Chapter 239: A faint sigh

Ning Lingyu jumped like a frightened rabbit when her mother suddenly appeared at the doorway. She let go of Ling Yun's arm immediately and tried to suppress the telltale shades of red in her cheeks. But alas, it only had the opposite effect. Instead, she turned her head towards the window, pretending to appreciate the sea.

Ling Yun wasn't surprised. He knew that Qin Qiuyue was coming upstairs, so when Qin Qiuyue appeared at the doorway, he turned around, smiling naturally. He asked, "Mum, you're all done now?"

Qin Qiuyue's gaze broadly swept through the scene before her, landing first on Ning Lingyu and then on Ling Yun. "Ling Yun, didn't you also buy a mansion in the Qingxi area? Do you want Mom to help you tidy it up?"

"Mum, you don't need to worry about me. I can handle my own stuff. I will be content as long as you enjoy your life here."

No matter how hard Ling Yun looked, he could not see anything different about Qin Qiuyue from ordinary people. Other than her stunning beauty and elegant aura, there was nothing else special about her.

Then again, what was with the long, narrow box? Ling Yun thought hard, but he could not solve the puzzle.

Since Qin Qiuyue was rejected by Ling Yun, she moved onto the next topic. "How are things going on with your clinic?"

Ling Yun smiled. He had just been preparing to head to the clinic. "Mum, I got the place. It is at the crossroad of Qingxi Road and Gufeng Road on the northeast corner. I am getting people to decorate it currently. It should be open for business soon."

Qin Qiuyue gave a light nod again. She suddenly cautioned, "Ling Yun, of course one of the objectives of opening a clinic is to make money, but if there are people who are not able to afford it, you should still do your best to help them."

Ling Yun replied to Qin Qiuyue submissively, "Mum, I understand. A doctor has to have the heart of a parent to heal the wounded and weak."

Ling Yun's prompt reply gave Qin Qiuyue confidence. Pleased, she said, "That is good. I'm relieved."

"However," Qin Qiuyue exhorted immediately after, "Your busy schedule should not affect your studies. Your teacher-in-charge, Ms. Kong, has been very worried about your studies since two years ago. You have to remember to respect others. Do make sure to thank her for me, will you?"

Ling Yun started to sweat profusely. "Yes I will."

Keen to change the topic in case Qin Qiuyue said something else, Ling Yun offered, "Mum, please give me your bank account number. I will transfer some money to you."

Qin Qiuyue was heartened, but refused, "My dear Ling Yun, I'm very happy with your intentions, but I don't need any money from you. If you really want to, just transfer a small amount to your sister."

Ling Yun turned towards Ning Lingyu and said "Lingyu, give me your account number, I will transfer it to you in a bit..."

Ning Lingyu did not turn back to face Ling Yun as the heat in her face had yet to dissipate. She was lucky that she had an excellent memory and proceeded to give her number to Ling Yun with her back still towards him.

If Ning Lingyu's memory was excellent, then Ling Yun's memory was godlike. It was burned into his mind within seconds of hearing it. He smiled and said, "Alright, I will transfer it to you now."

Ling Yun looked back at Qin Qiuyue and said, "Mum, erm... I would like to head to the clinic to take a look so I won't be joining you two for lunch."

Qin Qiuyue gave Ling Yun a look and gently reprimanded him, "You're doing this the moment you become busy? Well, I guess there's no choice—you should not delay important things. Go along now. However, you have to come home for dinner tonight for Qing Ming Festival. [1. Qing Ming can also mean Tomb-sweeping Day]."

"Ok!" Ling Yun agreed as he bid Qin Qiuyue and Ning Lingyu goodbye before walking out of Ning Lingyu's bedroom.

"Tie Xiaohu, give me the prepaid gas card."

Ling Yun took the card, headed upstairs to Ning Lingyu's room again, and handed Qin Qiuyue the card. "Mum, this is a prepaid gas card. Just swipe it when you need more fuel for the car."

Qin Qiuyue laughed heartily and chided Ling Yun, "My dear Ling Yun, did you really need to come upstairs again? Couldn't you have given it to me at dinner?"

"I'm afraid that I will forget about it if I'm busy. Well then, Mum, I will get going now." Ling Yun smiled awkwardly.

Qin Qiuyue said, "We have troubled your two friends quite a bit today. Do buy them a good lunch to thank them for your mother."

Ling Yun grunted in agreement, went downstairs, and headed out.

Qin Qiuyue's gaze followed Ling Yun as he went downstairs before turning toward her daughter who had been pretending to appreciate the scenery. The look in her eyes had changed and her thoughts became complicated. Qin Qiuyue opened her mouth to say something only to swallow a faint sigh in her heart.

...

Outside the mansion, Tang Meng and Tie Xiaohu stood side by side along the outdoor pool, staring in awe at the huge body of water that spanned nearly one thousand square meters.

"This swimming pool is really big. How do you think they constructed it on such high terrain?" Tang Meng asked Tie Xiaohu.

He had this question because this place was more than a dozen meters above sea level.

"What use is there in asking me? I am not an architect." Tie Xiaohu growled at Tang Meng.

That did not stop Tang Meng who continued, "Do you want to bet with me whether the pool is saltwater or freshwater?"

Tie Xiaohu was irked by such a stupid question. He glared and said, "Shall I kick you in and let you find out for yourself?"

Tang Meng gave Tie Xiaohu a disdainful look and zipped his mouth shut. However, he could not help but secretly think of Tie Xiaohu as rigid and anti-fun.

Ling Yun appeared from the mansion and called out to them, "Let's go!"

Tang Meng refused to drive his own Hummer as he threw his car keys to Tie Xiaohu and grabbed the driver's seat in the Land Rover. All three of them got into the two luxurious cars.

Ling Yun obviously chose the passenger seat of the Land Rover as he commanded Tang Meng, "Take us back to the clinic."

Both Hummer and Land Rover started their engines as they left the mansion. Soon after, they made their way out of the Qingshui Bay Mansions.

The Qingshui Bay Mansions were about 30 kilometers north of Qingshui City near the sea while Gufeng Road was on the west side of the Qingshui City. Therefore, they did not go into the city, but took Ring Road One towards the west to the most northern part of Gufeng Road. They followed Gufeng Road west to reach the clinic after forty minutes.

During the drive, Ling Yun focused on understanding how the gambling event went from Tang Meng. Tang Meng said that Xie Junyan and Gou Junfa had not gotten back to him yet, so they could only wait for the time being.

Ling Yun gently reminded Tang Meng of his mission to fill up the mansion.

The clinic was already in good condition when they obtained it. Only a few minor additions like a few partitions and glass doors were required on the first floor. The main focus of the renovation was on the second floor.

Ling Yun was the first to go in. He glanced around the first floor at the unfinished touches and liked what he saw.

Yao Rou was was monitoring the work with her beautiful hair tied back in a snow white shirt, light-blue slim-cut jeans, and a pair of black high heels.

She quickly turned as she sensed someone entering through the door. Her radiant smile enhanced her beauty as she approached Ling Yun.

"You made it!"

Ling Yun laughed as he hugged Yao Rou's slender waist, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad for a morning's work. It's already looking like a clinic."

Yao Rou smiled demurely. Her heart filled with happiness from Ling Yun's praise.

"Mr. Wang insisted on paying for all the renovations for both the first and second floor..." Yao Rou whispered to Ling Yun.

Gratitude flashed through Ling Yun's eyes as he replied, "In that case, then let us accept his graciousness. He has already given us this shop that is worth 10 million yuan, so if we were to reject this, we would come across as pretentious."

Since women were usually more attentive to details, when Yao Rou heard Ling Yun say "us", her heart filled with joy. She felt rewarded for all the hard work and worries over the last few days.

"Let's take a break and have lunch. It is almost 12!" Ling Yun squeezed Yao Rou's slender waist and pulled her out.

Yao Rou tried in vain to break away from Ling Yun, protesting anxiously, "B-But there are still so many workers here and so many materials lying around..."

Ling Yun laughed. "It is ok. Regardless of how busy you are, you still need to eat. I don't believe anyone will steal the shop away while we are at lunch!"

They reached the outside of the clinic with an unsettled Yao Rou still looking anxiously over her shoulders with every step.

Tang Meng felt uneasy seeing how the pair left the clinic, so he went back in to say a few words to the person in charge before rejoining them.

"How much of the ¥340,000 from Qingyun Productions do we have left?" Ling Yun asked Tie Xiaohu.

"There is still about 270,000 left with Tang Meng..." answered Tie Xiaohu immediately.

Ling Yun frowned. "Why are we missing 70,000?"

"Big Brother Yun, have you forgotten? You took 70,000 and gave Lingyu 60,000 the day before." Tie Xiaohu reminded Ling Yun softly.

Embarrassed, Ling Yun scratched his head and grinned. "Anything is good when you are rich, except that you forget what you spend your money on!"

Ling Yun was just beginning to realize the importance Zhuang Meifeng's role as a Financial Actuary and Certified Public Accountant.

Ling Yun's skin was as thick as the city wall. He dismissed these thoughts immediately and told Tang Meng, "Go to the bank with Sister Rou later and transfer the rest of the 270,000 to her."

Tang Meng agreed with a cackle.

Yao Rou stomped her feet in protest. "Why are you giving me so much money? I don't need it!"

Ling Yun leaned in close to Yao Rou as he whispered into her ear, his hot breath brushing against her skin, "Don't we need money for stuff on the second floor? If I come by, you wouldn't have the heart to make me sleep on the floor, right?"

Yao Rou's resistance immediately melted and left the arrangements to Ling Yun.

Ling Yun stood tall and said, "We need to head to the bank first. Where is the nearest ICBC branch?"