Chapter 75: Comfort

The day was overcast, with no sunlight in sight.

The blue sedan was unusually quiet. Xu Yi turned to look at Xu Dian, while Zhao Qiao simply stared in stunned silence. She even thought that if Meng Ying didn’t speak soon, her son might actually cry.

For the first time, Xu Yi felt that his son had become more human, more feeling than before. When a man begins to understand pain and fear, it means he has someone he wants to protect.

Meng Ying reached out and grasped Xu Dian’s wrist, her fingers brushing against his black wristwatch. She looked up and said, “I’m not taking the same flight as anyone. My mom is sick and needs surgery. I’m heading back early. The ticket was booked in a rush, and I forgot to tell you.”

Her phone had been burning in her hand, but she had been so caught up in talking to Zhao Qiao that she forgot to call Xu Dian. Xu Dian looked down at her, his tie loosened in frustration, revealing a sliver of his neck. He gripped her wrist tightly, his heart feeling as though it had plummeted from a great height. For a moment, he even thought that Meng Ying’s mother falling ill at this time was oddly convenient.

But that thought was too dark, so he buried it. Instead, he asked, “Which hospital? In Licheng?”

“Yes, at the Regional Tumor Hospital.”

“I’ll make a call and ask Director Song to handle the surgery.” Xu Dian pulled out his phone to make the call while simultaneously pulling Meng Ying out of the car. Meng Ying had no choice but to follow. Zhao Qiao and Xu Yi also got out, with Xu Yi grabbing Meng Ying’s suitcase. Xu Dian took it from him.

He turned to Xu Yi and Zhao Qiao. “Dad, Mom, you two head back. I’ll see her off.”

“No, we’re staying too,” Zhao Qiao retorted, linking her arm with Xu Yi’s. Originally, they had booked tickets for the same flight as Meng Ying, scheduled for tomorrow, to return to Licheng together. But with this sudden turn of events, Meng Ying was now flying back alone, and they couldn’t let her go without seeing her off.

Xu Dian glanced at his mother but didn’t argue further. He focused on his phone call as they walked into the airport. Meng Ying went to check in her luggage while Xu Dian finished his call.

He held her hand all the way to the security checkpoint. Since the ticket had been booked last-minute, Meng Ying had only managed to get a business class seat. Xu Dian glanced at the ticket, his tone not exactly pleased. “You should’ve told me about this earlier. I could’ve arranged things.”

It was too late to upgrade her seat now.

Meng Ying said, “It’s not like I’ve never flown business class before.”

“Alright, I’m heading in.” The security line had started moving, and Meng Ying prepared to leave. Suddenly, Xu Dian grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. His hand wrapped around her waist as he quickly removed his glasses and kissed her.

Meng Ying’s high heels spun slightly on the floor as she instinctively steadied herself, but she was already caught in a firm kiss. Her shoulders tensed, and she gave a small push.

The kiss between the handsome man and beautiful woman drew quite a bit of attention. Xu Dian’s hand, still holding his glasses, rested lazily on Meng Ying’s waist.

Zhao Qiao couldn’t help but nudge Xu Yi. “Why weren’t you this romantic when you were younger?”

“Have you seen me when I was older?”

Zhao Qiao: “You weren’t romantic when you grew up either.”

Xu Yi: “…”

Zhao Qiao: “You’ve aged poorly.”

Xu Yi: “…Yes.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as Meng Ying held her ticket and passport, walking in her high heels and waving to them. Zhao Qiao waved back enthusiastically, while Xu Dian stood with his hands in his pockets, glasses back on, his deep eyes fixed on her. The three of them stood still, waiting until she had passed through the security checkpoint. Compared to the other passengers rushing by with no one to see them off, Meng Ying had three people seeing her off.

For the first time, Meng Ying felt a pang of reluctance.

It was also the first time she felt so valued. She turned back several times, and each time, they were still there, watching her until she finally passed through security.

As she walked toward her gate, she pulled out her phone.

Xu Dian: Let me know when you land.

Zhao Qiao: Call us when you get off the plane. We’ll be back tomorrow. Wait for me!

Meng Ying replied to each of them one by one. Finally, she scrolled back through her chat list and clicked into Gu Yan’s WeChat.

Meng Ying: When are you returning to Licheng?

Gu Yan: Tomorrow.

Meng Ying: Okay.

Then she casually searched for flights and found that there was a flight tomorrow with a layover in Geneva. After glancing at it a few times, she finally understood Xu Dian’s attitude earlier.

She thought for a moment.

Then she typed a message.

Meng Ying: Mwah.

After sending it, she turned off her phone and settled into her seat. The flight from Geneva to Licheng would take about 12 hours. Meng Ying liked to sleep on planes, but this time she couldn’t fall asleep. She closed her eyes, lost in thought. After this round of classes, she had made a new breakthrough. In the future, she would need to dedicate more time to acting.

Some unimportant events would have to be skipped. Liu Qin had already prepared a new proposal. Previously, Meng Ying had considered taking on a new TV drama.

But now, she had no such plans.

In the end, the acting profession relies heavily on youth. Although she could still act as she got older, it wouldn’t be as lucrative as during her prime.

The best approach was to have a new career plan.

At 2 AM in Geneva, Xu Dian leaned over to review documents. Beside him, a video chat window was open, showing six people—Yan Xing and several other Geneva executives. Each of them had heavy dark circles under their eyes, yawning desperately, their teary eyes fixed on Xu Dian on the screen.

They were hoping he would show mercy and let them go to sleep.

“This proposal doesn’t seem to have been revised at all,” Xu Dian said, lifting his eyes to glance at Yan Xing. Yan Xing coughed and said, “This is already the third draft. Do you have something specific in mind?”

Xu Dian didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up a cigarette and a lighter, tapping them lightly. The sound was especially sharp in the quiet night, making the others sit up even straighter.

Yan Xing wished he could take back what he had just said.

Xu Dian, holding the cigarette between his lips, spoke calmly, “I’ve said before that the medical sector requires caution. Yet, you’ve brought me some half-baked, market-standard stuff.”

His tone was polite, his voice low, and it was hard to tell if he was angry or not, which made it even more unsettling. Yan Xing quickly replied, “Understood, understood.”

Xu Dian didn’t say anything more.

He glanced at his phone.

The WeChat page was still empty.

Yan Xing, for the thirtieth time, noticed him checking his phone and wondered, *What is he looking at?*

Ever since he returned in the afternoon, Xu Dian had been working non-stop, as if trying to cram three days of work into one. As a result, the entire team was still in a meeting this late at night. No one dared to complain openly, but the group chat was flooded with complaints. Two executives had been banished to the basement by their wives, told to sleep with their computers.

A moment later, the people in the meeting heard the sound of a WeChat notification. Then, they saw Xu Dian raise his hand to pause the meeting, pick up his phone, and glance at it.

A few seconds later, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he said to the screen, “Alright, meeting adjourned.”

The executives: “…”

Was the meeting adjourned so abruptly?

Yan Xing thought for a moment, then cursed inwardly.

*Miss Meng has landed.*

*She’s in Licheng.*

No wonder Xu Dian had been staring at his phone all night, anxiously waiting while tormenting them!!

Good grief.

This is torture!

Yan Xing silently ended the video call.

Rubbing his dark circles, he didn’t know what to say. Having a boss like this must mean he had slaughtered a lot of pigs in the boss’s family in his past life.

Meng Ying arrived in Licheng at 9:30 AM. As soon as she turned on her phone, she saw several messages from Xu Dian.

Xu Dian: Another one?

Xu Dian: Are you there yet?

Xu Dian: Call me when you arrive.

Several messages. This guy. Meng Ying picked up her luggage and replied.

Meng Ying: I’m here.

It should be the middle of the night in Geneva, but surprisingly, he replied immediately.

Xu Dian: Good. I’ve sent someone to pick you up. License plate: A62888, at the arrival gate on the lower level.

Meng Ying: Okay.

After replying, she clicked into Liu Qin’s chat. Liu Qin had asked if she needed a ride. Meng Ying replied that it wasn’t necessary, as she had already spotted the black Hummer.

It was the same one Xu Dian often drove. She walked over, and the man behind the wheel glanced her way, a cigarette dangling from his lips. “Over here.”

Li Yi.

Meng Ying was momentarily stunned, but then he got out of the car, walked over, took her luggage, and placed it in the passenger seat. He opened the car door and said, a bit drowsily, “Get in.”

Meng Ying said, “Thanks for taking the trouble.”

Li Yi nodded, closed the door, and walked around to the driver’s seat. Meng Ying picked up her phone and called Meng Xiao to check on the situation.

The black Hummer started up. Li Yi leisurely smoked his cigarette, steering the wheel. Seeing that she had hung up, he said, “Congratulations. Xu Dian finally has someone to rein him in.”

Meng Ying put down her phone and glanced at him.

Meng Ying smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re doing a public service. We should be thanking you.”

Meng Ying: “…”

The car arrived at the Regional Tumor Hospital. The sun was high, and the words Hospital were written in blood-red letters. Seeing those words, Meng Ying suddenly felt a pang of fear.

She bid farewell to Li Yi, who lazily waved his hand, his short boots tapping the ground. “Xu Dian has already made the arrangements.”

“Okay.”

She carried her luggage and walked inside.

Fortunately, she had slept well on the plane and was in good spirits. She went up to the sixth floor, where Meng Xiao put down his phone and came over to take her luggage. “Brother-in-law arranged for the best director here. Mom has already had a lot of tests done this morning…”

After saying this, Meng Xiao realized he might have been too enthusiastic and hesitated, looking at Meng Ying cautiously. Meng Ying glanced at him. “Go on.”

Meng Xiao continued, “The surgery is scheduled for 2 PM.”

“Okay.”

The sixth-floor rooms were all suite-style, with two bedrooms and a living room. Pushing the door open, Meng Ying saw three doctors gathered around the hospital bed, and Meng Yulin stood nearby holding a cup of water.

On the bed, Chen Jiao looked pale, her hair disheveled as she leaned back, nodding repeatedly.

When someone falls ill, it strips away all their usual temperament. She looked pitiful, helpless, and unusually compliant.

At this moment, the doctors were her only hope, and even someone as stubborn as Chen Jiao had to listen to them.

After the three doctors left, Chen Jiao finally noticed Meng Ying. She hesitated for a moment and said, “You’re back?”

The ancients said that raising children is a safeguard for old age.

Chen Jiao had always believed this, seeing her son as her hope. But after this illness, she realized that Meng Xiao, aside from bringing her tea and water, couldn’t offer much help.

Instead, it was Meng Ying, her daughter, who could arrange for the best doctors and secure this suite for her. Chen Jiao’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Meng Yulin took Meng Ying’s luggage and asked, “Do you want to rest for a bit?”

After such a long flight, Meng Ying said, “No need. Once Mom’s surgery is done, I’ll go back home. How’s the food here at the hospital?”

Meng Xiao replied, “It’s really good. Three meals a day, all excellent. This suite even has a dedicated kitchen…”

“That’s good.” Meng Ying still didn’t speak directly to Chen Jiao. After sitting down, Meng Yulin added, “We originally didn’t plan to tell you. Liu Qin must have called you after finding out, right? We thought you were busy with your studies and didn’t want to trouble you.”

But they hadn’t expected that after Meng Ying found out, Xu Dian would arrange for them to stay in this suite and even switch out the doctors.

Meng Ying had planned to upgrade the room herself, but Xu Dian had beaten her to it. She said, “You should’ve told me about this. Otherwise, were you planning to just inform me of the final result?”

As she spoke, she glanced briefly at Chen Jiao.

It was surprising that Chen Jiao had been sick for so long without complaining to her. But then again, Chen Jiao only ever fought for Meng Xiao’s benefits. She rarely showed weakness to Meng Ying.

The mother and daughter still had little to say to each other.

There was no point forcing a conversation.

Meng Ying also had lunch in the hospital room, and it was indeed quite good. The patient’s nutrition was the most important thing. After lunch, Meng Ying rested for a bit. Liu Qin and Xiao Meng also came to the hospital. Xu Qing called Meng Ying, saying that if she needed anything, especially money, she should definitely ask.

After saying that, Xu Qing laughed, “Oh, I forgot you have a wealthy boyfriend now.”

Her good friend had actually taken a step back.

Thinking about it, Xu Qing was happy for Meng Ying, even though Xu Dian hadn’t been the best in the past.

The two had known each other for almost four years, and Meng Ying had turned to her for help before. While Xu Qing was happy for Meng Ying, she also felt a bit of loss.

Meng Ying still smiled and said thank you, and Xu Qing laughed as well.

Around 2 PM, it was time to prepare for the surgery. Chen Jiao changed into her hospital gown and was wheeled into the operating room. Meng Yulin held a thermos, nervously gripping it.

Meng Ying felt much calmer, likely because Xu Dian had made the best arrangements. Her heart was at ease.

She picked up her phone and typed a message.

**Meng Ying:** My mom just went into the operating room.

About half an hour later, Xu Dian called. Meng Ying, sitting on a bench, answered the phone. The man’s deep voice came through, “Don’t be nervous. I’ve arranged everything.”

“Song Ji is the best doctor. If you’re scared, go look up his successful cases.”

Meng Ying replied softly, “Okay.”

On the other end, Xu Dian flipped through some documents and glanced at the people in the conference room.

They were all staring at him, wide-eyed, before quickly lowering their heads and waiting quietly.

They were waiting for him to finish comforting his girlfriend so they could continue the meeting.

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