That's outrageous!
He got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, gulped it down, and looked out the window. Snow had started falling, and he stood by the bed in a daze, wondering why he was dreaming about Lu Zhiyan.
Song Zicheng scratched his head haphazardly, feeling uneasy. Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. He stood by the window for a moment, then shrank back into bed and drifted off to sleep.
"Beep beep beep beep beep," the first alarm clock of the morning woke Song Zicheng from his sleep. He was still a little groggy, squinting and staggering to wash up. Looking at himself in the mirror, his eyes were a little swollen and his dark circles were quite noticeable.
Although he didn't sleep well, he still had a lot of energy today. He wasn't sleepy in class, but he kept getting distracted.
Before anyone knew it, the bell had already rung, and everyone had left the huge classroom. Some had gone out to eat, others had gone home, or others had gone out to play. Only Song Zicheng sat in the back row, staring blankly at the constantly spinning alarm clock on the wall.
It was almost six o'clock, and his stomach was growling with hunger, but he still hadn't decided whether to go out for karaoke tonight.
Today is Wednesday, and as usual, we have to sing. However, the events of the past two days have left Song Zicheng feeling uneasy, and he is unsure of what to do.
I'm so busy during the day that I don't have time to think about anything else, but now I have to think about it and face it.
He scratched his head, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the classroom. On his way, he stopped at the cafeteria and bought an egg pancake and a cup of congee with preserved egg and lean pork. It would take about twenty minutes to walk from the school to the bar, so he could finish his packed dinner on the way.
He walked with trepidation, and when he was about 200 meters away from the bar, he put on a hat and mask, and as soon as he entered, he slipped straight into the dressing room and locked the door cleanly and efficiently.
Just as he was hesitating whether to text Wang Shu to say he wasn't going, his desire to make money ultimately overcame his dissatisfaction with Lu Zhiyan.
Thinking of Lu Zhiyan, Song Zicheng's tightly furrowed brows relaxed considerably. He needed money and couldn't let an unrelated person or some unrelated matter delay his important business.
"Ding ding ding"
The alarm clock rang at 6:25 PM, and Song Zicheng finally snapped out of his daze and realized it was time to change his clothes.
Although it's called a dressing room, Song Zicheng doesn't actually need to wear makeup. He has a good foundation and good skin. Even if he has minor blemishes on his face, they are negligible when he's singing on stage, where people aren't looking directly at his face.
When the time came, Song Zicheng smiled at himself in the mirror. Although it was stiff and unnatural, it was much better than his perpetually gloomy face.
He walked onto the stage with a seemingly calm demeanor, his hands trembling as he held the microphone. The first thing he did upon emerging was glance at that secluded corner, and in that instant, he relaxed completely.
Lu Zhiyan was not there.
Seeing that Lu Zhiyan hadn't come, Song Zicheng didn't even realize that the corners of his mouth had inadvertently turned up, feeling as if he had survived a disaster and escaped with relief.
But he didn't completely relax just because he didn't see Lu Zhiyan for that one second. Throughout the entire night, during the two-hour performance, the place he stared at the most was that corner.
After the performance, he picked up his bag, got on his bike, and left without stopping for even a second. Especially when he was almost at the alley entrance, because of what had just happened yesterday, his heart was beating faster and faster, and his breathing was rapid. He looked back almost every few meters. Only when he opened the door and got home did his heart truly settle down.
Could it be that what I said last time had an effect?
For several days in a row, Song Zicheng did not see Lu Zhiyan, nor did Lu Zhiyan come to see him. Song Zicheng felt that Lu Zhiyan had left a shadow on him, and he was always terrified when he went to work.
Lu Zhiyan, who was on a business trip in France, was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window watching the endless stream of cars on the road when suddenly, his phone rang.
He raised an eyelid, opened his phone to glance at the message, then pressed the voice call button and said a sentence.
"I understand. I'll go back and see him in person tomorrow."
As if his otherwise good mood had been disrupted by this message, Lu Zhiyan frowned, lightly tapped his toes and paused for a moment until his fingers flipped through the photos Qi Chao had sent him, at which point his eyebrows relaxed slightly.
The photo shows Song Zicheng wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, singing on stage. Perhaps there were no special people present, so he looks extremely relaxed in the photo, swaying to the rhythm of the music and immersing himself in the ocean of music.
Lu Zhiyan stared intently at the photo and smiled, then murmured softly, "So sexy!"
Cui Mi had just picked up a tired-looking Lu Zhiyan from the airport. He thought Lu Zhiyan would ask him to take him home to rest, but to his surprise, the first thing Lu Zhiyan said after getting into the car was to go to a coffee shop.
When they arrived at the store, Lu Zhiyan didn't get out of the car. He just rolled down the window. Cui Junyu glanced at Lu Zhiyan in the rearview mirror and saw that his eyes seemed to be searching for something in the store. It seemed that he couldn't find it, and his expression showed some disappointment.
"Go to the affiliated hospital," Lu Zhiyan said coldly, closing the window and leaning back in his chair.
Although he didn't say anything, Cui Junyu knew why his boss came here and why he left after just one glance.
Seeing the bloodshot eyes and dark circles under Lu Zhiyan's eyes, Cui Junyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "President Lu, have you not been getting enough rest these past few days?"
Lu Zhiyan opened his eyes, which had been slightly closed, for a second or two, and then closed them again. "I didn't expect Lu Zhize to have his own people in France. He's set quite a few traps for me this time. He's only 19 years old, but he's so cunning. It seems I underestimated him."
Cui Junyu frowned. "President Lu, should we get rid of the people he arranged?"
"No need, don't alert him. I want to see what he's up to."
The office of the president of the Affiliated Hospital of Beijing North.
"Dean Liu, long time no see, how have you been?" Lu Zhiyan pushed open the door to the dean's office without knocking, startling Liu Yuan, who was reading documents.
When Liu Yuan saw Lu Zhiyan, his expression changed drastically, but he quickly put on a smile, stood up from his chair, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Lu Zhiyan, "President Lu, what brings you here?"
Lu Zhiyan didn't drink, but chuckled and glanced at Liu Yuan standing in front of him. "What, can't I have it?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan quickly explained, "How could President Lu not be able to come? I just heard that you just returned from France and thought you would be resting at home."
“Sigh,” Lu Zhiyan sighed, tapping the side of the teacup with his right hand, and said with feigned distress, “There are still things to finish, how can you rest now?”
Lu Zhiyan paused after speaking, then went straight to the point: "What about the matter I asked Secretary Cui to inform you about last time? Are you having a hard time?"
Liu Yuan didn't answer immediately. After thinking for a few seconds, he looked troubled and stammered, "President Lu, I really can't do what you're talking about. I'm the hospital director, and I have a responsibility to every patient. As the saying goes, doctors have the heart of parents. I... I..."
"Oh, really?" Lu Zhiyan interrupted him, scoffing. His previously expressionless face suddenly darkened. He stood up, slowly walked forward, looked down at Liu Yuan, and said, word by word without any emotion, "If you can't even handle such a small matter, I think you shouldn't be the dean anymore. Let someone more capable take over."
After saying that, he was about to walk out the door when he said, "I'll give you one day to resolve this as soon as possible, or you'll be packing your bags and leaving."
The dean's office suddenly became quiet and the atmosphere was extremely tense. Lu Zhiyan had already gone far away, leaving only Liu Yuan standing there blankly. The door was wide open, and anyone could see the ugly expression on Liu Yuan's face at a glance, as if a great disaster was about to befall him.
He closed the door without blinking, slid down the wall until he collapsed on the floor, tilted his head back, and muttered under his breath, "Lu Zhiyan, you're too ruthless."
Song Zicheng, who had just finished his 8 a.m. class, was heading to a coffee shop when he received a call from an unknown number. He had only taken a few steps out of the classroom when the call came in.
Seeing that there were no spam calls, he swiped his finger and the call connected instantly.
"Hello, are you Song Zicheng?"
"Yes".
"I am Liu Yuan, the president of the affiliated hospital. I have something to discuss with you."
Liu Yuan?
Song Zicheng thought for a moment and seemed to remember something. "Dean Liu, hello, may I ask what brings you here?"
After Song Zicheng asked his question, there was no response from the other end of the phone. Song Zicheng thought it was a bad signal and was about to ask when he heard a hesitant voice on the other end, as if it was difficult for them to speak.
"That's right, as you know, the reason why leukemia patients in our hospital can get their medical expenses reimbursed and receive some free checkups is because of donations every year," he paused at this point.
Song Zicheng knew this because when he first came to the capital to find a hospital for Song Zian, it was indeed for this reason, which is why Song Zian had been receiving treatment here for the past three years.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Song Zicheng asked.
"That's right. Because there are many leukemia patients in the hospital, and the person who donated may not have enough funds, the reimbursement benefits that your brother is currently enjoying may be canceled."
Song Zicheng was a little overwhelmed for a moment. When he came to his senses, he heard Liu Yuan say, "That's how it is. I'll hang up now. Goodbye."
"Beep beep beep beep beep"
The phone kept ringing as it was being hung up. Song Zicheng stood there, holding the phone to his ear, lost in thought. For some reason, he felt something was off. He then called Ling Chu again.
"Dr. Ling, I'd like to ask if you are aware that medical expense reimbursement for leukemia patients at your hospital might be cancelled?"
"What? Who told you that? I didn't receive any notification?" Ling Chu asked, looking puzzled.
Song Zicheng frowned, thought for a few seconds, and then asked, "Do you know who donates money to leukemia patients in the hospital every year?"
“I don’t quite remember the name, but I think I’ve heard it before. He came once, and we even had a welcoming ceremony. Let me think, I think he was the owner of a jewelry company, surnamed Lu, but I can’t remember his given name. What’s wrong?”
The air was silent for a few seconds. Song Zicheng's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone. He cursed under his breath, "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered and asked casually. Dr. Ling, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll hang up now."
After hanging up the phone, Song Zicheng was trembling all over, anger welling up inside him, and every part of his body, every cell, was on the verge of collapse.
That's outrageous, Lu Zhiyan, that's outrageous!
The thing he feared most still happened. Song Zian was his only weakness, but Lu Zhiyan not only wouldn't let him go, but also added fuel to the fire, leaving him with no way out.
Song Zicheng laughed. He was clearly sad, but he didn't know why he laughed at this moment.
He had no choice but to grant Lu Zhiyan's wish. He wiped away the tears that had somehow flowed from the corners of his eyes, his gaze unfocused, and walked absentmindedly out of the school.
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