"Isn't that right?" Xin Yu raised an eyebrow at Qiu Zhi.
He still didn't speak, but his peach blossom eyes flickered.
Xin Yu's lips twitched. This guy was really acting strange today!
"Ah Zhi!" Grandma Qiu shouted sharply, glaring at him fiercely.
So that's it, he was being abused…
Xin Yu quickly grabbed her, half-whining, "Grandma, please don't be mean to him. I'll definitely punish him properly."
"Good girl, don't go easy on him."
"…" Good heavens, is this really Qiu Zhi's real grandma?!
But then again, it's true, he suddenly left during the banquet. If Mu Yichuan hadn't saved her, she would have been dead.
Thinking this, Xin Yu walked up to Qiu Zhi, pouting, "Dr. Qiu, shall we go?"
He looked up at her, his usual imposing manner gone, but he looked extremely awkward.
After they left, Xin Yu finally asked, "Hey, Qiu Zhi, did Grandma and Old Master Mu talk about you for a long time?"
"None of your business," he said stubbornly.
"I'm sorry," Xin Yu said, feeling guilty. She should have had Mu Yichuan bring her back earlier.
Qiu Zhi paused, a flicker of emotion crossing his peach blossom eyes. He was the one who lost her, so why was she apologizing?
Then, a strange flutter in his heart.
"You're planning to have me examine your head?"
After changing the subject, the atmosphere between them became noticeably more relaxed. Xin Yu nodded quickly; she needed to confirm this.
"You're a doctor, you're not allowed to tell Mu Yichuan about my condition!" She tilted her head back, pursed her lips, and waited for Qiu Zhi's response.
For the first time ever, he readily agreed with a "Mm."
After they arrived at Qiu Zhi's office at the hospital, Xin Yu sat down and spoke softly.
"This office is very soundproof." Qiu Zhi's brow twitched slightly. Why this guilty look?
Xin Yu smiled awkwardly. She wasn't wary of outsiders; she was wary of the ever-present Mu Yichuan!
Forget it, she'd better stay silent.
She pulled out a piece of paper and listed her questions—she couldn't remember Liu Shuihan, couldn't remember how she met Mu Yichuan, and had forgotten what the murderer and the ring looked like.
"So your purpose is to remember him?" Qiu Zhi shook the paper in his hand, tapping on the name Liu Shuihan.
Xin Yu quickly waved her hands, "No, no! How could that be!"
She had no feelings for him.
She just wanted to understand the root of her problem.
"It better not be, otherwise Ninth Brother won't let you off!"
"Tch." They really were in cahoots, all trying to scare her.
"Don't believe me?"
Xin Yu could only deny it again. "I didn't. My feelings for Mu Yichuan are genuine too. Hurry up and show me."
Qiu Zhi's hand trembled inexplicably.
Was it because of what she had just said so openly?
"What's wrong? Why did your hand tremble?" Xin Yu was startled by his reaction. "Am I seriously ill?"
"You're sick." Qiu Zhi glared at her, then composed himself.
He told himself he shouldn't have any unnecessary emotions!
This was just the guilt he felt for almost causing her death, nothing more.
He spoke calmly, but the listener was shocked. Xin Yu's face fell. "Are you sure? You can tell I'm sick without even checking?"
"..." He was speechless.
"Say something!" Xin Yu was anxious. Nobody wants to get sick in the prime of their youth, especially their most crucial brain! "Regarding the last two things, I diagnosed you that time; you have partial memory loss due to scene-related stimuli."
Oh, Xin Yu seemed to understand. "Is that so? No wonder my head hurts whenever I think of gunshots."
"Your head hurts?" Qiu Zhi frowned, stood up, and held Xin Yu's head, pressing it from side to side. "Does it hurt like this?"
She shook her head. "It only hurts when I hear gunshots in my head."
Qiu Zhi's heart ached. He didn't say anything and released Xin Yu.
"What about the first two things?"
"I don't think there's anything wrong. I can't remember anything before middle school."
"First love, nothing either?" Xin Yu always felt that Liu Shuihan was too deeply in love, and she wasn't a promiscuous person, which could only mean that the two of them really had feelings for each other.
Besides, Cheng Yuan had also confirmed it.
But she had absolutely no recollection of it.
Bang!
Qiu Zhi slammed his hand on the table.
He glared at Xin Yu, enunciating each word clearly, "I'm the doctor!"
She'd actually taken the initiative!
Xin Yu was startled, but her mind was clear. She knew what he was up to. "Is it really that serious! Everyone has a first love."
"Be careful, Ninth Brother might hear this..."
"Tch!" Xin Yu retorted stubbornly, "Didn't Mu Yichuan have a first love? Was he always so aloof and ascetic? Was he devoted to the Mu family?"
No way!
But Qiu Zhi simply lowered his peach blossom eyes, offering no rebuttal.
And it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Xin Yu's heart skipped a beat. She'd forgotten about Qiu Feng—Mu Yichuan's first love, Qiu Zhi's sister!
"I'm sorry," she apologized obediently, her head bowed, sighing softly, "I just wanted to express the place a first love holds in a person's heart. No matter how you feel now, it's rarely forgotten, at least not completely."
This was a question that had always bothered her.
She had forgotten too completely! This defies common sense.
Qiu Zhi raised his peach blossom eyes and glanced at Xin Yu. She was truly too clever!
He really wondered how she would react if she found out they had drugged him!
"Have you forgotten how you met Ninth Brother?" He had no choice but to change the subject.
Xin Yu was momentarily stunned, thinking Qiu Feng's topic was too sad, so she changed the subject and nodded.
"You met at the Chuan Yi Club? Who did you meet in between? What did you eat? What did you drink?" Qiu Zhi asked a barrage of questions.
Xin Yu suddenly realized. She had also considered that she had probably been drugged, but who exactly?
"You remembered?"
Qiu Zhi asked again, making Xin Yu blush. Although he was a doctor, they were still acquaintances, and discussing her being drugged and having sex with someone made her feel incredibly awkward. "I'm hungry." She awkwardly turned her head. "You'll treat me to dinner."
Qiu Zhi raised an eyebrow in surprise, immediately understanding she was shy, so he didn't press the issue.
"What do you want to eat?" He stood up. "Mousse cake?"
"No way!" Xin Yu looked disgusted. Could she say she'd eaten too much the past few days? "Matcha red bean, how about it?"
"Okay."
Seeing Qiu Zhi unusually agreeable, Xin Yu held up her finger. "I want five pieces!"
Cheng Yuan's favorite flavor!
It could also bribe Grandma Qiu and Old Man Mu.
"Okay."
Xin Yu happily followed him out of the hospital, only to see him suddenly turn stern and say fiercely, "You've helped this time, but you're not allowed to come to my hospital again!"
She flinched, her dark eyes widening slightly. She pouted, not saying a word, but inwardly cursing, "You stingy little devil!"
Qiu Zhi drove Xin Yu to a shop in the city center. It wasn't very crowded in the afternoon.
Her eyes lit up as she anxiously browsed the various cakes. She regretted eating so much at lunch!
"Ah!"
Xin Yu, who was picking out cakes, was startled by the sharp shout and turned her head.
...!
What a small world.
Gao Min was staring at her as if she were a ghost!
"You, you, you!" Gao Min stammered, her mouth opening and closing, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Xin Yu frowned, her large, dark eyes darting around. She was suspicious; Gao Min's reaction...
Strange.
Could she know about what happened on the cruise ship a couple of days ago?
Otherwise, given Gao Min's personality, why would she be afraid of her? She always started the argument!
"You, what's wrong?" Xin Yu deliberately spoke softly at first, then loudly later, and even moved closer to Gao Min.
The latter was startled and reached out to push her away, but Qiu Zhi stopped her! "You've taken forever to buy me a cake? How useless are you?!" another sharp voice rang out.
The person who entered was none other than Nan Ya.
Xin Yu looked at her, their eyes met, and Nan Ya was also startled, but quickly recovered.
"Hello, Dr. Qiu!" Nan Ya regained her gentle demeanor, politely greeting Qiu Zhi, then looked at Xin Yu and asked, "You must be Xin Yu? I'm Nan Ya."
Xin Yu nodded slightly, lowering her eyes and furrowing her brows. She remembered Nan Ya; she had seen her a few times at school.
But more importantly, she had seen her on the cruise ship that day!
At the time, she thought she looked familiar, but before she could think about it further, Dr. Wei interrupted her. Now, it seemed like a coincidence.
And judging from what she had just said, she also knew Gao Min.
"Hello." Xin Yu looked up and smiled sweetly, while simultaneously sizing up Nan Ya. She was about 1.7 meters tall, slender, with an oval face. Her only flaw was her eyes, which were long and narrow, slightly upturned.
The overall impression was shrewd, capable, even ruthless.
"I've heard Brother Nan Yu and Uncle mention you before, but I didn't expect to meet you today."
Perhaps because she had just heard her scold Gao Min, hearing her speak so gently made Xin Yu uncomfortable, and she didn't really want to talk to her.
"Yes! I've never seen you at school." She reluctantly smiled and continued, "You're here to buy a cake too?"
Using the topic, Xin Yu's gaze returned to the shop window, "Qiu Zhi, what flavor do you want?"
"Anything." He walked to Xin Yu's side, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at her with shining eyes.
Nan Ya's brows furrowed, and she glared fiercely at Gao Min, who had already recovered; she had been genuinely frightened.
Didn't they say Xin Yu drowned?!
"Xin Yu, you've changed boyfriends again!" Gao Min secretly glanced at Qiu Zhi, feeling extremely jealous. She already had Mr. Jiu by her side, and she dared to openly go shopping with a man!
Why! Gao Min pulled out her phone, pretending to look at it, but actually recording.
Xin Yu didn't even look up, too lazy to pay her any attention. She'd been scared half to death just now, but she'd recovered her fighting spirit so quickly!
"Weren't you with Professor Mu..." Gao Min asked sarcastically. Back then, Mr. Jiu had taken care of the gang leader and his gang for Xin Yu's sake.
"Waiter, is this cake a new item?" Xin Yu picked up five pieces of matcha red bean cake and one piece of white chocolate, pointing to the one on the far side and asking, "It doesn't look sweet, it looks like it's made of salt!"
Knowing Xin Yu was mocking her again, Gao Min gritted her teeth in anger.
"It's ugly as hell, looks sickeningly sweet."