149 The Polite Guan Lei
Guan Lei fished out his phone and was about to hang up when Shen Xi asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
Distracted, Guan Lei accidentally pressed the answer button and connected to a video call with his father.
As soon as the call connected, his father’s booming roar sounded from the other end of the line. “Brat, do you think you can hide from me?”
“Get your ass back here right now. It wasn’t easy asking Doctor Zheng for help, and he flew in from abroad. He’s only staying in Rongcheng for two days, yet you had the nerve to keep him waiting. Are you trying to anger me?”
Guan Lei thrust his phone away from himself, afraid he would go deaf if his father continued screaming into the phone.
“I forgot?” Thinking of Shen Xi’s advice to him to see a doctor, Guan Lei decisively lied.
“You forgot? You did it on purpose! Apologise to Doctor Zheng, this instant!” Guan Yan seethed as he positioned the camera to face Zheng Huai.
Shen Xi peered at the screen, noting Zheng Huai’s handsome features framed by a pair of glasses. He looked dignified but elegant.
She quickly mustered her indiscretion. It would be rude of her to stare since Guan Lei was dealing with a private matter. Hence, Shen Xi looked away.
“Hello, young man. My name is Zheng Huai. I’m a psychiatrist. Your father has asked me to help you if I can.” Zheng Huai’s voice was extremely pleasant to hear. It was clear, bright, and pellucid as a mountain spring’s waters.
“Hello, Doctor Zheng. I’m sorry, I forgot I had an appointment with you today. I’m sorry for making you wait.” Guan Lei apologised, glancing briefly in Shen Xi’s direction as he adjusted his attitude.
“Your father has told me about your situation, but I feel we should meet to be safe. What do you think?” Zheng Huai asked Guan Lei with a smile.
“Doctor Zheng is right. I’ll return home tomorrow,” Guan Lei agreed politely.
With Shen Xi next to him, Guan Lei forced himself to show restraint. He communicated with Zheng Huai as was expected of someone who had made a mistake, none of his usual combativeness on display. Guan Yan was surprised by his son’s amicable response. Was there someone with him? Since when did Guan Lei become so docile and meek?
Frowns and shows of unwillingness were commonplace in their conversations, especially whenever he broached the topic of seeking help from a psychiatrist. For Guan Lei to agree without any resistance was unheard of… what was going on?
Guan Yan stared at his son, wondering if someone had taken him hostage. Upon closer inspection of the video feed, he spotted someone in the lower right corner of the video, barely catching their profile.
“Lei’er, why don’t you introduce me to the classmate next to you?” Guan Yan asked with a smile.
Guan Lei was stunned. He couldn’t have, could he? How did his father see her?
When Guan Yan saw his son’s surprised expression, everything fell into place. Immediately, he greeted the stranger, “Hello there, I’m Guan Lei’s father. What’s your name?”
Guan Lei huffed at his father in disdain. He did not want to introduce Shen Xi to him at all.
Shen Xi gently pried Guan Lei’s phone out of his hand and greeted Guan Yan. “Hello, Mr Guan. I’m Guan Lei’s classmate. My name is Shen Xi.”
Guan Yan was shocked. To think there would be a girl capable of taking his son’s phone away from him. Moreover, Guan Lei showed no signs of anger. It seemed this young girl, Shen Xi, was not just a classmate to Guan Lei.
The girl’s sweet voice also attracted Zheng Huai’s attention. When he saw Shen Xi, he was shocked.
The little girl in the video had eyes and a nose similar to his uncle’s. Zheng Huai was about to ask the question weighing on his mind when Guan Lei hung up.
Zheng Huai hid the excitement fluttering in his chest, seeking confirmation from Guan Yan. “Mr Guan, do you still remember the girl’s name?”
Guan Yan put away his phone and answered seriously, “Oh, the girl said her name is Shen Xi.”
Excitement burst forth. He had not misheard. That young girl was surnamed Shen, looking so much like his uncle. The girl might be his uncle’s daughter, but he thought it better to be safe than sorry. He would check, just to be sure.
Zheng Huai quickly said his goodbyes to Guan Yan and rushed off with some of his aides to verify the identities of Shen Xi’s parents. When he learned that Shen Xi’s father was called Shen Yan and her mother was called Lu Shan, Zheng Huai immediately called his mother. No doubt she would be pleased to hear of her younger brother; she had been thinking about him for a long time.