Invite Her Over

"Yesterday… you saved me?" The man's long and narrow eyes focused on Xiao Fan's face. Before she could reply, her phone rang, and it was a call from Xiao Bicheng.

She gestured to the man and walked to the side to answer the call. As soon as the call connected, Xiao Bicheng's voice, filled with suppressed anger, reached her ears. "Xiao Fan! You are doing this on purpose, right?"

"What?" Xiao Fan didn't understand.

Thinking that Xiao Fan was playing dumb, Xiao Bicheng almost roared, "Why are you pretending to be ignorant? Weren't you supposed to register your marriage with the Li family's young master today? Why didn't you show up? You made him wait for over two hours! Xiao Fan! If the Li family blames us for this, can you bear the responsibility?"

It was then that Xiao Fan remembered her appointment with Li Haojue to register their marriage.

Xiao Bicheng: "If you still want that ten percent of shares, you better find a way to resolve this matter for me!"

Xiao Fan: "Give me Li Haojue's number."

Xiao Bicheng quickly sent the phone number over.

"Did I cause you trouble?" The man on the hospital bed suddenly asked.

"Yes." She replied, turning around and taking out a stack of hospital bills from her bag. "These are your hospitalization and surgery fees for today. I paid for them. Remember to pay me back."

The man suddenly flashed a wicked smile. "What if I don't have the money to pay you back? How about offering myself as compensation?"

It had to be said that the man was good-looking, but she was way past the age of being infatuated. She looked at him indifferently and said, "I'm not interested in you. I only want money." With that, she quickly left the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Xiao Fan dialed Li Haojue's phone number. The call went through, but he didn't answer. It was already noon, and the Civil Affairs Bureau staff were probably on their lunch break. If she wanted to proceed with the marriage registration, she would have to wait until they resumed work in the afternoon.

Xiao Fan ended the call and sent a text message to Li Haojue: "I'm sorry, something urgent happened causing me to be late. My apology for making you wait for over two hours. I'm very sorry. The Civil Affairs Bureau opens at two in the afternoon. If it's convenient for you, could you please come again? I'll be waiting here in advance."

She couldn't avoid this marriage. The ten percent of shares was too crucial for her to give up. However, she wasn't sure if Li Haojue would come after receiving her message. The sent message remained unanswered. All she could do was wait.

At two in the afternoon, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Xiao Fan could have waited inside the lobby, but she wasn't certain that Li Haojue would leave if he didn't see her waiting at the entrance. So… she stood in the rain, quietly waiting.

Before long, the drizzle turned into a steady rain. She checked the time; it was already 2:30 p.m., and Li Haojue was nowhere to be seen. She refrained from sending more messages, stubbornly stood in the rain, and waited.

What she didn't know was that Li Haojue was sitting on the first floor of a restaurant across from the Civil Affairs Bureau, watching her. The rain soaked her clothes, and her hair clung to her face in wet strands in a sorry state, but her eyes remained bright, like those of a determined little beast.

Li Haojue: "Go, invite her over."

The driver beside him hesitated, "Young Master, you mentioned she should wait for two hours, but it's only been 32 minutes…"

Li Haojue lightly tapped his fingers on the table, "Leaving a lady waiting in the rain is not the conduct of a gentleman."

Driver: "…"

The driver hurried over to Xiao Fan. He extended his hand and said, "Miss Xiao, I'm the young master's driver. He asked me to invite you over to the restaurant across the street."

She couldn't help but glance at the restaurant opposite. So, he had been here all along?

She followed the driver into the restaurant's first floor. Li Haojue was leisurely sipping tea by the window. When he saw her approaching, he only cast a casual glance in her direction.

Xiao Fan knew that young masters from prestigious families often had bad tempers. Particularly Li Haojue, due to his health condition and his peculiar personality, was not easy to handle. She took the initiative to approach him and apologize once again, "First Young Master Li, I'm sorry. It's all my fault today…"

Li Haojue interrupted: "I didn't wait here to hear apologies."

Xiao Fan looked up in confusion.

Li Haojue extended his hand, and the driver respectfully handed over a stack of photographs, placing them in front of her. She lowered her head to look at them. The photos showed the incident from earlier that morning when she had taken the injured man to the hospital. The pictures didn't capture the man's face, but just by looking at his back, it was clear that he was a young man.