Ling Sui: If he hadn't asked you out, would you have come to see me…
Although Ling Sui's tone was flat and matter-of-fact, Meng Luobai inexplicably detected a hint of grievance in it. "I covered a few shifts for my colleagues, and it just happened that the timing worked out for them to treat me to a meal."
Ling Sui's gaze dropped downward as he listened to her explanation, letting out a reluctant "Oh."
Meng Luobai: "…"
Fortunately, at that moment, the elevator stopped at the floor of Meng Luobai's consultation room. As Meng Luobai walked out, she said, "Then next week when there's time—" Before she could finish, she noticed Ling Sui also stepping out of the elevator.
Meng Luobai: "?"
Ling Sui: "I booked a consultation. I'm here to have my injury looked at."
Back in the outpatient office, Meng Luobai glanced at the appointment information on the computer, then looked up at Ling Sui. "Hasn't your injury from last time healed yet?"
Two weeks had already passed. For such a shallow wound, the scab should have fallen off by now.
Ling Sui surveyed the office before taking a seat. He crossed his long legs, lightly pushed up his glasses, and looked at her. "It's a new injury."
Meng Luobai's brows furrowed slightly. A new injury?
Her mind unconsciously drifted back to the scene at Xishui Manor last time… This kid really had learned some bad habits.
Ling Sui didn't know what Meng Luobai was thinking, what was going through her mind, but he noticed her let out a faint sigh. His amber-colored eyes narrowed slightly. "You've sighed twice already. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No." Meng Luobai pressed her fingers lightly against her temple and said, "Just a bit tired as it's getting close to the end of my shift."
Ling Sui squinted slightly, his tone indifferent. "Then why did you agree to go out to dinner with some senior or junior colleague after work?"
Meng Luobai lowered her eyes and explained again, "It was arranged on the spur of the moment. I really have been busy this week."
Ling Sui: "If he hadn't asked you out, would you have come to see me?"
Well…
If Wen Zheng hadn't asked her out, she would have just wanted to go home and rest. Meng Luobai pressed her lips together, gave a vague acknowledgment, and then asked, "Where's your new injury? Let me take a look."
Ling Sui lowered his eyes and unbuttoned his cuff with one hand, folding the sleeve up to reveal a patch of red marks. "After boxing yesterday, my wrist started hurting a bit."
As Meng Luobai listened to him speak, she placed her hand on it and gently massaged it. "A strain? Does it hurt like this?"
Meng Luobai's fingers were slender and fair, looking somewhat dry from frequent hand-washing, but they carried a slight warmth against the skin—soft and comfortable. Ling Sui looked down at them. "Mildly."
Meng Luobai pressed her fingertips into the joint area. "What about here?"
Ling Sui: "It's okay. A little sore."
After Meng Luobai examined it carefully, she went to the computer to fill out the medical record. "I'll prescribe a medicated patch for you. Wear it for two days."
The gentle, warm touch withdrew. Ling Sui quietly lifted his eyes and watched Meng Luobai type.
She wore the hospital's standard white coat, her long hair neatly pinned up with a black clip. Her facial features were sharply defined, carrying a refined handsomeness. Her lashes were long and upturned, and because her features were so striking, her bare face naturally looked made-up. Her typing movements were relaxed yet crisp, exuding a presence that inspired confidence.
Meng Luobai typed the last character and looked at Ling Sui. "Rest for the next couple of days. Don't put any force on your wrist. Pick up the medication on the first floor."
After she finished speaking, Ling Sui didn't respond. Meng Luobai looked up. "Is there anything else that's uncomfortable?"
Ling Sui had been sitting perfectly upright in his chair, but now he leaned forward, one hand pressing against the desk. He didn't fully rise, but used that point of support to slowly close the distance between them. His presence was cold and sharp, yet a faint scent of fresh citrus and mint gradually invaded the air around her.
" Meng Luobai," his voice was lower than before, carrying a barely perceptible rasp beneath its icy edge, his gaze locked onto her eyes. "Are you avoiding me?"
Meng Luobai sat in her office chair, with nowhere to retreat as he suddenly closed in. She studied the distance between them and said with a smile, "I come to work, I do my job. Why would I avoid you? Besides, with your status now, if I avoided you—"
"What status is that?" Ling Sui's Adam's apple bobbed as he gazed at her quietly.
Meng Luobai curled her lips. "The young master of the Empirl Group, of course."
Hearing this answer, Ling Sui lowered his gaze slightly. A faint, fleeting pain flashed through the depths of his eyes, like a needle's prick, quickly suppressed by sheer force.
"I'm sorry," Ling Sui said suddenly. "I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye back then."
Meng Luobai had been unconsciously picking at her fingers. At Ling Sui's unexpected apology, her fingertips paused. Her peripheral vision lifted inadvertently, just in time to catch the pain that flickered through Ling Sui's eyes, causing an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
Meng Luobai: "…"
Although he had left without a word back then, and she couldn't reach him through any means, Ling Sui had only been fifteen at the time—not even an adult. If his family was leaving, he might not have had any say in it…
From Lu Jin to Ling Sui, from a child whose mother had died, whose father didn't care for him, who was only meant to carry on the family line, to everything he had now—only he knew how much hardship and luck it had taken to get there.
The emotions she had built up began to crumble, and a wave of acidity rose in her nose. She had always teased Ling Sui to call her "big sister," but she hadn't exactly acted like one. Besides, over these seven years, her worry for Ling Sui had far outweighed her anger.
"I…" Meng Luobai started, her voice trembling slightly. "You don't need to apologize."
She suddenly remembered the moment she had seen Ling Sui on the news. She had just finished her overnight shift, and in the hospital's on-call room, she caught the broadcast of the day's competition on the television.
Under the spotlight, he stood on the field, his eyes cold as frosted glass, with a trace of dried blood still on his brow. She thought she was hallucinating from working over ten hours, and only after checking several times did she confirm that it was indeed the Lu Jin she knew, in every subsequent match.
Later, she learned about his background from the reports.
She couldn't say whether it was shock, disappointment, or sadness—just a sense of surrealism. The world was strange; the familiar neighbor beside her had suddenly become the heir to an old, top-tier wealthy family. The news detailed his family background and fortune. Every word associated with the upper echelons of high society was tied to him.
Of course, she was angry—after all, when someone you've spent every day with leaves without a word, no one would take it lightly. But now that she saw him in person, more than anger, what she felt was a helpless sense of unfamiliarity, not knowing how to interact with Ling Sui all at once. She was also afraid that if she was too warm, she'd be met with a cold face, turning this long-held concern into a burden instead.
"When I left back then, I didn't know it would be without saying goodbye. I—"
Ling Sui's palms were broad, the bones of his hands marked with clear veins, sharp and distinct. He was in the middle of explaining when he suddenly noticed Meng Luobai's eyes turning red. The pressure in his palm intensified, his gaze locking onto her reddened eyes. His glassy amber pupils instantly turned clear and piercing, as if struck by a revelation. "You… you're crying?"
Meng Luobai sniffled, suddenly realizing how overly sentimental she must look. Hearing Ling Sui say she was crying, she felt a flash of embarrassment. She'd been pretending not to care for so long, but at the end of the day, she had a fragile heart. She lifted her eyes and glared at Ling Sui. "What do you mean I'm crying?!"
Then, her office chair slid back slightly, and she abruptly stood up.
Ling Sui remained seated in his original position, seemingly still processing the red in Meng Luobai's eyes. He had spent too long in that household—apologies had never worked there; only interests served as a pass, and yielding meant weakness, vulnerability, and incompetence.
Even though Meng Luobai was different, he knew that forgiveness was an emotion that required testing—a "reward" he had to earn by showing sincerity and passing the trial. He had prepared many words, rehearsed them mentally, but never expected that after he uttered "I'm sorry," forgiveness would come so easily.
Meng Luobai turned back and saw his palm pressed against the desk, so she couldn't help but remind him, "Didn't you sprain your wrist?"
Only then did Ling Sui slowly move, lifting his hand off the desk. He lowered his head, rubbing his own wrist, and replied in a low voice, "Mm."
Meng Luobai let out a breath. "Go home and put on some medicated patches for two days. If it still doesn't feel better, come find me again."
Ling Sui rubbed his wrist, looked up, his slightly curled black hair framing a perfect face, looking somewhat docile. "Okay."
Meng Luobai: "…"
So obedient. It almost reminded her of when he was a child.
She sat back down in her office chair, though keeping some distance from the desk. "I'll take you out to dinner next week."
Ling Sui glanced up at her, nodded, and said nothing.
Before the end of the workday, Wen Zheng told her that a few colleagues, upon learning about their dinner plans, had spontaneously organized a welcome gathering for her. What was supposed to be a meal for two turned into a welcome party. Meng Luobai couldn't very well decline their enthusiasm, so she went with everyone to a private-kitchen restaurant in the city center.
The lighting in the private room was soft. Wen Zheng raised his glass first. "Welcome Luobai aboard—our hospital has gained fresh blood."
Liu Xun chimed in with a smile, "And it's also welcoming back you capable veterans. I can tell the director and department head are in a good mood."
Wen Zheng said, "Then it's a double blessing."
The other colleagues raised their glasses in unison. "Right, cheers."
Having just joined two weeks ago, Meng Luobai wasn't yet familiar with everyone, but they were all young people, chatting away one after another, and soon the atmosphere grew warm and lively, the room filled with hearty laughter.
After several rounds of drinks, the night had grown deep, and the impromptu gathering came to a timely end.
The table had only been served the restaurant's privately brewed fruit wine, which tasted light and sweet. After two glasses exchanged in toasts, the alcohol began to rise.
Wen Zheng noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed and couldn't help but laugh. "I told you this private brew has a high alcohol content—don't drink too much. Now you know."
Meng Luobai had an average tolerance for alcohol, and having been fooled by the sweet flavor, she'd drunk a bit too quickly. Indeed, now she knew.
Because parking was difficult in the city center, their group had taken a taxi together from the hospital. Some needed to go back to the hospital to pick up their cars, others wanted to head straight home—everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Seeing her in this state, Wen Zheng said, "Even if you pick up the car, you'll still have to wait for a designated driver. I'll have someone drive it back for you tomorrow. Let me take you home first."
Meng Luobai waved her hand. "No need, Senior Brother. I can get back on my own."
"Don't be stubborn," Wen Zheng said, his voice gentle, carrying a mature and steady reassurance. "Let me take you home first."
The evening breeze was slightly cool, making Meng Luobai's head feel a bit foggy. She no longer refused. "Alright then. Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."
The car stopped in front of Meng Luobai's building. Wen Zheng got out first, and before Meng Luobai could open her door, he had already walked around to her side, opened it, and reached up to shield the top of her head. "Careful. Can you make it upstairs on your own?"
Meng Luobai had been dozing off in the car just moments ago, and now that she was awake, she felt light-headed. She rubbed her eyes, still dazed, and nodded. "Mm, I'm not that drunk. I was just sleepy from the ride."
Wen Zheng couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "Go on up. Send me a message when you're home."
"…Okay." Meng Luobai stepped out of the car, and the moment her foot touched the ground, a tall, slender dark figure appeared before her without warning. Still groggy, she hadn't even had time to react before she fell into the person's arms.