Chapter 21 Her Room
After finishing their noodles, Lin Xili led Huo Nanchen upstairs to her room.
Pushing open the door, a faint scent of mugwort wafted out. This was a habit Lin Xili had specifically instructed her aunt to clean the room and then fumigate it with mugwort, a practice she had maintained since childhood.
The most distinctive feature of this boudoir belonging to the second young lady of the Lin family is that, like Huo Nanchen's residence in the town of Lixiang, it is filled with books.
As you enter, there is a huge bookshelf against the wall on the right, densely packed with all kinds of books.
From weighty legal and medical monographs to some obscure journals on criminal psychology and cutting-edge forensic science, as well as some philosophical and literary books.
There were also many files and documents piled up on the desk and the bedside table.
The room is decorated in a very simple style, with cool colors.
Aside from books, there are almost no elements that young girls would like, not even cosmetics; it's more like the study of a serious scholar.
"The room... is rather simple," Lin Xili said somewhat awkwardly.
Seeing him in such a boring side of herself made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Good."
Huo Nanchen walked to the window and looked at the meticulously maintained garden of the Lin family villa, which was completely different from the natural mountains and fields that could be seen from the window of Lixiang Town.
The biggest problem is that there's only one bed.
In the Lin family home, under their parents' watchful eyes, they couldn't sleep in separate rooms like they did in town.
Lin Xili looked at the spacious double bed, her throat tightening slightly.
She recalled her impulsive suggestion that night to cooperate with the marital obligations, and her cheeks began to burn again.
"Do you...sleep on your left or right side?"
Huo Nanchen turned around, glanced at her, then looked at the bed. "Which side do you usually sleep on?"
"I usually sleep on my right side."
"Hmm." Huo Nanchen nodded, said nothing more, and walked straight to the sofa, opening his luggage bag.
He took out his pajamas and said to her, "I'm going to wash up first."
Lin Xili breathed a slight sigh of relief as he watched him walk into the bathroom.
She quickly took out her long-sleeved pajamas from the closet and sat on the edge of the bed.
Normally he would remain calm in the face of a corpse, but at this moment his heart was pounding with anxiety.
When Huo Nanchen walked out wearing that dark blue striped pajama set, looking fresh and hydrated, Lin Xili almost didn't dare to look up at him.
Clutching her pajamas, she quickly slipped into the bathroom.
After washing up, she looked at her face in the mirror, which was flushed from nervousness and the hot water, took several deep breaths, and finally mustered the courage to go out.
Only a dim bedside lamp was left on in the room.
Huo Nanchen was already lying on the left side of the bed, with his back to her, and seemed to be asleep.
He occupied a small space, almost touching the edge of the bed, leaving most of the space to her.
Lin Xili tiptoed to the right side of the bed, carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, and lay down.
She tried to stay as far to the side as possible, her body taut and straight, with a clear dividing line between her and Huo Nanchen wide enough for another person to lie down.
The mattress sank slightly because of her movement, and the ambergris scent belonging to another person became even clearer at this moment.
Lin Xili held her breath, not daring to even turn over, feeling her heart pounding so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.
She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down, but all her senses were uncontrollably focused on the man beside her who was breathing steadily.
Just when she thought Huo Nanchen was already fast asleep and she would have to stay awake until dawn, his deep voice rang out.
"Perfect timing, I can get my iodine intake checked after I get back from the wedding."
Lin Xili froze, not expecting him to bring this up suddenly.
He paused, then continued in the tone of a doctor informing a patient of a follow-up appointment: "The medicine has been approved by the provincial authorities."
He didn't say anything about the awkward situation at the moment, nor did he mention the possible difficulties her family might cause.
Instead, they presented her most pressing concerns—her illness and treatment—so naturally.
He even remembered the timing, that it would be almost a month since she stopped taking medication and abstaining from iodine, and the next steps in her treatment plan.
This kind of pure medical care transcends their current marital relationship.
Or rather, it was a kind of responsibility fulfillment based on a common agreement that strangely soothed Lin Xili's inner panic and embarrassment.
She turned over, from lying flat to facing his back.
In the dim light, the outline of his broad shoulders and back appeared somewhat blurred, yet inexplicably gave people a sense of reliability.
"Mmm," she responded softly, her voice gentle.
She didn't say thank you because she knew he didn't need it.
A conversation about the illness instantly pulled the two from the ambiguous and awkward atmosphere of sharing a bed back to their most familiar and safest position as "doctor and patient" and "living together".
The turmoil in my heart gradually subsided, replaced by an indescribable sense of peace.
Perhaps, living together like this isn't so bad.
At least, during her uncertain treatment journey, there is someone who will remember what tests she needs and tell her about the next steps in her treatment.
Lin Xili closed her eyes again, listening to the steady and even breathing of the person beside her, and her tense body slowly relaxed.
The fatigue from the long journey and the mental tension gradually took hold, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Only after hearing her breathing become long and even did Huo Nanchen dare to move slightly and slowly open his eyes.
Those dark eyes were clear and alert in the darkness, showing no signs of sleepiness.
Inside the study at the other end of the villa.
"Why did you stop me when we were at the restaurant?" Song Yuan growled through gritted teeth.
"Look at the kind of people she's found!"
"A doctor from a small rural town, she's deliberately trying to anger us to death, to make our Lin family a laughing stock in the entire city of Hong Kong!"
Lin Weihua sat behind a large desk, a cigar between his fingers, the smoke swirling around him, making his expression somewhat inscrutable.
He did not answer his wife immediately, but hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking:
"Don't you think Huo Nanchen is a bit unusual?"
"Not simple? What's so special about a poor doctor?" Song Yuan scoffed.
“His surname is Huo.” Lin Weihua exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze deep.
"So what if he's surnamed Huo? There are plenty of people with that surname! Do you think he's from that Huo family?"
Song Yuan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world: "What kind of family is the Huo family?"
"This is a family with a thousand-year history, deeply rooted and influential in both political and business circles. They are not on the same level as us wealthy families who have made our fortunes by taking advantage of the trend."
"Which of your descendants hasn't been meticulously planned out?"
"How strict are the Huo family rules? I heard there are five thousand family rules to govern their descendants."
"How could we possibly let a descendant go to a poor, remote town to work as a clinic doctor?"
The more she talked, the more absurd it seemed: "Besides, wasn't Xi Li in the forensic department of the judicial bureau before?"
"I've inquired, and the current director of the Justice Bureau is the eldest grandson's wife of the Huo family."
"If Huo Nanchen is truly a member of the Huo family, wouldn't it be a simple matter of him saying a word to suspend Xi Li from his post?"
"How could we possibly suspend her from her job without pay?"
"What you said makes sense." Lin Weihua stubbed out his cigar, his brow still furrowed.
"But I always felt something was off. His demeanor wasn't something that could be cultivated in an ordinary family."
"When I look at him, he seems familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before... but I can't quite place it."
"Anyway, it doesn't matter whether he is or not," Lin Weihua finally made a decision.
His tone carried the caution of a businessman: "Better safe than sorry."
"Don't act rashly before you've figured out his background."
"Jon Snow's wedding is just around the corner, let's not cause any trouble."
Although Song Yuan was unwilling, seeing her husband's resolute attitude, she could only clench her fists in anger and slam them silently on the table to temporarily suppress her resentment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com