Bai Chi lay on the ground, his long white hair as dense as soft silk threads but tangled in disarray. His eyes were dazed when the girl, fierce as a demon, grabbed his collar, yanked him upright, and shook him violently.
"Tell me, when did you sneak into my room?" Xia Miao was furious, on the verge of losing her temper. "Did you do anything to me while I was asleep?"
Bai Chi swayed dizzily from the shaking, the tuft of hair on his head battered like a fragile little white sprout on the verge of snapping. For a grown boy to appear so pitifully weak and helpless was almost tragic.
Xia Miao raised her voice. "Out with it! Tell me the truth!"
Bai Chi answered blankly, "I just slept beside you. I didn’t do anything else."
Xia Miao frowned. "Why did you come to sleep next to me?"
"Holding your hand felt nice."
Xia Miao eyed him suspiciously. "Just holding hands?"
He nodded. "Just holding hands."
For some reason, Xia Miao felt oddly dissatisfied. "You saw a pretty, adorable girl sleeping right next to you, and all you wanted was to hold hands?"
Bai Chi looked confused. "Should I have done something else?"
Xia Miao released his collar, pursed her lips, and let out a quiet "hmph."
Bai Chi grew even more puzzled. His thirst for knowledge was strong, so he leaned closer, staring at her intently. "What else should I have done?"
The concept of "pinning a girl down" was foreign to him. Even the step of giving flowers had been taught to him by Xia Miao, so he instinctively assumed she was knowledgeable and could impart more wisdom.
Xia Miao couldn’t be bothered to entertain him. "I’m changing clothes. Get out."
Bai Chi didn’t want to leave, but Xia Miao’s stern expression and domineering aura sent an inexplicable chill down his spine. He shrank his neck slightly, obediently muttered an "okay," and gathered his floor-length white hair in both hands before leisurely pushing open the window.
Xia Miao’s expression shifted. "Wait—"
She was too late.
The boy climbed onto the windowsill and leaped out, vanishing from sight.
Her hospital room was on the fourth floor!
Xia Miao rushed to the window and looked down, expecting to see the gruesome sight of a broken-limbed boy. Instead, she spotted him landing on all fours like a giant white cat, crawling and leaping away until he disappeared without a trace.
Xia Miao: "...Youth really is something."
It was the usual sunbathing break, and a group of women had surrounded No. 05.
"Where’s No. 03? She’s gone!"
"Did something happen to her?"
"You two were always together—do you know anything?"
...
The barrage of questions wore No. 05’s patience thin. "We weren’t that close. After we went back to our rooms yesterday, I never saw her again. How would I know anything?"
Her tone was sharp, perhaps irritated by the girls’ noisy chatter.
But the way the others looked at her had clearly changed. No. 05, realizing she could no longer manipulate them as easily, grew increasingly frustrated—especially since she hadn’t gotten her hands on the key yet.
Then she spotted Xia Miao and immediately spoke up. "Now that I think about it, before we went back yesterday, we ran into No. 09. She said there were no guards at the administration office. No. 03 looked really excited—she must’ve believed No. 09 and went there. But she hasn’t come back, so No. 09 must’ve fed her false information!"
In other words, No. 09 was responsible for No. 03’s death.
Xia Miao was stretching on the grass when she suddenly sensed hostile glares. She looked up.
While the nurses were preoccupied with the male patients, the girls had gathered around her.
One of them demanded, "No. 09, you had a chance to steal the key. Why didn’t you act?"
Another chimed in, "Fine, you don’t care about the bigger picture, but why give No. 03 false information and get her killed?"
Xia Miao swept her gaze over them before settling on No. 05. "When did I give her false information?"
No. 05 retorted, "You told No. 03 there were no guards in the administration office. I heard it myself. Are you denying it now?"
"Were there guards?" Xia Miao shot back. "Did you go check for yourself?"
No. 05’s expression faltered. "The point is, No. 03 isn’t back. She must’ve believed you and went to the office."
Xia Miao blinked innocently. "Right, she said she was going with you. If she didn’t come back, wouldn’t you know best why?"
The others turned to No. 05. "You went with her?"
No. 05 denied it. "Of course not! I was in my room all night!"
Xia Miao smiled. "But I heard you two planning to go to the office together to find the key. Are you denying that too?"
No. 05 gritted her teeth. "You have no proof! Stop slandering me!"
She and No. 03 had deliberately discussed their plans in private—Xia Miao couldn’t have overheard. And indeed, she hadn’t. Xia Miao was just making it up.
Xia Miao grinned. "You have no proof either. So why accuse me of getting No. 03 killed?"
No. 05 was left speechless.
Xia Miao stood, brushing the grass off her clothes. Facing the group alone, her confidence didn’t waver.
"You and No. 03 were so close, always sticking together. You wouldn’t have abandoned her when things got dangerous and run off alone, would you?"
No. 05 snapped, "I’d never do something like that!"
Her response was too quick, too emotional—anyone perceptive could smell the lie.
Xia Miao’s grin widened. "Well, I’d never give false information to get someone killed."
No. 05’s face cycled through shades of pale and green. She realized Xia Miao, who she’d dismissed as a spoiled rich girl, wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Thinking she could manipulate Xia Miao had been a grave miscalculation.
A nurse’s whistle pierced the air, signaling assembly. Everyone hurried to line up.
The head nurse, a stern young woman, announced, "Today, we’re introducing the most skilled doctor in our hospital. No matter how severe or complex your condition, his treatment will cure you completely!"
Xia Miao’s gaze drifted to the side—and froze.
The white-haired boy stood there in a blue shirt, black trousers, and a white coat that accentuated his tall, lean frame. His delicate beauty and icy demeanor were breathtaking.
Then he met Xia Miao’s eyes, and the tuft of hair on his head slowly perked up, swaying slightly.
Xia Miao: "..."
So now they were playing doctor and patient?
How...
Exciting!
