Mu
Wan was drunk.
Liu Qianxiu wasn’t sure how much Mu Wan usually drank, but the strong smell of alcohol made it obvious she’d gone overboard. Her wound had been treated earlier that day. Even though the midday checkup showed nothing serious, new injuries shouldn’t be exposed to alcohol. He had warned her, but she clearly hadn’t listened.
He looked down at her without saying anything else, then took out his phone and made a call.
“Bed
13’s patient is at Qingsong Pavilion right now. She’s drunk. I’m sending her
back now. Have someone meet us at the entrance. Once she gets to the hospital,
treat the wound properly.”
His voice stayed calm and even as he spoke, like raindrops falling
from the eaves in a steady line.
Mu Wan leaned against the wall and watched him finish the call. Liu Qianxiu put his phone away and looked at her. The corridor light reflected in his dark eyes.
“Let’s
go,” he said.
Mu
Wan’s head felt heavy. Meeting his gaze, she spoke in a voice still slightly
hoarse.
“Every
time you run into a patient outside, do you personally catch them and take them
back?”
As she spoke, her head slowly tilted to one side, too heavy to hold up. Liu Qianxiu didn’t move. After a moment, Mu Wan steadied herself and lifted her head again.
“I’ve
never run into one before.”
Mu Wan let out a soft “Ah,” her red lips parting a little. Small points of light sparkled in her eyes.
“So
I’m the first one. Then what about in the future?”
The alcohol was taking effect. Mu Wan grew drunker, her questions grew stranger, and her words began to slur.
“You’re
drunk,” Liu Qianxiu said.
“I’m
not drunk.” Alcohol had numbed her balance, but her expression was full of
absolute conviction. “I still… I still haven’t shown my true form yet.”
Hearing
her drunken nonsense, Liu Qianxiu’s expression remained calm.
“Do
you want to see me… reveal my true form?” Mu Wan widened her eyes.
She smiled, a sly look appearing on her palm-sized face. Leaning forward, she grabbed Liu Qianxiu’s shirt, feeling the rough, slightly stiff texture of the cotton-linen brushing against her palm.
A
flicker passed through Liu Qianxiu’s eyes.
The light made the lines of his face stand out, though Mu Wan could barely see them now. She laughed softly, her warm breath brushing his neck. She tightened her arms and wrapped them around his waist.
Mu Wan pressed her burning cheek against his cool chest. She narrowed her eyes, feeling comfortable. In a soft, sweet voice, she murmured, “I’ve turned into… a cat.”
When
Liu Qianxiu returned to the private room, Mei Yaozhi was still there, playing a
game on his phone while waiting for him.
Mei
Yaozhi was very handsome in a bright, youthful way, with a clean-cut face
that made him look like a fresh young idol. His large eyes gave him a boyish look, like a younger brother. Seeing Liu Qianxiu come back, he put his
phone away and asked, “Where did you go?”
The two of them had arranged to have dinner together. Liu Qianxiu had only said he needed to step out for something, but that “something” had taken quite a while.
“I
ran into a patient and sent her back to the hospital,” Liu Qianxiu said simply
as he sat down.
Mei
Yaozhi thought he had misheard. He glanced at Liu Qianxiu, who still wore his
usual cool, indifferent expression. Twirling his chopsticks between his
fingers, Mei Yaozhi asked, “A female patient?”
“Mm,”
Liu Qianxiu answered lightly.
“Wow.” Mei Yaozhi couldn’t hide his surprise. He hadn’t expected Liu Qianxiu to personally take a female patient back to the hospital outside of work hours.
Had an immortal descended to earth?
“Was she pretty?” Mei Yaozhi asked in a deliberately casual tone.
Liu
Qianxiu lifted his eyes, gaze calm and unreadable. Mei Yaozhi instinctively
shrank back a little.
The two of them were cousins and the same age, but maybe because Liu Qianxiu cultivated Taoism—or simply because of his personality—Mei Yaozhi always felt as if he were with an elder when they were together.
In
reality, Liu Qianxiu was only two years older than him.
Understanding that the look meant I didn’t want to discuss this, Mei Yaozhi quickly switched topics.
“You’re
going to Qingyuan Mountain tomorrow?”
Every month, Liu Qianxiu set aside four days to retreat at Qingyuan Temple on Qingyuan Mountain, usually in the second half of the month. This time, he was going earlier because the third anniversary of his grandfather’s death—the former head of the Liu family— was coming up. The three-year memorial was a major event, and the Liu family was old and powerful. By then, members of the Liu family would all come to Xiacheng to pay respects, and there would be a lot to handle.
“Mm,”
Liu Qianxiu replied lightly. “Uncle Cai will be coming in advance for this
year’s memorial.”
Cai Qingliang was the Liu family’s chief secretary, mainly in charge of gathering reports from all branches of the family’s auction business. He usually lived in Northern Europe, where the Liu family auction group’s headquarters was located.
“There’s
movement on Liu Qingyuan’s side?” Mei Yaozhi’s expression sobered.
“On
the twelfth, an Austrian auction sold a Song dynasty flower-and-bird painting,”
Liu Qianxiu said, his tone flat. “After the transaction, the buyer claimed it
was a forgery.”
Mei
Yaozhi gave a little snort and laughed. “So they’ve started.”
Liu
Qianxiu’s gaze darkened slightly. Setting down his chopsticks, he looked at Mei
Yaozhi and said, “Help me look into someone.”
Mei Yaozhi was the second son of the Mei family. With an older brother to handle family affairs, he lived a carefree life. Most days, he hosted parties or went out with friends. He was one of Xiacheng’s top-tier rich heirs, one of the Four Great Young Masters, with a huge social circle and many connections.
“Who?”
Mei Yaozhi asked.
“Mu
Wan.”
“...Today’s
female patient?”
“Mm.”
“...”
Mei
Yaozhi and Liu Qianxiu were close, yet Liu Qianxiu was always distant—even with him. Sometimes Mei Yaozhi truly wondered if his cousin would
stay alone forever, eventually transcend mortality, and become immortal. But
today Liu Qianxiu had sent a female patient back to the hospital, and now
he was asking him to investigate her.
Could it be that he was actually coming down to earth after all?
After
dinner, Liu Qianxiu returned to Nanfeng Apartments.
Nanfeng
Apartments was a high-end residential complex only a fifteen-minute drive from
Tang’er Hospital. When Liu Qianxiu got back, it was only nine o’clock. The tall
apartment building stood against the dark night, countless windows glowing with
light.
After
entering the password and opening the door, he stepped inside. A floor lamp was
already on, spreading a thin wash of light through the room. Combined with the
faint scent of agarwood, the apartment felt spacious, quiet, and cold.
The living room was silent. After glancing around once, Liu Qianxiu went first into the bedroom.
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