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Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Dressed Up Very Beautiful Today
"Mom, why are you always siding with outsiders? You even defend Zhao Wenkai, and even a mere doctor," Zhao Wenyu said, his face flushing with anger. Si Chen’s medical skills were obviously inferior, yet his mother stubbornly defended him.
Now, Zhao Wenkai was constantly sabotaging their company behind the scenes. If this continued, the company would collapse, and they would be left penniless, unable to afford even their father’s medical bills. The only solution was for their father to wake up swiftly.
"If you don’t want to take care of your father, go back to the company and do your job. Stop creating problems here," said Fang Xiujing, tired of her son’s incessant tantrums. Since her husband’s hospitalization, her son had become an unbearable burden, constantly ranting that Zhao Wenkai was responsible for his father’s accident.
However, the police had already caught the person who hit her husband and concluded that it was solely a traffic accident.
Zhao Wenkai, aiming to give his cousin more time to care for his sick father, had intentionally assigned him lighter tasks. But her son ungratefully complained about the workload being too trivial.
At this rate, she was on the verge of a breakdown.
"Mom...," Zhao Wenyu was so frustrated he stomped his foot and stormed out of the hospital. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Dr. Si, I’m sorry. Wenyu is just hot-tempered; please don’t take it personally," Fang Xiujing quickly apologized to Si Chen. With her husband’s time of awakening unknown, she couldn’t risk offending his attending physician.
Si Chen merely nodded, showing no sign of taking Zhao Wenyu’s words to heart. After giving some essential instructions, he left the ward.
A few minutes after Si Chen’s departure, Zhao Wenkai arrived upon receiving the news. Seeing his uncle still lying in bed unchanged, he asked, "Auntie, I heard there are signs of uncle waking up. Has the doctor been here? What did he say?"
Although Fang Xiujing initially planned to answer honestly, her words changed at the last minute, "The doctor said his condition is very good. We should keep talking to him and stimulate his nerves. He should wake up soon." After saying this, she carefully observed Zhao Wenkai’s reaction.
Having heard her own son’s repeated accusations, she was beginning to harbor doubts and wanted to test Zhao Wenkai’s reaction to the news of her husband’s imminent awakening.
"Really?" Zhao Wenkai smiled, "That’s great news. Where is Wenyu? He should spend more time talking to his uncle. His uncle cherishes him. His improvements must be due to hearing Wenyu’s voice all this time. During this period, let Wenyu stay more at the hospital with his uncle! Don’t worry about the company."
"Wenkai, we are so grateful to have you. After your uncle’s accident, Wenyu and I didn’t know what to do." Seeing Zhao Wenkai genuinely delighted, Fang Xiujing instantly dismissed her doubts, convinced that her son’s suspicion was just pressure-induced paranoia.
She had watched Wenkai grow up. He was a good and sensible boy.
Sigh.
If only Wenyu could be as sensible.
"We’re family. This is my responsibility," said Zhao Wenkai.
Zhao Wenkai stayed by the bedside, feigning conversation with his unconscious uncle until Lin Man came to administer the nutrient solution. He then seized the opportunity to follow Lin Man out.
"Miss Lin, thank you for informing me about my uncle’s condition. What time do you finish work tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner."
Before Lin Man could reply, he continued teasingly, "My wife won’t be joining us this time."
Although it was a simple expression of gratitude, an ambiguous atmosphere seemed to rise between them. Lin Man had an intuition that if she accepted this dinner invitation, the relationship between her and Zhao Wenkai would subtly change.
To go or not to go was now a hard choice.
If Zhao Wenkai were single, Lin Man would accept without hesitation. However, he was married. Wang Chun was beautiful like a celebrity and came from a wealthy family, something Lin Man knew she could not compete with.
Zhao Wenkai, being such a man, even if he was with her, was not likely to divorce his wife for her. However, she knew he would not financially exploit her.
Knowing all this, yet she still couldn’t find the courage to reject his dinner invitation.
"If Miss Lin is reluctant, let’s forget about it. I hate to impose. I will hire a nurse to take care of my uncle, so I won’t bother you anymore," Zhao Wenkai, seeing Lin Man’s hesitation, tactically retreated.
"Wait." As he turned to leave, Lin Man impulsively called him back, her cheek flushing a tad, "Seven o’clock! Meet me at the entrance of the city at seven."
For their first formal date, she needed to go home, doll up and make an impression. She didn’t want to be the odd one out, as she was last time when they dined at a high-end restaurant. Wang Chun and Zhao Wenkai had dressed elegantly while she looked shabby.
Although she tried hard not to show her inferiority complex, she couldn’t fool her own feelings.
"No problem," Zhao Wenkai smiled, "Now, get back to work, see you after work."
"See you tonight." Lin Man stood there, watching Zhao Wenkai leave. Only when he disappeared from her sight did she fully regain her senses. Her heart was pounding harder, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Yet, she had no regrets at all.
Instead of living a mundane life with someone ordinary like Shi Yan, why not lead a vibrant life with Zhao Wenkai for a few years? Although Zhao Wenkai might not marry her, he certainly wouldn’t skimp on her material needs. If she managed to win his heart, he might even divorce his wife to marry her.
At seven in the evening, Lin Man arrived promptly at the entrance of the city. Expecting Zhao Wenkai to be waiting for her, she was surprised to see Xiaowang, the chauffeur instead.
"Miss Lin, please get in the car. The boss is already waiting for you," he said.
Lin Man had assumed that Zhao Wenkai was taking her to another high-end place. She had dressed up just to fit into such an environment and avoid feeling out of place again. However, the car kept moving out to the suburbs and finally stopped in front of a small restaurant.
"Miss Lin, the boss is waiting for you inside."
"..."
Stepping out of the car, a gust of cold wind hit her, causing her to shudder. She wrapped her white scarf tighter around her and entered the small restaurant. Inside, there was a single room of about twenty square meters, without even a waitress. Zhao Wenkai was sitting in the middle of the room.
Currently leaning back in his chair, Zhao Wenkai watched with interest as she approached. Lin Man blushed under his gaze and took a seat across from him.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked. She felt slight dissatisfaction towards the place Zhao Wenkai chose. A high-end restaurant for Wang Chun, but a shoddy place like this for her. Did he think she didn’t belong in high-class surroundings?
"You look gorgeous today," Zhao Wenkai complimented her.
Thrilled by his praise, Lin Man’s earlier displeasure faded away. "I just put on some makeup. I don’t look much different from usual, do I?"
Zhao Wenkai smiled and changed the subject, "You didn’t seem comfortable in that fancy place last time, so I deliberately chose this spot. Do you like it?"
