Wei Ke’er had been accompanying Su Mo at the hospital until nearly noon. Originally, she had planned to eat with Su Mo before heading back, but just as it was almost mealtime, she received a phone call and hurriedly left.

“Mo Mo, have you eaten yet?” Su Ailian’s voice came weakly.

“Not yet, Granny, don’t worry. I’ll go downstairs to eat something soon, then I’ll bring you some chicken soup. Be good, okay?”

Su Mo grinned and stepped out of the hospital room.

When she opened the door, she saw Lu Qingze walking past the door. It seemed like he was heading downstairs.

“Professor Lu,” Su Mo politely greeted him.

“Mm, going to eat?”

“Yes. Professor Lu, are you leaving?”

Lu Qingze glanced at her for a moment before speaking, “No, I’m going to eat as well. Let’s go together.”

Su Mo opened her mouth, about to say that it wasn’t necessary, but when she looked into his eyes, the words of refusal simply wouldn’t come out.

“Well, okay then.”

For the first time, Su Mo felt that rejecting someone was this hard.

But, never mind. Even if it was to thank him, she should at least treat him to a meal.

“Then, let me pay for this meal. Consider it a thank you, Professor Lu.”

Lu Qingze didn’t respond immediately. He just said, “Let’s go.”

Initially, Su Mo had planned to eat something near the hospital, but after stepping out, Lu Qingze walked straight towards the parking lot.

Seeing that Su Mo hadn’t followed, he turned around and glanced at her.

Before he could say anything, Su Mo quickly caught up.

“Get in the car.” When they reached the car, Lu Qingze opened the passenger side door for Su Mo.

Su Mo bit her lip and raised her hand to point to the back seat.

“Professor Lu, I’ll sit in the back.”

Lu Qingze glanced at her, closed the passenger door, and opened the back door for her instead.

Su Mo said nothing this time and climbed in.

It wasn’t until the car had driven a little distance that she snapped back to reality.

“Professor Lu, where are we going to eat?”

“You’ll know in a moment.”

Su Mo furrowed her brows, feeling a bit anxious. Granny was alone in the hospital room, and she had been gone for so long. She was worried about whether something might happen to her. She also didn’t know if Granny would be worried, not knowing when she would be back.

“Don’t worry about your Granny. The hospital has caregivers. If the nurses see that no one is accompanying the patient, they’ll arrange for a caregiver.”

“But the caregivers aren’t fixed. Your Granny’s condition is special, so it’s better to hire a regular one. For today, we’ll just use the hospital’s caregiver, but tomorrow, there will be a dedicated one.”

Lu Qingze spoke in a calm tone, as if he was talking about something ordinary. But Su Mo was greatly surprised.

“Professor Lu, did you hire a caregiver for my Granny?”

Lu Qingze nodded. “Your Granny just had surgery, and she can’t be left alone during the day and night. Even if you have time now, someone needs to be there to help. You can’t do without a caregiver. While the hospital has caregivers, their attitude can be arrogant, so it’s best to hire someone from outside for long-term care.”

Su Mo was left speechless. She had originally planned to settle things and return the money soon, but now she owed him such a big favor. The more she thought about it, the harder it would be to repay. Even if she paid back the money later, she was afraid she’d still owe him in terms of favors.

“I’ll remember the money I owe you for the caregiver and the loan, Professor Lu, and pay you back as soon as possible.”

Lu Qingze glanced at the rearview mirror.

The girl’s face reflected in the mirror.

Her flawless face, hidden slightly behind her hair, her clear and clean eyes staring out the window. At this moment, it seemed like she was deep in thought, completely unaware that her delicate lips were being bitten by her teeth.

It seemed she liked to bite her lips, especially when she was thinking or feeling awkward.

Lu Qingze’s lips subtly curled upward, and just as the girl in the back seat raised her hand to brush a strand of hair away, the crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist once again caught his eye.

His gaze flickered slightly before he quickly looked away.

Lu Qingze took Su Mo to a quiet private restaurant.

It was in a serene alley, an elegant and tranquil mansion, with a sign at the entrance reading “Yu Ji.”

Lu Qingze parked the car and led Su Mo inside.

“Mr. Lu,” a server greeted them as soon as they entered.

Lu Qingze nodded, saying nothing, and the server began leading the way.

“Please this way.”

Before turning, the server glanced at Su Mo, giving her a polite smile. It wasn’t particularly friendly, but at least it was courteous. If there was any emotion behind that glance, it was probably curiosity.

Su Mo gave her a slight nod and followed Lu Qingze into the private room.

The room was quiet and elegant. After entering, Lu Qingze handed Su Mo the menu.

“The dishes here are quite light. You haven’t eaten much today, right? Order a few easy-to-digest ones.”

“Thank you, Professor Lu.”

Su Mo took the menu and glanced at it before ordering two vegetarian dishes.

Lu Qingze didn’t look at the menu, directly ordering two light meat dishes. It seemed like he frequented this place often.

Before the server left, he added, “Also, please stew a chicken soup and a fish soup. I’ll take them to go later.”

“Of course, Mr. Lu. Please wait a moment.”

Once the server left, the room fell silent.

Su Mo sat across from Lu Qingze, feeling a bit uneasy.

Earlier, she had glanced at the prices on the menu, and everything was outrageously expensive. What would usually cost just a few yuan per dish in a regular restaurant was priced at hundreds here. Thinking of the huge debt she owed outside, she now felt a pinch at the idea of spending so much, but if she was treating Lu Qingze, she certainly couldn’t take him to a small roadside diner.

Su Mo sighed and looked up at Lu Qingze, only to find that he had already gotten up and was standing by the window.

Outside the window, a tree full of red plum blossoms was in full bloom, the fiery red flowers contrasting beautifully with his white silhouette, creating a stunning and harmonious scene.

The warmth in the room was high, and even with the window open, it didn’t feel cold. It was just right for the sunlight and the scent of flowers to filter in.

Su Mo stared at his back and suddenly remembered a phrase.

“言念君子，溫其如玉，在其板屋，亂我心曲。”¹

She thought to herself, a man like this, no matter where he went, could easily stir the hearts of others. Looking at his back, her breathing subconsciously became softer, as if she was afraid her breath would disturb him.

She thought the phrase “a gentleman like jade” couldn’t be more fitting for him.

A moment later, Su Mo heard the sound of a lighter near the window, followed by a faint smell of tobacco drifting towards her.

She looked up again and saw Lu Qingze holding a cigarette.

It turned out that even such a man smoked.

With his long fingers holding the cigarette, he was looking out into the distance.

Amidst the red plum trees, a few wisps of smoke rose. The coldness and warmth had disappeared from him, and at that moment, from head to toe, he seemed wrapped in a layer of loneliness and sorrow.

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1. “Thinking of the gentleman, warm as jade,
   In his humble dwelling, he disturbs the melody of my heart.” ↩︎