Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 50

Chapter 50 – Photo

Why does it look like he’s looking at a love rival?

——

When Qin Han arrived home, her father was already there. His suit jacket hung over the chairback, and his tie lay loose around his neck as he sat at the living room table chatting with Mother Qin.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home.”

“Finally back! I’ll go change. Wait here a moment, we’re going out to eat.”

Mother Qin rose with a smile. After two steps, she turned to look at Qin Han suspiciously. “Whose jacket are you wearing?”

Qin Han nearly forgot she was draped in Zhang Yuqing’s coat. Caught off guard, she stammered, “A… a colleague’s.”

“Remember to wash it properly before returning it.”

“Right.”

Only after Mother Qin disappeared into the bedroom did Father Qin glance at his daughter with amusement. “Really a colleague’s jacket?”

Qin Han clapped a hand over his mouth, shaking her head. She mouthed soundlessly, “No.”

Father Qin chuckled. “Let me guess—I’ve met the jacket’s owner before, haven’t I?”

Qin Han hesitated a beat before nodding.

“It’s been years. You’ve been sulking with Mom for so long. Has your relationship with him improved recently?”

Father Qin pinched Qin Han’s cheek affectionately. “Our Xiaohan, have you finally let go of your grudge?”

Qin Han lowered her eyelids and nodded.

Father Qin glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door where Mother Qin was, and whispered, “We’re family after all. There’s nothing we can’t overcome. Our little Han is grown up now. A wise adult should know how to find the right time to address hidden conflicts. Do you need Dad’s help?”

This time, Qin Han shook her head. “I’ll find a chance to talk to Mom. I can handle it myself.”

There had indeed been resentment and anger.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed away from home for years.

Whenever she thought of her mother, she couldn’t help but recall that winter day in Yaonan Alley.

Zhang Yuqing had called through the door, telling her to go back.

But she refused to give up, stubbornly determined to see the woman hidden inside his house.

How mature would the woman he loved be? How old would she have to be before he’d consider Qin Han too young?

Yaonan Alley had no streetlights. Qin Han hid in the darkness near a trash bin, watching firsthand as her mother emerged from Zhang Yuqing’s shop.

That winter was bitterly cold, so cold it froze her mind into blankness.

After her mother left that day, Zhang Yuqing hurried out too.

He seemed to be in a hurry, not in his usual state, radiating an air of cold detachment.

Even when Qin Han followed him in a taxi, he didn’t notice her at all.

She followed him to the hospital, listening to the doctor scold him for leaving the child alone there for so long. She heard his humble apologies and watched as he negotiated with the doctor about Dandan’s surgery.

After settling the matter of Dandan’s operation, he asked if Grandma Zhang from the lower ward could be moved upstairs to be with Dandan, making it easier for him to care for both.

When the doctor left, Zhang Yuqing sat alone in the corridor, his arm resting on his leg as he pressed his fingers against his temples.

Qin Han still remembered that expression—lonely, exhausted, and filled with unspoken anger and sadness.

He had hidden himself away in the hospital corridor, feeling completely lost.

He couldn’t help at all. Even during this critical moment, his mother had gone to cause trouble for him.

As Qin Han sank into her memories, her gaze lowered, the light in her eyes, partially hidden by her lashes, showed a hint of sadness.

Father Qin noticed this and changed the subject, “How did you feel about meeting him today?”

At this mention, Qin Han’s face flushed slightly, and she furrowed her brow. “It was somewhat unexpected. I didn’t go looking for him—he suddenly appeared and drove me home.”

As she spoke, she let out a soft sigh. “I might have come across as immature. I don’t know if he’ll think I’m still the same childish girl I was years ago.”

Father Qin chuckled, “Why don’t we consider this—how did he suddenly appear before you?”

“Maybe he was just passing by.”

“What a coincidence!”

Qin Han pondered. “I really don’t know why he’d pass by. Our school is quite far from Yaonan Alley. Dandan does attend school there…”

“But it’s not the weekend. Dandan doesn’t have off today and needs to stay at school. Why would Zhang Yuqing be near the school?”

Father Qin pressed, “Could he have been waiting for you deliberately?”

Qin Han’s face flushed. “I don’t know. I doubt it.”

At that moment, Mother Qin pushed open the bedroom door, her expression slightly awkward. “Could you two wait a few more minutes? I changed into a different dress and thought a bun would look better. I need to fix my hair.”

“We’ll wait as long as you need,” Father Qin assured her.

As he spoke, Mother Qin’s cheeks flushed with a bashful pink, mirroring Qin Han’s earlier blush.

Mother Qin wore a long, brown-red dress with strapless shoulders. She hurried out of the bedroom, holding up the skirt as she dashed into the dressing room.

Father Qin shook his head with a smile. “Your mother was just as adorable as you when she was young.”

“And now?”

Father Qin didn’t answer Qin Han’s question directly. Instead, he glanced at the wine cabinet behind her.

Over the years, Mother Qin had changed the home’s decor style. In the past, she’d chosen everything based on Father Qin’s preferences, but not anymore.

She was gradually reclaiming her own identity, which was a good thing.

“I used to wonder what made your mother become so rigid. Perhaps there was an issue with our relationship—not that we stopped loving each other, but perhaps the way we expressed our love became problematic, causing her to lose herself.”

Father Qin smiled. “I’m very pleased with her recent changes.”

While Mother Qin was getting ready, Qin Han and Father Qin continued their conversation.

After a while, Father Qin suddenly lowered his voice. “Oh, Han, I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“My company has a project supporting the disabled. I’m planning to invite your Dean Du to dinner in a few days.”

Qin Han looked puzzled. “What do you need me for?”

Father Qin smiled and nodded toward the bathroom. “To keep me company.”

He probably feared Mother Qin might misunderstand if he dined alone with Dean Du.

Qin Han raised her hand. “Mission accepted.”

That evening, Qin Han and her parents shared a rare family dinner together.

Mother Qin, beaming with happiness, held a glass of red wine. She gently swirled the liquid as she recounted amusing anecdotes from the pastry shop, occasionally taking sips between stories. The rich burgundy hue stained her lips, and for the first time, Qin Han realized how truly captivating her mother was.

Qin Han herself drank nearly half a glass of wine.

When dessert arrived, Mother Qin smiled and poured the last drops of wine into Qin Han’s wineglass. “Our Xiaohan has grown up,” she said. “Speaking of growing up, would you like to meet Gu Xun tomorrow? For dinner? I asked him earlier—if you’re willing, he can take you to an art exhibition.”

Father Qin removed the decorative flower from Mother Qin’s ice cream. “Who’s Gu Xun?” he asked.

“A boy I introduced to Qin Han. Handsome young man with excellent credentials—medical graduate student.”

Father Qin frowned slightly, but before he could speak, Qin Han smiled. “Sounds good. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

This was the first time in years the family of three had eaten together. The atmosphere was so harmonious that Qin Han even thought her parents might consider reconciling.

In this atmosphere, she didn’t want her parents to argue over her situation.

It’s just a meeting anyway. I’ll find an excuse later and say it’s not a good match.

Nothing serious.

With these thoughts, Qin Han agreed to the blind date.

After dinner, she returned home to find rain still falling outside the window.

The rain wasn’t as heavy as when she’d left work, but it still pitter-pattered against the glass.

The city lights beyond the window blurred through the rain. In her bedroom, Zhang Yuqing’s jacket hung over the chair by her desk.

It was a thin denim-colored shirt with a simple style, very much like his usual taste.

The jacket still carried a dampness, and the scent of bamboo lingered in the fabric.

Qin Han carried the jacket to the bathroom and put it in the washing machine.

Leaning against the sink, she watched the machine work. Suddenly, she recalled the message she’d received at the airport during her exchange student year—a text from Zhang Yuqing.

[ ohh ]

At the time, she hadn’t understood what the message meant.

It was probably during her second year as an exchange student, when spring had just arrived in America and the snow was melting.

She’d been studying at the library all day. During a break, she’d scrolled through social media and seen someone post the words “ohh” in their status update.

It was a senior from Normal University. After he posted, Qin Han saw several classmates commenting, “Ah, so romantic!” “Good luck, senior!”

Qin Han only knew that the senior had a girlfriend. According to Xie Ying, his girlfriend wanted to return to her hometown for work.

But the senior was from the capital and planned to propose after graduation.

That day, Qin Han sat in the library with her heart pounding violently.

She sent a message to Xie Ying, asking if she knew what “ohh” meant.

There was a 13-hour time difference between China and the US, so it should have been midnight there. But Xie Ying replied instantly:

[ Little Qin Han, you don’t even know this?! ]

[ Ohh! It’s all over the internet, okay! ]

[ Exactly! ]

[ Stay by my side! ]

The warm sunlight of North America streamed through the library windows. In a flower pot on the table sat an unknown plant with nail-sized white flowers.

The bright sunlight shone so fiercely it hurt the eyes.

Before Qin Han lay an English textbook, several passages highlighted in orange marker.

That day, as she stared at her phone, two wet spots appeared on the textbook pages after a long silence.

That day, she recalled Hai Zi’s poem.

“Before the Common Era we were too young,

After the Common Era we were too old,

No one has ever seen that truly beautiful smile.”

At that time, they had missed each other again.

In the washing machine drum, Zhang Yuqing’s jacket tangled with white foam.

Qin Han stared at it for a moment before suddenly smiling.

Zhang Yuqing was always like this. Once he’d interacted with someone, they’d inevitably end up owing him a favor.

She didn’t know why he’d suddenly appeared before her today.

But she wouldn’t need to think of an excuse to see him next time.

Returning the jacket would suffice.

The water pipe behind Yaonan Alley burst. Luo Shijin crashed Zhang Yuqing’s shop door like a vengeful ghost in the dead of night, heading straight for the bathroom without even greeting him.

Zhang Yuqing stood at the bathroom entrance. “What’s the rush? Did you lose the toilet race against Uncle Luo?”

“It’s not about losing. I dare not go in there at all.”

Luo Shijin shouted from inside the bathroom, “My dad’s been using that toilet. It’s like a gas chamber now. No way I’m going in.”

“So you came running over here in your slippers?”

“Anyway, I’m not going. Besides, Qing-ge, didn’t you know the water’s off in the back alley today? That toxic waste he left in the toilet might still be fermenting. I’d have to be suicidal to go in there.”

Zhang Yuqing chuckled and walked away.

He sat back down and pulled out a photograph from his pocket.

This was a photo Qin Han had dropped in his car. He’d noticed it at the time but hadn’t mentioned it.

Because when the photo fell, Zhang Yuqing had caught a glimpse of a man and a woman in the frame.

Beibei lay on the floor gnawing on her favorite teddy bear while Zhang Yuqing placed the photo on the table.

The image showed a warmly decorated living room with a lit Christmas tree. A white Samoyed wearing a Santa hat lay beneath it.

The falling snowflakes outside blurred into motion, and other figures in the photo appeared hazy. Only Qin Han and a male companion stood in sharp focus.

The young woman wore a white high-collared sweater and fitted jeans, her hair casually tied back.

Beside her stood a foreign man in a fashionable leather jacket, a full head taller than Qin Han.

His gaze was slightly lowered while she tilted her head upward.

Both held red wine glasses, smiling at each other.

Was this Qin Han’s boyfriend, Gu Xun, actually a foreigner?

Had he come back to China with her?

Were their relationship that close?

Zhang Yuqing pressed his tongue against his back teeth, staring at the photo for a long time. Only when he heard Luo Shijin’s footsteps heading to the bathroom did he flip the photo face-down on the table.

Luo Shijin emerged wearing only his underwear. “Oh, Qing-ge, I meant to ask—where were you today? The shop wasn’t open.”

“Dandan’s school.”

“What’s up? Did Dandan’s teacher complain again? What happened this time?”

“No, just handling some matters near her school.”

Luo Shijin pursed his lips. “Handling matters? Qing-ge, you’re acting suspicious now. Do we have a little secret together?”

Zhang Yuqing looked at him mildly. “Luo Shijin, come here.”

“Hey, hey, hey! If you have something to say, just say it properly. Can’t you stop asking? A gentleman uses his words, not his fists.”

“I said, come here.”

Luo Shijin edged closer warily, watching Zhang Yuqing flip over a photo on the desk. The man quickly covered half of it with his hand and jutted his chin. “Is he handsome?”

Still mesmerized by his Qing-ge’s lightning-fast movements, Luo Shijin wondered, *Since when did he start practicing shadowless hand techniques?*

Only when directly asked did he finally look down at the photo.

The image showed a foreign guy with a high nose bridge and blue eyes, tall and long-legged.

This was probably the most handsome man he’d ever seen, second only to his Qing-ge.

Luo Shijin answered casually, “He’s pretty handsome. Who is he? A client of yours?”

Zhang Yuqing clicked his tongue, frowning. “Look again.”

“He’s pretty handsome. What’s wrong?”

“Look again.”

Luo Shijin protested, “Come on, Qing-ge! Tell me what you want me to say first. Give me a hint! Even if I called him an ugly bastard, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?”

Turning to see his Qing-ge’s face twisted in displeasure, Luo Shijin felt utterly confused.

What’s going on?

His Qing-ge always smiles, so why this sudden expression?

Why does it look like he’s staring at a rival?

Luo Shijin’s thoughts raced through countless possibilities. In the end, he mustered all his “people-reading” skills to offer an answer, “To ask if he’s handsome, you have to compare him to whom. Compared to me, he’s certainly handsome. But compared to Qing-ge, it’s a different story—they’re not even in the same league. He doesn’t measure up to a single hair on Qing-ge’s head!”

In truth, the foreign guy was quite handsome, not nearly as exaggerated as Luo Shijin’s claims.

If compared to Zhang Yuqing, the difference wouldn’t be that significant either.

Luo Shijin figured his blind, exaggerated praise would surely earn him Qing-ge’s mocking smile. He braced himself for the ridicule.

After a long moment, Zhang Yuqing did indeed smile—but it was warm and genuine, without a trace of mockery.

He said, “Hmm, you have good taste.”