Chapter 42
"My dear little Huanhuan, I've missed you so much!" Li Xin exclaimed as she entered the café, immediately wrapping Zuo Qinghuan in a big bear hug. Her sexy red lips pressed fiercely against Zuo Qinghuan's cheek, leaving Zuo Qinghuan no time to dodge. The overwhelming affection made her a bit uncomfortable, and Li Xin didn't care if there were any customers in the café or not.
"I know you've been desperate for a woman lately, but don't be so desperate that you'll take just anyone!" Zuo Qinghuan pushed Li Xin away and quickly took out a small mirror, wiping off the bright red lipstick stain Li Xin had left on her face.
"Isn't there a saying that a true friend steps in as your woman when you're desperately in need? Well, since we're such close sisters, how about you play my woman occasionally when I'm lacking one?" Li Xin teased, winking flirtatiously at Zuo Qinghuan.
"Who are you? I don't know you." After confirming that her face was clean, Zuo Qinghuan put her mirror away, pretending not to know this mischievous troublemaker.
"This is for you." Li Xin handed Zuo Qinghuan a large bouquet of fiery red roses.
Zuo Qinghuan didn't accept the roses. She knew that Li Xin loved giving flowers to women, but Li Xin had never given any to her before. Zuo Qinghuan recalled that Li Xin often gave flowers to Yan Ruoshan, but Yan Ruoshan was clearly not the romantic type. Li Xin's romantic gestures were often crushed by Yan Ruoshan lack of interest. Zuo Qinghuan was sure that when Li Xin bought this bouquet of roses, she was thinking of Yan Ruoshan. When she couldn't give them to Yan, she decided to give them to Zuo Qinghuan instead.
"She doesn't even like roses," Zuo Qinghuan said. Li Xin was the one who liked fiery red roses, while Yan Ruoshan preferred cacti. Whenever Li Xin gave Yan Ruoshan flowers, they inevitably ended up in the trash, except for one cactus plant that Yan kept, which had been a freebie with another flower purchase. Deep down, Li Xin always wished that Yan Ruoshan would give her a big bouquet of red roses, a symbol of love. No one knew about this wish of Li Xin's. Giving herself flowers felt pointless, so she passed them on to Zuo Qinghuan instead.
"These tacky red roses—no way Yan Ruoshan would like them." It was quite a large bouquet, with ninety-nine roses in total. Zuo Qinghuan didn't dare accept it, so she began taking the bouquet apart.
"Why are you taking them apart?" Li Xin asked, displeased. It looked much nicer as a big bouquet.
"They stand out too much. Since there aren't many customers right now, I'll give one to each woman here..." Zuo Qinghuan thought she was being resourceful, and immediately began handing out the vibrant red roses to the women in the café, saying they were little gifts from the shop. Many of the women were delighted to receive a rose.
Li Xin sneered inwardly at Zuo Qinghuan, knowing that this shallow woman wouldn't appreciate the beauty of red roses. However, when she saw how happy the other women were to receive them, her mood lifted. She knew that there were still plenty of women like her who appreciated the beauty of red roses.
"By the way, last time I called you, why did Qin Wanshu answer? Did you two sleep together?" Li Xin asked, her curiosity about the affair between Zuo Qinghuan and Qin Wanshu getting the better of her.
"We're pure. It's all been platonic," Zuo Qinghuan replied calmly.
"Pfft..." Li Xin was glad she hadn't taken a sip of coffee, or she would have spat it out.
"You're pure? God must be laughing!" Li Xin teased. The fact that they had breakfast together clearly meant Qin Wanshu had stayed overnight. Li Xin didn't believe nothing had happened.
"I've been on a 'vegetarian' diet for months now. I'd love to indulge, but do you really think Qin Wanshu is into 'meat'?" Zuo Qinghuan sighed. She had just happened to fall for a 'vegetarian.'
"You're a disgrace to your country, to your people, and especially to me as a spectator!" Li Xin looked at Zuo Qinghuan with disdain. She had assumed that Zuo Qinghuan had managed to win over the virtuous Qin Wanshu, but it turned out Zuo Qinghuan had gone virtuous herself.
"Dr. Li, you're a doctor now. Show some class. Stop focusing on these trivial, meaningless things all the time," Zuo Qinghuan said seriously, trying to educate her perverted friend. She had been trying to be a decent person for quite a while.
"You need balance in life! I've been exhausted lately. It's rare that I have time to come here and relax," Li Xin replied. She had been swamped, observing multiple surgeries every day, constantly surrounded by gory scenes. If the exhaustion didn't kill her, the sight of it would. After leaving the operating room, she still had to catch up on the latest medical knowledge. Li Xin felt like she was turning into a superhuman, but at least she wasn't ordinary and could get back to surgery quickly.
Hearing what Li Xin said, Zuo Qinghuan sized her up and realized that Li Xin had indeed lost quite a bit of weight, but she seemed to have more charm than before. It was true that women with careers were different.
"You've lost weight and look even more beautiful than before," Zuo Qinghuan praised without hesitation.
"I've always been beautiful, okay!" Li Xin rolled her eyes at Zuo Qinghuan, feeling like she was wilting more and more.
Due to the large project, a regular meeting was held every two weeks.
"Mr. Yan, what do you think?" Qin Wanshu asked Yan Ruoshan for her opinion about increasing the budget, which was no small amount.
At that moment, another assistant of Yan Ruoshan came in and whispered something in her ear, causing Yan Ruoshan expression to change dramatically.
"I'm very sorry, you all continue. I need to step out for a moment," Yan Ruoshan hurriedly said before quickly leaving the meeting room in her high heels.
"Since Yan Ruoshan, one of the project leaders, has left, let's call it a day," Shi Yunyang said, clearly displeased. It was such an important meeting, and without Yan Ruoshan, it felt pointless to continue. Today seemed to be a waste of time.
"What's going on?" Qin Wanshu asked Yan Ruoshan other assistant.
"Mr. Yan never behaves like this; she always takes her work seriously. It might be something with Mr. Qian's health..." the assistant quickly explained for her superior.
It was well-known that Qian Shaowen had health issues, and this time it seemed serious; otherwise, Yan Ruoshan wouldn't have abandoned such an important meeting.
"Let's call it a day," Qin Wanshu announced, realizing Yan Ruoshan likely wouldn't return anytime soon.
"Qian Shaowen is a walking pharmacy; no wonder Yan Ruoshan is involved with Li Xin. Otherwise, she'd truly be living in loneliness," Shi Yunyang remarked dismissively.
"Everyone has their own struggles. Since we're not them, let's not gossip," Qin Wanshu said. She genuinely believed that Yan Ruoshan cared for Qian Shaowen; she had taken on the enormous burden of the group without much selfishness, and that was enough to earn Qin Wanshu's respect.
"How about we go grab a coffee with your little lover?" Shi Yunyang changed the subject. Since they were at the Qin Corporation, she wanted to see what Zuo Qinghuan was like to have captivated the young lady.
"No, I still have some things to take care of," Qin Wanshu said, not wanting Shi Yunyang to stir up trouble. She planned to invite Zuo Qinghuan out separately once she finished her work.
Shi Yunyang felt a bit disappointed, but then she came up with another idea. She thought about bringing Han Shibin along next time—her husband, her wife, and her husband's former mistress along with her current little mistress would make for an interesting scene. Just thinking about it excited Shi Yunyang; the more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. But she couldn't let Qin Wanshu know, or she might get upset. If Qin Wanshu got angry, the consequences would be severe, so it would be best to make it a chance encounter. Just thinking about it made Shi Yunyang admire herself; how could she have such a clever mind? She secretly praised herself.
Qian Shaowen was currently receiving emergency treatment at the city's best hospital after suffering a heart attack. Upon receiving the news, Yan Ruoshan rushed to the hospital, her face pale. She didn't know how much longer her husband would live, and she was terrified that he might enter the hospital one day and never come out. Qian Shaowen was not just her husband; he was her only family in the world.
Standing at the operating room door, Yan Ruoshan placed her hand over her chest and prayed. He must be okay; he was such a good person, and heaven had to protect him. He was her only family.
Just as Yan Ruoshan was filled with anxiety and unease, the lights in the operating room dimmed, and the door opened.
The attending physician stepped out, clearly a very young woman, too young to inspire much confidence.
When the attending physician removed her mask, Yan Ruoshan was stunned to see it was Li Xin. Of course, at that moment, she didn't believe this person could be Li Xin; it must just be someone who looked very much like her.
Li Xin was also surprised. She had just picked up a scalpel again not long ago and now found herself face to face with Qian Shaowen. Seeing the stunned expression on Yan Ruoshan face made her smile slightly; fate truly was interesting.
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