Su Minghan gave a professional smile. "It's nothing. After all, this is the engagement ceremony of my best buddy. It's only reasonable for me to come and take a look."
"You guys go ahead with your business. I've got something else to do, so I won't bother you anymore."
After Li Xiaoru watched him leave, she was in a bad mood.
"It's really great to have President Su's support. The future of our Juanyi will be so broad and smooth!" Li Rui exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement.
"Can't you tell? He came here because of Jing Yu, not specifically for us," Li Xiaoru said. She knew exactly what state Juanyi was in.
"Why do you care who he came for? As long as we can seize this opportunity, we don't have to worry about lacking traffic," Li Rui stroked his chin. "Old Mr. Bo is really a great benefactor to our family. If he hadn't discussed the engagement with me in advance, it would have been almost impossible for the company to make a comeback. After the ceremony, I must go to the hospital in grand style to show my respect for him!"
She rolled her eyes and kept silent.
This engagement ceremony, though sounding grand and luxurious, meant little to Li Xiaoru. Apart from her fantasies, it felt more like a business deal. Looking back on it in the future, it would only be dull and worthless.
As soon as Su Minghan got off the elevator, he received a call from Tian Danni.
"Hello?"
"I've finished my work. Book a plane ticket for me."
He was surprised and glanced at the screen. "So soon?"
Tian Danni sounded unhappy. "Don't worry. The quality of the photo shoot is definitely up to standard. I just want to come back earlier to attend your... your good friend's engagement ceremony!" She stopped herself in time. If she had finished saying "I just want to come back earlier to check on your injury", it would have been extremely embarrassing.
Su Minghan chuckled with his arms crossed. "Engagement ceremony? Since when are you interested in such things?"
"Can't I come to support you?" Tian Danni stammered, trying to sound tough.
"Sure, why not? I'll ask Assistant Jiang to book you the earliest flight so that you can arrive before the ceremony tonight. Anything else?"
"No."
Su Minghan checked the time. "I'm busy. I may not be able to answer the phone later. You can report your work after the ceremony."
"Ah, I..."
Before Tian Danni could respond, the call was hung up.
She threw her phone on the bed, feeling dejected.
"Humph, as if only you're busy. I'm busy too!"
Ding. A text message came in, confirming her plane ticket.
"These people are so snobbish. When I tried to book a ticket myself, they said all the flights for the next few days were fully booked, but he can easily get one."
Just then, Tian Danni felt a dull pain in her wound. She was about to reach out and touch it when Susan walked in.
"Hey! Don't move! Your hands are full of bacteria. You can't let the wound get infected!"
"The bangs are so stuffy."
Due to the burn on her forehead, the makeup artist had carefully trimmed a few strands of her hair into a curtain bang to perfectly cover the wound. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to finish the work today, let alone in half a month.
Susan gently pinned up her hair with a small clip and applied some medicine while blowing on it tenderly. "You're not an ordinary person now. People are watching your every move. Be careful."
"Why should I be careful when Xiao Shujing isn't?" Tian Danni pouted.
Susan smiled helplessly. "Why do you have to compete with her?"
"She's a popular actress. Even if she makes a mistake, she can easily get away with it by acting cute and shedding a few tears in front of President Su. Why should she care about what others think?"
Susan stroked her head. "You've worked hard to build your reputation abroad, but this is China. You have to follow the rules wherever you are. Always put the overall situation first."
Tian Danni looked at her serious expression and burst out laughing.
"This is the first time I've seen you so serious."
"I just don't want others to judge you. They don't understand how hard you've worked on a project, especially this photo shoot. Your back..."
"Okay, Susan," Tian Danni said seriously. "Let's just leave it at that. Hurry up and pack up. We're going to the airport soon."
"… All right. I'll wait for you downstairs."
The birds were chirping merrily on the branches. Tian Danni looked at them enviously and murmured softly, "I wish I could be as carefree as you."
At Yancheng University.
"Sorry, I was held up by something." Su Minghan apologized as soon as Xiao Shujing got in the car.
"It's okay. I didn't wait long."
"I have something to tell you. Xiao Shuyuan will be back in a few days."
She was stunned for a moment but didn't say anything.
"I hope he can turn over a new leaf after this incident. If he's still the same as before when he gets back to school..."
"I'll talk to him. This is my business," Xiao Shujing interrupted him firmly.
She had already troubled Su Minghan enough with this matter. It would be immoral and embarrassing to ask him to worry about the relationship between her and her brother.
"… Well, you're right. After all, he's your younger brother."
His expression showed a hint of hurt, but he quickly recovered. Xiao Shuyuan had nothing to do with him. Why should he meddle in other people's business? Now it seemed that his kindness had been misunderstood. Xiao Shujing probably hoped that he would stop interfering from now on. Their boundaries were clearly drawn.
The two of them sat in the car, each lost in their own thoughts. This kind of non - communicative way of getting along gradually pushed the only warmth in their hearts into the darkness.
"By the way, how's your injury?" Xiao Shujing asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
"It's okay. Just a minor scratch."
There was another moment of silence. Even the silent driver felt extremely embarrassed and pretended to cough to ease the atmosphere.
When they arrived at the hospital, Xiao Shujing stood in front of the building, gasping for breath nervously.
Su Minghan noticed something was wrong and quickly walked over. "What's wrong?"
"It's okay... I just feel a bit out of breath."
"Did you get carsick just now?"
Afraid that he would notice something, she followed his lead. "A little."
"You sit here for a while. I'll go and get the medicine."
Su Minghan helped her sit down in the pavilion and then trotted away.
Looking at his back, Xiao Shujing felt ashamed of herself. She had asked him to accompany her despite his busy schedule just for her own selfish desires. But at the same time, she felt extremely happy. There were no media, no reporters, and no other employees here. It was just the two of them.
Just as she was lost in her own world, a sudden voice from behind made her hair stand on end and her legs go weak.
"Shujing, it's you, right?"
"Ah!"
Xiao Shujing was so scared that she fell to the ground and looked at the person in front of her in horror.