Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 43

Chapter 43 – Separation

The world had blurred into a watery haze

——

In the end, Qin Han couldn’t help Zhang Yuqing much. She only joined him for breakfast the next morning before rushing out to buy steaming ginger tea.

When Qin Han returned, her breath misted the air as she entered. Zhang Yuqing leaned against a wooden cabinet, popping a cold pill into his mouth. He lifted a bottle of mineral water and took a sip.

His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Qin Han stared at it for a moment before blushing and handing over the ginger tea. “I have to head back to school. I have morning classes.”

She took two steps away, then turned back hesitantly. “You said you’ll be busy this month. Can I still call you?”

Zhang Yuqing smiled, giving the same answer as before.

He said, “Anytime.”

Qin Han just needed to ask for reassurance. She didn’t actually call every day.

Only occasionally, when she couldn’t sleep at night, would she text Zhang Yuqing to ask if he was asleep.

He always replied instantly, asking if she wanted to call or chat through text.

Sometimes Qin Han secretly wondered if Zhang Yuqing’s considerate kindness was extended to everyone, or if it was reserved only for her.

That night, when Zhang Yuqing mentioned discussing things after he finished his work, Qin Han actually held onto the expectation.

She always felt the outcome would be positive.

In the face of her affection, Zhang Yuqing had never avoided it.

Does not avoiding mean he’s considering accepting? Qin Han thought sweetly.

With the workload of two majors, Qin Han was busier than her roommates.

She even found time to attend classes for the special education program. One teacher suggested students watch more films about disabled individuals and listed several recommendations.

Qin Han carefully noted them down and picked one to watch that evening.

It was the Korean film “The Crucible,” focusing on deaf-mute children.

She watched it in her dormitory, sobbing uncontrollably.

At that moment, Zhang Yuqing sent a message.

[Little girl, it’s getting colder tomorrow. Dress warmly. ]

Qin Han replied.

[ Can I call you? ]

By the time Zhang Yuqing’s call came through, Qin Han was already crouching on the balcony with her phone.

The winter balcony was drafty. Qin Han, wrapped in a thick long down jacket, answered softly, “Hello?”

Her voice carried a nasal quality from recent tears. Zhang Yuqing’s tone turned serious. “Why are you crying? Are you upset?”

“No, I just watched a Korean movie. It was so sad, I couldn’t help crying.”

Qin Han shifted awkwardly, the down jacket fabric rustling faintly. She sniffled, “The teacher recommended a movie that’s way too tear jerking.”

Zhang Yuqing’s voice came through the headphones, “You, really?”

His tone brimmed with infinite indulgence.

Zhang Yuqing was genuinely busy. Since autumn, he’d taken on numerous projects.

The calendar on his desk, a freebie from last year’s Spring Festival supermarket shopping, showed every date box densely packed with tasks.

Some were tattoo appointments and design requests.

Others were daily errands: buying Dandan’s medication, taking Grandma to the hospital, paying household utilities.

He also enrolled in an online tattooing course taught by a renowned foreign artist, with two weekly webinars.

Due to the time difference, classes always met at midnight.

This was a habit Zhang Yuqing had developed during his school days—learning as he worked on everything.

In this world, there are plenty of people more skilled than you. Without constant improvement, you can’t survive. Even with a small shop like “Oxygen,” you can’t afford to stop learning.

In December, Zhang Yuqing crossed off each completed task on his calendar.

Seeing the remaining tattoo appointments, he felt ready to take action.

When did he realize his feelings for the young girl?

Zhang Yuqing hadn’t thought about it in detail. Perhaps it began when he earnestly treated her like a younger sister to protect. From that moment, Qin Han had already become different in his heart.

Among all the girls who came to his shop, why had he never felt the need to protect any of them?

At 23, while others were just graduating from university, Zhang Yuqing had already been running his tattoo studio for four years.

But the burden of supporting his family had weighed on him for far longer than four years.

Back then, he’d worked tirelessly to study. When it came time to choose a university, he selected a Normal University.

He’d imagined becoming a teacher after graduation—having summer and winter breaks to spend with his elders, and being able to help Dandan with her homework. How perfect that would have been.

He never expected his grandmother would suddenly become paralyzed, nor did he anticipate Dandan would be diagnosed with Down syndrome.

When all these pressures weighed down on Zhang Yuqing, he had moments of panic.

He’d spent his savings on Grandma and Dandan’s medical bills, leaving just enough for his tuition. But what about the future? Who would support Grandma and Dandan after that?

In less than 24 hours, he made a decisive choice.

He dropped out and opened a tattoo shop.

For years, the burdens on his shoulders had been overwhelming. Zhang Yuqing rarely took time to consider what he truly wanted.

That day, Qin Han had thrown herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

He’d comforted the young girl, saying, “Don’t cry. Life is always worth looking forward to.”

Life was indeed worth looking forward to.

He’d even met Qin Han.

Zhang Yuqing sat at the table, reflecting on his past while slowly unwrapping a candy cane and placing it in his mouth.

The candy’s sourness made him squint momentarily.

His life was so tightly wound that there was no room for change. Yet Zhang Yuqing smiled around the candy.

He wanted a relationship—and he could afford it.

When Luo Shijin entered, Zhang Yuqing didn’t look up. His eyes remained fixed on the tablet screen.

The tablet was usually used by Zhang Yuqing for studying, so Luo Shijin didn’t dare to disturb him. He tiptoed over and peeked at the screen.

“Holy shit! I thought you were here to listen to a lecture! Qing-ge, why are you looking at cars?” Luo Shijin immediately started shouting.

Zhang Yuqing slowly lifted his gaze. “Mm, I want to buy one.”

“But you don’t even go out often. Why do you need a car?”

After asking, Luo Shijin suddenly froze. He stared at Zhang Yuqing for a long moment before saying, “Qing-ge, you wouldn’t be doing this for Qin Han, would you?”

“Right. The girl has to take the bus back every week. It’s too tiring,” Zhang Yuqing said with a smile. “We’ll buy a car so whoever’s free can pick her up. That way she won’t catch a cold if the weather’s bad.”

Luo Shijin opened his mouth, then forced out, “You can’t marry until after graduation. Why are you protecting her now?”

Zhang Yuqing looked at Luo Shijin with amusement. “Thinking so far ahead? Have you prepared your wedding gift already? Are you just waiting for me to marry?”

In truth, Zhang Yuqing hadn’t thought that far ahead either.

He knew his own circumstances well. He thought, even if Qin Han spent just one day with him, he’d cherish her like a precious treasure.

The young girl had been pampered since childhood; there was no reason for her to suffer by being with him.

If she was suffering, why would she stay with him? To practice charity?

What Zhang Yuqing wanted to give Qin Han wasn’t just love.

He also wanted to give her all his undying passion for life.

The girl liked him, but he couldn’t take advantage of that to play dumb.

He needed to confess, to tell the girl that he didn’t accept her because she liked him.

But because he liked her, because he saw everything about her as perfect, because she deserved to be loved.

With this plan in mind, Zhang Yuqing took time on Friday morning to go car shopping with Luo Shijin. They settled on a spacious SUV.

It could fit Qin Han and her luggage, as well as the old lady’s wheelchair.

In his spare time, he could drive them all out for drives.

The car had air conditioning, so they wouldn’t freeze in winter or roast in summer.

Perfect.

After finalizing the model, Zhang Yuqing arranged to sign the contract and pay the down payment the next day, planning to drive the car away immediately.

It was the weekend anyway, so he could drive straight to Beijing Normal University and bring Qin Han back.

Zhang Yuqing thought this, his tongue pressing against his back teeth, when suddenly he let out a laugh.

Beside him, Luo Shijin wore a face of torment. “Qing-ge, I’m fucking begging you—can’t you act like a decent human? I know you’ve found your true love, but your bro’s still single here. Can you stop laughing at me? I swear I can’t take it anymore!”

When they returned to the shop, Dandan’s teacher stood at the entrance, her face etched with anxiety as she scrolled through her phone.

Zhang Yuqing’s smile vanished instantly. He strode over, urgency coloring his voice. “Xu-laoshi? What brings you here?”

“Yuqing? I was just about to call you. Your phone’s been dead all afternoon.”

The teacher’s features twisted into a worried knot. “Dandan fractured her arm. She’s at the hospital—it’s serious!”

That same evening, as Dandan lay hospitalized, Grandma Zhang suddenly clutched her chest with labored breathing and was rushed to the same hospital.

Two members of Zhang Yuqing’s family now occupied separate wards in the same facility.

Between scheduling Dandan’s MRI and tending to his grandmother, Zhang Yuqing didn’t even notice his phone had died.

When he finally returned to the shop that night, it was to fetch fresh clothes for Dandan.

Grandma Zhang’s condition proved less dire—her chronic heart condition had flared up, but the doctors assured him she’d recover with oxygen therapy and IV fluids within a few days.

Dandan’s situation was quite serious.

The teacher explained that while Dandan was picking up a rubber eraser from the floor, the boy in front of her moved his chair backward, crushing her hand.

What made it worse was that the boy and chair tipped over together, fracturing Dandan’s fingers and arm. She went into immediate shock.

Zhang Yuqing had been on edge since he first went to the hospital.

After regaining consciousness, Dandan kept sobbing. “Gege, Dandan hurts so much,” she whimpered. Zhang Yuqing felt as if someone were repeatedly twisting his heart, causing unbearable pain.

Dandan needed surgery. By evening, Zhang Yuqing returned to the store exhausted.

He quickly packed some necessary clothes and filled Beibei’s food bowl.

The surgery fees were expensive. The car down payment might…

Zhang Yuqing exhaled deeply.

As he closed the windows and prepared to lock the door, a customer entered the store.

It was a well-groomed woman with chestnut-red curls framing her face.

Dressed in a long cashmere coat and carrying a classic LV floral patterned bag, she stood at the entrance. “Excuse me, are you the owner?”

“My apologies, I’m not taking any more customers today,” Zhang Yuqing said.

“Zhang Yuqing? Might I come in and speak with you?” the woman asked with a faint smile.

Zhang Yuqing turned, suddenly feeling this woman looked familiar.

When he saw her lower her head to put away her phone, he realized why she seemed so familiar.

In that moment when she bowed her head, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Qin Han.

Mother Qin entered Zhang Yuqing’s shop, her gaze sweeping every corner of the establishment.

She wiped the chair with a disinfectant wipe before settling in. “I’m Qin Han’s mother.”

Zhang Yuqing, still preoccupied with Dandan and his grandmother at the hospital, poured warm water into a disposable cup for Mother Qin. “Auntie, can I help you with something?”

“Nothing specific, really.” Mother Qin smiled at Zhang Yuqing. “To be fair, this isn’t entirely your fault. But as parents, we can’t bring ourselves to criticize our children. Little Han was raised in our palms since childhood—she’s never known hardship or considered consequences. But I must think for her, don’t you agree?”

The evening sky was breathtaking, its pale blue horizon tinged with pink and orange.

Zhang Yuqing set down his luggage and sat across from Mother Qin. “What would you like to discuss?”

“End things with Little Han. Please, I beg you. No matter how far you’ve gone, just… end it.”

Mother Qin suddenly grabbed Zhang Yuqing’s arm with urgency. “I know she stayed here overnight, I know you meet frequently, and I know your family situation. You have a grandmother in a wheelchair and a disabled sister. Your family is a burden—they’ll only drag down my child.”

Grandmother and Dandan were Zhang Yuqing’s limits, but the other party was Qin Han’s mother.

Zhang Yuqing’s brow furrowed briefly before he forced himself to relax. He spoke in as calm a tone as possible, “Is it really appropriate to describe family as a ‘burden’?”

Mother Qin acted as if she hadn’t heard. She stood up agitatedly. “You and Han aren’t suitable, you know that too, don’t you? What can you offer her? She’s young, with so many boys at university. She should have better choices. She doesn’t even understand what love is yet.”

Mother Qin said, “I’m her mother. I know her best.”

Han was kind. Even after we told her many times that the beggars under the bridge were frauds, she still took her allowance and snacks to help them.

She liked helping people, liked giving aid. Perhaps she doesn’t like you at all?

“She’s only 18. Maybe she just feels sorry for you?”

Zhang Yuqing knew Qin Han’s kindness well. She wouldn’t even harm a small insect.

The store housed the disabled little cactus she’d brought back, Beibei whom she’d rescued, and Li Nan’s frequent visits—all stemming from Qin Han’s initial acts of kindness.

He understood her compassion better than anyone.

But…

“Please, spare her,” Mother Qin pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve already made one marriage mistake. I can’t watch my child leap into a firepit. I won’t let her follow my path.”

Zhang Yuqing clenched his fists, then relaxed them. His voice remained courteous: “I don’t believe Qin Han can’t distinguish between pity and affection. You…”

His gaze held unwavering conviction.

In a momentary vision, Mother Qin saw Father Qin’s younger self reflected in Qin Anzhi’s eyes.

Back then, Qin Anzhi had used this same resolute gaze to promise her, I’ll give you all a better life.

But what became of that promise?!

No, no, no! She’d never let Qin Han suffer such a fate.

All men are the same!

Enduring poverty with them means nothing. Wealth corrupts them all the same!

Mother Qin suddenly rose and knelt before Zhang Yuqing.

Her knees struck the floor with a muffled thud, the impact resonating through the room.

Zhang Yuqing startled momentarily, rising to help Mother Qin up.

She knelt stubbornly on the ground, refusing to rise.

For a fleeting instant, Zhang Yuqing nearly laughed.

Everything had been fine that morning. He’d even planned to drive and pick up his little girl tomorrow.

How had things changed so suddenly?

Dandan and her grandmother were still at the hospital. He hadn’t even checked his phone all day to see if Qin Han had texted.

Zhang Yuqing suddenly yanked Mother Qin upright. “Stop kneeling. I can’t bear it.”

A delicate knock sounded at the door, making Zhang Yuqing freeze.

The knock was soft and polite—three light taps, followed by a respectful pause.

Only one person came to mind.

Qin Han’s voice called through the door. “Zhang Yuqing, are you there? I heard you talking earlier.”

Mother Qin panicked, moving to open the door, but Zhang Yuqing grabbed her arm.

He wanted to explain everything to Qin Han. His little girl would understand, wouldn’t she?

But then what?

He still remembered that day—the girl curled in a trembling ball, her sports jacket draped around her shoulders as she wept.

She’d said, “Zhang Yuqing, my parents are getting divorced. I only have Mom now.”

His little girl was so innocent. How could he let her know her mother had said such things?

That day, her voice came out hoarse and tearful, “Mom is all I have left.”

He couldn’t possibly make her fall out with her mother.

Zhang Yuqing sighed, pressing his fingers against his forehead.

The knocking grew urgent, each strike heavy and insistent.

Qin Han stood outside Zhang Yuqing’s shop. She’d sent him messages all day with no response. His phone was off too.

They’d planned to eat together in the dorm that night, but Qin Han’s mind had wandered. In the end, she’d come to Yaonan Alley.

She’d clearly heard Zhang Yuqing’s voice inside the shop when she approached. Why wouldn’t he open the door?

The wooden door creaked as Qin Han pounded on it.

She remembered a similar moment—the day she’d helped Li Nan. Zhang Yuqing had locked them all inside to face the thugs alone. Her knocking had been useless then too.

In the end, she’d shouted his name. Zhang Yuqing had pushed open the door with a grin, teasing her, “That’s some deafening shout you’ve got there.”

What was happening now?

“Zhang Yuqing!” Qin Han cried, panic rising in her chest.

His voice finally came through the door, still gentle: “What are you doing here?”

“I tried calling. Your phone’s off. I—I was worried, so I came to check.”

“What’s there to worry about?” Zhang Yuqing said. “Go back. Don’t come here anymore.”

Qin Han’s hand froze mid-air. “Did you just say…?”

“I said, don’t come here anymore.”

The sky darkened further. Qin Han blinked, tears splattering on her down jacket. She asked carefully, “I don’t understand. Didn’t you say you’d talk to me after you were done with your work? Did I bother you because you were too busy? I…”

She struggled to suppress her sobs, drawing a deep breath. “I’ll wait until you’re finished before contacting you again, okay?”

“I’m already done. I’m talking to you now.”

“Why?”

This shouldn’t be happening.

The conversation shouldn’t be like this.

He was so gentle when he told me to wait that day.

Qin Han couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, “Can I come in? Can I hear what you have to say?”

“It’s not convenient. Someone’s here.”

Qin Han wiped her tears, her voice wavering. “Is it a woman?”

“Yes.”

“An adult? A grown-up? Over 20?”

“Yes.”

Qin Han shook her head.

No, he should have waited until I grew up.

But I’m already growing up.

After the New Year, I’ll be 19 by traditional count. Not far from 20 at all.

I’m really trying to grow up.

Qin Han couldn’t see the door clearly. The world had blurred into a watery haze.

Zhang Yuqing didn’t open the door, nor did he soothe her gently as he had before, wiping away her tears. He simply called through the door, “Qin Han, go back.”