Chapter 8, Misty Rainy Night

The waiter was slightly taken aback, and he repeated, "One serving of pan-fried steak set meal, one cup of hot chocolate milk, anything else?"

Xu Zhuoyan walked over and reached out to take it

Xu Zhuoyan leaned against the back of the chair, listening to the enchanting voice of Cai Qin, enduring waves of increasingly intense stomach pain, and gradually fell into a deep sleep

"Hmph!" Lin Qifan snorted lightly, "Today I will return your phone to you, and then take you to the hospital. I am performing three good deeds in a day. Tomorrow morning, I will take a good look and see if I have become more beautiful!"

Xu Zhuoyan was momentarily taken aback, but quickly pursued closely.

Xu Zhuoyan seemed to have no recollection of how she entered the elevator, how she accessed the parking lot, or how she got into his car

When she regained consciousness, she was lying in the emergency room of the city hospital, with a needle inserted in her arm, receiving an infusion. Yes, two large bottles, the contents of which she did not know. By the time she woke up, only a little more than half a bottle had been infused.

Xu Zhuoyan was very surprised

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Xu Zhuoyan looked at the three people who were almost soaked and resolutely said, "Forget it, let's drive away. I don't believe it. If I can drive it here, I can certainly drive it back!"

However, Lin Qifan withdrew his hand and placed it back into the inner pocket of his casual suit

By the way! Xu Zhuoyan suddenly remembered her roommate, Chen Xiaoying, "The phone!"

"Mr. Xu, what are you looking for?" The sales assistant approached her, noticing that she had turned her bag inside out, and kindly inquired about the situation

Hehe! Xu Zhuoyan gently placed her hand on her stomach, unable to suppress her laughter. However, as soon as she laughed, it naturally caused her stomach to contract, resulting in a tearing pain.

"Then I trouble you, General Lin, to place us in Luohu!" Xu Zhuoyan glanced at Lin Qifan and noticed that it was raining, yet he was still wearing sunglasses while driving, which made her chuckle inwardly

"It's quite ugly, isn't it?" Lin Qifan clearly noticed, his gaze sharpened, showing some displeasure

The final will could not overcome physical strength, and she eventually fell asleep

The seats here are all comfortable sofas, evoking the ambiance of a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant

Then I got off the car, went up to the fifth floor, and headed straight to the Shuiyang counter. I inquired about the sales for this week with the on-duty sales assistant, and also gave the store manager a holiday bonus. Only then did I declare the end of today's work, which naturally also marked the end of this year's work. Tomorrow is the 30th, followed by three days off for the first and second days of the new year, after which I will have to start working again

"It's truly remarkable. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that there are still people who work so hard that they neglect sleep and food, leading to stomach cramps!" Lin Qifan sat by her bedside

Thank you! Xu Zhuoyan extended her hand

Ah, which hospital? What is wrong with you? I noticed your complexion was not good this afternoon. Is it that your dysmenorrhea has flared up again?

Lin Qifan picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip: "Did you forget to bring money? Or are you trying to save money? Surely you are not trying to lose weight?"

Then hand it to her

When she woke up again, she found that the car had already stopped

I want to take a taxi, but after waiting for a long time, there is no car!

She stood up unsteadily, immediately pressing her hand tightly against her stomach, as if only through firm pressure could the pain be alleviated somewhat

Xu Zhuoyan felt somewhat bewildered, yet she still instinctively said, "Thank you"

She suddenly raised her head and turned her face to take a look

The elevator doors opened, and she instinctively followed Lin Qifan, who was striding ahead. It turned out to be the "One Tea One Life" tea restaurant

Good! Lin Qifan opened the CD

Lin Qifan unexpectedly turned around and walked away as if no one were present

General Lin

"Just now when I gave you a ride, you said thank you. Now that I am helping you retrieve your phone, you can't even be bothered to say thank you?" He stared at Xu Zhuoyan, his gaze unwavering, yet his expression remained consistently sharp.

No need for that, upon returning home, Xu Zhuoyan seemed to become suddenly cold. She took a few steps back, "President Lin..." just as she was about to say thank you

"What is wrong with you?" he said lightly, brushing off the ash from his cigarette

How, with my! '' Lin Qifan reached into his pocket and took out his own phone

Xu Zhuoyan stirred the hot chocolate milk in her cup, lowering her head, her long hair obscuring her pale face, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter, and beads of sweat gradually forming on her forehead

Lin Qifan took out his phone and handed it to Xu Zhuoyan

Lin Qifan gazed at her silhouette; from the very first moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was a person with a story

It is actually Cai Qin's "Your Gaze"

The atmosphere is pleasant, but Xu Zhuoyan's mood, health, and emotions are all quite poor

At that moment, he took off his sunglasses and looked directly at Xu Zhuoyan. It was then that she noticed that one of his eyes was monolid while the other was double-lidded. Xu Zhuoyan couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of her mouth, wanting to laugh but holding it back.

As if being shocked, Xu Zhuoyan immediately recoiled, and the seatbelt naturally snapped back with a whoosh

It turned out to have fallen onto his car

I, I am at the hospital!" Xu Zhuoyan glanced at Lin Qifan

She thought that although the frequency of pain was increasing, she should be able to hold on until he finished his meal, and then she could go to the pharmacy to buy some stomach medicine. So she continued to endure, persisting through the day without eating anything, just drinking some hot chocolate, which she believed would help; she comforted herself in this way

"Where is my phone? I don't know where I left it. The last day was a bit busy. It's fine, you go ahead with your work!" Xu Zhuoyan turned around and unexpectedly saw him again

Where to go

Upon entering the elevator, Lin Qifan remained silent and directly pressed 18, the top floor

"It's nothing, don't overreact. I have a stomach issue, an old problem. I'm getting an IV, and I estimate I'll be back in about two hours. You should go to sleep first; I have the keys!" Xu Zhuoyan hung up the phone before Chen Xiaoying could launch her next round of questioning.

Xu Zhuoyan looked at Lin Qifan and asked, "Is there anything else you need, General Manager Lin?"

"I would like to visit the Huamao store, how about you two?" Xu Zhuoyan turned her head to ask Chen Xiaoying and Du Jiang

Xu Zhuoyan glanced at him and said to the waiter, "Let's do it this way for now, and we will add more if needed"

Soon, all the dishes and beverages will be served

The music begins to play

Fate? Upon hearing this word, Xu Zhuoyan's heart was immediately thrown into chaos.

When she was awakened by Lin Qifan again, he helped her walk out of the hospital and into the car. To her surprise, Lin Qifan even helped her pull the seatbelt over. Xu Zhuoyan felt a bit uncomfortable, saying, "I'll do it myself!" She reached for the seatbelt, but in the process, their hands touched at one point.

It was precisely Chen Xiaoying who came over.

However, in the night, as he drove, he appeared from the side to have a slight resemblance to Pan Pan, whom she missed. Therefore, she remained silent, neither rejecting nor being overly polite.

No, I want to call my colleague who lives with me, I am afraid she will be worried, but I never remember phone numbers, they are all in my phone, and now it is out of battery, so I cannot make the call

Oh? Lin Qifan seems to find it quite interesting: "Then you are quite lucky, not to have encountered the police"

Alright. The waiter has gone down

I will take you up

"Let's go! Get in the car, I will take you out," Lin Qifan appeared to be very generous.

"Alright!" Xu Zhuoyan said helplessly, glancing at the menu, "I would like a cup of hot chocolate milk!"

Lin Qifan interrupted her, "In fact, our three meetings have all been quite dramatic; perhaps this is fate. From now on, you can call me Brother Fan!"

Lin Qifan remained silent and started the car. "Where do you live?"

He furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze cold and stern, and with a flick of his hand, he revealed the Samsung M608 that she had been holding.

"Let's go." He nudged Xu Zhuoyan's shoulder with his hand

There is still an hour and a half, right!" Lin Qifan glanced at the time: "You should take a nap, and I'll call you when I'm done!"

Because she has become somewhat drowsy, gradually losing consciousness

Lin Qifan ordered a set meal for himself and then handed it to Xu Zhuoyan: "Please treat me to dinner as a thank you for helping you retrieve your phone, is that reasonable?"

He pulled her arm with his hand, as if he were carrying her, and walked outside, where he placed a one-hundred-yuan bill at the door

Sister Yan, where are you? Why haven't you come back yet? I have made a lot of dishes and I'm almost starving! When Chen Xiaoying is at home, she is like a little sister who clings to Xu Zhuoyan, both obedient and considerate, but a bit clingy.

She wore a somewhat indifferent expression on her face as she turned and slowly walked into the building.

Xu Zhuoyan smiled, somewhat weakly, yet insisted on saying: "I remember reading a passage in a book that said the ugliness of this life is a punishment for the sins of the previous life. Therefore, I do not know when it started, but I have insisted on doing one good deed every day. Perhaps by doing good daily, I can make my next life beautiful. Maybe the accumulation of good deeds will touch the heavens, and one night in this life, I will suddenly wake up with a stunningly beautiful face. So, as long as you do one good deed a day, ugliness can also become beauty!"

She quickly looked back, only to find that Chen Xiaoying and Du Jiang had gotten off the car at some point, and were now nowhere to be seen

"Where to?" Lin Qifan asked

"Mr. Xu, how about I tell them to temporarily park the car in the parking lot, and we can take a taxi back?" Du Jiang asked cautiously, demonstrating his sales acumen and ability to read the room. Xu Zhuoyan silently praised him in her heart and nodded. Thus, Du Jiang hurriedly ran into the warehouse.

Lin Qifan found a seat for two by the window and sat down

Lin Qifan glanced at Xu Zhuoyan, remained silent, and simply took her phone, opened the back cover, removed the SIM card, then opened his own phone, took out his SIM card, and replaced it with Xu Zhuoyan's.

How much longer is it? Xu Zhuoyan felt very tired, her head heavy, wanting to sleep but feeling it was inappropriate to do so in front of this stranger she had only met three times

Oh no, the battery is dead! Xu Zhuoyan's expression tightened

However, she knows that many times, in the face of various matters, personal subjective awareness truly cannot control anything; what is meant to come cannot be prevented, and what is feared cannot be avoided

Returning to the courtyard, she walked to the front of the car. At this moment, the rain was still falling in a light drizzle, and Xu Zhuoyan felt somewhat apprehensive. She truly did not want to, nor did she dare to, drive the car back.

She suddenly remembered that she did not know whether Chen Xiaoying had returned to the dormitory from the company at this time, so she thought of taking out her phone to make a call and ask. It was only then that she realized her phone was missing, and her bag was intact, making it impossible for it to have been stolen.

There are no other arrangements, let's return to the company! Du Jiang said

With a long sigh, she gazed out at the scenery, holding the gradually cooling warm blanket in her arms, and finally drifted off to sleep

Still in pain? The doctor said there should be no problem after the infusion! Lin Qifan instinctively glanced at Xu Zhuoyan, and surprisingly, there was a hint of softness in his gaze

Zheng looked into the eyes of Shang Linqifan, who was wearing sunglasses

Mr. Lin, I... ..." Xu Zhuoyan wanted to say thank you and hoped he would return first, but the words did not come out.

I was stunned; Xu Zhuoyan's face suddenly turned red, while Lin Qifan discreetly moved to the doorway.

Xu Zhuoyan glared at him, feeling that this person was utterly despicable

If speaking from an emotional standpoint, Xu Zhuoyan naturally wanted to refuse outright, yet reason compelled her to say: "Thank you, then I won't be polite!"

He turned back and waved to the two people before getting into the car

I just placed them in Luohu, aren't you going to Huamao? Just exit the parking lot, take the elevator up and you'll be there! I couldn't see his expression behind the sunglasses, but his words carried no hint of emotion or warmth.

Xu Zhuoyan locked the car door and waited for Du Jiang to return. The three of them, along with Chen Xiaoying, held up an umbrella while standing at the entrance of Haiwang Courtyard waiting for a taxi

"Which pot does not open when you lift it?" Xu Zhuoyan was quite frustrated and immediately exploded: "Mr. Lin, that car was driven by me. I have a Class C license, and I haven't touched a car more than twice since graduating from driving school. Today, there was no other choice; you were pressing for urgency, and our drivers were all on holiday. I forced myself to drive it out, and my legs are still shaking now. I really don't dare to drive it back!"

She stared blankly, shaking her head, watching the cigarette in his hand burn down little by little

That is your gaze, bright and beautiful

Before the festival, many taxis returned home early, resulting in very few cars on the road, with the occasional one passing by still occupied by passengers

Good evening to both of you! The waiter first presented them with lemon ginger tea, and then handed over the menu

The steak rice before him seemed untouched, and suddenly he moved the cigarette away from his lips, deftly flicking the ash with his middle finger, thin and light as a feather

What Xu Zhuoyan does not know is how much confusion and trouble this Fan Ge will bring to her life

Oh? Isn't the car in the courtyard yours? Lin Qifan was unclear about the situation

The youth apartment behind Luohu! In fact, Xu Zhuoyan knew that she should refuse, that she should take a taxi back, after all, she really could not be considered familiar with him.

Upon arriving downstairs, he took out the SIM card from his phone, replaced it for Xu Zhuoyan, and then opened the car door

Xu Zhuoyan was hesitating, unsure of how to find the contacts on his phone, when the phone rang

As he spoke, he turned and walked towards the courtyard, just as Lin Qifeng was driving out from inside. He lowered the car window and asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you left yet?"