Chapter 893: Chapter 894: Uncle Again
After a while, Song Xiaodong removed the needles and gave He Wenbai and the others a bit of an explanation.
"Alright, thatâs it for today. If you have any questions in the future, gather them up and Iâll answer them next time Iâm here."
Lin Shu looked at her grandfather, who appeared like a primary school student in front of Song Xiaodong. She found it amusing but dared not laugh, fearing that her grandfather would notice and scold her.
He Wenbai and the others walked out, but Song Xiaodong and Lin Yi Yuan didnât leave right away.
Instead, they accompanied Lin Shu to the area outside the ward, while Zhong Chuling stayed inside talking with her father.
"Hereâs the key. Hurry home later, and stop causing trouble here. I donât have time to deal with you."
Lin Shu took the key and, pouting, said, "Grandpa, I came all the way here to see you, and youâre just throwing me aside like this!"
Lin Yi Yuan said, "Iâve got plenty of work to do. I donât have the time to babysit you. Donât wander around."
Lin Shu kept pouting and said, "Alright, I get it."
Song Xiaodong chimed in, "How about thisâshe can go play at my place with Xiao Ling?"
"Great, great!" Lin Shu exclaimed immediately, but then quickly added, "Oh no, canât do. I promised a classmate Iâd hang out with her tonight. How about I go to your place tomorrow instead?"
Song Xiaodong chuckled and said, "Suit yourself. Just give me a call whenever you want to come over, and Iâll have someone pick you up."
"Awesome!" Lin Shu nodded eagerly.
Lin Yi Yuan hastily interjected, "Mr. Song, maybe itâs better if she doesnât go. This kid is too mischievous; Iâm worried sheâll cause trouble for you."
Song Xiaodong replied, "Itâs fine. Sheâs come all this way. Itâd be impolite not to host her properly."
"Thank you for accommodating her, Mr. Song. Iâll leave her to you while I get back to work." Lin Yi Yuan said and walked off directly.
Zhong Chuling came out just then, her tone excited as she said to Song Xiaodong, "Uncle, my dad said he might be discharged in about a month! Is that true?"
Song Xiaodong smiled and said, "Actually, your dad couldâve recovered earlier. But Iâve been so busy that I had others take over for me. That slowed things down a bit."
Zhong Chulingâs eyes turned teary as she said, "As long as he recovers, thatâs all that matters. Uncle, I...I donât even know how to thank you."
Lin Shu snickered and said, "How about you offer yourself to him?"
Song Xiaodong burst into laughter, then raised his hand to tap Lin Shuâs head. "You still havenât lost your habit of talking nonsense all day long."
Lin Shu rubbed her head, grinning. "Iâm speaking the truth! Itâs not nonsense. You have no idea how much Xiao Ling misses you. And yet, youâre totally oblivious!"
Song Xiaodong glanced over at Zhong Chuling, whose face instantly flushed red. She lowered her head and shyly muttered, "I never said that..."
Her bashful demeanor was as good as admitting it, leaving Song Xiaodong both amused and helpless. He didnât take it seriously thoughâan innocent crush from a young girl was perfectly normal. Once they visited his home tomorrow, sheâd likely have second thoughts after seeing his lifestyle.
"Alright, I donât have time to hang out today. Hereâs a cardâtake it, and buy whatever you want. Donât say your uncle didnât treat you well."
Lin Shu snatched the credit card that Song Xiaodong offered, flipping it back and forth as she examined it. "Anything we want? How high is the limit on this card, anyway?"
Song Xiaodong chuckled and said, "As long as itâs enough for you, itâll do. Have fun."
Lin Shu quickly shoved the card into her little handbag and said, "Donât worry, we wonât stand on ceremony. I just love taking from the rich and giving to the poorâitâs my favorite thing to do."
Song Xiaodong patted the pair on their shoulders and said, "Alright then, Iâm leaving. Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay, you go, Uncle," Zhong Chuling said hurriedly.
Watching Song Xiaodong walk away, Lin Shu pulled out the credit card again, gave it a big kiss, and said, "Xiao Ling, how about we play the part of rich people today?"
Zhong Chuling quickly objected, "What? No way! This card is Uncleâs thoughtful gesture; we canât misuse it."
Lin Shu smirked mischievously and said, "Whatâs there to be afraid of? He gave it to usâitâs not like we stole it. Besides, youâre destined to be Uncleâs woman someday. Spending his money would be totally legitimate!"
"You...Fine, even if I am, give me the card then."
Lin Shu immediately withdrew the card, saying, "Thatâs not happening. If the card goes to you, you definitely wonât spend anything. Youâre trying to fool me, but itâs not going to work."
"But you canât just use Uncleâs money carelessly!"
"Why not? Worst-case scenario, I can be his woman tooâjust for today. Heâs not here anyway, haha."
"Pfft... Youâre way too devious," Zhong Chuling said, laughing helplessly.
The pair stayed in the ward chatting with Zhong Chulingâs father for a while. He seemed thrilled but quickly noticed Lin Shuâs eagerness to go out. Not wanting to hold them back, he encouraged Zhong Chuling to go with her.
Zhong Chuling saw how well her father was recoveringâhe could move freely without issueâwhich put her mind at ease. With her father urging her, she left the hospital with Lin Shu.
Shortly after leaving the hospital, Ji Huan called.
"Xiao Shu, do you two have time right now?"
"Sure, Xiao Ling and I were about to head out for some fun."
"Perfect, Iâll come pick you up. Iâll take you to check out the malls around here."
After the three met up, Ji Huan led Lin Shu and Zhong Chuling to the malls, specifically taking them to high-end luxury stores. She wanted them to experience firsthand how important money was.
Lin Shu and Zhong Chuling had never been to luxury stores before. Seeing a simple tank top priced at several thousand yuan and a modest outfit well over ten thousand, both couldnât help but feel secretly astonished. Even with a credit card from Song Xiaodong, they didnât dare purchase anything.
Ji Huan noticed the hint of panic in their eyes and felt quietly smug. But outwardly, she put on an air of generosity and said, "Come on, try something on! Youâll be coming with me to a party tonightâeveryone there will be people like me. If you donât dress well, youâll be laughed at. Donât worry about the cost; itâs on me."
"No way, itâs too expensive. We really canât afford this," Zhong Chuling quickly declined.
"What do you mean, âtoo expensiveâ? I told you, Iâll cover it! Who knows, in a few days, I might become part of the uppermost elite, and then I wonât even need my pocket money anymore. For now, letâs just splurge a little!" Ji Huan said, forcing a smile.
"But still... Itâs just too much for me," Zhong Chuling stammered, wanting to decline but worried about offending Ji Huan.
"So, youâre saying you donât want to help me out?" Ji Huan said, feigning disappointment.
At this, Lin Shu spoke up, "Alright, weâll buy our own stuff."
"Buy your own? Do you even have money?" Ji Huan asked incredulously.
Lin Shu grinned and said, "No problemâUncle just gave me a credit card and told me to use it however I want. Owing him doesnât bother me. Worst comes to worst, Iâll let him sneak a couple pats later. But relying on you to pay? Thatâs too much to ask."