Chapter 14

It was Sunday, and the weather remained oppressively hot, utterly unsuitable for any outdoor pursuits.

Lin Qimian spent the morning whiling away her time in the library. At noon, she headed home for a nap, and right before drifting off, she popped a few green plums from Xu Yueliang’s lavish snack gift pack into her mouth. Their perfect balance of tartness and sweetness lingered, infusing her entire dreamscape with the flavor.

Without an alarm to rouse her, she woke in a haze, her thoughts scattered.

Sunlight poured in torrents onto the gently swaying gauze curtains, casting a soft, radiant glow that inevitably brought Xu Yueliang’s face to mind.

Xu Yueliang’s face from Middle School and the one she wore now hadn’t changed much at all.

If only something as intricate as a “tooth extraction” had linked them back then—perhaps they wouldn’t be strangers sitting across from each other today, oblivious to their shared past.

Lin Qimian lifted a hand to cover the lower half of her face.

Was it really that hard to recognize her?

She had a perfectly beautiful pair of eyes, after all.

She lingered in bed, lost in a haze of wistful melancholy for a good ten minutes or so before finally rising.

She’d silenced her phone back at the library and hadn’t turned the sound back on during her nap. Picking it up now, she saw a string of unread messages on her work WeChat account, from several people.

There were some from Zhenzhen, from the ever-enthusiastic Director Zhang in the office, and from a colleague she could almost call a friend—the one who’d been in the same department when she first joined the hospital, before getting transferred to a branch clinic…

Skimming through them, she realized they were all about the same thing. Someone had anonymously posted some juicy gossip on the local medical forum. The story’s young, beautiful female lead—who’d supposedly slept her way to the top—was outed in the follow-up comments as Lin Qimian from Youhai Stomatology.

Lin Qimian had once gone viral on that very forum thanks to a patient’s sneaky photo of her at work, so this new post had blown up fast, drawing a crowd.

【If it’s her, no surprise—with a face like that, only an idiot wouldn’t milk it for all it’s worth.】

【Can the dean’s rank really score a stunner like that? Is it too late for me to switch to med school?】

【No wonder Doctor Lin’s got her nose so high in the air, looking down on everyone.】

【No proof? Don’t spread lies. I got my teeth checked by Doctor Lin—she’s great.】

【Watch out upstairs, or you’ll get called out hard.】

Lin Qimian closed the forum link and stretched lazily.

The thread wasn’t built high enough yet. She could let the bullets fly a little longer.

She typed out a quick reply: 【Saw the post. I’ll handle the follow-up. Thanks for the concern—happy working, everyone.】

Then she copied and pasted it to everyone who’d messaged her about it.

Her appointment with Xu Yueliang went ahead as planned.

Lin Qimian arrived at the hospital early, changed into her work clothes, and headed to the New Building to wait.

Along the way, the glances from her colleagues carried a touch more complexity than usual—but it didn’t faze her. She was well accustomed to such scrutinizing stares by now.

Xu Yueliang showed up today in a pink sundress. Pink was one thing, but the oversized red heart emblazoned across the chest, paired with layers of ruffled trim and a matching bow headband, made her look like a sweetly wrapped gift begging to be unwrapped.

The elevator doors slid open, and Lin Qimian’s heart gave a sudden thud.

Far more captivating than any dull, sordid gossip about herself.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted Xu Yueliang.

Xu Yueliang practically skipped into the elevator, planting herself right beside Lin Qimian. “Good afternoon, Doctor Lin!”

Her high ponytail swayed with a perfectly groomed curve.

Lin Qimian let her gaze drop to the bow in Xu Yueliang’s hair. “Looks like you’re recovering nicely.”

Xu Yueliang tugged at the edge of her mask, not tilting her head up but straining her eyes upward all the same. “You haven’t even seen my face yet, Doctor Lin.”

“I don’t need to,” Lin Qimian replied.

Xu Yueliang shook her head. “Nope.”

She mumbled under her breath, “Then there’d be no surprise…”

Lin Qimian smiled.

She was tempted to reach out and give that ponytail a playful tug, to straighten the slightly crooked bow.

The elevator dinged at the top floor. Lin Qimian shifted closer to Xu Yueliang. “If you’ve healed up as well as I’m hoping, there’s a reward in it for you today.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes went wide. “！！！！”

Lin Qimian stepped out of the elevator, and Xu Yueliang hurried after her in a flurry of quick steps.

“Doctor Lin, what reward? What reward? How good did you think it’d be…?”

Lin Qimian only smiled, saying nothing.

They entered the treatment room, where Xu Yueliang deftly set down her bag and perched primly on the sofa.

Legs pressed neatly together, back ramrod straight, head thrust forward like a curious penguin.

Lin Qimian approached, and Xu Yueliang piped up, “Doctor Lin, you forgot your gloves and cotton swabs.”

“No need for them today.” Lin Qimian’s gaze drifted downward, tracing the flutter of Xu Yueliang’s curled lashes and the slender bridge of her nose disappearing into the mask…

“Take off the mask,” Lin Qimian said.

“Oh, okay.” Xu Yueliang’s fingers pinched the edge of her mask, her eyes curving into happy crescents as she announced, “Now’s the time to witness the miracle!”

And with that, she finally removed it.

Now was the time to witness the miracle.

The miracle was a petite, perky nose tip and a pair of rosy lips like delicate flower petals.

It was a girl named Moon whose face always radiated brilliant sunshine.

How could she be so beautiful?

Lin Qimian blinked, trying to fend off the dense, prickling itch bubbling up from the depths of her heart.

But she was reluctant to blink again. Who knew if she’d get another chance to stare at Xu Yueliang so openly?

She gazed for a good long while, until Xu Yueliang’s smile faded into nervous apprehension. Timidly, she asked, “Doctor Lin… w-what’s wrong… with my face…?”

Lin Qimian pulled her eyes away. “Nothing.”

She turned and stepped back to prepare the IV drip. “You’re recovering nicely. This will be your last one today.”

From behind her, Xu Yueliang’s voice drooped, all the earlier excitement drained away. “Is it… not good enough? Did I not meet your expectations…?”

Lin Qimian arched a brow and focused on her tasks.

When she crouched down to insert the needle, Xu Yueliang looked down at her. “Doctor Lin, I think I’m recovering great. Pulling the tooth wasn’t as bad as I imagined—not bad at all, way better than I thought…”

Lin Qimian replied, “Then next time, imagine something more optimistic.”

The fingers resting in Lin Qimian’s palm twitched. “So… about my… reward…”

Lin Qimian said, “You put on makeup today.”

Xu Yueliang: “!!!”

Lin Qimian straightened up and adjusted the drip rate. “We’re both girls. I can tell.”

Xu Yueliang: “…………”

“Nice technique, too. Sheer and natural—your complexion looks much healthier.” Lin Qimian pressed her lips together, feigning distress. “So, doesn’t that count as… cheating?”

Xu Yueliang: “…………..”

Seeing her lips pout and her eyes droop, Lin Qimian beat a hasty retreat from the room. “See you later.”

Then she laughed for a good while in the hallway.

Of course there would still be a reward.

After all, rewarding Xu Yueliang felt more like rewarding herself.

When Lin Qimian returned to the room, she carried a steaming bowl of fish noodles, their aroma filling the air.

Under Xu Yueliang’s stunned gaze, she uncovered the lid and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Xu Yueliang’s mouth was practically watering. “Can I eat this? I can barely manage porridge…”

Lin Qimian said, “Actually, this goes down easier than porridge. Give it a try.”

Xu Yueliang hunched over immediately, grabbing the chopsticks and digging in.

Her first bite was tentative, but by the second, she was wolfing it down.

After polishing off half the bowl in one go, she looked up with tears of joy in her eyes. “This is so good. This bowl of fish noodles gave me life.”

Lin Qimian leaned against the sofa armrest, unable to stop laughing.

Xu Yueliang slowed her pace, chatting between bites:

“If it weren’t for a time like this, Doctor Lin, I’d never have known you could eat noodles without really using your mouth…”

“Am I just that hungry? Or did you find the best noodles of my life? How is the flavor this perfect…?”

“This counts as my reward, right? I figured it out earlier—the question was one you asked me in the elevator, and I did my makeup before coming, so it doesn’t count as cheating.”

“You’re the best, Doctor Lin.”

“Doctor Lin, am I talking too much? Sorry, boo-hoo, I haven’t talked to anyone these past few days…”

Lin Qimian desperately wanted to pull out her phone and record Xu Yueliang like this.

She suddenly felt grateful for Xu Yueliang’s job. At least now, she could see her face on streaming apps anytime.

Was this how Xu Yueliang was during her streams?

Not quite.

Her streams only showed one percent of her cuteness. Lin Qimian had glimpsed another fraction, and the remaining ninety-eight percent lived in her endless imagination.

“If you like it,” Lin Qimian said, “you can have fish noodles more often from now on.”

Xu Yueliang nodded vigorously and slurped up the last strand. “Too bad I still can’t eat the veggies or meat.”

Lin Qimian cleared the table, turned on the TV for her, and swapped in a fresh IV bag.

Xu Yueliang patted her belly, her eyes starting to glaze over. “Now that I’m full… I’m sleepy…”

Lin Qimian pulled back the blanket on the hospital bed. “If you’re sleepy, come lie down.”

Xu Yueliang: “Ah…”

Lin Qimian: “I’ve already pulled back the blanket. It’s included in your bill—might as well use the money you’ve spent…”

Xu Yueliang immediately got to her feet, carrying the medicine bottle over herself and hanging it on the IV stand by the bed.

Lin Qimian lifted the arm with the needle and tucked the covers snugly around her. She placed the air conditioner and TV remotes within easy reach. “Still watching TV?”

“Leave it on for now…” Xu Yueliang stifled a tiny yawn, her mouth barely opening. “The sound keeps me from drifting off too easily…”

Lin Qimian said, “Then go ahead and sleep.”

Xu Yueliang replied, “But I need to watch the drip.”

Lin Qimian pulled up a stool from nearby and sat down. “Rest easy. I’ll keep an eye on it for you.”

Xu Yueliang blinked a few times, her head sinking into the pristine white pillow as her lips pursed ever so slightly.

Before she could voice her question, Lin Qimian explained herself. “It’s part of the VIP service.”

Xu Yueliang let out a soft, “Oh.”

Lin Qimian looked into her eyes. “Keep your head straight. Don’t squish your face against the pillow.”

Xu Yueliang obediently settled back, her profile glowing softly in the lamplight.

Time passed minute by minute. The sun sank below the horizon, the TV went silent, and the breathing from the bed grew steady and even.

Lin Qimian curved her lips in a faint smile, her thoughts drifting back to a night from her youth. She had once fantasized just like this—the person she loved sleeping peacefully at her side.

A sleeping face as innocent as a child’s.

Then the realization hit her: it was one of those tired, overused clichés.