"Oh! This part didn't reach my old ears. Sorry! Doctor Mian is pretty free-spoken regarding her charity leanings. That's how we got her here!" Director Fu said smiling, however, twinkle was gone from his eyes.
Although, his brain had accepted the fact that he couldn't get the money, his money penchant kicked in, and still rebelled.
Director Fu's guileful, and disingenuous gaze roved over Mian's face, as he put his thoughts into words with maddening slowness, "Dr. Mian, think again carefully. With this amount, you can buy yourself at least two grand bungalows, a few sports cars, and dozens of servants! Are you sure, it won't be a hare-brained decision though?"
Humph! What an unfunny joke! Mian scoffed at her heart.
"Have a good night, sir." Mian responded completely ignoring Director Fu's question, and walked past him.
Well, it was a kick in the Direction Fu's teeth!
Director Fu had a tiny, very tiny, wish to give a scolding to Mian consisting of a word or two. However, all he could do was suffer the infuriating misfortune quietly. As, Mian was his Golden Goose, oops Swan to be exact! His only way to be rolling in money! No matter what, he couldn't risk scratching her ego!
Su Meilin's dewy eyes appeared to stare deeply at Mian's retreating figure with admiration. "Beside being a genius surgeon, she has got a golden heart as well." She commented, then turned to look at the clean-shaven side profile of her husband.
"Yeah, she is uniquely her own; the only piece of her kind, totally unparalleled and priceless." Qian Juexi opined on his wife's statement.
Su Meilin's jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment. "You have just complimented someone! Did the sun rise from the west today?" The shock nearly shoved her to the ground.
Qian Juexi coughed awkwardly, and said, "Well, she deserves it. After all, she saved our only child."
Su Meilin's shock wore off, replaced by amusement. "That's true." She had been induced to giggle from the awkwardness of an expression on her husband's face.
===
When Mian reached Zhang Residential, it was already half past six in the evening. She kicked away her wedge heels, and crashed on the couch.
"Why is the heat getting so unbearable?" She asked to the air in her apartment in a carefree attitude since she was alone there. "Air feels so stuffy that even drawing breath has become a task!"
Mian set the air conditioning in the house to 'dry mode' as it was ideal for the humid season. This mode reduced the humidity in the room by cycling the compressor on and off while the fan continued to run at a low speed. In a while, it quelled the temperature inside her apartment. She filled her lungs with cool air, and pulled her fingers one by one.
After a tedious day, Mian felt so tired that she just wanted to sleep. However, that was not even an option before a quick cold shower, and light dinner.
Mian dragged her exhausted body to the bathroom, striped down, then stood under the shower head. She turned the shower handle to the right, then pulled out. The cold water appeared extra sparkly cascading down Mian's body, as if eagerly purifying themselves with the touch of the devine beauty's immaculate, and purest skin.
Mian leaned her back against the marble wall, and began relaxing.
The cold water after a long summer day hurled a whim at her to stay in the shower room for a full hour, until one of the people staying next door rang her calling bell at that ungodly hour.
Her initial thought was to ignore it, taking it as her hearing inaccuracy, but since it kept on belling, she stepped out of the shower room, walked to the front, and opened the bathroom's door for confirmation.
"Who can be..." Mian stopped at mid sentence, when realization struck her. "Oh shit! I completely forgot about it." She exhaled with a force, turned off the shower and squeezed out the water from her hair using a towel, then wrapped herself in the white bathrobe.
A minute later—
The man stood eclipsing the light from the corridor, making his chiseled features barely identifiable for Mian. However, Mian recognized him as the coffee-thief by his tall and strong frame.
Mu Yuhaan's heart raced, staring at Mian, subconsciously, his hand went up to his heart and pressed on it.
He felt his newfangled sense of happiness just looking at her innocent face and bright brown eyes. The cool air from the AC was blowing towards the door, and it drifted Mian's irresistible sandalwood scent to Mu Yuhaan, which was for some reason, very reassuring and reposeful to his nerves. Subconsciously, Mu Yuhaan sniffed the air for more, and had the urge to throw himself at Mian right way.
"Come on in," The soft voice of Mian boomed in Mu Yuhaan's ears, breaking his train of thoughts.
Even in darkness, Mian could discern his gaze on her, and she tried not to do the same.
Well, she winded up conceding when her sneaky neighbor tricked her into inviting him to her place. Now, it would be considered fickleness if she appeared reluctant in welcoming him.
Mu Yuhaan entered, closing the door behind him. He stopped in front of the catherine sofa, planted himself there, then reclined in it with his laid-back attitude, as if it was his home.
Mian was slightly flabbergasted at his posture, but she chose to ignore it. However, Mu Yuhaan's presence, and expression awoke a subordinate feeling within Mian. It was his aura which made him appear like some kind of Supreme God. The view itself was disconcerting to Mian. To her mortification, it spawned a little pang of rivalry in her heart. It was her home, okay?!
"Hey you! It's very ungentlemanly to make yourself at home double quick in a random girl's place!" Mian put her finger on the peculiarity of Mu Yuhaan's comportment with a snappy wisecrack; well, in her mind.
Mian never welcomed any man at her place. Thus, baubles of hesitation started nagging her.
"Don't let this one-time unwelcome guest drifts into your head, Mian. This is not the first time, you are suffering from the case of these uninvited visitors! The only difference is, previously all of them were some aunts looking for marriage candidates for their sons, and this time, it's a cheeky man! Should I write my name in the quest to eliminate them though?" She sprinkled some consolation on herself inwardly.
Busy in her thoughts, Mian's impatient stare met Mu Yuhaan's sudden gaze, and her heart shivered a little, which she didn't even know why!
Mian laughed to mask her discomposure. "Give me a few minutes Mr. Mu, actually it slipped out of my mind that you would literally come."