Chapter 34: Is it fun to toy with me?

Baobao, do you want to go out for lunch at noon?

Hearing that title, Zhou Yinhe felt a vague discomfort all over and, putting on a cold front, said, "Don't call me that."

Wen Ling smiled slightly and said softly, "All right then, senior, would you like to come out and have lunch with me?"

"Where?" Zhou Yinhe suppressed his racing heart and answered calmly.

Wen Ling asked his opinion: "I'm not too familiar with Sijiucheng; do you have any recommendations?"

Zhou Yinhe thought for a moment; the places he usually went were rather monotonous—mostly wherever his childhood friends went, and only yesterday's trip to the bar was his own decision.

"Whatever."

Wen Ling said in a light, pleased tone, "Then I'll just pick a place and send you the location later."

Wen Ling hung up the phone and ran downstairs, saying to Zhou Aunt, "Zhou Aunt, please come help me choose an outfit—I'm going to have lunch with Zhou Yinhe at noon."

Zhou Aunt was still busy, and Wen Ling followed her step for step. Zhou Aunt laughed, seeing her like a little butterfly—every gesture showed her present joy—and said, "Ah Ling, you're so happy?"

Wen Ling was very close to Zhou Aunt, who had been with her since childhood, acting like a little child: "I'm happy, so Zhou Aunt, don't be busy—come help me pick clothes quickly."

"What about Alan? Why not let him come?" Zhou Aunt wondered. Alan was the stylist Wen Ling had hired at great expense.

Wen Ling pursed her lips and muttered, "Today I want to pick my own clothes; I just need Zhou Aunt to give me some advice."

Zhou Aunt had to set aside her work, wash her hands, and follow Wen Ling upstairs.

In the end, Zhou Aunt chose a relatively casual red skirt for Wen Ling—one that wouldn't make others think she was overly invested, nor that she was just going through the motions.

Wen Ling had originally planned to pick a more extravagant skirt, but Zhou Aunt said, "Girls should be reserved toward the ones they like; you can't make him feel you can't live without him."

Wen Ling thought it reasonable, so she changed into the skirt, applied delicate makeup, and braided two strands of her hair.

Her appearance was deceiving—one moment she gave off a sultry impression, the next she could act sweet and coy enough to make you doubt life, and with Zhou Yinhe she could switch effortlessly.

Wen Ling checked restaurant recommendations in Sijiucheng; the top choice was a private Chinese eatery called Qinghe Yan, not far from Nys, which only accepts six tables a day and is very hard to book.

Wen Ling called the restaurant, found no availability, and regretfully sent Zhou Yinhe a message.

Lingling Buling: 【This restaurant is hard to book.】

Zhou Yinhe quickly replied: 【I'll call their boss.】

A flicker of smile passed through Wen Ling's eyes, but an accident occurred just before she was about to leave.

"Ah Ling, when are we going to eat? Hehe looks a bit off; should I take it to the pet hospital?" Zhou Aunt came up from downstairs, worried.

Wen Ling stood up at those words and ran downstairs in a panic. Seeing Hehe lying listlessly on the floor, unlike usual, she didn't care if her clothes would get cat hair, scooped him up, and said distressedly, "Hehe, what's wrong?"

Hehe let out a weak cry, and Wen Ling told Zhou Aunt, "Zhou Aunt, hurry and get the driver—I'm taking Hehe to the pet hospital."

Zhou Aunt nodded and picked up the landline to call the neighboring villa.

The driver quickly pulled up to the entrance of Building 7; Wen Ling carried Hehe into the car, while Zhou Aunt lugged the cat carrier and the phone Wen Ling had forgotten.

At the hospital, a kind middle-aged female doctor gently examined Hehe and said, "He ingested something; the scan shows it's likely a ring, requiring abdominal surgery to remove it."

Wen Ling guiltily stroked Hehe's head and told the doctor, "Okay."

Hehe went into the operating room, and Wen Ling sat on the sofa outside, feeling somewhat lost. Zhou Aunt handed her the phone and softly comforted, "Hehe will be fine; don't worry. Your phone has rung several times just now—first check if it's a message from Young Master Zhou. Even if you're not going to eat, you should let them know."

Wen Ling nodded, pursed her lips, took the phone, and saw that Zhou Yinhe had indeed sent several messages; only then did she realize it was nearly noon.

【When will you arrive?】

【Are you still coming?】

【Wen Ling, is it fun to toy with me?】

Wen Ling saw the latest message was sent two minutes ago and called Zhou Yinhe back.

After a long while with no answer, just as Wen Ling thought the call would end, Zhou Yinhe picked up.

His tone was icy: "Hey."

Wen Ling bit her lip, feeling wronged, and said, "Zhou Yinhe, Hehe swallowed a ring and is now undergoing abdominal surgery."

The other end paused, then said, "Send me your location."

Wen Ling gave a muffled acknowledgment, hung up, and sent her location.

Zhou Yinhe replied with two words: 【Wait for me.】

Wen Ling weakly leaned against the sofa armrest, the feeling of heartache spreading through her body.

Hehe had been with her for fifty days; she had raised him since childhood. Though a bit of a neat freak, she was willing to sleep holding him, and each day she dutifully cleaned up after him. Hehe is now almost three years old, and the days he hasn't been by her side are few.

It's not that Hehe depends on her; rather, she can't bear to be apart from him.

Zhou Yinhe arrived quickly; outside the operating room, seeing Wen Ling lost in thought, he walked over, knelt on one knee, gazed at her, and instinctively called her name softly: "Wen Ling."

Only then did Wen Ling react; she lifted her eyes to him, pursed her lips, and tears fell as she choked out, "It's all my fault—I failed to watch over him, letting him suffer for no reason."

"It's not your fault, Wen Ling." Zhou Yinhe tidied her disheveled hair and said softly, "Don't blame yourself."

Wen Ling looked at Zhou Yinhe through tear-blurred eyes, opened her mouth to speak—but before she could, the doctor emerged from the operating room.

"Miss Wen, this is the foreign object that was removed; I've cleaned it."

Wen Ling took the transparent bag and glanced at it.

It was a very familiar plain band; Wen Ling recalled where the ring came from and pressed her lips together.

Zhou Yinhe also looked at the ring in Wen Ling's hand, saw it was the couple's ring he had bought when they first got together, and froze.

Wen Ling folded the bag, clenched it in her hand, and asked the doctor, "When will Hehe wake up?"

"Soon," the doctor said, "I recommend keeping him hospitalized for a few days so we can monitor his mental state."

Wen Ling thought it over and said softly, "I'm worried he'll be unhappy in the hospital; if it's convenient, could you let me have someone tidy his room at my place, and you could come check on him there each day?"

She feared the doctor might refuse, so she added, "I can pay you five times your pet-hospital salary, or ten times if needed."