Incurable Chapter 17 Part 1

Liu Qianxiu looked at her, quiet and even, like a blue flame: cool to the eye, burning-hot at its core.

Mu Wan turned her gaze toward the window instead. She held the cup and watched the rain slide off the sill, her voice still soft and sticky-sweet.

“Nothing. I’m going to drink the medicine.”

The cup in her hand wasn’t much warmer than she felt. It should’ve gone down easily. She twisted at the lid anyway, knuckles paling, once, twice, three times, and still it wouldn’t budge.

Mu Wan blinked at it, eyes widening a little. Before she could put strength into it again, the cup was taken from her by the person beside her.

Their fingers brushed.

One cold, one cool, and somehow, Liu Qianxiu was warmer than she was.

Mu Wan licked the corner of her lips and looked up. Liu Qianxiu lowered his eyes, long fingers settling over the cap. He turned it lightly.

The lid came loose. Warm steam rose.

A faint medicinal scent drifted out.

He handed it back. Mu Wan averted her gaze, took the cup, and drank it immediately.

Warm liquid slid down her throat, soothing the itch there. She paused, then kept sipping in small, careful mouthfuls.

“You don’t have to finish it,” Liu Qianxiu reminded her.

Steam floated at the rim, and it seemed to mist over her eyes too, making them wet and bright. Mu Wan stopped, medicine glossing her lips. She brushed her tongue lightly over them and asked, “Why?”

His lashes lowered, as if no one had ever asked him that before.

Mu Wan rested her mouth at the rim again, teeth tapping the edge with a soft click. Then, a little muffled, she said, “Because I like it. It’s sweet.”

Granule medicine wasn’t exactly bitter, but it wasn’t sweet either.

Mu Wan truly thought it was sweet. Not that faint aftertaste people called “sweetness,” but the kind that felt like honey melted down, sweet from the tip of her tongue straight into her chest.

He’d taken her in last night. This morning, he’d mixed medicine for her, too. Mu Wan’s eyes curved, her happiness syrupy and obvious. She drank the rest, warmth rising through her body.

“Do you have time tonight?” she asked. “The place I mentioned before, let’s go there tonight. My treat.”

After the medicine, her color returned. Her cheeks and lips softened back into pink and red. Under damp black hair, her dark brows, dark eyes, and red mouth made her glow again, bright and vivid.

Liu Qianxiu watched her quietly. People moved through the corridor, the air heavy with wet humidity.

He didn’t answer for a moment.

Mu Wan bit her lip, disappointment flickering through her eyes. “I really want to eat…”

“Okay,” Liu Qianxiu said.

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