Lu Yanting was clearly taken aback, his tone revealing a hint of confusion, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Qiu Mang's anger flared up instantly, and she raised her voice, saying, "Don't play dumb here. I already know. The house I'm renting now is yours, isn't it?"
Upon hearing Qiu Mang's question, Lu Yanting chuckled twice before slowly retorting, "You called just for this?"
"You...don't you think you've seriously interfered in my life?" Qiu Mang gripped her phone tightly in anger and continued to press for an answer.
“Serious interference? No, I don’t think so.” Lu Yanting’s voice came through the receiver.
"Think about it carefully. As my lover, you never try to please me every day, nor do you ever fawn over me. I haven't held any of that against you. I've even been exceptionally lenient, allowing you to live on your own and not restricting your social circle. Have you ever seen a sugar daddy as easy to talk to as me?"
Hearing Lu Yanting's words, Qiu Mang couldn't find a suitable rebuttal for a moment. Upon careful consideration, he realized that what Lu Yanting said made sense.
But deep down, I felt something was off.
Seeing that Qiu Mang remained silent for a long time, Lu Yanting's lips curled up slightly, and he chuckled twice, "What? Now you realize that you were being unreasonable, right?"
Qiu Mang pursed her lips, pondered for a moment, and then said, "But now even where I live is under your control. What kind of freedom are you giving me?"
Lu Yanting sighed helplessly on the other end of the phone, as if he were indulging a willful child, and patiently explained, "Besides renting you the house, have I done anything to interfere with your life? Have I been secretly monitoring your every move?"
Qiu Mang thought about it carefully for a moment, then could only say in a low voice, "No, that's not it..."
"That solves the problem."
Lu Yanting's tone was somewhat indulgent, "I went to great lengths to make sure you could accept my house without feeling guilty."
The man paused, then his tone suddenly softened. "Amang, stop fooling around. I've been too busy lately. I'll come find you once this period is over."
Qiu Mang had been determined to call Lu Yanting and give him a good talking-to, but after just a few words, she felt like she had punched cotton.
What's even more deadly is that the man's deep and gentle voice stirred within her an impulse to immerse herself in it.
Qiu Mang shook her head violently, trying to shake off this inappropriate feeling completely.
No! She silently warned herself, she must not have such an absurd thought!
"I...I'm hanging up!" Qiu Mang hurriedly hung up the phone.
Hearing the busy tone coming from the receiver, Lu Yanting shook his head helplessly, a faint bitter smile appearing on his lips.
On the other hand, Qiu Li recovered very well after the surgery and was quickly and smoothly transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular ward.
Qiu Mang and Qiu Dao stayed in the ward, chatting and laughing with the little girl. Qiu Li's clear laughter echoed in the ward, dispelling the gloom that had been hanging over everyone's hearts for days.
Qiu Dao carefully took out her newly bought smartwatch from her bag, gently took Qiu Li's small hand, and softly put it on her slender wrist.
"Little sister, I've saved my and your second sister's phone numbers here. If you miss me, just call me anytime, okay?" Qiu Dao said, looking at Qiu Li with eyes full of affection.
Qiu Li looked at her wrist with great excitement, as if she had found a rare treasure. She raised it up and looked at it from left to right, her little face always beaming with a bright smile.
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she looked at Qiu Mang with bright eyes and asked in a clear voice, "Sister, can I save my big brother's phone number here too?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Mang was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Big brother?"
Qiu Li nodded emphatically, "That's right, my older brother hasn't come to see me for a long, long time. If I had his phone number, I could call him and hear his voice even if he's too busy to come see me."
Looking at Qiu Li's innocent and adorable appearance, Qiu Dao couldn't help but smile. She turned to Qiu Mang with a hint of teasing in her eyes: "A-Mang, have you got a boyfriend? Why didn't you introduce him to your older sister? You've kept him well hidden."
When her sister asked her this, Qiu Mang blushed slightly. She looked away in a fluster and stammered, "Sister, it's nothing. He's just a regular friend."
Seeing this, Qiu Dao gently picked up a stray hair from Qiu Mang's shoulder and said earnestly, "A-Mang, don't be so nervous. It's perfectly normal for a girl to date when she grows up. If you feel it's not the right time to go public yet, then wait until your relationship is more stable before introducing her to me openly. It's not too late."
Qiu Mang shook her head helplessly, her eyes filled with a hint of loneliness and self-mockery: "Sister, look at me. I'm heavily in debt and have a lot of troubles. What right do I have to pursue love?"
Qiu Dao was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He looked at her with concern and heartache in his eyes: "A-Mang, please don't think like that. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. There will always be someone in this world who won't mind these things. You have to believe in fate."
Qiu Li looked blankly at the two people in front of her who seemed a little down. Although she didn't quite understand why the atmosphere had suddenly become so heavy, she was still thinking about saving her older brother's phone number. So, she asked again, "Sister, can you please give me my older brother's phone number?"
Qiu Mang lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then finally sighed softly and saved Lu Yanting's number.
Seeing that Qiu Li was mostly recovered, Qiu Dao bought a train ticket and returned to his hometown the next day.
For the next few days, Qiu Mang stayed at the hospital, taking meticulous care of Qiu Li. The long hours of work left her looking haggard, with deep dark circles under her eyes.
"Young lady, you've been staying here for days on end. Can you take it? The hospital beds are too hard and uncomfortable to sleep on. Why don't you hire a caregiver? Let her watch over the patient for you at night so you can take some time to go back and get a proper night's rest. If you keep going like this, your body won't be able to take it." A kind-hearted woman in the next bed couldn't bear to see you like this and couldn't help but offer her advice.
Qiu Mang raised her hand to rub her sore and tired eyes. "Big sister, you're right. I really should hire a caregiver."
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