Quietly, Lin Jiang slipped out.
A nurse walked over. Their eyes met, and Lin Jiang gently shook his head.
"How does Teacher Shen plan to handle this?"
"Handle this?"
"According to hospital regulations, since she passed away in the hospital, the body must first be sent to the morgue, then to the funeral home. But since Teacher Shen is one of our own, she can also take her directly."
"She hasn’t said anything about that. Let’s wait and let her decide for herself."
"Alright."
Lin Jiang stood by a window in the corridor, gazing at the scenery outside and musing on the cruelty of time.
More than half an hour passed before Shen Qingqiu emerged from the hospital room.
She stood at the doorway, glancing around until she spotted Lin Jiang.
There was no trace of sorrow on Shen Qingqiu’s face, though her eyes were slightly red.
Her immense inner strength allowed her to suppress all her sorrow.
The road ahead was still long; she couldn’t afford to break down.
"President Lin, thank you."
"You’re welcome. The head nurse just came to see me. You should go discuss the next steps with her."
"Mhm."
Nodding, Shen Qingqiu went to the nurses’ station.
Because she was a teacher at Jiaoda, the process was free of many potential hassles.
She quickly completed all the necessary paperwork.
"Will she remain here for now, or be transported away immediately?"
"Immediately. The transport vehicle has already been arranged."
It pays to have connections. The head nurse had already made the arrangements without Shen Qingqiu having to say a word.
They were busy well into the evening before finally leaving the funeral home.
At the entrance to the funeral home, Shen Qingqiu got into Lin Jiang’s car and stared at the impassive gates for a long time.
Lin Jiang didn’t rush to drive off, waiting quietly for several minutes.
"President Lin, thank you. Let me treat you to something to eat."
"I’m not hungry, so I’ll pass. Where are you headed? I’ll take you."
She rested her head on one hand, exhaustion written all over her face.
"Home."
"Mhm."
Shen Qingqiu lived in the junior faculty apartments at Jiaoda.
Both the location and the environment were excellent.
It was just after eight in the evening, a pleasant time of day.
Couples strolled down the street, holding hands and leaning against each other, talking and laughing.
Children chased each other playfully.
Office workers rushed by.
Long lines of cars waited at the traffic lights.
So many different people, so many different lives.
Under the same sky, the joys and sorrows of one person are not felt by another.
After he parked the car at the entrance, Shen Qingqiu looked at Lin Jiang.
"When the bill was being settled, someone deposited 300,000 into my account, President Lin..."
"Tongtong and Yingjun said they’ve learned a lot from you recently. They both praised your teaching, so consider that money a bonus."
"You’ve already given me so much. I can’t accept this money, even if they get into Shanghai Jiaotong University in the future," Shen Qingqiu said.
"The hospital is finalizing the bill, so I should be getting a refund of around 200,000. I’ll pay you back the rest gradually."
"This isn’t the time to talk about that. Let’s focus on the present. Come on."
Lin Jiang opened his door and got out first, with Shen Qingqiu following him.
They reached her apartment building after a short walk, and Lin Jiang saw her to the entrance.
"I’ll come pick you up again tomorrow."
[You have gained the favor of NPC Shen Qingqiu. Affinity +30]
[Affinity: 60]
[Reward: 3,000,000 NPC-Specific Development Fund. Has been deposited into your account.]
"If you’re busy tomorrow, I can go by myself. I’d feel bad taking up more of your time."
"It’s no trouble."
"Thank you."
"You’ve said thank you many times today. You don’t have to be so formal. I’ll get going now."
"Why don’t you come in and sit for a while?"
"I don’t want to trouble you. My condolences."
"Mhm."
Lin Jiang left and drove back to Century Triumph.
After spending the afternoon with her, Lin Jiang realized that Shen Qingqiu was far stronger than he had imagined. Most of the time, he couldn’t even see a hint of sorrow on her face.
Even a man might not have been able to handle it as well as she did.
She had stumbled and clawed her way through life; her experiences were not something most men could compare to.
Early the next morning, Lin Jiang drove to the faculty apartments to pick up Shen Qingqiu.
"Have any of your relatives come over?"
"No. My aunt is back in my hometown. She said she’s too scared to come, so she’s staying there."
Lin Jiang nodded and drove to the funeral home.
Lin Jiang could understand the sentiment.
When his own maternal grandmother passed away, Comrade Li hadn’t dared to go to the funeral home either.
Since Shen Qingqiu was the only relative present, everything was kept simple. However, they still included a viewing of the body, just to give her one last look.
A little after ten in the morning, the cremation was finished. After the ashes were interred in the cemetery, it was all over.
Back in the car, Shen Qingqiu covered her face with one hand, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Quietly, Lin Jiang passed her a tissue.
Shen Qingqiu took it, dabbing at the tears under her eyes.
But the tears wouldn’t stop streaming down her face.
PITTER-PATTER—
The tears fell like rain, and her quiet weeping turned into audible sobs.
She collapsed onto the car’s center console, choking back sobs as she cried her heart out...
From the moment her mother fell ill, she had bottled up every single emotion.
Even at the moment of her mother’s death, her composure hadn’t wavered this much.
But that small, simple tissue had become the trigger for her emotional collapse.
For so many years, she had been on her own, hustling and bustling, making her way from a small, remote northern town to Jiaoda, and then all the way to Chicago across the ocean. No one was there to share her songs, no one to share her wine. And now, when she had finally achieved a life of brilliant success, she was left to bloom all alone...

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