Settle
After leaving the hospital, Jingnan asked, "Zhiwei, would you like to go to a hotel, or to one of the apartments we've prepared nearby? This is for Ms. Xu after she's discharged. It's closer to the hospital, and if Ms. Xu needs chemotherapy, her resistance will be higher. We're worried about the crowds and potential conspicuousness at the hotel, so staying nearby would be more convenient."
Zhiwei said, "Jingnan, thank you. Let's go take a look at the house then."
Their driver in Beijing was Xiao Zhang, who drove Zhiwei and Jingnan to their apartment. The apartment was indeed very close to the hospital, only a ten-minute drive away. And Beijing's roads are so straight and crisscrossing that Zhiwei felt like they had only turned two corners before arriving.
The complex is quite new. According to Jingnan, it was built in 2007. It's quite rare to find such a new high-rise with elevators within the West Third Ring Road. The landscaping is also quite nice. Although it's not a slab building, Jingnan said that in Beijing, because indoor heating is the norm, the orientation of the building isn't that important, so tower blocks are more common.
However, upon going upstairs and entering the room, Zhiwei was pleasantly surprised. Both bedrooms faced south, especially the master bedroom, which had two large balconies. Although the bedrooms and bathrooms occupied the entire south-facing area, the floor-to-ceiling windows on the balconies, facing east, still provided excellent natural light.
Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows, there's a large riverside green space and walkway to the east of the complex. The east-facing balcony of the master bedroom also offers a great view of the green space. I imagine that when Xu Anyi is recuperating in the future, she can easily go for a walk there.
Zhiwei couldn't help but think of the apartment they were renovating during their internship in New York, which also had floor-to-ceiling windows facing east—what a coincidence! Following May's example, she knocked on the wall between the bedroom and the living room, discovering it was all load-bearing walls, so it couldn't be knocked down to improve the lighting like in that apartment. However, replacing the bathroom door with frosted glass would improve the living room's lighting somewhat when it was open.
Zhiwei couldn't help but think that she had developed an occupational disease from doing an internship, looking at every house she saw and wanting to renovate it.
The room was fully furnished. Jingnan explained, "This house originally belonged to the company and had been empty. After Mr. Zhao said that Mr. Li gave the order, they had someone clean and paint it. However, there wasn't time for any major changes, and the furniture was all solid wood furniture that had been stored for several years and was transferred from another house. Only the bedding was new. Because we didn't know your preferences, we only prepared this set. We can add more later."
Jingnan asked Zhiwei if she wanted to go out to eat or if she should order takeout.
Zhiwei said, "Jingnan, you're a great lawyer, you don't need to bother with such trivial matters. Let's go get something to eat outside the neighborhood."
Jingnan was originally a girl from the North. She had always heard that Shanghai girls were cunning and had the temperament of spoiled young ladies. In addition, knowing that this girl was now the boss's darling, she was extremely cautious. Unexpectedly, Zhiwei was not at all bossy. She spoke politely and was much more humble than the ladies she had "served" before. She was a little impressed.
They ordered two dishes at a casual restaurant near the entrance. Zhiwei was worried that it wouldn't be enough, but the portion sizes when the dishes arrived surprised her. Jingnan laughed and said, "The portions in the North are indeed much more generous than in the South. The first time I went to the South, my classmate and I ordered two dishes, and then we had to order two more to make sure we had enough."
After dinner, Zhiwei said she would go to the hospital to see her mother the next day. She insisted that Jingnan and the driver, Xiao Zhang, not bother with her and go about their own business. She said she would take a taxi if she needed a ride, since it was very close to the hospital. Jingnan then said he would go back to the company and contact Zhiwei again that evening to check on the surgery progress.
The next day, she ate breakfast downstairs and took a taxi to the hospital. Xu Anyi had already packed everything. During morning rounds, the doctor told her that the surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, and that she needed to have her bowels cleansed today, so she could only drink liquids.
Zhiwei noticed that her mother looked alright. Xu Anyi cheerfully said, "Now it seems like there's hope for losing weight. It wasn't for nothing that I've been talking about it every year."
Zhiwei accompanied her mother to get blood tests and other pre-operative examinations. Xu Anyi also sighed, saying that her daughter has really grown up. She is now taller than herself and is confident and capable in front of others. She really is like an adult.
While walking on the grass after the inspection, Zhiwei linked arms with her mother, and when they sat down on a chair, she leaned her head on her mother's shoulder, snuggling close to her. For years, the mother and daughter had lived apart, and during winter and summer vacations, Zhiwei usually traveled with her classmates. It was rare for the mother and daughter to be so close.
In the afternoon, Xu Anyi called her friend Zhou Meiqi, only to find out that her friend had gone to Beijing and was going to have surgery the next day.
"The big hospitals in Beijing must be more experienced, it's really rare that they were able to arrange it so quickly. Are you having surgery tomorrow? Then I'll come with you."
"Meiqi, you don't need to trouble yourself. You have to go to work now, right? Weiwei is back, and she'll be keeping me company these next few days."
“I told you we should let Weiwei know, otherwise you’ll see how upset she is when she finds out later.”
“You’re right, the child has grown up in the blink of an eye. I still think of her as a teenager.”
“I’ll come over tonight and go to the hospital to be with you first thing tomorrow morning. Anyway, it’s Friday today, and the next two days are a holiday. You know our company never makes time off in lieu, so this is one of the perks.”
Since they had been friends for many years, Xu Anyi didn't stand on ceremony and told Meiqi her room number.
When Jingnan returned to the company, she saw that Youlin was free and told her that she was back. Youlin gathered the legal team and Jingnan together, explained the general situation, and asked them to draft an agreement.
Jingnan asked seriously, "Am I representing the company, or Ms. Shen?"
Youlin said, "President Li previously said that the legal department should send a lawyer to represent Ms. Shen. So you represent Ms. Shen's interests."
General Counsel Chan Ho-tin said, "Should we follow the usual practice?"
Youlin said, "President Li said not to be too harsh."
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