Chapter 75

Song Anan clearly misunderstood, Pei Kuang wanted to explain, but the other party simply didn't give her a chance. She kept asking questions eagerly and enthusiastically, almost more than Song Anan could handle.

Just when Song Anan finally got a word in edgewise, Wu Shulan would just nod and say "uh huh, uh huh," but her expression and words clearly showed she wasn't really listening. She kept going on and on praising Pei Kuang, making it seem like she was trying to sell him to Song Anan. By the end, Song Anan was at a loss.

Aunt Wu chatted with the two of them for a good while. By the time she left, the misunderstanding still hadn't been cleared up.

Song Anan turned to look at Pei Kuang and asked, "Aunt Wu misunderstood, what should we do?"

Pei Kuang smiled lightly and replied, "It's fine."

Song Anan: "???"

What does he mean it's fine?

This guy really is too much. He didn't bother to explain earlier, and now he's acting so nonchalant, as if this whole thing has nothing to do with him.

It seemed Pei Kuang didn't notice Song Anan's displeasure. He just kept talking casually, "Don't take it to heart. Aunt Wu is just really enthusiastic."

"Aunt Wu and Uncle Li have been very kind to me. After my dad passed away, they took good care of me, especially after my mom remarried. Aunt Wu felt bad for me and took extra care of me back then. She would often make delicious food and bring it over to me, and she was always giving me pocket money."

You could say that for a long time, Wu Shulan played the role of a mother in Pei Kuang's life.

"Later when I entered the entertainment industry, they would still call me often, especially Aunt Wu. In recent years, she's been particularly concerned about me settling down, since I'm getting older. She can be a bit naggy sometimes, but I know she cares about me, so I don't want to reject her good intentions. I just let her chatter and I listen..."

As Song Anan listened to Pei Kuang talk about his past, she slowly became immersed in it, even relating to it herself.

"Yeah, my sister-in-law and brother can be naggy sometimes too, and Lin Chuan, with his 'don't do this, don't do that.' But I know they love me, so I don't feel like they're too strict with me at all. I understand," she said.

Nodding sagely after she finished speaking.

Pei Kuang's eyes unconsciously took on a hint of laughter. His voice was gentle as he said, "Me too. In the future when you're nagging me, go ahead and be strict. I'll understand."

Song Anan was stunned for a moment. Why did he suddenly bring up her nagging him?

And what's with this "understanding" business?

Wait a second! What she said earlier about understanding referred to knowing that they loved her, so...

Song Anan shook her head vigorously. Although she knew Pei Kuang didn't mean it that way, it still made her feel awkward!

Although Aunt Wu was being helpful by bringing the soup, she also brought breakfast. After Song Anan and Pei Kuang washed up, they started eating.

Song Anan poured Pei Kuang a bowl of soup while she ate some steamed buns on the side.

Pei Kuang lightly stirred the soup in the bowl to cool it off. "When are you going back? I'll have Liu Hao buy you a plane ticket for this afternoon."

Without even lifting her eyelids, Song Anan flatly replied, "I'm not going back."

Pei Kuang put down his spoon and patiently advised, "I'm really fine. You saw it yourself, the doctor also said I can be discharged in a week. You really don't need to keep staying here with me."

Song Anan finished off the last bite of her bun, looked up at him, and said, "I didn't plan on staying here with you the whole time."

Pei Kuang: "..."

Alright, he was just being presumptuous.

"Then when are you going back?" he asked.

Song Anan frowned, complaining resentfully, "Why are you so set on getting rid of me?"

Pei Kuang helplessly explained, "I don't want to get rid of you, I'm just worried it will interfere with your work."

He had some understanding of how busy she was with her internship at the hospital. He really was worried about delaying her work and studies.

Song Anan stared at him for a few seconds and said, "Don't worry, it won't interfere."

"I've already asked for time off. My teaching advisor gave me four days off. I'd just be idle if I went back anyway, so since I'm already here, might as well stay a couple more days."

Pei Kuang chuckled softly. She could make up shifts when she went back, there was no way she'd actually be idle! But he also knew this was the little girl's kindness, so he didn't point out her white lie.

"Alright, thank you Anan for staying to take care of me."

-

When Aunt Wu left in the morning, she repeatedly exhorted that while Pei Kuang was hospitalized, she would make meals at home and bring them over for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She didn't want them eating food from outside, saying it was unsanitary.

But it wasn't Aunt Wu who came to deliver lunch, it was her daughter, Li Xiaoxian.

Li Xiaoxian was 19 years old this year and attending university. She was home for the seven-day National Day holiday and had gone straight to her grandmother's house in the countryside after arriving.

"Brother Pei Kuang, I heard my mom on the phone this morning say you were injured, so I rushed back from my grandma's right away. Pretty loyal of me, huh?" Li Xiaoxian said with a grin.

Pei Kuang glanced at her. "Oh? I didn't know you cared so much about me."

Li Xiaoxian giggled twice. "Of course, I do have an ulterior motive. I wanted to come back and see my idol!"

After looking around the room, she asked in puzzlement, "Where's my sister-in-law? My mom saw her this morning, right?"

Li Xiaoxian was a fan of Song Anan's, which Pei Kuang knew. So he wasn't too surprised.

"She went to ask the doctor something, she should be back soon."

Pei Kuang had just finished speaking when Song Anan pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing an unfamiliar person suddenly in the room, Song Anan couldn't help but pause and instinctively look at Pei Kuang.

Pei Kuang smiled and explained, "This is Aunt Wu's daughter, Li Xiaoxian."

When Li Xiaoxian saw Song Anan, she became extremely excited. She rushed up to Song Anan in a few big steps. "Sister-in-law, hi! I'm your fan, a diehard one!"

Song Anan still hadn't reacted. "Oh, um, nice to meet you."

Pei Kuang smiled and said, "Alright, Xiaoxian, don't freak her out."

Then he waved at Song Anan, "Go wash your hands and come eat lunch before it gets cold."

Li Xiaoxian also quickly said, "Yeah, yeah, sister-in-law, my mom made braised pork, her specialty, so delicious! Come try it quick."

Aunt Wu's specialty lived up to its reputation. Song Anan ate very contentedly.

But Pei Kuang didn't get to enjoy this treatment. He had just had surgery, so he needed to eat light food. This meant Aunt Wu had actually prepared two different meals.

Song Anan felt quite bad about it. She wanted Li Xiaoxian to tell Aunt Wu that she didn't need to prepare meals for her anymore and that she could order takeout herself.

But Li Xiaoxian flat out rejected the idea. She said her mom definitely wouldn't agree to that, and reiterated that Song Anan's portion was the same as what they ate at home, so it wasn't troublesome, just an extra set of chopsticks.

Song Anan didn't feel right insisting further.

"Xiaoxian, are you free this afternoon?" Pei Kuang asked.

Li Xiaoxian replied, "Nope, how come?"

Pei Kuang said, "I wanted to ask you for a favor, Anan came so suddenly this time that she didn't bring a change of clothes. I was hoping you could go with her to the mall to shop."

When Li Xiaoxian heard it was this, she naturally agreed readily.

No kidding, being able to accompany her sister-in-law shopping was something she was more than happy to do!

Luckily there was a mall near the hospital. After lunch, the two went right over.

The mall wasn't too big, but Song Anan wasn't there to go shopping anyway. After entering, her goal was very clear. She randomly bought two items of clothing then finished up.

From entering to paying, the whole thing surprisingly took less than 20 minutes, leaving Li Xiaoxian wide-eyed.

"Sister-in-law, are you sure you don't want to browse around some more?" she asked.

Song Anan shook her head. When they left, Liu Hao and the others hadn't arrived yet. Now she didn't know if they had gotten to the hospital or not.

With just Pei Kuang alone in the room, she felt uneasy leaving him.

Li Xiaoxian naturally saw her concern and quickly said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Brother Luo Yi just sent me a message saying he's already at the hospital, so we're in no rush to head back."

Hearing this, Song Anan did feel relieved. But now that she had finished buying everything, she didn't see a need to keep wandering around. Besides, she had never liked shopping anyway.

Li Xiaoxian said, "Then let's go to the milk tea shop over there and sit for a bit. If we go back now, Brother Pei Kuang will definitely scold me for not showing you a good time."

Song Anan and Li Xiaoxian came to the bubble tea shop. It was lunch time, so the shop wasn't too crowded. They found a table by the wall and sat down, each ordering a cup of bubble tea.

Li Xiaoxian was lively by nature and very outgoing. She looked at Song Anan mysteriously and asked, "Auntie, I heard from my mom that you're together with Pei Kuang now?"

Hearing this, Song Anan nearly choked. She quickly waved her hands and explained, "No, Aunt Wu misunderstood. We're not in that kind of relationship."

Li Xiaoxian was stunned for a moment. "My mom misunderstood?"

Song Anan nodded heavily.

Just as she was thinking of how to further explain, Li Xiaoxian directly breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew, you scared me. It's good you're not together."

Song Anan didn't quite understand Li Xiaoxian's meaning.

Li Xiaoxian explained, "Auntie, don't get me wrong. I'm just afraid you'll suffer losses."

Song Anan was puzzled. "Suffer losses?"

Li Xiaoxian nodded solemnly, "Let me tell you, Pei Kuang may seem easy-going on the surface, but he's actually very calculating. Ordinary people can't match him."

Song Anan was a bit confused, suddenly not knowing how to respond.

"Of course, I'm not saying Pei Kuang is a bad person. On the contrary, he's really nice..."

Li Xiaoxian rambled on for a good while, listing many of Pei Kuang's merits. As she spoke, she even forgot what she originally wanted to say.

In any case, she was always talkative and could chat about any topic. Song Anan didn't find it annoying, because it was all about Pei Kuang.

"Oh right, let me tell you a secret, Auntie. I actually really disliked Pei Kuang when I was little." Li Xiaoxian said.

Song Anan was surprised. "Why?"

Li Xiaoxian said resentfully, "My grades were decent when I was young, but my parents would always nag me at home, using him as an example. How could I not be annoyed?"

Song Anan asked, "Did he have very good grades before?"

Li Xiaoxian nodded heavily. "Extremely good! I feel that if he didn't join the entertainment industry, he could have even been your schoolmate."

Song Anan was a bit surprised. Pei Kuang had never mentioned anything about his time at school to her before.

"Brother Luo Yi said he had excellent grades and was a top student cultivated by their school. Oh right, Auntie, you went to college at 15. If it weren't for changes in Pei Kuang's family circumstances, he should have also gone to college at 16. He dropped out when he was about to enter 12th grade..."

Although Song Anan knew Pei Kuang had no choice but to drop out and join the entertainment industry, hearing about his past still left her feeling uncomfortable.

"But it doesn't matter. Like my dad says, with Pei Kuang's brains, he can succeed anywhere." Li Xiaoxian said casually.

Song Anan nodded lightly. Her father Song Linchuan had said the same.

"Let me tell you, Auntie, Pei Kuang was a legendary figure at school. Handsome, excellent grades, and the school hunk. When I was in high school, there were still all kinds of gossip about him in school."

Song Anan asked curiously, "What gossip?"

Li Xiaoxian tsked twice. "Of course, relationship gossip."

"Let me tell you in secret, Brother Luo Yi said the former class belle from their class recently wanted Pei Kuang's contact information. She said she wanted to rekindle their past relationship."

Song Anan sipped her bubble tea. Rekindle their relationship? That means they must have dated before...

-

At the hospital.

Pei Kuang stared at Luo Yi beside him. "Who did you say is coming to see me?"

Luo Yi replied, "Fang Yijing. Remember the class belle I told you about who asked me for your contact info recently? Don't tell me you've forgotten already."

Pei Kuang's brows furrowed. He certainly hadn't forgotten, but was a bit surprised she wanted to come see him.

Luo Yi said innocently, "Don't look at me like that. When someone wants to visit an old classmate, how can I stop them?"

Pei Kuang asked, "How did she know I'm in the hospital?"

Luo Yi shrugged and replied, "What a coincidence, right? I heard her uncle is a doctor at this hospital. Must be inside information."

Then he glanced at his phone message, "Well, she's arrived at the hospital entrance now. So, wanna meet or not meet her?"