After leaving the hospital room, Su Mo saw Lu Qingze walking towards her from the hallway.

Unlike Su Mo, who seemed a little tired, Lu Qingze walked through the soft morning light, impeccably neat, not a hair out of place. He appeared fresh and gentle, almost as if just one glance could clear away the heavy and oppressive fog in someone’s heart.

“Good morning, Professor Lu.” Su Mo was the first to speak, still maintaining a polite but distant tone.

Lu Qingze nodded. “Did you not sleep all night?”

“Uh… I got a bit of sleep.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Qingze gave her a long look, then said nothing else and continued walking toward the elevator.

Su Mo bit her lip and followed him to the elevator.

Standing in front of the elevator, Lu Qingze casually put one hand in his pocket, his gaze fixed ahead. The reflection in the elevator’s metal doors showed Su Mo standing behind him, looking like she was in a good mood, though her exhaustion was still visible.

“The caregiver will be here soon. You should go back and rest properly.”

Su Mo quickly shook her head. “No need, my grandma found someone to help from the village. The caregiver…”

“Mm, that’s good. One during the day, and one at night,” Lu Qingze said nonchalantly, unwilling to budge on the matter.

With that, the elevator doors opened with a whoosh.

Lu Qingze entered first, raising an eyebrow and looking at Su Mo.

Su Mo bit her lip, hesitated, and then stepped inside after him.

The two of them had breakfast at a nearby diner outside the hospital.

Lu Qingze didn’t return to the hospital; he left directly after. Su Mo took the breakfast she bought for Su Ailian back to the hospital.

On the way, she finally decided she couldn’t use the caregiver Lu Qingze arranged for her.

Though she had helped Ning Ning, as she said, it was only a small favor. Professor Lu had already repaid that favor many times over by helping her.

Even if Professor Lu saw her saving Ning Ning as a huge favor, she couldn’t just accept such a big gesture for something so small.

As for a caregiver, if she really needed one, she could hire someone herself.

So when the caregiver Lu Qingze had arranged arrived, Su Mo kindly convinced them to leave.

She might have convinced them, but it was pretty much the same as firing them. The caregiver left with an uneasy expression, and Su Mo knew they wouldn’t be able to explain things to Professor Lu.

So, she decided to handle it herself. “I’ll explain it to Professor Lu.”

Taking out her phone, she typed the number Lu Qingze had saved under just “Lu.”

Su Mo opened the number and sent a text message.

“Professor Lu, I truly appreciate all the help you’ve given over these past few days. Helping Ning Ning was the right thing to do. In that situation, anyone would have done the same, so please don’t dwell on it. My grandma’s caregiver is enough. I truly appreciate your kindness, and thank you again.”

After sending the text, Su Mo put her phone back into her bag. She fed Su Ailian breakfast and quickly headed for the bus station.

There were no trains from Liu Lin Village to Beijing, so when Aunt Li came, she could only take the bus.

“Aunt Li, thank you for coming.” Su Mo greeted her politely when she met Aunt Li.

“It’s nothing. We’ve been neighbors for so many years. Your grandma has helped us plenty, so it’s only right that I help her now.”

“Once people get older, their bodies just aren’t as agile. I don’t know how it happened—she slipped while walking in the yard. Who doesn’t throw water outside in winter? But she’s the one who slipped. Your grandma shouldn’t have been throwing water at the door.”

“Maybe she got lazy because of her age and didn’t want to walk further.” Su Mo casually responded, but she was also puzzled. How could her grandma, who had lived in the village for so many years, not know how dangerous it was to throw water at the door?

She had been too busy the past few days and had forgotten to ask.

Perhaps it was just her age—maybe her legs weren’t as good, so she didn’t want to walk too far. Su Mo thought, pushing her doubts to the back of her mind.

After settling Aunt Li at the hospital, Su Mo hurried to the training grounds.

As the year came to a close, every company’s annual meetings, opening ceremonies, and wedding celebrations were all taking place, so this time of year was the busiest for the dance troupe.

Su Mo had originally planned to take two days off, but with Ma Wenlong swamped with work, she didn’t want to bring it up.

When Su Mo arrived, Ma Wenlong immediately pulled her aside in a mysterious manner.

“Mo Mo, how did the audition go?”

“I passed. I’ll take you all out for a meal when I have time, but not right now. My grandma just had surgery, so once I find a free moment…” Su Mo replied while adjusting her clothes, thinking Ma Wenlong was probably just trying to ask for a free meal.

“Ah,” Ma Wenlong blinked in surprise. “Your grandma had surgery? Why didn’t you tell me? How is she doing?”

“She’s fine. The surgery was successful. Now, it’s just a matter of her slowly recovering.”

“Oh,” Ma Wenlong replied distractedly. “Mo Mo, there’s someone looking to hire us for a performance. The appearance fee is pretty high.”

Su Mo blinked in confusion. “Isn’t that a good thing? Perfect, you can take on more work. I need the money. Also, do you know anyone who’s hiring a nanny or a dance instructor? Please introduce me to a few. My grandma’s recovery might take a while, so I need to earn more money.”

Ma Wenlong frowned. “You really need the money that badly? How about I lend you some?”

“No, no. I’ll just take on some extra work now while the movie’s not filming yet,” Su Mo said.

Ma Wenlong pursed his lips. “Just don’t overwork yourself.”

“Don’t worry,” Su Mo reassured him, then hurried off to change.

Ma Wenlong watched her rush off and opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

Earlier that morning, someone had called him to offer them a performance. The appearance fee was especially high.

Normally, this would be a good thing, but the catch was that they wanted only Su Mo to perform, and the venue was a nightclub.

Ma Wenlong immediately sensed something was off. He had planned to discuss it with Su Mo, but when the words came to his mouth, he didn’t know how to say it.

Su Mo was just starting to need money, and now this big performance gig came up. Wasn’t it too much of a coincidence?

This wasn’t just him being paranoid; he had seen too many things in his ten years in the industry. Many of the girls who came and went in this line of work were often swept up in situations where they got involved with wealthy men, only to find themselves trapped and unable to escape.

He had seen this kind of thing happen too often, and while it might have been fine for others, he couldn’t let it happen to Su Mo. After all, Mo Mo was different from those other girls.

He had to be careful with this.