"It's alright." Lin Yi said, then picked up a few more pieces of tripe and beef slices and put them into the pot.
Qin Hao became increasingly convinced that the restaurant must have set the spiciness level incorrectly, otherwise why would Lin Yi not find it spicy?
Lin said he could only eat a little bit of spice.
But when he eagerly put the beef slice into his mouth, Qin Hao's body stiffened slightly.
This is... a bit spicy! He already thinks it's a bit spicy, so how come Lin Yi is acting like nothing's wrong?
"Um..." Qin Hao swallowed what was in his mouth and looked up at Lin Yi again, "Um... don't you think it's a little spicy?"
Lin Yi gave a rare, noticeable smile and said,
"Fortunately, my mom can handle spicy food well. She's from the north, so I can also eat a little bit of spicy food."
If Qin Hao's expression was one of shock just now, it was now one of utter dismay and anger!
If he still doesn't realize that Lin Yi was just playing a trick on him at this point, then he has truly wasted the last twenty years of his life!
"Didn't you say you could only eat a little bit of spice?" Qin Hao said through gritted teeth.
He doesn't even want to maintain his emotions or facial expressions anymore!
However, Lin Yi seemed oblivious to Qin Hao's unusual behavior and simply replied,
"Yes, I can only handle a very little spice. Isn't this a very mild spice? After all, you just said you ordered the mildest spice in the restaurant."
Qin Hao choked on a mouthful of blood, unable to swallow it.
When Lin Yi said that, he didn't know how to respond, and could only glare at Lin Yi resentfully.
Lin Yi: "What's wrong? You can't handle spicy food? If you can't handle spicy food, how did you eat here before? You said this restaurant is good, so you must eat here often. If you eat here often, how can you not handle spicy food?"
Qin Hao: "..."
Qin Hao took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said,
"No, how could that be? I think the spiciness is just right, just right!"
He said "just right" twice in a row, and anyone with eyes could see how angry he was.
But Lin Yi acted as if he didn't notice anything amiss and even put the cooked beef into Qin Hao's bowl.
"Eat up, you should really like this, you can eat more."
Qin Hao could only swallow his anger and tears, realizing he had truly failed in his attempt to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice instead!
Lin Yi thoroughly enjoyed the hot pot meal.
He wiped his mouth with a tissue, took another sip of chrysanthemum tea, and then looked at Qin Hao across from him, who was chugging a drink.
"Assistant Qin, thank you for your hospitality today. I ate very well; I haven't had such a comfortable meal in a long time."
Qin Hao nearly choked on his drink when he heard this.
He would never believe that Lin Yi didn't mean it!
Chapter 88 Qin Hao is hospitalized
But no matter how angry he was, he was the one who did it, so even if he wanted to be angry and vent his anger on Lin Yi, he had no reason to.
"You're welcome!" Qin Hao slammed his water glass down on the table. "As long as you enjoy your meal!"
The two were already attracting a lot of attention because of their good looks and temperament, and now Qin Hao's forceful slamming of the water glass, which made quite a noise, drew even more attention.
However, Qin Hao and Lin Yi didn't care at all; they only had eyes for each other.
The only difference was that Qin Hao's eyes were filled with anger towards Lin Yi, while Lin Yi's eyes were filled with mockery towards Qin Hao.
"Now that President Lin has finished eating, shouldn't we sign the contract? It's getting late, and once it's signed, we can all go home!"
Qin Hao had already brought all the documents and contracts with him when he came to eat, and now all that was needed was Lin Yi's signature.
Lin Yi: "Isn't Assistant Qin being a little too hasty? We just finished eating, shouldn't we rest for a while?"
Qin Hao: "Why would I be in a rush! Of course, we should finish signing quickly after we finish eating, since it's getting late, isn't it?"
Qin Hao spoke with a forced smile, but actually it was because his stomach seemed a little uncomfortable, perhaps because he had eaten something too spicy earlier.
"I think I was too hasty. There are some things I haven't figured out yet, so I need to go back and think about them again before signing tomorrow."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Assistant Qin. I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."
Lin Yi stood up as he spoke, preparing to leave.
Qin Hao, who was already somewhat angry, immediately stood up after hearing Lin Yi's words.
"Lin Yi, you..."
Qin Hao wanted to say, "Don't go too far," but before he could finish his sentence, he was struck by a sharp pain in his stomach.
Qin Hao's face turned pale instantly, and he kept clutching his stomach. Perhaps because of the intense pain, a layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Lin Yi's smile froze.
"What’s wrong with you?"
His tone was full of worry, and he instinctively reached out to support Qin Hao.
Qin Hao wanted to push him away, but he was in so much pain that he had no strength left.
"Don't... pretend..."
If Lin Yi had signed the contract for him earlier, he would be in the toilet right now, and wouldn't be in so much pain.
Lin Yi's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly, and he immediately changed from supporting Qin Hao's hand to putting his arm around Qin Hao's waist so that Qin Hao could lean on him.
"I'll take you to see a doctor."
Lin Yi put his arm around Qin Hao and started to walk out. Qin Hao wanted to refuse, but he was too weak and could only let Lin Yi support him.
Lin Yi helped Qin Hao out, paid the bill at the cashier, and then took him to the car.
He put Qin Hao in the back seat and got into the driver's seat himself.
Ever since he noticed Qin Hao's strange expression, his face had also been cold and angry, making him look terrifying.
Qin Hao is in excruciating pain, so much so that it feels like someone is violently twisting his stomach and intestines. He can't even move, let alone speak.
Lin Yi glanced at Qin Hao's condition in the rearview mirror and saw that Qin Hao's lips were completely bloodless. The veins on Qin Hao's hands, which were gripping the steering wheel, were bulging, which showed how he was feeling.
After speeding all the way, Lin Yi finally drove the car to the hospital.
This time, instead of helping Qin Hao inside, he carried Qin Hao inside in a princess carry.
Qin Hao was in so much pain that he was almost delirious; otherwise, he would never have let Lin Yi hold him in that position.
Qin Hao's face was so pale that when Lin Yi carried him in, a doctor saw it and immediately helped take him to the emergency room.
The diagnosis was acute appendicitis, and even acute gastroenteritis.
Appendicitis requires surgery, and Lin Yi couldn't hide it from Gu Zheng, so he called Gu Zheng after Qin Hao went into the operating room.
Gu Zheng had just returned home when he received the call. After hearing what Lin Yi said, his expression immediately turned sour. He replied, "I understand," and hung up the phone.
Xia Ran was leading Gu Chen out to greet Gu Zheng, and that's when she saw Gu Zheng's face turn ugly in an instant.
"What's wrong, Zheng? Did something happen?" Xia Ran asked with some concern.
Gu Zheng nodded, "Yes, Qin Hao is in the hospital with acute appendicitis and gastroenteritis. He's having surgery now. I need to go there. You stay home and take good care of Xiao Chen."
He finished speaking and turned to leave, but Xia Ran grabbed his hand and said,
“I want to go too. We’re family. I have to go see Qin Hao since he’s in trouble.”
Gu Zheng didn't speak, but looked down at Gu Chen. Gu Chen seemed to realize that his two fathers were going to abandon him, and immediately hugged Xia Ran's leg.
Xia Ran picked Gu Chen up and said to Gu Zheng,
"It's alright, let Xiao Chen go with us. Let's go quickly."
Gu Zheng ultimately said nothing and simply took Xia Ran and Gu Chen with him.
Although it was acute appendicitis and not a major surgery, Gu Zheng still looked very unwell, and Xia Ran also looked worried.
When they arrived at the operating room door, Lin Yi was already sitting on the bench outside.
Xia Ran already knew that someone had brought Qin Hao over, so she wasn't surprised when she saw Lin Yi.
When Gu Zheng saw Lin Yi, his aura seemed to grow even colder. Xia Ran even felt that Gu Zheng was about to start a fight or beat someone up.
Fortunately, Gu Zheng only clenched his fists and did not actually intend to hit anyone.
"What exactly happened? Lin Yi, if you don't give me an explanation, I won't let you off the hook!"
Gu Zheng is a protective brother. Although he usually acts like he dislikes Qin Hao, the brotherhood they grew up together is undeniable.
Xia Ran was somewhat puzzled when she heard Gu Zheng's words from the side.
Could it be that Qin Hao's illness is caused by this person named Lin Yi in front of him?
Although Xia Ran was filled with doubts, she didn't ask anything and just stood quietly beside Gu Zheng, holding Gu Chen.
Lin Yi seemed to have some self-reproach in his eyes as he said,
“We had just finished eating and hadn’t even left yet when he got like this.”
"You guys are eating hot pot?" Xia Ran blurted out unconsciously.
"How did you know?" Lin Yi's gaze fell on Xia Ran.
Even Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran.
Chapter 89 I Won't Let You Go
Xia Ran answered under their gazes.
"Because... you smell strongly of hot pot."
Hot pot always has a strong smell. He used to always have a strong smell whenever he went out to eat hot pot with his classmates and friends.
Even though so much time has passed since Lin Yi and his friends ate hot pot, the flavor still lingers.
Gu Zheng sniffed; the air seemed to be filled with the smell of hot pot.