Chapter 12 - Canteen
The canteen for the hospital's staff was located in the basement. It was spacious and could accommodate almost 1,000 diners at the same time. Although it was no longer peak hour, there were still many people in the canteen.
Director Lin walked next to Mu Chen and Cheng Che as Secretary Zhang pointed out areas of the canteen that needed improvement.
Mu Chen's gaze swept through the lunch crowd in the canteen. His eyes darted past a sea of people in white coats. It was a tall order for him to find her in this crowd.
When Cheng Che realized it would be difficult to find the person they came here for, he could not help but feel worried. He lowered his voice and suggested to Mu Chen, "Why don't you call her?"
However, Mu Chen's gaze was already locked on someone at this time. He said solemnly, "Cheng Che, listen to Director Lin's requests and come up with a proposal. I'm going to eat first." He did not wait for a reply before he strode away.
Meanwhile, Director Lin and Secretary Zhang exchanged a glance, wondering if this aloof President Mu was upset again. They quickly raised their feet, intending to hurry after him, but were stopped by the gentle Assistant Cheng.
"Secretary Zhang, please continue. Director Lin, what essentials do you think the hospital needs?" Cheng Che asked politely. Despite the cordial expression on his face, he was fuming inwardly. 'Mr. Mu, don't you think you're doing too much just to court a woman?'
Although Director Lin and Assistant Zhang were curious about Mu Chen's abrupt departure, they knew they could not just ignore Cheng Che to chase after Mu Chen. Therefore, they could only watch as the bigshot walked toward two figures dressed in white coats.
Meanwhile, An Jiahui poked the chicken thigh on her plate, still fuming. "Song Ning, you're such a pushover. How can you let that stupid couple go just like that? No, I really can't just stay idle and watch this injustice. That woman is Feng Man, right? I already knew she's a b*tch the moment I saw her. However, I still can't believe she betrayed you after everything you've done for her!"
Then, Jia Hui poked Song Ning's forehead with her index finger and said indignantly, "Eat! Eat! Eat! Is that all you think about? How can you remain so calm? Your boyfriend has just been snatched away, and yet, you still have the appetite to eat!"
Song Ning moved her head to the side to avoid Jia Hu's repeated jabs. Then, she reluctantly put down her chopsticks before she said with a sigh, "An Jiahui, you shouldn't discipline a child while you're eating. It'll affect my mental health!"
"Y-You despicable 'child'! I'm furious," An Jia Hui growled as she poked two holes into the chicken on her plate with her chopsticks.
At this moment, a shadow fell over the two women. Before they could react, a figure swiftly slipped into the seat next to Song Ning.
"Song Ning, I'm hungry." Mu Chen's voice was low and gentle.
An Jia Hui, who was sitting across from Song Ning, was so shocked that her mouth was so wide open that an entire egg could fit into her mouth at this moment.
Song Ning was similarly shocked as well when she saw Mu Chen. "Why are you here?"
Mu Chen smiled as he said, "I came to invite you to lunch, but I arrived late..."
Song Ning's cheeks flushed red, and she turned away to avoid Mu Chen's gentle gaze as she said softly, "What do you want to eat? I'll treat you to lunch."
"You decide." Mu Chen shrugged.
With that, Song Ning hurriedly rose to her feet to buy food for Mu Chen.
Looking at Song Ning's back as she left in a panic, the corners of Mu Chen's lips lifted slightly.
An Jia Hui, who was sitting across from Mu Chen now, still had not recovered from the shock.
Mu Chen who was in a good mood nodded to Jia Hui. "Hello."
"Who are you?" An Jia Hui finally found her voice. She was stunned that she was still holding onto the chopsticks that were stuck in the chicken thigh.
"My name's Mu Chen," Mu Chen introduced himself.
An Jia Hui stared at Mu Chen before her eyes shifted to Song Ning who was taking a plate from the counter at this moment. Her eyes continued darting between the two for quite a while.
Seeing An Jia Hui's reaction, Mu Chen continued to say, "I want to be with Song Ning, but she hasn't agreed to my request yet."
To confirm she was not dreaming, An Jia Hui ruthlessly bit her tongue. The pain sobered her up immediately. Then, she finally put the chopsticks down and straightened her back before she said, "Hey, handsome, you have great taste! What did you say your name was again?"
"Mu Chen."
An Jia Hui nodded. Then, she began to earnestly promote her friend. "Mu Chen. Alright, Mu Chen. Ning is gentle, kind, beautiful, and capable. Every year, she gets the highest number of scholarships, and she's our professor's favorite student. She..."