Lu Shao is cunning; Miss Nan has fallen for his tricks again.

Chapter 67 Don't Live in the Past

Zhou Zan and Zhou Qi came out of the study with red eyes.

"It's getting late, you should get some rest." Zhou Qi said, his head bowed, his voice hoarse and weary.

As Zhou Qi opened his bedroom door, Zhou Zan suddenly called out to him, "Dad." Zhou Qi paused, but did not turn around.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Qi asked in a deep voice.

"I've been acting crazy these past few days. I'll be good and listen to you from now on. Don't be angry," Zhou Zan said, biting her lip and mustering her courage.

Zhou Qi didn't say or do anything; he simply closed the bedroom door.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Zhou Zan lowered her eyelids.

Refusing to forgive?
Inside the room, Zhou Qi looked at Qin He's photo on the bedside table and silently shed tears.

Bringing up the old story again undoubtedly reopened the most vulnerable layer of his heart.

Early next morning

When Zhou Zan came downstairs, Zhou Qi was already sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.

Seeing the dark circles under Zhou Qi's eyes, Zhou Zan pursed his lips and tentatively asked, "Dad, could you give me a picture of Mom?"

She didn't want to hide her love in her memories; she wanted to carry Qin He's photo with her, thinking of her and longing for her all the time.

Zhou Qi paused as he held his coffee cup. He didn't display Qin He's photo at home because he didn't want to recall that painful day.

But the more he tried to hide it, the more intense his longing for Qin He became.

Seeing Zhou Qi hesitate, Zhou Zan tried to dissuade him, and Zhou Qi agreed.

"Okay, tell me which one you want, and I'll go up and get it for you in a bit."

Zhou Zan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked what was on her mind.

"Dad, why don't you hang Mom's picture in the house?"

"Why hang it at home?" Zhou Qi asked.

He just wanted to hide his lover away. If Qin He hadn't gone out so often back then, that family wouldn't have come knocking on their door, and Qin He wouldn't have died.

“Your mother is your first wife, not someone you can’t be ashamed of. Why can’t you hang up her photo?” Zhou Zan tried to find out Zhou Qi’s intentions.

Zhou Qi put down his coffee cup and slowly revealed the truth.

“After you got married, your mother often went out, which gave that family an opportunity to take advantage of you. If your mother had stayed at home more often, none of those things would have happened, and she would be living a good life now.”

“I don’t want you to go out often because I’m afraid your mother’s tragedy will happen to you.”

After all, that family wasn't completely wiped out yet. Zhou Qi's eyes flashed with a hint of malice.

So, was all the control she received from childhood to adulthood just to protect her?
She was grateful for Zhou Qi's protection, but she hated this method.

Is there such a difference between this and going to jail?
The only difference might be that she can only go out with Zhou Qi's permission.

Zhou Zan lowered her eyes and said slowly, "But you can't lock me up for the rest of my life."

Zhou Qi was stunned for a moment, then sighed. He knew all too well that this was not a long-term solution.

But he had no other choice. He only had this one daughter, and if he didn't want her to be hurt, he could only resort to this extremely foolish method.

"I want to hang my mother's photo in the living room," Zhou Zan said, expressing her thoughts.

“Zhou Zan, I have always felt guilty about your mother’s passing. I only dared to hide her photo in that dark and gloomy secret room, because I was afraid that I would live in the shadows forever.”

"Please try to understand your father," Zhou Qi said, almost pleadingly.

Zhou Zan's hand tightened, but in the end she didn't say anything.

Los Angeles, USA
Qiu Hezhou opened the office door listlessly.

Even though so much time has passed, he still keeps Lin Jingshu's words in mind. Lin Jingshu still harbors resentment about what happened back then, and so does he now.

Turning on his computer, Qiu Hezhou looked at the various emails in his inbox but couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

Looking at the documents on the table, Qiu Hezhou irritably swept them all to the floor. He wanted to call Lin Jingshu to beg for forgiveness, but he knew clearly that Lin Jingshu didn't want to hear from him, and besides, there was Nanshan's presence.

If Nanshan misunderstands... then it would truly be a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

Even if he doesn't think about himself, he has to think about Lin Jingshu and Nan Xu.

After hesitating for a moment, Qiu Hezhou logged into Weibo. Lin Jingshu liked to post her daily life on Weibo, and he used to sneak peeks at it often.

As soon as I opened Weibo, it was flooded with news of Lin Jingshu's divorce.

Qiu Hezhou rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

After a few minutes of browsing and reading the statement released by the Lin Group, Qiu Hezhou confirmed the news.

Lin Jingshu and Nanshan have indeed divorced.

Qiu Hezhou's previously listless spirit vanished instantly, replaced by boundless joy.

Lin Jingshu and Nanshan are divorced, so can he now openly pursue her? Can he also meet his biological daughter?

Just thinking about it made Qiu Hezhou unable to hide his smile.

Overwhelmed with joy, Qiu Hezhou forgot what Lin Jingshu had once said: she would never forgive Qiu Hezhou.

After calming himself down, Qiu Hezhou decided to call Lin Jingshu and try to improve his own image.

The thought of the time difference made my hand pause on the phone; it should only be 3 a.m. in China right now.

Lin Jingshu has a terrible temper when she wakes up, and if he calls now, she'll probably get angry and throw a tantrum, so he can't disturb her rest.

Before Zhou Zan went to work, Zhou Qi gave her the photos she wanted.

“I also have some videos that were recorded when your mother and I got married. I’ll give them to you when I have time.” A faint sadness appeared on Zhou Qi’s usually cold face.

Zhou Zan rarely makes this kind of expression.

Because Zhou Qi is always calm and composed, whether he is outside or at home, and he is also very steady and meticulous in his work.

No matter what situation they are in, they remain calm and fearless in the face of danger.

It seems that Zhou Qi's facial expression only became more interesting yesterday when Qin He was mentioned.

Even though Qin He has been gone for a long time, Zhou Qi's eyes still often show affection when he talks about her.

Zhou Zan took the photo, and a thought suddenly came to mind.

This idea might seem absurd and unbelievable, and it might even anger Zhou Qi, or even make him curse at her, but she still wanted to try it.

One cannot live in the past forever. Since her mother's death is Zhou Qi's biggest regret, she will try to find a way to resolve it.

Zhou Zan drove away from home first, stopping on the road that Zhou Qi would inevitably take to discuss cooperation.

Watching Uncle Wang drive Zhou Qi away from the villa, Zhou Zan smiled faintly.

Zhou Zan drove back to the villa. The maid who was watering the flower bed saw Zhou Zan stop the car and walked over.

"Miss, have you forgotten something? Would you like me to go get it for you?"

Zhou Zan turned off the engine, opened the car door, and waved.

"No need, Aunt Wang." With that, she lifted her foot and walked inside.

Zhou Zan first went back to her room and got a large luxury goods paper bag. She wanted to give Zhou Qi a surprise. Only by hiding from the eyes of the servants could she hide from Zhou Qi's eyes.

(End of this chapter)