Chapter 35: We

The doctor, seeing her sincerity and the fact that she was offering a lot of money, immediately agreed.

Wen Ling, seeing her agree, had Aunt Zhou go back early to arrange people to clean the room, while she waited here for Hehe to wake from anesthesia.

After Aunt Zhou left, Wen Ling let out a breath, then looked at Zhou Yinhe and was stunned.

She pressed her lips, unable to hold back a doubtful smile, and asked: "How… did you dye your hair?"

Zhou Yinhe's expression instantly turned grim, and he gritted his teeth: "Wasn't it you who said my red hair looks good?"

Wen Ling then recalled her offhand compliment, cleared her throat to ease the embarrassment, and said softly: "It really does look good; I'm just surprised you'd dye your hair."

Zhou Yinhe snorted coldly and turned his head away from her.

Wen Ling had no choice but to take his hand and shake it, coquettishly saying: "Really, I really think it looks great; I'm just worried that if you go to the company, your subordinates might gossip behind your back."

"They just need to do their own jobs; can they really boss around the boss for dyeing his hair?" Zhou Yinhe said, still displeased.

Wen Ling turned to face him and coaxed in a sweet voice: "Don't be angry; I truly didn't mean it looked bad."

Zhou Yinhe lowered his gaze to look at her; seeing her earnest expression, his face shifted from overcast to partly cloudy.

Wen Ling, seeing that, asked him: "How is it that after three years your temper is still like this?"

Zhou Yinhe was about to change his expression and retort, but Wen Ling reached out and grabbed his cheek, stopping him: "Don't speak; you definitely have nothing good to say."

He had no choice but to hold it in, and Wen Ling pulled him to sit on the sofa in the waiting area.

She rested her chin on her hand, looking at Zhou Yinhe, drawing closer and closer until she leaned against him, deliberately making a few humming sounds, and said: "My head hurts; I must have been startled by suddenly hearing Hehe's discomfort."

Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips; he had originally wanted to dodge, but now he couldn't.

Wen Ling took the opportunity to link her arm with Zhou Yinhe's; when they were close, he could even feel her softness through the thin fabric.

His ears instantly turned red; although he wasn't inexperienced, he and Wen Ling had done plenty of shameless things three years ago, but he had been abstinent for three years, and now the person he liked was right beside him—how could he not react?

Seeing him like that, Wen Ling turned her face and hid behind Zhou Yinhe's arm, secretly laughing.

Hehe woke up; Wen Ling stood before the hospitalization cage, calling it, and Hehe meowed softly, its voice weak and feeble.

Wen Ling felt distressed and kept biting her lip; the doctor beside her said: "Miss Wen, Hehe still needs to wait a while before it can walk; you'll have to wait a bit longer, or you can go attend to other matters—I'll notify you when it's ready."

"All right." Wen Ling nodded, looked at Zhou Yinhe behind her, recalled that he had been by her side from noon until now and probably hadn't eaten, and told the doctor: "Let's go get lunch nearby first; Hehe's room at home is already being cleaned, so when it's done you can just come with me to check—if anything's unsuitable, we'll change it right away."

The doctor smiled: "There's nothing special to note; mainly we need to ensure the wound doesn't get infected, so it requires disinfection."

"Okay, I'll have them pay attention to that."

Wen Ling walked back to Zhou Yinhe's side and said softly: "Shall we go get something to eat first? Hehe still can't walk."

Zhou Yinhe nodded, and the two walked together out of the hospital.

While walking, Wen Ling said to Zhou Yinhe: "Hehe has been with me for three years; whenever I'm unhappy, it keeps me company. My grandfather lacks patience, and Hehe gets furious whenever it sees my younger brother, so I've always been the one taking care of it."

Zhou Yinhe listened silently, his eyes revealing no emotion.

"It's never been sick since it was little; every checkup was normal, but this sudden change frightened me—thankfully it's not serious." Wen Ling reached out, gazing at the ring she had been clutching in her hand.

Zhou Yinhe suddenly spoke in a calm tone: "What have you been doing these past three years?"

Wen Ling shrugged and laid out everything she had experienced over the past three years: "My grandfather's younger brother—that is, my great-uncle—and his family have always only received dividends, but being greedy, they eyed my family covetously. My father had no interest in inheriting the Wen family, so they used that as an excuse to try to have my older brother adopted into our household."

"The shareholders were indecisive; I could only fight for control. After finally gaining hold of the Wen family, I fell seriously ill, entrusted management to my younger brother, and only returned after recovering."

She spoke lightly, yet failed to notice the person beside her growing increasingly grave.

Zhou Yinhe stopped walking and, for the first time, asked her seriously: "Then why did you want to break up with me?"

Even without regard for my pleas to stay.

But such humble words, Zhou Yinhe didn't want to say them out loud.

Wen Ling bit her lip; just thinking about it made her head ache. After a moment's hesitation, she said: "I can't say it, I can't bring myself to say it—I can only tell you that back then I had no choice either."

Zhou Yinhe lowered his eyes, unsure whether he believed Wen Ling's words.

Wen Ling sighed, not wanting to bring it up again, and changed the subject: "What do you feel like eating? Can we still get a reservation at that place?"

"No luck; they're closed in the afternoon."

"All right." Wen Ling felt a bit regretful, then picked up her phone to search for nearby good food.

Seeing this, Zhou Yinhe said: "No need to look; just follow me."

Wen Ling let out an "ah," then immediately followed behind Zhou Yinhe, like a little tail.

Zhou Yinhe's car was still parked in the hospital lot; he and Wen Ling walked to a nearby shop at the end of an alley.

Wen Ling curiously asked: "How come you eat here?"

It wasn't that she looked down on it; she knew Zhou Yinhe was picky.

Zhou Yinhe said lightly: "It's a place opened by someone I know."

Wen Ling gave an "oh," then followed him obediently into the shop.

Just as they entered, Wen Ling smelled a fragrant hot pot aroma and exclaimed: "So it's a hot pot place? It smells wonderful."

"Mm."

Wen Ling glanced doubtfully at the aloof Zhou Yinhe; the hot pot restaurant owner had already approached, smiling and saying: "You're here? Who's this pretty girl? Is this the first time you've come with a girl?"

Zhou Yinhe gave Wen Ling a sideways glance and said: "Friend."

Wen Ling didn't mind how he positioned her, and she smiled at the short‑mustached, plump, cheerful‑looking boss: "Hello, I'm Wen Ling. I heard you say your food is good, so I came to try it."

The hot pot boss laughed heartily a few times, then led the two straight to a private room at the back.

"Those few are all picky; whenever they come they nitpick, so I gave them a separate private room."

"Wow, the food must be great; otherwise, with how particular they are, they wouldn't come often." Wen Ling chimed in politely.

"Of course! I learned this from an old master back home." The boss proudly patted his belly.