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墨書 Inktalez
Such a vain man, with stubble that looked like it hadn’t been shaved for at least two days, hair hanging over his forehead, and dark circles under his eyes—he had completely lost the spirited demeanor he once had.
Yao Nian paused in her task of sorting clothes and looked at him, feigning curiosity. “Who are you?”
Yao Zhandong tossed his briefcase onto the coffee table. “I’m your father!”
Yao Nian pretended to be surprised. “Oh, my dear father, your timing is impeccable! I was just about to be discharged.”
“Stop with the sarcasm,” Yao Zhandong said as he plopped down on the sofa, scrutinizing her. “You’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Are you not eating again? I’m paying Auntie twenty thousand a month, not to send you to the hospital.”
Ignoring his rambling, Yao Nian leaned closer and frowned. “Have you changed careers to mining?”
Yao Zhandong snapped back to reality after a few days of heavy drinking due to some company troubles. “Talk about your own issues; don’t change the subject!”
The discharge procedures had already been completed. Shen Du walked into the ward with a few documents and said, “You can pack up now—”
He halted when he saw who was sitting on the sofa. “Mr. Yao?”
“Lawyer Shen!” Yao Zhandong quickly stood up and shook his hand. “I can’t thank you enough; it would have been a mess without you.”
Shen Du smiled. “Not at all; Yao Nian has been quite obedient.”
He spoke in a tone befitting an elder.
“Obedient?” Yao Zhandong shot a glance at Yao Nian, fully aware of her true nature. She could be praised for her beauty or intelligence, but the word ‘obedient’ was far from fitting.
Standing off to the side, Yao Nian coolly interjected, “Since I’ve been hospitalized, all expenses have been covered by Uncle Shen. You should settle up with him quickly.”
“Are you implying something?” Yao Zhandong lightly tapped her on the head. “Haven’t I given you money before? Why would you want him to pay for everything?”
Yao Nian rubbed her head in pain and replied, “I did give it! Uncle Shen just wouldn’t accept it.”
She had indeed tried to transfer money to Shen Du more than once, but he had returned it every time without fail.
Seeing her retort, Shen Du felt somewhat relieved; during this time, the young girl had been behaving quite maturely—almost painfully so.
But as soon as Yao Zhandong appeared, her demeanor shifted entirely.
Yao Zhandong opened his phone. “Lawyer Shen, no matter what, you shouldn’t be covering these costs. Let’s stick with the previous account; I’ll transfer the money right away.”
Shen Du pressed down on his hand with a consistent smile in his eyes. “Mr. Yao, since we’re friends, let’s not stand on ceremony. The firm will need your support in the future.”
Yao Nian sighed in relief, fearing he might say something like ‘your daughter is my daughter.’
“How about this,” Yao Zhandong suggested. “Since Nian Nian is being discharged today, I’ll book a table at Jiangnan Mansion for dinner tonight as a thank-you for taking care of her these past few days.”
Shen Du was surprisingly agreeable, so he accepted without hesitation.
The Jiangnan Pavilion was a private dining establishment located in Huai Bei, and Yao Zhandong was a regular patron, usually only coming here to entertain leaders or important guests. However, tonight was different; the elegant and quaint private room housed only the three of them.
To everyone's surprise, Shen Du did not refuse to drink. Seeing this, Yao Zhandong became even more spirited and specially instructed his driver, Uncle Cheng, to go home and fetch some aged wine from his collection.
At this moment, the dishes were being served one after another. After nearly a week of eating nothing but porridge, Yao Nian's eyes sparkled at the sight of the table filled with delicious food.
Yao Zhandong and Shen Du were deeply engaged in conversation, especially Yao Zhandong, who after a few glasses of baijiu began to put his arm around Shen Du's shoulder and refer to him as a brother.
In contrast, Shen Du, though he had also drunk quite a bit, appeared little changed from when he first sat down; aside from a slight haze in his eyes, he maintained his composure. Noticing that no one was paying attention to her side of the table, Yao Nian picked up her chopsticks, preparing to discreetly grab a piece of the fried crab stick that was about to be placed in front of her.
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