Chapter 40 Are they really just ordinary friends?
Xu Songning had a night shift to work, so she rested in the airport dormitory until her alarm clock woke her up at nine o'clock. She then ate a few bites at the company cafeteria.
She left her car for Ms. Xu to drive, sent her a message, and Ms. Xu rushed over to pick her up. At the door, she ran into Director Liu, who was quite surprised and called her name, "Old colleague, are you here to pick up your daughter from get off work? It's been a long time, you're still so beautiful. It's good that Songning looks like you."
Ms. Xu beamed with joy, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Director Liu, you've praised me so much I'm almost embarrassed. Next time, shall I send you some tea from our hometown, to the same address?"
"Oh, thank you so much for your trouble! It's better to be lucky than early. It's almost lunchtime. How about I treat you and we get together? Let's invite a few old colleagues too. It's been a long time since we've had a get-together like this." Director Liu said with a smile. He always spoke decisively and took out his phone to contact his old friends.
"Director Liu, I'm sorry, I have something to do today. How about we reschedule?" Xu Songning glanced at Ms. Xu.
"Yes, not today. I need to go for a medical check-up today." Ms. Xu's smile faded, and she glanced at Xu Songning. Seeing that Xu Songning was still in a stable mood, she relaxed a little.
"Going for a medical check-up?" Director Liu's expression turned serious. He knew that Xu Enxia had been seriously ill before, and judging from their expressions, it wasn't just a simple check-up.
But being the shrewd man he was, he wouldn't touch a sore spot. So he chuckled and said, "When you get to middle age, you need to get regular checkups, otherwise you'll fall behind these young people. Go on, I thought it was something serious. Let's eat another day."
Ms. Xu exchanged a few pleasantries with Director Liu, then pulled Xu Songning away.
Walking to the car, Xu Songning took the car keys. Ms. Xu looked at the faint blue circles under her daughter's eyes and felt a little sorry for her. "Sweetie, let me drive. You can sleep a little longer in the car."
"No need to sleep anymore, I've had enough sleep in the dorm. Besides, I can't sleep anymore anyway," Xu Songning said with a forced, relaxed smile.
"Why are you even more nervous than me?" Ms. Xu sat in the passenger seat, took out a food container from her bag containing a peeled durian, and handed it to Xu Songning's mouth. "Here, have a piece of your favorite durian to replenish your energy."
"A durian from Brother Yun? How many sections of flesh are in this durian?" Xu Songning fastened his seatbelt, took the durian, and took a bite.
The durian is soft and sticky with a slightly dry skin. One bite releases a burst of aroma. Xu Songning loves durian, but Ms. Xu doesn't. She rolled down the car window to ventilate the room.
"There's five kinds of meat here. Xiao Xiang has good taste. They're all expensive and delicious fruits. Is he really just an ordinary friend? He sent them all to you like this?" Ms. Xu couldn't help but gossip. She was wavering in her attitude towards Xiang Yun.
Xiang Yun was indeed a bit too nice to Xu Songning, but he was very meticulous in his actions and never made her feel uncomfortable. He didn't mention his own kindness or emphasize his contributions, so Xu Songning unintentionally became deeply immersed in the kindness he showed her.
"To be honest, I have feelings for him, but I don't know if he does." Xu Songning was too lazy to hide her true feelings from her mother. They were all adults; going through all that trouble, trying to guess each other's thoughts and feelings, was just a waste of time.
"Is it just because Xiao Xiang is handsome?" Ms. Xu bluntly revealed the truth.
Xu Songning laughed heartily, "Mom, being handsome is a plus, I understand that. He is indeed a very good person, and his humanity surpasses that of many others."
"You speak so highly of him?"
"It's not that I think he's too good; it's just that I've seen him, and he really is a very good person."
"Didn't you ask him about his relationship status? How did he break up with his ex? How does he view relationships? Can dating and marriage be separated? These are all experiences from people who have been through it. Some people can separate love and sex, and can flirt and date at the same time."
Love and sex separated... Xu Songning thought of that crazy night, and pouted. She liked Mr. X's body and voice, which was why she was willing to sleep with him. He was the only exception for her in this respect. That night was also the only time she indulged herself outside of her orderly life.
He can flirt and date at the same time... Isn't that exactly what Song Qing'an is like? He clearly has a girlfriend, but he's still flirting outside, unwilling to admit his mistakes, and trying to shift the blame onto others. He's just like a childish three-year-old.
"Don't stay silent. Marriage and love are both subjects to be studied. If you don't study them carefully, you'll suffer later..."
“But you failed the course too.” Xu Songning turned on his turn signal and merged into the overpass.
The atmosphere inside the car fell silent. Xu Songning realized she had said the wrong thing and pursed her lips tightly, wanting to explain, but Ms. Xu spoke first, "Yes, Mom failed her exam, so she's even more worried about you."
"Mom, let's not talk about this anymore, we can't reach an agreement," Xu Songning said. The elevated highway was flowing smoothly, but she felt as frustrated as if she were stuck in traffic. The female voices on her playlist were no longer charming and had lost their appeal.
Ms. Xu recalled telling her daughter that she only hoped she could be happy. From eighteen to twenty-eight, ten years passed by in a flash. She realized that she and her daughter hadn't had a heart-to-heart talk for too long. Her daughter, who used to be able to talk about anything, had developed a psychological distance from her and no longer shared everything with her.
For the rest of the journey, the two remained silent, each harboring their own thoughts, pondering them repeatedly in their minds, but neither could find a way out.
They arrived at the hospital quickly, and Xu Songning accompanied Ms. Xu to wait outside the consultation room for their number to be called.
The people outside the consultation room had a variety of expressions: some were gloomy, some were calm and numb, and some were sobbing uncontrollably because they had just learned the results. Most of them were accompanied by family members, whose expressions were even more painful, yet they had to muster their strength to comfort the patients.
Among the patients seeking treatment were many young people. The nurse pointed to a corner and said, "Hey! You tall guy! Don't smoke! This place is full of patients."
The man accompanying the woman to the doctor was mostly crouching in the darkness. He turned his head, his eyes still bloodshot, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He took out the cigarette and waved it at the nurse; the cigarette butt was chewed and crumpled.
"Nurse, don't worry, it wasn't lit. My wife is sick, how could I dare to smoke?" the man muttered under his breath.
The woman sitting next to him gave his head a hard shove, "Be nicer to the nurses!"
"Yes, yes, honey, don't get angry. You can't get angry with this illness. I'll never do it again." The man quickly admitted his mistake.
Xu Songning glanced around. There were so many people registering, and she couldn't find an empty seat for a long time. There were just too many people coming to see the doctor, and an atmosphere of despair enveloped the crowd, making her even more uncomfortable.
"Don't bother looking anymore, just stand there for a bit. Isn't it almost my turn? Go find somewhere to relax and unwind later, it's too stuffy here." Ms. Xu patted her daughter's arm.
"It's okay, I'll wait for you here." Xu Songning held the registration slip. "Mom, you really don't want me to go into the consultation room? I can help with anything."
“If something really happened, the doctor should have called you,” Ms. Xu said.
"Xu Enxia, is Xu Enxia there? It's your turn!"
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