The First Brother Hero Who Did Not Like Eating (06)

"I told you, I'm fine."

The young man's voice was particularly captivating, making Si Jiu feel a little restless. She was even more tempted to remove his mask and see his face.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, because the young man glanced at her again, his brows slightly furrowed in displeasure.

"You're calling this 'fine'? Look at yourself right now..."

The young man's eyes swept over, and the doctor instantly fell silent, looking inexplicably intimidated.

Judging by their interaction, their relationship was clearly more than just doctor and patient. Sure enough, in the next moment, the young man spoke, "Uncle, does your hospital not care at all about patient privacy?"

"I'm leaving." The young man lifted his arm and brushed off the doctor's hand from his shoulder, then strode out of the ward.

"Hey, wait!" The doctor called after him, hurriedly said to Si Jiu, "Stay put and don't even think about checking out. I'm going to bring him back," and then rushed out in pursuit.

Si Jiu stroked her chin.

"Wanwan?"

"Ah, Yueyue, you and Song Fei should go grab something to eat."

"So you're not insisting on leaving anymore?"

"No, I'm not. You still have my spare house keys, right? Could you please stop by my place and bring me some clothes and things to change into?"

Zhao Yue happily agreed, pulled Song Fei along, and left.

The young man was not brought back by the doctor, which left Si Jiu slightly disappointed.

She stayed in the hospital for another two days. When she was certain the male lead truly wouldn't return, and unable to pry any useful information from the doctor, Si Jiu simply checked herself out.

During this period, neither Xu Weiwan's sister nor her parents came to see her—not even a phone call. Only Lin Yang sent two text messages, asking about her health, which Si Jiu ignored.

These days, Zhao Yue and Song Fei were the ones running about, helping her. When they brought Si Jiu home, Zhao Yue wanted to stay and keep her company.

After Si Jiu repeatedly assured her that she wouldn't do anything foolish, Zhao Yue was finally persuaded to leave.

Xu Weiwan had resigned from her last job and wasn't seeking another for the time being. She spent her days streaming, rarely went out, and kept her social circle simple.

She seemed wooden on the outside, but in truth, she was sensitive and thoughtful. Lacking a sense of security since childhood, she had worked tirelessly to save money, ultimately spending all her savings on the down payment for this apartment.

Having a place of her own—that was Xu Weiwan's lifelong dream.

When she planned her little nest, she included Lin Yang in it, and even when decorating, she took his preferences into account, arranging the space together with him.

But she never imagined that the man she considered her future husband would end up as her brother-in-law, and her home nearly became a wedding house for her sister and brother-in-law.

...

For days, the apartment next door had been noisy, construction clattering from early morning. It seemed they were renovating, and the racket left Si Jiu particularly irritable.

During this time, Xu Weilai called several times, always hinting that Si Jiu should let her have the new apartment, and never missed a chance to flaunt her relationship with Lin Yang.

Fed up, Si Jiu simply blocked her.

The result was that Xu Weilai showed up in person.

Si Jiu returned from hunting for food and saw Xu Weilai standing downstairs, Lin Yang by her side, and a dog at Lin Yang's feet.

The dog was a golden retriever. It spotted Si Jiu before either Xu Weilai or Lin Yang did. Before she got close, it barked once and bounded happily toward her.

One of its hind legs was slightly lame—a childhood injury from being hit by a car, the very incident when Xu Weiwan and Lin Yang rescued it.

Si Jiu crouched down to stroke the retriever's head, scratched its chin, and called out, "Mantou, what are you doing here? How have you been lately?"

She treated Xu Weilai and Lin Yang as if they were invisible.

Xu Weilai smiled and called, "Sister."

Si Jiu glanced at her. "Why are you here?"