"Brother Yun!" Little Yan cried out happily as he saw Li Yun approaching. The little boy had seen him earlier, but in a stupor state. It was the fifth and final day of the treatment, and Little Yan felt like he could run and jump around like a normal kid.
"Hey, you seem better now," Li Yun patted the boy messy head.
"Does that mean you're leaving?" Little Yan was sad to see a friend leave.
"Probably, why? Don't you have a close friend?" asked Li Yun.
"My friend stopped visiting me lately, so I am a bit sad," Little Yan replied.
Little Yan didn't play much with his cousins and he had been too sickly to attend school and make friends. It was likely that it was an imaginary friend.
"It's probably because you're feeling better now,” Li Yun explained. “Soon, you will have other friends to play with. He also wants to make new friends to play with, so he has to go away. You don't want him to think you don't have any friends when he comes back?"
Little Yan shook his head, "Can you be my friend?"
"Aren't we already friends?"
Little Yan smiled, "How about a daddy?"
The nurse and Xia Guiying felt a bit awkward about the question.
"Uh, Little Yan, isn't mother enough?" Xia Guiying asked.
"The only way I'll be your father is if you end up marrying my daughter," Li Yun chimed in.
Xiao Yan brightened up. "All right, when I grow up, I'll marry your daughter," Xiao Yan declared.
"Good luck with that," Li Yun truthfully responded, if he had a daughter, she was likely to be a handful if she was anything like Rouxi.
After speaking with Little Yan, Li Yun and Xia Guiying walked out to the hallway. She thanked him again and apologized for anything Little Yan may say that was too personal. She was aware from what her staff told her that Li Yun arrived in Imperial City with his girlfriend.
"It's not a problem, he's honest with what he's saying," Li Yun said.
"Is his imaginary friend really gone?"
"He's becoming more aware that his friend doesn't exist, and having him disappear means that he is moving on to the next stage of his life. At this point in his life, it will be good to introduce him to new playmates to develop more communication skills and create interpersonal relationships."
Li Yun was pretty sure he had one too, but he couldn't remember that far back in his memories. At that moment, the elevator door opened and Rouxi approached them. Rouxi had mainly been staying in the room and vlogging from there.
"Meilin?" Xia Guiying asked as she saw her.
"Hi Sister Guiying," Rouxi greeted her.
"Ah, so you're the friend staying here with Doctor Li," Xia Guiying was a bit surprised that they were dating. “Little Yan said he saw a little fairy by Doctor Li.”
Rouxi frowned, she wasn’t that short, “I shouldn’t have given him cookies.”
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“Are you going to visit your parents?” Xia Guiying asked.
Song Meilin's history wasn't particularly a secret. It wasn't discussed in public, but everyone assumed that Song Meilin was Song Gaode's daughter with a woman he had a relationship with in high school. They chatted briefly, but Xia Guiying didn't pry much when she realized that they were about to head out. She wished them well and returned to Little Yan's room.
****
Unbeknownst to them, Xia Mixa, had received a picture with all of them from her spy. She was shocked to see Rouxi back in Imperial City and quickly messaged her spy to take a closer picture of Li Yun and Song Meilin together. Within a few pictures, Xia Mixa updated everyone on her OurChat.
XiaMixa: Young miss of Song family dating a surgeon, thought she would have better taste.
*Post picture*
TangRi: scream / shock / fear emoji" iPad Case & Skin by LORRAUN | Redbubble [https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.850710094.0666/flat,750x1000,075,f.u6.jpg] +13
SongYue: she always has terrible taste from what I have heard, this is actually a step up.
ChenAhRou: your cousin definitely get around
LongHuaLi: She gets around, but wasn't Brother Jiang after her at one point?
TangRi: I still don't understand why my brother even likes her. Brother Jiang is the most outstanding out of everyone in our generation, but uncle was adamant about pairing him up with her. It would be a waste.
XiaMiXa: Ahem! My Lihou isn't too far below Tang Jiang.
LongSuah: Popcorn eating emoticon : Emoticons @ emofaces.com [http://www.emofaces.com/png/200/emoticons/popcorneating.png]
SongYue: Where is Meilin? I thought she decided to stay in that small town.
XiaMiXa: They were at my hospital dealing with patients, but they are about to leave.
ChenAhRou: How bothersome.
The 3rd generation of the upper echelon was a small crowd, and the news spread fast that the new stepdaughter of the Song's family was dating a commoner, a surgeon. To many people, dating a surgeon was quite an accomplishment as their salary was 900k yuan a year. However, for the upper echelon of China who regularly receives 900k a month as an allowance, 900k was nothing. They were wealthy simply by being sons and daughters of wealthy clans.
****
Li Yun and Rouxi walked through an open flea market filled with antiques. The last time Li Yun was in Imperial City, it was mainly for work. He didn't know anyone, so he returned immediately after completing his work. But since Rouxi was here, he was planning to tour the city with her.
Rouxi came to the city at sixteen. She knew the city better than Magic City, but not by much. Despite getting lost a couple of times, she was able to retell stories of the ancient cities, the rise, and fall of different civilizations. She didn't say much when they were in Magic City, most likely to prevent him from making a connection that she was still studying at the university and knew his cousin.
"How much did Little Ling talk to you about me?" Li Yun asked.
"Just a bit, about how you often played with Bufu and Fatty in the courtyard, and how her brother used to be your babysitter," she replied. "Do you know, I think she likes Bufu?"
Li Yun shrugged. "He's my friend, but not the best in a relationship."
Rouxi nodded. "Have you ever seen them together?"
Li Yun wondered. He had seen them together once during his second year, but after that, they never seem to appear together. Li Yun knew she had a crush on Bufu and that Wu Bin had likely warned her to stay away.
"Didn't you notice them avoiding each other at our gathering?" Rouxi asked. She knew Wu Ling didn't like Bufu that much, but she didn't think he would avoid her either.
"He didn't mention any girlfriend during our reunion,” Li Yun commented.
Li Yun thought about it, Bufu hadn't had a girlfriend in a while, which was odd for a guy who couldn't stand to be alone. Bufu never gave away any indication that he thought of Wu Ling any differently. But then again, Li Yun had to be cautious about Bufu. Out of all his friends, Fatty Fang and Bufu had known him the longest. But Fatty Fang's head was simple. Bufu, on the other hand, knew Li Yun well enough that he could fool even him.
Li Yun shrugged. Not his issue. Relationships were best left to the people involved. "Aren't you going to help me find presents for your step-parents?"
She nodded.
They walked around the market and eventually chose a gourd filled with wine for her step-father and a hair clip for her step-mother.