Chapter 381 380: Go Out With Me

'So that's how it is,' Mu Lin thought. 'Qiao Canhua must really dote on Madam Qiao.'

But on second thought, that didn't seem quite right either.

'Madam Qiao has been plagued by that strange illness for over half a year. How could she have been cooking?'

'Who knows?'

"Uncle!" He Zheng cried out.

"Didn't you see me standing right here? Why is everyone fawning over Mu Lin?!"

Qiao Canhua felt a headache coming on. He slowly walked over and gave He Zheng a gentle hug. "My dear, sweet girl, what are you doing here?"

He genuinely hadn't expected He Zheng to come.

He Zheng said, "Auntie brought me here. She said I had to come meet this Mu Lin character!"

'She was so jealous. What was so charming about Mu Lin that he had everyone completely mesmerized? What was all the fuss about?'

Mu Lin sighed. "Uncle Qiao, I'm heading out for a bit. I'll be back before dinner. I'm going to buy some restorative herbs for your wife."

"Can't you just have the servants buy them?"

Mu Lin replied, "I want to pick out some high-quality ones myself. Since Madam Qiao is cooking personally, I can't just be a freeloader."

Seeing Mu Lin's determination, Qiao Canhua knew he couldn't dissuade him, so he arranged for a car.

A while later, Mu Lin returned with the medicinal herbs.

It was just time for dinner. Madam Qiao was directing the servants as they brought out the dishes, watching nervously from the side.

When she saw Mu Lin had returned, she smiled. "Mu Lin, you're back just in time! Let's wash our hands and eat!"

Mu Lin smiled slightly, went into the kitchen for a moment, and then swiftly made his way to the dining table.

Madam Qiao's cooking was truly on par with a master chef from Celestial Phoenix. Every dish was so exquisite, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them works of art.

He Zheng took a deep breath, completely enraptured by the aroma.

"It smells amazing! I knew your cooking would be incredible, Auntie."

He Zheng immediately picked up a piece with her chopsticks and ate with a satisfied expression.

Madam Qiao smiled as she watched He Zheng eat.

But even though He Zheng looked like she was about to feast, she actually only ate a tiny amount.

This made Madam Qiao feel uneasy. "Zhengzheng, what's wrong? Has my cooking gotten worse? Does it not taste good?"

"That's not it!"

He Zheng quickly explained, "I'm just not very hungry right now, so I can't eat much!"

Madam Qiao recalled Mu Lin's diagnosis. "I'm afraid Mu Lin was right. You have a poor appetite. There's probably something wrong with your health."

"No!" He Zheng said firmly. She was terrified of being sick, and the more scared she was, the more she refused to admit it.

Mu Lin stood up, went to the kitchen, and came back out with a bowl of medicinal soup.

"Miss He, drink this."

He Zheng exclaimed, "No way! What is this stuff?"

Mu Lin said, "It's to treat your anorexia. If this continues, your digestive system will keep weakening, and your health will fail. By then, trying to recover will require far more than you can possibly imagine."

Madam Qiao now understood why Mu Lin had gone out, and she couldn't be happier. 'Mu Lin does have He Zheng in his heart after all.'

This was the outcome she had most hoped to see.

"Zhengzheng, hurry up and drink it. Don't be so stubborn. Mu Lin is a doctor; he won't get angry with you over something like this! But you, on the other hand, you need to think about your own health!"

He Zheng hesitated for another moment before closing her eyes and downing the entire bowl of medicine.

Not long after, He Zheng's stomach started to rumble.

Her digestive system had indeed started working, and her appetite was returning.

The GURGLE GURGLE sound made He Zheng's face flush red with embarrassment. A girl had to maintain her dignity, but how could she be dignified with her stomach making such noises?

Madam Qiao and Qiao Canhua exchanged a glance and both of them smiled.

After dinner, He Zheng said, "Auntie, I want to go out. Could you have Mu Lin come with me?"

Seeing He Zheng take the initiative, Madam Qiao was overjoyed, but she still said:

"I think that's a fine idea, but it's up to Mu Lin. You'll have to get him to agree."

He Zheng's eyes widened as she looked at Mu Lin. "Mu Lin, do you want to go out?"

'I'd much rather stay here and cultivate,' Mu Lin thought. 'Besides, this girl is so headstrong, I really don't know how to deal with her.'

'Maybe I should just say no?'

But He Zheng declared, "If you don't say anything, that means you agree!"

Then she grabbed hold of Mu Lin's arm.

Wha—

Mu Lin was speechless, but there was nothing he could do.

It was truly helpless. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to go. How helpless, how pathetic.

Madam Qiao and Qiao Canhua saw Mu Lin and He Zheng off. Only after the car they were in had driven away did Qiao Canhua ask:

"Are you trying to set Zhengzheng up with Mu Lin?"

Madam Qiao replied, "Of course. Don't you see how well-matched they are? They're about the same age, Zhengzheng is beautiful—what's not for Mu Lin to like?"

Qiao Canhua said, "You're being a bit of a wishful thinker. Our Zhengzheng has a rather capricious temper; she's capable of anything when she gets carried away. You have to remember, many people have their eyes on Mu Lin. Most of them want the girls of their younger generation to get close to him. Do you really think sending out our willful little terror will lead to any progress?"

Madam Qiao pouted. "But Zhengzheng is the only one we have to work with right now. If only we had a daughter of our own..."

Qiao Canhua added, "Still, Mu Lin values relationships. Even if we don't become in-laws, he generally won't refuse if we ask for his help, so we don't need to worry so much."

He might not have been entirely confident as he said this. For now, Mu Lin did indeed grant every request, but that wasn't guaranteed to last. Who knew what Mu Lin would be like in the future?

In the car, He Zheng kept her head down, lost in thought. Suddenly, she asked, "Mu Lin, what was that you gave me to drink earlier?"

Mu Lin replied, "Just some very common herbs. Including the gas and water, the cost was only a dollar or so. You don't need to pay me back."

He Zheng was speechless. 'Was that what I was asking about?' she thought.

Still, that soup, which cost less than two dollars, was truly effective. She hadn't had an appetite for almost a month, yet Mu Lin's remedy had helped quite a bit.

Mu Lin gazed out the window, thinking that if he hadn't agreed to go with He Zheng, he'd be in his room cultivating right now.

Seeing Mu Lin's indifferent expression, He Zheng grew angry. 'A girl like me has countless pursuers, so how can Mu Lin be so cold to me?'

'Are you a robot or something?'

"Why are you so cold? Do I owe you money or something?"

He Zheng said, "Okay, I was in the wrong earlier. How about I apologize to you?"

Mu Lin replied, "Fine. I'm listening. Go on, apologize."

He Zheng had thought she could press her advantage and force Mu Lin to back down.

She never expected that Mu Lin had no such intention; instead, he continued to press her, step by step.

"You're going too far! A man should be more magnanimous!"

Mu Lin just looked at He Zheng calmly, with no intention of backing down.

He Zheng sensed that Mu Lin might tell the driver to stop so he could get out and walk away. She quickly blurted out, "I'm sorry! I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden my condition, and I especially shouldn't have distrusted you! Your medicine is very effective!"

"Are you satisfied now?"

Mu Lin seemed satisfied enough.

He Zheng pouted, her patience worn thin.

"So... do I need to keep taking medicine? For my anorexia?"

Mu Lin chuckled dryly. "Didn't you say you weren't sick? Why take medicine if you're not sick?"

He Zheng retorted, "I already apologized! I was wrong earlier, I do have a problem!"

Mu Lin said, "You shouldn't hide your illness and avoid treatment. Just because you don't talk about it doesn't mean the problem will just go away. It will only get worse."

He Zheng was fuming. "Mu Lin, don't push it."

Mu Lin said coolly, "Give me your phone number. I'll send you the prescription, and you can buy the medicine at a pharmacy yourself. It's all cheap stuff like before, so it won't cost you much. You're a student, still living on your parents' money. I know it's not easy."

He Zheng was immediately displeased at the mention of her phone number. "Trying to trick me into giving you my number? In your dreams! Don't even think about harassing me!"

Mu Lin laughed. "Don't get the wrong idea. Among all the girls I know, your looks don't even rank in the top five. As for me pursuing you, you're overthinking things."

He Zheng's pride was deeply wounded, but she just assumed Mu Lin was bluffing.

"What are you talking about? I'm the campus belle of Di Yang University! The line of guys wanting to date me would stretch all the way off campus. What do you think?"