Incurable Chapter 1 Part 2

A few days ago, when Lin Wei had been rushed into the ER by one of her coworkers from the studio, Liu Qianxiu had happened to be the one on duty.

At the time, she had been in such pain she nearly wished she were dead—but the moment she saw him, she forgot half her suffering.

The instant her surgery was over, she had grabbed the nurse’s hand and interrogated her for details.

“That’s quite a nickname.” Leaning back in her chair, Mu Wan asked with interest, “Why do they call him that?”

“He’s religious. Taoist, apparently,” Lin Wei said. “I heard he takes four days off every month to do a meditation retreat at a temple. And whenever someone in the ER can’t be saved, he performs rites for them. But his personality is really cold. He hardly interacts with anyone. It’s like he has no worldly desires at all. He feels more like some immortal descended to the mortal world than an actual human being.”

Only then did Mu Wan feel like the vague impression she had formed of Liu Qianxiu finally became more concrete.

No wonder he carried that detached, almost unearthly aura.

So he was Taoist.

“I suppose Taoists are like that,” Mu Wan said. “Detached from worldly affairs, focused on cultivation and transcendence.”

After that, she didn’t say much more.

Talking too much about someone behind their back didn’t feel right.

Besides, her impression of Liu Qianxiu was unexpectedly good. There was something about him that seemed thoroughly cleansed, as though he had been washed spotless from the inside out. As a doctor, he saved the living. As a practitioner, he performed rites for the dead. Whether or not those rituals truly meant anything, they still brought some comfort to the grieving family members left behind.

“But Liu Qianxiu...” Mu Wan glanced at Lin Wei. “That name sounds familiar.”

“The head of the Liu family among Xiacheng’s Four Young Masters is also named Liu Qianxiu,” Lin Wei said as she stirred her congee. She was, as always, full of gossip. “But it’s probably just the same name. The head of the Liu family probably has a million things to do every day. Why would he come work at a hospital as a doctor? How much money can a doctor even make?”

“Maybe he’s already rich enough and came here to save lives in search of spiritual merit,” Mu Wan said.

Lin Wei rolled her eyes so hard her meaning was obvious without words.

Mu Wan laughed.

She stayed with Lin Wei until the rain stopped. Then she took her umbrella and left the inpatient building.

The rain had been falling for two straight days, soaking the whole city in a clammy warmth. Now that it had finally eased, the air outside carried a trace of coolness. The damp post-rain wind brushed against her skin, bringing with it a faint chill.

Night had already fallen.

Every building in the hospital compound was brightly lit, and the pooled rainwater on the ground reflected those lights in wavering patches. Mu Wan stepped through one shimmering reflection in her heels, found her car, and got in.

The moment she sat down, her phone chimed with a notification.

The screen lit up her face with a pale glow.

After unlocking it, she saw a transfer message.

Her payment for the drama had finally arrived.

Mu Wan had chosen to attend film school for one simple reason: acting brought money quickly. Even if she never chased fame and only took small supporting roles with barely any screen time, it was still enough to support herself.

She had grown up without a father, living with her mother in the Mu family home. After her mother passed away, Mu Wan moved out as soon as she graduated from high school.

From then on, she had truly been alone in this world.

She signed with a small agency and played forgettable side characters that no one ever noticed.

But that was enough.

She only needed to feed herself.

Honestly, this kind of life wasn’t bad.

Not every drama revolved around the male and female leads. Supporting roles were the reality for most people in the entertainment industry.

If one had to say it plainly—

she was probably the least ambitious actress in the entire circle.

After replying to the company accountant with a brief thank-you, Mu Wan tossed her phone aside and prepared to start the car.

Her foot rested on the clutch.

She had not yet turned the ignition when she heard a dull knock against the window.

Someone was standing outside in the dark.

Through the glass, she could only make out the rough silhouette of a tall, slender figure. His features were hidden in shadow. Mu Wan paused, then lowered the window.

The dark glass slid down slowly, like a curtain rising before a stage.

The man standing outside had already taken off his white coat. Without it, some of his polished professional aura had faded, leaving him looking even more ethereal than before.

He wore a linen shirt, loose and comfortable, yet somehow impossibly elegant on him. In one hand he held a long black umbrella, folded closed. His fingers around the handle were long, the knuckles clean and distinct.

The evening was washed in dim darkness, and against it, his skin looked cool and pale, almost luminous.

Seen up close, he was even more striking than he had been from a distance.

Especially his eyes.

Black, clear, and bright—

yet so deep that one could not see the bottom.

Like still water in an ancient pool.

When Mu Wan lowered the window, his expression remained calm.

He gestured beneath her car.

“One moment,” he said. “There’s a cat under your car.”

His voice was low and cool, like spring water flowing over stone.

So it was Daoist Liu.

As Liu Qianxiu spoke, he had already walked toward the rear of the car. After a brief rustling sound, Mu Wan rested one arm on the lowered window and tilted her head to look through the side mirror.

In the mirror, the man bent his long legs and crouched down.

There was something in his right hand—perhaps a small biscuit or cat treat.

Under the dim wash of evening, the line of his profile seemed both blurred and distinct, like an unfinished ink painting.

Still watching the rear tire, Liu Qianxiu called softly, “Come here.”

His voice was steady, gentle.

A moment later, a cat crawled out from beneath the car.

Something shifted in Mu Wan’s eyes.

It was a calico—round-bellied and plump, its fur dirty with dust and grime. The moment it emerged, it lifted its head and let out a soft, sweet meow at Liu Qianxiu, as if it already knew him well.

The instant it came out, Liu Qianxiu bent down and picked it up without hesitation.

The ground was still covered in rainwater, and the cat’s paws were thick with mud. As soon as it pressed itself against his chest, several muddy paw prints stamped themselves across his pale linen shirt like little plum blossoms.

He didn’t seem to mind at all.

Lin Wei had said he barely interacted with people, but he was unexpectedly gentle with the cat.

Mu Wan watched him as he stood there holding it, tall and straight, like some celestial figure shrouded in immortal mist—vague and distant, unreal and untouchable.

For one fleeting moment, she really did feel as though she were looking at a god.

“Is it your cat?” Mu Wan leaned both elbows on the window frame and looked up at him with a smile.

Liu Qianxiu turned back.

The calico in his arms followed his movement and looked over as well.

Inside the car, the woman was vivid as fire, smiling at him with curved eyes, bright and alive.

“No,” Liu Qianxiu said. “It’s a stray.”

“It seems pretty close to you.” Mu Wan glanced at the cat. In the darkness, its pupils had already widened into two large black circles.

“I feed it sometimes,” he replied.

The exchange was simple.

She asked one question; he answered one.

Never an extra word.

He really was as aloof as they said.

“You like cats?” Mu Wan asked, smiling lightly.

“Mhm.”

Another brief answer.

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Mu Wan lifted one shoulder slightly, her smile deepening.

Then she softly called out—

“Meow~”

The sound was light and sweet, neither too loud nor too soft. Her naturally soft voice carried a faint teasing lilt, like marshmallow dipped in chocolate—soft, rich, and just a little playful.

The calico was instantly thrown off. One ear twitched, and it opened its eyes wider as it stared over at her.

Behind it, the man lifted his gaze as well.

His eyes settled quietly on hers.

Silent. Calm. Unruffled.

And yet, boundlessly deep.

 ↞ Previous│❀ Table of Contents ❀│Next ↠