Chapter 55 Lop-eared Rabbit
When Ruan Yi rang the doorbell, the afternoon sun was shining obliquely on the villa's entrance, casting dappled light and shadow along the porch.
Doctors at private hospitals are really rich; they live in places almost as nice as the Ruan family's, though the location is a bit out of the way.
As soon as the doorbell rang, Ruan Yi's face appeared in the surveillance camera of the video doorbell.
The next second, a voice came from the speaker next to the doorbell.
The man's voice was deeper than when they first met, with a lazy, magnetic quality, as if he had just woken up.
"Is this Miss Ruan?" The last syllable rose slightly, like a feather gently brushing against the ear.
"I'm coming right away."
The man didn't say a word more; a slight static hum came from the speaker, but his brief sentence carried an indescribable meaning.
To be honest, Ruan Yi felt it sounded a bit like a male voice actor who was trying to lull someone to sleep on a live stream, which gave her the creeps.
I had an appointment with Dr. Pei today to discuss my mother's blood test results in detail, for my mother's health and to find clues to the truth.
However, it happened to be Dr. Pei's day off, so I went to visit him.
The moment the door opened, a faint, bitter scent of grass and trees wafted out, mixed with the crispness of cypress branches after the rain.
As the man drew closer, the acrid scent slowly subsided, giving way to the rich, mellow aroma of sandalwood, a warm, woody fragrance under the afternoon sun.
Dr. Pei sleeps so soundly even at home.
Pei Lian wasn't wearing a white lab coat today; instead, a light gray silk shirt hung loosely on his body, revealing his prominent collarbones.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing smooth muscle lines in his forearms. His skin had a cool, pale hue in the sunlight, and a few strands of silver hair hung down his forehead. At that moment, he looked completely harmless.
The man's gaze was fixed on her, slowly sliding from the top of her head to her shoulders, so lightly that it was almost imperceptible.
"Come in, I just brewed some tea."
Pei Lian stepped aside to let her in, and as the girl passed by at close range, she was completely covered in his scent.
The villa's living room is very simple, with several sketches hanging on the wall, all depicting human skeletons with precise lines.
"Sit down." Pei Lian pointed to the sofa, and then sat down in the single chair opposite him.
His gaze swept over her neck, stopping at the hollow of her collarbone, measuring the perfectly proportioned curve.
Pei Lian bent down to reach the lab report at the very edge of the coffee table, causing the collar of his silk shirt to open even wider.
Like a deliberately widened crack.
Ruan Yi sat opposite him, her gaze initially fixed on his hands as he flipped through the papers.
Out of the corner of my eye, I was caught off guard and looked into the wide-open collar. The man's chest muscles were well-defined and taut as he bent over. Looking further in, I could see the deep grooves of his abdominal muscles.
So big, so white...
After staring for a while, Ruan Yi swallowed hard, then suddenly snapped out of her daze and turned her face away.
"A report about your mother."
As the man pushed the report toward Ruan Yi, his gaze swept over her reddened ears, and a faint smile flickered in his eyes, so quick it was almost an illusion.
"The two medications in the blood are a neuroleptic and an GABA inhibitor, which are usually used to control acute epilepsy."
When the man looked up, his gaze met Ruan Yi's. His tone was calm, as if he were talking about something ordinary.
“Even in small doses, long-term accumulation can cause drowsiness, anxiety, and depression, which looks very similar to ‘overwork’.”
"If the dose is large, mental abnormalities such as irritability and hallucinations may occur, and in more severe cases, it may even lead to coma and shock."
Ruan Yi clenched her fingers. "Where is it most likely to fall?"
"Liquid." The man leaned closer, his fingertip lightly touching the rim of the glass in front of her, the water droplets condensing on the glass sliding down his fingertip.
"Beverages are the most convenient, such as tea, soup, or supplements."
Ruan Yi's heart tightened. Supplements? The bird's nest tested last time was fine. Could it just be a coincidence?
The man's gaze swept over her lips as if he were looking at a delicate piece of porcelain. He withdrew his hand, picked up the teacup, and ran his fingertips along the warm rim of the cup.
"For example, if you add a little bit to a liquid that you drink frequently, it will be hard to detect."
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting interplay of light and shadow on his face. The shadow of his eyelashes beneath his eyes appeared somewhat gentle.
“Miss Ruan, there’s no need to be so nervous. Your mother’s condition that day was caused by a sudden increase in the dosage of her medication.”
Looking into his eyes, Ruan Yi felt even more panicked.
The man's gaze lingered on her, from her brow bone to her jawline, down to the slight trembling of her eyelashes as she spoke, as if he were admiring a flawless work of art.
"These are detailed descriptions of the two medications."
Pei Lian handed her the document, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand unintentionally, the icy touch making her shiver.
"If you need help tracing the source, feel free to contact me anytime."
Ruan Yi looked at him gratefully.
The man's gaze fell on her eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, and he could not look away.
The girl's pupils contracted slightly in the light, revealing clear, bright whites of her eyes, with just the right amount of natural redness at the corners.
Its luster is more vibrant than any gemstone, carrying the unique tremor of life.
“Miss Ruan’s eyes…” When he spoke, his voice was even lower than before, with a slightly hoarse tone.
In the end, it all boiled down to just one sentence: "Very beautiful."
Ruan Yi took it as a casual compliment and hurriedly took the documents, wanting to go home and investigate further. "Thank you, Dr. Pei, I should go now."
"Don't rush." The man stepped forward, blocking the light from the doorway, his demeanor still gentle.
"If you ever need anything, whether it's about your mother or yourself, you can come to me anytime.
"You don't need to call me doctor in private, just call me Pei Lian." His tone was gentle and mild.
“Okay, Pei Lian.” Ruan Yi’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
Just uttering his name made his Adam's apple bob uncontrollably.
Pei Lian's gaze was fixed on those smiling, curled eyelashes.
It looks like, very much like... a rabbit.
Like a snow-white lop-eared rabbit he once owned, with large amber eyes, soft fur like clouds, and a small, delicate skull, it was the most perfect pet he had ever owned in his childhood.
The man watched the girl turn away, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.
But the little rabbit was very naughty, always bumping around in the cage, always trying to escape, and even getting injured while trying to break out. In the end, he had to find a way to keep it.
Looking back now, the beauty of the glass display case was ultimately missing something.
The girl in front of me was vibrant and lively; even the lines of her bones when she frowned in anxiety exuded a kind of spirit.
More than a rabbit, it's a perfect work of art.
The man's fingertips traced the spot where he had just touched the back of her hand, where her warmth still seemed to linger, captivating him more than any of the specimens in the jar.
He watched as Ruan Yi walked to the door, her steps hurried, her face tense, clearly still anxious about her mother's situation.
"Ruan Yi." He suddenly called out to the girl.
Ruan Yi turned around, her eyes filled with doubt.
The man suddenly raised his hand, his palm slightly warm, and gently placed it on the top of her head.
It just lightly covered her hair, gently brushing against it twice along the curve of her hair, as if soothing a frightened little rabbit.
There was not a trace of overstepping authority; on the contrary, it was gentle to the point of indulgence.
"About your mother," he said in a deep, pleasant voice, with a reassuring certainty as he withdrew his hand.
"If we follow the clues about the medicine, we'll eventually find the answer."
The gesture of him patting her head didn't make her uncomfortable at all; on the contrary, it relaxed Ruan Yi's tense nerves a little. She knew that he was comforting her.
"Thank you, Pei Lian," she said sincerely.
Although she initially felt uncomfortable with the other person's demeanor.
But now she feels that Dr. Pei is really a gentle and caring person.
As the girl turned and walked out the door, she shivered for no apparent reason.
It was that feeling again; a gaze, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was fixed on her, scrutinizing her with an indescribable obsession.
Inside the villa, the man stood by the window, watching the figure disappear downstairs. He gently stroked the glass with one fingertip, the tenderness in his eyes completely gone.
"Artworks that are beautiful enough can stimulate people's desires, making them want to carefully depict them, and even more so..."
The girl's loose-fitting loungewear should have concealed the bulge well, but after she left, the grotesque bulge grew uncontrollably, like a monstrous beast.
"What a beautiful body, voice, and scent..."
"It would be even better if it could be displayed in a showcase."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
