Incurable Chapter 19 Part 2

In Liu Qianxiu’s car, Mu Wan buckled her seatbelt. His friend lived in the South District. From Tang’er Hospital in the North District, it usually took over an hour. But they left early; it was only 4:30, before traffic thickened.

By the time rush hour arrived, they were already on the coastal road.

The car rolled smoothly out of the hospital gate. At the first red light, Mu Wan asked, “Is your friend a doctor too?”

Mu Wan didn’t have many friends. If you counted, it was basically Lin Wei and Gao Mei. Liu Qianxiu seemed to have even fewer. In all the time she’d been around him, he was always alone.

He disliked being disturbed, and he didn’t disturb others. If he trusted someone enough to leave the cats with them, that relationship had to be solid.

“No,” Liu Qianxiu replied.

The light turned green. The car moved. Mu Wan’s body leaned back against the seat with the motion, but her eyes stayed on his profile.

Perfect lines. Quiet, clean stillness.

If both of them hated being disturbed, then two people like that could probably help each other without friction.

Mu Wan shifted slightly and asked, half-serious, “Then… a fellow Daoist?”

Liu Qianxiu glanced at her. She was staring at him, waiting.

“No,” he said. “A university classmate.”

“Oh.” Mu Wan looked away at the broad road ahead and murmured, “So a classmate.”

Outside the window, the sun was still bright. Xia City’s greenery was expansive. Under the overpass, the road was smooth and clean, vegetation thick and glossy with summer shine.

Mu Wan filmed a night shoot until four in the morning. After wrapping, she’d rushed back to Xiacheng without stopping. She hadn’t rested at home either—just washed up, dressed, and came straight here.

Chatting with him, watching the scenery blur, she fell asleep somewhere along the flat stretch of the coastal road.

The car reached the South District. Liu Qianxiu parked and glanced toward the passenger seat.

Mu Wan’s head tilted against the window. Hair spilt down to her pale shoulder. Her neck stretched slightly, the line flowing into her jaw. With the engine off, her breathing was long and calm, sleep peaceful.

Liu Qianxiu looked away and stepped out.

He rang the doorbell of a standalone villa.

It was already 5:30. The sunlight still felt strong, but the salty sea wind carried dampness. It felt like it might rain again.

The bell chimed once. The door opened quickly.

A woman stood there with a gentle smile. She was beautiful in a clean, delicate way. Long black hair tied into a low ponytail. When she smiled, she had the soft elegance of a Jiangnan woman—warm, graceful.

Seeing Liu Qianxiu, she smiled and said, “You’re here.” Then she stepped aside.

Liu Qianxiu thanked her and entered.

Huai Jing came downstairs just then. His peach-blossom eyes lifted.

“I thought you were going to dump these cats on me permanently.”

He looked like he’d just come home from work. A deep purple shirt, tie removed but collar still open, showing a slice of collarbone. As he spoke, he undid his cufflinks and walked down.

He and Liu Qianxiu were about the same height—around 1.9 meters—both tall and long-limbed. Standing together, their differences were sharp.

Huai Jing carried the aggressive, polished aura of a businessman. His features were refined, his eyes lazy with arrogance and flamboyant confidence.

Liu Qianxiu, by contrast, was clean and quiet, almost ascetic. Even his looks seemed softened by his temperament—aloof, calm, and untouchable.

“You want them?” Liu Qianxiu asked.

Before Huai Jing could answer, a white blur darted past his pant leg. A fluffy, beautiful ragdoll cat hopped to his wife, Xu Xingkong. Xu Xingkong lifted the cat and smiled, stroking its head.

“Forget it,” Huai Jing said, shaking his head. “Even one is a waste of time.”

Xu Xingkong looked up at him. Huai Jing held her gaze, then pressed his lips and amended, decisive, “One is okay. But raising a bunch together is too much.”

“That’s not how you ask the owner for a cat,” Xu Xingkong corrected him. She set the cat down and smiled at Liu Qianxiu. “Qianxiu, your cats are in the cat room.”

The cat room was on the first floor. Xu Xingkong led the way. Huai Jing and Liu Qianxiu followed, chatting.

“I won’t keep you for dinner. I don’t want to wash more dishes.”

“Buy a dishwasher. Problem solved.”

“That’s why you’re single. You don’t understand the joy of married life.”

At that, Xu Xingkong turned and shot Huai Jing a look, ears faintly red. “Huai Jing.”

Huai Jing’s gaze softened. “It’s wisdom from your elders.”

Xu Xingkong sighed. In front of others, she was shy. She glanced at Liu Qianxiu, then told her husband softly, “Don’t say it like that.”

“Fine.” Huai Jing smiled. “I won’t.”

Liu Qianxiu, standing behind them, asked calmly, “Can I take the cats now?”

The couple both looked back. Xu Xingkong looked away first, red-faced, and opened the cat-room door.

“…Yes.”

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