Gu Jing arrived at the studio and she saw men in suits surrounded Peng Cheng Gui.
The men didn’t look like potential clients, they looked like businessmen.
Peng Cheng Gui politely escorted the men to the front door and the men walked pa.s.s Gu Jing without a greeting.
‘Who are they?’ Gu Jing asked.
‘They were looking for you,’ Peng Cheng Gui said. She pa.s.sed Gu Jing a newspaper. ‘Take a look for yourself.’
Gu Jing read the front page of the newspaper – ‘w.a.n.g’s company apologises to the lingerie model for using her image without her consent.’
‘A big company is a big company indeed. Even their apology is bigger than other people’s apologies, enough to be move hearts,’ Gu Jing said sarcastically.
Gu Jing forgotten about w.a.n.g Shao Huang, she didn’t expect someone as haughty as w.a.n.g Shao Huang would publicly apologise to her.
‘Do you think they came to apologise to someone like you?’ Peng Cheng Gui asked.
‘Were the men from w.a.n.g’s company? They were bowing to you like they were begging you for forgiveness,’ Gu Jing said.
‘They weren’t begging me. They were begging you,’ Peng Cheng Gui said.
‘Begging me? Don’t tell me they want the video I shot of w.a.n.g Shao Huang,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing didn’t believe the blurry video of w.a.n.g Shao Huang had such a big threat against w.a.n.g’s company for w.a.n.g Shao Huang to send men to beg her for the video.
‘They begged you to put in a good word for them with Wen Lang’s company. News that Wen Lang’s company wanted to do a business deal with w.a.n.g’s company increased w.a.n.g’s company shares. But at the last minute Wen’s company didn’t sign a business contract with w.a.n.g’s company and w.a.n.g’s company shares plummet,’ Peng Cheng Gui said.
‘Wen Lang’s company? It has nothing to do with me,’ Gu Jing said.
Peng Cheng Gui sighed. She knew sometimes talking to Gu Jing was like talking to a brick wall. ‘Didn’t someone say they wanted to take leave to visit their parents? Are you at the studio because you miss me and don’t want to be far away from me?’
Gu Jing’s face flushed red. ‘Cheng Cheng, can you teach me how to make congee?’
‘Make congee? Did you take the wrong medicine?’ Peng Cheng Gui asked.
Gu Jing shook her head and she took a deep breath. ‘Zhen Lang is in hospital because he ate my cooking.’
Peng Cheng Gui laughed. ‘It’s his fault for being foolish enough to eat your cooking. What a sacrificial doctor, should I award a fool’s medal for him?’
Gu Jing’s face flushed a brighter red. ‘Are you going to teach me or not?’
‘I’ll teach you…’ Peng Cheng Gui said. ‘But I’m curious if you cooked him a dish the worst that could happen is that your food wouldn’t taste edible. How did he end up in the hospital?’
‘I don’t know,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing remembered she took Zhen Lang to the hospital and his senior colleague lectured him for more than half an hour for being an adult with no common sense eating and drinking bad food, and that as a doctor he should know better. But Zhen Lang silently listened to his senior colleague’s lecture and occasionally Zhen Lang looked at her and he smiled, which made her feel guilty.
On the way to the studio from the hospital Gu Jing clearly remembered Zhen Lang’s senior colleague’s advice – ‘Zhen Lang can’t eat or drink bad food again or he’ll have a relapse of stomach aches. He needs to eat soft nutritious food like congee.’
Peng Cheng Gui didn’t need to ask why Gu Jing wanted to make congee for Zhen Lang instead of buying congee. She picked up her bag and she waved her bag in front of Gu Jing. ‘Let’s go.’
Peng Cheng Gui took Gu Jing to her family home and her whole family taught Gu Jing to cook congee in the kitchen.
‘Ah! The kitchen is on fire… the congee is overflowing. Cheng Cheng, save me… fire…’ Gu Jing said.
With the additional guidance of Peng Cheng Gui’s parents and grandparents there were six people in the kitchen who salvaged a pot of congee that caught on fire and they managed to produce an edible large bowl of congee.
Gu Jing carefully carried the precious Dewar flask of congee to the front door, and she apologised to Peng Cheng Gui’s family for the state of their kitchen.
Peng Cheng Gui saw Gu Jing walked slowly in the direction of the hospital and she mumbled to herself – ‘Oh Gu Jing, if only you can see your gentle face in the mirror. I’ve known you for many years and it’s the first time I’ve seen your gentle face. If Zhen Lang sees your gentle face, he’ll be willing to be sent to the hospital again.’
Gu Jing protected the Dewar flask of congee all the way to the hospital. When she arrived at the hospital it was evening and she worried Zhen Lang already ate dinner.
Gu Jing walked toward the elevator and she saw a young beautiful girl dressed in black inside the elevator who carried a floral Dewar flask.
‘Hold the elevator!’ Gu Jing cried out.
Gu Jing tripped and fell on the floor but she saved the Dewar flask in her arms. On the floor she helplessly watched the elevator doors closed.
Gu Jing took the next elevator to Zhen Lang’s hospital room.
Gu Jing arrived at Zhen Lang’s hospital room, but she stood outside because she saw the same young beautiful girl dressed in black with the floral Dewar flask inside his room.
‘Didn’t you say you just flew home? You didn’t need to be in a rush to visit me,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing hid behind the door of the empty room next to Zhen Lang’s room, but she heard Zhen Lang’s polite voice clearly.
‘I arrived home yesterday and I caught up with former cla.s.smates. They told me you’re in the hospital and they gave me your phone number. This is the ginseng soup I made this morning. It’s nutritious and good for stomach aches,’ Chen Wei said.
Gu Jing looked at the Dewar flask she held and she silently compared the price of the congee she made with ginseng soup. She knew ginseng cost three hundred Yuan per ounce, but her congee soup if she included gas and water expenses it would only cost her five Yuan to make.
‘I’m ok. Two more days and I’ll be discharged from the hospital. Did you come back this time to visit your family or are you staying permanently?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Chen Wei sighed. ‘I’m staying. If I see someone compatible then I’ll get married.’
‘You’re not married?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘Hehe… Zhen Lang, you’re not married either. Yesterday I told you I’ll give you a surprise. But you gave someone else a bigger surprise and made them worry to death,’ Lin Tu Shen said.
‘I should go home and let you rest,’ Chen Wei said.
‘Be careful on the way home,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing recognised the face of the young beautiful girl dressed in black who left Zhen Lang’s room, it was Chen Wei! She remembered Chen Wei was Zhen Lang’s only girlfriend in the past. She regretted she didn’t carry a camera to the hospital to capture Chen Wei’s beauty.
‘This time you killed two birds with one stone. You get to rest in the hospital and have Chen Wei visit you too. You should have seen Chen Wei’s pale face yesterday when she heard you’re in the hospital. It’s been many years but she hasn’t forgotten you,’ Lin Tu Shen said.
‘Even if you didn’t say anything, no one would accuse you of being a mute,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘You can fool others but you can’t fool me. Where are your hospital admission forms? Where are the subscriptions your doctor gave you? You’re in the hospital but you don’t even have a single needle on you. Has this hospital gone bankrupt that it can’t afford to give you an IV drip?’ Lin Tu Shen said.
Lin Tu Shen knocked on a table. ‘You can only fool that muddled head girl. If you want to fool me you need to put in more effort. You could have thrown up the food so you wouldn’t get a stomach ache and resort to taking this kind of measure. When I heard you’re in the hospital I didn’t understand what game you’re playing. Now I understand. You want to play Gu Jing, right?’
Gu Jing gripped the Dewar flask and Lin Tu Shen’s words echoed in her head. She realised Zhen Lang wasn’t sick, he only wanted to play her. It meant everything Zhen Lang said to her were lies, he played her to wait for her to reveal her biggest weakness!
Gu Jing didn’t want to break a door or destroy a room, she silently walked downstairs.
Gu Jing calmly walked to the convenience shop next to the hospital and she bought a bag of salt and a bag of sugar. She received curious looks from the people inside the convenience shop, but she smiled politely and she walked back to the hospital.
Gu Jing walked into the empty room next to Zhen Lang’s room. She emptied some of the congee in a rubbish bin and she poured salt and sugar inside the Dewar flask. She threw the unused salt and sugar in the rubbish bin.
Gu Jing calmly walked to Zhen Lang’s room and she put the Dewar flask on a table. ‘I spent the whole day making this congee. Zhen Lang, do you want to eat it?’
Gu Jing gripped Lin Tu Shen’s arm so he couldn’t escape. ‘Lin Tu Shen if you haven’t eaten dinner then you should eat too. You and Zhen Lang can each eat a bowl of congee.’
Gu Jing poured the congee into two bowls. She put the bowls in Zhen Lang and Lin Tu Shen’s hands and she cackled. ‘If anyone dares to waste the effort I put into making this congee then I’ll throw that person out the window from the second floor!’
End of Chapter Thirty-Four