Chapter 11 (2/2)
Lin Wei: “...”
The two of them talked deep into the night, yet Mu Wan still got up early the next morning.
After breakfast at Lin Wei’s place, the two of them went straight to the mall.
They spent the whole morning shopping. In the afternoon, Mu Wan went to set for filming, and once she wrapped, she called Liu Qianxiu to confirm what time he would get off work. Then she took a cab home, got herself ready, and took another cab to Tang’er Hospital.
Liu Qianxiu had surgery that afternoon, so he was getting off later than he had originally expected.
Before the operation, Mu Wan had called to ask about his schedule. He had told her, and she had said nothing more.
Remembering how she had come to the hospital to wait for him the night before, something flickered in Liu Qianxiu’s eyes. He put away his phone, pushed open the office door, and stepped outside.
“Dr. Liu.”
Xiao Yun was leaning against the wall. Hearing the door open, she straightened with a smile and looked toward him.
The reason she had gone to find him the day before was because of this surgery today. He had come to assist, and she had rushed over now to thank him.
Liu Qianxiu’s expression remained flat as ever. After Xiao Yun stood upright, she said, “Let’s head out together.”
Liu Qianxiu said nothing more. He only nodded, and the two of them stepped into the elevator.
The silence inside was so still it bordered on awkward.
Xiao Yun stood near the inside corner of the elevator. She looked at the tall, elegant back of the man in front of her and pressed her lips together.
Though they were colleagues and even kept roughly the same hours, they had rarely spent time alone together. Xiao Yun had noticed Liu Qianxiu the moment she was recruited into Tang’er Hospital.
He was handsome, cool, and remote in temperament—completely unlike other men.
She had almost fallen for him at first sight.
But she had never taken the initiative to pursue him. On the surface, they remained stiffly professional, with the occasional conversation limited to surgeries and work. In front of him, she kept her posture and her pride.
When no one was around, however, he filled her mind.
Liu Qianxiu was a mountain.
Too many women stood below, looking up.
Xiao Yun had her own pride and self-respect. She could not quite bring herself to go after a man.
But if she did not make a move, Liu Qianxiu would remain exactly as he was now—never once turning around to look at her.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Liu Qianxiu stepped out.
Xiao Yun watched his back and suddenly felt a rush of panic. She hurried after him.
“Dr. Liu!” she called.
He was tall and long-legged. In the few seconds she had lost to her own thoughts, he had already nearly reached the door. He turned to look back at her, his eyes deep and still as a dark pool, his voice low and pleasant.
“What is it?”
By the time he said it, the two of them had already stepped through the glass doors into the open air outside.
Maybe it was because she had hurried to catch up. Maybe it was because her heart was beating too fast and driving the blood up under her skin.
Whatever the reason, a flush spread across Xiao Yun’s face.
She lifted her eyes to Liu Qianxiu. Hesitation and indecision warred visibly in her expression.
In the end, she made up her mind.
“Dr. Liu, I want to—”
“Liu Qianxiu!”
A woman’s voice cut across hers.
Xiao Yun’s chin trembled slightly. She looked toward the source of the sound.
And in front of her, Liu Qianxiu had already turned.
It was the first time Liu Qianxiu had seen Mu Wan in a dress.
The bright red skirt fell to her knees, making her skin look white as snow. She stood beside the planter, long black hair curled into loose waves, effortless and lazy. Her palm-sized face was vivid and radiant, and her eyes shone as she looked at him. Against the lush greenery behind her, she was like a burst of flame, enough to set the whole summer alight.
She had not only put on a dress.
She had done her makeup.
Styled her hair.
If there was ever a living illustration of a woman making herself beautiful for the one she likes, this was it.
The moment she lifted her head, she saw him.
Liu Qianxiu had already taken off his white coat. In a linen shirt and black trousers, he looked tall, clean, and quietly distinguished. He stood there looking at her, his expression showing very little change.
The person beside him, however, was far less composed.
Xiao Yun was no longer wearing her white coat. She had on a pale pink blouse and cream-colored wide-leg trousers, all softness and scholarly grace. Standing there, she stood in sharp contrast to Mu Wan in her coldly glamorous red dress.
She, too, was beautiful.
But hers was the beauty of a quiet lily.
Mu Wan was a rose in full bloom.
She drew every eye around her.
Including Liu Qianxiu’s.
This was the second time Mu Wan had come to pick up Liu Qianxiu. If he had not silently allowed it, there would never have been a second time. Looking at Mu Wan smiling openly at Liu Qianxiu, Xiao Yun completely forgot what she had been trying to say moments ago. Any trace of restraint in her gaze disappeared, leaving only naked disdain.
“She doesn’t come to pick you up every day, does she?” Xiao Yun gave a faint laugh. “Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was your girlfriend.”
Red and dazzling as flame, Mu Wan held his attention.
Liu Qianxiu turned his head and gave Xiao Yun a calm look.
That single look felt like a gust of wind passing straight through her chest.
It carried no obvious meaning.
And yet it seemed to contain far too much.
Xiao Yun bit down on her lower lip.
Before her, Liu Qianxiu had already turned back and started walking toward that patch of fire.
Mu Wan watched him approach.
She stepped down from the edge of the planter.
The sky at seven had already lost the sun, though a pale glow still lingered along the horizon. People moved in and out of the hospital, and their eyes kept drifting toward her. Mu Wan did not care. But when Liu Qianxiu reached her, when those dark, unruffled eyes settled on her face, her heartbeat sped up with the curve of her smile.
“Liu Qianxiu,” she said, the corners of her eyes bending gently. “I came to wait for you again.”
Liu Qianxiu’s lips pressed into a line. Then he gave a low sound of acknowledgment.
“Mm,” he said. “What do you want to eat tonight?”
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