"I want to pursue her, marry her, and protect her for the rest of my life, but she's always been unwilling."
"Are you from here? What do your parents do? What's your job?" Lan Yu's mother began to interrogate him meticulously.
He answered truthfully and even talked about his own mother with Lan Yu's mother, only to discover that his background and Lan Yu's were quite similar.
Lan Yu's father had passed away from a serious illness when she was very young, so her mother raised her alone and helped her become an outstanding ballet dancer.
Xiao Anjing had also lost his father at a young age and depended on his mother. He completely understood how difficult it was for Lan Yu's mother to raise a child on her own.
The two of them chatted more and more congenially. When Lan Yu returned with the congee, she saw them chatting and laughing. It was a miracle that her mother didn't dislike Xiao Anjing and kick him out of the ward.
She knew that ever since she was little, her mother had never approved of any of the men who pursued her. Even her ex-husband, Xie Qining, had never received a kind glance from her mother.
Yet, her mother had actually smiled while talking to Xiao Anjing.
She had even set up the small table and placed the congee in front of her mother, who was still enthusiastically chatting with Xiao Anjing.
"You have good taste; our Yu Yu is indeed wonderful," her mother said, becoming sentimental. "She just met the wrong person before. I warned her, but she didn't listen."
"I've heard her say that she was entirely focused on ballet before and lived in a world apart from earthly matters, which is why she didn't know how to judge people. It also shows her pure heart," Xiao Anjing said, acting as if he understood her perfectly.
Her mother sighed and said, "It's also my fault. When she was little, I was always afraid she would get distracted or get hurt, so I didn't let her interact with the opposite sex..."
With the two of them talking about her in front of her, she felt like she was an extra.
"Mom, are you going to eat this congee or not? It'll get cold if you don't eat it soon." After reminding her mother, she unceremoniously said to Xiao Anjing, "Don't disturb my mother's meal. She's a patient and needs rest. You should go. I'll see you out."
Xiao Anjing exchanged a helpless glance with her mother. "Look how fierce she is with me."
Her mother actually sided with Xiao Anjing. "Yu Yu, why are you so impolite? How did I teach you to speak and behave?"
Seeing the mocking smile on Xiao Anjing's face, Lan Yu's face turned pale and then red with anger. She stomped her foot like a little girl. "Mom! Eat your congee quickly. I'll see him out."
Saying that, she directly pulled Xiao Anjing up and pushed him out. "Don't you have a lot of things to do? It's getting late, go and attend to your important matters."
Xiao Anjing, seeing her shy, girlish state for the first time, found it amusing and let her push him, waving to her mother. "Auntie, I'll be going then. Please rest well."
"You have a sweet tongue, but my daughter isn't that easy to win over..."
Before her mother could finish, she had already pulled him out of the ward, wanting him to leave quickly. This might make her mother think they were in a relationship, which would be a mess.
Not far from her mother's ward, Lan Yu let go of him and walked straight towards the elevator on this floor.
Xiao Anjing caught up with her, finding her inexplicable, and asked, "Isn't it good that my mother and I hit it off? Why are you still angry?"
Lan Yu pressed the down button for the elevator and said, "You don't need to curry favor with my mother or deceive her. If she knew our true relationship, do you think she could bear it?"
"What do you mean by 'curry favor' and 'deceive'?" Xiao Anjing said. "What's wrong with our true relationship? I already said I want to marry you, but you're the one who needs to consider it. Is there anything wrong with me being with you with the intention of marriage?"
"But your desire to marry me is just a transaction. If my mother knew the truth, she wouldn't be able to bear it," Lan Yu said. "Please, I'm begging you, don't pretend to like me so much in front of my mother."
Xiao Anjing put his hands on his hips, annoyed. It seemed she would rather believe he was making a transaction with her using money than believe he truly liked her.
Fine. With that, Xiao Anjing's expression changed, and he said angrily, "Given your mother's current condition, you can take your time to consider. But your mother might not be able to wait."
Lan Yu felt that Xiao Anjing speaking like this was more like his normal self. "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Xiao."
At that moment, the elevator door opened, but Xiao Anjing didn't step in. He spread his palm towards her. "Give me your mother's medical records. I can consult authoritative doctors abroad online. If you're willing then, you can send your mother to a hospital abroad for treatment at any time."
Lan Yu felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. He was indeed a shrewd businessman, good at transactions and understanding people's hearts, making her want to agree to his terms immediately.
"All the medical records are in the ward. I'll take pictures and send them to you later. Let's add each other as friends." Saying that, she took out her phone and they added each other.
After adding her as a friend, Xiao Anjing turned and walked into the elevator that had reopened, not looking at her again, and left as the elevator doors closed.
He knew she would agree. Now, with no one else to help her, she likely had no other choice.
As Lan Yu walked back to the ward, she tried to calm her emotions. She saw that her mother had a rare good appetite.
Her mother had already eaten more than half of the bowl of congee. As soon as she saw Lan Yu, she complained, "Why did you chase him away? Couldn't you have let him stay and chat with me longer?"
"Mom, I'm not very familiar with him. Why did you tell him so much, and even tell him about my childhood?" Lan Yu sat by the bedside and said, "Didn't you always say to be wary of others? Now you've told everything to someone you just met."
Her mother poked her forehead. "Oh my, how did I raise such a silly daughter? I really don't know what Mr. Xiao Anjing sees in you. You've been divorced, and fortunately, you don't have children, yet you're still so bad at judging people. I think this Xiao Anjing is a good man, someone you can entrust your life to..."
"Mom, you've misjudged him this time. He's just relying on his wealth, full of the smell of money. He's not worth entrusting your life to." Lan Yu put away the small table and let her mother lie down.
Her mother lay on the hospital bed, feeling a bit tired, and asked, "Is he very rich? Why didn't I hear him mention it? I didn't think he smelled of money. On the contrary, I saw he cared about you quite a lot. He must have fallen for you."
Lan Yu couldn't help but give a wry smile. Her mother actually thought Xiao Anjing had fallen for her.
For him to like her was impossible. He just found her novel and amusing, wanting to keep her by his side to satisfy his possessiveness.
"Mom, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm not a child anymore. I know what I'm doing regarding some things." She gently pulled the covers over her mother.