The sky was filled with the lingering glow of sunset.
Mu Wan looked up at Liu Qianxiu.
Her heart gave a sudden jolt.
She stared at him without blinking.
“Did you hear that?”
Her voice was uncertain.
“No.”
Liu Qianxiu denied it calmly, lowering his eyes to her.
Her hair was tied up, and even the loose strands around her face had been washed red by the sunset.
The sea breeze lifted them like strands of seaweed drifting in the current.
“When you want to tell me,” he said, “I’ll listen.”
Mu Wan did want to tell him now.
She simply had no idea what would happen afterward.
She smiled.
“That makes sense.”
Then she added,
“I’ll definitely tell you someday.”
The lingering sunset stretched the beauty of the coastline.
The sun had disappeared into the sea.
Sand shifted beneath their feet as the two of them left the beach.
Mu Wan had not fallen asleep in the car today, so she went inside Xu Xingkong’s house with Liu Qianxiu.
The doorbell rang.
Xu Xingkong opened the door.
When she saw Mu Wan standing behind Liu Qianxiu, her eyes brightened slightly and she smiled.
“You’re here. Come in.”
Mu Wan stood behind Liu Qianxiu.
Seeing Xu Xingkong smile made her smile too.
She liked Xu Xingkong very much.
There was a gentleness unique to women from the southern river towns about her.
Like fine gauze rinsed in a shallow stream, drifting slowly with the current.
Soft.
Yet resilient.
Something about Xu Xingkong reminded Mu Wan of her mother.
That similarity made her feel instinctively close to her.
There were four cats in total, divided between two carriers.
Liu Qianxiu carried one in each hand.
Mu Wan carried only a carton of strawberry milk.
Once they entered, she held it out to Xu Xingkong.
“This is for you. It’s sweet.”
Then she added,
“Liu Qianxiu bought it.”
Xu Xingkong glanced at Liu Qianxiu before accepting it with a smile.
“Thank you.”
Liu Qianxiu carried the cats into the cat room.
He had just set down the carriers when his phone rang.
He answered and stepped outside.
That left only Mu Wan and Xu Xingkong in the room.
Mu Wan crouched and opened the carriers.
Xu Xingkong moved to help.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got it.”
Zhouyi came out first.
The black cat was already familiar with the place and immediately climbed onto the cat tree.
The three kittens emerged much more slowly.
They seemed to have been coated in glue.
Meowing in tiny voices, they shuffled out of the carrier and immediately attached themselves to Mu Wan’s feet.
“Kittens are clingy,” Xu Xingkong said.
She crouched too.
Her posture leaned slightly backward.
Mu Wan assumed it was simply a habit and paid no attention.
“They’re even clingier with Liu Qianxiu.”
Mu Wan pointed toward the doorway.
Liu Qianxiu was still outside on the phone.
His voice was low.
She could not make out what he was saying, only a few scattered words that sounded related to work.
There was something different about Liu Qianxiu when he was working.
Another kind of attraction.
Mu Wan listened a little too intently.
By the time she realized Xu Xingkong was watching her, heat had risen into her face.
She quickly looked away and rested one hand on the kittens’ heads.
“These three are mine.”
She explained,
“But Liu Qianxiu was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep them alive, so he’s taking care of them first. Once they’re older, I’ll take them back.”
“Qianxiu really likes cats.”
Since the conversation had turned to him, Xu Xingkong smiled.
“Our cat was actually a gift from him to my husband.”
“Really?”
Mu Wan remembered what Liu Qianxiu had told her before and laughed.
“He told me his friend didn’t know how to raise it, so his friend’s wife ended up taking care of it.”
“Mm.”
Thinking of Mimi’s early days at Huai Jing’s home, Xu Xingkong agreed.
“He really didn’t know how. Eventually, I brought the cat home with me.”
“So did you meet your husband because of the cat?” Mu Wan asked.
“Not exactly.”
At the mention of the past, a faint blush appeared on Xu Xingkong’s cheeks.
Her relationship with Huai Jing had not begun because of the cat.
But somehow, the cat had remained woven through their story from beginning to end.
“Your husband must be a very gentle person,” Mu Wan said.
She looked at Xu Xingkong.
Happiness flowed openly at the corners of the woman’s eyes.
It made Mu Wan feel warm too.
She had not properly met Xu Xingkong’s husband.
But she could sense what kind of home the two of them had built together.
The villa was large and spacious.
Yet it did not feel empty.
A faint warmth seemed to cover every corner of it.
Without love between the two people living here, a home could not possibly feel so full of happiness.
At Mu Wan’s assessment of her husband, Xu Xingkong’s lips curved.
She did not quite agree with the description itself.
“Mm.”
Then she smiled.
“He’s very gentle with me.”
“That’s so nice.”
Mu Wan sighed softly.
Her finger brushed Zhongfen’s ear.
Then she murmured,
“If only Liu Qianxiu were like that too.”
At that moment, the cat-room door opened.
Both women turned.
Liu Qianxiu’s gaze swept across the room.
Finally, it settled on Mu Wan.
“Something came up at the hospital. I need to go back.”
Xu Xingkong walked them to the car.
Mu Wan waved goodbye and fastened her seat belt.
The sun had completely disappeared.
Night had settled over the coast.
Rows of streetlights came on, illuminating the coastal highway.
Liu Qianxiu drove the same way he did everything else.
Steadily.
Without unnecessary movement.
Mu Wan leaned against the seat and watched the lighthouse standing on the seaside cliff.
Its beam swept through the darkness.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then looked toward Liu Qianxiu.
“What happened at the hospital?”
“There’s a problem with tomorrow’s surgery. We need to discuss the plan.”
“Oh.”
Mu Wan nodded.
“Will the meeting take long?”
“Mm.”
Liu Qianxiu kept his eyes on the road.
“You should go home first.”
Mu Wan’s lashes moved.
She looked at his profile.
“Which home?”
The car stopped at a red light.
Liu Qianxiu turned his head.
Mu Wan’s eyes were filled with fragments of light.
She was smiling at him.
“I may finish very late,” he said.
Tomorrow’s operation was approaching, yet the surgical plan had still not been finalized.
“I can wait for you.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Mu Wan realized how strange they sounded.
What exactly was she waiting for?
Certainly not dinner.
It was already seven.
He probably would not return until after nine.
She closed her lips, suddenly awkward.
“Oh. If it’s that late, you probably won’t eat dinner anyway.”
“Go to my place.”
Liu Qianxiu’s tone remained calm.
“I don’t have time to take you home first.”
Tang’er Hospital was close to Nanfeng Apartments.
Driving all the way to Mu Wan’s apartment and then returning would take nearly an hour.
He truly did not have the time.
Mu Wan pressed her lips together, suppressing her smile.
“All right.”
She tried to sound casual.
“I don’t have anything to do anyway. Anywhere is fine.”
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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Thanks for the chapter and stay safe!
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