Behind the staircase is the dining room, where an elderly woman is having breakfast, surrounded by several servants attending to her.
...Is it Ah Xuan's grandmother? Or her maternal grandmother?
Yesterday, her uncle had specifically instructed her not to tell the old lady about Mu Xing's injury. Without mentioning it, Bai Yan couldn't explain how she ended up here: if she was a friend invited by Mu Xing, where was Mu Xing? If not, then what was her identity?
With a change of heart, Bai Yan was about to retreat upstairs, pretending she had never come down. Unexpectedly, the maid leading the way spoke up, "Good morning, Madam."
Bai Yan paused for a moment as she raised her foot.
Upon hearing the sound, everyone in the restaurant looked up, including the elderly lady who seemed distracted by her breakfast.
With a smile, Bai Yan landed and walked straight towards the restaurant.
The maid who serves the old lady heard the news of the eldest young lady's injury last night and was thinking about how to keep it from the old lady. Unexpectedly, the eldest young lady's friend was still at home, and she couldn't think of a way to explain it to her.
Just as the maid was struggling with her decision, Bai Yan walked over and said, "Good morning, Madam. I am Mu Xing's friend. My name is Bai Shuwan."
The old lady had already glanced at Bai Yan several times. Hearing this, she slowly smiled and said, "Oh, she's Ah Xuan's friend. That's good. Look at her, what a pretty child!" Then, she turned to the head maid and said, "Where's Ah Xuan? Is she still in bed? Go and wake her. Tell her that Grandma said all her friends are up, why is she still sleeping..."
Before the maid could answer, Bai Yan smiled and said, "Grandma, Ah Xuan went out earlier. I heard there was something going on at the clinic, so she went to take care of it early this morning. I'm the one who overslept."
Hearing this, Grandma nodded and said, "That's good, but you shouldn't leave your friend inside. This child, just like my Fuxue, always loves to run around..."
Does "Fu Xue" refer to Lady Fu Xue?
Bai Yan didn't know why the old lady suddenly brought up Madam Fu Xue, but seeing the maid's expression, she instinctively felt that this was not a good topic. Moreover, judging from the old lady's mental state, she seemed to be in a bad mood.
Her eyes darted around, and she said, "Yes, but Ah Xuan went early today, I don't know if she's had breakfast yet. Grandma, is that salad you're eating?"
Grandma easily shifted the focus: "Breakfast... Oh, Jingye, why didn't you bring breakfast up for Ah Xuan's friend? Just bring me one of my dishes."
Bai Yan noticed a momentary hesitation in the maid's expression and was initially puzzled, but after seeing the salad that was served, she understood the hesitation.
She had eaten plenty of Western-style vegetable salads before, but this was the first time she had ever seen one with such a strange and bizarre smell.
The mixed vegetables were drizzled with a strangely colored sauce that emitted a strong, sour smell with a hint of peculiar spiciness…
Bai Yan almost lost her smile because of the fumes.
Seeing the old lady looking at her expectantly, she couldn't refuse, so she could only tremble as she picked up the fork, speared a large piece of lettuce, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Hmm—
Under the old lady's expectant gaze, Bai Yan gripped her fork tightly, her smile unwavering: "It has a very unique flavor. I've never tried a salad like this before. It's truly special."
The old lady immediately revealed a childlike smile and said, "Isn't it great? This is the flavor I came up with myself. They didn't like it. I didn't expect you to have such good taste."
As she spoke, the old lady sighed again: "Alas, you don't know. In our family, everyone studies medicine and talks about health preservation, but we've made perfectly healthy people tasteless."
Bai Yan smiled and said, "Grandma, you are so blessed. Your uncles and aunts love you so much, and your sons and sisters are so filial. Even if your food is bland, your heart is still sweet."
Grandma then smiled happily.
Just then, Aunt Mu suddenly walked in from the backyard. Seeing the old lady sitting with Bai Yan, she quickly went over to greet the old lady.
The old lady pointed at Bai Yan and smiled, "Qingjia, look at this child, she's grown up so beautifully, and her character is so good too. Whenever I see her, I'm reminded of Fu Xue, she was just as adorable back then..."
Upon hearing the old lady mention Fu Xue, Aunt Mu quickly changed the subject, saying a few words in line with the old lady's words, before turning to Bai Yan and saying, "Miss Bai, the bird that Ah Xuan wanted to see yesterday has woken up and is in the backyard. Let Fu Guang take you there to see it."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan knew that Mu Xing had woken up. She pretended to be calm and said a few more words before getting up to take her leave and hurriedly following Fu Guang to the backyard.
Bai Yan rushed to the ward, but before she even got there, she heard Madam Mu's voice. The ward door was open, and she peeked inside from the doorway.
In the ward, Dr. Mu and Mu Yun stood silently to one side, while Madam Mu sat on the bed. Judging from her voice, she had just been crying and was scolding Mu Xing for causing so much worry. After a few words of scolding, she started crying again.
Mu Xing had just woken up and was still not fully awake. He could only lean against Madam Mu's chest, thinking slowly.
Judging from my mother's tone, her injuries shouldn't be serious, and she received timely treatment, which wasn't unexpected.
But... is there something else I haven't remembered...?
After finally calming down, Madam Mu gave a speech about getting some rest, then remembered to say, "We really need to thank Miss Bai who brought you back last night; she saved our lives..."
Shu Wan?
Yes, where is Shu Wan? She must have been terrified after yesterday's chaos…
Just as Mu Xing was about to ask Bai Yan where she was, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure outside the door and looked up.
Upon seeing Bai Yan outside the door, Mu Xing was initially taken aback before gradually realizing what was happening.
Shu Wan is here. She thought somewhat slowly.
Her mind, still reeling from the ordeal, prevented her from generating any overly intense emotions; only an indescribable tenderness spread through her limbs and then welled up in her eyes.
Fortunately, Shu Wan is still here.
Outside the door, the moment Bai Yan met Mu Xing's gaze, she felt her eyes quickly well up with tears. She hurriedly raised her hand to cover her face and turned away, inwardly cursing herself for being a crybaby. Ah Xuan had just woken up; she really shouldn't be crying.
But tears are unreasonable; a thin mist quickly filled her eyes, carrying her across mountains and valleys to embrace Mu Xing.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Finally remembering that Mu Xing needed more rest, Madam Mu prepared to come out. Turning her head, she saw Bai Yan standing at the door and quickly invited her in, saying, "Miss Bai, I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have time to properly thank you. I'm so sorry..."
Looking at Mu Xing, Bai Yan quickly said that there was no need to be polite, it was all she should do.
Before he could finish speaking, Mu Xing chuckled softly, "Yes, besides you, there's no one else who should take care of me."
"What are you saying, child?" Madam Mu glared at Mu Xing. "Why should a perfectly good girl like that take care of you? Hurry up and thank her instead of spouting nonsense."
Mu Xing chuckled to himself, his eyes fixed on Bai Yan.
Just now, when they secretly exchanged glances outside the door, Bai Yan felt she couldn't get enough of looking at Mu Xing. Now, in front of her elders, she felt guilty and pretended that she hadn't come to see Mu Xing. She only focused on talking to Madam Mu and Doctor Mu, not even glancing at Mu Xing or responding to his words.
After some polite refusals, Madam Mu realized that the ward was not a suitable place to talk. Seeing that Bai Yan had come to visit Mu Xing, she asked her to come to the living room later to discuss the matter in detail.
Bai Yan readily agreed.
After Madam Mu and the others left the ward, Bai Yan followed and quietly closed the door. Turning around, she leaned against the door, looking at Mu Xing with her eyes and said, "Oh, shouldn't I be serving Miss Mu?"
Mu Xing leaned against the bed and chuckled, "Ordinary couples and lovers, if one of them has a slight headache or fever, how carefully their partner takes care of them. You were so attentive and considerate to me last night, so tell me, what is our relationship?"
Bai Yan was taken aback when she suddenly said that.
Mu Xing looked at Bai Yan, and his teasing expression suddenly softened.
She said softly, "Shu Wan, do you know what I was thinking when you brought me home last night?"
A sudden tremor ran through her heart, and Bai Yan slowly walked over.
"At that moment, it felt like we were in a car. I was clutching my wound, watching the fleeting reflections outside the window, as if I were looking back on half of my life. All that splendor and prosperity, all that fine clothes and spirited horses, were truly like bubbles, instantly forgotten. I tried to reach out and grab them, but found that I could leave nothing behind."
"Except for you."
"When everything left me without looking back, I realized that the only thing I still had was the people who loved me."
Reaching out to grasp Bai Yan's hand, Mu Xing looked at her and said, word by word, "Life is so short and uncertain. Are those vague feelings of pride, fear, and panic really more important than what we desire?"
"Before, all I wanted was to become strong quickly, so you could see our future, so you could rest assured. I hoped you could wait. But now I finally know, you can't wait, I can't wait, and life can't withstand such a hopeless and long wait. If I were to die tomorrow, how I wish I were with you today, instead of still waiting..."
"Stop talking, don't say such things..." Her heart was pounding like a drum, and Bai Yan suddenly covered Mu Xing's mouth.
In any case, she didn't want to hear such a hypothesis from her.
The hand resting on her face was delicate and cool. Mu Xing reached out and enveloped Bai Yan's palm. She moved slightly and placed a kiss on Bai Yan's palm.
The kiss was so delicate, yet it burned like fire, spreading like wildfire throughout her body, searing Bai Yan's heart and almost bringing her to tears.
Feeling the pulse transmitted through their intertwined hands, Mu Xing looked up at Bai Yan and whispered, "Shu Wan, we..."
Before she could finish speaking, Bai Yan said, "Okay."
Mu Xing was taken aback.
What was she trying to say? What was she responding to?
Bai Yan looked down at Mu Xing, then sat on the edge of the bed, and they looked at each other as equals.
"good."
No further explanation is needed.
After talking for a while, seeing that Mu Xing looked tired, Bai Yan urged her to lie down and rest.
Having just confessed their feelings, Mu Xing refused to sleep, acting like a spoiled child: "I'm not going to sleep. Didn't I just say that life is too short? I want to look at you a little longer."
Bai Yan found it amusing, but glared at him and said, "If you don't rest properly, you won't need to see me anymore. You'll just be staring at the hospital ceiling all day."
Mu Xing pouted and could only lie down, muttering to herself. Afraid she would aggravate her wound, Bai Yan quickly pulled up a pillow and covered her with a blanket. Seeing her muttering, she asked, "What are you saying?"
Mu Xing buried the lower half of his face in the blanket, only his eyes showing as he looked at Bai Yan, and said something in a muffled voice.
Bai Yan couldn't hear her clearly, and fearing she was thirsty or hungry, she bent down closer, pulled the blanket down a little, and asked, "You just said..."
Before she could finish speaking, Mu Xing, who had been lying down, suddenly stretched out his neck and pecked her on the lips.
It was a very loud sound.
Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, Bai Yan froze for a moment. Before she could react, Mu Xing suddenly fell back, crying out, "Ouch! That hurts! My back hurts so much..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan forgot about scolding and quickly helped Mu Xing straighten up: "Did you aggravate the wound?" After pulling open the clothes to confirm that the wound was not bleeding, she helped Mu Xing put on his clothes and covered him with the quilt.
Seeing Mu Xing lying on the bed groaning, Bai Yan crossed her arms and said reproachfully, "Are you comfortable now?"
Mu Xing groaned softly under the covers.
Seeing her like this, Bai Yan was truly both angry and amused. She glanced at the clock in the room and said, "You go to sleep, I have to go back to the brothel first."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing immediately stopped snorting: "You're leaving?"
Bai Yan certainly didn't want to leave, but she had to abide by the rules of the establishment.
Knowing what she was worried about, Mu Xing frowned and finally asked the question he had long planned to ask: "Shu Wan, how much money do I need to redeem you?"
The tender romance gradually faded, and eventually, the most practical problems had to be faced.
Bai Yan had been pondering that number in her mind almost every day, and now she could say it without having to calculate it: "It would cost at least 15,000 yuan, and if my mother were greedy, it would probably be over 20,000."
As Bai Yan expected, this number made Mu Xing silent for a while.
That's normal, she thought.
Previously, Choi Won-baek had remained silent for a longer period upon hearing this number.