Incurable Chapter 23 Part 1

Chapter 23 (1/3)

“You two are already planning to eat lunch together too?” Lin Wei’s face was gleaming with product, bright and dewy. After saying that, she delivered her conclusion with satisfaction. “Rounded up, that basically means you’re already living together.”

Mu Wan had only just come from Liu Qianxiu’s place when Lin Wei called her over.

Lin Wei had booked a beautician to come to the house for a facial and, while she was at it, had one done for Mu Wan too.

Mu Wan lay on the other recliner with a mask on her face.

She had been filming since four in the morning and was already half-asleep. But the drowsiness she had just managed to gather was scattered at once by Lin Wei’s “rounded up.” She turned her head to look at her and said, “Let’s wait until I actually move into his place before we call it living together.”

And even moving into his place might not mean anything real happened.

She had slept in Liu Qianxiu’s room for two nights in Wencheng, and if he had had the slightest improper thought toward her, it would not have ended with absolutely nothing happening.

But Mu Wan did not say that aloud.

Because it felt a little embarrassing.

“You already eat lunch and dinner together,” Lin Wei said while the beautician patted essence into her face, sounding full of confidence. “Sleeping at his place is only a matter of time. You boil the frog slowly, little by little, and eventually even Immortal Liu will be lured down to earth.”

The rhythmic patting of the facial treatment was deeply hypnotic.

Mu Wan drifted drowsily again and muttered, “If he’s an immortal, then how could he possibly come down that easily?”

“I still think your offense isn’t strong enough.” Lin Wei turned her head and looked at Mu Wan in profile, then began offering a strategy. “Next time, just ask directly to stay the night. Start with living together. Same roof, same space. A terrace near the water gets the moonlight first.”

“I already slept right under his nose once,” Mu Wan said, giving Lin Wei a side glance. “And besides, he’s someone who values his personal space a lot. I don’t want to disturb him too much.”

The furnishings in Liu Qianxiu’s home were simple. Everything came in single sets, just enough for one person. The second bedroom was finished beautifully, but there was no sign anyone had ever actually stayed in it. That alone was enough to show he never let people spend the night.

“You really do think everything through for him, don’t you?” Lin Wei rolled her eyes.

By the time she had showered and gotten ready for the evening, Mu Wan had already banged on her door and scared off the fitness trainer she had invited over.

“Of course I do.” Mu Wan grinned. “He’s my man. I’m going to spoil him properly.”

Lin Wei: “...”

Once the facial was done and the beautician had left, the two of them leaned over the mirror as if it were some sort of magical truth-telling mirror, inspecting their skin from every angle. After staring at herself for a bit, Mu Wan poked a finger at her own cheek.

Smooth. Soft. Perfectly tender.

Lin Wei pulled back from the mirror first and asked, “Vegetarian hotpot tonight?”

They had both just had facials, so they were supposed to avoid anything too heavy or irritating.

“I have to go home,” Mu Wan said as she gathered her things. “Want to come? Aunt Wu called earlier to say she made pork ribs.”

Their relationship was close enough that Mu Wan sometimes went home with Lin Wei to Jingcheng, and when Aunt Wu cooked something comforting in Xiacheng, she would often tell Mu Wan to bring Lin Wei along too.

Lin Wei licked her lips, then sighed.

“Forget it. If I go, I probably won’t leave again. I have a date with a bartender tonight.”

“Wasn’t it a fitness coach last time?” Mu Wan asked.

“Lately I’m into puppy boys.” Lin Wei sounded entirely serious. “You’ll understand eventually. Youth is capital. The stamina is unreal... How old is Taoist Liu, anyway?”

Mu Wan: “...”

By the time Mu Wan took a taxi back from Lin Wei’s house, the sky was already darkening.

Heavy clouds hung low overhead, threatening rain without yet delivering it. The air was thick, oppressive, and hot enough to scald.

Aunt Wu was already waiting at the apartment.

She had a key, but she still preferred to knock first. Only after confirming Mu Wan was not home would she let herself in.

The meal was already laid out across the table.

There was no air-conditioning in the living room, so Mu Wan dragged the standing fan over and let it blow on her while she ate dinner. Whenever Aunt Wu came over, she came only to cook. She never ate with her. So Mu Wan sat there with her own bowl, listening to the hum of the fan and Aunt Wu’s familiar repeated advice. The room was full of domestic warmth, and yet Mu Wan always felt as though something was still missing.

Aunt Wu had started on the subject of boyfriends again.

That brought Mu Wan back to her own old joke—Mu Qing had found herself someone from the Shen family, and Mu Wan would just go find someone from the Liu family to outdo her.

Now she really did like someone surnamed Liu.

But he was only surnamed Liu. He had nothing to do with any “Liu family” in the grand sense.

And besides, she still had not actually succeeded in winning him over.

At that thought, even the pork ribs in her bowl seemed to lose some of their flavor.

Liu Qianxiu had said he was having dinner with family.

How many people were in his family?

Who were they?

What did they do?

The ribs were rich with juice, and yet Mu Wan realized she still knew almost nothing about Liu Qianxiu.

Having finished her usual lecture about boyfriends, Aunt Wu changed the subject when she saw Mu Wan’s lack of enthusiasm.

“Your mother’s ten-year memorial is coming up,” she said. “Will you be doing it together with the Mu family?”

At the mention of her mother’s ten-year memorial, Mu Wan’s thoughts snapped back.

Her expression did not change. She bit into a rib and said, “No. They can mourn in their way, and I’ll mourn in mine.”

Ever since she had moved out of the Mu household, they had always held separate observances.

Even before she moved out, it had mostly been that way.

After the fifth anniversary of her mother’s death, the Mu family had almost stopped holding anything just for her at all. This time, only because it was the tenth year, they intended to make some show of it for appearances.

“The other day Mu Qing mentioned the two of you worked on a show together,” Aunt Wu said after some hesitation.

Mu Wan looked up at her, picked up a slice of lotus root, and asked, “Mm. And?”

“She said that since you trained professionally, you shouldn’t keep acting in this kind of thing. She said if you ever don’t have work, you can go to her.”

Aunt Wu watched Mu Wan’s face carefully as she said it.

“She wants me to beg her.” Mu Wan lowered her eyes and bit into the lotus root, then gave a soft laugh.

Mu Qing had never really beaten her at anything.

She had grown up feeling inferior around Mu Wan. On the surface, she liked to appear calm and detached, but beneath the surface, she showed off little by little—her boyfriend, her resources, her villa. When Mu Wan ignored her, she would simply take the initiative herself. The purpose was obvious enough: she wanted Mu Wan to lower her head and ask, so that Mu Qing’s vanity could finally feel satisfied.

She had cultivated the outer skin of a proper young lady, but underneath it all, she still carried the little-minded instincts of an ordinary small-town schemer.

What a waste of all the effort Yan Mei had put into grooming her.

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