Chapter 86 “Mind joining us?”
The early morning sun filtered through the gauze curtains, casting soft patches of light on the wooden floor of the children's room.
Lu Yu'an was still curled up in the soft quilt, his little mouth slightly pouting, sleeping soundly.
Lin Che tiptoed to the bedside, squatted down, and gently brushed her fingertips across the child's rosy face as he slept.
"An An?" His voice was very soft, with a slight hoarseness from waking up in the morning, "Little Sun, wake up."
Lu Yu'an's long eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes drowsily, with sleepiness still lingering in his big dark eyes.
Lin Che immediately moved closer, gently caressing his back with her warm palm. Her voice was gentle yet firm, "Today, I'm going to take you to a fun place with lots of other kids to play with. Okay?"
Lu Yu'an sniffed, buried his face in the soft pillow and wiped away his tears, then asked in a muffled voice, "...Where?"
Lin Che smiled and deliberately used a lighthearted tone, "My uncle has to go to work. The hospital has a playground specially prepared for children of An An's age. It's called the nursery class! There are building blocks, cars, and picture books in it. There are more than at home!"
"Hospital?" Lu Yu'an raised his head, tears still on his little face, but his attention was obviously diverted. "Is this the place where you get the injection?" He shrank back a little nervously.
"No injections," Lin Che quickly assured, scratching his little nose with her finger. "This is where An An accompanies his uncle to work. When his uncle is done, I'll take An An out for a delicious soufflé at noon, okay? We agreed on that yesterday."
Hearing the word "soufflé", Lu Yu'an's eyes lit up, and he finally nodded and stretched out his little arms: "Uncle, hold me."
Lin Che breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, picked him up, and kissed the top of his head: "An An is awesome! Let's go wash our faces and brush our teeth, then we're off!"
Lu Yu drove the two to the hospital. He parked the car and carefully told Lu Yu'an to be good in the nursery class before letting them go.
Lin Che squatted down and wrapped Lu Yu'an tightly in a small scarf, and put on a furry hat, leaving only a pair of curious big eyes exposed. She made sure that the cold wind could not reach him before taking him by the hand and sending him to the nursery class.
The nursery class was warm and bright, with cartoon animal stickers on the walls and soft, colorful play mats on the floor. In the corner, there was a slide, a ball pool, and a small kitchen with toys. Several children about Lu Yu'an's age were playing with building blocks under the guidance of their teacher.
The teacher in charge of reception had a friendly smile and clearly recognized Lin Che: "Good morning, Doctor Lin! This is little An An, right? So cute!"
Lu Yu'an shrank back behind Lin Che's legs shyly, her small hands tightly gripping his pants.
Lin Che squatted down and pointed at the children playing inside. "An An, look, there are so many children waiting for you. This is Teacher Wang. She will take you to play with everyone. My uncle works in the next building and will pick you up at lunchtime, okay?"
Teacher Wang also squatted down and took out a singing little dinosaur toy: "Hello An An, do you like little dinosaurs? Can we play together?"
Lu Yu'an looked at Lin Che's encouraging eyes, then at the novel little dinosaur in Teacher Wang's hand. He finally slowly loosened his grip on Lin Che's pants and nodded slightly.
Lin Che handed Lu Yuan's small suitcase to the teacher and gave him a few detailed instructions before standing up.
He watched Teacher Wang holding Lu Yu'an's hand and slowly walking into the activity area. The little guy kept looking back at him.
Lin Che stood at the doorway, not leaving immediately. He saw Lu Yu'an being led by the teacher to the building block area. A little girl offered him a building block. The little girl hesitated for a moment, then took it. Although her face still showed a bit of confusion and timidity of a new arrival, at least she didn't cry or make a fuss.
He felt a little relieved, then turned and left the childcare center, walking quickly towards his own clinic. He needed to finish his morning patients as quickly as possible so that he could pick up An An on time for soufflé.
————
When Lu Yu arrived at the company, Cheng Yi found that the office was unusually quiet after reporting today's arrangements.
"Mr. Lu, today... An An didn't come with you?" Cheng Yi's gaze subconsciously swept behind Lu Yu, and then fell on the small game corner in the corner of the office prepared for Lu Yu'an - at the moment it was empty, with only a few brightly colored building blocks scattered around, looking a little deserted.
Lu Yu took off his coat and hung it on the hanger with quick movements. He just said "hmm" lightly when he heard it.
"By the way, Mr. Lu, the person in charge of the project you asked me to follow up on last time hopes to meet with you in person as soon as possible to discuss the details. What do you think..."
Lu Yu raised his head and glanced at Cheng Yi with a deep gaze, nodding slightly. "Okay, you can arrange the time. Also, shorten the afternoon's cross-departmental meeting to one hour. The focus should be on clarifying the next division of labor, and skip unnecessary details."
"Understood." Cheng Yi agreed immediately, knowing clearly that this efficiency-oriented instruction was completely in line with Mr. Lu's work efficiency.
"One more thing..." Cheng Yi glanced at the closed office door and lowered his voice with a hint of subtle caution. "Mr. Lu, I received some news. Lu Chi... seems to be back."
Lu Yu's hand, which was originally picking up a document, paused almost imperceptibly.
His eyes fell on Cheng Yi's face. He didn't speak immediately, but put the document back on the table, leaned back on the wide chair, and tapped his fingertips on the smooth mahogany armrest from time to time.
"Lu Chi?" His voice was low and steady, without any obvious fluctuations.
"Yes." Cheng Yi nodded, speaking slowly to ensure the information was clear. "The source of the information is relatively reliable. He should have entered the country a few days ago and seems to be living in the west district. His mother... also came back with him."
Cheng Yi paused and added, "Mr. Lu, Lu Shengheng... has been quiet for years, and Lu Chi suddenly returned to China, and at this time..."
He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already very clear - Lu Yu's uncle Lu Shengheng had a very unpleasant relationship with the family back then, especially with Lu Yu's father's branch, which was almost to the point of being irreconcilable.
Lu Chi went abroad with his mother for many years without any news. His sudden appearance at this moment makes it hard not to wonder whether his uncle behind him, who has lost power but may not be willing to accept it, is making any moves.
"Got it." Lu Yu's voice remained flat. "Get someone to watch him. Don't alarm anyone. Find out why he came back, who he met, and where he's staying. Report all his movements to me immediately."
"I understand, Mr. Lu." Cheng Yi agreed immediately and felt relieved.
Mr. Lu's attitude is reassuring, vigilant but not panicky.
"Also," Lu Yu's fingers stopped tapping, his gaze becoming deeper, "check the accounts under his and his mother's names to see if there have been any large amounts of unusual inflows or outflows recently. Especially those overseas."
"Yes!" Cheng Yi's heart trembled, the direction became clearer.
"Lu Shengheng... has also been keeping an eye on him. After all these years, he should have understood that there are certain lines that cannot be crossed."
Cheng Yi said solemnly: "I will make proper arrangements, don't worry, Mr. Lu."
Lu Yu said "hmm" and said nothing more.
Just as Cheng Yi was about to turn around and open the door, Lu Yu's deep voice rang out again, "For lunch...order two soufflés for me and have them delivered to Lin Che's hospital." He paused and added, "They need to be fresh from the oven."
Cheng Yi paused, then understood, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Okay, Mr. Lu. I will make sure that Young Master An An and Doctor Lin have the hottest food." After saying that, he gently closed the door and walked out.
——
Lin Che had just finished treating the last patient of the morning and glanced at the time, which was just right.
He took off his white coat and walked briskly towards the childcare center. As soon as he reached the door, he saw Teacher Wang holding Lu Yu'an's hand and waiting at the door.
"Doctor Lin!" Teacher Wang greeted with a smile. "An An is doing great. She didn't cry this morning. She just didn't talk much and just watched the other kids play."
When Lu Yu'an saw Lin Che, his originally reserved face instantly lit up. He broke free from Teacher Wang's hand and rushed over with his short legs. He hugged Lin Che's legs tightly, buried his little head in his waist and rubbed it, and said in a muffled voice with a hint of grievance: "Uncle!"
Lin Che's heart immediately softened. She quickly squatted down and hugged him tightly, nuzzling his little face affectionately. "An An, you're awesome! Your uncle is here to pick you up! Let's go eat something delicious!"
Just then, a young man wearing the uniform of the "Tian Yi" dessert shop walked over quickly, holding a cooler bag with an exquisite logo printed on it. He politely asked, "Hello, is this Dr. Lin Chelin?"
Lin Che was stunned for a moment: "I am."
"The soufflé Mr. Lu ordered for you and the kids has been delivered right out of the oven. Please enjoy it while it's hot." The young man handed over the thermal bag with a smile.
Lin Che instantly understood it was Lu Yu. He took the bag, which felt heavy and warm. The rich aroma of eggs and milk seemed to waft through the insulated bag. "Thank you, for your hard work," he said.
Looking down, Lu Yu'an in his arms had his eyes wide open, his little nose sniffing hard, his big black eyes glued to the thermal bag. The little grievance just now was thrown out of the window, leaving only full of anticipation: "Soufflé!" He remembered it clearly!
"Yes, soufflé!" Lin Che smiled and pinched his little face. "Let's go to the cafeteria to eat first, and then have dessert after dinner, okay?"
"Okay!" Lu Yu'an answered quickly, and his little hands couldn't wait to reach for the bag.
Lin Che found a relatively quiet corner in the hospital cafeteria and sat down to settle Lu Yuan down.
He first opened the thermal bag, revealing two exquisite round paper boxes. A small note was thoughtfully attached, with Cheng Yi's familiar handwriting on it: "Mr. Lu instructed that it must be eaten while hot. I wish Master An An a pleasant meal. - Cheng Yi"
Lin Che carefully opened the lid of one of the paper boxes, and a richer, warmer, sweet fragrance instantly filled the air.
The golden soufflé is as fluffy as a soft cloud, with a slightly sunken center that exudes an attractive luster and is sprinkled with fine icing sugar.
Lu Yuan's eyes widened, his mouth slightly opened, he let out a small "wow" sound, and he clenched the little spoon tightly.
"Eat first, An'an," Lin Che put the lid on lightly, suppressing the tempting aroma, and pushed the children's plate in front of him. Inside was a small portion of vegetables, a soft steamed egg, and a few pieces of chopped chicken specially prepared by the cafeteria aunt. "After the meal, the soufflé will be your reward."
Lu Yu'an looked at the dinner plate, then at the covered soufflé box, his little face full of struggle.
He tried hard to tear his eyes away from the dessert, picked up the small spoon, and began to deal with the food on the plate. He ate more seriously than he usually did at home, his little mouth stuffed bulging, and his eyes glanced at the thermos bag next to him from time to time.
"An An, accompany your uncle for dinner. Your uncle is hungry too." Lin Che suppressed his laughter and took the plate to eat, using his actions to encourage the little one.
Lu Yu'an seemed convinced by the idea of "accompanying my uncle" and nodded, trying to speed up. Although the process was a bit difficult, he eventually finished his small plate.
"An An is awesome! You ate it all!" Lin Che praised immediately, then solemnly opened two soufflé boxes, pushed one in front of Lu Yu'an, and handed him a smaller children's spoon. "Now, you can enjoy our reward!"
“Is it delicious?” Lin Che also took a bite and found it was indeed delicious.
"Yeah!" Lu Yu'an nodded vigorously and said vaguely, "Sweet! Soft!"
Lin Che felt warm at heart as he watched him carefreely enjoying his dessert. He took out his phone, took a picture of the little guy, who was concentrating on his dessert, with a little icing on the corner of his mouth, and sent it to Lu Yu.
Caption: [Mission accomplished! Dessert soothed successfully, little sun resurrected with full energy!]
Lin Che had just finished replying to the message and hadn't had time to hide the smile on her face when she saw Zhou Xuran standing in front of the table with a tray in hand.
Zhou Xuran must have just finished surgery. He hadn't taken off his purple scrubs yet, and the mask was casually hanging on his wrist, with the indentations of the mask still faintly visible on his face.
"Mind joining us?" Zhou Xuran raised his chin, indicating the empty seat opposite Lin Che, his voice slightly hoarse from the surgery.
Lin Che's smile froze on the corner of her mouth. She looked around and saw that everyone she knew was familiar. It was inappropriate for Zhou Xuran to stand in front of the table like that.
Given his personality, he definitely has to sit here.
Lin Che stopped smiling and, with a serious face, moved the half-eaten soufflé box in front of Lu Yuan closer to him to prevent it from being touched.
Zhou Xuran put down his plate and sat down. His eyes naturally fell on Lu Yu'an, who was concentrating on digging soufflé with a small spoon, his cheeks puffed up. The little guy was eating very attentively, his long eyelashes drooping.
"Teacher Lin, are you so hostile to me?" Zhou Xuran's gaze fell from Lu Yu'an to Lin Che, only to see that the man had kept a cold face the entire time since he appeared in front of him.
Lin Che didn't respond. Instead, he lowered his eyelids and focused on carefully closing the half-eaten soufflé box in front of Lu Yu'an, then placing it securely in the insulated bag. He moved quickly, with a silent sense of distance.
Zhou Xuran's gaze fell heavily on Lin Che's lowered profile, trying to catch something from the subtle expression, but Lin Che's eyebrows were calm, as if the person sitting in front of him was just an insignificant stranger.
"Teacher Lin," Zhou Xuran lowered his voice, a slight hoarseness from surgery and a hint of barely perceptible fatigue. "I was just looking for a place to eat, and I happened to see you."
He picked up his chopsticks and fiddled with the bland food on his plate. "The hospital cafeteria isn't divided into your territory and my territory, right?"
There was a hint of Zhou Xuran's usual, hard-to-relieve sharpness in his words. He was trying to break through Lin Che's ice wall with this half-joking approach.
Lin Che finally looked up at him, but there was still no warmth in those clear eyes. He ignored Zhou Xuran's stinging words and said calmly, "Doctor Zhou, please do as you please."
What I mean is, you can sit wherever you want, it has nothing to do with me.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the slight rustling sound of the spoon rubbing against the paper box as Lu Yu'an scraped the edge of the paper box with a spoon, trying hard to scoop out the last bit of sweet soufflé crumbs.
Zhou Xuran paused with his chopsticks. He looked at Lin Che's cold, aloof face, then at the little kid, oblivious to the subtle atmosphere around him, completely focused on his dessert. An indescribable feeling of boredom and powerlessness washed over him.
He picked up a piece of tasteless stir-fried broccoli but hesitated to put it into his mouth.
Zhou Xuran's gaze uncontrollably drifted towards Lin Che again, watching him carefully wipe off a bit of frosting from the corner of Lu Yu'an's mouth, his movements incredibly gentle.
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