Chapter 81: My stomach is weak, so I can only eat soft rice!
"Lin Mu, how come you’re here too?"
A pleasantly surprised voice rang out as a figure suddenly ran over.
Qin Yan?
Lin Mu’s brows furrowed. He hadn’t expected Qin Yan to be here.
She wore an off-the-shoulder evening gown and smelled faintly of alcohol. She must have just come from a party where she had quite a bit to drink. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, and she didn’t try to hide her delight at seeing Lin Mu.
Then, a hint of grievance crossed Qin Yan’s face as she huffed, "Luo Li told you I was here, didn’t she? I really thought you weren’t coming."
Lin Mu was taken aback. She really has quite an imagination.
"Qin Yan, who is this..."
Just as they were speaking, several young men and women who clearly came from prominent backgrounds walked over. The one who spoke was a young man in a red suit with a faint smile on his face.
"Qin Yan, is this your boyfriend? He’s quite handsome," a petite girl giggled, her gaze toward Qin Yan filled with playful innuendo.
"Jiaojiao, what nonsense are you talking about?" Qin Yan’s face turned red as she said to Lin Mu, "Don’t mind her. My friend likes to joke around."
"Still denying it? You’re blushing," the girl named Jiaojiao teased, not letting her off the hook.
Everyone looked at Qin Yan and saw that her cheeks were indeed tinged with red. Paired with her evening gown, it made her look even more beautiful.
The smile on the red-suited man’s face remained, but his gaze toward Lin Mu had turned cold.
"Hello, my name is Su Ming," the young man said, extending his hand to Lin Mu with a warm smile. "I’m a... good friend of Qin Yan’s."
Lin Mu acted as if he hadn’t seen the hand and spoke directly to Qin Yan. "Cousin, you all have fun. I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving first."
Lin Mu’s reaction surprised everyone.
How could he be so disrespectful?
Su Ming’s expression darkened.
"You’re Qin Yan’s cousin?" Jiaojiao asked, surprised. "But your surname isn’t Qin."
"Just because he doesn’t have the surname Qin means he can’t call me cousin?" Qin Yan retorted. "Honestly, you guys."
She shot Lin Mu a look, secretly blaming him for revealing their relationship. But Lin Mu feigned ignorance.
Jiaojiao chuckled. "Hello, I’m Jiaojiao, Qin Yan’s colleague and best friend."
"Mm, hello." Lin Mu nodded, his gaze shifting toward a certain direction. Because of Qin Yan’s interruption, the man he’d been watching had long since disappeared.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way. Enjoy yourselves," Lin Mu said, preparing to leave.
"Hey, since we ran into each other, why not hang out? Besides, you can take Qin Yan home later," Jiaojiao said with a smile, glancing at Su Ming before turning back to Lin Mu.
Su Ming smiled, appearing considerate. "Since the gentleman is busy, we shouldn’t keep him. It’s not right to hold someone up. I can take Qin Yan home later. What do you say, Qin Yan?"
Ignoring Su Ming, Qin Yan looked at Lin Mu with pleading eyes. "Lin Mu, you’ll take me home later, alright? It’s settled."
Lin Mu could see that Su Ming was interested in Qin Yan, but she clearly had no feelings for him and was using him as a shield.
"Alright, alright, it’s settled then," Jiaojiao said, grabbing Lin Mu’s arm. "You’re not going to make Qin Yan go home by herself later, are you? That wouldn’t be safe."
At her words, a dark look flashed through Su Ming’s eyes. This damned woman, ruining my plans!
"Jiaojiao, he has hands and feet. He doesn’t need your help," a young man in their group said, clearly unhappy that Jiaojiao was holding onto Lin Mu.
"Mind your own business!" Jiaojiao, ever direct, snapped back, making the young man’s face turn ugly.
"Okay, let’s find a place to drink," Qin Yan said, playing the peacemaker as she led the group to find a table.
"By the way, Doctor Su, I hear you know the manager here. Could you ask if there’s a private room? It’s too noisy out here," said a girl with an acne-covered face.
They all worked at the hospital and rarely came to places like this, so they weren’t used to the noise.
"Oh, why go to all that trouble?" Jiaojiao pouted. "We rarely get to go out, so why hide away in a private room? That’s no fun. If we stay in the main hall, we can dance later. Right, Qin Yan?"
"I don’t mind either way." Qin Yan glanced at Lin Mu. "What about you, Lin Mu?"
"Hey, Doctor Su is treating us tonight, so we should obviously follow his arrangements," the girl with acne said pointedly.
"Liping, what’s your problem? Do you think I can’t afford it?" Jiaojiao retorted coldly. She came from a wealthy family and earned a good salary, so she naturally took offense to such comments.
"You..." Liping was left speechless, glaring resentfully at Jiaojiao.
"Alright, everyone, stop arguing. Let’s just hang out in the main hall," Su Ming said, stepping in. "There’s a table over there. Let’s go."
The group found a table, ordered drinks, and started chatting.
Threatened by several glares from Qin Yan and physically pulled along by Jiaojiao, Lin Mu had no choice but to follow.
Once the drinks arrived, everyone raised their glasses, looking to Su Ming to give a toast.
Su Ming smiled. "We’re all colleagues and friends here. Since it’s a rare night out, let’s skip the boring meeting formalities."
As he spoke, he glanced at Lin Mu with a triumphant air. At the hospital, he held a fairly high position and had to give a speech at every meeting.
"Doctor Su is right! Cheers!" Liping said, buttering him up. Then she suddenly asked, "By the way, Dr. Qin, what does your cousin do for a living?"
"Him?" Qin Yan paused, a little embarrassed.
To be honest, she didn’t really know what Lin Mu did. She had only heard that he was a Martial Arts Grandmaster with medical skills even more impressive than Master Sun’s.
"Don’t tell me he’s unemployed?" Liping said with a smirk. "You look about our age. Why aren’t you thinking about getting a job? It’s not good to be mooching off your parents at your age."
Before Lin Mu could speak, Jiaojiao jumped in. "Maybe his family is so rich he doesn’t need to work. Right, Lin Mu?"
She winked at him. Now that she knew Lin Mu was Qin Yan’s cousin, she felt relieved.
Lin Mu gave a wry smile. "You’re right."
This girl, Jiaojiao, is way too familiar, Lin Mu thought, starting to regret that he had stayed.
"Look at you, thinking you know everything," Liping shot back at Jiaojiao with a glare. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Even if his family has money, a man has to work hard. Girls these days don’t like good-for-nothings. Then again, not everyone can be like Doctor Su."
Liping’s words were a clear attempt to belittle Lin Mu while praising Su Ming.
Qin Yan’s expression turned grim.
Lin Mu, however, remained unfazed. "You’re not wrong," he said calmly. "But my cousin says I have a weak stomach and am only fit to be a kept man."
"That’s why my wife doesn’t let me work."