"I dare not?" Lu Chen glanced at Chen Qian, indifferent as he unlocked his screen and opened his contacts to search for Su Daiwan's number.
He had the private phone numbers of Li Murong and his wife, Li Mushi, and Li Mubai recorded.
For a girl with such a capricious and spoiled temperament, it was definitely best to return her quickly.
Originally, Lu Chen didn't intend to expose Chen Qian; he thought they could just play along and get through it. However, since Chen Qian was trying to toy with him, he saw no need to be polite!
"Wu wu wu~"
What Lu Chen didn't expect was that just as he found Su Daiwan's number, Chen Qian suddenly started crying.
She cried like a rain-soaked pear blossom.
While crying, she shouted, "You all bully me! My mom doesn't want me anymore, my dad is a gambling addict, and my sister…"
Chen Qian cried loudly, her voice echoing in the enclosed space of the underground parking lot.
And the Regal Hotel parking lot wasn't just occupied by Lu Chen and Chen Qian; some people heard the commotion and came over, while others peeked around to see what was happening.
Lu Chen shook his head helplessly, putting down his phone and saying, "Forget it, stop crying."
As a result, Chen Qian cried even louder, as if to challenge him.
Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh in frustration.
He asked, "So, what do you want?"
After crying for a moment, Chen Qian suddenly jumped down from the front of the car, silently opened the car door, and sat inside.
She sat in the passenger seat and said, "I want to go home."
Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got in the car to leave.
If he didn't leave soon, they would be surrounded!
After driving out of the underground parking lot and onto the road, Lu Chen asked, "Where do you live?"
Chen Qian wiped her tears and said angrily, "Why do you care where I live? Just drive anywhere; it doesn't matter!"
Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
To be honest, he knew quite a few girls, but he had never met one with such a capricious temperament. It felt like everyone owed her something!
Ding Lingling~
Just as Lu Chen was about to retort, his phone rang.
Since he was driving, Lu Chen pressed the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel to answer, "Hello."
Su Daiwan's gentle voice came through the car speakers, "Lu Chen, is Xiaoqian with you?"
Lu Chen glanced at Chen Qian and said, "Sister-in-law, she is."
Su Daiwan lowered her voice and said,
"Lu Chen, Xiaoqian is still young and doesn't understand much. Please take care of her for me. If she misbehaves, don't hold it against her, okay?"
Su Daiwan was clearly aware that Chen Qian's behavior that evening was a bit abnormal, so she felt worried.
Lu Chen paused for a moment and replied, "Okay, sister-in-law."
Chen Qian has a good sister!
Su Daiwan reminded Lu Chen of his mother, Fang Yun. Fang Yun had also worried about him a lot.
Lu Chen's heart softened considerably, and after hanging up, he drove in silence.
Chen Qian also didn't speak.
After about half an hour of driving, she finally couldn't hold back anymore: "Where are you taking me?"
Didn't you say it didn't matter where?
The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curled into a small smirk as he disdainfully said, "Are you scared?"
Chen Qian's eyes sparked with anger.
Lu Chen calmly said, "I'm taking you to a place."
After a few more minutes, Lu Chen found an empty parking spot on the side of the road, parked the car, and got out to swipe his card.
Chen Qian followed him out, her expression unfriendly, with a hint of gritted teeth.
She wasn't worried that Lu Chen would sell her out; this was a bustling commercial area, lively and crowded.
Lu Chen glanced at her and then walked ahead. Chen Qian gritted her teeth and followed, she wanted to see what trick Lu Chen was up to!
Walking along the sidewalk for about a hundred meters, they arrived at the exit of an underground passage, and Lu Chen led the way down.
Chen Qian followed him into the underground passage.
This underground passage was very spacious, brightly lit, and bustling with people.
The walls on both sides were adorned with various lightbox advertisements, and the glow from the LED lights cast colorful shadows across the walkway.
On the right side of the passage, against the wall, there were performers every so often. Most of them were vagabond singers, some playing guitars and singing, while others were part of street bands.
This was the famous Xidan underground passage, connecting the subway and the Xidan Underground Cultural Square.
It was said that there were over a hundred certified vagabond singers performing here long-term.
Unlike the uneven quality of street vagabond singers, those who could stand in the Xidan underground passage had some skill; whether in singing or playing, their standards were commendable, and there were certainly some experts among them.
However, the hurried pedestrians rarely stopped to appreciate the hard-working vagabond singers. Only a few of the more impressive performers had small groups of people gathered around them, taking photos and videos with their phones.
Lu Chen stopped at a corner.
There was also someone performing here, a woman in her thirties, with an ordinary appearance, thin and dark.
Like most vagabond singers, she held a guitar, with an open guitar case in front of her, scattered with a few coins and small bills, indicating that her earnings for the night were not great.
This female vagabond singer sat on the ground, her legs awkwardly curled up, with a cane beside her.
When Lu Chen and Chen Qian arrived, she was singing a classic folk song called "Pencil Case," her fingerwork very skilled and practiced, and her slightly hoarse voice was quite pleasant, her singing ability not inferior to that of ordinary professional vagabond singers.
In a city with a population of 30 million like Capital City, there were countless talented individuals who remained unknown.
The vagabond singers drifting in from other places were innumerable, with only a very small portion able to stand on a real stage.
Lu Chen quietly listened to her finish singing, then placed a prepared bill into the guitar case. The 50 yuan note surprised the female vagab ond singer, and she looked up, saying, "Thank you!"
Lu Chen smiled and replied, "Sister Sun, long time no see. How have you been lately?"
The female vagabond singer immediately showed a surprised smile, "Little Lu?"
She instinctively wanted to stand up.
However, this simple action was quite difficult for her to accomplish.
Lu Chen quickly walked over, bent down, and gave her a hug, saying, "No need to get up, just sit."
Sister Sun held her guitar with one hand and patted Lu Chen's shoulder with the other.
She smiled and said, "You're getting more handsome! I saw you in the newspaper, hehe!"
Lu Chen helped her settle back down.
Sister Sun curiously glanced at Chen Qian standing beside him and asked, "Is this your girlfriend?"
Lu Chen shook his head, "No, she's my friend's sister. How have you been?"
Sister Sun replied, "Still the same, managing to get by. Everyone takes good care of me."
She sighed, "Someone mentioned you, saying you're a big star now!"
Lu Chen smiled wryly, "What big star? I am just a small artist. Not many people recognize me when I walk down the street."
Lu Chen was being a bit modest, but indeed, not many people had recognized him during their walk.
Sister Sun laughed, "Even if you're a small artist now, you'll definitely become a big star in the future. I've sung several of the songs you wrote; you're so talented!"
Lu Chen smiled. Sister Sun said, "I'm really happy you came to see me. You must be very busy, so you didn't have to come specifically."
She looked at Chen Qian and said, "You can go now; I'll be heading back soon."
Lu Chen nodded, "Then I'll take my leave. Sister Sun, if you need anything, just call me. My number hasn't changed."
After bidding farewell to Sister Sun, he returned with Chen Qian the way they came.
Once they were back in the car, Chen Qian couldn't help but ask, "You brought me here to meet her. What do you mean by that?"
Lu Chen replied calmly, "Sister Sun came to Capital City seven years ago. She came with her husband for treatment, but he didn't recover and passed away, leaving her with a lot of debt. She stayed in Capital City to work and earn money."
"But not long after, she had an accident; while crossing the street, she was hit by a speeding car that ran a red light. The driver fled the scene, and since it was a stolen car, they never caught him, and she received no compensation."
"Sister Sun's leg was broken, and she lost her previous job."
"Later, she borrowed money to buy a guitar and amplifier, taught herself to play and sing, and started performing here. The money she earns goes partly to pay off her debts and partly to support her parents and children back home."
Chen Qian was stunned. She hadn't expected Sister Sun to have such a tragic background.
Lu Chen stopped walking and said to her in a serious tone, "I brought you to see her to tell you."
"Don't think that everyone owes you something, that no one can understand your pain, and that the whole world should revolve around you."
"Your greatest fortune is having a good sister!"
"If we compare, you're not even worth a finger of Sister Sun!"
Chen Qian bit her lip, her lips turning pale.
Her expression remained stubborn, and she glared at Lu Chen defiantly, retorting, "Then why don't you help her? You're making good money now, right? You can sell a song for hundreds of thousands. Is it really okay to only give her fifty?"
She clearly had a good understanding of Lu Chen.
Lu Chen sneered, "I only gave fifty because Sister Sun doesn't need pity or charity from others. She can support herself and her children. In the past, someone raised funds for her, but she donated it to a charity!"
"You don't understand her pride and dignity at all because you only know how to reach out to your sister for money to squander!"
Lu Chen's reprimand was like a sharp knife, instantly piercing through Chen Qian's psychological defenses.
It was too hurtful!
The most painful part was that Lu Chen was right; she had squandered a lot of her sister's money.
Chen Qian was left speechless, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame as she tried to open the car door to escape.
Bang!
Lu Chen was quick to lock the car door.
He said lightly, "I promised your sister to take you home."
Chen Qian pulled at the handle with all her might but couldn't open the door.
She covered her face and began to cry softly, and it was clear that she was genuinely heartbroken.
Lu Chen felt that this little demon on Melrose Avenue could still be salvaged.
However, he had lost interest in continuing to play the role of a doctor.
(End of chapter)
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