Chapter 219 - 187: An Old Acquaintance Returns (3)

He Yuan’s IV drip lasted until evening; it still wasn’t finished by the time Su Mo’s little clinic closed.

Su Mo said to Little Jiu, "You can head home. I’ll watch over things."

Little Jiu glanced at the darkening sky and frowned. "I should probably wait for you."

"Go on. I’ll drive myself home later." Su Mo took Little Jiu’s scarf and helped her tie it. "Don’t you have an interview tomorrow? You should get to bed early."

Little Jiu nodded. She gave Su Mo a few last-minute reminders before opening the door and heading out.

While waiting at the bus stop, she rummaged for her phone and saw the thick wad of cash Su Mo had given her, along with a sticky note.

’Wear something pretty. Your rent is due soon. Take this money for now.’

Little Jiu clutched the note, and as she stood in the cold wind, her eyes began to well up.

’I must have saved Su Mo’s life in a past life for her to treat me so well.’

’No, that’s not it. She’s just a genuinely good person.’

Once Little Jiu was gone, the clinic grew even quieter.

Su Mo glanced at the person in the inner room and figured it would be about another half hour.

She decided to drag out the trash she had gathered.

In the back room.

He Yuan glanced at the IV bag above his head again and asked irritably, "What is your deal? This whole afternoon, you’ve been playing games with me. The second I try to speed up the drip, you slow it right back down! Do you see what time it is? What are you trying to accomplish?"

The man beside him said nonchalantly, "It’s good for your health."

"..." He Yuan shot him a look, utterly speechless. "You... you’re so two-faced I don’t even know what to say!"

He’d been howling in pain the whole drive over, but this guy just had to take a detour halfway across the city to bring him to some tiny, remote clinic for his injury.

’And now he has the nerve to tell me it’s for my own good?’

’Is this what "for my own good" looks like?’

’I’ve really seen it all now!’

He Yuan couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. He’d just have to let the drip run its course. He was completely at this guy’s mercy.

A faint sound drifted in from outside.

Xuan Qing turned his head to look. Su Mo was struggling to drag a bag of trash toward the door.

His expression darkened. He strode out, taking hold of the trash bag. "I’ll help you."

Before Su Mo could even react, he had already pulled the bag away from her and was heading swiftly for the door.

Xuan Qing pushed open the door, dragged the bag outside, and tossed it into the dumpster for her.

He turned and asked the woman standing in the doorway, "Is there any more?"

Su Mo shook her head and smiled. "That’s all. Thank you."

He found himself momentarily lost in her clear, gentle eyes. "You’re welcome."

A gust of wind swept by, thick with the winter chill, and Su Mo shivered instinctively. She wasn’t wearing a heavy coat—just a light-colored knit dress under her white doctor’s coat.

Xuan Qing frowned. "Let’s go inside."

Su Mo nodded and turned to go back in.

He followed slowly behind her, his deep, calm gaze fixed on her slender back.

’Only now, in moments like this, did he dare to gaze at her so greedily, so unreservedly.’

’In truth, before coming here, he had already drifted through multiple spaces, had been to so many places...’

’He had thought it would all prove to be an illusion, a beautiful but unattainable dream.’

’But sometimes, life delivers a surprise so sudden, so unexpected.’

’In this moment, he was truly grateful for his own persistence.’

After going inside, Su Mo poured a cup of hot tea for herself and for Xuan Qing.

By the time the sky outside was completely dark, He Yuan’s IV drip was finally finished.

Once the needle was removed, he looked at Xuan Qing with an expression of pure liberation. "Quick, let’s go eat! I’m starving!"

Su Mo watched He Yuan’s retreating back and said coolly, "Remember to come back tomorrow to continue your IV."

Before He Yuan could speak, Xuan Qing, beside him, said, "Yes, I’ll come with him. Goodbye, Doctor Su."

"Who asked you to come with..."

He Yuan was forcibly dragged out of the clinic by Xuan Qing.

Once outside, He Yuan couldn’t help but complain, "Hey, what’s with you? Why are you suddenly so free these past few days?"

"To supervise your treatment."

"Don’t be fucking ridiculous. Doesn’t your conscience bother you when you say that? Tell me the truth. Did you fall for that Doctor Su at first sight?!"

Xuan Qing looked at him quietly for a few seconds. Just when He Yuan thought he was about to get chewed out...

The man before him suddenly said calmly, "Yes. I like her."

He Yuan sucked in a sharp breath. "You really did fall in love at first sight?"

Snowflakes drifted down, one by one. The world around them was utterly silent.

He Yuan could have sworn he saw a dark undercurrent flash through Xuan Qing’s eyes, one that held a thousand unspoken words before vanishing back into placid calm.

"It wasn’t love at first sight."

’For him, this was more of a long-awaited reunion.’

He Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I get it, unrequited love! To be honest, I don’t like your chances... Look at that room full of flowers. She has plenty of options. And your personality... it’s kind of a drag!"

Xuan Qing shot him a cool glance. "Then you can find your own ride home."

"Hey! No, no, no! Let’s talk this out!" He Yuan cradled his injured arm and stumbled after him.

After locking up, Su Mo went to the garage for her car, only to find it wouldn’t start—a common problem from not being driven for a while. At this hour, especially with the snow coming down, it was too late to call for a mechanic.

’Looks like I’ll have to take the bus home.’

Five minutes later, she was standing at the bus stop.

Xuan Qing and He Yuan pulled out of their parking spot. They hadn’t driven far before they saw a familiar figure in the snowy landscape.

"Look! Isn’t that Doctor Su, the one you like?!"

"I see her."

As he spoke, he was already turning the car toward her.

The window slid down. Their eyes met. Su Mo was slightly surprised. "You guys haven’t left yet?"

"We were just about to. Doctor Su, are you trying to get a cab?"

Su Mo smiled and nodded.

"It’s probably hard to get a cab in this weather. Let me give you a ride."

Su Mo hesitated. He was connected to her patient, but she barely knew him.

As she hesitated, he added, "If you feel bad about it, you can just pay me the fare, same as a taxi."

He Yuan chimed in, "Yeah! A ride’s a ride, who cares whose car it is? Right?"

Su Mo glanced outside. The snow was falling harder and harder.

She nodded. "Thank you, that would be a great help."

The moment she got in the car, she heard Xuan Qing say to He Yuan, "Didn’t you have an errand to run? Go on, then."

"Ah... You!" ’You bastard,’ He Yuan cursed internally. ’Kicking me to the curb now that you’ve got what you wanted!’

Su Mo looked at He Yuan, confused. He Yuan immediately put on an expression as if he had just remembered something. "Oh, right! I do have something else I need to do! I’m off!"

The moment he stepped out of the car, it mercilessly sped away.

He Yuan pulled out his phone to call for a ride, taking the opportunity to rant about Xuan Qing. "That son of a bitch! He actually ditched me on the side of the road for a woman! He acts all prim and proper, but he’s always pulling this kind of dirty trick! I’m totally blasting him on social media later! Is that something a decent person would do?!"

"You think I wasn’t being tactful enough? I’m standing out here in the snow! I..."

...

「Yun Mansion.」

Before she got out, he opened a payment app on his phone. "Go ahead."

Su Mo took out her phone and sent the payment.

Xuan Qing casually tossed his phone aside. "See you tomorrow, Doctor Su."

Su Mo paused for a moment, then remembered that his friend had to come back to the clinic for his IV tomorrow. She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

The window slid up. Su Mo stepped onto the pristine white snow and walked inside, subconsciously pulling the wide scarf around her neck tighter.

He didn’t drive away until her figure had completely disappeared from view.

Around eight o’clock that night, Su Mo received a friend request.

The attached message simply said: Xuan Qing.

Su Mo frowned. After a moment’s hesitation, she accepted the request.

Soon, a message came through: Sorry to bother you, Doctor Su. I wanted to ask about a few things to keep in mind regarding He Yuan’s injury.

...

The next day, when she got up to get ready for work, she opened her door and saw her next-door neighbors moving out.

She knew her neighbors fairly well, so she said a quick goodbye.