Chapter 406: He's Back!

The train traveled for a day and a night. Aside from sleeping, Su Yan passed the time by casually holding a book.

Zhou Li felt nothing but aches and pains in his back; he had truly never sat on a hard sleeper berth for such a long duration.

Furthermore, aside from a brief conversation with Su Yan at the very beginning, there were no more topics between them. Almost every time, it was he who took the initiative to strike up a conversation before Su Yan would offer a few words in response.

Fortunately, after a day and a night of endurance, the train finally pulled into the platform.

Su Yan had already packed her belongings and was waiting for the train to come to a halt.

Looking at the environment outside the window—both familiar and strange—it had clearly only been two or three months since she had left, yet it felt as if a vast amount of time had passed.

"Senior Sister Su, so this is your hometown? It's a bit more prosperous than I imagined," Zhou Li said, being quite the conversationalist.

This was merely a small fourth or fifth-tier county town; how could it possibly compare to the capital?

It was only because it was Su Yan's hometown that he spoke as if it were.

Su Yan said nothing, following the crowd toward the train doors.

The moment her feet touched the soil of her hometown, she could not wait to go and visit Su Jianguo.

"Senior Sister Su, are we going to your house now?" Zhou Li asked proactively while carrying a suitcase, glancing around to see where the taxis were.

"To the hospital first." Su Yan's speaking pace was somewhat fast.

It took Zhou Li only a second to react.

He knew, of course, that Su Yan's father had been in a coma all this time, so it was only natural for her to go to the hospital now.

"Alright, I'll go find a vehicle."

Without waiting for Su Yan's instructions, he immediately walked toward the exit of the platform.

Su Yan followed behind, and a few minutes later, the two of them boarded two human-powered tricycles.

Zhou Li endured his discomfort; fortunately, he had already prepared himself for the possibility of a difficult life.

The tricycles moved at a moderate pace, and after about ten minutes, they stopped at the hospital entrance.

"Senior Sister Su, the hospitals here are quite rudimentary. Actually, if you want proper medical treatment, it would be most reliable to go to the capital," Zhou Li suggested while observing the hospital.

Medical facilities in a small place like this could absolutely not be compared to those in the capital.

With Su Yan's current abilities, transferring her family to a better hospital would be no problem at all.

Su Yan's steps were hurried, and she only gave a perfunctory reply, "It's not necessary for now."

Zhou Li's thoughts shifted to the fact that Su Yan's father had already given her the Profound Spirit Liquid; perhaps the liquid would have a miraculous effect on her father's condition.

The two quickly arrived in front of a hospital room.

Su Yan's hand had clearly reached for the doorknob, but she suddenly froze all movement.

She took several deep breaths, seemingly trying to calm her rapid breathing and emotions.

This was the first time Zhou Li had seen her act this way.

And at this moment, he truly realized that Su Yan was just like them—she would feel nervous and uneasy when encountering people or matters she cared about.

*Click.*

The ward door pushed open, and Su Yan walked in impatiently.

When she saw Su Jianguo still lying on the hospital bed with his eyes tightly shut, her eyes reddened slightly.

Zhou Li followed behind her at a polite distance of about one meter; this distance was neither intrusive nor lacked decorum.

With every step Su Yan took, her heart trembled.

After this trip to the capital, her feelings for Su Jianguo had clearly deepened significantly.

"Dad, I'm back."

She spoke in a gentle tone as she reached the bedside, as if fearing she might wake the person on the bed.

The only response to her was the rhythmic *beep-beep* of the medical monitors.

Su Yan first held Su Jianguo's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm, and then tucked the quilt tighter around him.

Zhou Li thoughtfully pulled a chair over for her.

"Senior Sister Su, is this your uncle? You really look a lot like him."

Su Yan's facial features did indeed bear a sixty to seventy percent resemblance to Su Jianguo's, but what surprised Zhou Li was Su Jianguo's current state.

He didn't look like he was suffering from any particular ailment; he truly looked as if he were merely asleep.

"Hello, Uncle Su. I don't know if you can hear me right now, but my name is Zhou Li, and I am a friend of Senior Sister Su."

He proactively introduced himself to the unconscious Su Jianguo. Although it seemed a bit childish, it was done with complete politeness.

After speaking, he did not intend to linger in the ward. "Senior Sister Su, I'll head out first. You should have a good talk with your uncle."

After stepping out of the ward, he did not forget to proactively close the door behind him.

Looking at the unconscious Su Jianguo, Su Yan felt a suffocating sense of grief when she thought of the truth behind her mother's death.

She didn't know exactly how much her father knew about her mother's situation, but as an ordinary person, even if her father truly woke up, she did not intend to tell him those things.

In the days to come, she only hoped her father could live a peaceful and stable life.

"Dad, don't worry, I will make you wake up as soon as possible!"

Su Yan indeed intended to let Su Jianguo drink the Profound Spirit Liquid; even if such a thing couldn't wake him up, it would at least be harmless and potentially beneficial.

However, before that, she had to confirm the situation with the doctor first.

Zhou Li sat on a bench outside the ward. A day and a night of travel meant nothing to his past self, but his body was still very weak now, so he currently felt utterly exhausted.

Even so, he did not show any sign of displeasure; he even waited outside for half an hour without entering the ward to disturb Su Yan.

A group of people appeared on the other side of the corridor. At first, Zhou Li didn't pay much attention, but he soon realized they seemed to be heading toward him, so he stood up from the bench unhurriedly.

They did not notice Zhou Li's presence, or if they did, they didn't stop because they didn't know him at all, walking straight to Su Jianguo's ward.

Just as the man leading the group was about to push open the door, Zhou Li immediately spoke up to stop them.

"Wait, who are you people?"

Su Yao, knowing that Su Yan might have returned, was already impatient to go in. Being suddenly questioned by someone appearing out of nowhere caused him to frown immediately.

Not just him, but his parents, Su Jianxin and Liu Sujuan, as well as Song Sining and Gu Qingfeng who had come along, all turned to look at Zhou Li.

Zhou Li took two quick steps to block the ward door, observing them in return.

Su Yao frowned. "Who are you? Why are you standing at my second uncle's ward door?"

The boy in front of them looked to be about the same age as Su Yan, exuding an air of noble aloofness, though his complexion was a bit too pale, looking almost bloodless.

But most importantly, none of them knew this person!

Hearing the term "second uncle," Zhou Li immediately understood something, and the coldness on his face was replaced by kindness.

"So you are Senior Sister Su's relatives. I am a friend of Senior Sister Su; my name is Zhou Li. Senior Sister Su is inside right now."

(End of Chapter)