After Xu Ai chatted with Sun Pinting for an hour, she felt the anger trapped in her chest somewhat released. It was true that besties help you vent your emotions.
An hour later, they returned to Ting-Ting's grandma's patient room.
Everyone knew that time was up when they returned. The three old ladies stood up, then told Ting-Ting's grandmother to get well soon and that they would come back to visit her when she was discharged. Ting-Ting's grandma told them not to hassle and that she would visit them once she fully recovered.
After they bid farewell, Ting-Ting's grandma gestured at Su Xuan. "Come here, Little Xuan!"
Su Xuan strode to the side of the bed and leaned over slightly.
"Grandma Li!" His tone was gentle and warm.
Ting-Ting's grandma held his hand and smiled kindly. "What a good boy. The more I look at you, the more I like you. You have to treat Ai-Ai well. I see her as my granddaughter since I've been watching her grow up since she was little. She's smart and sweet."
Su Xuan smiled and nodded. "I assure you that I will!"
"Mhm, I am assured! I will be discharged next week; tell Ai-Ai to bring you to my home." Tingting's grandma released his hand. "Please do not be absent."
Su Xuan tilted his head to glance at Xu Ai. "It'll be up to her to decide. If she doesn't take me, then I won't be able to come even if I really want to."
"You're right!" Ting-Ting's grandma called Xu Ai, "Come here, Ai-Ai!"
Xu Ai walked to the bed with a headache. "Grandma Li!"
"Young men like Little Xuan are hard to come by in this society. Don't throw temper tantrums at him or threaten to break up with him when you get upset. I won't agree with that." Ting-Ting's grandma held her hand and reminded her, "Take him to my home next week, do you get that? If you don't bring him there, I will be angry."
Xu Ai covered her head. "Grandma Li, he… he has to work overtime next week!"
"I can always not work overtime." Su Xuan shook his head.
Xu Ai lifted her head to glower at him.
Su Xuan looked at her helplessly. "Grandma invited us cordially; it is not nice for us young people to reject. Working overtime can always be rearranged."
"Look at that, what a good kid! He knows to respect his elders, so polite and well-mannered." Ting-Ting's grandma laughed joyfully while complimenting Su Xuan, then she put on a poker face for Xu Ai. "Little brat, are you afraid Uncle Sun will bug you to play Chinese chess with him? Don't worry! I will warn him not to bug you, so if he wants, he would have to bug Little Xuan instead."
Xu Ai didn't know what to say.
Ting-Ting's grandma asked Su Xuan, "Little Xuan, do you know how to play Chinese chess?"
"I know a bit!" Su Xuan nodded with a smile.
"A bit is enough! Your Uncle Sun is a sore loser, but he loves Chinese chess. He'll be happy to find anyone who can play with him." Ting-Ting's grandma smiled cheerfully. "We have a deal then. I will be discharged next Saturday, so you guys come to my house on Sunday. Ting-Ting's mom will cook yummy food for you."
"Sure!" Su Xuan smiled and agreed.
"Time to leave! It's almost noon, and hospital meals are terrible. I wouldn't want to keep you here. You guys find somewhere outside to eat!" Ting-Ting's grandma waved at them.
Su Xuan told Ting-Ting's grandma to take care and get well soon, then he took Xu Ai's hand and dragged her out of the patient room.
When they exited the room, Xu Ai saw a row of gifts lined up on the ground. She didn't remember seeing them there when she came, and these gifts weren't purchased by the three grandmas. She remembered Su Xuan said that Little Li would be bringing gifts.
She confirmed in a low voice, "Those gifts…"
"Little Li brought them here!" Su Xuan nodded.
Xu Ai despised him in her heart. She couldn't struggle her hand out of his, so she stomped on his foot when nobody was watching. "You're trying to buy their hearts with gifts! What are you trying to do?"
Su Xuan stopped walking now that his foot was stepped on. He lowered and saw a dirty shoe print on his shiny leather shoe. He stared at it for a second before turning to Xu Ai. "I felt a little guilty before, but now that you stomped on my foot, you also stomped away my guilt. Now we're even."
"You can't get away with just that!" Xu Ai wasn't up for it. He has done so much despicable crap and wants to clear them all with just a stomp on his foot? No way in hell! He ain't feeling guilty about sh*t in the first place!
"What do you want then?" Su Xuan's eyes glimmered.
Xu Ai looked at him with hatred in her eyes. "I want you to…"
"Ai-Ai, Little Xuan, why aren't you two moving, what are you muttering?" Xu Ai's grandma turned around to yell at them when she saw them falling behind.
Su Xuan ratted her out, "Grandma, she stomped on my foot!"
Xu Ai looked at him with wide-open eyes.
A tight expression appeared on her grandma's face as she grunted, "Ai-Ai, are you bullying Little Xuan again? What's your problem? You bully him because he is a nice guy?"
Xu Ai was unhappy. "I didn't!"
"You didn't what? I can see the print on his shoe from here." Xu Ai's grandma glowered.
Xu Ai estimated the distance. She and Su Xuan had just left the patient room, and the three grannies, Ting-Ting's mother, and Sun Pinting were already at the other end of the hallway. Is she a clairvoyant? She can really see that far? Xu Ai had lost her words completely.
"You just said you want me; I heard that." Su Xuan chuckled and then dragged her forward. He said to Xu Ai's grandma in a gentle voice, "Don't blame her; she didn't do that on purpose. She just apologized to me and said she loves me."
Xu Ai almost jumped. "Su Xuan!"
Does this guy have no shame at all?!
Where is his sense of shame? Shame? Where did it go?
"You did say you want me!" Su Xuan looked at her with innocent puppy eyes.
Xu Ai's eyes were filled with rage; she was so mad that she reached out her hand and attempted to strike him. "Say that again!"
Su Xuan realized she was going to hit him, so he stood his ground and didn't move or dodge. He lowered his voice to make himself sound as if he was wronged, "Fine, I won't dare to say it again. But you really did say…"
"Ai-Ai!" Xu Ai's grandma yelled to stop her, "You stop that right now!"
Xu Ai looked up and realized her grandma was probably really angry. She retrieved her hand defiantly. She had nowhere to vent, so she stared at Su Xuan, with the rims of her eyes slowly turning red. She had never been bullied like that by anyone before, but this guy… this guy…
What kind of beef does he have with me…
For him to bully me like this…
Su Xuan was shocked when he thought she was about to cry, then the smile disappeared from his face. He stepped to her and leaned forward to wrap her in his arms before apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Don't cry."
Xu Ai really did want to cry. Her grandmother had never yelled at her like that, but how many times had her grandmother yelled at her because of this jack*ss? She was the one who felt the most wronged, but she still acted like nothing was wrong. He was the one being so fake and obnoxious. The teary feeling in her eyes disappeared instantly, then she braced herself and pushed him with all her force, "Get away from me!"
Su Xuan was not prepared to be pushed like that, and the force made him stumble a few steps back. He bumped into the wall behind him and let out a grunt.
Xu Ai turned around and walked away without even looking at him.
Su Xuan leaned against the wall, covered his forehead with his hand, and stared at the floor with a defeated spirit.
"Ai-Ai!" Xu Ai's grandma was shocked and walked towards them immediately. She stopped Xu Ai and said angrily, "Why are you misbehaving more and more these days? Don't push the line even if you're upset. Where did Little Xuan do wrong? What's with the tantrum?"
"He is wrong everywhere!" Xu Ai walked around her grandma grumpily and headed outside.
Xu Ai's grandma wanted to chide her further, but instead, she became worried when she saw Xu Ai leaning against the wall and not moving. She hurried to him and asked nervously, "Are you all right, Little Xuan? Are you hurt?"
Su Xuan slowly straightened his body and lifted his head to look at the old lady who was gazing at him worriedly. He shook his head. "I'm fine, Grandma, I'm not hurt. I did her wrong and made her mad."
"You are just too nice to her and are always making excuses for her. That's why she throws temper tantrums at you." Xu Ai's grandma let out a sigh of relief, then she put on a serious face. "Come with me, I'll teach her a lesson when we get home."
"Grandma, please don't scold her anymore. You're always protecting me, so she's jealous. The more protective you are of me, the more she will dislike me," Su Xuan sighed in a gentle yet helpless manner and continued, "I'm three years older than her, so I should be more tolerant of her."
Xu Ai's grandma began to like Su Xuan even more, so much that she was getting a little teary. "That girl's parents are always living abroad, so she can only live with an old woman like me. During all those years, she never wanted me to worry for her, so she became very headstrong and scrappy. Thank you for putting up with her."
Su Xuan smiled. "I like her, so I will always put up with her."
"Good boy!" Xu Ai's grandmother wiped her eyes.
"It's getting late; I'll take you somewhere to eat." Su Xuan looked at all those people who were waiting.
Xu Ai's grandmother nodded and walked to Grandma Zhang and company but didn't see Xu Ai. She sighed, "Where did that darn girl run off to?"
"Ting-Ting just stepped out after her. Don't worry, she'll be fine." Ting-Ting's mother gave Su Xuan a deep gaze.
Su Xuan smiled and nodded when he received the gaze from Ting-Ting's mother. "You don't have to drive us back, Auntie." He was suave and polite.
Ting-Ting's mother laughed and added, "You have to come to visit next Sunday. Now that you've made a promise to the old granny, I will get Ting-Ting to call Ai-Ai to remind you."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Su Xuan expressed his gratitude.
"Ting-Ting's grandma is alone in the patient room so you should get back now, don't trouble yourself with seeing us off." Xu Ai's grandma waved at Ting-Ting's mother.
Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang also waved at her.
Ting-Ting's mother agreed with a smile and stopped walking.
The three old ladies headed towards the parking spot with Su Xuan.
Xu Ai wanted to jet off when she exited the patient ward, but she couldn't leave the three grannies alone with Su Xuan. She could only go to the parking spot, only to realize Su Xuan didn't hand over the car keys when they got here. She leaned against the car angrily.
When Sun Pinting stepped out, she tilted her head to the side and stared at Xu Ai with an enigmatic smile.
"Whachu laughin' at?" Xu Ai was damned furious.
"Tsk, tsk, Young Master Su of Empyrean is truly different. How impressive! I only knew he's got superhuman intelligence, a high degree of education, strong connections, and a rich family. I didn't know he could be so shameless. What an eye-opener," Sun Pinting exclaimed.
Xu Ai gave her a dirty look. Being able to see that jack*ss Su Xuan's shameless black heart probably meant Sun Pinting had a pair of well-functioning eyes.
"Sis, I'm having a vision about your life, there will be no darkest moment, only darker and darker moments. My condolences!" Sun Pinting patted Xu Ai's shoulders like they were bros, then she quickly turned around and walked away with smug schadenfreude.
"Hey!" Xu Ai yelled, "Sun Pinting, are you even human?"
"Nope! Now that I've decided to chase after that block of wood, I've decided to become a block of wood myself. We will be able to connect better if we are the same species!" Sun Pinting said that without looking at her.
Xu Ai was helpless. She turned around and banged her head against the car window. Why did she have such terrible luck and not make better friends?
When Su Xuan and the three old ladies arrived at the parking spot, they saw Xu Ai with her back towards them and her head against the car; she looked like she was feeling sick. He coughed a little, and just as he was about to open his mouth, Xu Ai jerked around and reached out. "Hand over the keys."
Su Xuan shook his head. "Your emotions aren't stable enough for you to drive!"
"I said, hand over the keys." Xu Ai's gaze pierced into him.
Su Xuan continued shaking his head. "I'll drive you and your grandmas back!"
"I don't want you to drive!" Xu Ai held out her hand stubbornly.
"Ai-Ai!" Xu Ai's grandma frowned again. "Are you done here? If you keep acting like this, you should go back to your school, and I'll let Little Xuan drive us. Out of sight, out of mind for us three old women."
Xu Ai pretended like she didn't hear it. She stared at Su Xuan and asked aggressively, "Are you handing them over or not?"
Su Xuan sighed helplessly, then he asked in a negotiating tone, "How about this, it's already noon, so I'll take the three grannies and you to lunch. I'll go back to my company after lunch, and I will be completely out of your sight, okay? Then you can drive the grannies back."
Xu Ai didn't speak.
Su Xuan lowered his voice. "I've already asked Little Li to make a reservation. He has the car with your clothes in the trunk. You can take them back and put them in your car."
"Put your money where your mouth is!" Xu Ai withdrew her hand.
"Mhm, I'll put my money where my mouth is." Su Xuan nodded with a smile.
Xu Ai stepped away from the car door.
Su Xuan opened the car with the car keys and then had the three grannies climb in.
None of the three old ladies talked on their way out of the hospital. There was no way in hell for Xu Ai to talk, but Su Xuan was clearly unaffected. He asked nicely about what kind of dishes the three old ladies like to eat. His voice was pleasant, his smile was warm, and he was obviously not bothered by Xu Ai's temper tantrum from earlier. He didn't get moody and affect others.
Now, all three grannies believed Xu Ai went too far with her actions today. Where could one find a good young man like that? Then, they all told him what they liked to eat.
Su Xuan took out his phone and dialed Little Li's number, telling him to order dishes based on the three old ladies' and Xu Ai's likings.
When he hung up the phone, Xu Ai's grandma couldn't hold it any further. "Did you hear that, Ai-Ai? Even though you were mean towards Little Xuan, not only did he not get upset, instead, he ordered what you like to eat. What did Grandma tell you before? Don't easily throw a tantrum towards anyone…"
Xu Ai had learned to act like a good girl. Su Xuan is indeed black-hearted; even if I died of anger, he will keep on living a good life fulfilled in bullying others. Why should I do what he wishes? My grandma is getting old, her vision is deteriorating; I should just endure it this time and never let my grandma see him ever again.
So, she kept her mouth shut and did not make any sound while her grandmother lectured her non-stop.
Su Xuan didn't care to comment this time. Xu Ai didn't know if he was concentrating on driving or concentrating on listening to Xu Ai's grandma's chiding. There was a slight hint of a grin on his lips.
The hotel he chose wasn't far, and it only took them half an hour to get there.
[TL Note: Many hotels have top-tier restaurant services in China.]
Half an hour later, Xu Ai's grandma finally stopped yapping. Xu Ai took out a bottle of water from the front and handed it to her grandma, "Are you tired, Grandma? Have some water and quench your throat!"
"You little rugrat! You're irking me on purpose!" Xu Ai's grandma took the bottle and had a few sips.
Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang burst into laughter. "Ever since Ai-Ai started living on campus, we haven't heard you yelling at someone in so long. Now that we heard it, we realized that we sure missed it."
"You two old hags! You're laughing at me," Xu Ai's grandma chortled as well.
Su Xuan gave Xu Ai an amused look and saw that she couldn't help herself but smile.
By the time they got out of the car, they wiped away all of their unhappiness and headed toward the hotel.
An hour later, they exited the hotel. Xu Ai reached out her hand to Su Xuan. "Hand it over!"
Su Xuan handed over the keys with no hesitation. He told Little Li, who was standing beside him, "Go with her to get her clothes from the trunk."
Little Li nodded and gestured for Xu Ai to go with him.
Xu Ai followed Little Li.
When they left, Su Xuan told Xu Ai's grandmother, "Grandma, please give me your cell phone."
Xu Ai's grandma gave him her cellphone without hesitation.
Su Xuan opened her phone and added his number to her contact list, then he saved it and returned it to her. He smiled and said, "I need to be at the company this afternoon, apologies for not being able to drive you back. Here is my number, feel free to call me if you need anything."
"Sure, sure!" Xu Ai's grandma was ecstatic, then she called his number happily.
Su Xuan's cell phone started ringing in his pocket. "I have your number now, too. I will pay a visit once I have time and she has cooled off." His smile was even brighter.
"Don't worry if she's angry." Xu Ai's grandma hung up and put her cellphone in her pocket when she saw Xu Ai and Little Li heading back with shopping bags in their hands. She whispered to Su Xuan, "Come whenever you feel like. Grandma is a much better cook than all the top chefs at this restaurant. I will cook for you."
Su Xuan looked at the old lady with a slight surprise, then he nodded with a grin.
Xu Ai grunted in her mind as she saw her grandma and Su Xuan having a nice chat. She placed her belongings in the trunk and asked the three old ladies to get in the car.
As soon as the three old ladies made themselves comfortable, Xu Ai buckled her seatbelt and drove away in a blink of an eye without speaking to Su Xuan.
Su Xuan watched the car drive away in the traffic.
Little Li, who was standing behind him, whispered respectfully, "There was a scheduled negotiation this morning at ten with Billion Suns. They seemed rather upset because of your absence; we probably will lose this partnership."
"They are so impatient. It's fine if we don't partner with them; we'll go with another company." Su Xuan stopped looking and walked toward his car.
"But Billion Suns seems to be our best bet. You have been keeping up with them since you came back to China. It is a bit regretful to give them up like that." Little Li was a little reluctant.
"What is there to regret? Tell me, compared to Billion Suns, do you think they are more important or is my girlfriend more important?" Su Xuan arched a brow.
Little Li choked as if succumbing to his question.
Su Xuan turned around to glance at him; it was very rare that his assistant couldn't answer his question. He chuckled, "Of course, my girlfriend is more important. If I give up a contract worth billions just to be with my girlfriend, I'd be in the headlines for a week. In that case, who wouldn't believe it when I say she's my girlfriend?"
Little Li didn't know what to say to Su Xuan, who was in a great mood. After a long while, he went in the car and drove away from the hotel.