Incurable Chapter 22 Part 1

Mu Wan finished the last shot.

The blast “threw” her. She flew back, rolled out of the trench, and hit the ground. Liu Qianxiu watched from the car. She tried to fall in a way that looked good on camera, but when she stood up, her lashes were packed with ash. She didn’t need a mirror to know she looked filthy, like a refugee pulled straight from the smoke.

After wrapping, Mu Wan went to the changing room and changed, then stopped by the restroom before going to him. She washed her face carefully. When she lifted her head, the reflection looking back at her was clean as a freshly peeled egg, fine, pale skin. Under long dark brows, her eyes were clear and bright. A small, neat nose. A touch of red on her lips.

No makeup, still beautiful.

Mu Wan wiped the water off her face with her hands and left the restroom.

Liu Qianxiu’s car was parked outside the filming base. The temperature had climbed again. By ten in the morning, it was already thirty degrees. Mu Wan felt like she’d walked through a furnace, sweat rising and evaporating almost instantly.

She opened the passenger door and saw Liu Qianxiu in the driver’s seat.

The cool air washed over her. His silhouette reflected in her eyes. Her body cooled first, then her heart.

Mu Wan’s gaze flickered. Smiling, she got in and clicked her seatbelt.

She hadn’t dried her face properly. The air outside hadn’t felt dry, but under the AC, her skin tightened slightly. Mu Wan pulled out moisturizer and dotted it across her face. Damp strands at her ear stuck meekly to her cheek. While smoothing the lotion in, she asked, “Why did you come here?”

Usually, she was the one waiting for him at the hospital. This was the first time Liu Qianxiu had come to the filming base for her.

She was thrilled in a way she couldn’t quite explain. It was different, which meant something had shifted between them. She didn’t know what exactly had changed. Her happiness had overheated her thoughts, but she felt sweet and cool all at once, like biting into a strawberry ice pop.

“On the way,” Liu Qianxiu answered, calm as ever.

“Oh.” The sound left her throat long and soft. She used a slender fingertip to spread the pale cream across her warm cheeks, smoothing it in slowly.

She’d arrived on set at four in the morning and filmed for six straight hours. The moment she got into the car, the tension holding her body upright loosened. When she finished rubbing in the lotion, she leaned against the window like a stray cat finally finding a sheltered corner and looked out at the base still buzzing with activity.

“Is this what it’s like for you all the time?” Liu Qianxiu asked as the car started, his voice cool as dew through trees.

“Yeah,” Mu Wan said, drawing her gaze back to him, eyes lifting at the corners. “For supporting roles, it’s often like this. In the end, you can’t escape dying.”

Then she added, bright with the strange pride of someone who’d done it a thousand times, “I’ve died countless times on set. Every kind of death you can imagine. More than you’ve seen as a doctor.”

At a T-junction, Liu Qianxiu flicked on the left signal. He watched the pride glittering in her eyes and asked in a low voice, “Do you like being an actress?”

“Not really.” Mu Wan shook her head, deep in thought. “I only have beauty. Acting is the fastest way for me to make money.”

Liu Qianxiu looked at her for a long time. Mu Wan’s lashes trembled, a guilty little flutter. She muttered, “It’s just hidden under dust today.”

The light turned green. He drove on. His profile stayed refined and unreadable. After turning onto the main road, he said quietly, “Being famous makes more money.”

Trees blurred past. The sky was high and white. Mu Wan looked at him, touched her tongue to her lower lip, then looked away.

“But then I couldn’t come see you every day,” she said, eyes on the road ahead. “I want money fast. But more than that, I want to live quietly. Steady. Safe.”

Liu Qianxiu’s lashes lowered slightly. Her voice lingered in the car, and he didn’t reply.

When they arrived at his place, Mu Wan changed into slippers. She watched him head toward the bedroom, hesitated, then asked, “Can I shower here?”

He stopped and turned back to look at her.

Mu Wan held his gaze, heart picking up speed, and explained, “I’ve been filming since morning. I’m covered in dust. I feel awful.”

She even scratched at her hair. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, exposing her fresh, pale face. Honestly, her face was the only clean part of her.

Liu Qianxiu didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned and walked to a room Mu Wan had never entered before. He opened the door.

“There’s a separate bathroom here,” he said.

“Thank you.” Mu Wan hurried in, then remembered something and asked over her shoulder, “Do you have shower stuff in here?”

“No,” Liu Qianxiu replied.

Mu Wan paused. “…”

“I’ll get it,” he added.

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