Chapter 86: What Have You Come for Again?

Under the hazy night, the city lay in utter silence, with only the faint lights of the hospital wards still burning.

Lu Yi finished two cigarettes before returning, unable to put his mind at ease.

He hadn't even entered the ward when he saw his little tagalong being held in someone's arms. That person, shameless as ever, was gently patting the girl's back, as if soothing a pet dog.

Damn!

He was gone for just a short while and things had already escalated to this?

A vein throbbed painfully at Lu Yi's temple.

He felt awkward about going in, but staying outside risked letting that dog of a man do something even more outrageous.

After a few seconds' hesitation, he was just about to knock and warn them when Cheng Xingye caught sight of him first.

Their eyes met through the small glass window. Calmly, Cheng Xingye withdrew his gaze, bent down to whisper something to the sleeping Lu Qingyue, then gently laid her back on the bed.

Lu Yi pushed open the door and entered.

The man who had just held the girl remained unruffled, attentively tucking her in.

Upon hearing Lu Yi come in, Cheng Xingye didn't even bother to look up, maintaining an air of dignity as he explained,

"Dian Dian just had a nightmare. I was comforting her for a while."

His words were as flawless as could be, but who would believe them?

Lu Yi rolled his eyes and snorted coldly,

"My sister isn't a three-year-old child. Does she really need you to hold her like that?"

Cheng Xingye finished tucking her in, his hand lingering to caress her soft earlobe. Then, with uncharacteristic compliance, he replied,

"No matter how old she is, I'm happy to comfort her."

Whether she needed him or not, he was willing to be there for her.

Lu Yi clicked his tongue, leaning against the wall with hands in his pockets, thinking he'd never seen a dog as eager to please as this one.

He shot him a lazy glance and straightforwardly issued an eviction notice,

"Alright. You've seen her, you've held her. I think it's time you left."

He'd only let this mutt in out of a moment's weakness tonight. Usually, he wouldn't even have allowed him a glance.

Cheng Xingye glanced out the window.

The sky at four or five in the morning was already growing pale.

In another hour or two, the Lu family's parents would likely arrive.

He wasn't ready for Lu Qingyue to know he had come.

She had just healed from her heartbreak, let everything go, and was moving forward. The college entrance exams were imminent—now was not the time to have a proper conversation with her.

Understanding this, Cheng Xingye said nothing more. He turned back for a long, deep look at Lu Qingyue, then made for the door.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and paused, turning back.

With the corridor light streaming over his shoulder, he stood silhouetted in the doorway, his tone lazy yet inexplicably earnest,

"Make the most of these next few months and hold her while you can. Once she's an adult, you'll lose your chance."

Lu Yi: "???"

Lu Yi honestly had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

Why on earth would he want to hold his sister?

She was nearly eighteen and never listened to advice. Probably, once she fell in love, she'd forget she even had a brother.

He didn't take Cheng Xingye's words seriously and looked back at the little white-eyed wolf sleeping soundly.

In reality, Lu Qingyue hadn't slept well at all.

After Cheng Xingye laid her back on the bed, she drifted into the same dream again.

Endless water stretched before her.

The weather was calm, the waves gentle.

Waves lapped quietly against the shore while a few children, hand in hand, chased after them.

Suddenly, there was a splash in the distance.

The water's surface was abruptly shattered, white spray bursting forth, filling her vision with dazzling whiteness. In the midst of it, a tiny figure struggled desperately.

Before Lu Qingyue could see who it was, another huge wave crashed over her.

She jolted awake, heart pounding, realizing it had all been a dream.

Her back was damp with sweat. She caught her breath and, steadying herself on the bedrail, sat up. She saw Lu Yi adjusting her IV drip and, without thinking, asked,

"Did someone fall into the water?"

Morning light filled the room.

Lu Yi checked the IV bottle, not even glancing at her as he replied,

"Yeah, it was you, you little jinx."

Lu Qingyue choked, confused,

"I don't think it was me..."

She tried to recall the dream, but the harder she tried, the quicker the images faded.

All she could remember was standing on the beach, waves washing over her feet.

Unable to remember more, she gave up.

She looked up at Lu Yi hanging her IV bottle.

His jaw was taut and defined, Adam's apple sharp and clear, but somehow, he seemed different from last night.

Lu Qingyue stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly asked,

"Brother, did you call me 'baby' last night?"

This time Lu Yi finally looked down at her.

As if at a total loss for words, he stared at her expressionlessly, his tone as mocking and indifferent as ever,

"Use your toes to think—does that sound possible? Nicknames can be down-to-earth, but not six feet under."

Taking his words at face value, Lu Qingyue actually tried to imagine it—only to nearly gag at the idea.

Yue...

She couldn't help a dry heave, meeting Lu Yi's frosty gaze,

"How rude are you?"

Lu Qingyue hesitated, realizing she had indeed been a bit much, and scratched her head awkwardly.

But last night, half-asleep, she really had heard someone call her 'baby.'

Her ears were fine, her brain was clear; she was sure it wasn't a hallucination.

After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but ask,

"Did anyone else come by last night?"

If it wasn't Lu Yi, it must have been someone else. But who would come visit her in the middle of the night?

Taken off guard by her question, Lu Yi stammered, "No... I don't think so..."

He didn't want her to know that Cheng Xingye had saved her, or that he'd been at the hospital with her these past few days.

If this little love-struck fool found out, she might be so touched she'd insist on marrying that heartless dog—what a headache that would be.

Lu Yi didn't want trouble, so he kept it from her.

Fortunately, Lu Qingyue didn't push further.

She drifted into thought for a while, found no answers, and let it go.

* * *

Lu Yi kept watch again that night.

A little after seven, Lu Qingyue's deskmate brought her the new batch of test papers.

Her deskmate was a boy named Feng Shuheng: tall, thin, and refined, with polite manners.

He delivered the papers and chatted with her for a bit.

After the incident, the school had been thrown into chaos. But with college entrance exams approaching, the school had brought in psychologists for two counseling sessions, and those physically unharmed had returned to class.

Lu Yi had no intention of letting his sister spend time alone with another boy. Using his thesis as an excuse, he pulled up a chair at the end of the bed, headphones on as he worked, but listening intently to their conversation.

Their talk was perfectly normal—just checking in on each other's review progress. Before long, Lu Yi grew bored. By chance, he glanced toward the door and noticed a familiar figure standing outside.

He couldn't help but think how outrageous the guy was.

Back when everything with the Ye family blew up and he cut Cheng Xingye off, his first thought was that this damned dog had dared to bully his little sister.

After all, Lu Qingyue was much younger and a sheltered girl; it wasn't all that surprising she'd fall for a player like Cheng Xingye.

That had been Lu Yi's conclusion, but looking at things now, it was hard to tell who had actually fallen for whom.

He watched with malicious glee for a while, then used smoking as an excuse to step outside.

Closing the door behind him, Lu Yi turned to block Cheng Xingye's view and asked, deliberately provoking,

"What are you doing here again?"

With his view blocked, Cheng Xingye withdrew his gaze, lowering his eyes and feigning nonchalance,

"Is that Dian Dian's classmate?"

Lu Yi smiled meaningfully,

"Yeah. It's normal for a good friend to visit when she's in the hospital."

Tsk.

What's there to visit?

She had plenty of family and friends—no need for classmates to be so attentive.

Cheng Xingye snorted dismissively, muttering,

"It's senior year. Instead of studying, they're wasting time with this nonsense."

Lu Yi had to disagree. He looked at Cheng Xingye with amusement, retorting,

"You're about to graduate yourself. Shouldn't you be preparing for your finals instead of running here every day?"

Cheng Xingye was silent for a few seconds. "How am I the same as him?"

He glanced back into the ward.

That boy was the same one he'd seen at the school gate. Now he sat beside Lu Qingyue's bed. Whatever they were talking about, it had her laughing so hard she was nearly doubled over, her molars almost visible!

Cheng Xingye grew even more annoyed. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he reminded,

"Aren't they talking a bit too long? As her brother, shouldn't you check in? Aren't you worried someone might steal her away?"

His words were veiled, but Lu Yi understood perfectly. Unconcerned, he scoffed,

"Worried? You spent half a year under my nose trying to steal her—did she run off with you? If you're so concerned, go in and persuade her yourself!"

Cheng Xingye: "..."

If it weren't for that mess with the Ye family, he wouldn't just be persuading—he'd be in there carrying her out by now.

A boy and a girl, alone together for this long—how was that appropriate?!

Cheng Xingye glared for a while, unable to bear it any longer, then headed to the balcony for a cigarette.

* * *

Feng Shuheng had naturally come to check on his deskmate's condition.

"There are only three of our classmates still in the hospital. When will you be discharged?"

Lu Qingyue replied, "I should have another checkup tomorrow. If everything's fine, I'll be out!"

Feng Shuheng asked, "Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?"

Lu Qingyue: "No, just trouble sleeping. I keep dreaming about someone drowning—maybe I was frightened."

Feng Shuheng: "You should see the psychologist again. The exams are coming up, and good sleep is important."

Lu Qingyue: "Mm..."

The balcony and the ward's terrace were connected, so snatches of their conversation drifted outside.

Cheng Xingye, cigarette between his teeth and full of irritation, glanced at his watch.

It was already 8:10.

They had been talking for seventeen minutes and nine seconds.