“Our conflict stems from you,” Condis suddenly said.
"Huh?" Mu Yiran thought about it carefully and asked suspiciously, "Just because... I made you two men dance partners?"
"..." Candice could no longer contain herself. "Does Shi Youxi know where Mu Zhentong is?!"
Mu Yiran's smile vanished. "Mu...Mu Zhentong?"
Candice realized he had let something slip, but the slip-up would only make things worse, so he decided not to hide it anymore. He hadn't said anything wrong, so why should he feel guilty?
"That's right! He not only knew, but he deliberately hid it from you! I wanted to tell you, but he wouldn't let me! So he hit me! He did it on purpose!"
"..."
Seeing the woman's shocked expression, Kandis immediately softened his tone, "Ran, don't be sad. I'm also looking for your brother. If he won't tell you, he won't tell you. I'll help you find him! I'm sure I can find him!"
"How did you know that my brother... is missing?" Mu Yiran suddenly asked.
Condiska paused, then awkwardly pinched her nose: "I...I just..."
Mu Yiran pressed, "You investigated me?"
"No! I didn't! I just... I saw you drawing that boy, so I went to..."
Candice gestured frantically, "Okay... I did some research because I didn't know who that boy was to you... I wanted to help you find him."
"you……"
Just as Mu Yiran was about to speak, Tessa's phone rang, the vibrating ring making her acutely aware of the situation.
Mu Yiran muted her phone, pursed her lips, and said to the person in front of her, "Thank you."
Condis was overjoyed and quickly grabbed her hand. "You're welcome. I'll definitely help you find it. Actually, I've already—"
"But I won't trouble you."
"……What?"
Mu Yiran pulled his hand away. "I'm very grateful for your help, but... I won't trouble you with my brother's matter."
Condis frowned and asked, "Why!"
"Because it's a troublesome matter."
There's no need to cause unnecessary trouble for others because of her.
"I'm not afraid of trouble! Ran, do you think I can't find it? I can!"
Mu Yiran didn't explain further, only coldly saying:
“This is my business, and I hope you won’t interfere. Please keep it a secret, as you don’t know who Mu Zhentong is.”
The automatic doors to the CT scan room slowly opened. Mu Yiran turned to look at Condis and said, "You're injured, go home and rest first. I'll call a car for you—"
Candice interrupted her: "Why can't I get involved? Was it okay for Youxi back then? Why should he! He didn't even tell you the truth!"
"..."
Upon seeing the boy sitting inside, whose gaze was fixed on the doorway, he immediately smiled upon seeing Mu Yiran. Perhaps aggravating his wound, his smile became a wide grin.
Mu Yiran blinked and answered Candice without hesitation, "You don't know, he wouldn't lie to me..."
If Shi Youxi had really found Mu Zhentong's whereabouts, he would probably have been eagerly asking her for a reward long ago, so why would he keep it a secret?
Without saying anything more, Mu Yiran had the bodyguard who came with Shi Men call a car to take Kandis back, and then went into the CT room.
Kandis watched the two figures disappear into the room, his light gold eyes darkening.
"I have no idea……"
"How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me..."
He never understood what Shi Youxi meant by his last words before taking action.
Now I think I understand.
Shi Youxi was telling the truth; he didn't even need to ask Mu Yiran which of the two of them she believed.
Perhaps this isn't a choice for her.
...
"Hmm... let me see." The female doctor glanced at the report, then shifted her gaze to them, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, it's you two again."
Mu Yiran was most afraid of doctors with cold faces when she was a child, and she still is now. She smiled ingratiatingly, "Long time no see, Dr. Seifer."
Seifer rolled her eyes. "This is the first time I've heard someone tell a doctor it's been so long... so what's wrong with it this time?"
Shi Youxi nodded: "It's broken everywhere."
Mu Yiran shook her head: "Nothing is broken."
Seifer remained expressionless. "Besides your head, what else is bothering you?"
Shi Youxi: "Nowhere at all—"
Mu Yiran covered Shi Youxi's mouth, "That's it, there are no other injuries, hehe, he's drunk and talking nonsense."
"No concussion, right?"
Seifer glanced at the report and said, "If you're so afraid of fighting, why are you even fighting?"
"No concussion, and otherwise fine. Let me see where the wound is."
"Here at the hairline."
Mu Yiran grabbed Shi Youxi's chin and turned her around.
Shi Youxi obediently let her do as she pleased, his chin resting on the woman's soft palm. He sniffed, but could only smell the red wine on his own breath.
"The wound here isn't very deep, but the one behind your ear might need stitches."
"How about it? Can we handle it now?"
Mu Yiran was about to nod.
She turned the head she was holding around, and Shi Youxi said, "If you get stitches, won't it leave a scar?"
"...There are cosmetic injections." Seifer felt like he was crazy after saying that.
Shi Youxi refused: "Then I'll keep it."
"Tie it if you want, don't if you don't."
Seeing Seifer's face growing colder, Mu Yiran quickly said, "If you don't stitch it up, the cut is so deep it will leave a scar. If you want it to heal quickly, you have to stitch it up."
"A grown man afraid of scars?" Seifer scoffed, glancing at the boy's overly handsome face and shiny hair, and said disdainfully:
"What, you're worried about not finding a partner just because you have a scar?"
Shi Youxi nodded calmly: "Yes! How did you know? Someone once told me that having too many scars on your body is scary and that you won't be able to find a wife."
"..." Mu Yiran's lips twitched, a bad premonition came over her.
These words... don't they sound like the ones she used to say to Shi Youxi?!
Seifer rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. Following Shi Youxi's gaze, she said directly, "It's just a small matter. Who told you that? Go find her to take charge of your life's important matters."
"I'll go get the needle. If you don't want to do it, you can run away now."
"....."
As soon as she left, the quiet emergency room became noisy again.
Mu Yiran and Shi Youxi stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Shi Youxi sat on the hospital bed. He glanced at the woman's high heels, pulled Mu Yiran to sit next to him, and hooked his long, slender index finger around her. "Sister, what should we do? Should we run away?"
“…You.” Mu Yiran looked at the handsome face so close to hers and was speechless.
She actually thought that sentence had a subtext.
To run or not to run?
Or, to put it another way... should we take responsibility?
"....."
All the warmth of their bodies gathered in their touching fingers, and Mu Yiran abruptly pulled her hand back.
"Uh, of course I can't run away, the scar will be even bigger if I don't get stitches... I'll go see if I can get some scar removal cream and buy some—"
Shi Youxi wouldn't let her leave. He moved closer to Mu Yiran and turned his face, revealing his long neck and making the thumb-sized wound below his ear even more noticeable.
He took Mu Yiran's hand and touched the wound. "Is it ugly?"
Mu Yiran didn't dare touch it, only gently tugging at his earlobe. "It's not ugly, don't worry about it. Scar removal technology is so advanced now, it won't make you..."
Realizing what she was about to say, Mu Yiran immediately stopped herself.
Shi Youxi looked at her and chuckled: "You won't make me do anything, will you?"
Mu Yiran took a deep breath: "...I won't let you have a scar!"
She practically fled in panic, but fortunately Seifer returned immediately and treated Shi Youxi's wounds. In order to disinfect and change the dressing the next day, Shi Youxi was admitted to the VIP ward she had stayed in before.
When Mu Yiran returned, Shi Youxi had just hung up the phone call from Guan Shiyan offering his condolences.
"Tsk, if you liked my hospital room so much, you should have said so earlier. I'd give you a year's subscription, a deluxe ward!"
"..."
"Oh, you need someone to stay with you in bed. Hey, I know, damn, I'm so thoughtful! You won't stay without someone to take care of you. No, no, we also consider performance. A yearly subscription isn't enough, and we didn't pay extra for an extra room. How about we change to a double room and make do?"
"If you're considering signing up for our lifetime health companionship service, a suite might be worth considering..."
Shi Youxi stared at the woman who came in and said succinctly, "No need, just a double room will do. That's fine. Don't disturb me, the patient, unless it's absolutely necessary."
"What are you talking about?" Mu Yiran walked up to him with a wet towel in her hand.
"Wipe your face."
Shi Youxi put her phone aside, looked up, and said, "Help me wipe it, I'm injured."
Mu Yiran pressed the towel against his neck, "You hurt the back of your head, not your hand."
Seeing that she was very stubborn, Shi Youxi silently took the towel and began to rub his face, again and again, with such force that it seemed as if he wanted to rub off his facial features.
After rubbing his face, he consciously moved to his neck, rubbing his fair skin until it turned red. Finally, he reached his ear, but Mu Yiran couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the towel away. "You can't get that wet!"
"It's very itchy." As soon as Shi Youxi finished speaking, a gust of air brushed past his ear, and the tingling sensation made his eyes burn.
"Hiss... It's still so itchy and painful." Shi Youxi took a breath, tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and pretended to scratch.
The woman immediately stopped him, saying, "Don't grab me, behave yourself and don't move!"
After washing her pink hair, the two of them were now in a different position: Mu Yiran was sitting on the bed, while Shi Youxi was lying on her lap with his face buried in her lower abdomen.
"Get up." Mu Yiran shook her leg.
The boy remained motionless. Mu Yiran began the countdown, "I know you're not asleep. I'll count to three. Get up now, three, two, one—"
Shi Youxi held the woman's counting fingers and said, "Sister, you have no patience for me, but you're so nice to others."
"Why are you trying to pin this on me again?" Mu Yiran wanted to grab his hair and get him up, but remembering his injury, she patted his shoulder instead.
But Shi Youxi rolled over, lying on his back looking at her. The light from the ceiling shone into Shi Youxi's eyes, and Mu Yiran could clearly see herself reflected in his pupils...
A double chin.
Damn it!
Mu Yiran closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight, and shook her leg in frustration. "Get up right now! I'm not talking to you if you keep acting like this."
Shi Youxi stared at her for a few seconds, then sat up. "See? You have no patience at all, but you're not like that with Candice."
"What did Condis say to his sister in the hallway just now?"
"..."
I finally asked.
She said that Shi Youxi's steady personality was indeed true; if it were in the past, he probably would have jumped out of the CT room right then and there.
Mu Yiran said, "What do you think I can say to him? Of course, I'll ask why you two were fighting?"
"He likes you." Shi Youxi's voice was low and cold.
These words were so blunt that Mu Yiran almost choked on her own saliva. "...What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I think he likes you, that's why I hit him."
Shi Youxi tilted her head and looked directly into Mu Yiran's eyes, "Aren't you going to ask me why, sister?"
"...."
Mu Yiran swallowed, and this time she didn't foolishly follow his lead and quickly changed the subject:
“He, he didn’t tell me that. Candice said it was because you hid Mu Zhentong from me that you two fought.”
Shi Youxi stared at her for a long time before lowering his eyelids to hide the obscure emotions in his eyes. "Really? Did he also tell you that he could find where Mu Zhentong is?"
Mu Yiran asked, "How did you know?"
"Of course I know. He wants to use Mu Zhentong to curry favor with you and then ask for some other reward."
"No one in this world is more eager than me to curry favor with my sister and ask for rewards..." Shi Youxi curled the corners of her mouth, her low, husky voice amplified several times in the quiet ward.
"So I understand perfectly why he said that, because I share the same goal as him..."
"..."
Shi Youxi stopped abruptly, staring intently at Mu Yiran, as if trying to entice her to ask him what his purpose was.
Mu Yiran knew this clearly.
Because I know, I don't dare to ask at all.
The boy's eyes were no longer as red as before, but his dark, intense pupils still terrified Mu Yiran.
He might still be drunk...
Letting out a sigh of relief, Mu Yiran awkwardly avoided eye contact.
"That's a real pity. I'm not Mu Yiran. Even if he wanted to take credit, he's picked the wrong person."
Mu Yiran felt that if she sat down any longer, she would really drown in that unseen deep sea. She stood up and said, "You've been drinking and you're injured. Get some rest tonight, and I'll come pick you up from the hospital tomorrow morning."
He walked a few steps to the door, and just as he touched the doorknob, a shadow fell over him. The boy's large, cold hand easily pressed down on the crack in the door.
"Sister, you can't leave."
Mu Yiran's breath caught in her throat for a moment, "Shi Youxi!"
She had barely finished speaking when she heard Tessa's voice asking from the corridor.
"Excuse me, was there an injured student brought in by Joris today? Which room is he in?"
"I'm sorry, this is a VIP ward, I cannot disclose patient information without permission—"
Tsk!
The phone rang, and Mu Yiran glanced at Tessa's caller ID before closing her eyes in annoyance.
Shi Youxi tapped her phone screen from behind, "See, you can't leave now, or does your sister want to call her in?"
Mu Yiran still didn't move. "I'll go out after she leaves. I'll hide in the hotel next door tonight..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shi Youxi pulled her to sit on the bed in the hospital room. "You can't hide for long. Sister, you have to stay with me."
"That's the safest way."
"..."
Mu Yiran tried to ignore his words and sat down on the sofa next to her. "You rest. I'll sit for a while and leave after she leaves."
"..."
Shi Youxi gave her a deep look, said nothing more, changed into his hospital gown in front of her, and then lay on the bed staring at her.
That gaze made Mu Yiran feel as if she were being pricked by needles, so she could only pretend to be engrossed in playing on her phone.
The chaotic night and her constantly tense emotions suddenly relaxed at a certain moment, and Mu Yiran didn't even know when she fell asleep.
The sparse sounds around her grew clearer, and her consciousness began to return.
They gradually realized that it was not a sparse sound.
That was Shi Youxi's voice.
Shi Youxi called her name softly, over and over again.
"Mmm... I like it so much, sister..."
The boy's low breathing, mixed with her thunderous heartbeat, grew louder and louder.
Mu Yiran couldn't hear anything anymore.
The tinnitus has been lingering for a long time.
She only heard it again when the bed beside her collapsed.
She heard that familiar yet utterly unfamiliar voice, like a ghost emerging from the deep sea, pulling her completely to the bottom.
Shi Youxi whispered into her ear, each word clear and distinct:
"Sister, I know you're not asleep."
"..."
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