Chapter 4: Happiness

The atmosphere froze for a brief moment.

Zhou Xingyan looked up at her, his long lashes densely packed, as dark and glossy as raven feathers.

His lips curved into a faint smile, revealing a shallow dimple on the left corner of his mouth. However, the smile didn’t reach his eyes—his dark pupils shimmered with cold mockery.

This smile seemed less than friendly.

Based on her understanding of him from years ago, Xiang Ge’s mind quickly assessed the situation. Her previously relaxed posture straightened as she instinctively leaned back slightly, as if bracing herself for the possibility that he might lunge forward and hit her in the next second.

She tilted her head slightly, guiltily averting her gaze, and adjusted the brim of her baseball cap to cover her eyes and brows.

Though she wasn’t entirely sure what she felt guilty about.

Zhou Xingyan watched her series of movements and raised an eyebrow. Lowering his gaze, he flipped open the medical record in his hand, his voice calm: “During lunch break, doctors do not see patients.”

Xiang Ge responded with an “Oh,” adjusting the brim of her cap again, her lips curling slightly: “So this is how Dr. Zhou coldly faces a patient suffering unbearable pain—”

—hiding in your office, flirting and giggling with your beautiful colleague?

What was so good-looking about that woman?

She wasn’t even as attractive as the fingernail clippings Xiang Ge had trimmed last night!

She paused mid-sentence, letting the remaining words swirl silently in her mind without voicing them.

Zhou Xingyan held the medical record in one hand and raised his head.

Earlier, she had been standing far away, but now that she was seated closer, he could clearly see the tiny, drawn-on creases under her eyes. The faint pink eyeshadow at the outer corner of her lower lash line shimmered with a subtle glow.

Noticing his gaze, the woman instantly retracted her curled lips. Her white teeth gently bit down on her plump lips, painted with cherry-pink lipstick. Her thick, long lashes fluttered innocently, her eyeliner drooping slightly downward, and her dark eyes glistened sincerely as she looked at him. Her voice, no longer lazy or drawn out, became soft and clear: “Dr. Zhou, you’ve worked hard.”

“…”

Zhou Xingyan’s index finger, hidden behind the medical record, lightly grazed along the edge of the paper.

Xiang Ge’s foot was already mostly healed. This follow-up visit was nothing more than an excuse—unless she went and sprained it again, there wouldn’t be much to diagnose.

Zhou Xingyan hadn’t needed to examine her; he’d known the moment she walked in. He simply leaned back in his chair, listening as she described her symptoms.

“I haven’t slept well these past few nights.”

“The pain comes and goes intermittently.”

“The bruising has faded quite a bit, but my ankle still swells at night.”

“Even though it looks normal now…” The woman lifted her ankle, her expression sincere as she repeated: “…it starts swelling every night.”

Zhou Xingyan sat patiently at the desk, listening. His white coat was immaculately buttoned up to the top, the collar neatly folded without a single crease.

After hearing her out, he nodded, pulling a sheet of paper toward him with one hand. His slender fingers grasped the fountain pen, swiftly writing a few characters before handing it over.

Xiang Ge took it, tilting her head curiously to look.

The large, bold characters were sharp and elegant, their strokes ending with his characteristic hook.

—Fifth floor, Internal Medicine, Dr. Su.

Xiang Ge raised her head, looking at him in confusion.

Zhou Xingyan’s expression remained calm: “There are many possible causes of swelling. You should first get a urinalysis, a 24-hour urine protein test, and a kidney ultrasound to determine the cause. I’m not very familiar with this area, so go see Dr. Su in Internal Medicine and ask his opinion.” He paused, then smiled faintly. “Just tell him I referred you, and you won’t need to register again.”

“…”

You’re really incredibly considerate, aren’t you?

After returning from the hospital, Xiang Ge’s previously carefree and cheerful mood vanished once again. With her foot healed, she no longer had an excuse to stay home.

On the night before her wonderful sick leave ended, Xiang Ge sat cross-legged on the couch, propping her temple with one hand. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she stared at the TV screen and suddenly spoke slowly: “Male, 26 years old.”

Xia Wei, sitting beside her, didn’t catch on immediately: “What?”

“Height? I don’t know—I never saw him stand up, maybe above 185 cm.”

“He’s an orthopedic doctor, from a well-off family, no medical history, no bad habits, and has a handsome face.”

“If someone like that had a girlfriend, and she was pretty, wouldn’t that make sense?”

“What do you think—is that normal?”

“…”

Xia Wei finally understood, slumping her face: “Are you seriously questioning whether that’s normal? If someone like that didn’t have a pretty girlfriend, wouldn’t that be terrifying?”

Xiang Ge was clearly unsatisfied with this answer, hissing softly and glancing over with a raised brow.

In the dim living room, the light from the TV screen danced in her eyes, bright and translucent.

After a while, she pouted in defeat, sticking a lollipop in her mouth and tilting her head to look at the ceiling: “‘Those closest to water get the moonlight first’ really makes sense. Do doctors fall in love easily with each other?”

“Probably.”

“Bullshit. It would be a miracle if he liked that type.”

Xia Wei had never seen Xiang Ge like this and couldn’t help but laugh, turning to her: “You’ve only met him twice—how do you know what type he likes?”

Xiang Ge didn’t respond.

She lazily slumped back on the couch, carefully recalling, and realized she truly had no idea what type Zhou Xingyan liked.

Back in high school, Zhou Xingyan—the corrupt student council executive, class president of the elite class, perennial top student, and owner of that face—was every girl’s ideal male protagonist during their teenage years.

Everyone was going through puberty, and the students at Shida Affiliated High School weren’t just bookworms. To be honest, their hormonal surges were even more intense.

Setting aside the basic criterion of “good looks,” girls even competed based on grades.

If you didn’t rank within the top hundred during midterms, finals, or monthly tests, you’d feel too embarrassed to pursue anyone.

Xiang Ge had seen countless types of brilliant, beautiful girls chase after Zhou Xingyan, employing all sorts of ingenious methods that left her in awe. Yet, he hadn’t given any of them a second glance.

At first, she thought it was because he had high standards.

That was until the school belle, the broadcasting club president and goddess of all the boys, batted her eyelashes flirtatiously and asked for his phone number. Zhou Xingyan, holding his phone and texting without looking up, casually lied: “Sorry, I don’t have a phone.”

—It was only then that Xiang Ge began to suspect that maybe he was gay.

Later, when she personally tried to pursue him, she finally confirmed it.

—This guy was definitely gay.

Xiang Ge zoned out for a while, and Xia Wei didn’t say anything either, just reached over to take the lollipop from her mouth.

The hard candy clinked against her teeth, making a faint, crisp sound. Coming back to her senses, Xiang Ge instinctively tightened her jaw to protect her lollipop, turned her head, and raised an eyebrow: “Are you secretly trying to eat my lollipop?”

“…”

Xia Wei’s expression was full of disdain: “Is this some gross habit you models have?”

Xiang Ge blinked, dead serious: “I’m actually one of those purer models, you know.”

“Is this why you’re stuck being an 18th-tier model?”

Xiang Ge had been discovered by a modeling scout during her sophomore year and started working as a print model. Though signed under a subsidiary of Global Entertainment and possessing excellent qualifications, she had strangely never received any significant opportunities.

However, she didn’t have big ambitions either. Shooting print ads and occasionally walking the runway as an extra satisfied her.

The woman lounged back onto the couch, her long legs crossed: “The money from magazine shoots is enough. What’s the point of being famous?” After a pause, she sighed deeply: “Actually, shooting print ads is exhausting, Xia Xia. Let me become a shut-in—will you support me?”

“Sure.” Xia Wei leaned over and picked a piece of chocolate from the pile of candies on the coffee table, unwrapping it as she looked up at her: “If I support you, I’ll have to take responsibility for you. What about that traditional Chinese medicine doctor I mentioned last time—will you see him?”

Xiang Ge crunched loudly on the candy in her mouth: “That quack old TCM doctor?”

Xia Wei choked: “What do you mean, ‘quack old TCM doctor’? He’s very famous, okay? Go get two prescriptions to balance yourself out. Your irregular periods can’t keep dragging on like this.” She paused, her gaze drifting down to the woman’s chest. “And your development issue—”

Xiang Ge grabbed a cushion from behind her and shoved it into Xia Wei’s face, snapping: “Will stuffing your mouth with food shut you up? Look at those supermodels—do any of them have huge chests?”

“I’m not expecting you to be huge, but at least you should—”

“Shut up.”

Her leisurely days of sleeping in and eating whenever she woke up officially ended. The next morning, Xiang Ge woke up unusually early, showered, applied makeup, styled her hair, and left the house right on schedule.

But the moment she arrived at the studio, she sensed something was off.

She stood at the door for a moment without moving. The photographer was busily snapping away, focusing intently on a beautiful model dressed in a deep purple Gothic-style dress. The intricate folds of the dress cascaded elegantly, and the model held a black umbrella.

Her eyes were lined with black floral patterns, and her lips were painted a deep shade.

Seeing her enter, Qiao Xin, who stood nearby, beamed with joy and hurried over to greet her: “Sister Xiang Ge! Is your foot better?”

Xiang Ge nodded at the young girl, tilting her head slightly, her tone dripping with undisguised disdain: “What kind of ridiculous theme is this? Is Global Entertainment going bankrupt, or are they trying to disgust their competitors first?”

Qiao Xin’s face turned pale, and she shook her head frantically, stuttering: “S-Sister Xiang Ge, while you were gone—”

“While I was gone, did the creative team suddenly start drinking soy milk?” Xiang Ge glanced at the model in front of the lens, clicking her tongue slowly. “This underground Gothic style went out of fashion ten years ago, didn’t it?”

Qiao Xin’s face was ghostly white, her gaze darting around nervously: “…This project was decided by President Song.”

Xiang Ge raised an eyebrow, surprised: “President Song is back in the country?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a cold laugh sounded behind her.

A man’s deep voice rang out from behind her: “President Song is right behind you.”