Chapter 217 Good catch!
On the road in the clear but slightly chilly morning, July was about to enter the second half of the month, and it was finally time for Sakurai Haruka to be discharged from the hospital.

Qingshuijian received a phone call this morning and slowly prepared to go out.

I checked the traffic information on my phone before going out. The bus routes later on were no longer so congested, so at least I didn’t have to worry about not being able to get to the hospital in time.

I walk from home to the bus stop to take the bus, then take the tram after getting off the bus.

The golden sunlight shone through the sparse clouds and shone through the window. The tram moved forward slowly.

Since the summer vacation, Shimizu has been going to the hospital to visit Sakurai Haruka almost every day, so he is very familiar with this route, second only to the route to school and home.

About ten minutes later, the tram began to slow down, and the body of the tram stopped completely after shaking heavily a few times, and the door opened with a jet sound.

After walking out of the ticket gate, the hospital across the street immediately appeared in front of me.

I walked along the sidewalk to the hospital and took the elevator to the floor where Sakurai Haruka's ward was located.

When Shimizu approached, he found that the door of the ward was open.

When Qing Shuijian walked to the door, he heard familiar conversation coming from inside.

The soft morning light shone in from the window, casting a faint shadow on the dazzling and bright ward.

The ward was no different from usual, and what gave Shimizu this intuitive feeling was a girl sitting there.

The white shirt was clean and tidy, with a scarlet bow tied around the collar. It seemed that if she blew gently, the bow would flap its wings and fly to her fingertips.

The girl sitting there was Sakurai Haruka who was discharged from the hospital today.

After getting used to the patient clothes, changing into ordinary clothes gives people a refreshing feeling.

She sat quietly in a chair by the window, looking outside. The gradually rising morning light fell on her profile, as beautiful as a painting. Qingshuijian stopped involuntarily after walking out the door.

Sakurai Haruka noticed that the footsteps behind her disappeared and looked back.

She showed Qing Shuijian a smile from the bottom of her heart without any hesitation, and Qing Shuijian was finally able to take another step.

When entering the ward, Shimizu noticed a gray coat fluttering gently behind Sakurai Haruka.

The other girl, whose figure was blocked by Sakurai Haruka, turned and looked at Shimizu Mi.

"Morning, junior."

The girl was Sakurai Haruka's sister, Sakurai Shio.

Sakurai Shio turned around, glanced at Sakurai Haruka, then smiled and said, "I'm still worried about what to do if my junior doesn't come. After all, Haruka insisted on waiting for you to pick her up before leaving the hospital."

Being teased by Sakurai Shio, Sakurai Haruka felt uncomfortable and glared at her.

The feeling between the two of them is still the same as always.

"Have you completed the discharge procedures?"

"Well, it's all done."

Sakurai Haruka nodded, stood up and walked over to Shimizu with small steps. It can be seen that she was in a good mood after being discharged from the hospital for a long time.

"What about you, junior brother? Are you ready?"

Sakurai Shio followed over.

"Is it really okay?"

Shimizu looked at Sakurai Haruka with some worry.

I had promised her that I would take her on a trip after she was discharged from the hospital.

The person who first made this suggestion was Shimizu Mi himself, but Shimizu Mi originally wanted to wait until Sakurai Haruka was discharged from the hospital before taking a rest and setting off again after his body was fully recovered and there were no problems.

But just yesterday, the plan was temporarily changed.

It’s not that Shimizu Miki went back on his word, but because there was a problem with Sakurai Shio’s schedule.

Not long ago, the sequel to Sakurai Shio's movie officially started filming.

Shimizu Mi, who serves as the male lead, also auditioned for a scene a few days ago. Thanks to the very detailed script and the careful arrangements by the director and crew, the filming went quite smoothly.

Although there were many controversies and doubts on the part of investors regarding the selection of a new actor like Shimizu Miki, and for him to play the important male lead, the crew did not treat him differently due to this.

However, I heard that the release date of the movie seems to be advanced, so the shooting schedule has become more tight.

Therefore, Sakurai Shio has been very busy with the filming of the movie recently, and her schedule is packed, so she really can't spare much time.

Despite trying their best to adjust the schedule, it seems that the only vacation they can get is three or four days, which is almost the limit they can give. It seems that the crew will use this time to shoot the segments without Sakurai Shio's scenes.

After that, until the film is successfully completed, Sakurai Shio will devote herself to the filming of the film.

It is rare for Sakurai Shio to be able to spare time under such circumstances, but at the same time, due to schedule arrangements, Sakurai Shio's few days of vacation will start tomorrow, so if she wants to travel, she must prepare to set off today.

At first, Shimizu Mi was a little worried about this. After all, Sakurai Haruka had just been discharged from the hospital, and Shimizu Mi was worried that her body had not fully recovered yet.

However, in front of him, Sakurai Haruka patted her chest and assured him that there was really nothing wrong with her body.

"It's okay. My body is fine now."

Seeing her regained her energy, she really looked like nothing had happened.

If the doctor hadn't wanted to keep her for a few more days of observation and not discharge her, Sakurai Haruka would have probably run out of the hospital long ago.

Since both of them agreed, Qingshui naturally had no objection.

"Oh, it would be nice if we could play for a few more days."

Sakurai Haruka sighed slightly. Due to Sakurai Shio's work, the trip was ultimately scheduled for only three short days. Although Sakurai Shio herself didn't say anything, she also felt a little regretful about it.

"You're like this before we even set off. Don't you want to go?"

Shimizumi tapped Sakurai Haruka lightly on the forehead.

Sakurai Haruka covered her forehead and shook her head: "Of course not, I have been waiting for this day for twenty years."

"Twenty years?"

She is obviously only nineteen, could it be that she has been looking forward to it since she was in the womb?

"Because the days are long."

"..."

Shimizu was speechless for a moment, but seeing that Sakurai Haruka still had the mood to joke, she must be really fine.

In that case, Qingshui Jian felt relieved.

"Then let's go."

The hospital's discharge procedures have been completed, so there is no need to stay here any longer.

After saying this, Shimizu turned around and was about to leave the ward, but was stopped by Sakurai Shio from behind.

"Um... Junior, there is one more thing before you leave."

When Shimizu responded, he turned around, only to see that Sakurai Shio's expression suddenly became serious, and there was a faint pleading tone in her voice.

"What?"

The inexplicably serious atmosphere made Qing Shuijian ask subconsciously.

"…My father wants to see you."

……

……

An hour later, in the cafe.

"Ah...I see. I see. In other words, Haruka still doesn't want to come..."

"Feel sorry."

"No, it has nothing to do with you."

The man in front of him, who was about forty years old, sighed sadly.

The lost look made Shimizu unable to connect him to the father of Sakurai Haruka and Sakurai Shio, Sakurai Sosuke. Originally, he was going to pick up Sakurai Haruka from the hospital and set off for Hokkaido, but Sakurai Shio suddenly told Shimizu that she wanted to meet him.

Because Sakurai Haruka didn't want to see Sakurai Sosuke, she got off the car early when she was almost at the coffee shop, and was now waiting in a bakery across the street from the store.

As if he was worried because his daughter didn't want to see him, Sakurai Sosuke subconsciously took out a box of cigarettes, but immediately realized the current occasion and put the cigarette box into the secret pocket of his expensive-looking coat.

Although Qing Shuijian didn't have a habit of staring at people, her eyes unconsciously followed the actions of the man in front of her.

After all, such people are really rare. Although they are over 40 years old, they have a unique elite temperament that makes people feel that they always have the youthful spirit of a 20-year-old.

Under the casual jacket without any wrinkles is a high-necked shirt. The shirt also emits a moist glow. You can tell at a glance that it is finely made and expensive.

Although it has been confirmed that Sakurai Haruka's father is a rich man, his taste is not unpleasant.

Although he didn't have any unique ideas about dressing, Shimizu Mi's mind took the initiative to put a passing mark on Sakurai Sosuke's face - it's okay, not bad.

He looks capable and there is nothing wrong with him. You can tell his taste at a glance. The black and gray trousers and beige jacket match him very well. At least at this age where he can be considered an uncle, he can still dress like this, which is really amazing.

Shimizu glanced at Sakurai Shio who was sitting in the same row with him and drinking coffee, then turned to look at Sakurai Sosuke who was sitting opposite him.

"Excuse me, what can I do for you?"

Based on the impression he had when they first met at the cultural festival, Shimizu Mi actually hesitated at first as to whether or not to come and meet.

However, when I thought about taking his two daughters on a trip to Hokkaido soon, it would be a bit unreasonable not to come and see him.

"I'm sorry to come to you at this time... I heard you guys are going on a trip?"

Since there was nothing to hide about this matter, Qing Shuijian nodded calmly: "Yes."

"Where are you planning to go?"

"Hokkaido."

"How long are you going?"

"Three days."

Shimizu answered all the questions truthfully.

"Really...Have you arranged all the work over there, Xi?"

"Well, everything is arranged."

Sakurai Shio put down the coffee in her hand and nodded.

"That Haruka's body..."

"It's nothing serious anymore."

"That's it..."

These were probably not what Sakurai Sosuke really wanted to ask, but he kept beating around the bush.

However, Sakurai Sosuke is the father of Sakurai Haruka and Sakurai Shio after all. If he expresses his opposition, the trip will basically be ruined.

The other party seemed to guess Qingshuijian's thoughts immediately.

"Don't worry, if I don't agree, Haruka will probably hate me even more."

Perhaps feeling pained by being disliked by his own daughter, Sakurai Sosuke gave a self-deprecating smile and continued.

"Remember? At that time I said I would not hand my daughter over to you."

Of course Shimizu Mi remembers what Sakurai Sosuke said. After all, it was these words that stimulated Sakurai Haruka and caused her to flee the scene.

"At that time, you and my daughter planned and framed Miura Subaru and revealed his true identity. There was nothing wrong with that..."

Sakurai Sosuke glanced at Sakurai Shio who was sitting opposite him, and there was a complex sense of heaviness in his tone: "You were indeed not wrong to do that. The reason I said that at that time was just because I hate people who use such means."

Sakurai Sosuke said this, and he let out a long sigh, as if releasing a long-pressed burden, and then continued:
"Because I am that kind of person..."

Hearing this, Qing Shuijian was confused.

What he felt from Sakurai Sosuke was not blame towards him, but more of self-blame.

"Perhaps you don't know that although our Sakurai family is a well-known Aikido family, it actually began to decline slowly during my father's generation. So when Shio and Haruka were still young, our family was not that wealthy."

Although Shimizu Mi had never heard Sakurai Haruka and the others mention the past before, he had accidentally caught a glimpse of the scene when Sakurai Haruka was with her mother when she was a child in Sakurai Haruka's heart world at that time.

From the old and small Japanese-style room where Sakurai Haruka was lying, it can be seen that the conditions of the Sakurai family at that time were indeed somewhat difficult.

"But fortunately, I still have Hanamiya, my wife. Living with Hanamiya, Haruka, and Shio, I have no complaints even if the gym is declining."

A hint of tenderness flashed across Sakurai Sosuke's eyes, but was immediately replaced by worry.

"But the only thing that worries me is that Hua Gong has always been in poor health..."

As far as Shimizu Mi knew, Sakurai Haruka's mother died when Sakurai Haruka was very young, so when he heard what Sakurai Sosuke said, he could guess a rough idea.

"Hanamiya passed away when Haruka was only five years old. The doctor at the time said that if she had an operation, there might be a glimmer of hope..."

"But the surgery will cost a lot of money..."

Shimizumi listened carefully to what Sakurai Sosuke said. Although the other party's tone was restrained and did not show much emotional fluctuation, he could clearly feel the self-blame buried deep in his heart.

"So I swore that I would never make the same mistake again and I would make sure Yao and Xi lived a good life..."

“But now it seems that I was wrong again.”

Having said that, Sakurai Sosuke's tone suddenly became a little sad.

To be precise, I feel sad for myself.

"Back then, I borrowed some money from a friend and started a company. At the beginning, every step of the company's operation was difficult. At that time, in order to get investment and support from the Miura family, I made a decision on my own and made a marriage contract with them."

Regarding the memory of the dinner party where the engagement was confirmed, Shimizu Mi had seen it before in Sakurai Haruka's heart world.

Qing Shuijian couldn't help but recall the past, but was immediately brought back to reality by a sigh.

"...I wanted my daughter to live a good life, but in the end I ended up using her. It's only natural that a father like me would be hated by her..."

"Excuse me, are you angry?"

"No, it's just my eyes...a little painful..."

Sakurai Sosuke rubbed his slightly red eyes.

Then he regrouped himself.

"I'm not telling you this to hand over my daughter to you."

Just by listening to Sakurai Sosuke's tone and the heartfelt words he said just now, Shimizu Mi thought he was really going to do this.

"Haruka and Shio are my only treasures now, the only treasures that are more important than my own life... Because of this, I will never make the same mistake again this time."

Shimizumi listened quietly to what Sakurai Sosuke said next.

"So, I want to ask you, please help me take good care of them."

Sakurai Sosuke lowered his head slightly towards Shimizumi.

"What do you mean...?"

"Of course, if something happens to Haruka and Shio in Hokkaido, or if they are bullied——"

Sakurai Sosuke raised his head and stopped talking midway.

Shimizu was waiting for the follow-up, but found that the fork on the table was slowly twisted in Sakurai Sosuke's hand.

"I see……"

"That's good."

The word "peace of mind" appeared on Sakurai Sosuke's face. He picked up the ham bread that had just been ordered on the table. The ham slipped out of the bread that he was about to bite, and just before it fell on the table, Shimizu couldn't help but reach out to catch it.

What should I do now? A lightning-shaped wrinkle appeared between Qing Shuijian's brows.

"Good catch!"

(End of this chapter)