Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Gao Wen didn't understand, and she didn't know who was starving. But after noticing Lin Bufan's malicious gaze, which seemed to be half-hearted and half-missing, looking towards the wall, she suddenly had a bad feeling: "You...you're not saying...Yang Mi is still...hungry?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Gao Wen immediately shook her head, thinking she was really full. Otherwise, how could she have such an outrageous association? Yang Mi had a family and children. What kind of relationship could she have with Lin Bufan beyond work?

However, before Gao Wen could deny it, she saw Lin Bufan nodded affirmatively!

then!

Gao Wen cried out "Ah" and pounced on Lin Bufan!

"Lin, I'm going to kill you!"

……

The early morning sun filtered through the gaps in the hotel's heavy curtains, casting a narrow strip of light across the carpet. Lin Bufan snapped his eyes open, grabbed his phone from the bedside table, and checked—it was five minutes past eight!

His heart skipped a beat, and he woke up instantly. He carefully unhooked Gao Wen's long, beautiful legs from his body, then gently pulled back the arm Yang Mi had rested on her head. The two women were fast asleep, their breathing even, completely unaware of the commotion.

Lin Bufan tiptoed off the bed, picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, slipped out of the bedroom like a thief, and closed the door gently.

In the living room, he dressed as quickly as possible and washed up. The cool water splashed on his face, dispelling the last traces of sleepiness. He ruffled his hair in the mirror, grabbed his phone and Yang Mi's car keys, and scurried out the door.

As the elevator descended, Lin Bufan couldn't help but glance at the time again. It was 8:15. He'd promised Yang Tao it would be 7:00... He wondered if Yang Tao was still waiting.

However, since the agreed time had passed, Lin Bufan was not so anxious anymore. He even went to give Chen Nanxing today's lollipop!

When Lin Bufan entered the ward, Chen Nanxing was leaning against a chair by the window, staring intently out. The sunlight cast a soft glow on her. Her complexion was rosy, her eyes bright. If it weren't for the blue and white striped hospital gown and the IV in her hand, no one would have guessed she was battling a serious illness.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Chen Nanxing turned around and saw Lin Bufan. A bright smile immediately broke out on his face: "You're here!"

"Well, here's some sugar for you." Lin Bufan walked over with a smile and handed her a lollipop.

Chen Nanxing happily accepted it, expertly peeling off the candy wrapper and popping it into her mouth, her eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Her parents stood by, watching their daughter's improving mental state, their eyes filled with relief and gratitude. They looked at Lin Bufan with increasing respect, even a touch of cautious awe. They silently poured Lin Bufan a glass of warm water, gently placing it on the bedside table, and then quietly stepped aside, fearing to disturb them.

After giving Chen Nanxing the lollipop, Lin Bufan didn't stay any longer before getting up to say goodbye. Chen Nanxing's parents quickly got up and walked him all the way to the ward door, nodding their heads in gratitude.

As Lin Bufan left the hospital and drove to pick up Yang Tao, Xue Sumei, already for the nth time, walked to the window, craning her neck to peer downstairs. Her brow furrowed, she muttered, "What time is it... Almost nine o'clock! Why hasn't Xiaolin arrived yet? He seemed quite reliable yesterday, not the kind of person who would cancel an appointment for no reason..."

As if she had thought of something, Xue Sumei turned around abruptly and cast a suspicious look at Yang Tao, who was sitting on the sofa, seemingly leisurely flipping through a magazine, but actually full of dissatisfaction: "Taozi! Tell me the truth! When you sent Xiaolin downstairs yesterday, did you give him the cold shoulder again and say nasty things? Did you make Xiaolin angry, so he didn't come?"

Yang Tao snapped the magazine shut and looked up, her face filled with speechless anger. "Mom! Can you be reasonable? I did send him off yesterday, but I didn't say anything! He said he'd come at 7 o'clock today, and now he hasn't shown up, and you're blaming me?" Although she was extremely reluctant to go on a date with Lin Bufan, she had gotten up early and dressed carefully out of common courtesy and good manners. Now that she'd been stood up and scolded by her mother, her anger was boiling over.

Seeing that her daughter didn't seem to be lying, Xue Sumei's tone softened a bit, but her anxiety remained undiminished. "Then...then what's going on? Could something have happened? Oh no! It's all my fault! I was so happy yesterday that I forgot to ask Xiaolin for his phone number! Otherwise, I could call him now to ask about the situation!"

She was so anxious that she walked around the living room twice, and suddenly slapped her thigh: "I got it! Didn't Xiaolin say that he was staying in your hotel? Taozi, hurry up! Call your hotel front desk and ask them to help check if Xiaolin is in the room, or ask them if they know where Xiaolin went? Don't let him really encounter an accident on the road..." Xue Sumei became more and more worried as she thought about it, and urged again and again.

Yang Tao put the magazine aside and said unhappily, "Mom, if you want to fight, go ahead and do it yourself. I won't fight. It was Lin Bufan who broke the appointment, and I didn't ask him to come. Now we have to rush over and ask? What's going on? If you don't know, you'd think I'm so impatient." The more she spoke, the more she felt it made sense, and her tone hardened, "Besides, it's just as well that he's not coming. I'm too lazy to deal with it, and it saves me from rejecting him in person and making everyone embarrassed."

Upon hearing this, Xue Sumei was so angry that she tapped Yang Tao a few times with her fingers. "Oh my! My silly girl! Why are you so clueless! With Lin Bufan's qualifications, looks, and career, where else can you find another one? Why don't you grab him and treat him like a treasure? If he gets snatched away by another girl with quick eyes and hands, you won't be able to cry even if you can't find the right tune!"

"Mom!" Yang Tao also raised her voice. "I'm looking for a partner, a lover to spend my life with. I'm not looking for blue chip stocks in the stock market! It's not enough to just look at good conditions and strong growth! Between him and me, at least... at least there should be some feeling, right? I'm so angry when I see him now, how can there be any feeling?"

"Feeling, feeling! My head starts buzzing when I hear those two words!" Xue Sumei was so angry that she put her hands on her hips. "That feeling just fell from the sky? Or did it just grow legs and come to you while you were sitting at home? If you don't go out and interact with people, don't give people opportunities, and don't seize them, how can you feel it? Feelings are developed through interaction! How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?"

Yang Tao was getting a headache from her mother's yelling, and seeing her truly angry, she felt a wave of irritation and helplessness. She knew that further arguments would only lead to an endless stream, so she finally gave in with a heavy sigh and held out her hand. "Alright, alright, alright... Stop talking. I'll call him, isn't that okay? Give me his phone, and I'll call the front desk to see if he's still in the hotel. That should be all right, right?"

Seeing her daughter give in, Xue Sumei's expression softened a bit. As she handed Yang Tao the phone that had been placed on the coffee table, she continued to instruct him, "That's better! Ask him nicely, be polite, and just say you're concerned about why he didn't come. Maybe something delayed him..."

Yang Tao took the phone and searched for the hotel front desk number while muttering unhappily, "I know... I really owed you guys in my previous life..."

Just as Yang Tao found the hotel front desk number and was about to dial it, the doorbell suddenly rang.

The mother and daughter in the living room were both stunned. Xue Sumei reacted the fastest, her expression instantly brightening as she practically jumped to the door, "Here she comes! It must be Xiaolin!"

Xue Sumei flung the door open, and it was indeed Lin Bufan standing outside. He had a perfectly apologetic smile on his face, and in his hand was a delicate fruit basket. "Auntie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm late. Something delayed me."

Xue Sumei felt relieved when she saw him. She didn't care about it anymore and quickly stepped aside to let Lin Bufan in. "Oh, it's okay, it's okay! Xiaolin, come in! Young people are busy with their careers, so it's normal for them to be delayed occasionally. Auntie understands! Come on in!"

Lin Bufan walked into the living room and set the fruit basket aside. Yang Tao put down her phone, crossed her arms, and squinted at him, her tone neither salty nor cold, but with obvious sarcasm: "Oh, Mr. Lin, you're such a busy man. It's almost noon and you only remember you have an appointment? You have a really unique sense of time."

"Taozi! How can you say that!" Xue Sumei immediately frowned and scolded, "Xiao Lin said he was delayed by something, it wasn't intentional! He apologized as soon as he arrived, and you're still going on and on? You have no manners at all!"

Lin Bufan quickly waved his hands and looked at Yang Tao sincerely, "Auntie, please don't blame Manager Yang. Manager Yang is right. I was wrong. No matter what the reason, being late is being late. I wasted Manager Yang's precious time and made you and Manager Yang worry. This is my fault. Manager Yang deserves to criticize me."

His humble attitude made Yang Tao's sarcastic words stuck in her throat. She couldn't utter them, so she could only snort in annoyance and turn her head away.

Seeing this, Xue Sumei felt that Lin Bufan was sensible and proper. She glared at Yang Tao, then turned to Lin Bufan with a pleasant expression and said, "Xiao Lin, don't take it to heart. Taozi is just like that. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Come on, sit down and have a drink of water."

Lin Bufan did not sit down, but stood there, his expression becoming a little serious: "Auntie, Manager Yang, although it is too late to say anything now and it seems like I am making excuses, I still want to explain to you why I am late.

Auntie, I remember telling you yesterday that I own several companies, one of which is a biotech company focused on developing innovative drugs for difficult and serious diseases. We currently have an inhibitor targeting a specific cancer target that has entered Phase II clinical trials.

Late last night, I received an urgent call from the lab director. A volunteer patient participating in our clinical trial suddenly developed a severe immune-related adverse reaction and was in critical condition. I had to rush to the scene immediately to coordinate a consultation with experts and a rescue plan. Lin Bufan's tone was steady, with a subtle hint of fatigue. "I worked all night, and it wasn't until dawn that the patient's condition stabilized and he was out of danger. I rushed over after handling all the urgent matters. I'm so sorry to have kept you two waiting."

After hearing this, Xue Sumei's expression instantly shifted from tolerance and understanding to immense shock and admiration. Her mouth dropped open, her eyes wide, as if she'd just heard something truly remarkable. She instinctively clutched her chest, her voice tinged with excitement and emotion. "Oh my God! Xiaolin... you... you're doing something truly life-saving! This is something that will accumulate virtue and benefit all of humanity! Compared to that, a simple date is nothing! Of course, saving lives is more important! Absolutely, the real business is more important! You're absolutely right! I support you! One hundred percent!"

I never thought that Xiaolin, at such a young age, would actually be doing such a great and meaningful thing! Auntie really admires you! Taozi, look at this! Look at Xiaolin's vision! Such responsibility!

The more Xue Sumei looked at Lin Bufan, the more satisfied she became. If Lin Bufan was just a rich son-in-law in her eyes before, then now Lin Bufan has undoubtedly become a shining rich son-in-law, who is completely incomparable to her lifelong rival Lan Caiping's rich son-in-law!

In stark contrast to Xue Sumei's moved admiration, Yang Tao merely raised an eyebrow after hearing this. Far from displaying any admiration, her face instead held a hint of contempt and disdain. She twitched her lips and let out a soft chuckle, not loud but clear enough. "Haha... developing anti-cancer drugs? Saving critically ill patients? Mr. Lin, isn't that a bit too outlandish? You've gone to such great lengths to come up with a plausible excuse for being late. You might as well have said it's because you're such a great cook that some people can't get enough, and you've been cooking and feeding them!"

If Yang Tao's expression had not been normal, Lin Bufan would have suspected that Yang Tao had planted a bug on him. After all, he came so late because someone needed to feed him, but it wasn't with food!

Before Lin Bufan could say anything, Xue Sumei's eyes widened as soon as she heard Yang Tao's sarcastic words, and she slapped her arm hard: "Silly girl! What nonsense are you talking about! You have no respect for your elders!" She quickly turned to Lin Bufan with an apologetic smile on her face: "Xiao Lin, don't listen to her nonsense! This girl has been spoiled by me, and she can't control her mouth! Don't take it to heart!"

As she spoke, she pushed Yang Tao's back and rushed to the door without saying anything: "Alright, alright, now that Xiaolin has finished his work and rushed here, you two should stop dawdling at home! Hurry up and do what you need to do! Young people, go out more and have some fun, breathe some fresh air, don't stay at home all the time!"

Yang Tao staggered after being pushed and turned back in dissatisfaction: "Mom! Why did you push me..."

"What's wrong with pushing you? Can't I push you?" Xue Sumei didn't give her a chance to refute. She grabbed Yang Tao's bag from the cabinet and stuffed it into her arms. At the same time, she opened the door neatly and pushed the two of them out. "Go! Have fun! Tonight... you don't have to come back for dinner tonight!"

"Mom!" Yang Tao was speechless, but Xue Sumei had already slammed the door shut, and even the sound of the door being locked could be heard from inside.

Yang Tao stomped her feet in anger at the closed door. Turning her head, she met Lin Bufan's smiling eyes. She glared at him angrily, "What are you looking at? It's all your fault!"

Lin Bufan spread his hands innocently: "Manager Yang, can you blame me for this? I can't resist Aunt Xue's enthusiasm."

"Don't give me that!" Yang Tao turned her head and walked quickly towards the elevator, her high heels making a clattering sound on the floor. "Don't think I don't know what kind of magic potion you and my mom have been drinking!"

Lin Bufan followed her in a few steps and walked into the elevator side by side with her. He said in a relaxed tone: "I swear to God, I just sincerely expressed my good wishes for a deeper exchange with you, Manager Yang."

Yang Tao pressed the elevator button, too lazy to pay attention to Lin Bufan.