Lu Ziyang called a taxi and trailed behind the car ahead for half an hour before they finally pulled over together.
Yaxi had arrived at the hospital—or, more accurately, at Huazhou Psychiatric Hospital, one of City B's most renowned private institutions.
Lu Ziyang couldn't believe it: Yaxi… could she really be suffering from a mental illness? The thought alone left him reeling.
His heart sank as he hurried toward the frail figure standing motionless in the biting wind. She was gazing up at the illuminated sign above the hospital entrance, her expression desolate and distant.
"Yaxi!" he shouted, sprinting toward her.
"Lu Ziyang?" Yaxi glanced past him, noticing the taxi making a U-turn. Her sharp eyes narrowed instantly. "What do you want? I won't back out of our agreement. You don't need to keep tabs on me."
It's just like you to follow me, she thought bitterly. You've never been particularly cunning. If you exhaust what little tact you have, you'll end up blowing your cover in front of Xu Xiaoyi.
Lu Ziyang was dressed lightly against the cold, his nose red and raw, his eyes brimming with tears. His voice trembled as he spoke. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know… I didn't realize your condition had gotten this bad. If only I'd known earlier, I would've treated you better."
…
Yaxi shot a sideways glance at the hospital sign: Huazhou Psychiatric Hospital.
It wasn't surprising that Lu Ziyang, clueless about medical nuances, would jump to conclusions.
She turned her gaze back to his face, which was now on the verge of tears.
"You're the one who's sick," Yaxi snapped, delivering a sharp kick to his shin. "Don't jinx me. I'm here to see a psychologist."
"What?" Lu Ziyang blinked, still processing her words.
Ignoring him, Yaxi strode through the hospital doors without another word.
Lu Ziyang got caught up in the revolving door, shouting her name as he stumbled after her. "Yaxi!" His voice echoed through the lobby.
A man in a tailored suit stepped into the private elevator, visibly irritated by the commotion. He frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line.
Zhou Tao's hospital was as chaotic as ever—teeming with uncouth individuals. Rumors swirled that the inpatient ward was a cacophony of screams each night, with countless suicide attempts: people swallowing metal objects, leaping from buildings. The weak were brittle, their minds unraveling until they reached the point of no return. True strength, Zhou Ye believed, left no room for mental afflictions. He held them in contempt.
Behind Zhou Ye entered Li Chongming, the son of the Zhou family's chauffeur. Having grown up alongside Zhou Ye, Li could read his moods with precision. Back in the lobby, he had already recognized the boy chasing after the girl.
"Brother Ye, that's the Lu family's only son. He attended the old master's birthday celebration last year."
"Hmm." Zhou Ye dismissed the information with indifference. "Looks like an idiot."
Fools and cowards didn't merit even a second glance from him.
The elevator doors paused for two seconds before beginning to close.
"Wait!" a girl's voice called out.
Li Chongming quickly pressed the door-close button.
Zhou Ye detested sharing elevators with strangers. The last time someone—a woman—had slipped into the elevator after him, he'd "accidentally" broken her wrist. He sent her packing with a generous 100,000 for medical expenses. But the girl outside appeared to be a high school student, clearly mistaking this for a public elevator. She seemed innocent enough.
Unfortunately, Li Chongming's intervention came too late. Before the doors fully shut, the girl darted inside with alarming agility, leaving Lu Ziyang's frantic shouts cut off behind her.
"Yaxi—Wu—"
Li Chongming sighed inwardly. So this was the girl Lu Ziyang had been chasing. Given her connection to the Lu family, Zhou Ye wouldn't bother causing trouble. Relieved, he stole a quick glance to see what kind of girl had captured the young heir's interest.
Hmm…
Hard to say. Not strikingly beautiful, nor particularly unattractive. Just… unsettling. She was rail-thin, her slender frame evident even beneath her winter coat.
Yaxi had barely been in the elevator for three seconds when her pulse quickened.
The man she nearly collided with radiated an icy aura, as if he belonged to an entirely different world.
He was tall, unmistakably European, and "handsome" felt inadequate to describe him. His features were chiseled, his deep-set eyes a piercing azure tinged with melancholy.
His nose was straight and noble, neither hawkish nor severe, lending him an air of solemnity rather than harshness.
Faint freckles dotted his pale skin, casting a warm undertone.
Yaxi found him undeniably… sexy.
Yes, sexy.