She actually abandoned Li Yining.
After a while, when they didn't hear Mu Xing continue speaking, her aunt and Madam Mu turned to look at her in surprise, only to see her run out of the flower hall: "I suddenly remembered I have something to do!" She disappeared in an instant.
Watching Mu Xing's figure disappear, Madam Mu frowned in disdain: "How old is she? Still so reckless."
The aunt said with a kind smile, "It's alright, he's still young. He'll be fine after he gets married."
She ran all the way to the living room, quickly picked up the phone and dialed the Li family's number, but stopped when she was one digit short.
Before the call even connected, Li Yining's crying and screaming seemed to echo in his ears, and Mu Xingguang felt like his head was about to explode just thinking about it.
But it was indeed her fault. She took Miss Bai away without even thinking, even if she had told Yi Ning first!
The thought of how long Li Yining had been waiting for her in the car almost overwhelmed Mu Xing with guilt.
What kind of mess is this?!
Frustrated, Mu Xing put the receiver back, rubbed his forehead, and furrowed his brow.
Given Li Yining's personality, she's probably already crying at home. If she calls now, she'll likely run right into trouble, and neither family will have a moment's peace.
But she couldn't rest easy without calling him; who knew if Li Yining might do something in a fit of anger?
After hesitating for a while, Mu Xing finally dialed the number.
As she answered the phone, she was about to speak when she heard Li Yining's voice on the other end: "Is this Ah Xuan?"
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded nasal: "...I waited all night, thinking you weren't going to call."
Upon hearing Li Yining's sobbing voice, Mu Xing felt even more heartache and a wave of guilt washed over her.
If Li Yining had gotten angry as usual, she could have skillfully soothed her, but Li Yining didn't. Just thinking about the image of Li Yining sitting by the phone, crying while waiting for the call, made Mu Xing speechless.
All she could do was sincerely say "I'm sorry" over and over again.
"How could you do this..." Li Yining cried again as she spoke, "You, how could you leave with another woman and forget about me there?"
As Mu Xing listened, her own eyes reddened.
Yes, how could she forget Li Yining the moment she saw Miss Bai?
This wasn't uncommon when she was little. She made other playmates, and since Li Yining didn't want to climb trees to pick bird nests or throw firecrackers, she played with the others. But even in their happiest moments, she and Li Yining were always best friends; she never abandoned Li Yining for the sake of seeing other people. But now…
Unable to figure out why, Mu Xing had no choice but to put it aside for the time being and racked her brains to comfort Li Yining. It was only with great difficulty that she managed to coax Li Yining into laughing.
“Don’t see that woman again,” Li Yining suddenly said. “I don’t like those women, and you shouldn’t either.”
Mu Xing's heart sank.
She only said that Miss Bai was a friend she knew, without mentioning Miss Bai's identity, but Li Yining's words seemed to be very suggestive.
Although she longed to be close to Miss Bai, she was also well aware of how absurd it was for her to befriend Miss Bai in the eyes of her relatives and friends.
She could dress as a man and chat with Miss Bai, go to brothels with Young Master Tang Yu, and mingle with other young men. But back in her original social circle, she could only be the eldest daughter of the Mu family. If she went astray, it wouldn't just be her personal reputation that would be ruined.
Ignoring Li Yining's words, Mu Xing simply said, "It's very late, let's go to sleep."
After hanging up the phone, she suddenly felt very tired.
Leaning back on the sofa, Mu Xing touched the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a white petal.
If you bring it to your nose and sniff it lightly, besides the strong fragrance of gardenias, you can also seem to smell a hint of bitterness.
The scent of orange blossom.
Life is tough, but what can you do? Mundane life is tasteless, and she seems to have grown accustomed to the scent of orange blossoms.
In the following days, Mu Xing went to the clinic every day as usual to provide medical care, and then accompanied Li Yining to various places for entertainment, which could be considered as an apology and compensation. In order to appease both sets of parents, she also had to arrange two meals with Song Youcheng.
This made things convenient for Mu Xing, who took advantage of the meal to ask Song Youcheng many questions about "Xiao Heren".
When the topic of "Xiao Heren" came up, Song Youcheng also became interested.
"I heard it was a lady who only started submitting her work 30 years ago. Her first short story was submitted to 'New Fiction'*. It is said that on the day the manuscript was received, the editor-in-chief of 'New Fiction' was so surprised that he jumped up and exclaimed that he had found a treasure."
Seeing that Mu Xing was very interested, Song Youcheng subscribed to several magazines that Xiao Heren regularly submitted articles to for her. He also asked someone to find past issues of the magazines and send them to the Mu residence. He even found the address where the magazines sent Xiao Heren her payment for her articles.
Knowing that it was just a small favor, Mu Xing gladly accepted it. The entire Mu family thought that Young Master Song was really thoughtful and were even more satisfied with their future uncle-in-law.
A few days later, Mu Xing remembered that Bai Yan had asked her to take care of Xiao Azhen. Coincidentally, Dr. Ding from the pediatrics department was also there that day, so she inquired about Xiao Azhen's condition.
"The problem is a bit tricky," Dr. Ding said. "I had an X-ray done for her a couple of days ago, and it shows there's something wrong with her intestines. You see..."
Dr. Ding showed the scans to Mu Xing, and indeed, several strange things were visible in Xiao Azhen's intestines. However, considering Xiao Azhen's symptoms, a definitive conclusion could not be drawn.
"I think there is a possibility of intestinal obstruction, but the other symptoms are not clear, and blood tests have ruled out some possibilities, so it is really difficult to make a diagnosis."
In the end, no clear conclusion was reached, and since Xiao Zhen had no other acute symptoms besides some chronic symptoms, Dr. Ding arranged for her to be discharged today.
During his rounds in the inpatient ward, Mu Xing deliberately went to the room where Xiao Azhen had been hospitalized for examinations.
Jinbao, Xiao Azhen's older sister, was packing Xiao Azhen's luggage. After several encounters, she already knew that Mu Xing was Bai Yan's guest. When she saw Mu Xing coming over, she naturally greeted him warmly.
After exchanging only a few words, Jinbao wanted to go and complete the formalities, asking Mu Xing to look after Xiao Azhen. Mu Xing naturally agreed.
Little Zhen sat on the hospital bed, her big eyes fixed on Mu Xing.
Compared to their first meeting, Xiao Azhen looked much more haggard. Mu Xing had originally wanted to ask her about Bai Yan, but seeing her appearance, he felt pity and didn't say anything.
Sitting opposite Xiao Azhen, Mu Xing took a glass box out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She knew that Bai Yan had paid for Xiao Azhen's medical treatment. Although she didn't know the relationship between Bai Yan and Jinbao's family, Xiao Azhen's illness required careful care, and even with Bai Yan's help, it would probably be very difficult.
“You really need to replenish your nutrition right now, you understand? This is a kind of sugar medicine, it tastes very good, but you can only take it by yourself,” Mu Xing said softly.
This bottle of vitamin sugar pills is enough for little Ah Zhen for a month, which will also relieve some of Jinbao's stress.
Little Zhen didn't take the candy. She blinked her slightly bulging eyes, looked at Mu Xing for a while, and suddenly asked, "Are you Sister Xuan?"
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mu Xing initially thought he had misheard: "What?"
Little Zhen tilted her head and looked at her: "Are you Sister Xuan?"
Mu Xing leaned down to look at her, feigning ignorance, and said, "Ah Xuan is my sister, and I am Mu Xing, the older brother."
Little Zhen shook her head and said with certainty, "You are Sister Xuan."
Mu Xing's heart skipped a beat. She turned to make sure Jinbao hadn't returned yet, then turned back to her, squinting her eyes: "Why did you say I was the older sister?" She was sure she had acted quite convincingly, and neither Miss Bai nor Jinbao had noticed. How could a child have figured it out?
Little Zhen also squinted her eyes like a little fox: "I guessed!" She took out a piece of candy and ate it, then shook her head and said: "But now I know, you are Sister Xuan."
Mu Xing: "...What?"
Little Zhen laughed to herself, "Sister Yan taught me. She told my sister that this is how she fools customers."
As she spoke, Xiao Zhen looked at Mu Xing with confusion and asked, "Sister, why are you dressed as a boy? Sister Yan told me you're her guest, but aren't you a girl?"
Mu Xing simply replied, "Because it's fun."
Little Zhen suddenly realized.
The two stared at each other for a while, then suddenly Mu Xing reached out and deftly took the sugar pills from Xiao Azhen's arms. Before Xiao Azhen could react, her arms were already empty.
Shaking the candy in his hand, Mu Xing asked Xiao Azhen, "Is it delicious?"
Little Zhen smacked her lips and confirmed, "Delicious."
Mu Xing asked again, "Do you want more?"
Little Zhen nodded eagerly: "Yes!"
Turning to check again that Jinbao hadn't arrived yet, Mu Xing leaned close to Xiao Azhen and whispered, "As long as you don't tell anyone about this except you and me, I... I'll keep giving you candy, okay?"
To Mu Xing's surprise, Xiao Azhen didn't agree immediately. She frowned her naturally unkempt eyebrows, tilted her head, and thought for a moment: "Why? Do you want me to lie to Sister Yan?"
Mu Xing patiently persuaded, "This isn't lying. Lying means trying to covet Sister Yan's things, which is bad for her. You just helped me out, how could that be bad for Sister Yan?"
Little Zhen thought about it for a moment, then hesitated and said, "No... right?"
"That settles it then." Mu Xing continued, "Look, as long as you don't tell anyone, you'll help me out, you'll get candy, and Sister Yan won't lose anything, right?"
Little Zhen gave in: "Okay!"
Returning the candy jar to little A-Zhen, Mu Xing patted her head with satisfaction: "Good girl."
Little Zhen smiled, took out a piece of candy and handed it to Mu Xing: "Sister...brother, have some too."
With a click of her tongue, Mu Xing repeatedly reminded Xiao Azhen not to share the candy pills with others until Xiao Azhen promised to remember, then she stopped talking.
Just then, Jinbao returned after paying the bill and saw that Mu Xing had given Xiao Azhen another box of candy. He quickly refused, saying, "This is unacceptable. Dr. Ding told us that this medicine is some kind of imported 'Vitamin,' which is too expensive. Dr. Mu has already been very kind to us with the X-rays and blood tests; this is really too much..."
Mu Xing naturally offered some words of comfort, saying that Miss Bai had taken care of her, and that she also liked the child Xiao Azhen very much, and that it had been quite a struggle for Jinbao to take her in.
Knowing that the medicine would be very useful for Xiao Azhen, Jinbao did not insist any further. He accepted the medicine and thanked Mu Xing profusely.
Seeing her so grateful, Mu Xing felt quite uncomfortable.
A box of vitamin pills might be a small favor for her, but it was incredibly precious to Jinbao and her family. And this situation is likely even more dire for countless impoverished families. She could help little Ah Zhen, but she was powerless to help many others.
As Mu Xing was pondering this, Jin Bao suddenly said, "How about we skip that? Would it be alright if Dr. Mu came to my humble abode for a simple meal today? I just bought a pound of good pork at the deli, intending to nourish Xiao Azhen. Would Dr. Mu like to join us?" She smiled shyly, "It's just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't laugh at me, Dr. Mu."
Seeing that she genuinely wanted to express her gratitude, Mu Xing didn't want to refuse her kindness, so he agreed.
The three of them had reached the entrance of the clinic when Jinbao suddenly said, "Sigh, speaking of which, Sister Baiyan rarely got to eat well at that brothel. Now that she's back, it's not easy for her to come out for a simple meal like before. It's really..."
She spoke tactfully, but Mu Xing understood perfectly—Jin Bao was clearly trying to drum up business for Miss Bai! All that talk of thanking her for the dinner invitation was probably just a pretense; his real purpose was this.
However, the fact that Jinbao went to such lengths suggests that Miss Bai was somewhat satisfied with her. Otherwise, why would Jinbao go to such lengths to get her to invite Miss Bai?
With various thoughts swirling in her mind, and her mouth not idle either, Mu Xing frowned, feigning a thoughtful expression: "Is that so... How about this, after I get off work, I'll write a note inviting Miss Bai out, and then we can go to your residence together, how about that?"
Jinbao naturally said some more platitudes, but finally agreed. Mu Xing almost burst out laughing when he saw her clearly happy but trying to feign gratitude.
She had previously thought Jinbao was the kind of gentle and obedient woman, but she hadn't expected her to be just like Miss Bai, with a clever and shrewd mind.
After agreeing on the dinner arrangements, Mu Xing asked for Jin Bao's address.
"It's in the left courtyard of Building 38 in Yingjiangli. It's a small place, but it's easy to find..." Jinbao said in detail, but he didn't notice that Mu Xing's eyes suddenly widened.
According to Song Youcheng, the address for receiving payments from that Xiao Heren is Building 38, Yingjiangli!
Her guess was right; Miss Bai was indeed a laughingstock!