and hugged Xia Zhe’s shoulder as soon as he got out of the car.
When he first heard the news about Xia Zhe, he really thought that Xia Zhe had died in that explosion and was sad for a long time! If not for the fact that he was on duty, he would have brought two bottles of good wine to the location of the accident to send Xia Zhe off.
Fortunately, Xia Mao told him the truth. It was only then that he could finally relax. It was rare for one to be able to meet a confidant in one’s life and Xia Zhe was a good friend who really knew him well. If Xia Zhe had died, he would probably feel terrible for a long time.
“Of course it’s me. I’m a lucky man. How can I die so easily,” Xia Zhe said.
Xu Lan looked out of the house and muttered to herself, “Who’s back?”
Xia He also followed Xu Lan’s gaze and looked out. It was Xia Zhe! Xia Zhe was back!
“Mother! It’s my younger brother! My younger brother! Mother, look! My younger brother is still alive!” Xia He said excitedly.
“Xia Zhe! You’re finally back! Do you know how worried I am! You little brat, you made me so worried!” Xu Lan quickly rushed out of the door and hugged Xia Zhe as she complained tearfully.
Xia He called out to the entire family to come out and welcome Xia Zhe home. Luo Yu quickly herded them into the house. Currently, Xia Zhe was still a “dead person” to the public! How could a “dead person” be standing in the courtyard?
“Alright, alright. Let’s go into the house quickly. It’s not safe outside,” Luo Yu instructed.
Xia Zhe hugged Xu Lan as they quickly walked back into the house. Xu Lan looked at Xia Zhe with tears in her eyes. She had not seen him for such a long time. He had lost so much weight that his cheeks were sunken. Was this really her son? She even felt that she was in a dream now.
“Younger brother, are you injured? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Do you need me to call the family doctor to come and take a look at you?” Xia He asked with heartache.
“Elder sister, I’m fine. Besides, Father is the one who set up this plan. Don’t worry, I’m really not lying to both of you,” Xia Zhe said seriously.