The next day, Xu Ruolan got up early and went to the company. She was in good spirits after being nourished by Ning Fan's True Qi and had a good night's sleep.
After breakfast, Xu Ruolan immediately headed to the company, while Ning Fan was still sleeping in.
It wasn't until the sun was about to shine on one's behind that Xu Xiaoqing burst into the room and sat on Ning Fan's back, pulling on his ears and yelling, "You stupid fool, time to get up! The sun is shining on your butt!"
Xu Xiaoqing's voice was very loud, especially since she was screaming right into Ning Fan's ears, causing a ringing in them. He painfully covered his ears and instinctively tried to turn over, only to find someone sitting on his back.
"You little pest, are you here to claim my life this early in the morning? Even Oxhead and Horseface along with Black and White Impermanence aren't as diligent as you!"
Ning Fan yelled back at the little girl on his back, feeling rather annoyed. To be honest, he was in the middle of a beautiful dream, and Xu Xiaoqing's method of waking him couldn't have been less gentle.
Xu Xiaoqing pouted and replied dismissively, "Get up already, have you forgotten what my sister told you?"
Reminded by Xu Xiaoqing, Ning Fan recalled what he was supposed to do today. Xu Ruolan had asked him to take Xu Xiaoqing to pick up their distantly related cousin.
With no choice under Xu Xiaoqing's relentless badgering, Ning Fan could only get dressed unwillingly and head to the airport with Xu Xiaoqing.
About half an hour later, Ning Fan and Xu Xiaoqing arrived at the airport, just as a large passenger plane from Magnesium Country was landing.
Soon a young and handsome man with a suitcase emerged from the VIP passage. His handsome face and unique aura attracted many women's attention.
He stepped out of the VIP passage and looked around as if searching for someone.
Just when the man was about to pull out his phone to make a call, a familiar voice came from the side.
"Nangong Fu?" Xu Xiaoqing looked at the handsome man in a dark blue high-end suit with a puzzled expression.
The man called Nangong Fu turned around in surprise and seeing Xu Xiaoqing, who had grown tall and elegant, he warmly greeted her, "Little girl, haven't you grown pretty!"
Nangong Fu said as he approached Xu Xiaoqing. As he reached her, he put down his suitcase and was about to give Xu Xiaoqing a hug.
Xu Xiaoqing blinked, dodged Nangong Fu's embrace and, pulling a face, unhappily replied, "Nangong Fu, have you forgotten the saying 'men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving objects' after several years abroad?"
Nangong Fu curled his lip and didn't mind Xu Xiaoqing's attitude. It was at this moment that he finally noticed Ning Fan beside Xu Xiaoqing.
The previously elated Nangong Fu frowned upon seeing Ning Fan. He eyed Ning Fan with doubt and then asked Xu Xiaoqing, "Who is this brother?"
Nangong Fu's gaze was somewhat disconcerting, which Xu Xiaoqing noticed. Stepping in front of Ning Fan and blocking Nangong Fu's view, she replied, "Our family's doctor, what about it? Do you have a problem with that?"
"Oh, a doctor, huh." Nangong Fu smiled and then promptly chose to ignore Ning Fan.
Just a doctor, after all. Nangong Fu had thought he was the son of some influential family by Xu Xiaoqing's side, but realized he had wasted his reaction.
A doctor and nothing more, Nangong Fu had no intention of paying any attention to Ning Fan.
Before, Ning Fan hadn't taken much offense at Nangong Fu's attitude, but now that he showed outright disinterest in him just because he was a doctor, any favorable impression Ning Fan had for him, given that he was Xu Ruolan and Xu Xiaoqing's cousin, had entirely disappeared.
"Right, why did you come alone, where's Ruolan? Why didn't she come?"
"What do you mean alone, isn't Ning Fan here too?"
Xu Xiaoqing replied evasively, clearly aware that Nangong Fu looked down upon Ning Fan. She couldn't help but feel indignant on behalf of Ning Fan at times like these.
Nangong Fu's face remained expressionless, and he didn't even glance at Ning Fan, simply responding with a detached, "Oh."
"You... My sister's company is really busy. She has a very important meeting today. If you want to see her, you'll have to wait until tonight."
Xu Xiaoqing explained, then she grabbed Ning Fan and headed toward the airport's parking lot.
Seeing this, Nangong Fu's expression suddenly became somewhat unsightly.
Could it be that he, as her cousin, was not as good as an "outsider"?
This thought crossed Nangong Fu's mind, and his perception of Ning Fan began to sour.
Ning Fan and Xu Xiaoqing were clueless about what was going through this guy's mind. Xu Xiaoqing looked back and urged, "Can you hurry up already?"
Nangong Fu was quite frustrated, but at this moment there was nothing else he could do. He had no choice but to drag his suitcase along, all the while resenting why Ning Fan, the doctor, didn't offer to help carry the luggage!
After getting into the car, Xu Xiaoqing claimed the front passenger seat, clearly not wanting to sit with Nangong Fu, which made Nangong Fu, who sat in the backseat, feel somewhat awkward.
During the drive, Nangong Fu tried to bridge the gap with Xu Xiaoqing, endlessly talking about his experiences abroad.
"Xiaoqing, do you know about the Empire Building? One of the floors is mine!"
Years earlier, Nangong Fu had journeyed to Magnesium Country to study and subsequently obtained his residency. He had made quite a splash overseas, leveraging his business acumen to break into the financial circle, and began referring to himself as a Wall Street elite.
Perhaps it was the environment, or perhaps it was just his nature, but Nangong Fu was haughty and condescending, treating people differently based on their status.
Take Ning Fan, for example. Once he learned that he was just the Xu Family's doctor, Nangong Fu had no interest in him at all. In his eyes, such a person was not even worth talking to.
"Oh, oh, oh... Ning Fan, I almost forgot, you said last time that you'd teach me to dance, haven't you forgotten, have you?!"
"Er, can you spare me, please?"
Xu Xiaoqing was quite cold towards Nangong Fu but chatted with Ning Fan enthusiastically. This made Nangong Fu in the back seat feel incredibly irritated.
In Nangong Fu's imagination, the reunion with Xu Xiaoqing and her sister should have been a touching scene. After being apart for several years, they should have missed him dearly, but now Xu Xiaoqing was so intimate with an outsider that Nangong Fu was almost infuriated.
Nangong Fu kept looking at Ning Fan, unable to understand what was so special about him. Ning Fan was just a doctor, yet he could be so familiar with Xu Xiaoqing. If they were , then what was he, Nangong Fu, worth?
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable Nangong Fu felt, and his prejudices against Ning Fan kept growing.