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墨書 Inktalez
"What kind of illness is it?" The more Xu Wen hesitated, the more curious Assistant Li became.
"Well, it's a bit awkward for two grown men to discuss a girl's illness," Xu Wen thought. Since that was the case, he decided to lead Assistant Li to misunderstand, after all, it wasn't him saying it directly. If asked later, he could just say it was what Assistant Li assumed; he never confirmed anything.
"Ah? It wouldn't be a gynecological issue, would it?" Assistant Li's curiosity drove him to dig deeper.
Xu Wen had already made up his mind to keep up the act and remained silent, letting Assistant Li continue speaking. "If a guy finds out about a girl's gynecological issues and she knows, it can be quite embarrassing. Girls seem reluctant to let guys know about these matters."
After pondering for a moment, he continued, "I'll talk to the boss about it; after all, your mother’s reputation is at stake." After a while, he returned to the topic he had previously asked Xu Wen about but had not received a direct answer on. Perhaps out of curiosity or because he felt that helping should have a reason behind it, he asked again, "So, is Qinglan really your girlfriend?"
Considering Xu Wen's concerns, he added, "If she is your girlfriend, it would make it easier for me to ask the boss for leave. Just tell me; I won't mention it to anyone else. Besides, what's the big deal with college students dating? If you're worried about your parents not approving of your relationship with her, I can absolutely promise not to let your mother know."
From his perspective, Qinglan did not come from a prestigious family; she dressed simply and spoke cautiously. Although she had spent several years in Beijing and was a top student from a prestigious university—having shed her rural demeanor—Assistant Li still viewed her as an ordinary girl from a regular family compared to Xu Wen's background. Xu Wen was handsome and tall, while Qinglan's elegance seemed insufficient for someone like him. He thought that someone with Xu Wen's background should be with a girl as stunning as a rose rather than someone like Qinglan, who resembled a roadside White Magnolia. Moreover, he noticed that since Qinglan entered the office, she hadn't smiled once; in his eyes, she lacked the sunny disposition that matched Xu Wen's bright personality.
Thus, he assumed that Xu Wen and Qinglan were secretly dating and that Xu Wen's family disapproved of their relationship. Therefore, Xu Wen helped her while also being discreet.
Xu Wen did not respond and allowed Assistant Li to speculate freely. He thought if these assumptions ever proved useful in the future, that would be great. If they didn't match up, it didn't matter; he hadn't confirmed anything anyway.
A few days later, Assistant Li called again to say that the boss had agreed but insisted that once she recovered from her illness and returned, she must make up for her internship hours. Otherwise, her internship evaluation wouldn't be given to her; they couldn't set a bad precedent for students who hadn't even graduated yet.
Assistant Li continued talking endlessly about how much effort he had put into convincing the boss and how much saliva he had wasted in the process. At the very least, he expected Xu Wen to treat him to some drinks.
"Sure thing," Xu Wen readily agreed. "I'll take you out for dinner and drinks."
The next day, Xu Wen went to the office to continue his internship.
In the past few days, he had helped Qinglan rent a new apartment in a neighborhood far from the school. After much persuasion, he finally convinced her to move into the newly rented place. However, she insisted on not giving up the original apartment she shared with An Shaojie. If she didn't want to give it up, then so be it; Xu Wen went along with her decision.
On the day he went to the office, Xu Wen treated Assistant Li and several colleagues he got along well with to a big meal. They all returned quite drunk.
Assistant Li was indeed tight-lipped. Throughout the meal, no matter how his friends inquired about why Xu Wen was treating them or whether Qinglan was Xu Wen's girlfriend, he refused to answer or confirm anything.
"Does Xu Wen need a reason to treat me to a meal?" He patted one of his friends on the shoulder, squinting through his drunken haze. "If you treat me to a meal, do you need a reason? For example, tonight, if Xu Wen treats me to dinner and I bring you guys along, do we need a reason? We're all brothers; it's normal for brothers to get together. Do we need a reason?" His friends nodded in agreement, feeling somewhat ashamed.
As for whether Qinglan was Xu Wen's girlfriend, he answered even more cleverly and skillfully. "You guys tell me, in this day and age, what does it mean for college students to date? It's as normal as eating and dressing; it's already so open and normal. Do you really need to pry into it so mysteriously? Is it something that needs to be hidden? This isn't even an interesting topic; how can you bring it up as if it's something fascinating? There are so many interesting things you don't care about. You guys only focus on trivial matters between men; that's just shallow thinking. Besides, someone like Xu Wen, a top student from a prestigious university with integrity who helps classmates in need—does he really need some unspoken rules to become her boyfriend?"
This made everyone in the private room laugh and nod in agreement. Since he had already taken leave, Xu Wen didn't inform the school about Qinglan not attending her internship. After all, she would still have to make up for a month later; it didn't matter whether he mentioned it or not. He just wanted Qinglan to take care of herself while Lin Xi and he took turns visiting and caring for her.
What worried Xu Wen most wasn't Qinglan's health or whether they should keep the baby; that question had long been passed over by him. The baby was already several months along, and having an abortion would pose significant risks. No one dared to advise her on terminating the pregnancy or make decisions for her. The issues after the baby was born were also tricky but seemed too far off to consider right now. What concerned Xu Wen was that Qinglan had become very withdrawn; she could sit quietly for an entire day without saying a word, staring blankly at something in front of her. Even when they occasionally went out for walks together, she seemed lost, either following them aimlessly or sitting down staring at the sky in silence. She might be wondering where An Shaojie was now. Was the sky in America the same as here? Had she ever thought about whether An Shaojie thought of her while being alone in America without any relatives?
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