Xu Zixi was a woman of her word. After laying her cards on the table with Yan Yincheng, she kept her promise and didn't give him a single glance.
After work, she met up with Zhou Yaru, Dai Sha, Huang Zhenzhen, Cui Jiandong and others. Chatting and laughing, they walked towards the reserved restaurant to welcome Cui Jiandong back from his recovery.
On the way, Dai Sha nudged Zhou Yaru with her elbow and motioned towards the back. Zhou Yaru looked back and saw Yan Yincheng following them from afar. She exchanged a look with Dai Sha and casually asked Xu Zixi,
"Yuan Xi, did you invite anyone else?" Like Mr. Yan, perhaps?
Xu Zixi replied with a smile, "No, I only invited you guys."
"Really?" Zhou Yaru scratched her head, completely confused about the current situation. She could never have imagined that a man like Mr. Yan would one day be willing to act like a shadow.
When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone entered the reserved private room. Yan Yincheng and Wei Shu got a private room next to theirs.
The private rooms in this restaurant had excellent privacy. Sitting inside, you could hardly hear any noise from outside, and vice versa. Yan Yincheng and Wei Shu sat in the cold and airtight room for just the two of them. All they could hear was silence and boundless loneliness.
Next door, the glasses clinked "ding-dong", and the atmosphere grew lively as the steam rose.
"Congratulations, Manager Cui, on your recovery and return to work! Cheers!"
The liquids in the glasses were all drained in one gulp. Xu Zixi asked everyone to refill their glasses. She winked at Huang Zhenzhen sitting opposite her and said, "Actually, the reason I'm treating everyone today is not only to welcome Manager Cui back, but also to congratulate Zhenzhen on finally getting out of the misery and no longer being threatened by that scumbag ex-boyfriend!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Cui Jiandong was slightly taken aback and looked at Huang Zhenzhen. He was the second to raise his glass and said to Huang Zhenzhen with a smile,
"Zhenzhen, congratulations."
Huang Zhenzhen felt her nose sting. She was on the verge of crying again.
If it weren't for Cui Jiandong, she would be the one lying in the hospital now. No, with the means of her scumbag ex-boyfriend, she might not even have survived in his hands. Cui Jiandong was not only her savior but also a ray of light in her dark life.
During the time she took care of him in the hospital, she found that he was really a nice guy. When he noticed that she was feeling guilty and in a low mood, even though he was still the patient, he tried every means to cheer her up.
She was so sad. Why hadn't she met this man earlier?
But she was also so glad that after all the twists and turns, she had finally met him.
Holding back her tears, Huang Zhenzhen raised the corners of her lips and looked at Cui Jiandong with sincere and passionate eyes. She clinked glasses with him and said, "Dong, thank you!"
Dai Sha started to tease them, "Do you really have to be like this? Haven't you thanked each other enough in the hospital these days? It's time to say something else here, like—"
Huang Zhenzhen was startled. Afraid that she would say something outrageous, she quickly put down her glass and tickled her.
"Dai Sha, can't all these delicious dishes shut your mouth?!" Huang Zhenzhen said shyly and angrily. She picked up a small steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth. "You ordered this bun. Eat it quickly!"
Dai Sha bit the bun from her hand, winked at her, then winked in the direction of Cui Jiandong, making a "mmm" sound.
After swallowing the bun, she said with a smile, "Okay, now my mouth is stuffed with the bun."
This little episode didn't affect everyone's dining. As they toasted and drank, the topic returned to work, and they began to discuss their physical model. After the meeting this morning, everyone went back and started working on their own parts. Now was a good time to exchange ideas.
"According to the climate observation reports of Haicheng in the past ten years, our project will experience at least two tropical storms and one typhoon every year. One year, it even experienced three strong typhoons above level 14, and the tide rose nearly five meters. So, in the selection of materials for the main building, I think we should use..."
Cui Jiandong sat there, listening very carefully so that he could quickly catch up on the information he had missed during this period.
Just as he was getting to the crucial part, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
His ringtone was a very cute nursery rhyme, which instantly caught everyone's attention. But his face changed. He quickly took out his phone and hung up the call. He said apologetically, "Sorry for interrupting you. You guys continue. I'll go outside to answer the call."
Then he got up quickly with the phone in his hand and walked out with a tense expression.
Everyone paused for a moment and then continued the discussion.
But Huang Zhenzhen frowned worriedly. She hesitated in her chair for a while and looked at Xu Zixi with something unsaid. Xu Zixi patted her hand with a smile and encouraged her, "If you want to go, just go. If you have something to say, say it now."
Under Xu Zixi's words, the hesitation in Huang Zhenzhen's eyes gradually turned into determination. She nodded firmly and got up to go outside.
After Cui Jiandong left the private room, the phone in his hand rang again urgently. He searched around the restaurant and finally went to an empty terrace to answer this life-threatening call.
"Is this Mr. Fang Ruiyang? We've finally managed to reach you. This is Renkang Hospital. The patient had another attack just now."
Cui Jiandong immediately became nervous. "She had an attack? How is she? Is she okay?"
"After the medication, the patient's condition has been brought under control, and she's asleep now. But I'm sorry to tell you that the pre - deposited treatment fee has been used up, and the account is currently in arrears. Including this time's medication, you owe a total of 208,500 yuan. We hope you can make up the payment within 24 hours. If further treatment is needed in the future, please pre - deposit the fee as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the arrears exceed the limit, we will stop treating the patient. Please be informed."
Cui Jiandong's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet. He stood there in a daze, his heart filled with desolation.
200,000 yuan... To make up the payment within 24 hours. Where could he get that much money? The money he could use now was only a few hundred yuan!
"Hello? Mr. Fang Ruiyang, are you there?"
"I... I'm listening." He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice became hoarse because of the suffocating feeling in his chest. "I'll do my best. Please take good care of her."
The hand holding the phone dropped powerlessly. The cold wind blew, messing up his hair and making his whole body feel cold, as if the blood in his body had frozen.