CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: IF YOU’RE GOING ON A BLIND DATE, WHY NOT CHOOSE ME

The surgery was a success, and the old professor spoke in a relaxed tone.

He received a call in the middle of the night last night.

Declan Hawthorne only mentioned that there was a patient here and got him on the earliest flight.

The old professor initially thought it was an extremely complicated surgery.

To his surprise, it was just a simple heart bypass, risky but within a manageable range.

"The doctors here at the First Hospital are perfectly capable of handling this surgery; there was no need for me to come."

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Silver."

Declan Hawthorne reached out and shook hands with the old professor, speaking respectfully.

This time the old professor came, he was also considering the patient Declan Hawthorne mentioned for surgery.

Besides the surgery, he wondered if Declan Hawthorne might be interested in meeting his youngest daughter.

Seeing Declan Hawthorne’s arm around Poppy Hale.

The old professor shook his head and sighed, "My daughter still has a crush on you, but it seems I’m too late."

"You’re joking."

Declan Hawthorne chuckled softly.

He squeezed Poppy Hale’s shoulder, looking down at her warmly.

"Go to the ward and see Auntie, I’ll handle things here, don’t worry."

Speaking affectionately, he gently patted her back.

Poppy Hale headed to the ward, disappearing from the corridor, and only then did Declan Hawthorne look away.

The look of affection wasn’t unnoticed by the old professor.

What wasn’t clear to the old professor?

He spoke with a hint of teasing.

"I should’ve tried sooner; might have had a chance a few months back."

"There wouldn’t have been a chance."

Declan Hawthorne smiled, "We’ve been seeing each other since I was eighteen."

The old professor remarked in surprise, "I hadn’t heard that from you before."

No, indeed.

In those years past, aside from his schoolmates, no one connected to the Hawthorne Family knew he had a girlfriend.

Even Justin Hawthorne didn’t know.

He thought keeping Poppy Hale away from the Hawthorne Family was protection for her.

So there were no introductions made.

He received a call from Mrs. Hawthorne on his phone.

Declan Hawthorne excused himself from the old professor and stepped aside to answer it.

"Declan, are you free this weekend to meet Mr. Coleman’s daughter for a meal?"

"I’m not free. If you have time, keep Auntie company."

After Ms. Valerie Barrett got off the plane, she went straight to Heather Underwood’s home.

Holding an utterly bewildered Iris Quill in one hand.

Grabbing Heather Underwood’s mother’s neck with the other, giving a dozen slaps.

Heather Underwood’s husband tried to intervene, and Ms. Valerie Barrett kicked him away.

Now they’re all in the hospital, staying there.

But concerning divorce, that side is utterly unwilling.

Bringing up the matter, Mrs. Hawthorne was also angered.

"Honestly, the nerve of people! A woman wanting to leave a marriage unscathed is a hefty task. But don’t worry, your aunt and I are still around; that opportunist will get nowhere!"

Declan Hawthorne walked towards the emergency exit.

Standing in the hallway.

He lit a cigarette.

After a drag, he spoke calmly, "Getting a divorce, is it difficult?"

"Difficult? Look at your cousin, utterly revolting! If it were a more soft-hearted woman, she’d be utterly taken advantage of! Declan, when you get married, you cannot be that kind of man."

Realizing her words were off, Mrs. Hawthorne spat a couple of times.

"You’re like your dad; certainly not that type. Each case is separate. If you don’t like Mr. Coleman’s daughter, how about Uncle Forest’s? Remember? When you were little, you said you wanted to play house with her, you’d be the dad, and she’d be the mom!"

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed to Mrs. Hawthorne.

Declan Hawthorne pressed his brow.

"Mom, you can’t be serious about something from when I was two?"

"Why not?"

Taking another deep drag, Declan Hawthorne gazed at the dim hallway.

"I’m not planning to be two-timing."

Mrs. Hawthorne grew anxious, "What do you mean two-timing? You haven’t even met one, let alone two!"

Is her son dense?

Declan Hawthorne remained silent.

He stubbed out his cigarette, pacing a few steps below, standing in the shadows.

The emergency exit was pushed open again, and a familiar voice came from the exit.

"Sorry, my mom agreed to a matchmaking, but I’m unaware. Sorry for troubling you."

Poppy Hale, feeling somewhat apologetic, looked at the young man before her.

The other party chuckled, "It’s alright, I know how my mom is; she probably thought you were pretty and wanted to introduce us. To be honest, I’ve met every nurse at the nurse’s station!"

Anyone unaware might think he’s some sort of creep.

Seeing the other party’s gentle demeanor and humorous words, Poppy Hale sighed in relief.

She couldn’t fathom what her mom was thinking.

To even consider setting up a date before the surgery commenced.

Just now, she returned to the double ward to pack, only to encounter the young man in the patient room, with his mother’s overwhelming enthusiasm.

Calling her daughter-in-law at every turn.

Poppy Hale felt uncomfortable with it.

So she pulled the young man aside to clear the air first.

The other responded earnestly, "How about we exchange WeChat IDs? That way, I can report back later, and you can say I was dull and bad at conversation. I’ll say you weren’t impressed, and that will be the end of it."

He seemed skilled at handling such setups.

Clearly very experienced.

Poppy Hale scanned his QR code to add him on WeChat.

After introducing themselves, she learned his name was Nolan Zane, working as a programmer at an internet company, with a bright future ahead.

Nolan Zane opened the emergency exit door, gesturing for Poppy Hale to go first.

A deep voice behind them spoke.

"Poppy Hale."

As he spoke, the voice-activated lights in the hallway switched on.

Poppy Hale traced the stairs to meet Declan Hawthorne’s deep eyes, revealing none of his inner emotions.

She steadied her quickened heartbeat.

Glanced at Nolan Zane, "You go ahead, I have something to take care of."

Nolan Zane nodded politely, suppressing his slight admiration for Poppy Hale, before leaving.

Declan Hawthorne still held up his phone.

Mrs. Hawthorne’s voice echoed through the receiver, "Who is it? Did you meet a friend?"

"Mom. Didn’t you want me to go on a date?"

"Yes! I’d dream of it!"

Declan Hawthorne responded, his gaze fixed intently on Poppy Hale standing there.

The man’s longer strides.

Took three steps at a time, quickly standing in front of Poppy Hale.

He placed the phone next to Poppy Hale’s ear.

Declan Hawthorne’s voice transmitted to both Poppy Hale’s and Mrs. Hawthorne’s ears clearly.

"Poppy Hale, if you want to date, why not with me."

"He’s introduced by his mom; coincidentally, so am I."

Before Poppy Hale could react, figuring out what he meant by "so am I," Mrs. Hawthorne was already performing her spiel.

"Declan, are you saying you’ve set yourself up with a date? Oh my, oh my! Hello, young lady, I’m Declan’s mom, our Declan is great! After marriage, he can even turn over his salary!"

A bunch of exuberant praises.

Exalting Declan Hawthorne to high heavens.

Poppy Hale found the compliments grating on her ears.

Was Declan’s mom naturally this lively?