Chapter 868: Chapter 525: Is Fifth Master Jinsang Adding Extra Flourish? What Goes Around Comes Around (Third Update)
It was lunchtime, and only the three of them were in the elevator. The young girl seemed a bit reserved, so it was Shen Shuci who spoke first.
"Youâre Xiang Xiaoyuan, right?"
"Yes." She nodded awkwardly, seeming unaccustomed to dealing with strangers.
"Weâve met in Pingjiang, you should remember me, right? I took your contact info later, wanting to invite you for a meal, but you said you were busy." At that time, Tang Wan invited a "Miss Xiao," but Shen Shuci had wanted to invite her too, and was politely refused.
"Itâs no big deal, donât worry about it. What brings you to the hospital..." Xiang Xiaoyuan looked at the lunchboxes in their hands.
"We have a family member hospitalized."
By now, she had reached her office floor. Shen Shuci said she would invite her for a meal when sheâs free, and after a few polite exchanges, she and Huo Qinqi continued up the elevator.
"Quite a coincidence, running into her."
"Who?" Huo Qinqi suddenly spoke.
"You donât remember her?" Shen Shuci chuckled lightly.
"Should I remember her? Besides you, I donât really recall other women."
"When Liang Wenzhong was stalking me, she was the one who stepped in bravely." Shen Shuci reminded him.
Huo Qinqi pursed his lips and stayed silent.
"I remember you even gave her your coat then."
"That was because I saw you were going to give her your coat, and I was worried youâd catch a cold, so I gave her mine."
"If I gave her my coat, and you were worried about me catching a cold, you couldâve given yours to me." Probably not many girls would want to see another girl wrapped in their boyfriendâs clothes.
Huo Qinqi, not particular about such things, had only thought at the time that Shen Shuci might catch a cold if she undressed, and didnât think about the details. Now, reflecting on it, he nodded seriously, "Got it."
...
After they returned to the ward, everyone had a simple meal. Shen Shuci had to prepare living essentials for the elderly woman being hospitalized. Busy as they were, no one mentioned the chance encounter with Xiang Xiaoyuan.
The elderly womanâs sudden hospitalization took everyone by surprise. In the afternoon, Grandma Jiang and Fan Mingyu specially came to visit. In the evening, Jiang Yanting and his wife, along with their two children, also came by, even Jiang Chengsi and others had visited. The ward was lively the entire afternoon.
As dusk fell and the entire ward quieted down, the discussion about who would stay overnight sparked another debate.
"Wanwan is pregnant, unsuited for overnight stays; she should go home and rest. Xiaowu must accompany her, so you two couples shouldnât get involved."
In the end, it was decided that the old man and Shen Shuci would stay with the patient.
Actually, the Shen parents also wanted to use this opportunity to gauge Shen Shuciâs thoughts, to share some heartfelt words.
Feeling her condition was not serious, the elderly lady urged Shen Shuci to go to work the next day, unable to convince her otherwise. Shen Shuci had to call Huo Qinqi to accompany the elderly couple.
Huo Qinqi, being not very talkative, made the room noticeably quiet when Zhou Zhongqing came to conduct rounds. What were these three doing?
Having a staring contest?
Zhou Zhongqing, knowing Huo Qinqiâs taciturn nature, couldnât understand why the girl chose to bring along someone so wooden for company; it wasnât like she needed a bodyguard.
Finding the scene unbearable, Zhou Zhongqing quietly suggested, "Talk with the patients, chat a bit."
Huo Qinqi knew he should say something, but didnât know how to start, especially since Elder Shen seemed a bit hostile towards him. After hesitating, he finally came up with a classic opening:
"The sun is nice today."
Elder Shen glanced out the window. In the middle of summer, though it was only just past nine, the sunlight was already intensely bright, enough to scorch a personâs skin, "This sun... is quite something. I heard if it gets hotter, you could fry an egg on the ground."
"..."
Zhou Zhongqing stifled a laugh while continuing to help the elderly lady with her examination.
Being not good with words, coupled with Elder Shen deliberately putting on the airs of a future father-in-law, Huo Qinqiâs attempts to start a conversation didnât go anywhere, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Originally it wasnât much, but around ten, Jiang Jinsang arrived.
As Tang Wan was pregnant, the elderly lady didnât allow her to move back and forth frequently, but she was concerned about the elderâs health, so she had Jiang Jinsang accompany them for a while.
Compared to Huo Qinqi, Jiang Jinsang was much more at ease, being truly part of the Shen family.
Someone at that moment was merely an outsider, with an unavoidable feeling of not fitting in.
Upon finishing work, Shen Shuci saw her boyfriend being "isolated." Having already taken leave from work, she told Huo Qinqi to go home and rest. But as soon as he reached home, he received a gift.
A large cardboard box, and upon checking the senderâs information carefully, the name read: [Flower on Brocade]
Who sent this was self-evident!
With a frown, he opened it to find a stack of books:
"Donât Lose Because You Canât Express," "How to Make People Like You When You Speak," "Get to the Point with Your Words"...
And a box set with bold text on top:
[If Youâre Really Bad at Speaking, Read These 5 Books]
Standing aside while looking over the stack of books, Huo family members said nothing. Only Huo Ran took a peek, and saw the sender, which was quite obvious.
Implying my brother is bad with words, and still embellishing it?
Inwardly, Huo Ran could only sigh:
Every cause has its effect, your retribution is Fifth Brother.
...
As the books had already been sent, Huo Qinqi accepted them with no reason not to, flipping through a few pages when he had time, finding the content slightly interesting. By evening, he personally cooked and brought some soup and dishes to the hospital.
Maybe compared to Jiang Jinsang, he wasnât as eloquent, but his actions never fell short.
Before reaching the ward, he saw two men standing at the entrance, in suits but quite unremarkable. As one fetched a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, he glanced around out of habit and suddenly saw Huo Qinqi, shocked enough to drop the cigarette.
Huo Qinqi squinted, not recognizing them.
"Brother..." Huo Ran also came to the hospital, carrying two fruit baskets, and was sizing up the men at the entrance, vaguely recalling who they were.
"Hmm?"
"I know them."
"Who?"
"Theyâre from the guy who caused trouble at Fourth Brotherâs club."
"You sure?" Huo Ran wasnât known for a great memory.
"I remember it clearly; that bastard even called me a little midget."
"..."