Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1248 - 2 Acquaintance

Chapter 1248: Chapter 2 Acquaintance

"I’ll peel an apple for you." An Xiuru had lost weight and obviously wasn’t doing well, and Tang Zheng couldn’t possibly criticize her at such a time.

The two of them remained silent, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward. The little girl, oblivious to the sorrow, sweetly called out "brother" and mentioned how tasty the snacks were.

"This young man is a billionaire? Did I hear that right?" the middle-aged woman gossiped. She initially wanted to know their relationship but was shocked to learn about his immense wealth instead.

"Seems like it’s the woman chasing the man? But Xiu Ru seems quite rich too?" the middle-aged woman scrutinized them suspiciously. Having shared the same ward for a few days, she had a general understanding of An Xiuru’s character: kind, approachable, and exuding an elegant demeanor.

The middle-aged woman absolutely didn’t believe she was a mistress, since she had quite a few employees under her. In the past few days, hundreds had visited her, and look at all the gifts beside her; there was barely enough room to fit them all. This was still after she had sternly told many to take their gifts back. Otherwise, there would have been even more. Of course, she and the little girl had also benefitted, enjoying quite a few delicacies.

"Are you hungry? Should I get some supper?" the middle-aged woman asked with a smile, feeling it was a good chance to create an opportunity for An Xiuru to strengthen this relationship, which might benefit her in the future.

"Thank you, Sister, but no," An Xiuru shook her head. The little girl’s mouth was stuffed with snacks, and she mumbled a few words that the middle-aged woman ignored.

"No, I saw you didn’t eat much tonight. Continuing like this isn’t good for your health," the middle-aged woman insisted, deciding to buy some supper.

"You rest, I’ll go!" Tang Zheng stopped her and, after instructing An Xiuru to rest, left the ward.

"Do you like her?" An Xiuru, who had been staring distractedly at Tang Zheng’s departing figure, suddenly heard this and was stunned, followed by her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"What’s there to be embarrassed about?" the middle-aged woman enthusiastically encouraged her. "I can tell that young man is a good man. You should seize the opportunity and not let concerns about age or shyness disrupt your marriage prospects."

"He doesn’t like me!" An Xiuru said morosely, believing Tang Zheng’s engagement in games meant he was avoiding her, pushing her almost to the point of giving up.

"What’s that matter? You’re so beautiful, how could you not keep his heart?" The middle-aged woman thought An Xiuru was foolish, wasting her beauty and figure, not to mention the young man was also a fool for not embracing such a white, rich, beautiful woman before it’s too late and regretting it immensely.

After tossing and turning past midnight, An Xiuru finally fell asleep, her first peaceful night’s sleep in over a month. Tang Zheng didn’t return, opting instead to cover her with a blanket. With no bed available, he left the ward and wandered the corridors.

"Let’s go see the meteor shower!" Remembering the TV station’s announcement about an intermittent meteor shower from Lyra tonight, Tang Zheng ran to the rooftop. It was already spring, the night breeze was lightly intoxicating, making him unconsciously spread his arms and take a deep breath.

Many white sheets were hung out to dry on the rooftop, fluttering like butterflies. Tang Zheng meandered around them, found a clear spot, set up a lounge chair, sat down, and began enjoying the night view, but fell asleep shortly after. Around 2 AM, he was awakened by some rustling noises.

"What are you doing up on the rooftop so late at night?" he said, irked. "Don’t touch me, go back and touch your wife."

"Hehe, watching meteors." he pulled a small box from his pocket and handed it to her, "It’s a gift for you, see if you like it."

"What is it?" she took it, opened it, and saw a ring lying inside, shimmering under the moonlight. "Hmph, are you proposing to me?"

"Soon." he slid his arm around her waist, making a grand gesture. "Put it on, let me see. It cost me three thousand."

"I won’t wear it, it’s not pretty," she complained verbally but quickly slid it onto her ring finger, admiring its look. "I’ll get a manicure tomorrow."

"Hmm, everything looks beautiful on you," he kissed her on the cheek.

Delighted with the gift, she let him be more daring.

"This design doesn’t look like it’s worth three thousand. You didn’t trick me?" she questioned.

"Nonsense. I’ve spent all my savings on it," he sighed with exertion.

"Late at night, disturbing people’s dreams." Tang Zheng folded the lounge chair and with a leap, jumped onto the nearby water tower, spotting the familiar couple.

Tang Zheng didn’t enjoy prying into people’s private affairs and left the rooftop, but he intentionally coughed to alert the illicit lovers, as being caught could be highly embarrassing.

"Someone’s here!" Hearing the cough, she immediately crouched, and brought by the shock as well.

The rising sun of the early morning streamed into the ward, and An Xiuru opened her eyes to see Tang Zheng sitting on a stool, sleeping with his head bowed by the bed, his handsome cheeks showing signs of exhaustion.

"You seem very tired!" An Xiuru reached out and touched the corner of Tang Zheng’s brow.

"Auntie, what is your relationship with the big brother?" a little girl who had just woken up asked, causing An Xiuru’s hand to stiffen and her face to fall.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" The middle-aged woman slapped her niece on the head. "Say ’sister’!"

"Sister," the little girl said, feeling wronged, not understanding what she had done wrong.

"I am an auntie, after all." An Xiuru adjusted her bangs and went down to wash up. It wasn’t until she left the ward that Tang Zheng dared to open his eyes.

"Brother, good morning!" the little girl greeted him excitedly, resulting in another slap from the middle-aged woman.

"Young man, I’m not one to gossip, but such a good woman is hard to find even with a lantern. What on earth are you thinking?" the middle-aged woman rambled on, clearly intending to play matchmaker.

Exhausted from the morning, Tang Zheng took the opportunity of buying breakfast to escape. At nine in the morning, during the doctors’ rounds, a woman in a white lab coat entered to inquire about An Xiuru’s condition, and Tang Zheng was stunned.

"Why? Do you know me?" Ying Shangwu was very perceptive and immediately noticed the gaze on her, giving Tang Zheng a cold stare.

"No, you just resemble a friend of mine." Tang Zheng had not been in contact with Ying Shangwu and did not expect to meet her in such a manner. It seemed that Sister Ying was doing well; her black hair was still conspicuous, now tied up with a pair of black-framed glasses, which did not look dowdy but rather added an intellectual beauty.

"Your condition has stabilized. Take good care," after asking a few questions and finishing the check-up, Ying Shangwu walked to the little girl’s window, finally flashing a smile.

"Hey, it’s not like I owe you money. No need to keep such a stern face, right?" Seeing that Ying Shangwu did not remember him and remembering that it was solely due to her information about the vending machine that he had managed to get through, Tang Zheng couldn’t help but try to tease her.

"I don’t have any younger or older sisters; don’t try to get close to me in that way. Also, I don’t appreciate jokes." Ying Shangwu was still as aloof as ever, imperiously so.

Tang Zheng shrugged his shoulders and ceased to talk. Ying Shangwu seemed to be doing well, which put him at ease.

"Wait, I think I’ve seen you before?" Ying Shangwu stopped as she was leaving the room, turning back to give Tang Zheng a measuring look.

"You’re mistaken; I don’t have any brothers!" Tang Zheng denied, returning the original phrase.

"Impossible, my memory has never failed me." Ying Shangwu frowned; the several interns following her dared not even breathe heavily, her aura was so overpowering.

"Doctor Ying, the Dean is calling you. There’s an emergency case, and he wants you to lead the surgery." A panting nurse ran over to her.

"I’m on my way." Ying Shangwu was very serious about significant matters, relying on the medical knowledge she had acquired from the Trojan Room, she had become the ace doctor of this hospital, and even the Dean spoke to her in hushed tones.

"She really is a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside woman." Tang Zheng felt relieved. Having come from the Trojan Room, Ying Shangwu couldn’t possibly be lacking money. The fact that she was still working as a doctor showed that she cherished life and wanted to use her hands to heal more people.

Tang Zheng still couldn’t get through to Lin Weiguo on the phone and forced himself to calm down. At lunch, the hospital suddenly became noisy, all the ambulances were dispatched, and soon they brought in many students.

"Did you hear? There was a food poisoning incident in the University Town area. Over a dozen have died, and hundreds are still lying in the ER," the middle-aged woman, strong in gossiping, had brought back the latest information by the afternoon.

The hospital hallways were now filled with anxious relatives, and cries of distress were heard. The little girl, frightened, timidly hid by the door, peering outside.

It was not until the deep of the night that it finally quieted down. However, the next day was still crowded, and several television station reporters showed up, blocking the outside, wanting to interview the doctors and the poisoned students.

As Tang Zheng went to the cafeteria to get food, he saw them in the hallways. Besides feeling pensive, he felt powerless to help. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard several shrill screams followed by shouts of "murder."

Several doctors ran out from a department, chased by a man covered in blood, his face twisted as he wildly swung a kitchen knife. Two nurses he encountered were chopped in the head and knocked to the ground.