Forbidden to Flirt and Run 31p2

Chapter 31 p2

Xu Qingtang was a little silent.

She didn’t know the old lady next door to Auntie Zhou, but she did remember the old lady who had recently forced her son to get married by refusing to take her medicine. Was Teacher Qi… also thinking of using this method?

When she arrived, the finance man was already inside, persuading Teacher Qi. “Auntie, your health is important. How can you get better if you don’t take your medicine?”

Xu Qingtang walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at Teacher Qi’s pale face. For a moment, her throat felt as if it had been choked, and she was speechless.

After two minutes, Xu Qingtang looked at the finance man. Before she could speak, Teacher Qi had already given an order. “Little Li, can you go and buy Auntie two bottles of water?”

The finance man nodded. “Of course.”

After he went out, Teacher Qi stared at her daughter’s face and smiled helplessly. “They say a crying child gets candy. It seems a crying old child gets doted on.”

Xu Qingtang sighed. “Mom, why aren’t you taking your medicine?”

“What’s the difference between taking it and not taking it?”

“How can it be the same? Your body…”

“In the end, it’s all death. Instead of living a good life and being angered to death by you, it’s better to die of illness early and be done with it.”

“Mom!”

Seeing Xu Qingtang’s eyes turn red, Teacher Qi’s tone also softened a little. “Qingtang, Mom has never asked you for anything. Just this one thing, can’t you listen to me?”

Xu Qingtang said, “This kind of thing really can’t be forced. I have no feelings for him.”

“Feelings are cultivated. If you’re not even willing to get to know him, how can there be feelings?” Teacher Qi said. “He’s quite interested in you. Although he said he was visiting me for his mom, you can also see that he’s obviously here for you.”

“Mom, don’t force me. I really don’t want to go on a blind date.”

“Am I forcing you? I’m doing this for your own good!” Teacher Qi’s face was stern. “Alright, alright. You don’t want to go on a blind date and get married. Then don’t worry about whether this old thing lives or dies.”

“Don’t be so stubborn…” Xu Qingtang stood up helplessly, took Teacher Qi’s hand, and said, “Don’t be angry, Mom. I promise you, I’ll find a partner, okay?”

Teacher Qi did not back down. “When?”

Xu Qingtang was choked. “In a few years?”

“No! At the latest, by the end of this year, you must bring someone back to see me.”

Then, Teacher Qi clutched her chest and coughed violently, an unnatural red flush appearing on her face. “Qingtang, it’s Mom’s fault. I made you have to be sensible from a young age. So all these years, I’ve never interfered in any of your affairs, which is why you’ve gone down this path! Now, if you still recognize me as your mom, then turn back. Don’t make the same mistake again!”

Xu Qingtang’s heart ached, and she couldn’t help but sigh. “Mom, it’s just not being in a relationship. It’s not as serious as you say…”

“The end of the year is really too tight. How about the end of next year?”

“This is not up for discussion!”

The conversation ended on a sour note. Fortunately, with the finance man’s persuasion, Teacher Qi did take her medicine. When Xu Qingtang came out of the ward, the finance man followed her.

“Qingtang, if you have time, you should come and spend more time with Auntie. She’ll get better soon. Don’t worry.”

Xu Qingtang hummed softly.

She had no intention of making small talk, but she happened to run into the patient in the bed next to Teacher Qi’s, who teased Xu Qingtang, “Qingtang, is this your partner? He’s a nice person.”

Hearing this, Xu Qingtang was startled, then shook her head. “No, you’ve misunderstood.”

With that, she quickly walked into the elevator.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, the finance man also followed her in. He pressed the first floor, then spoke. “Qingtang, am I making you feel pressured? Don’t overthink it. I didn’t come to the hospital just for you. Auntie used to help my sister with her homework. It’s only right for me to come and visit for that.”

“Of course, I do have a good impression of you.”

“Can we try being friends first? Don’t avoid me so much.”

“Sorry, I don’t want to be in a relationship, and I don’t like you,” Xu Qingtang’s voice was calm. “I have no objection to you visiting my mom, but there’s no need to be friends.”

As the last word fell, the elevator doors happened to open. Xu Qingtang walked out without looking back.

When Xu Qingtang got home, Gu Yizhi happened to call her back.

She bent down to untie her shoelaces, and Gu Yizhi’s voice sounded in her ear. “I was in a meeting just now and didn’t see your call.”

Xu Qingtang walked a few steps in, then fell into the sofa with a “thud,” staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. She had lost the urgent desire to confide in Gu Yizhi that she had had when she called her.

Xu Qingtang said, “It’s fine. It’s nothing important.”

Her voice paused for a moment, then she said, “I just took a personality test. Let me ask you something.”

Gu Yizhi hummed in agreement. “Go on.”

“If you were in a relationship, would you introduce your partner to others? Hmm… I mean, would you want others to know you’re dating someone of the same sex?”

“Of course.”

Xu Qingtang pressed on. “So you would?”

Gu Yizhi confirmed, “I would.”

Xu Qingtang was quiet for a few seconds. “Alright, I see.”

“Unhappy today?”

Gu Yizhi was very sensitive. She could even hear that. Xu Qingtang hummed in agreement. “The flowers I wanted to buy were gone.”

Xu Qingtang propped herself up on her side. “Gu Yizhi, sing me a song.”

Gu Yizhi: “Hm?”

Xu Qingtang: “Can you sing?”

Gu Yizhi said, “A little.”

Xu Qingtang said, “Then sing ‘The Love of Glass’?”

Gu Yizhi said, “Alright.”

At first, Xu Qingtang had thought that Gu Yizhi’s “a little” was just being modest, but unexpectedly, she was an honest person. Listening to her somewhat comical and somewhat cute Cantonese, Xu Qingtang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “That’s enough, that’s enough.”

Gu Yizhi’s voice rose. “Laughing at me?”

Xu Qingtang denied it. “Absolutely not.”

Gu Yizhi said, “You’re so frank.”

It was Gu Yizhi’s signature mockery. Xu Qingtang just smiled, then looked at the time. It was about time. She urged Gu Yizhi to go to bed. She received a message from Teacher Qi on WeChat.

[If you’re not satisfied with Little Li, we can meet another one.]

Because of this message, Xu Qingtang spent the night in a daze. In her dreams, Teacher Qi was pressing her head down to meet someone, while Gu Yizhi was watching her with a cold expression.

In just a few short days, Xu Qingtang felt she was about to be torn apart. On the one hand, she had to take care of her work, and on the other hand, she had to take care of Teacher Qi’s emotions.

And Teacher Qi seemed to have finally realized that gentle persuasion was not working on Xu Qingtang, and her attitude began to harden. Xu Qingtang had already received three or four friend requests on WeChat.

She estimated that the next step would be to bring people to her.

Xu Qingtang was extremely annoyed, but when facing Teacher Qi, she could only play tai chi and pretend to be stupid, unable to say anything.

That night, just as Xu Qingtang came out of the duty room after talking to the doctor, Auntie Zhou happened to come out of the ward, holding a hot water bottle. She walked towards her and said kindly, “Qingtang, your mother is also doing this for your own good. Don’t be angry with her.”

Xu Qingtang hummed sullenly. “I know.”

Auntie Zhou added, “She’s just afraid that one day she won’t be here, and you’ll be left alone in the world. She’s afraid there will be no one to take care of you then.”

Xu Qingtang: “I know.”

It was because she knew that she was so frustrated.

Auntie Zhou sighed. “I’ll try to persuade her. Don’t take those words to heart.”

Xu Qingtang nodded. “I know. Don’t worry.”

*

After getting out of the taxi, Xu Qingtang didn’t go upstairs right away. Instead, she walked along the road for a while. After passing two crossroads, her phone rang.

It was a call from Gu Yizhi.

Her voice was soft. “I just got off the plane. Shall I pick you up tomorrow morning?”

The streetlight in front of her was broken, flickering. When Xu Qingtang looked up, she could see countless moths flying around. She said, “I’m not free tomorrow.”

“Alright. Then another day?”

The flickering orange light hurt her eyes. Xu Qingtang was silent for a moment, the sound of the cool wind passing through the gaps in the trees in her ears.

After a moment, Xu Qingtang finally spoke, feeling very tired.

“Gu Yizhi, I’m not going to South Mountain. I’ll be very busy during this time. If there’s nothing, let’s not contact each other for now.”