Xiao girl, I’m really sorry about today. There were too many unexpected situations, but please believe that I truly didn’t do it on purpose…
Ning Lu looked up at him, and both of them froze for a moment.
His eyes were deep—those peach blossom eyes that seemed affectionate even when he wasn’t smiling. Looking into them could easily make someone blush, mistaking that gentle moonlight-like tenderness as something meant just for them.
Ning Lu couldn’t stop thinking about the moment when he put down his weapon and demanded that the kidnapper exchange the hostage for him.
Truthfully, no woman could resist the radiance that Lu Huaichuan gave off at that moment.
From Lu Huaichuan’s perspective, Ning Lu was chubby, with cheeks like soft buns—fair, tender, and adorable. Most importantly, her eyes were like precious gems, lively and clear, like an innocent little deer untouched by the world’s dust. When she blinked, they rippled like a spring lake, carrying faint emotions that naturally calmed anyone who looked at them.
When he had held her earlier, he could feel how soft and fragrant she was, like a fluffy white rabbit.
But what impressed him most was something else entirely.
Lu Huaichuan couldn’t believe that such improper thoughts had appeared in his heart. He had always despised men who couldn’t control themselves.
Yet now, he seemed to be developing those tendencies himself.
What shocked him even more was that despite having her neck injured by the kidnapper, Ning Lu hadn’t broken down in fear. She had first carefully observed the situation, and then, when the kidnapper let his guard down, launched a fierce counterattack.
Everyone at the scene said she had been frightened out of her mind, but Lu Huaichuan knew the truth. She was afraid, yes, but beneath that fear she was remarkably calm. That was why her knife hadn’t targeted any vital areas, allowing them to continue interrogating the criminal afterward.
There were plenty of fat people in this world, even more thin people, and countless beautiful, ordinary, and unattractive faces.
But a soul that shone brightly was rare.
A smile touched Lu Huaichuan’s lips without him even realizing it.
Ning Lu pressed her lips together. With Lu Huaichuan’s looks, appearance, and bearing, he was undoubtedly the kind of handsome man found once in ten thousand. Anyone would say she was the one getting the better end of the deal.
Pretending not to care, she said, “It’s nothing. Besides, I’ve heard that people in big cities even wear swimsuits. It’s not like I wasn’t wearing anything underneath…
You’re carrying out missions. As ordinary citizens, we’re supposed to be grateful.
My injury looks scary because it bled, but it’s only a superficial wound. It’s no big deal. As for you…”
Lu Huaichuan insisted on taking responsibility.
He first went to a nearby shop and bought her a new shirt to wear.
Then he took her to the hospital’s surgical department to treat her wound.
While Lu Huaichuan went to pay the fees, Ning Lu obediently allowed a nurse to clean and dress her injury.
The young nurse gave Ning Lu a teasing look, and for some reason, handled the wound rather roughly.
Soon afterward, she walked over to a colleague and started giggling in a low voice.
“Haha, one arm of hers is thicker than my leg. How much does a woman have to eat to become a pig like that? What a waste of that man just now. He’s a soldier, right? So handsome! He must be at least six feet tall.”
“Exactly. How does a fat pig like her get lucky enough to find such an outstanding man? Xiaoling, let’s go talk to him later. Either one of us is better than that fat woman.”
The two nurses clearly weren’t worried about Ning Lu overhearing them. As they whispered, they openly looked at her with contempt and mockery.
Ning Lu’s expression darkened.
Ever since she and her mother had gained weight, they had endured endless ridicule.
People secretly called them pigs.
But the truth was that neither she nor her mother was greedy or lacked self-control. For a long period of time, they had been constantly hungry, forced to keep eating just to avoid feeling faint.
But was being fat a crime?
Why did it make them deserving of ridicule?
Ning Lu stood up, ready to fight back, when Lu Huaichuan’s voice came from behind her.
“What, did you eat too much salt and become this idle? You’re nurses, yet you’re insulting patients right in front of them. Have you looked in a mirror lately? One of you has a face like a shovel and so many pockmarks that you’d make someone throw up yesterday’s dinner.
And the other one—wow. You really got assembled at random. Worse yet, your head is full of water.
Apologize. Now.”
The nurses flushed red from embarrassment.
One of them protested, “We didn’t say anything wrong! She ate herself into that shape. If she’s fat, why shouldn’t people talk about it? No matter how ugly we are, at least we didn’t eat ourselves into obese old women!”
Lu Huaichuan couldn’t be bothered arguing.
He walked over to a nearby telephone and made a call.
The two nurses exchanged uneasy glances but still refused to apologize.
Ning Lu walked over and stared directly at them.
“You’re not apologizing?”
The nurse lifted her chin.
“Why should we?”
Ning Lu grabbed a cup of water and dumped it over the nurse’s head. Then she threw the cup into the other nurse’s face.
“Now do you understand the advantages of being fat? The two of you together couldn’t beat me. Either apologize, or today we’ll find out whether it’s really better to be thin or fat.”
One nurse screamed.
“Are you crazy? You fat pig! Xiaoling, go get the head nurse and security! Have them throw these people out!”
But before anyone could move, the hospital director arrived.
Director Li warmly stepped forward and shook Lu Huaichuan’s hand.
“Huaichuan! What brings you here today? Why didn’t you let me know in advance?”
Lu Huaichuan immediately explained what had happened with the nurses.
The two nurses panicked.
One rushed over to Ning Lu and clasped her hands together pleadingly.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things. I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me, okay?”
The other looked at Director Li with a miserable expression.
“Uncle…”
Director Li was furious.
“The two of you, pack your things and get out immediately! With attitudes like yours, who would dare come to our hospital? Get out!”
The nurses were fired on the spot.
Soon, other nurses arrived and warmly helped Ning Lu finish treating the wound on her neck.
It didn’t need bandaging. She only needed to apply medicine regularly, and it would heal quickly.
Though it might leave a scar.
Ning Lu didn’t really mind.
The two of them walked out of the hospital.
Lu Huaichuan looked at her.
“I’m sorry. Today brought you a lot of trouble. My name is Lu Huaichuan. I am…”
Just as Ning Lu was about to reply, she suddenly spotted Yan Bingqin anxiously searching for something nearby.
She quickly said, “Comrade, my injury has been taken care of. I’m fine now. You should go. If fate allows, we’ll meet again. My mother is looking for me!”
Then she ran off.
Lu Huaichuan’s expression slowly dimmed.
He checked his watch.
There were still matters he needed to attend to, so he didn’t chase after her.
But in his heart, he repeated her name several times.
“Ning Lu.”
He had committed it to memory.
In his pocket, he secretly kept a button that had fallen from her shirt.
Ning Lu hurried over to Yan Bingqin’s side. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked back and saw that Lu Huaichuan had already left. Only then did she quietly let out a breath.
Yet she also felt a trace of disappointment.
This man was simply too outstanding—the kind that would catch the interest of eighty percent of women at first glance.
But Ning Lu knew her own circumstances: raised by a single mother, from a rural family, overweight, and unemployed.
Meanwhile, he clearly came from a privileged background. He was exceptionally handsome and already a regiment commander at a young age.
She wasn’t foolish enough to build fantasies around a fleeting spark of attraction.
She would treat it as a beautiful accident.
Yan Bingqin grabbed her sleeve worriedly.
“Lulu, why were you gone so long? And what happened to your neck?”
Ning Lu explained that she had accidentally fallen and scratched it. It was only a superficial wound and nothing serious.
Yan Bingqin’s eyes turned red.
“Lulu, thank goodness you’re okay. I came down in such a panic because I needed to tell you something. The test results from the provincial hospital came back.
The reason I’ve become so overweight is that I’ve been taking something extremely harmful to my body. They’re still investigating the specifics.
Lulu, someone has been harming us. It has to be your uncle’s family. Those beasts have been plotting against us for a long time. They’re worse than animals!”