High heels clicked rapidly through the silent hospital.
“Doctor Ji, how is Lu Nan?”
After speaking, Li Erning grabbed her thermos and took a gulp of water.
She had rushed over right after getting off the highway. When Lu Nan called her, she had been at a meeting out of province and left halfway through, fearing something had gone wrong. Now, she was so exhausted she could barely speak.
This private hospital belonged to her big brother. Whenever a company artist had an issue, they were sent here. Everyone signed confidentiality agreements, so nothing leaked online.
The nurse was stunned. “Are you asking about the patient in Bed 273?”
Li Erning nodded quickly.
Just then, Doctor Ji emerged from his office. He set the medical record on the table and smiled upon seeing the visitor. “Sister Li, you’re here. No need to worry—Lu Nan is fine. She can run and jump.”
“????”
“Didn’t you say Lu Nan’s leg was broken and swollen huge? How…?” Sister Li looked at Doctor Ji in confusion, not grasping his words at first.
Doctor Ji snorted. “Her leg is broken, and the other one’s swollen badly. She woke up in pain, grimacing, but she kept running to Room 327 on the third floor…”
“Don’t give me that look. The nurse and I both tried to stop her, but it was no use! She insisted on staying there, turning into a statue waiting for her husband. It’s terrifying.”
“Ah?”
Li Erning met the nodding gazes of Doctor Ji and the nurse, both in full agreement.
“…”
That damn Lu Nan!
“So how did she get there?” Li Erning still didn’t understand.
“One floor’s six, the other’s three. After rounds, Lu Nan hobbled down to the third floor on crutches via elevator, nice and slow. When it was nearly time, she made her way back up. Our little nurses even helped her a few times.”
In that moment, Li Erning suddenly admired Lu Nan. She didn’t need to guess—Lu Nan had gone to the third floor to see Song Wenwei.
A nameless fire rose in her. She stormed into the elevator with fierce momentum.
Behind her, Doctor Ji called out, “Talk some sense into her. No more running around, or the injury won’t heal!”
“Doctor Ji, you’re exaggerating. When did I help her multiple times…?”
“You definitely did!”
—
As Li Erning entered the elevator, someone nearby whispered, “Auntie, can you wait for me?”
You’re the auntie. No manners at all.
Li Erning would recognize that voice even with her ears closed!
“Lu Nan, aren’t you on the sixth floor?”
Hearing this, Lu Nan paused in her strenuous walk and looked up at the elevator.
Inside stood a woman in a brown trench coat, arms crossed, expression stern.
“I’m just coming down for a walk…”
“A walk?”
Li Erning grabbed her collar and yanked her into the elevator, eyeing Lu Nan sideways.
One leg was wrapped in bandages and cast in plaster; the other showed a massively swollen ankle even through the white wrappings.
Both legs were practically useless, yet she had the leisure to run around.
“Open your eyes. Look at your legs like this, and you want to go for a walk?”
Lu Nan fell silent.
The elevator doors opened. Li Erning shoved a wheelchair over, gesturing for her to sit.
“I’ve heard you’ve been shuttling between the sixth and third floors these past couple days?”
Li Erning wheeled her into the room.
Lu Nan didn’t deny it. “Yes, I wanted to see if she was awake.”
“Doctors are there. I told you as a kid: when injured, stay put and don’t stir up pointless trouble with your stubborn energy. You’ve grown up, but gotten more willful!”
“Okay…”
“Okay my foot! From childhood, you’ve always said ‘okay’ verbally. Earlier, you said you wanted fresh air, so let Auntie wheel you out. Instead, you didn’t sit in the wheelchair, sent Auntie home, and ran to the third floor.”
Lu Nan hung her head, listening to the scolding.
“Filming starts in two months. You playing around? Do you know how much fight choreography this drama has?” Li Erning pointed at her swollen leg, exasperated. “This leg of yours will be ruined!”
“Sister Li, how about I push myself? Like this, I’ll delay the crew’s schedule.”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Li Erning flung her bag down. “You think this is child’s play? We signed a contract—the penalty for breach would bankrupt us! Do you even want to stay in the industry?!”
“I’m sorry, Sister Li, I…”
Lu Nan lowered her eyes. She had entered the industry for Song Wenwei, no doubt, but the company and production team had invested too. She couldn’t trample their efforts.
Either heal before shooting started, or terminate the contract.
She sighed. “I can’t leave her alone. I’ve missed her for six years—I can’t do it.”
“I absolutely won’t drag the company down. Big Brother and you have been so good to me; I won’t let you get implicated.”
Li Erning was silent for a moment. “Whether it implicates us isn’t up to you. Rest properly. I’ll have a TCM doctor give you some acupuncture to see if we can heal it before filming. Then everything’s sorted.”
“I’m sorry, Sister Li…”
“Enough.” Li Erning cut her off with a heavy sigh. “Rest well—a month or so. Don’t overthink the rest.”
“And! No more hobbling up and down on crutches when you’re bored. It doesn’t tire you out, but it gives me a headache. If it’s that bad, I’ll put you two in the same room, save you from Magpie Bridge-style longing.”
Lu Nan’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Sister Li!”
Convinced. What Romance Brain? It was pure Song Wenwei brain. From childhood, only Song Wenwei could make her like this.
Li Erning opened her gray-brown bag and pulled out some documents—three sheets spread on the hospital bed.
The first page detailed the vehicle insurer’s handling. The second listed possible fire sources from the car. The third was Song Wenwei’s water test report.
The report showed massive amounts of sleeping pills in the water. A part was missing from the rear tire. The fire source wasn’t from the vehicle itself.
These papers glared white.
Lu Nan’s heart pounded. The car accident two nights ago wasn’t an accident…
Li Erning pointed at the sheets, her expression grave. “Behind the building where you finished the variety show at Mei Garden Neighborhood, there’s a rest area. She might have drunk water from there. She told her assistant she was heading to the hotel to find you, then drove off.”
“The guardrail near Linyu Bridge was loose. This morning, someone else fell by accident. Police are locking in suspects… You get what that means, right? Not coincidence—deliberate murder.”
“If you hadn’t chased after her that night, Song Wenwei might have drowned in the lake.”
Lu Nan’s heart stirred. Deliberate murder…
Her gaze darkened as she stared at the three sheets.
In a daze, Lu Nan seemed to remember: that night, there had been a sneaky figure behind her.
