"Slap—"
The crisp sound of a slap was deafening in the quiet hospital room.
Ge Baitao covered her mouth, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Song Xi.
Damn, that was amazing…
Zhang Qi's eyes went starry from the blow, and he slumped to one side.
That slap wasn't a kitten's scratch; it was fierce enough. Zhang Qi's handsome features stiffened, and shock appeared in his eyes.
"You dare, hit me?"
Song Xi's lowered fingers trembled slightly where they couldn't be seen. She said with a cold face, "Shouldn't I have hit you?"
Zhang Qi's eyes turned red, and he raised his arm high. In an instant, the frozen atmosphere was suddenly broken by the sound of porcelain hitting a wall.
With a mere "ding," Song Xi's nerves snapped taut. She belatedly realized that there were other people in the room!
Zhang Qi's slap never landed. He seemed to be frozen in place.
Steady footsteps came from behind, and a man's voice, solemn and magnetic, spoke.
"You should." He walked behind Zhang Qi and kicked his knee, "Well done."
Zhang Qi bumped into the edge of the bed, in pain and humiliated.
Lou Yuming's eyes curved into a smile, his expression distant and indifferent. He greeted them casually, "Lou Yuming. We met last time at the old house."
Song Xi's anxious eyes didn't know where to look. While she marveled at his incredible acting, she stammered in response to his words, "Little… Little Uncle, hello."
Zhang Qi's face turned ashen. He had exposed them in front of everyone.
"Stop pretending. Didn't you get her out of the police station?"
Lou Yuming's gaze was chilling. He looked down at Zhang Qi from above, "Who are you talking to?"
Zhang Qi felt as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat, his imposing aura completely suppressed.
"Ah, so it was you who sent Assistant Yao then!" Song Xi quickly interjected, deliberately using the word "you" to create distance between them.
Lou Yuming hadn't expected her mind to work so quickly.
So it was Yao Yifan.
Zhang Qi clicked his tongue, feeling a little better.
The atmosphere became stagnant for a moment.
Ge Baitao looked at Zhang Qi and rolled her eyes, "A dog can't change its nature! You acted like a hooligan when you were asked to apologize, you deserve it!"
Zhang Qi retorted, "I was apologizing!"
"Pah!"
"There's no need," Song Xi said, realizing that this would only drag on.
Lou Yuming glanced indifferently at her bandaged arm and kicked Zhang Qi again, "Hurry up."
"She herself said there's no need!"
Meeting the man's sharp black eyes, Zhang Qi gritted his teeth unwillingly, "Fine, fine, fine. Sorry, okay."
His apology could only go this far.
Song Xi was angry and helpless. Looking at his nonchalant demeanor, devoid of any remorse, she felt as if her injuries were a joke.
She closed her eyes, her lips turning slightly pale.
"Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom."
Without waiting for Ge Baitao to remind her that there was a toilet in the room, she bolted out the door.
Lou Yuming stood still, watching her fleeting figure, his black eyes deep and calm.
About five minutes later, Lou Yuming walked out with a blank expression.
Zhang Qi's alarm bells went off, and he shouted, "Where are you going!"
"Little Uncle," he reluctantly added the title.
Lou Yuming's voice was low and cold, his back aloof and indifferent, "Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"
Zhang Qi wanted to follow, but Ge Baitao grabbed him.
"What are you doing! Uncle Lou is busy, unlike you who has nothing to do."
"Let go!"
"No!" Ge Baitao clung to his hand tightly, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. With me here, you're not getting close to Song Xi to cause trouble!"
Zhang Qi's face was ashen. He stared fixedly at the doorway, his lips pressed into a straight line.
…
Meanwhile, Song Xi felt like she was lost.
Yunji was already vast, and she was new here. She walked forward without a second thought, and when she came to her senses, she couldn't tell where she was.
The surroundings were all white. The potted plants lining the corridor looked identical, with no distinctive features.
Song Xi sighed and was about to look for a nurse when someone suddenly called her name from behind.
"Song Xi?"
Song Xi's back stiffened, and she turned around.
As expected, Yi Xiaoling's annoying face was right behind her. What a coincidence, to run into her here!
Yi Xiaoling initially thought she had made a mistake. After all, Song Xi's rustic image was deeply ingrained. When did she learn to dress up so well?
What was even more infuriating was that she didn't look bad when she dressed up! Even with the cast on her arm, she looked a bit comical.
Yi Xiaoling sneered, "I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve. You know men like innocent yet seductive types, so you dressed up so provocatively. What, trying to win Zhang Qi back with such tactics? Dream on!"
Song Xi lowered her eyelids slightly, her expression cold, "Not everyone likes trash."
"What do you mean? You're indirectly insulting me!"
Yi Xiaoling's mouth twitched with anger. Then, she thought better of it and chuckled triumphantly, "You're still putting on an act in front of me like this? You're clearly scared. Afraid that without the status of Zhang Qi's girlfriend, you'd be nothing at school. The graduation play is a prime example. Without Zhang Qi, you, Song Xi! are a joke!"
Her angry, glaring expression, coupled with her bright red lips, made her look like a bloody female ghost.
Song Xi, far from feeling scared, found it somewhat amusing, "You think you've won?"
She raised her stiff arm, "You're next."
Yi Xiaoling remembered Zhang Qi's furious outburst and felt a flicker of fear. She grabbed Song Xi, "You're threatening me!"
"Not a threat, a warning."
"Do I need your warning!"
She was ungrateful and, in a fit of rage, pushed Song Xi away, "Stop acting like you're doing me a favor! We are not the same!"
"Remember this, I earned Zhang Qi through my own efforts. It has nothing to do with you, Song Xi! In the future, I will be Mrs. Zhang, not you!"
She pushed her, again and again, on her injured arm. Song Xi staggered backward repeatedly. Her eyes turned cold, and just as she was about to retaliate, her wrist was suddenly grasped with a gentle force.
"You're injured, so you should use your hands less."
Song Xi swayed, her back accidentally leaning against the man's chest. His low voice fell into her ear.
"As per doctor's orders."