Qin Shu could not help but laugh at President Ba’s silly display of haughty pride. “Shall we go out for a walk together? I think getting some fresh air would be good for us both.”


  “Meow” President Ba bobbed happily on her lap. He seemed a little less resentful now that he had secured Qin Shu’s attention.

  Lifting President Ba off her lap, she padded out the door with him.

  –


  –


  Imperial City, the previous night……

  By the time Han Xiao returned to campus, it was eight o’clock. He allowed Gu Yan’s bodyguards to escort him to the school gates but no further.

  Seeing as they had accomplished their assignment, they left him to his own devices and drove through the night back to Jiang City.

  Han Xiao hobbled towards his dormitory unsteadily. His injuries were quite severe but he soldiered on, grim determination in his gait. When he finally entered his dorm room, he found Hua Wuyan typing away on a laptop. Hearing the door open behind him, Hua Wuyan turned around to greet his unexpected guest; quirking a smile that froze just as soon as he noticed Han Xiao’s wounded form stumbling in.

  His smile warped into concern. He rushed to Han Xiao’s side, hooking an arm around his uninjured shoulder to support him.

  “What happened? How did you get injured?”


  “It was an accident.” Han Xiao shrugged off his camping pack with some difficulty and hung his coat on a clothes rack nearby.

  “Have you been to A&E?” Qin Shu’s figure popped into his mind at this time. “Where’s Qin Shu? Is she hurt?”


  “Not yet.” Han Xiao was peeling off his stained and soiled clothes when Hua Wuyan mentioned Qin Shu. He paused briefly, pondering over where he should begin, but eventually said, “She was bitten by a venomous snake.”


  Hua Wuyan paled, his complexion taking on a sickly hue. Hurriedly, he asked, “Then where is she? Is she in the hospital? Venomous snake bites are no laughing matter. How were you both so careless?”


  “I met an acquaintance of hers on the way back. He is a doctor practising traditional Chinese medicine. He injected her with an antidote. She should be fine now.”


  “Where is she, then? Honestly, why did she have to scale those mountains?”


  “She has gone back to Jiang City.” Han Xiao stripped himself of the final dregs of his clothes and rummaged in his wardrobe for a fresh set. He really needed a shower.

  Hua Wuyan was surprised to hear that Qin Shu had gone back to Jiang City but he quickly brushed it aside in favour of his injured friend. “Okay. That’s one thing we don’t need to worry about, then. Hurry up and get yourself in the shower. We’re going to the hospital once you’ve cleaned up. Your wounds need to be treated.”


  Grabbing his clothes, Han Xiao trudged towards the showers. Before he entered, however, he fixed Hua Wuyan an implacable look and said, “Qin Shu reminds me of her. She shares the same pair of eyes and brows as my Xiao Budian.”


  Having said his piece, Han Xiao walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Hua Wuyan stood rooted to the spot, dazed by Han Xiao’s sudden revelation. Was Qin Shu really Xiao Budian?

  Rapping the bathroom door with his knuckles, Hua Wuyan hollered, “You have seen Qin Shu without her make-up on, haven’t you? Do you really believe she is your Xiao Budian?”


  He waited for a reply but none came. His only answer was the sound of rushing water.

  Hua Wuyan huffed in response. Crossing his arms against his chest, he leaned against the frame of the bathroom door to wait for Han Xiao.

  Half an hour later, the bathroom door swung open. Han Xiao had changed into a clean set of clothes and was in the midst of drying his hair.

  His face was cold and stern.

  Correcting his posture, Hua Wuyan asked, “Are you sure she is your Xiao Budian?”


  Han Xiao stared at Hua Wuyan wordlessly.

  Hua Wuyan: “???”


  He stared at Hua Wuyan for a long while before finally saying, “She doesn’t know me.”


  “.…… What?” Hua Wuyan blinked owlishly.

  Looking away, Han Xiao ambled to his wardrobe, picked out a pair of black jeans and wore them.

  “Brother Han, what do you mean she doesn’t know you?”


  Han Xiao remained silent.

  Hua Wuyan was a little anxious, “Out with it already!”


  Once again, his good friend never failed to frustrate him.

  Outside of speaking to his Xiao Budian, Han Xiao was aggravatingly silent – almost pitifully so – despite having known each other since they were children……

  Hua Wuyan, “.……”


  Han Xiao clothed himself mutely. In what felt like an exasperating aeon of silence, he finally said, “I think she’s my Xiao Budian but when I confronted her, she said she was not.”


  “So…… is that a yes or a no?”


  Han Xiao went mum again.

  “Never mind. Let’s get your wounds treated first. We’ll talk later.”


  Having been friends for so long, Hua Wuyan could tell how confused Han Xiao was. His silence was simply an outward expression of his inner disquiet. Fishing out his car keys, he led the way out of their dorm room and to his car.

  Han Xiao followed him out quietly.

  Half an hour later, they arrived at the hospital.

  The doctor stitched his head up and attached an IV drip to his arm.

  “Be mindful of that head injury. It is quite sensitive at the moment but it should get better with time. The injury you sustained on your arm, on the other hand, is much more serious. How on earth did you get bitten by a dog? You’re lucky the dog did not have rabies or you would have died a most painful death considering the fact that you never received shots for it. Be careful with that arm of yours or you’ll end up a cripple for the rest of your life.” the doctor rebuked sternly.

  An awkward expression rippled over Hua Wuyan’s features for a second before smoothing itself. Han Xiao had said that he had been mauled by a pack of wolves. How did those wolves become a dog?

  Han Xiao listened to the doctor expressionlessly.

  It was around midnight when they reached their dorm. It had taken them a while to get to the hospital and back again. Insisting that he needed to rest, Hua Wuyan chose not to indulge him in idle chatter. Instead, he ushered Han Xiao into the room and ordered him to bed.

  Lying on his back, Han Xiao felt his eyes droop. The medicine prescribed by the doctor probably had sleep-inducing properties…… Soon his eyes closed and he was pulled into a deep sleep.

  –


  –


  Jiang City, in a private villa……

  Qin Shu carried President Ba out of the car and walked with graceful steps to the villa’s entrance.

  It was President Ba’s first time here. His dark green eyes darted about curiously.

  Ji Fei stood at the entrance waiting for her. “The Young Master is in the pharmacy.” Ji Fei motioned as he invited her in.

  Qin Shu acknowledged Ji Fei’s words with a nod of her head and crossed the villa’s threshold.

  Closing the ornate doors behind them, Ji Fei caught up with Qin Shu barely a second after.

  Qin Shu had been to the pharmacy before. It was the third room on the second floor.

  She hugged President Ba against her chest, walking up the stairs slowly. Upon reaching the second floor, she made a beeline for a room tucked in the corner.

  Gu Yan usually had the door to the pharmacy closed to prevent the villa from smelling like a Chinese medicine shop.

  Ji Fei pushed open the door leading to the pharmacy.

  Immediately, the pungent aroma of Chinese herbs assailed them. Qin Shu frowned in mild discomfort. The smell of so many herbs, stored in one place, was simply nauseating. It took great effort on her part to push past the smell and enter the room with President Ba.

  Gu Yan was seated in a mahogany chair when he heard the pharmacy’s door being pushed open. Turning around to see who it was, he discovered Qin Shu standing at the doorway. He offered her the chair opposite him and began brewing a pot of tea.

  Qin Shu sat in the proffered chair, watching quietly as Gu Yan prepared his tea. Tea drinking was a hobby of his. Whenever he had time to spare, Gu Yan would enjoy a cup of tea while reading his books on pharmacology.

  As he waited for the tea to steep, Gu Yan spoke, “I’m afraid it will be a while more before the medicine is ready. It seems my estimates were a little off.”


  “That’s fine. He doesn’t know that you’ve returned to Jiang City yet.” Qin Shu pursed her lips. “How confident are you this time?”


  “I’m confident that the medicine will work. As to how effective it will be, that is something we will only know once he has ingested it. Don’t worry. The herbs you found are a close match and their medicinal properties are not in any way inferior to those herbs we need. They should yield similar effects.”


  Pouring her a cup of tea, Gu Yan invited Qin Shu to have a sip. “Have some of this tea. I think you’ll like it.”


  He poured himself a cup and savoured its mellow flavour. It tasted sublime.

  Though she had received Gu Yan’s guarantee, worry still wormed its way into her heart. Unless Fu Tingyu’s ailment was cured, she would never feel at ease.