Chapter 1007: Heart Attack
Chapter 1007: Heart Attack
Zhai Yanjun thought he heard wrong. He re-confirmed it and when he received the same response from Harry again, he couldn’t lie to himself that he was listening to it right. It was indeed his father, Zhai Kuijun about whom Harry was talking.
“What is he doing there?” Zhai Yanjun couldn’t help asking incredulously.
“That I don’t know but I can tell you that your father isn’t looking good right now. I’m seriously worried about him. I wouldn’t have called you if he didn’t look like this. So, you better come over as fast as you can. If anything happened to your father, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 𝓞𝐕𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
Zhai Yanjun didn’t expect to hear this. He frowned deeply and hung up before saying, “I’ll be there in a while.”
He looked at his phone and contemplated what to do. He couldn’t get out of there but he couldn’t not go to see his father either since, from Harry’s tone, he could tell how serious the matter was.
He chose to directly call Xiang Hulin. And telling him that he had to find his father, Xiang Hulin agreed immediately and decided to get permission for him to leave the training grounds.
Getting the green light, Zhai Yanjun rushed out of there and drove straight to the place where his father was. And it was actually a bar. A bar where Zhai Yanjun often met with Shui Xian. It could be called their meet-up spot for years. That’s why the bar manager was also familiar with Zhai Yanjun and Shui Xian.
As he entered the bar, he found Harry pacing around. “Finally, you’re here,” Harry breathed a sigh of relief and directed him straight to where Zhai Kuijun had been drinking for hours now.
Looking at his father’s destitute situation, Zhai Yanjun was taken aback and wondered out loud, “What happened to him?”
“How would I know that?” Retorted Harry.
Zhai Yanjun didn’t argue with that since he knew his question was really redundant. How would Harry really know why Zhai Kuijun was here. He only called because he was worried for him. And from seeing Zhai Kuijun’s situation, Zhai Yanjun could tell why he was worried. Even he was startled.
“Thanks for letting me know, bro!” Zhai Yanjun sincerely thanked Harry who laughed it off.
“Let me know if you need any help,” said Harry before he walked away.
Zhai Yanjun turned to sit beside his father and continued to stare at this old man who was drunk out of his mind right now. Zhai Yanjun had never seen his old man like this. Even when he fought with his wife all the time, he had never seen Zhai Kuijun looking this way. It was like he had taken a big shock. Zhai Yanjun couldn’t understand the situation because he thought everything was fine in their lives.
Or maybe it was just him whose life was going too well and he thought everyone around him was also happy.
“Dad!” Zhai Yanjun called out to get his father’s attention. He had to do it since he sat there for 20 minutes in silence but Zhai Kuijun didn’t even notice his presence.
Zhai Kuijun looked up and saw Zhai Yanjun’s bleary figure. “Oh, my son! It’s my son.”
His slurring really gave Zhai Yanjun a headache.
“Son, why are there six of you?”
Okay, it’s official! This situation was worse than he thought. But what was really going on here?!
“I’m only one,” replied Zhai Yanjun. “You only have one son!”
Zhai Kuijun instantly fell silent and looked so sad that even ended up affecting Zhai Yanjun’s emotions. He never knew sadness could be this infectious. But what was really going on here? Why was his father sad over the fact that he had only one son?
“One son?” repeated Zhai Kuijun in a barely audible voice. He suddenly laughed out loud, but the laughter was filled with sadness and helplessness. In the end, the laughter turned into crying which caught Zhai Yanjun off guard.
“Dad,” Zhai Yanjun held his father’s figure and asked, “What is wrong with you? Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know,” replied Zhai Kuijun. “There is nothing else I can do.”
Zhai Yanjun really couldn’t understand him at all. He knew it was a tough job to talk to a drunkard. He shouldn’t even bother. What was the point of this conversation when one was drunk out of his mind? So, he immediately called for a server and asked to buy a sobering drink for Zhai Kuijun and also for some water.
He first fed his father some water and then he made him drink the sobering drink. After he was done, he dragged his father out of the bar and took him to a hotel. After taking him to the room, he laid him down to rest before he went to order some warm soup for his father through room service.
To be honest, it was his first time caring for his father. And he actually didn’t know what to do at all. But he couldn’t leave his father alone. He couldn’t send him home either because his grandparents would worry.
He waited for half an hour before Zhai Kuijun woke up. With his head buzzing, he looked around at the unfamiliar place and scrunched his face.
“You’re up?” asked Zhai Yanjun when he noticed the movement. “I say, old man, aren’t you very gutsy? Do you even realize that you almost got taken advantage of at the bar? You should be glad that the manager knew me and saved you. Or else, you’d wake up in some lady’s bed, and then you’d have to take responsibility as well.”
Zhai Kuijun didn’t seem to hear any of that. He was just staring at his son intently.
“What are you looking at? Is something on my face?”
Zhai Kuijun shook his head, “Now that I know the truth. I can see even more resemblance.”
“Huh?” Zhai Yanjun did not get any of that. Not at all. “Dad, are you okay?” asked Zhai Yanjun in worry. “You’re really worrying me right now.”
“I’m fine. I just have a headache,” answered Zhai Kuijun.
“Who asked you to drink so much? Serves you right!” Even though he said it, Zhai Yanjun still brought the warm soup for him to drink saying, “Drink it and warm up your stomach. It’ll help with you sobering up.”
Zhai Kuijun smiled slightly seeing this gesture of his son. He had to say, it wasn’t half bad when he found that his son was so concerned about him.
As he drank the soup in silence, Zhai Yanjun kept his eyes on him trying to see something. Who knew what he was trying to see though? No one could tell but it was obvious that even though he couldn’t find anything, Zhai Yanjun insisted on just staring at his father’s face. As if he was trying to stare down his defenses.
“What is it?” asked Zhai Kuijun.
“I should be asking you that question,” said Zhai Yanjun. “What is up with you? It’s not like you to look for alcohol to escape problems. I have never had it in my life. What shocked you to the point that ran to alcohol?”
Zhai Kuijun’s expression faltered as he sighed, “You should be glad that you found your father in a bar and not lying in a hospital from a heart attack.” Only he knew how much he had to take control of his emotions. Or else, the shock was indeed big enough to give him a stroke. He really didn’t know how he managed to avoid that situation.
“Dad, what are you saying? Can you say something nice? How can you curse yourself like this?”
Seeing how he worried his son, Zhai Kuijun felt a little embarrassed and guilty. He really shouldn’t talk like that with his son.
“You know you can tell me anything right?” Zhai Yanjun tried to calmly communicate with his father. He learned the benefits of healthy communication only recently. So, he believed it was necessary to communicate in any relationship. He should try that with his own father too and see where it goes. “I don’t know what’s bothering you but I can see that you are not in a good situation. And I don’t like seeing you like this. Maybe we don’t have the best relationship in the world as a father and son but I still believe we can tell each other anything.”
Zhai Kuijun smiled at his son and nodded, “My son has gotten wiser. It’s good to see that you’ve learned to open up.”
“We are talking about you here,” said Zhai Yanjun. “Don’t try to change the topic here. I’m really worried here. Please tell me what is wrong?”
“I…” Zhai Kuijun couldn’t continue from there. He really couldn’t. He was still in disbelief and didn’t know how much it would affect Zhai Yanjun. He didn’t know the damage it could do to his son but it won’t be small, right? After all, even he was shocked beyond belief and couldn’t accept the reality. “I don’t know what to tell you or if I can really tell or whether I should really tell you anything at all.”
Zhai Yanjun wasn’t expecting such a response from his father. Why did he feel like his father was actually scared to tell him whatever was bothering him?