Chapter 416: Chapter 416: She Has a Plan
Jiang Huai smiled at her and greeted warmly, “Dr. Lan, you’re here.”
Lan Yan smiled and nodded slightly.
“Yanyan, you’re no stranger to Xiao Jiang. After all, you two were colleagues before,” Mrs. Xiao said. “I only found out today that Xiao Jiang stayed in our house before. Back then, she was just a five or six-year-old little girl.”
The last time she went to look for Xiao Si, she had run into Jiang Huai as well, but she hadn’t recognized her then.
Jiang Huai’s parents had worked as servants in the Xiao Mansion; her mother had looked after her specifically.
Later, they had resigned and left the Xiao Family due to some trouble back in their hometown.
Lan Yan was a bit taken aback upon hearing this. She hadn’t expected Jiang Huai to have a past connection with the Xiao Family.
No wonder Xiao Si had taken an immediate liking to Jiang Huai after joining the hospital. So they’d known each other as kids, huh?
Lan Yan responded, “Oh, so that’s how it is.”
Noticing Jiang Huai wasn’t wearing a nurse’s uniform, she casually asked, “Head Nurse, are you just getting off work?”
Jiang Huai nodded. “Yes, I heard Aunt Yun was hospitalized, so I figured I’d stop by after my shift.”
Lan Yan gave an absent “Oh.”
How Jiang Huai found out wasn’t something Lan Yan cared much about—she wasn’t that nosy, after all.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Mrs. Xiao, unaware that her son had once pursued Jiang Huai, didn’t think much of it.
Lan Yan’s personality was well-known to her; the girl wasn’t much of a talker.
Mrs. Xiao then turned her gaze to Lan Yan and asked, “By the way, Yanyan, that rascal Xiao Si hasn’t shown up all day. Do you know what he’s been up to? Xiao Jiang mentioned he didn’t come to work today either.”
The mention of Xiao Si reminded Lan Yan of last night’s events.
The two had woken up in the same bed this morning, though nothing had happened.
Last night, he’d been like a piece of sticky toffee—impossible to shake off.
After dinner at Moon Gift Villa, she had returned to her room first.
However, in the middle of the night, she had been woken by noise outside her bedroom door.
When she opened the door, she found Xiao Si, reeking of alcohol, lying there.
He hadn’t been drinking when he came back, so how did he manage to get completely drunk within a few hours?
She had tried to get him back to his room, but he clung to her relentlessly.
No matter what she did, he refused to let go. Worried she might hurt him, she reluctantly gave in.
Mrs. Xiao, not hearing a response after a while, called out again, “Yanyan, are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine, Aunt Yun.” Lan Yan snapped out of her thoughts and replied, “He said he had something to do today. He’s probably with Mr. Gu right now.”
She wasn’t entirely sure; it was just something he had casually mentioned that morning.
Mrs. Xiao nodded at her response and didn’t press further.
Noting the time, Jiang Huai glanced at Mrs. Xiao and said, “Aunt Yun, since Dr. Lan is here, I’ll head out. I’ll visit you again when I get the chance.”
Mrs. Xiao nodded. “Alright, go home and get some rest.”
Jiang Huai responded with a light “Mm,” then looked at Lan Yan. “Dr. Lan, I’ll be leaving now.”
Lan Yan gave a faint smile and replied, “Alright.”
After Jiang Huai left the room, Lan Yan turned to Mrs. Xiao and asked, “Aunt Yun, how are you feeling today?”
Mrs. Xiao replied, “I feel alright. I had a bit of a bad coughing bout this morning, but your Uncle Xiao had the doctor prescribe me some medicine. I feel a lot better now.”
“That’s good.” Lan Yan picked up an apple from the side and said, “Aunt Yun, let me peel you an apple.”
Mrs. Xiao’s symptoms indicated that her lungs were starting to get infected, but fortunately, it wasn’t severe.
Mrs. Xiao looked at her, thought for a moment, and then asked, “Yanyan, is there something you want to ask me?”
She had sensed something since yesterday. This girl had clearly been holding something back but hadn’t said it.
Lan Yan paused slightly as she peeled the apple. “No, Aunt Yun.”
“Then why do I feel like you’re a bit distracted?”
“Oh, maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep well last night.”
She honestly hadn’t gotten much sleep, lying next to a “human furnace,” not to mention how sensitive she was.
Mrs. Xiao decided not to ask further since she didn’t want to uncover anything that couldn’t be concealed.
At around four in the afternoon, Xiao Lanxin accompanied Old Madam Xiao for a visit.
They didn’t stay long; after seeing that Mrs. Xiao was fine, they left.
After Mrs. Xiao fell asleep, Lan Yan also stepped out for a while.
She didn’t leave the hospital, though; instead, she went to find Hu Yunqin.
She knew Hu Yunqin had not been discharged yet.
After asking the nurses at the front desk, she walked straight to Hu Yunqin’s room.
As she approached the door, she noticed it was slightly ajar, leaving a small gap.
At the same time, sounds of a heated argument drifted out from inside.
She leaned against the wall and listened for a while.
At first, she assumed it was Hu Yunqin and Dong Jian arguing, but then she heard another unfamiliar woman’s voice.
She vaguely recognized it but couldn’t immediately place it.
“Ah Qin, how can you kick me while I’m down? You promised to help me before, but so many days have passed, and you’ve been avoiding me. If I hadn’t come here to find you today, were you planning on never seeing me again?”
Confronted by Pan Lian’s accusations, Hu Yunqin felt intensely troubled.
She hadn’t expected her to track her down here.
“The money you’re asking for is too much. I can’t gather that amount right now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Pan Lian shouted angrily, “That’s bullshit!”
Hu Yunqin frowned at Pan Lian’s choice of words.
Pan Lian continued, “Hu Yunqin, you’re a big celebrity, a well-known actress. Over all these years, don’t tell me you have no money—you think I’m stupid? People like you make millions by casually shooting a film, and now you have the nerve to tell me you can’t come up with the money? It’s obvious you just don’t want to help me!”
Hearing Pan Lian’s self-righteous claims, Hu Yunqin felt both angry and exasperated. Her words were utterly outrageous!
Taking a deep breath, she retorted, “Pan Lian, don’t you think you’re being unreasonable here? Even if I have money, it’s my choice whether to lend it to you. How does not lending you money make me guilty of something?”
Pan Lian said, “I don’t care! You promised to lend me the money, so hand it over now. I need it to save someone.”
Clearly indifferent to any argument, Pan Lian had come solely to demand money.