Wan Donglin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
No wonder he’d co ho to find Lady Daqing peering at various floating particles and dust motes through a microscope. He felt a pang of guilt. He spoke softly to his mother, "It’s all my fault, Mom."
"Why would you bla yourself?"
"If it weren’t for my being held up, you wouldn’t have had to stay here for so long. We’ve grown accustod to this terrible air quality, but how can you bear it?"
She had long been accustod to the lush green mountains, clear waters, blue skies, and white clouds of life abroad. For an elderly woman like her, with a chronic respiratory system disease, to suddenly switch to this city perpetually shrouded in heavy smog—it would be a miracle if she didn’t collapse.
"Mom, you should go back tomorrow."
Liu Daqing dismissed the notion. "It’s just a minor ailnt. Even when I was abroad, it would flare up occasionally. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, I lived here for decades before!"
"But the air wasn’t like this all those decades ago."
"Don’t worry, it’s just a process of adaptation. Human adaptability is more astounding than you might imagine."
Wan Donglin breathed a slight sigh of relief.
She suddenly asked, "Donglin, why did you co running over? It’s just this minor issue, nothing serious. Who told you?"
Wan Donglin gave a wry smile. "The Boss called and told you’d fainted and were rushed to the hospital. Tell , how could I not be terrified? Lady Daqing, doing that was truly inhumane! My soul nearly flew out of my body..."
Liu Daqing stared at her son’s perplexed expression, then glanced at Yan Xixi, who was lingering by the doorway. A mother knows her son best... She inwardly exclaid, practically breaking out in a cold sweat.
Could it be... what she was thinking?
Wan Donglin waved her over. "Xixi, why are you just standing at the door? Co in."
There had been a large group of people earlier, presumably relatives and friends of the Wan Family. Yan Xixi hadn’t dared to enter rashly, so she’d used the excuse of needing the restroom to hide away. Only after everyone had left did she re-enter. Looking a little uneasy, she quietly walked over to Liu Daqing’s bed and asked softly, "Are you feeling better?"
Liu Daqing observed her expression carefully. Yan Xixi’s cheeks were flushed an even deeper red than her son’s, making her look even more flustered. She instantly knew in her heart, with about 70-80% certainty, what was going on.
A lone young man and a lone young woman, together in the middle of the night, both blushing furiously...
How utterly ridiculous!
But she couldn’t laugh. She maintained a straight face and said, "This Empress is quite alright."
Yan Xixi was startled for a mont, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing with a "PFFT!"
Wan Donglin also roared with laughter.
Liu Daqing acted as if nothing were amiss. "I heard you call the Empress Dowager behind my back, eh? So, I had no choice but to refer to myself as ’This Empress,’ right? Oh wait, that’s not right... should I be using the term for a reigning empress, or ’This Empress’? It’s been so long since I’ve watched any historical dramas, I can’t even tell them apart anymore... Oh well, let’s just stick with ’This Empress’."
"Haha! Mom, you can call yourself whatever you please. It wouldn’t matter even if you started referring to yourself as ’The Solitary Ruler’!"
Yan Xixi shot Wan Donglin a fierce glare. She knew it! This guy just loved to gossip and snitch on people behind their backs. However, that one laugh instantly dispelled the awkward atmosphere. Her deanor relaxed considerably, and she no longer seed so timid and hesitant.
"Xixi, pour a glass of water."
Yan Xixi imdiately poured a glass of water and handed it to her.
Only after Liu Daqing accepted the glass did she ask, "How are your exam preparations coming along?"
"They’re okay."
"What do you an, ’they’re okay’? What is your progress on each section?"
Yan Xixi had initially assud Liu Daqing was just asking casually, making polite conversation. She hadn’t expected such aggressive questioning. When Liu Daqing fired off several questions about the specialized exams, Yan Xixi found herself struggling to keep up. She no longer dared to be perfunctory and honestly reported her entire review progress.
Liu Daqing listened intently. Only after Yan Xixi had finished speaking, and Liu Daqing was satisfied that she hadn’t been slacking off, did she finally nod.
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