Chapter 224: Chapter 221: I Eat, You Watch
Following Zhang Hao into the elevator, Qin Miaoke instinctively clung to his arm.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Hao asked cautiously.
"Can’t I? My grandpa did say you should always be aware of my whereabouts."
"This is my first time at the hospital. What if I get lost?"
Even a three-year-old would find that excuse laughable.
But Qin Miaoke didn’t care, holding onto Zhang Hao’s hand and refusing to let go.
It wasn’t until they reached the door of the ward that Zhang Hao, to minimize the fuss, had to struggle to free himself from Qin Miaoke’s grasp.
"That’s enough. I’m not your boyfriend. Being so intimate looks bad to others," he said.
"Psh, don’t think I don’t know. You’re just a fickle-hearted radish. Are all men as crappy as you?" she teased.
Zhang Hao felt wronged. How was he being crappy?
It was all those women throwing themselves at him, leaving him no room to refuse.
So he definitely wasn’t a womanizer!
Zhang Hao didn’t want to argue with Qin Miaoke about this.
"Good evening, uncle and auntie. I’m Qin Miaoke."
Zhang Hao’s parents, surprised by the sudden appearance of the girl, had a flash of astonishment on their faces.
Zhang Jian, due to limited mobility, could only greet her with his upper body.
His mother, on the other hand, immediately got up and moved a chair, gesturing Qin Miaoke to sit down and rest.
The girl was pretty and smart, and Zhang Hao’s parents assumed she was a girlfriend their son was dating outside.
Wondering whether their son had broken up with He Qianhui, they didn’t dare to ask.
"Hao, how long have you two known each other?" they inquired.
"Not long. She’s the granddaughter of my master and is here to shadow me. She might leave in a couple of months," he answered.
Hearing what their son had to say, his mother was a bit taken aback.
Could she have been wrong? Regardless, it was important to build a good rapport with this young lady.
It wasn’t that she disliked He Qianhui; she just didn’t want her own son to be branded in the future with a reputation for stealing someone else’s wife.
Although Zhang Hao didn’t yet know why Qin Miaoke had come, he had to be cautious around her, making sure she didn’t say anything inappropriate.
Just then, He Qianhui called. Zhang Hao knew that his parents currently had a great opinion of her.
In order not to upset them, he simply stepped into the hallway to answer the call.
"Xiaohui, what’s up?"
"Nothing much, just missed you and thought I’d call. Are you still at work? You sound tired. Have you been super busy these days?"
Hearing He Qianhui’s voice felt healing.
"Yeah, these past few days have worn me out. I’m just waiting for you to come back and help me relax. How many more days before your ’fun time’ is up over there?" Zhang Hao asked.
"Tomorrow, I’ll follow my business partner to have a look at the factory, and after a meal, that should wrap things up. Are you missing me again?"
Glancing around and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Zhang Hao lowered his voice and whispered, "I miss you every day, standing tall each morning. Haven’t you felt it?"
Hearing He Qianhui laughing on the other side, Zhang Hao finally cracked a smile himself.
"Tell me when you’re coming back in advance. I’ll pick you up at the airport."
After briefly chatting with He Qianhui on the phone, Zhang Hao hung up and returned to the ward.
"Mom, I have something else to do, so I’ll head off first. I’ll come over again after work tomorrow. I don’t have much cash on me," he said.
"Here’s a few hundred left. I’ll withdraw some more for you tomorrow so you can buy Dad more nutritional supplements," she replied.
How could a mother always ask for her son’s money? But Zhang Hao wanted to fulfill his filial duties.
With his father hospitalized and unable to attend to him, all he could do was contribute more financially.
Seeing Zhang Hao leaving, Qin Miaoke also stood up. "Mr. Zhang, I’ll walk out with you."
This time, Zhang Hao uncharacteristically didn’t refuse, lest she stayed behind and said something inappropriate in front of his parents.
Just as he had dropped Qin Miaoke off at her place, an unexpected person took the initiative to contact him.
Taking the call from Wen Xia, Zhang Hao was pleasantly surprised.
When Zhang Hao found out she wanted to take him out for a meal, he regretted having eaten that large bowl of beef noodles earlier that evening.
There was no more room in his stomach, not even for another grain of rice.
But Zhang Hao still showed up, and aside from the exchange competition event, this was the first time he had seen Wen Xia outside of that context.
She no longer had her hair done up high, and even those signature glasses of hers were nowhere to be seen.
If one were to just look at her from behind, it would be impossible to guess that the two images were of the same person.
"Miss Wen, do you have something important to talk about that you suddenly asked for me?"
"Can’t I look for you without a reason? You’re really odd, to have taken my contact info and then not send a message or make a call for so many days. It seems like you were waiting for me to take the initiative," she said.
Zhang Hao chuckled and said, "That’s not quite it. I was afraid to disturb Miss Wen’s rest."
"Come and stay in my room for a while," Wen Xia said.
Only then did Zhang Hao notice the hotel next to them; it turned out Wen Xia was staying there.
It was a bit odd to go directly to a hotel the first time they met.
But it’s possible there was another reason.
Maybe she had to retrieve something.
Zhang Hao gave himself a perfect explanation.
Following Wen Xia in, she sat down on a sofa.
Even the suitcase that was spread open was packed neatly, not at all in the disarray one would expect from rummaging through it daily for clothes.
"Miss Wen, do you have something urgent to attend to?"
"I won’t be participating further in this exchange competition. I wanted to have a simple chat with you before leaving. I’m not very familiar with the area and don’t really know where to go."
Zhang Hao was somewhat surprised to hear that Wen Xia was leaving.
But coming and going were personal matters, and Zhang Hao had no right to pry too much.
"Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have eaten that bowl of beef noodles tonight. Then I definitely could’ve found a place to have a good drink or two with Miss Wen."
At those words, Wen Xia’s interest was immediately piqued.
"Really? There’s no day like today. Even if you watch me eat, it’s fine—I just wanted to find someone," she said.
"To talk and chat with, and I wonder if Doctor Zhang is willing to waste some time with me."
Her words even made Zhang Hao feel a little shy.
"Of course, it’s no problem. I know a place that is particularly lively."
He drove Wen Xia to their destination.
It was a night market running from north to south, crowded with people and offering all kinds of snacks.
It would definitely satisfy Wen Xia’s appetite.
Seeing the bustle of the place, Wen Xia got out of the car.
As a doctor for so many years, this was the first time visiting such a place.
"Have you been here before, Doctor Zhang?"
Confronted with the sudden change in Wen Xia’s demeanor, Zhang Hao wasn’t particularly worried.
He just assumed that she had changed her opinion of him or perhaps wanted to make friends with him.
After all, his character was commendable.
"I have been here before. If I hadn’t, how could I have casually brought you here? There’s a barbecue joint that’s really tasty; I’ll take you there," he said.
"But let’s not drink tonight; you have to head back tomorrow."
Wen Xia nodded in agreement with Zhang Hao’s concern.
However, as soon as they sat down at the table, all previous agreements were off the table.
Wen Xia not only wanted to drink but also wanted strong liquor.
Zhang Hao abstained from alcohol since he had to drive.
After a few rounds of drinks, Wen Xia’s eyes began to drift unfocused.
That’s when Zhang Hao suddenly remembered some words Qin Miaoke had said.
