Incurable Chapter 20 Part 1

The pulse at Mu Wan’s wrist was pressed beneath a cool, dry palm. Pulse to the heart. Heartbeat to hand. It was as if Liu Qianxiu had taken hold of her heart itself.

When he held her, her heart stayed still.
When he let go, her heart moved.

This heart was already his.

Mu Wan watched him quietly, thinking about what she had just said. Outside the window came a sharp, rapid patter—rain again.

And her heart grew noisy with it.

“I’m not afraid,” Mu Wan said. “You’re a doctor. You can heal my injuries.”

Liu Qianxiu lifted his eyes to her once. Her beautiful eyes were steady, certain. His lashes stirred. He released her wrist, turned the faucet on, and let the rush of water cover the rain’s sound.

Rain made the air damp. Under the warm kitchen light, everything turned a little misty, a little soft.

Mu Wan didn’t keep washing. She leaned against the sink, her presence strong but not intrusive, as if she’d always belonged in the edges of his life.

Liu Qianxiu washed the remaining dishes at an unhurried pace.

When he shut off the water, the kitchen fell quiet again—only the rain outside was growing heavier.

Mu Wan’s gaze drifted to the window. “The rain’s getting worse. Can I wait until it stops before I go?”

Liu Qianxiu wiped his hands and answered simply, “Mm.” Then they left the kitchen together.

Liu Qianxiu’s life ran on strict rails. After dinner and cleanup, he would go to the living room, read, or sit in stillness. He opened a book.

Mu Wan also picked one up.

This time it was Zhou Yi.

Three minutes later, Mu Wan’s eyes left the page.

This one was even more unbearable than the Dao De Jing.

She looked up at Liu Qianxiu. The desk lamp made his silhouette look even calmer. His lashes cast a faint shadow along his lower lid, his dark eyes focused and absorbed.

Mu Wan didn’t disturb him. She lowered her eyes to the book again.

Two seconds later, she looked up again.

First at Liu Qianxiu. Then there was rain outside.

Then, the cat padded toward her.

This Zhou Yi was much more interesting than the other one.

Mu Wan’s eyes widened slightly. She tilted her head. Under the table, she curled her fingers twice in a small beckon.

Come here.

She mouthed the words silently to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi seemed to understand. His pale-gold eyes narrowed; the black pupils shrank as he approached, tightening into sleek vertical slits. When he reached her, Mu Wan lifted a hand to pet him—

Zhou Yi rose on his toes and jumped lightly into her cross-legged lap, then settled down.

“Ah.” Mu Wan let out a soft, surprised sound at the sudden warmth and fur.

She immediately looked toward Liu Qianxiu.

She’d disturbed him. He had already lifted his eyes.

Mu Wan leaned slightly to the side and pointed at Zhou Yi, sprawled on her lap, eyes sparkling with delight.

“Liu Qianxiu. He likes me.”

Zhou Yi wasn’t affectionate by nature. Even with Liu Qianxiu, he only climbed onto him when he felt like it. Liu Qianxiu set his book down, looked at Zhou Yi on Mu Wan’s lap, and said, “Mm.”

Her skin was very pale. Zhou Yi was very black-and-white, with sharp contrasts that somehow harmonized.

From letting her touch him before dinner to hopping into her lap now—Mu Wan’s happiness came in little waves, one after another.

Zhou Yi was adapting to her.

And if Zhou Yi could, then Liu Qianxiu would too.

Mu Wan felt like her whole chest had bloomed.

She smiled and stroked Zhou Yi. Liu Qianxiu watched the cat as well. When she saw he wasn’t reading anymore, she asked, “You don’t work tomorrow, right? Can I come by in the afternoon?”

She realized she needed a strong reason, so she brought out the kittens immediately.

“I haven’t seen Da Tou and the others in ages. I want to spend more time with them.”

Liu Qianxiu’s gaze moved from Zhou Yi to her face. She sat up straight, slim arms, narrow shoulders, collarbones carved in the lamp’s shadow. Under the light, she looked like something dangerous and beautiful—an intruder who didn’t feel like an intruder at all.

“I’m meeting a friend to play basketball tomorrow afternoon,” Liu Qianxiu said.

It wasn’t a direct refusal, but it was close enough. The light in Mu Wan’s eyes dimmed. She lowered her head and petted Zhou Yi once, voice softening.

“Okay…”

“Text me before you come,” Liu Qianxiu added. “I’m not sure when we’ll finish.”

Mu Wan looked up again.

That single sentence lit her right back up. The shine returned to her eyes, brighter than before. Her lips curved, and her voice turned sweet with the rain.

“Liu Qianxiu—so you play basketball?”

Only now was she asking.

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