Huo Yao nodded politely and greeted him. ‘Hi, Old Mr. Pei.”
Old Mr. Pei waved his hand and gestured for her to take a seat. He poured her some tea and they proceeded to catch up.
Thanks to his second son, Pei Feng, Old Mr. Pei did not have the cheek to reach out to Huo Yao earlier.
“Old Mr. Pei, are you in town to see a patient?” Huo Yao continued treating the man with reverence. She clearly did not take the incident to heart.
He nodded and replied candidly. “That’s right. My patient is staying at First People’s Hospital. Since the guy’s suffering from a rare condition, I was invited to help.”
Huo Yao rubbed her teacup gently while she held it. She smiled and said, “After all, you’re a highly reputable physician.”
Old Mr. Pei laughed uncontrollably. He shook his head and sighed. “Compared to what you can accomplish, my skills are a child’s play.”
Huo Yao was a brilliant physician. Unfortunately, the Pei family had no right to seek her guidance now.
Old Mr. Pei could not help feeling regretful.
Huo Yao looked at him and simply said, “You’re too kind.”
Old Mr. Pei’s phone rang halfway through their conversation.
It was a call from Pei Rong.
Before long, he answered the phone. After exchanging a few words, he hung up the phone.
Old Mr. Pei narrowed his eyes before putting away his phone. He continued chatting with Huo Yao. “Oh yes. How’s Young Master Min’s health doing off late?”
The moment he brought up Min Yu, Huo Yao recalled that she had not heard back from Min Yu ever since she texted him in the afternoon. She paused before she replied to Old Mr. Pei. “Not bad.”
She wondered where Min Yu had gone.
Huo Yao contemplated briefly before retrieving her phone from her pocket. After checking it, she confirmed she did not have a single missed call or any new text messages from him.
What was going on? Why were the people around her so busy? Shangguan Yu was unable to receive her text messages. Now, she was having trouble reaching Min Yu as well.
*
Old Mr. Pei took a call as he sat by the table after dinner. Huo Yao could tell something was amiss judging from the expression on his face. She did not continue chatting and quickly asked for the cheque.
After leaving the restaurant, Huo Yao was about to flag a cab when she saw Pei Rong standing at the entrance. He was here to pick up his father.
Old Mr. Pei hesitated briefly before he turned to say to Huo Yao. “Where’s your place? Shall I give you a ride?”
Pei Rong looked at Huo Yao as he stood by the side. She looked cold and distant as usual. He chimed in. “That’s right. Since I’m driving, we can give you a ride.”
Huo Yao stood with her hands in her coat pocket. The cool night wind left the hair by the side of her head slightly scattered. She glanced at Pei Rong coolly and said tactfully, “No, thanks. I’m good.”
Huo Yao nodded to Old Mr. Pei without speaking further. She proceeded to walk towards the roadside, looking aloof.
Pei Rong narrowed his eyes. The young woman was as cold as ever.
Old Mr. Pei veered his eyes and failed to notice the expression on his eldest son’s face. He simply said, “Let’s go.”
Before long, they got into the car.
As Pei Rong started the engine and drove away from the restaurant, he looked into the rearview mirror. “Do you two talk much? Are you still close?”
Old Mr. Pei paused briefly before he answered mildly. “Not really. We haven’t met in ages, so we decided to catch up today since I was in town.”
Pei Rong held onto his steering wheel as he contemplated. He did not expose his father for pretending that he was not close to Huo Yao. He simply said, “I recall you used to sell her Chinese herbs at a good price and had asked her to teach Feng about Chinese medicine.”
Old Mr. Pei frowned. He did not expect his son to have the cheek to bring this up.
