"I'm sorry, I felt so close to you when I saw you that I poured out so many of my troubles to you all at once," Liu Meiling said apologetically.
Yi Tianran said gently, "It's okay. If you consider me a friend, you can come to me for help with any problems you encounter in the future. I will be your most loyal listener."
Liu Meiling was deeply moved.
Yi Tianran suddenly said, "By the way, what a coincidence, did you know that Xu Zhe is also studying in Country V?"
"Huh?" Liu Meiling's expression faltered slightly. "What a coincidence? Since leaving Linghua, I haven't paid much attention to the students' movements. Wait... how do you know so much? Could it be that you—"
Her words were brief, but her eyes were full of implications.
Yi Tianran: "...Don't misunderstand, I've already explained that I'm just friends with him, and I'm not interested in younger students."
"Oh?" Liu Meiling rested her chin on two fingers, transforming into Sherlock Holmes. "So, you must like a CEO in his thirties, breathtakingly handsome, with an extraordinary family background and status, a certain Mr. F, right?"
Yi Tianran: "..." You might as well just say Fu Yunchen's name directly.
However, she had already come to terms with her own feelings, so she did not refute them.
Liu Meiling's expression became even more ambiguous. "Yaoyao, you have such good taste! You managed to snag such a perfect man. You should introduce me to a good guy sometime."
Yi Tianran: "No problem."
The two smiled at each other and chatted for a while about all sorts of things. Then Liu Meiling suddenly remembered something: "You must be thirsty after talking for so long. Let me buy you something to drink."
She paused for two seconds, then asked casually, "I happen to have a bottle of walnut milk left. Do you want some?"
Yi Tianran casually replied, "No need, I'm allergic to walnuts."
"Oh, really?" Liu Meiling's expression went blank for two seconds, then she murmured, "That's such a pity..."
The two chatted for a while longer, but Yi Tianran, worried about Xu Zhe's condition, said goodbye and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Liu Meiling sat back in her office chair and pondered for a while.
Whether it's their words and actions, or their little habits and gestures, even their walnut allergy is the same.
After the probing, she finally confirmed Qin Yao's identity.
This was truly a surprise to her.
...
When Yi Tianran returned to the ward, Xu Zhe had already woken up.
"How are you?" she asked anxiously as she stepped forward.
Staring at her figure, Xu Zhe was stunned for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "So, it wasn't a dream!"
If he could, he wished those words of rejection were just a dream.
Even if it meant enduring the pain of longing for Qin Yao, he didn't want to have his feelings for her completely severed once he saw her.
"Your fever has just subsided, and you're still very weak. You need to rest well." Yi Tianran sighed helplessly. "Don't you have anyone to take care of you when you're alone abroad? If I hadn't happened to come by today, I don't know what might have happened."
If someone falls asleep in their dorm room and their brain gets fried, it will be too late.
"Yaoyao, are you worried about me?" Xu Zhe asked with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Yi Tianran: "...This is just out of friendship."
She hoped he could come to his senses.
Xu Zhe gritted his teeth unwillingly, "If I still say that I like you and can't forget you, what will you do?"
He naively believed that Yi Tianran would soften her heart towards him because he was sick.
But this time, her attitude was resolute: "If you can't do it, then let's not see each other for the time being."
Xu Zhe hurriedly straightened up. "Are you going to break off our friendship?"
Yi Tianran shook her head: "I won't. I genuinely consider you a friend. If you encounter any difficulties again, you can always come to me. But before you can sort out your feelings, it's better for both of us to limit the number of times we meet."
When she was little, in the Yi family, a place full of intrigue and coldness, her eldest aunt was the kindest to her, apart from her grandmother.
In my memory, whenever she was unhappy, her aunt would take her out to eat delicious food, buy her gifts, and braid her hair.
Her aunt's love warmed her childhood.
Therefore, in her heart, she had already included Xu Zhe in the scope of her family's protection and treated him like a younger brother.
However, if her kindness towards Xu Zhe leads him to misunderstand it as love and become hopelessly infatuated with her, she will maintain an appropriate distance.
But at the same time, she would also send bodyguards to take care of him secretly.
She only revealed the truth to Yi Qilin after she obtained the evidence from him.
Seeing her resolute expression, Xu Zhe sadly lowered his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "I understand. I will try my best... to change my attitude towards you in the direction you expect."
In order not to lose it, he could only suppress all his bitterness and say these words.
Yi Tianran felt a little relieved, knowing that he couldn't push him too hard. After all, he was only 18 years old, and it would be a loss if he were really pushed to the point of emotional breakdown.
She decided to change the subject, "By the way, aren't you going to contact your parents since you're sick? They must be very worried about you!"
Xu Zhe was stunned for a moment.
Over the years, he has grown increasingly distant from his parents.
But even when they are abroad, they still call him every week, as if they are afraid he will disappear.
But each time, he would only ask a couple of questions before quickly hanging up the conversation.
It was as if a routine task had been completed.
"It's okay, I'm much better now, there's no need to tell them."
Yi Tianran's face hardened: "So you still want to deliberately hide it? Xu Zhe, what do you take your parents for? They were almost taken away by an ambulance, and you didn't even tell them? You're not going to call them? Give me your phone, I'll do it!"
"No, no..." Xu Zhe seemed to have not seen her so fierce in a long time, so he quickly took out his phone and dialed his mother's number.
The phone rang and was answered in less than three seconds.
"Hey, Zhe, why are you calling me at this hour? Are you short of money?" Xu's mother's gentle voice came through the receiver.
"No." Xu Zhe hesitated for a moment, then recounted his hospitalization.
"What?!" Xu's mother's voice suddenly became high-pitched and sharp, her tone filled with fear, "Didn't I tell you to take care of your health? How could you be so careless? Your parents will buy plane tickets and come to see you right away."
After saying that, she hung up the phone without even giving Xu Zhe a chance to refute her.
Xu Zhe: "..."
He had guessed that this would happen. Whenever he felt a little unwell, his parents would make a big fuss, which was why he wanted to keep it a secret.
He smiled awkwardly at Yi Tianran, "They're just too concerned about me."
If Yi Tianran didn't know the truth, she might have thought the same way, but now she does.
If she's not mistaken, Xu Zhe's parents are likely employed by Yi Qilin.
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