Chapter 171: Chapter 169: A Twist in the Road
After work in the evening, Zhang Hao immediately took Lin Wan to a roadside food stall three kilometers away from the hospital.
Seeing that the environment here was quite good, Lin Wan found an area that wasn’t too crowded to sit down.
Noticing that others at different tables were drinking and grilling skewers, she unhesitatingly picked up the menu and ordered some.
"I’ve asked you out to eat before, and you’ve always declined. It turns out you were just looking for a chance to treat me," she said. "You should have just told me."
"Why make it so formal? Even though I don’t earn as much as you, I can still afford to treat you to this meal."
Zhang Hao looked at Lin Wan with a smile and said nothing.
After she finished ordering, she asked the server to add two plates of edamame and boiled peanuts.
"Aren’t you going to order something else?" Lin Wan asked.
Zhang Hao shook his head. For some reason, Lin Wan felt that something was off with Zhang Hao today.
Their relationship seemed to be growing more distant.
Before the grilled skewers arrived, an uninvited guest showed up — Song Xin.
"Zhang Hao, did you turn me down before because of this woman?"
"She’s not much prettier than I am, and her figure is no hotter than mine. I think your eyes must be blind."
Lin Wan looked at Song Xin, and her sense of caution was once again triggered.
"I’ve already made myself very clear to you before, but you’ve turned a deaf ear. What can I do about that?"
"I don’t care that you had a four-year relationship with Lin Zhen, but don’t treat me like a fool."
"I am a doctor; I understand better than anyone the limits of the human body."
Bang!
Song Xin slammed her fist on the white round table.
"Zhang Hao, you’re insulting me. Is it just because I’ve slept with Lin Zhen? Haven’t you slept with me as well?"
"Or is it because you’ve been with so many women that you’re afraid they’ll all come asking you to take responsibility?"
Zhang Hao, watching Song Xin make a scene in front of him, asked, "Did Lin Zhen send you? Among the people involved with him, the only one I have a connection with is you."
"He thinks he can use a honey trap to extract some information about the hospital from me, and you are also the girl I had a crush on during college."
"Lin Zhen really knows my weak points, but now my passion for you has cooled off compared to before."
"So I hope you won’t disturb my peaceful life and work, and you don’t need to repay the three thousand yuan I lent you before."
Lin Wan, who had been watching the drama unfold, couldn’t help asking out of curiosity, "You lent her three thousand yuan? Did you buy her a gift?"
Zhang Hao gently shook his head.
"No, she got pregnant by that Lin Zhen and didn’t have money for an abortion, so I gave her the three thousand yuan," he said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan also stood up: "Miss, the one who committed the wrong should be the one to compensate. You got pregnant by another man, why should Zhang Hao clean up after you? It’s not just about three thousand yuan—even if it were thirty yuan, you should pay it back."
Song Xin looked at Lin Wan, her eyes seething with fury.
"Who do you think you are to talk to me like this? Don’t you know we were college classmates for four years?"
"Zhang Hao, I’m giving you one last chance. Will you accept or not?"
Zhang Hao remained calm, "My attitude was clear before, and it remains the same now."
"Lin Wan, don’t stoop to her level," he said.
The server, carrying the grilled skewers, saw the situation turning tense and quickly laid the food down on the table before running off.
Lin Wan heeded Zhang Hao’s advice and sat back down, completely ignoring Song Xin’s presence.
She picked up a lamb skewer and began to eat.
Although Zhang Hao also wanted to act as if nothing was happening, with such a large person standing right in front of him, he simply couldn’t ignore her completely.
"You don’t have to stand here as if you’re on guard duty. No matter what you say or do today, it won’t matter."
"I won’t accept your confession either, you should go find Lin Zhen and think of another way."
Song Xin pulled out the chair in front of her and plopped down.
"What if I say that my coming here has absolutely nothing to do with that scumbag surnamed Lin, would you believe me?"
Before Zhang Hao could speak, Lin Wan waved the waiter over.
"Sorry, could you pack these skewers for us? We’d like to take them home to eat. Also, how much is the total? We’d like to settle the bill."
The server glanced at them, then swiftly grabbed two plastic bags and adeptly packed the meat skewers.
They even reminded that if the home was too far and the skewers got cold, it was possible to reheat them in the oven or an air fryer.
Lin Wan generously paid the bill and glanced at Zhang Hao.
Without another word, Zhang Hao followed her out of the food stall.
Song Xin wanted to catch up, but she was too late, only to watch helplessly as the two of them got into a taxi.
They disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.
Song Xin was so angry she stamped her foot. To find Zhang Hao, she had waited outside for more than an hour.
When she saw him coming out of the hospital with that woman, laughing and talking, she followed them secretly.
She thought they were heading home, but unexpectedly, the two of them were dining here. Unable to suppress her inner fury, she straight up approached them.
She had not expected to end up with such an outcome.
Standing by the roadside, Lin Song Xin dialed Lin Zhen’s number.
It took a while for Lin Zhen to pick up, and in addition to his voice, the sounds of a woman’s moans could be heard.
"Lin Zhen, I’ve failed here. You’d better think of something else. I won’t take the final payment. If there’s anything like this in the future, don’t look for me."
Caught in the heat of the moment, Lin Zhen barely comprehended what Song Xin had said, hastily agreed, then hung up the phone and tossed it aside.
He continued his sprint with the woman beneath him.
Zhang Hao accompanied Lin Wan back home, where they could finally have some peace and quiet.
Seeing that the skewers they brought home had completely cooled, Lin Wan put them in the oven to reheat.
She also pulled out two cans of beer from the fridge, figuring they were home now; a full meal and a good sleep were ahead, so a little drink wouldn’t hurt.
"Seeing as you’ve got a lot on your mind, I’ll join you for a drink, but you’re sleeping on the couch tonight," she said.
Zhang Hao looked at the small sofa, which was too small to fit him.
"You want someone as big as me to sleep on the couch, are you okay with that?"
Lin Wan didn’t respond but instead cracked open a beer and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
A few sips in, Lin Wan’s cheeks turned a bright red. She had longed for this moment for quite a while, having initiated invitations to Zhang Hao for dinner several times.
The idea was to use the pretext of dinner to bring him to her place to address her needs.
But for some reason, Zhang Hao turned her down every time, which brought an unpleasant premonition to her heart.
That was that their relationship might be coming to an end.
Unexpectedly, tonight took a turn for the better, bringing her such a big surprise.
"You keep eating here at your leisure, I’m going to take a bath. Since tomorrow is the weekend, we can have a bit more fun," she said as she got up.
As Lin Wan rose, Zhang Hao stood up too: "If we’re bathing, let’s do it together."
"I don’t have any sleepwear for men here," said Lin Wan before turning and heading straight for the bathroom.
The bathroom door was left open, and she began to undress.
Piece by piece, until she was completely naked.
Zhang Hao, who was simply dressed, stripped down to his bare skin in quick succession.
Lin Wan stood still, and suddenly, a pair of strong hands tightly grasped her waist.
