Meanwhile, Lu Bai and Mao Shiyuan were getting ready for their new company and were extremely busy.
Lu Bai stood at the forefront of the huge Lu Company, bogged with work nearly 100% of the time.
He made a habit of drinking coffee at night, when returning from business trips. One night, Mao Shiyuan couldn't help but warn him, "Work is important, but you shouldn't treat your body like it isn't."
Lu Bai placed his mug down, not once breaking his attention from his files as he absently replied, "I know."
Mao Shiyuan knew it wasn't a sincere response. He leaned by the corner of Lu Bai's desk and stared at the workaholic. "I really should find a woman to take care of you."
Lu Bai naturally didn't bother with him.
Mao Shiyuan thought carefully before saying, "Chu Hua is in America, and who knows when she'll come back. Meanwhile, Zhan Yu is in A City. He said he'd be back in two years, but who knows? It's still closer than America, though. If I want to call himー"
Lu Bai raised his head and looked sharply at him, stopping his train of thought. "He went to A City?" he asked.
"He?" The sudden question had stunned Mao Shiyuan, and it took a moment for him to realize that Lu Bai was asking about Zhan Yu. He could only nod stiffly under such an intense gaze.
Mao Shiyuan felt it was odd how Lu Bai's expression changed so suddenly.
He pondered more before asking, "You didn't know that he went to A College as an exchange student?"
Lu Bai quickly lost the energy he previously demonstrated. "How come I never heard that our school and A College's school had this type of friendship?" he asked, with his gaze still set on Mao Shiyuan.
After hearing Lu Bai's question, Mao Shiyuan was suddenly reminded of what he was going to say before being interrupted. "I really don't think I'd be saying this if you didn't remind me, but our school has never cooperated with A College. This is the first time, and what a coincidence that Zhan Yu took the opportunity to move."
That was one hell of a "coincidence"!
"What coincidence?! Someone definitely made it happen, and it was either Zhan Yu or Zhan Qiancheng," Lu Bai thought to himself, as his demeanor turned icy.
Zhan Yu probably couldn't have done it, given how unintelligent he acted. Zhann Qiancheng must've been the one.
What was the point? Was it to avoid him?
The more Lu Bai thought, the more he thought it was true.
Lately, Zhan Yu wanted to convey only one thing, and it was that he wanted nothing to do with him.
Why did he suddenly change his major? Why did he suddenly move out of his apartment? Wasn't it obvious enough when he decided to escape Sheng Jin City to A City while he was on a business trip?
The thoughts spun in his head, giving him the kind of pensive gaze, he would never have otherwise.
What he said by the road was true, and he was quick to do what he said.
"Hmph. Zhan Yu, I'll admit you have some tact."
Mao Shiyuan was close enough to feel the strong, imposing emotions that Lu Bai was practically exuding.
He quietly retreated back by a few steps, and mustered the courage to ask, "Are you angry?"
Normally, Lu Bai wouldn't be angry. Those who made him angry would suffer from his wrath, and he would use everything at his disposal to make sure they did.
"Hmph, why would I be angry? Zhan Yu...that man...isn't worth the time I'd spend being angry. If he wants to run away, then let him run away. I'd like to see where he runs off to," Lu Bai replied.
Hearing the dark, unfiltered spite in Lu Bai's voice nearly turned Mao Shiyuan to stone.
Zhan Yu, in A City, sneezed at the same time.
Everything was good in A City but was just a bit too hot in the summer. His class had many cases of heatstroke.
Zhan Yu tried avoiding it as best he could, even to the point of spending half an hour in the evening to go for a run, but he had heatstroke as well.
Being sick in the summer was no laughing matter. His body alternated between burning hot and cripplingly cold, and he constantly felt dizzy and robbed of energy.
Zhan Yu stayed in the dorms for half a day, took some medicine, and went to sleep. A fever even appeared, but he didn't feel any better.
Zhan Yu figured he needed to go to the hospital, but he didn't even have the energy to flag a taxi. Instead, he called 120 and when the rescue workers arrived, he made himself proud by opening the door in his weakly state.
After that last display of willpower, he was completely passed out well before arriving at the hospital.
He had no idea how long he slept; he was at the hospital when he woke. It was the middle of the night, and the place was empty.
He noticed that his IV was almost done and pressed a service bell to signal his nurse to pull the needle out.
When the nurse saw him finally awake, she smiled and said, "Well, you're calm. You were gravely ill, but you didn't come to the hospital until it got this bad."
All Zhan Yu had the energy for was to feel his chapped lips. He couldn't respond and only thought about rolling his eyesーhe didn't have the energy to do that either, of course. If he knew that sickness could be so harsh, he would've gone to the hospital immediately.
To think that his new body would disappoint him in such a way... When he was sick in the past, he had gotten halfway better just from sleeping.
Zhan Yu concluded that wealthy children had naturally fragile bodies.
The nurse saw that he hadn't fully recovered yet, and reminded him again, "It's really not good for you to be alone right now. Call your parents and have them come over."
Zhan Yu didn't want to call. They were at Sheng Jin City, anyway, and there was no point in making them worried.
When the nurse saw the reluctant look in his young patient's eyes, she decided to ask, "Are your parents not here?"
Zhan Yu thought that the nurse really understood him, so he nodded his head.
"Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend? If you do, call him or her over. If not, call your classmates," the nurse continued.
"Thank you." Zhan Yu said, stopping the nurse from saying any more.
He had no boyfriend or girlfriend, and he just met his classmates for a week. He felt embarrassed having someone take care of him in the middle of the night.
Zhan Yu had nothing to do, so he went back to sleep, only waking up the second day from hunger. The rumbling of his stomach was becoming unbearable, but he couldn't go out himself, so he thought about getting his nurse to bring some light food for him instead.
Zhan Yu had just pressed the service bell when his door suddenly opened. Zhan Yu was taken aback by how fast it swung open when he suddenly was suddenly greeted by the sight of a particular noblewoman standing by the door. It Lu Bai's mother, Weng Yinlin.
Zhan Yu was shocked. Why did Weng Yinlin appear in hid room?
Unable to react, he stared wide-eyed at the woman wearing a light purple dress.
Behind Wen Yinlin was her secretary and driver. As she entered, the exquisite handbag she held came into view and left Zhan Yu silently awed. Her grandiose fashion paired perfectly with such an elegant figure. But no matter what she wore, she was pleasing to the eyes.
Seeing as the bed-ridden man before her was awestruck, Weng Yinlin smiled and said, "Hello, Young Master. Zhan. Do you still remember me? We met before."
Zhan Yu nodded stiffly. He didn't understand why Weng Yinlin wanted to see him.
Weng Yinlin laughed, "Yesterday, I was at the hospital for some business and saw the doctors push you into the emergency room. I thought it was you but didn't dare to be certain. After finding the doctor and making sure, I came to visit. Have I disturbed you, Young Master. Zhan?"
Zhan Yu's heart trembled at how polite and respectful Weng Yinlin was.
Wasn't Weng Yinlin swift and decisive, commanding her speech with an overbearing tone? Why was she speaking like that?
Zhan Yu didn't know how things could have turned so wrong. Even the setup was wrong. Completely wrong. Every time Weng Yinlin talked with the female lead, sparks flew and blood spilled by the gallon.
But now that she was acting so amicable, Zhan Yu was terrified.
Should he call Zhan Qiancheng and ask for help?
He wondered where his phone even was.
He looked all around and discovered that he didn't bring it! Again!
Shoot!
Weng Yinlin observed how Zhan Yu's eyes sparkled occasionally, even though his face was sickly pale. "How did you become like this?" she asked concerningly. She then proceeded to give orders to her secretaryーall of them pertaining to Zhan Yu. The demands included everything from preparing his meals to nursing his body.
Zhan Yu grew increasingly frightened as he saw it all unfold, wondering if there was a trap waiting for him behind Weng Yinlin's kindness.
Indeed, Weng Yinlin dug a trap for her son and was waiting for him to jump into it.
After meeting with the (Lai Family), Weng Yinlin noticed that her son had secretly left. She chased after him only to see him and Zhan Qiancheng bickering with one another as soon as they met.
At that time she heard Lu Bai say, "My mother said that Zhan Family is pretty good and that the young master of Zhan Family is very lovable."
Weng Yinlin swore that she had never said those words before. She clearly understood her son whom she had carried in her womb for ten months. He definitely wasn't one to lie, unless he used it as a means to torment someone. She had heard of the Zhan Family; they were considered to be a wealthy family in Shengjin City. Compared to many famous families who were arduously working their way up the financial ladder, they were quite a normal family. Was her son interested in the young master of Zhan Family?
The fact that she heard a male name from Lu Bai's mouth was already unbelievable enough.
Weng Yinlin quietly ordered for her subordinates to investigate the young master from the Zhan Family.
However, Wen Yinlin was surprised when she found out that this family's young master was her son's neighbor! Her instincts told her that the two knew each other from way back then and as expected, she was right.
Weng Yinlin was surprised that Zhan Yu was originally very interested in her son. But lately, he had been rejecting his contact after having an accident.
This mother thought that this was quite amusing, so she ordered someone to pay attention to Zhan Yu's actions.
Zhan Yu had unexpectedly become an exchange student in A City.
Coincidentally, Weng Yinlin made a huge investment in a movie and wanted to pick out a female lead from a school in A City. Besides, there was also a director in A City who had picked out some people as a potential female lead in the movie, so she had come to A City to take a look.
Of course, there were staff members who could've helped her pick out the female lead, so she didn't have to personally come to A City. However, the main reason she had traveled personally to this city wasn't to help pick out a female lead, but to meet Zhan Yu. She wanted to know more about his background, and more importantly, she wanted to see if Zhan Yu could be a potential candidate as her daughter/son -in-law.
When Wen Yinlin saw Zhan Yu's pitiful and tragic appearance, she thought that he wasn't a bad candidate. He looked delicate and fragile. Her son was someone who didn't know how to be considerate and these types of boys or girls made it easier to arouse his feeling of protection.
Wen Yinlin was a powerful and independent woman, so she wished that her daughter/son -in-law was someone with the complete opposite personality. It's best if she had a gentler personality so it would be easier to get along with him/her.
'Hm, not bad, not bad.' At least, Weng Yinlin didn't detect anything bad from this meeting.
When she came out of the hospital room, she called Lu Bai.
Weng Yinlin didn't go straight to the point either. She just smiled and said, "I am at A City right now."
Because of all sorts of award ceremonies, Weng Yinlin had flown all around the world countless times. She could appear in one city in the morning and another city in the afternoon. But she never called him to tell him about her journey.
Lu Bai had an important meeting in a few minutes, so he asked expressionlessly, "Mother, what are you up to again?"
Weng Yinlin already knew that he would be sensitive to her teasing, but she still tried to tease him, "Guess who I saw in A City's hospital. When I saw him, he looked rather pitiful. He was sick to the point that he almost fainted. The boy rode the ambulance to the hospital alone, and without even someone to take care of him by his side. Seeing his pale face really made my heart ache for him..."
Chen Sinan frowned, "What do you really intend to say?"
Weng Yinlin said, "I almost forgot that Feng Dao wanted to discuss the casting process with me. Bye." After she finished talking, she hung up on him.
Lu Bai glanced at the phone after Weng Yinlin had hung up on him. He felt like she had an ulterior motive when she had called him.
'A City? Hospital? Someone both he and Weng Yinlin knew?'
After he thought about it for a while, he finally realized who she was talking about.
He leaned against the back of the black chair and swiveled the chair. After glancing at his phone thoughtfully, he can't help but yell, "Serves you right!"
After the phone call, Weng Yinlin was looking forward to seeing what Lu Bai would do. Would he immediately call her back or would he personally come to her and demand to know what happened?
However, what disappointed Wen Yinlin was that even after quite a while, Lu Bai didn't take any actions.
Weng Yinlin hurriedly made another call to him, "This is bad! The doctor said that Zhan Lu's illness has relapsed! I'm afraid his illness has become even more serious..."
Lu Bai lazily replied, "Aren't you there with him? Since you pity him so much, would you actually leave him alone?"
After he finished attending a meeting, Lu Bai was finally able to calm himself down. The phone call from Weng Yinlin this morning might've been a trick she was playing on him.
Zhan Qiancheng had sent Zhan Yu to A City, how would he leave him to die?
Weng Yinlin wondered whether she had given birth to a cold-blooded child. She said, "Since you don't want to come here and see him for the last time, then forget about it!" After she finished talking, she hung up the phone with a depressed expression on her face.
Could it be that her guess was wrong?
When Weng Yinlin went to visit Zhan Yu in the evening, Zhan Yu noticed that the boy looked even more upset than she was that morning.
Weng Yinlin sat down and chatted with him. Zhan Yu was frightened, but she sincerely asked, "Auntie, why did you come here?"
They weren't familiar with each other!
Weng Yinlin smiled and said, "I've been away in a foreign country for so long, it's always nice to meet up with an old friend."
Zhan Yu forced himself to smile. They've only met once and they had never said anything to each other before, yet they're considered to be 'old friends'?
In spite of the awkwardness, Weng Yinlin continued to smile. She asked, "I've heard that you've chased after A-Nan before?"
When Zhan Yu heard the question, he immediately waved his hand. He tried to clear his name and said, "No, no, no! After I had fallen and hit my head, I've forgotten everything. It's probably because I was still young and didn't know any better, so I did some embarrassing things. Auntie, towards Lu Bai, no, I meant I have no inappropriate ideas regarding Senior Lu Bai!"
"You have no inappropriate ideas regarding A-Nan?" Weng Yinlin asked strangely.
"Yeah. I don't have any!" Zhan Yu quickly explained, "He is too outstanding. How can someone like me chase after him? It's best if I don't force it. What's more, isn't there still Chu..."
"Huh?" When Weng Yinlin saw that the boy had intentionally stopped talking mid-sentence, so she thoughtlessly gestured for him to continue talking.
Zhan Yu had a close call; he almost revealed the existence of Chu Hua. Lu Bai and his family should resolve this and talk about this among themselves.
As a result, Zhan Yu tried to conceal his earlier slip up by saying, "Nothing! Auntie, thank you for taking care of me! When I am discharged from the hospital, I will tell my parents and let them thank you!"
"You're welcome. We are brought together by fate, otherwise, we wouldn't have met."
When Zhan Yu saw that Weng Yinlin had put her hand on his right hand, he was frightened to the point that he got goosebumps all over his body.
Oh my god! Can you stop acting so kind and gentle? The difference between your attitude was too drastic, it's making me afraid!
Zhan Yu tried his best to deal with Weng Yinlin. When he saw that Weng Yinlin had finally left his hospital room, he let out a sigh of relief the moment the door closed. He was exhausted as he laid down on his bed.
That was too tiring!
Zhan Yu can't figure out what Wen Yinlin wanted to do.
To be continued...