Chapter 786: Chapter 680: A Wondrous Encounter

Xiao Man hadn’t seen Xia Qingting anywhere on her way over. She walked to the site of the accident and waited for a bit, but there was still no sign of her. So, she returned to the hospital entrance, thinking she would wait another hour. If Xia Qingting didn’t come by then, she would just leave. ’She’s a grown adult; I don’t need to worry about her getting lost. Besides, she knows where the Mo Mansion is and has her key.’

As it turned out, Xia Qingting had taken a wrong turn. She asked a passerby for directions to the hospital, and they kindly pointed the way. But as she walked, it felt much farther than what Xiao Man and the others had described. She kept going and eventually did see a hospital. When she went inside to ask, however, she learned that no one injured in a car accident had been admitted all morning, much less an old lady who’d been hit by a car.

Frustrated, Xia Qingting stood at the hospital entrance with a furrowed brow, staring blankly for a moment just like Xiao Man had. She was about to head to a nearby bus stop to go back and find Xiao Man when a car screeched to a halt in front of her, blocking her path. A young man hopped out of the driver’s seat, first opening the rear door and asking the person inside, "Are you okay? We’re at the hospital. Just hang in there, a doctor will be here right away!"

Then the man turned, his gaze meeting Xia Qingting’s. Her hand, clutching the strap of her backpack, inexplicably tightened, and her heart skipped a beat.

The man was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, giving him a clean-cut look. He was quite handsome, with clear, sharp eyes that seemed to gaze right into one’s soul. Xia Qingting was a bit startled. ’He’s rushing someone to the hospital,’ she reasoned. ’He must be in a hurry.’ With that, she decided to let it go.

Xia Qingting tried to step aside, but the man stopped her with an outstretched arm. "There are two pregnant women in the car, and they’re about to give birth! Could you please watch them for a second? I’m going to run in and get a doctor!"

Xia Qingting was speechless.

With a stunned expression, she watched the man sprint into the hospital, then glanced back at the two pregnant women in the car, groaning and crying out. Her mind went blank. ’One man bringing two pregnant women to the hospital to give birth? Good heavens, what a complicated situation!’

A large group of doctors and nurses rushed out. They scrambled to get the two pregnant women onto stretchers and wheel them into the hospital. Just as Xia Qingting was about to leave, she glanced down and saw a cardboard box on the ground. Inside were brand-new towels, receiving blankets, baby clothes, and diapers. ’They’ll definitely need these once the babies are born,’ she thought. Xia Qingting bent down, picked up the box, and ran into the hospital after them.

She found the man from before in the lobby, just as he was pulling out his wallet to pay the admission fees. Xia Qingting handed the cardboard box to him. "You dropped this."

The man glanced at the box and shook his head. "This isn’t mine."

Xia Qingting said, "It fell out of the car. It’s for your kid... er, I mean, it’s clothes and diapers for your family’s baby."

The man paused, then looked up to study Xia Qingting. In an even tone, he explained, "Those two women have nothing to do with me. I have no idea why they collapsed on the roadside. A traffic police officer on duty flagged down my car and asked me to bring them to the hospital."

"Oh? So they aren’t your... I-I’m so sorry!"

Xia Qingting was mortified. At the same time, she was a bit dazzled by the handsome man. ’It’s not that I’ve never seen good-looking men,’ she mused, ’but it’s rare to find one who is handsome, good-tempered, *and* this calm and composed.’

"It’s fine. You didn’t know the circumstances, after all."

The man looked at the young woman before him. She had a slender figure and delicate features. Her large, sparkling eyes were full of life, making her a very beautiful and spirited woman. It was just that her beauty was somewhat concealed by her complexion; one had to look more than once to truly see it. Her tanned skin was like that of someone from the southern coast, darkened by constant exposure to the wind and sun—a rare sight in the North. ’Wait a minute... a girl with a tan?’ He suddenly recalled something, and an amused expression crossed his face as a smile played on his lips.

"You’re very kind and helpful. May I ask your name?"

Xia Qingting shook her head. "I didn’t really do anything. Um, I’m Xia Qingting."

"Ah, so you’re Xia Qingting. Hello. I’m Wei Zhenling."

Xia Qingting looked at the large hand extended toward her. After a slight hesitation, she said, "Hello," and reached out to give it a light, brief shake before quickly withdrawing her hand. She then stood silently.

’I’m so glad my parents gave me this tan right now,’ she thought. ’He probably can’t see me blushing beet-red, can he? I don’t know what came over me, just blurting out my name like that! Ugh, it’s his fault for being so polite. He seemed a little annoyed by my mistake earlier, yet he’s being so gracious about it. This is so embarrassing.’

The handsome young man with the charming smile, who had instantly earned a perfect score from Xia Qingting, was none other than Wei Zhenling. He had spoken with Gu Shaojun on the phone last night and was hurrying to the Mo Mansion early this morning when he was flagged down by a traffic officer. The officer asked for his help getting some people to the hospital urgently, so he detoured to this particular hospital. He had planned to head to the Mo Mansion afterward to see if he could still catch the person he was meant to meet. To his surprise, he had unexpectedly run into the very "Miss Qingting" Gu Shaojun had told him about!

’Is this what they call fate?’ he thought. ’How interesting.’

Seeing that Xia Qingting wasn’t speaking, Wei Zhenling also fell silent at the opportune moment, taking the time to reassess. ’Judging by her reaction, she’s clearly never heard of me.’

He mentally grumbled at Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man. ’What kind of job did that couple do? They summon me back to Beijing on urgent business to set me up with someone, and they don’t even tell her my name?’

’Looks like I can’t completely rely on others,’ he concluded. ’I’ll have to put in the work myself. Self-reliance is the most dependable path. This Miss Qingting seems quite nice, and it’s rare for me to be this interested in someone. The more I look at her, the more she grows on me. Well then, I’ll just treat this as a wonderful, chance encounter!’

It was easy for Wei Zhenling to win someone over, and it helped that Xia Qingting was more than willing to be won over. Using the excuse of seeing their good deed through, the two of them stayed at the hospital for half the day. They waited until the families of the two new mothers arrived and even shared in the joy of witnessing the safe arrival of two little babies. By the time they finally left the hospital, they were walking side-by-side, smiling and chatting away like old friends who could talk about anything.

Wei Zhenling offered to take Xia Qingting wherever she needed to go. The thought of Xiao Man worrying because she couldn’t find her suddenly struck Xia Qingting. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed, quickly giving Wei Zhenling the address for the Mo Mansion and saying she needed to hurry back.

Wei Zhenling said, "Pingfu Lane? I have a friend who lives there. They just bought a courtyard home, and their surname is Mo."

Xia Qingting’s eyes lit up in surprise. "Really? What a coincidence! The family I’m staying with is also named Mo. You wouldn’t happen to be friends with Mo Xinghua and Jiang Junlin, would you?"

"No," Wei Zhenling said with a smile. "The owners of this Mo Mansion are relatives of a friend of mine whose surname is Tang."

"Tang Manman?"

"That’s right. Tang Manman and Gu Shaojun. I’m friends with Gu Shaojun."

"Wow, so as it turns out, we’re all connected—I’m friends with Tang Manman!" Xia Qingting giggled, marveling at the wonders of fate.

Wei Zhenling laughed and played along, all the while thinking, ’I need to find Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun right away and get our stories straight. Now there’s no way I can let on that I knew about Xia Qingting beforehand.’

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.