As soon as she lifted her head, her gaze met the man’s.
The distance between them was so close it was almost negligible; even their breaths intertwined.
His breath brushed against her face, bringing a faint tingling sensation along with a subtle, fresh scent of toothpaste.
After coming back to her senses, Lin Wangxi immediately held her breath, not daring to inhale or exhale too loudly.
Because she had not brushed her teeth yet.
Zhou Jinyuan did not notice her reaction. After carrying her into the bathroom and setting her down, he tactfully left.
This time, without needing Lin Wangxi to remind him, he walked far away on his own.
After washing up, the two of them finished breakfast. Zhou Jinyuan carried her downstairs and headed to the hospital.
Sitting in his battle-worn BYD, Lin Wangxi felt carsick even before the car started moving.
“Battle-worn” was not an exaggeration—it was genuinely dilapidated. The sun visor inside was broken and peeling, and the bumper outside was damaged as well, with paint chipped off in multiple places.
Lin Wangxi casually pulled down the sun visor on the passenger side, intending to check herself in the mirror.
But the moment she flipped it open, the entire visor fell off with a loud clatter straight into her lap.
“……”
She knew Zhou Jinyuan’s car was shabby, but she had not expected it to be this bad.
Holding the fallen visor, she turned to look at the man driving. “Is your car the kind where everything works except the horn?”
A trace of awkwardness flashed across Zhou Jinyuan’s face. “No one usually sits in the passenger seat, so I didn’t notice.”
Lin Wangxi placed the visor back and pressed it hard into position.
It would not stay.
“Your car is really too broken.”
“…I know. You don’t have to remind me.”
Out of curiosity, Lin Wangxi asked, “How much did you buy this car for?”
Zhou Jinyuan stepped on the accelerator and answered casually, “Ten thousand.”
Lin Wangxi widened her eyes. “There are actually cars that cost ten thousand?”
Zhou Jinyuan pressed his lips together, unsure how to respond to that question.
Lin Wangxi muttered to herself, “No wonder it’s so broken.”
Zhou Jinyuan silently gripped the steering wheel and drove on.
Along the way, Lin Wangxi chattered nonstop. Although her intention was to lighten the mood, nine out of ten of her sentences left Zhou Jinyuan speechless.
Two out of every three hit straight at his sore spots.
Anyone a little more fragile might have jumped out of the car after hearing her talk.
After arriving at the hospital, Zhou Jinyuan first took her for an examination.
Fortunately, the fall had not caused any serious problems. However, when she had showered earlier, water had seeped into her cast, so it had to be replaced.
“Wait here for me. I need to take care of something first.”
Zhou Jinyuan placed her on a chair in the lobby and prepared to leave.
Lin Wangxi nodded. “Okay, come back quickly.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Jinyuan left the outpatient department and headed in another direction.
Inside an office in the administration building, a gray-haired old man sat behind a desk.
The old man looked at the young man in front of him, his face full of disbelief.
“What did you say? You want to sell gloves?”
Zhou Jinyuan nodded. “Yes. Not too many—an allocation of fifty thousand pairs will be enough.”
The old man fell silent. The old man was puzzled. The old man sighed again.
“I’m telling you, Little Zhou—are you really that short on money now? I’m a dignified academician, and you’re asking me to help you sell gloves? You might not care about your reputation, but I do!”
“At my age, are you trying to ruin my reputation in my later years? If you were flipping secondhand MRI coils, I wouldn’t even say anything, but selling gloves—you…”
The old man was so angry that his beard trembled and his eyes widened, nearly jumping up to hit him.
The old man’s name was Qin Zhengguo, Zhou Jinyuan’s master’s supervisor, and also a mentor who had always favored him.
But now he was pacing in place out of anger.
“Teacher, you just need to make an introduction. I’ll handle everything else myself.”
“Introduce my foot!” He pointed at Zhou Jinyuan’s nose and scolded, “My last disciple, Qin Zhengguo’s closing student—the most promising master’s graduate from B University’s biomedical engineering department, a genius who almost went straight to a PhD—and you want to sell gloves?!”
“My student is so poor he has to sell gloves? If that gets out, how am I supposed to keep my title as an academician?!”
Zhou Jinyuan pressed his lips together and said nothing.
The old man’s tone softened again as he spoke earnestly, “I’ll give you ten thousand. I’m begging you—don’t do this, alright?”
“No. I can’t take your money.”
“You—!” Qin Zhengguo raised his hand midair, gritting his teeth. “I really want to slap you!”
But seeing the stubborn look on his student’s face, he ultimately did not bring his hand down.
The old man sighed in frustration. “Forget it, forget it. Having a student like you—what can I do?”
“Go find your Senior Brother Wang. I’ll let him know.”
“Which Senior Brother Wang?”
Qin Zhengguo snorted. “Who else? Wang Dong—the one who barely graduated at the bottom of the class and got shoved into the equipment department of the First Municipal Hospital through connections.”
Zhou Jinyuan’s expression shifted. “I understand. Thank you, Teacher.”
Qin Zhengguo waved his hand impatiently. “Get lost. And remember to finish that paper when you go back!”
“Yes, Teacher.” Zhou Jinyuan responded again, then gave a slight bow. “Thank you, Teacher.”
Qin Zhengguo glanced at him with disdain, though his eyes could not hide the concern within.
“You brat… did you run into some kind of trouble? If you have difficulties, just say it. I’ve taught for so many years—most problems, I can still handle.”
Zhou Jinyuan lowered his gaze, concealing his emotions. “Thank you for your concern, Teacher. I don’t have any difficulties. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll come visit you another day.”
After saying that, he turned and left the office quickly without waiting for a response.
Qin Zhengguo watched his departing figure, his expression growing serious.
In the end, he let out a helpless sigh.
That boy must have run into some kind of trouble. Otherwise, with his personality, how could he possibly lower himself to ask for help—especially for something so trivial?
It was obvious he did not want to trouble him or owe favors, yet had no choice but to come to him.
When Zhou Jinyuan returned, he saw Lin Wangxi sitting in a corner chair from a distance. One hand supported her chin while her fingers tapped idly across the phone screen resting on her knee.
He walked closer and realized she was not tapping randomly.
On the screen were simulated black-and-white piano keys. Notes flew past so quickly that they were hard to follow with the eyes, yet she hit every single one without missing any.
At the top of the screen, the piece was labeled: Op.10, No.3.
Zhou Jinyuan did not understand piano, but the dazzling cascade of notes alone was enough to intimidate a layman like him.
At least in his view, even with two extra hands, he still would not be able to keep up.
But Lin Wangxi remained completely at ease. Her slender fingers danced across the screen without the slightest hint of panic. She was even playing with just one hand, looking utterly bored.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the glass windows, illuminating her fair face as if it were glowing.
Zhou Jinyuan stood behind her, quietly watching.
The melody he could not understand lingered in the air, and even the noisy sounds in the lobby gradually faded, as if only the music beneath her fingertips remained.
When she finished the piece, an SSS rating and a string of perfect scores popped up on the screen. Zhou Jinyuan’s gaze at her carried an added trace of surprise.
Lin Wangxi exited the interface and continued scrolling through the music library out of boredom.
Everything on the phone was simplified—it was not interesting to play at all, only good for passing time.
As she scrolled, she noticed someone sitting beside her.
Turning her head, she saw that it was Zhou Jinyuan, and her expression brightened.
“You’re back?”
Zhou Jinyuan nodded slightly. “You played very well just now.”
Lin Wangxi lifted her chin, a little smug. “Of course. This young lady has won international awards.”
But then she seemed to think of something. Looking at the pieces on the screen, her voice lowered.
“But… I might not have the chance to play the real thing anymore.”
Zhou Jinyuan silently gazed at her.
After a long moment, he spoke softly, “You will in the future.”
Lin Wangxi let out a long sigh. There was probably no “future” for her.
In half a year, she might no longer be in this world. The worst part was that she did not even know how she would die.
If she really had to die, she only hoped it would not be too miserable—that she could at least leave behind a beautiful, intact body.
She forced a light smile. “I didn’t expect you to understand piano.”
Zhou Jinyuan glanced at her phone. “I saw the score on your screen.”
“……”
So this was what it meant to play the lute to a cow.