When Ye Qiu returned home, his mother had already prepared the meal.
Seeing Ye Qiu all wet, his mother smiled and asked, "Qiu'er, why are you completely soaked? Did you fall into Mirror Lake?"
"Mom, you're amazing; you knew right away."
"Did you really fall into Mirror Lake?" Ye Mu's expression turned serious. "Tell me what happened."
Ye Qiu then recounted the incident of saving someone at Mirror Lake.
After listening, Ye Mu nodded in approval and said, "You did the right thing; saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. But Qiu'er, in the future, be careful and prioritize safety."
"I understand."
"Go change into some dry clothes and then have dinner."
"Okay."
Ye Qiu's mother, Qian Jinglan, was from Suzhou and Hangzhou. Ye Qiu knew little about his mother's family background, only vaguely hearing from Qian Jinglan that her family was from a prominent clan.
How prominent that clan was, Ye Qiu did not know and did not wish to know. In fact, he harbored a deep resentment toward that family.
Had they not been so heartless as to cast Qian Jinglan out, their lives wouldn't have been so miserable.
Compared to that, Ye Qiu resented his father even more.
Over the years, his father had never come to see them and showed no concern for their well-being.
Ye Qiu thought such a reckless man did not deserve to live!
Qian Jinglan raised Ye Qiu alone, enduring many hardships over the years, causing her hair to turn gray despite being just in her forties.
During dinner, Ye Qiu nearly asked a question several times but swallowed it back.
He wanted to ask who his biological father was.
But seeing his mother's gray hair and deep crow's feet, he held back.
"Qiu'er, I haven't seen Lili recently. Did you two have a falling out?" Qian Jinglan inquired.
"No falling out. She's just been busy with work," Ye Qiu lied, not daring to tell his mother that Zhang Lili had betrayed him.
In Qian Jinglan's mind, Zhang Lili was already considered a daughter-in-law. If she knew Lili had betrayed Ye Qiu, she would likely be devastated.
"Qiu'er, bring Lili home for dinner sometime. I have some things I want to discuss with her," Qian Jinglan said.
Ye Qiu looked at Qian Jinglan in confusion and asked, "Mom, what do you want to talk to her about?"
"What else could it be? It's about your marriage!" Qian Jinglan smiled and said, "You two have been together for two years since college, and your relationship is stable. I'm thinking of finding an opportunity to meet her parents and finalize your marriage. What do you think?"
"I don't think it's a good idea," Ye Qiu muttered to himself but said, "Mom, Lili and I just graduated, and we haven't stabilized our jobs yet. Marriage isn't urgent."
"How isn't it urgent? Aunt Wang's son next door is your age, and he already has grandchildren," Qian Jinglan said. "Just listen to me. Bring Lili home for dinner, and I'll talk to her."
Ye Qiu felt a headache coming on.
After dinner, he went to bed early.
Lying in bed, Ye Qiu couldn't sleep. Everything that happened today replayed in his mind like a movie. Thinking about Zhang Lili and Guo Shaocong together made him furious.
"One day, I'll make you realize that betraying me is the biggest mistake of your life."
Unable to sleep, he decided to focus on his thoughts.
The Ye family's ancestral teachings included not only the "Maoshan Talismans Compendium" but also various medical skills, martial arts, cultivation methods, and Qimen Dunjia.
Ye Qiu closed his eyes and began to practice these skills.
...
The night passed.
In the morning, when Ye Qiu opened his eyes, he felt not only refreshed but also full of energy.
After breakfast, Ye Qiu went to report at the caregiver station.
Jiangzhou Hospital was a large hospital, and the caregiver station had over thirty people, mostly in their forties or fifties. Ye Qiu was the only caregiver his age.
Upon arriving at the caregiver station, Ye Qiu saw two older women wiping their tears.
"What happened?" Ye Qiu asked a nearby middle-aged man.
"They were scolded by a patient," the man said. "A patient in Room 301's special care ward moved in yesterday. She has a terrible temper and has already had four caregivers. Each one was scolded terribly and left."
As he spoke, the nurse manager saw Ye Qiu and said, "Caregiver Ye, go to Room 301."
Ye Qiu's heart sank, and he glanced at the nurse manager.
"What are you staring at? Hurry up and go. If the patient complains about you, you'll be packing your things," the nurse manager barked.
"Okay," Ye Qiu said, and turned to leave.
At this moment, he heard the nurse manager's mocking voice from behind, "What a joke. Even daring to offend Guo Shao, you really don't know the sky's height and the earth's thickness."
Ye Qiu ignored it and went straight to Room 301. Upon entering, he saw a woman sitting on the bed.
His eyes widened in amazement.
Because this woman was…
Incredibly sexy!
She wore a light purple three-quarter sleeve blouse with a low neckline, exposing large areas of pale skin, like peeled lychees, white and red, trembling.
Moreover, her waist was narrow, and even sitting, her perfect curves were visible from the side.
Most strikingly, her entire left leg was outside the blanket, long and straight, with white skin and delicate three-inch lotus feet, making one wonder what kind of beauty could match such a physique and skin.
Ye Qiu instinctively looked at the woman's face.
At that moment, the woman noticed him too.
Their eyes met.
In that second, Ye Qiu's breath even seemed to stop.
He thought to himself, how could there be such a bewitching woman in the world?
The woman, around thirty, with cascading black hair, a slender face, and grape-like eyes, had an innate charm that made one think of the term—
Fox spirit!
"Who are you? What do you do?" The woman spoke first, her voice pleasant but cold.
Ye Qiu snapped back to reality and said awkwardly, "Hello, I'm the new caregiver."
"Caregiver?" The woman looked Ye Qiu up and down and asked, "Where is your identification?"
Ye Qiu quickly took out his ID.
The woman glanced at the caregiver certificate and asked, "What were you just looking at?"
Ye Qiu blushed, thinking, I can't say I was looking at you, right?
Unexpectedly, the woman said, "Were you looking at me?"
Ye Qiu had no choice but to nod.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" The woman blinked playfully.
"Yes, you're pretty!"
"Then what do you think is the best about me? My face, or…" The woman said, suddenly making a move that left Ye Qiu startled.