Chapter 160 - 159: Get to the Point

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Get to the Point

Around 8:30 in the evening, Gu Qingning pushed open the bedroom door and saw Yu Zhiming playing the erhu.

"You’re playing the erhu instead of reading? What a rare sight!"

Yu Zhiming ignored her, concentrating on playing a complete rendition of "Xiao Ao Jiang Hu."

He stood, hung the erhu on the wall, and turned to Gu Qingning, who was sitting on the bed. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Need something?"

Gu Qingning shook her head. "Nothing, just doing my routine check-in on you."

"I’m back, so I have to say hello to the master of the house. It’s just basic courtesy."

Yu Zhiming scoffed, then suddenly noticed her forearms were a bit tanner.

"You’re running all over the place with Xiaobo all day. Didn’t you put on any sunscreen?"

Gu Qingning looked down at her hands and forearms, saying with a gloomy expression, "I’ve forgotten for the past two days."

"Sigh... I visited a few construction sites today. At lunchtime, I saw a worker who was just eating a flatbread with some pickles."

"They earn three to five hundred yuan a day, yet they’re not willing to spend ten or twenty on a boxed lunch."

"Xiaobo told me that being so frugal with food and clothing is very common among migrant workers."

Yu Zhiming grunted in agreement. "He has a family to support. No matter how capable he is, he can only make ten or twenty thousand a month, and he can do that kind of work for thirty years at most."

"In those thirty years, he has to earn enough for his family’s food and medical bills, his and his wife’s retirement funds, and his children’s education, house, car, and marriage expenses."

"With all those expenses, do you think he dares to splurge on food and drink?"

Gu Qingning nodded lightly. "That’s what Xiaobo said, too."

"Xiaobo also said the only reason he dares to strike out on his own now is because you’ve become successful. You’re the family’s safety net."

"Even if he fails, it won’t be a big deal."

"If your eyes hadn’t recovered and you were still stuck back in our hometown, he would never have dared to try and start a business. He couldn’t afford to fail, with the whole family counting on him."

Yu Zhiming was taken aback for a moment, then sighed softly. "That kid is always goofing around and never seems serious. I never realized he had so much on his mind."

Gu Qingning chuckled. "It’s probably because of your eldest sister. When he was little, she must have drilled into him that besides supporting his parents and grandparents, he also had to support you, his youngest uncle."

Yu Zhiming let out a dry laugh. "Even if my eyes had never gotten better, I wouldn’t have needed that kid to support me."

"I could have supported myself just by playing the erhu!"

He looked at Gu Qingning and asked with a smile, "So, Miss Rich Girl, after a few days experiencing the life of the common folk, have you had some kind of philosophical breakthrough?"

Gu Qingning shot him a glare.

After a moment of silence, her expression softened with sympathy. "Xiaobo also told me a lot about you."

"He said that when he and Xiaoxue were kids, bullies would pick on them, and you’d always stand up for them. You’d throw stones and never miss, and eventually, no one dared to bully them anymore."

"And Xiaoxue was afraid of dogs, so you scared off the village dogs for her with stones until they’d run away the moment they saw you."

Yu Zhiming laughed. "That kid makes me sound like some little tyrant everyone was scared of."

Gu Qingning gave a small smile. "He also talked about how difficult your childhood was... the countless times you fell, bumped your head, and all that."

Yu Zhiming said with amusement, "Don’t listen to that kid’s nonsense. He’ll exaggerate something by a factor of ten."

"Even though my eyesight was poor when I was little, with my parents and four older sisters taking care of me, my life was actually quite comfortable."

He sighed again, reminiscing. "To be honest, even though I couldn’t see back then, those were the happiest years of my life, even to this day."

Gu Qingning deeply agreed. "Childhood is the most carefree time. As you grow up, you just get more and more worries and frustrations."

After a quiet moment, Gu Qingning changed the subject. "So, what happened with Jiaoda Affiliated Hospital?"

Yu Zhiming replied quietly, "The one who was causing trouble, Zhang Rui, was fired. So I guess you could say the matter is over."

Gu Qingning said, "Oh," and smiled. "With Huashan Hospital, Jiaoda Affiliated Hospital, and the Ning’an Group as your powerful backers, no one should be foolish enough to mess with you again."

"Let’s hope so!"

Yu Zhiming agreed, meeting her gaze. "Qingning, you’ve been beating around the bush for long enough. You can get to your point now."

Gu Qingning’s eyes widened. "How did you know I had something to ask you?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled softly. "It’s very quiet in my bedroom. Your heart is beating so loudly, it might as well be shouting in my ear that you need something!"

Gu Qingning gave a sheepish smile. "Zhiming, it’s actually not for me. It’s for your eldest nephew."

At this, her demeanor became bold and righteous.

"It really is for your eldest nephew! It was so hard watching him struggle to find work, so I leveraged my personal connections to help him."

"Get to the point!" Yu Zhiming urged.

Gu Qingning giggled. "Okay, so, I have a cousin who runs a high-end beauty and leisure club."

"And I happen to have heard that she’s thinking of opening a new branch."

"This is a high-end beauty club, mind you. The renovation budgets start in the millions. If your nephew lands this job, he’ll have earned enough for the entire year in one go."

"Get to the point!" Yu Zhiming raised his voice slightly.

Gu Qingning sped up. "My cousin frequently hosts events to attract business."

"Over time, her club has become a popular gathering place for some of Binhai’s socialites."

"I’m not kidding. You can ask around—her events are actually quite famous in socialite circles."

She giggled again. "My cousin is thinking about planning a ’Socialite Night’ event with a health theme."

"So, my cousin wants to invite you, the great and widely renowned doctor known for your incredible perceptiveness, to grace the event with your presence..."

"...to give the socialites a talk about health and wellness, how to perform self-checks, and, while you’re at it, give everyone a quick check-up..."

Seeing Yu Zhiming’s expression turn serious, Gu Qingning quickly added, "Zhiming, just think about how hard it is for your nephew to find work... and then think about the renovation contract for a high-end beauty club?"

Yu Zhiming asked doubtfully, "You’re just dangling a carrot, aren’t you? You only said your cousin was *thinking* of opening a new branch."

Gu Qingning argued confidently, "Zhiming, you have to be proactive these days."

"By the time my cousin has found a location and is ready to renovate, it’ll be too late for you to scramble to build a relationship."

"Besides, isn’t promoting public health and medical knowledge part of a doctor’s responsibility?"

"Also, let me get straight to the point..."

Gu Qingning made a little money-counting gesture with her fingers. "You won’t be doing it for free. There’s compensation."

She held up one finger and waggled it. "An appearance fee of ten thousand. Chauffeured car service included, and they’ll even cover dinner."

"And there’s one more important thing..."

Gu Qingning added alluringly, "It’s a *socialite* night, you know. You have to trust the taste that rich families have when it comes to women. There will be so, so many beautiful ladies there. Some are even celebrities and famous personalities."

"And, and! There will be plenty of brilliant, accomplished women who graduated from world-famous universities..."

Yu Zhiming’s expression became solemn, and he began to speak slowly. "If you can go to such lengths for that kid Xiaobo, then as his own uncle, I naturally have to do my part."

Gu Qingning’s face lit up, but then she heard Yu Zhiming continue, "I have two conditions."

"Renowned Doctor Yu, please, go ahead!"

"Set up a proper examination room."

"No problem."

"To avoid any awkwardness or potential misunderstandings, I’ll need to bring a professional assistant with me."

Gu Qingning nodded. "Of course."

"However... let’s not bring Qiao Lei. He’s a man, which wouldn’t be appropriate. It would be better to bring a female nurse..."