Andrew stepped into the office, and immediately the heavy atmosphere hit him. He thought to himself: Great, the boss's mood must have "exploded" again.
He knew very well it was probably because of the incident at Concord Hospital.
The key person involved was Dr. Katherine.
He quietly placed the file on the desk. Andrew put on a just-right concerned expression and asked, knowing it was useless to ask but still doing it: "Boss, what's wrong? You don't look well."
Andrew raised his eyes from the pile of files, his gaze sharp and cold as he glanced at him and said a few words: "Nothing."
Andrew rolled his eyes in his mind, knowing it was pointless to ask. The boss always kept his emotions bottled up.
He definitely wouldn't tell him that his mind was a mess because Katherine didn't ask for his help.
At that moment, the phone on the desk rang urgently, breaking the silence.
Andrew grabbed the phone and answered: "Grandpa."
Old Master Zhou didn't waste time and asked directly: "Do you know about Katherine's situation at the hospital?"
Andrew was silent for a moment, then answered quietly: "I know."
Old Master Zhou immediately asked again: "Did you help her solve it?"
Andrew pressed his lips together and said: "No."
That seemed to light a fuse. Old Master Zhou's angry voice came through the receiver, painfully loud: "Andrew, you really disappoint me! You rush to help others, but when it's your own wife, you don't even say a word!"
"If you don't help, then who else is there? Do you want me to just watch her suffer alone with these false accusations?"
"Do you realize she has no one else but us?"
"Do you even understand her family situation?"
Andrew was stunned by the barrage of questions. Katherine's family?
To be honest, he had never really looked into it. His impression was that it should be pretty good.
But then, thinking about how Katherine turned to Joshua for help, he felt a strange irritation and mumbled: "Grandpa, don't be too impatient. Maybe she doesn't want us involved at all."
Old Master Zhou got even angrier and snorted coldly: "That's your idea! Judging by this, Katherine was right to divorce you."
"She deserves a better man to protect her, not you!"
Then he hung up with a "click."
Andrew held the phone, his face dark and gloomy enough to drip water.
Old Master Zhou turned to Butler Li: "Old Lin, you personally go deal with Katherine's hospital matter and make sure to get her justice as soon as possible."
"That girl is stubborn too. She faced such a big issue but didn't even tell us."
Butler Li nodded quickly: "Okay, Master, I'll handle it now."
In the office, Andrew was full of frustration. After holding it in for a while, he turned to Assistant Ryan and asked: "Ryan, did I do something wrong?"
"Katherine would rather ask a stranger for help than me. Should I really go and ask for trouble?"
Assistant Ryan shrank his neck and whispered: "Boss, to be fair, maybe in Katherine's mind, you don't even compare to a stranger."
Andrew gave him a sharp look: "What are you muttering about?"
Assistant Ryan hurriedly waved his hands and spoke seriously: "Nothing, boss. If I were Katherine, I probably wouldn't ask you either."
"Your usual attitude toward her is so cold it could freeze people. Katherine has a strong personality. Since you're divorced, she wouldn't lower her pride to ask you for help."
"I'm guessing, even if she's falsely accused, she probably wouldn't turn to you."
Ryan's words were blunt but hit home.
Andrew sat there stunned, feeling bitter and regretful inside.
Katherine followed the investigators to the police station, where she was taken to give a statement.
While she was giving her statement, the loud, piercing cries of Shanshan echoed through the hall, each wail sharp and harsh.
Even in such a situation, Shanshan was still stubbornly denying everything, as if she was sure she could twist the truth and confuse right and wrong.
"Miss Katherine, we will carefully verify everything you have said. You may leave now."
The officer's voice broke Katherine's thoughts. She nodded slightly, then looked up and quietly asked, "Officer, may I ask when there might be a result?"
"The exact time is unclear. It depends on how smoothly evidence collection goes. If everything goes well, it should be soon," the officer explained patiently. "Please wait for our call."
Katherine smiled politely and nodded in thanks. "Okay, thank you."
Stepping out of the police station, the bright sun was high in the sky, its glaring light making her squint. She blinked a few times to adjust and slowly walked toward the roadside.
Her car was still parked at the hospital. After finishing her statement, she needed to take a taxi back to drive it.
Just as she stopped by the roadside, a car smoothly pulled up next to her.
Katherine looked up. The window rolled down to reveal Joshua's gentle face, though it showed signs of tiredness.
"Katherine, get in. You can't park here," Joshua said firmly with no room for argument.
Hearing this, Katherine quickly opened the rear door and got in. The car then slowly drove away.
Inside the car, Katherine, full of questions, asked, "Senior, why are you here?"
Joshua looked calm, his tone steady. "I happened to be nearby handling some business. I was about to head back when I saw you."
Assistant Ryan beside him couldn't help but purse his lips, thinking: The boss is so good at lying. He's obviously been waiting here for two hours but insists he was just nearby on business.
The boss always hides his true feelings. When will he finally get together with Dr. Katherine?
"Katherine, did everything go smoothly?" Joshua changed the subject.
"Yes, pretty smooth. Senior, did you post those things online?"
"Did you stay up all night because of me?"
"No…"
Before Joshua could finish speaking, Assistant Ryan quickly jumped in. "Exactly. Dr. Katherine, the boss really did stay up all night. After posting those things online, he kept watching the comments from netizens and drank several cups of coffee."
Assistant Ryan spoke excitedly, but Joshua shot him a sharp look. He immediately fell silent.
Katherine looked guilty. "Senior, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble recently."
Joshua smiled awkwardly. "No, don't listen to Assistant Ryan. I didn't stay up all night."
"I just sent out what you helped me organize."
Seeing lunchtime was near, Katherine carefully and sincerely invited, "Senior, Assistant Ryan, if you're not busy, let me treat you to lunch. I don't know how else to thank you."
Joshua's heart moved, but thinking of his mother's recent attitude, he swallowed his feelings and said no. "Katherine, I can't today. I have a meeting."
Assistant Ryan wanted to agree for the boss, but Joshua's sharp glance stopped him. He swallowed his words.
"Uh, okay. You don't need to take me. Just drop me here by the roadside. I'll take a taxi back to the hospital to drive," Katherine said.
Joshua insisted, "No problem. There's still time. I'll take you there. We can go after."
As he spoke, his eyes secretly glanced at Katherine through the rearview mirror, showing faint reluctance and hidden tenderness.
The car sped toward the hospital. Inside, silence filled the space except for the rushing wind outside the window, as if whispering the unspoken feelings between them.
Joshua's mother looked at the new photos on her phone, her eyes cold.
It seemed she would have to deal with Katherine personally.