Wang Chuqin walked to Exit 7 and immediately spotted a familiar, elderly figure standing at the entrance. He quickened his pace and went right up to him.
"Dad Sun," he called out. Just as he had anticipated, Shasha had found out his flight details from Manyu and openly shared them with her parents, who were abroad accompanying her during her recovery.
The person who had come to pick him up was none other than Shasha's father.
"Chuqin, my boy. Why do you look thinner than before? Have you been working too hard with your training lately?" Dad Sun smiled and squeezed the young man's hand, his smile tinged with a trace of fatigue.
Dad Sun had been deeply worried about Shasha's health these past few days. After seeing his daughter undergo such major surgery, he had almost broken down in tears. Yet she had remained entirely upbeat, comforting them by insisting it was just a minor procedure, that the anesthesia dose was plenty, and that it didn't hurt at all. She was simply too sensible; she must have put on a cheerful, happy front in front of them just to keep them from worrying. It broke Dad Sun's heart.
"I just haven't been sleeping very well lately. Thank you for coming to pick me up, Dad Sun." Wang Chuqin gestured for Dad Sun to walk ahead, and they headed out together.
A black seven-seater business van was parked right outside the entrance. The driver was an unfamiliar foreigner, and the two men climbed into the back together.
"This is an internal hospital vehicle, and this driver was specially arranged by the hospital. He knows a bit of basic Chinese. Let's go to the hotel first so you can get some rest, and you can go see Shasha tomorrow," Dad Sun said, patting the young man on the shoulder.
When Shasha had mentioned to her parents earlier in the day that Wang Chuqin might be coming, Dad Sun and Mom Sun hadn't been surprised at all.
They had a general idea about the recent friction between their daughter and Wang Chuqin, though they didn't know all the details. They simply figured the young couple were having a minor lovers' tiff, and that once the youngsters cleared up their misunderstandings, everything would be fine.
Dad Sun had even proactively messaged Wang Chuqin to offer him a ride and had gone so far as to book him a room in the very same hotel where they were staying.
"Dad Sun, let's just go straight to the hospital first. I won't disturb Shasha's rest—I just want to take a quick look at her before heading to the hotel," Wang Chuqin pleaded, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Dad Sun nodded. The kid was in a rush to see his daughter, which clearly showed how worried he was about her. It was obvious he truly cared for Shasha. Dad Sun was quite willing to let the young couple see each other and talk sooner rather than later. Seeing Wang Chuqin would certainly make his daughter very happy.
"You two should talk things through properly. Don't be like last time, when a disagreement made you turn around and leave without a word." Dad Sun actually liked Wang Chuqin quite a bit these days.
The young man was clean-cut and good-looking, played ball exceptionally well, and had a grounded, reliable character. After being tempered by the hardships of recent years, he had also grown much more mature and steady.
When he had first laid eyes on this kid years ago, however, he had strongly disapproved. The brash young boy hadn't even achieved any decent results yet when he boldly promised them that he would definitely take good care of Shasha and accompany her to win numerous championships.
Before he could figure out how to respond, however, he had caught his daughter looking at the boy with stars in her eyes, wearing a radiant expression bursting with undisguised affection.
Well, if that was who his daughter had set her heart on, there was no point in making things awkward. He had simply nodded and muttered some perfunctory remark like "Well, you'd better work hard then."
That twenty-year-old boy had secretly glanced at his daughter, let out a massive sigh of relief, and dropped his tense demeanor—it had looked utterly childish. Dad Sun had frowned inwardly at the time: what a little brat, daring to think about marrying his daughter; she wouldn't even be in the running without a Grand Slam title under her belt.
Dad Sun had originally assumed this romance of his daughter's would just be a passing phase. The boy was decent at table tennis and looked somewhat arrogant, but he was always completely submissive—even a little timid—in front of Shasha.
Watching his daughter easily wrap him around her little finger had amused Dad Sun, though it had brought him even greater joy and pride. Over the past few years, he had watched Wang Chuqin closely.
Seeing how the two of them interacted over the years, and witnessing the care and thoughtfulness Wang Chuqin poured into every little detail concerning his daughter, had put Dad Sun completely at ease. His attitude toward Wang Chuqin had gradually softened.
He had seen with his own eyes how deep his daughter's feelings for Wang Chuqin were. The two of them truly had each other in their hearts, and it was normal for young couples to squabble.
He sincerely hoped the young couple would talk through all their misunderstandings and conflicts so that his daughter wouldn't have to keep wearing that troubled expression every now and then.
The black car sped along the straight road, racing toward the distant pinpricks of light.
Shasha, I miss you so much.
No matter how difficult the future may be, I will face it by your side. Please don't push me away.