After the doctor left, Zheng Lunlun gave Ning Ran an embarrassed look, “You mustn’t…… laugh at me!”
“Of course, I wouldn’t laugh at you! There is no need to. You’re just sick, it isn’t your fault.” Ning Ran said gently.
“Then take…… take me out for hotpot!”
Ning Ran was shocked. She had thought that he was going to tell her a secret of some sort, but he asked her to take him out for hotpot instead.
What does this have to do with hotpot? Would a spicy meal be able to solve the stuttering problem?
“That’s……”
Zheng Lunlun saw the look on her face, “I knew…… knew you would…… dislike me!”
Ning Ran let out a long sigh in exhaustion.
When Zheng Lunlun spoke, she would look at him. Whenever he got stuck on a word, she felt like she was stuck on it too.
She wished she could just yank the words out of his throat.
If she felt this exhausted just by listening to him, then he must be feeling even worse trying to speak.
She now understood why Zheng Lunlun didn’t want to talk much earlier. Because each time he spoke, it felt like a long and grueling journey that only ended when the words came out.
Going through such a journey once or twice was fine, but how many would he have to go through with the amount of words he had to say each day? Anyone would be exhausted like that!
“I thought you didn’t like hotpot?” Ning Ran asked with a frown.
“I like it now.” Zheng Lunlun replied.
“So, you suddenly want to have hotpot?”
“Yes.”
“Has your stuttering stopped?” Ning Ran asked, surprised.
“I stutter if…… if I say…… more than three…… three words.” Zheng Lunlun said bitterly.
Ning Ran bit her lip, So that’s how it is! No wonder he never said more than three words!
“You’re mocking me!” Zheng Lunlun said angrily as he noticed Ning Ran was holding in her laughter by biting on her lip.
Ning Ran quickly waved at him, “No, I’m really not! We’re brothers, your pain is my pain! Why would I laugh at you? I was just thinking how good you must be at talking if you had to limit all your responses to three words!”
“Isn’t that still…… still mocking me?!” Zheng Lunlun got angrier as his stuttering happened again when he said more than three words at a time.
His face that was prettier than a girl’s was now red all the way down to the neck.
It pained her to see him like this.
“I’m really not mocking you! But, why didn’t you go get hotpot on your own?”
“Uncle wouldn’t let!”
It took Ning Ran a moment to realize that he meant to say Nan Chen wouldn’t let him.
“You mean he wouldn’t let you go out or have hotpot?” Ning Ran asked.
“Both!”
“Okay, keep your future speeches limited to three words at a time. That way, it’ll be easier on both of us. But, why wouldn’t he let you go out? You seem fit to be discharged by now.”
“Uncle wouldn’t let.” He repeated.
Communicating with a three word limit was indeed difficult, and Ning Ran could only force her brain to work harder in order to understand him.
Zheng Lunlun was a famous star, so if Nan Chen wouldn’t let him out, it must be for Zheng Lunlun’s own protection.
If the journalists or fans found out that Zheng Lunlun was stuttering, his commercial value would surely plummet to a new low.
Fans cannot tolerate their idols being flawed. Even smoking a cigarette in public would cause an uproar, let alone a stuttering problem.
The more famous a star was, the greater they would suffer from backlash. Once they do, it would not only ruin their career as a star, but could also lead to other unforeseen disasters.
So, the safest option was to not let Zheng Lunlun meet anyone.
That included Ning Ran as well. But because she got aggressive, they had no choice but to let her in.
But now, Zheng Lunlun was asking her to take him out for a hotpot.
Nan Chen had tried so hard to protect Zheng Lunlun. If anything were to happen to him while she brought him out like that, wouldn’t that Poker Face strangle her to death?
“Do you agree?” Zheng Lunlun could barely wait.
Ning Ran shook her head, “No, we’ll listen to Poker Face for now. We can go out after you’ve recovered.”
Zheng Lunlun was disappointed at first. Then, he got angry, “Get out!”
Ning Ran was stunned. What’s wrong with him? Why is he suddenly acting up like this?
“What’s the matter with you? I didn’t say I won’t go out with you, it’s your uncle that won’t let you out because of your condition……”
“You’re not my…… not my friend! You’re not cool!” Zheng Lunlun was agitated.
Ning Ran said innocently, “Of course I’m your friend! Our revolutionary friendship is forever! Once you’ve recovered, I’ll treat you to the best hotpot in Flower City! Not one, but three, no, a month of it!”
Ning Ran imagined how scary they would look with their tongues covered in blisters from eating hotpot for an entire month.
“I don’t believe!” Zheng Lunlun went back to using three-word-sentences to avoid stuttering.
“What’s not to believe? I’ll have hotpot with you once you get better, alright? Be a good boy now.”
Ning Ran was about to touch Zheng Lunlun’s head, but he refused to let her.
“Go away!”
Zheng Lunlun was emotionally unstable, which was perfectly understandable. Anyone would find it difficult to accept suddenly becoming a stuttering mess when they were a chatterbox before.
“Don’t be like that, Blondie.” Ning Ran said helplessly.
“Pay me back!”
This caught Ning Ran off guard and left her stunned.
Oh my, I almost forgot I still owe this guy a few hundred thousand!
Ning Ran laughed nervously, “Come on, we’re brothers, don’t be like that. Our friendship will last forever and ever……”
“Pay me back!” Zheng Lunlun interrupted Ning Ran as he suddenly stood up and held his hand out in front of her face.
Great, now he’s not letting me go and forcing me to pay on the spot!
I can’t afford to offend this guy!
“Hehe.” Ning Ran gently moved Zheng Lunlun’s hand out of the way with a smile, “Seriously, don’t be like that. Let’s talk about this……”
“Eat hot pot!”
Although it was only three words, his meaning was clear. Either pay up or take me out for hotpot, pick one of the two!
“About that, hold…… hold on!” Ning Ran realized that she was also stuttering under Zheng Lunlun’s pressuring.
She got her phone out and called Nan Xing.
If she was going to do this, she would need at least one of them to support her, and that person was Nan Xing.
If she could get Nan Xing to support her, she could have him bear all the responsibility in case Poker Face found out and got angry about it.
That way, she would be able to satisfy Zheng Lunlun and avoid the awkwardness of him collecting her debt as well as avoid being scolded by Poker Face at the same time.
She would be able to minimize the risk as much as possible. It was perfect!
