"Her name is Shan Li Qianhuo," Chen Jinzhao said.
As for how to explain his relationship with her, Chen Jinzhao truly found it hard to speak.
Yu Mengzhi's eyes blinked a few times, and she exchanged a glance with Xu Yaoyao. Both of them seemed to have guessed something.
"Yaoyao and I will go ask the doctor about your condition," she said.
Li Qiurong took little Sinián from her and watched the two leave the ward before she finally withdrew her gaze.
"They're all gone, you can tell me now, can't you?" Li Qiurong said.
"Daddy, hurry up and tell me," their daughter chimed in, egging him on.
Of course.
Little Sinián didn't know what this meant either.
Chen Jinzhao understood that Yu Mengzhi and Xu Yaoyao were creating an opportunity for him to speak. He sighed and said, "Mom, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, Qianhuo and I are husband and wife. For the past three years, I've owed her my life; otherwise, I would have long been swallowed by the fish."
"Ah?" Li Qiurong was stunned.
"How could you..."
Although Li Qiurong had long suspected the relationship between her son and Shan Li Qianhuo, she was still shocked to have it confirmed.
She had seen everything Yu Mengzhi had done for the past three years. It could be said that she had given her all for this family.
Shan Li Qianhuo lowered her head guiltily. Unable to bear seeing Chen Jinzhao being reprimanded, she bit her lip and said to Li Qiurong, "Auntie, it's not his fault; it's mine for clinging to him."
Li Qiurong looked at Shan Li Qianhuo, then at Chen Jinzhao.
Then she sighed, "Child, you bear no responsibility for this. It's my son's fault for being a scoundrel."
Shan Li Qianhuo quickly waved her hands, "No, Auntie, you've misunderstood Jinzhao. Three years ago, after I fished him out of the sea and brought him home, I lost my memory. I only regained it yesterday when something unexpected happened. It was I who couldn't hold back..."
"It's not Jinzhao's fault at all."
"I know the woman from just now is Chen Jinzhao's wife, and I can withdraw from this relationship."
"Qianhuo, you..." Chen Jinzhao was speechless.
His daughter looked at them blankly, clearly not understanding why the adults were arguing. She said to Li Qiurong, "Grandma, don't be angry, don't be angry. Mommy said getting angry is bad for your health."
Hearing his daughter's tender voice, Chen Jinzhao felt even more remorseful.
Li Qiurong placed little Sinián on the bedside and walked over to the nervously expectant Shan Li Qianhuo, taking her hand. "Alas, life is full of accidents. If this is truly the case, then no one can be blamed. It's just that this matter is too tricky, and I don't know how to resolve it."
"You are a good child too."
"Can you tell me about your experiences and encounters over the past three years?"
Shan Li Qianhuo suppressed her nervousness and then said, "It happened like this: three years ago, my grandfather and I went fishing in the outer sea. We saw Chen Jinzhao floating on the water. At the time, we thought he was going to die. Unexpectedly, after we brought him home, he miraculously recovered. However, he had forgotten everything about his past, only remembering that his surname was Chen. After his injuries healed, he would often sit by the sea, gazing north..."
She recounted the little details between the two of them to Li Qiurong.
As she spoke, Shan Li Qianhuo also relaxed because Li Qiurong's tone was gentle and she was extremely tolerant of her.
After a full half hour, Shan Li Qianhuo finished telling the story of the past three years.
Li Qiurong's head was spinning after listening.
In this matter, there was clearly no one at fault. After all, no one could demand that a person with amnesia must remember the past.
That would be unreasonable.
"Do you have any photos? I'd like to see them," Li Qiurong asked.
Little Sinián also babbled, "I want to see too, I want to see too..."
Shan Li Qianhuo took out her phone and found the photos she had taken over the past three years, letting Li Qiurong look at them. After viewing hundreds of photos, Li Qiurong's face showed a sincere smile. "You are a good child. If it weren't for you, my son would have died."
As a mother, she didn't know how to sort out these relationships.
Chen Jinzhao hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mom, there's something else I haven't told you. Qianhuo is already pregnant."
"What?" Li Qiurong's eyes lit up with surprise.
"Son, you're not lying to me, are you?"
Chen Jinzhao gave a wry smile, "Mom, how could I lie to you about something like this? I still need you to take Qianhuo for a medical check-up, so I can be at ease."
Li Qiurong immediately said, "You rest well. Leave this to me."
"Mom, I have one more thing I'd like to trouble you with..." Chen Jinzhao said sheepishly. Li Qiurong patted his hand and said, "Alright, you don't need to say it; I know what it is. I'll talk to Mengzhi about your matters. But I must tell you, Mengzhi has also had a hard time these past three years, so you can't treat one better than the other."
"Thank you, Mother," Chen Jinzhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Qiurong said with a hint of annoyance, "What's there to be grateful for? You're my son. You watch little Sinián first. I'll go talk to Mengzhi."
"Grandma, I want to go too!" little Sinián pouted.
Li Qiurong stroked her granddaughter's head. "Grandma needs to talk to your Mommy about something important. You stay with Daddy for a while. Didn't you say before that you wanted to see Daddy? Daddy is right here now."
"Oh..." The little girl looked a bit aggrieved.
Li Qiurong left the ward.
Chen Jinzhao and Shan Li Qianhuo exchanged a look, both feeling relieved.
Then their gazes fell on Chen Sinián. After leaving her familiar mother and grandmother, little Sinián seemed a bit timid. She bit her lip and stared at Chen Jinzhao without speaking. Chen Jinzhao smiled, "Come, let Daddy hug you."
Chen Sinián did not move.
Shan Li Qianhuo walked up to the child and took her two chubby little hands. "Your daughter is so beautiful. I can faintly see that she's a beauty in the making. I wish my child could be this pretty."
"Who are you?" Chen Sinián asked in a childlike voice.
"Me? You can call me Auntie Qianhuo from now on, okay?" Shan Li Qianhuo felt genuine envy that Yu Mengzhi had such a daughter.
Chen Sinián said "oh" and fell silent again.
Chen Jinzhao tried to get closer to his daughter, but little Sinián was a bit shy now and didn't act too affectionately with Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao gazed at his daughter, lost in thought.
He never imagined he would be a father. He wasn't mentally prepared yet.
He was truly an unqualified father.
At that moment.
Li Qiurong saw Yu Mengzhi and Xu Yaoyao at the ward entrance. When they saw Li Qiurong, both of them looked troubled, unsure whether to step forward and inquire about the relationship between Chen Jinzhao and Shan Li Qianhuo.
"Alas, you must have guessed it, haven't you?" Li Qiurong asked.
Yu Mengzhi's heart sank.
It seemed.
They had guessed correctly.
Now, all she wanted to know was if she still held a place in Chen Jinzhao's heart.