A Miao’s smile instantly disappeared. Le Yi got up while shaking his head. “Have you been here for long?”
Le Yi meant that he must have heard most of their conversation.
“I just got here,” Shen Xinglan shamelessly lied. He then looked coldly at A Miao. “You better recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, don’t dream of going to classes in the second half of the year.”
A Miao stared at him and suddenly smiled. “I’m not in a hurry then. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just attend next year.”
What she did not know was that her smile earlier had stupefied Shen Xinglan. It was as if the soft and gentle little girl in his memories was lying on his body, saying,
“Brother Lan, it’ll stop hurting after I blow on it…”
Le Yi called him. “Shen?”
“I’m fine.” Shen Xinglan sat down on the sofa. “How soon can her hands recover?”
“One and a half month if she obediently follows the treatment,” Le Yi said disapprovingly. “Speaking as her doctor, I recommend that she doesn’t overexert herself in these two months.”
Shen Xinglan turned to look at A Miao as if he had not heard Le Yi. “Did you hear him? One and a half month.”
“Hehe, I’m not deaf. Of course I can hear him.” A Miao stared at him mockingly. “You really played yourself this time. Look, this is your karma!”
Le Yi crossed his arms and watched in amusement as they bickered like children. When he happened to glance at the door, he placed a finger on his lips.
“A Miao, I’m here to see you!” Xia Wan pushed the door open and entered the room before her voice had even faded. Her heart jumped with joy when she saw Shen Xinglan.
She knew that she would meet him if she came here, but she did not expect her prediction to come true.
“You’re here too, Mr. Shen!” Xia Wan placed the vacuum flask on the table. Without even looking at A Miao, she turned to greet Shen Xinglan who was sitting on the sofa.
Looking as if he was watching a good show, Le Yi smiled as he moved aside to make space for Xia Wan. “Please sit, Ms. Xia!” He then walked to the edge of the bed to pick up the vacuum flask. A Miao noticed he was frowning.
“Did she poison the food?” she asked earnestly.
“It’s not that bad.” Le Yi chuckled. “She just put too much pepper in this. I nearly sneezed just from smelling this.”
Xia Wan, who had focused her attention on Shen Xinglan all along, walked over in a panic after hearing Le Yi’s words. “How did that happen? It was Auntie Li who prepared the porridge. I already told her that it’s for a patient…”
“When you speak to her, Xia Mei is with you, isn’t she?” A Miao knew it could not be Xia Wan because the latter was trying to establish her presence in front of Shen Xinglan. Xia Wan would not embarrass herself. It must be Xia Mei’s handiwork.
Xia Wan wore an awkward smile. “I’m sorry. Xia Mei is too naughty.”
A Miao said nothing. It was Le Yi who smiled and said, “It’s fine. I’ll go and prepare something.”
“Don’t go through some much trouble. I’ll just eat the hospital’s food.” A Miao stopped him. She quite enjoyed the hospital’s food.
Le Yi shook his head. “No problem. I need to eat anyway.”
“Hang on.” Shen Xinglan stood up and looked at A Miao with a complicated expression. “Recover as soon as possible.” Then, he followed Le Yi out of the room.
Seeing this, Xia Wan tried to go after them but she lost sight of them as soon as she stepped out. She had no choice but to return to the room.
“A Miao, how long did the doctor say you’ll need to stay?” She picked up an apple and pretentiously began to cut it for A Miao. “Mr. Shen is quite a good person. He even showed concern for you earlier even though you’re the careless one and this has nothing to do with him.”
A Miao’s expression was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. But seeing as she did not reply, Xia Wan immediately added, “Whatever it is, he has taken responsibility for your accident. If it’s someone else, they might have just left.”
“Hehe.” A Miao tugged the corners of her mouth. “That psycho is just worried that if I don’t recover, I won’t be able to steal your family’s item!”
Xia Wan put down the apple. “Anyway, why did Shen Xinglan take you away that day?”
“How would I know?” A Miao adjusted her position so she would lean more comfortably against the bed frame.
“Then what did he talk to you about?” Xia Wan refused to give up. “Did… Did he mention my name?”
A Miao looked at her in alarm. Just how obsessed was this woman?
“He didn’t?” Xia Wan’s smile became unnatural.
“Yes, he did!” A Miao gave a small nod. “He asked me what’s going on between you and Bai Youran.”
“Since you like him so much, I’ll give you a hand. That psycho, on the other hand…” A Miao thought. “He should just marry Xia Wan. Then, the Xia family will naturally give him whatever he wants.”
“Really?” Xia Wan tried to grab A Miao’s hands. Had A Miao been just a little slower in dodging her, her wounds would definitely reopen.
Xia Wan immediately stood up. “Sorry! I’m sorry that I got overexcited. Are you okay?”
A Miao placed her heavily-bandaged hands aside. “I’m fine. But please don’t move anymore.”
“Yes, yes. I won’t move anymore.” Xia Wan sat back down. “Then… How did you answer him?”
“I just told him the truth!” A Miao smiled when she saw the change in Xia Wan’s expression. “Don’t worry. I told him that Bai Youran is my fiance.”
Xia Wan instantly smiled. “Then? What did he say next?”
A Miao shook her head. “Nothing. He made me leave afterward.”
“What does he mean by this…” Xia Wan lowered her head, murmuring to herself.
“I think he’s just shy,” A Miao said, continuing to prod her. “I suspect he’s just too shy to ask you in person.”
Xia Wan’s eyes gleamed. “That’s right! No wonder he doesn’t dare to look at me earlier!”
A Miao really wanted to tell Xia Wan that the psycho simply could not be bothered to look at her.
“You’re not joking, are you?” Xia Wan suddenly asked. She was not an idiot. Shen Xinglan’s attitude toward her had always been cold. Why would he suddenly ask a question like this?
“What good does it serve me to lie?” A Miao snorted. “I’d rather you two have nothing to do with each other. That way, I won’t have to marry Bai Youran in your stead.”
Momentarily dumbfounded, Xia Wan quickly fixed her expression. “Don’t joke around. What do you mean, marrying in my stead? You’re the one who’s supposed to get married in the first place!” She stood up. “I have to go since it’s getting late. I’ll come and visit you again tomorrow.”
A Miao smiled faintly at her. “Shen Xinglan won’t be coming tomorrow.”
“What are you saying? How can you stay here without anyone looking after you?” Xia Wan feigned bashfulness and glared at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you something delicious tomorrow.”
Shortly after she left, the caretaker came in with a tray.
“Miss A Miao, Dr. Le is the one who prepared all these dishes today. It smells really fragrant. Hurry up and have a taste!” The caretaker was a woman in her fifties. She diligently helped A Miao straighten the bed and lifted the lunchbox up to feed her.
“Did he really cook this?” A Miao was in disbelief after taking a bite. This was too delicious for words.
The caretaker replied in a mysterious voice, “You must not be aware of this. Dr. Le is such a mystery. He doesn’t talk to people and stays inside his office all day. He does even his cooking inside his office.”
“Your hospital management is so humane.” A Miao swallowed a piece of braised rib.
“Dr. Le is the only one.” The care worker’s eyes turned lively. “He came here for you. Our dean is talking to him all smiles. That’s why…”
In other words, she was the amazing one.
Suddenly, A Miao found it hard to swallow the food in her mouth. Evidently, it was Shen Xinglan who purposefully summoned Le Yi here to treat her. She found it ridiculous when she thought of Shen Xinglan’s attitude toward her this morning. What right did he have to treat her that way?
What right did they have to decide everything? What right did they have to cause her injuries just because they were unhappy with her…
“I’m full. I don’t want to eat anymore.” She pushed the lunchbox aside and leaned backward to lie down. “I’m going to take a nap.”
The care worker dared not question her, thinking that she had misspoken, and left after cleaning up. When Le Yi came to change her bandages in the afternoon, he found that her bandages were unwrapped until they were a mess.
“Did you touch your wound?”
“No.” A Miao shook her head. “I think I accidentally tugged at it while sleeping.”
Le Yi rebandaged her hands while frowning. “Please be more careful. Don’t tug at it anymore or you won’t recover.”
However, he once again found her bandages to be in a complete mess when he tried to change them the next day. He said nothing because of Xia Wan’s presence and merely glanced at A Miao before taking his leave.
“You don’t have to wait any longer. I’ve already told you that Shen Xinglan won’t be coming today.” A Miao was in no mood to see any of the Xia family members, especially the heavily perfumed Xia Wan. The smell made her uncomfortable.
“I’ll accompany you for a little longer.” Xia Wan refused to give up. She waited for another hour before finally leaving in anger.
Unexpectedly, Shen Xinglan and Le Yi showed up minutes after she left.
“Do you need something from me?” A Miao glanced at them. “I’m about to sleep.”
Shen Xinglan’s beautiful eyes carried a piercing coldness. “I’ve told you that our deal is a fair one. Since we both need something from each other, you best not get up to your schemes behind my back.” He stared straight at A Miao. “In my eyes, you’re no more than a clown.”
A Miao’s expression was deadly cold. She buried her head inside the covers without looking or even speaking to him.
Le Yi, who stood on the sidelines, shook his head. He thought that if this girl removed her sunglasses and stared at Shen Xinglan for a bit longer, Shen Xinglan’s temper might just quell…
“I only need her hands to recover. You can do as you see fit.” Once he finished speaking, Shen Xinglan stepped out of the room with large strides. Le Yi followed after him. The two of them only began talking after they walked far away from the room.
“Didn’t you believe that she’s Shanshan?” Le Yi looked at Shen Xinglan with an amused smile. “Aren’t you afraid of scaring her with how fierce you looked?”
Shen Xinglan scoffed. “You underestimated her. That woman is an unkillable cockroach. She’s incredibly resilient.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It’s not that I believe she’s Shanshan. It’s a suspicion, that’s all.”
After all, whether in terms of appearance or experience, A Miao was the one that most closely resembled Shanshan of all the people he had met over the years.
“Then I’ll use the gentlest method!” Le Yi was beaming but his smile carried an inexplicable coldness.
In the next few days, A Miao realized that she would sleep very soundly. Moreover, she would be in a state of perpetual drowsiness. Not even Xia Wan could rouse A Miao from sleep when she visited. After remaining in this state for a week, she took advantage of a moment of clarity to question Le Yi.
“What did you do to me?”
Le Yi was still wearing that faint smile. “Nothing much. I’m just helping you recover in an ordinary manner.”
“You dare drug me!” This answer was well within A Miao’s expectations but her heart nevertheless sank when she heard it from Le Yi.
“Shen needs your hands to recover and you also have a deal with him. It’s only right for you to go along with the treatment.” Le Yi looked at her gently. “You behaved very well in the beginning! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made you sleep all day and obediently heal.”
A Miao looked at the man in front of her in disappointment. She had made a mistake…