Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Bedroom

He walked over and hugged Qin Han through his coat

——

After hanging up the phone, Qin Han suddenly felt a nervous anticipation for tomorrow.

She put her phone back into her bag, then entered the code to enter the hallway and bounced into the apartment building.

While waiting for the elevator, Qin Han pondered over what outfit to wear tomorrow, tapping the floor with her little leather shoes and humming a small tune.

Her parents’ possible conflicts, the twist and turns of human relationships in Dream of the Red Chamber—all were cast aside.

—Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦, Hóng Lóu Mèng) is a real Chinese novel. It was written in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty by Cao Xueqin and is considered one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. It is known for its complex characters, poetic language, and deep social critique.

Qin Han thought of the chemistry experiment, where adding sodium hydroxide solution to copper sulfate solution produced a blue precipitate.

Liking Zhang Yuqing was like a special substance that had blended into her life, generating countless tiny moments of joy.

Qin Han’s home was in a building with one apartment per floor. When the elevator arrived at her floor and slowly opened, the area outside belonged to her family. Her mother had placed a solid wood shoe cabinet there, along with a wooden mailbox.

Just as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard the sound of suitcase wheels rolling across the floor.

Her joy came to an abrupt stop.

A bad premonition surged in her heart.

The door to their home was open, and she saw her father walking out, carrying a large suitcase.

She recognized that suitcase. It was the one they had bought when the family of three traveled to Hainan after her middle school exams.

Back then, it held enough space for all three of their belongings and still had room left, but her mother had complained that it was too large and too heavy. Since then, it had been left unused at home.

But now, her father was holding it, standing at the doorway.

When Father Qin saw Qin Han, the anger on his face gradually faded. He took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose looking exhausted, and called out to her, “Dear, Dad has to go on a business trip again. This time, I’ll be gone for a while. You and Mommy stay home and be good, okay?”

Qin Han was surprised at her own calmness. “Dad, didn’t we agree?”

Didn’t we agree not to put on an act in front of me anymore?

Didn’t we agree that you would properly handle things with Mom?

“Are you and Mom getting a divorce?”

Father Qin put his glasses back on and set the suitcase by the door. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

Qin Han sat on the sofa. Father Qin didn’t sit but crouched down in front of her.

Looking guilty, he pulled out a cigarette but, after a moment of hesitation, put it back. “I’m sorry, Xiaohan. I really wanted to give you a warm and happy home.”

With just that one sentence, Qin Han found herself unable to blame him.

Because in his tone, she could hear the deep helplessness and guilt of a father.

Qin Han’s father, Qin Anzhi, met her mother, Li Jingru, in college.

At that time, Qin Anzhi’s family was of modest means, while Li Jingru’s was well-off. They dated for many years before finally gaining their families’ approval.

From college to graduate school, they were together, and in the end, they got married.

Not long after their wedding, Li Jingru became pregnant with a daughter.

Daughters needed to be raised well, and so did wives.

Back then, Qin Anzhi made a silent vow that he would work hard to provide a prosperous life for both his wife and daughter.

And he did it.

But Li Jingru became paranoid, constantly suspecting that he would cheat once he had money.

Then, after Qin Han’s grandparents died in a car accident, she was devastated by the loss and became even more dependent on Qin Anzhi—more afraid that he would leave her for another woman.

No matter how unreasonable she was, he endured it.

But today, while he was negotiating a business deal with a foreign company, Li Jingru suddenly barged in and threw a cup of coffee at the China regional manager, accusing her of being a homewrecker.

For this deal, Qin Anzhi’s entire team had worked for nearly a month.

They had stayed up late, lived off instant noodles, taken medicine instead of going to the hospital when sick, and even traveled for work while running high fevers.

His team of 23 people had been working tirelessly.

But Li Jingru’s single cup of coffee had ruined all their efforts.

She didn’t understand this. She only thought that Qin Anzhi was angry with her because of another woman.

Even so, Father Qin never spoke ill of Mother Qin in front of Qin Han.

He simply said, “Dear, your mother is very insecure. I thought I could heal all her fears with love, but now I feel powerless. I’m leaving home for a while, but I still love you. Your mom still loves you, too. You will always have our love, a complete father’s and mother’s love. Do you understand?”

Qin Han wanted to shake her head. She wanted to be stubborn, to hold onto her father and beg him not to go.

But the saddest part was that, in this moment, she suddenly understood his struggles.

“Your mother’s flight is in the early hours. Get some sleep, and when you wake up, she’ll be back, okay?”

Qin Han looked at her father. “Dad, where are you going?”

“I have to go back to the company to handle things. I’ll be very busy for a while.” Father Qin pressed a hand to his forehead.

Qin Han vaguely sensed that her mother had touched her father’s bottom line.

She felt uneasy, like she wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to add to his worries, so she could only nod obediently. “Okay.”

Father Qin stayed with her for a while before leaving in a hurry.

The house fell into complete silence, and Qin Han had only one thought.

She couldn’t bear this sudden change—she had to find Zhang Yuqing.

No wonder his customers loved confiding in him. At this moment, when she couldn’t bear the sudden pain, the first person she thought of was him.

She booked a ride on her phone and got into a taxi.

The night view of Imperial City was beautiful, neon lights casting a surreal glow. Qin Han gazed out the window.

The lights flickered across her face, but she heard nothing and felt nothing.

She just needed to get to Yaonan Alley.

There, she could drink chilled sour plum juice and eat sweet, crisp watermelon from Luo Shijin.

There, she could find Grandpa Liu’s house full of old books, the adorable Beibei, and Li Nan, who always wore a wig.

There, elderly men played chess and the erhu, despite the neighborhood being long overdue for demolition.

And there was Zhang Yuqing.

Faced with these huge changes in life, her instinct was to run to Yaonan Alley.

As if, by going there, everything at home would still be okay. When she returned, her parents would still be smiling and calling her to dinner.

“Little girl, I can’t drive any further. There are no street lights here at night. Do you want me to call someone to pick you up?”

There were roadblocks at the entrance to Yaonan Alley, preventing cars from entering at night.

Zhang Yuqing had mentioned before that it was to protect the elderly from being accidentally hit.

Qin Han shook her head in silence and paid for the ride on her phone.

She was rude—she didn’t even thank the driver.

Yaonan Alley at night was as silent as a wasteland, with only the sounds of insects and rustling leaves.

Using her phone’s flashlight, Qin Han walked down the alley, stumbling over every uneven patch of ground.

Moths kept flying into the light, but she seemed oblivious, staggering forward, twisting her ankle twice without even noticing.

When she looked up, she saw a light ahead.

It was Zhang Yuqing’s shop, its windows faintly glowing.

On this sleeping street, only his shop was still lit.

It was as if, in some mysterious way, he had been waiting for her.

At that moment, Qin Han suddenly wanted to cry.

The shop’s door was unlocked. Qin Han stood at the entrance, raised her hand, and gently pushed. The door opened for her.

But the first floor was dim, with only a faint light coming from upstairs.

She could hear Beibei’s excited barking and Zhang Yuqing’s gentle scolding, “Beibei, get down. The bed isn’t yours. Hey, don’t chew the pillow.”

Her mind in a haze, Qin Han slowly climbed the stairs. She didn’t even knock. She simply pushed open Zhang Yuqing’s bedroom door.

Zhang Yuqing’s shop didn’t have a fixed closing time—whenever he finished his work, that was when he closed up.

Tonight, the customers had stayed late, and the weather was unbearably muggy. He had just taken a shower and was sitting on his bed, shirtless, playing with Beibei.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Zhang Yuqing thought it was Luo Shijin, so he lazily took a sip from his water glass, only sparing half a glance.

When he saw clearly that the person standing at the door was Qin Han, he choked on his water and coughed so hard he almost died on the spot.

The only light in the bedroom came from a floor lamp. Zhang Yuqing quickly grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it on before switching on the ceiling light.

It was then that he saw Qin Han’s appearance clearly.

The strands of hair on her forehead were damp with sweat, her eyelids and lower lash line tinged with pink. She pressed her lips together tightly, her wide eyes staring straight ahead.

She didn’t say anything, didn’t move, just stood stiffly by the door, gripping her phone tightly.

The flashlight on her phone was still on, shining directly at Zhang Yuqing.

To be honest, the bright light was nearly blinding him.

Qin Han didn’t know what to say. Her home had collapsed. She no longer had a home.

All she could do was come to someone else’s house, hoping to steal a little warmth that didn’t belong to her.

Countless warm moments at home flashed through her mind.

She remembered last year on her birthday, her mother had worn a beige plaid apron and personally baked a cake for her. Her father had popped open a confetti tube, filling the room with balloons.

They had cheerfully shouted, “Happy birthday to our little treasure!”

Back then, Qin Han had been truly happy.

But would she ever feel that kind of happiness again?

Qin Han didn’t know how to escape the overwhelming sadness. She could only stand silently at the door of Zhang Yuqing’s bedroom.

Luckily, Zhang Yuqing didn’t ask her the obvious question, “Why are you here?”

He simply walked over, gently took the phone from her hand, switched off the flashlight, and asked, “Want to stay here, or go downstairs?”

Qin Han didn’t move or answer.

“Alright, then let’s stay here. The room’s a bit messy, but you can sit down. I’ll go get a fan.”

Zhang Yuqing seemed to have never brought a woman to his bedroom. He took a few steps, then turned back. “I just changed the bedsheets today. You can sit down, really.”

He ran downstairs and was back in less than two minutes, plugging in the fan. Then, he pulled a bottle of mineral water from his pocket and handed it to Qin Han.

She sat by the bed, staring blankly, not taking the bottle.

Zhang Yuqing sighed and crouched down in front of her.

He set the water on the bed. “Little girl, tell me the truth. You went home earlier, didn’t you? Did you run into any bad people?”

There was warmth in his eyes as he asked, and Qin Han gently shook her head.

“Did you have a fight with your family?”

She shook her head again.

Zhang Yuqing kept watching her. After she denied it twice, he understood—her unhappiness probably wasn’t because of something she did, but because of a conflict at home.

Beibei seemed to sense the heavy atmosphere in the room and stopped playing. Instead, the dog curled up quietly by the window, its big eyes watching Qin Han and Zhang Yuqing.

The only sound in the room was the steady hum of the fan.

Zhang Yuqing patiently stayed by Qin Han’s side, waiting quietly.

After a long, long time, Qin Han finally spoke.

She only said one sentence.

“Zhang Yuqing, my parents are getting divorced.”

After saying that, she closed her mouth. Her brow crumpled, and her chin quivered.

Zhang Yuqing stood up, gently patted her on the head, and took a jacket from the clothing rack nearby.

It was an old white sports jacket from his university days. Luo Shijin had borrowed it a few days ago, and Zhang Yuqing had washed it afterward.

He draped the jacket lightly over Qin Han’s head and said softly, “No one can see you now. If you want to cry, just cry.”

In history class, the teacher had once said that during the war, there were many air-raid shelters in the city. The school had even organized a visit to one.

Air-raid shelters were safe, hidden places to escape from enemy bombers.

Now, Zhang Yuqing used his jacket to create a temporary “air-raid shelter” for her.

His jacket smelled of bamboo. Qin Han could no longer hold back her tears. They spilled from her eyes, streaming down her face.

At first, she sobbed softly under the jacket. But soon, her crying grew louder and louder.

The sports jacket was already loose-fitting, and since Zhang Yuqing was tall, it was big enough to completely envelop Qin Han. She curled up inside, trembling as she wept.

When parents divorce, there is nothing a child can do.

Watching the girl in front of him tremble as she sobbed, Zhang Yuqing suddenly felt an ache in his heart.

For the first time, he was at a loss for words.

How was he supposed to comfort her?

This girl, who always bounced into his shop with a book in her arms, bright and full of life.

But now, when she cried, it was as if the whole world owed her a hug.

Zhang Yuqing let out a soft sigh.

He walked over and, through the fabric of the jacket, gently pulled Qin Han into a hug, patting her back with quiet reassurance.