“It’s close enough, no need.” Jiang Qingwan refused, not wanting anyone to know that she lived in an orphanage.
"That won't do," the staff member said firmly and directly.
"Really, it's not necessary. It's very close," Jiang Qingwan declined again.
"No, it has to be delivered." The staff member's attitude was also very firm.
"Sigh..." Jiang Qingwan lowered her head and sighed softly, "If you insist on doing this, then take me to the police station or the hospital."
Jiang Qingwan's fair face appeared even more delicate and vulnerable under the light.
"Let's take you home." The staff member and Jiang Qingwan were pulling at each other back and forth.
"It really won't work. We live on the first floor. I sneaked out by climbing out of the window. I don't want to get scolded." Jiang Qingwan shook her head vigorously.
"Alright then, just this once. Considering your act of bravery, we'll let you off the hook and avoid a scolding from your parents." The staff member listened to Jiang Qingwan's explanation.
"Come on, don't bother the police officers. Let's go to the hospital." The staff member spotted a shared electric scooter by the roadside, scanned the code to unlock it, put Jiang Qingwan on the back seat, and took her back to the hospital.
Inside the hospital.
Hu Hu was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown and lying on a hospital bed.
He was fully conscious and showed no signs of drowsiness.
The girl's voice came from the corridor; it sounded so familiar, the same person who had just been by the roadside.
Sure enough. The door opened, and there stood a familiar figure.
"Hi! Surprise! We meet again." Jiang Qingwan walked up to the hospital bed and greeted Hu Hu, who was lying there.
Hu Hu gently raised his hand, which was not receiving an IV drip, and waved to signal.
"Neither of your guardians are here right now, so please stay in this ward together. We'll call the staff on duty to join you later," said the staff member who brought Jiang Qingwan back.
“Okay,” Jiang Qingwan said, indicating that she understood.
The staff member pulled back the curtain next door and pointed it out to Jiang Qingwan, saying that this was where she would sleep tonight.
Despite experiencing such a thrilling event, Jiang Qingwan was not sleepy. After the staff left, she started chatting with Hu Hu again.
"Why did they hit you?" Jiang Qingwan asked curiously. "Can I tell you that?"
"Because I didn't bring them any money..." After resting for a while, Hu Hu spoke less breathlessly, his words filled with pauses.
"Why did you bring money? Do you owe them money?" Jiang Qingwan continued to ask.
“No. My family is rich, and they’ve got their eyes on me. My father is often away on business trips, and they think I’m easy to bully,” Hu Hu calmly explained.
"You're doing something wrong!" Jiang Qingwan angrily slammed her hand on the hospital bedside table.
He declared aggressively, "We must oppose school bullying! We will not be victims! We will not remain silent! We will seek help from others!"
Seeing Jiang Qingwan's indignant expression as she stood up for him, Hu Hu felt that there was still genuine care among classmates.
A row of white teeth appeared on his swollen face as he smiled sincerely and said, "They won't have another chance. My father may travel a lot for work, but he's very capable."
"I'll let you in on a secret, my dad is the president of the Dragon guild," Hu Hu said mysteriously.
"What is that?" At that time, Jiang Qingwan was young and had not experienced too many of the complexities of the city.
"Never mind if you don't know." Hu Hu was at the age where he was showing off and liked to make things mysterious.
"Alright, alright." Jiang Qingwan didn't press further; she wasn't particularly interested in things she didn't understand.
"Hey—" Hu Hu was dissatisfied again, and said with a crooked mouth, "What kind of reaction is this? Aren't you even a little curious?"
“If you don’t bring it up yourself, it’s not good for me to ask you first.” Jiang Qingwan was very good at reading people.
"You're so stupid. I was hoping you'd keep asking questions so I could show you how awesome I am and how much I know. 'President,' that sounds impressive!" Hu Hu said with an air of arrogance.
"Alright, alright, then explain yourself." Jiang Qingwan gave Hu Hu a way out.
Hu Hu, seizing the opportunity, proudly said, "Even you, President Longxing, don't know this! I don't usually tell just anyone! You're incredibly lucky."
"Ugh...take it or leave it." Jiang Qingwan was truly exasperated by these boys her age; each one was harder to judge than the last.
"How could you not know, President Longxing!" Hu Hu emphasized again.
"Okay, stop! If you don't tell me, I won't listen anymore." Jiang Qingwan pretended to close her eyes and cover her ears.
"Tell me, tell me, I'll tell you—" Hu Hu was so anxious he almost jumped out of bed.
"Chairman Longxing is the president of the largest chamber of commerce in our city. I've heard that as long as you have money, you can buy anything." Hu Hu finally clarified Chairman Longxing's identity.
"Oh, I see. So you're the boss who sells things," Jiang Qingwan replied calmly.
"?" Hu Hu asked, full of questions, "Hmm? Why aren't you shocked at all?"
"What am I shocked about? Do I look like someone who has money to buy a lot of things? You're not going to repay kindness with enmity and are actually trying to secretly mock me for being poor, are you?" Jiang Qingwan spread her hands, shrugged helplessly, and joked.
Hu Hu then noticed that Jiang Qingwan's jeans had been washed until they were faded. Also, to avoid buying two extra pairs of pants, the orphanage director had specifically bought them a size too big; the length of the pants was slightly rubbing against the ground, so the frayed edges were naturally formed from repeated rubbing.
It wasn't intentionally made to look old.
"I dare not. Thank you for your kind assistance and chivalrous spirit, heroine. A small kindness deserves a great return." Hu Hu immediately racked his brains and recited a set of words of thanks.
"Come on. You find it hard enough to stand up against school bullying yourself, and you want to repay me?" Jiang Qingwan teased.
"This was truly an accident; I was ambushed. I accidentally flaunted my wealth, and those thugs saw me. My dad and the people I hired weren't around, I couldn't fight them, and I'd already spent all my money! I was completely helpless," Hu Hu said, trying to save face.
The sound of the door opening rang out.
Accompanied by a deep male voice, "Well, Tiger, it's one thing for you to spend money recklessly, but you've also attracted the attention of thugs! I shouldn't have given you so much money."
"Dad, why did you come back so quickly this time..." Hu Hu said with an embarrassed smile.
"What do you think? I was in the middle of a business meeting when I got a call from the police informing me that you'd been assaulted and had been taken to the hospital. How could I not rush back tonight?"
"If it weren't for your swollen face and that IV drip, I would have given you a good beating this morning," Hu Hu's father said disdainfully, seeing that his son wasn't too badly hurt.
"No... You earn so much money, give me some to spend. Limited edition toys aren't cheap!" Hu Hu wailed in anguish.
"Your allowance will be halved," Hu Hu's father said coldly, then instantly changed his expression, becoming kind and gentle.
He said kindly to Jiang Qingwan, "Young lady, thank you. I'm doing you a favor; you may not know it now, but you might need it in the future."
"This is a special business card with my autograph. Keep it safe. If you ever need money or goods in the future, I promise I'll do my best to help."
Hu Hu's father took out a gold-embossed business card from the inner pocket of his crisply pressed suit.
The name written with a black pen flows smoothly and freely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com