The hospital felt different that night.
Too quiet.
Not peaceful—just… off.
Xiaoyu stood outside her mother's room, her hand resting on the door handle, but she didn't push it open. The conversation from earlier kept replaying in her mind.
"She was never supposed to survive the surgery."
She didn't know why that thought had appeared.
It wasn't something anyone had told her.
But something felt wrong.
Ever since the surgery, everything had gone too smoothly.
Too perfectly.
And life had never been that kind to her.
Inside the room, her mother was asleep.
The machines beside her beeped steadily, marking time in quiet, mechanical rhythm.
Xiaoyu stepped in slowly, closing the door behind her.
She walked closer to the bed, her eyes scanning everything.
The IV line.
The monitor.
The medical chart at the foot of the bed.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
So why did it feel like something was hidden beneath the surface?
She reached for the chart.
Just a quick look.
Nothing more.
Her fingers flipped through the pages carefully.
Dates.
Medication.
Surgery notes.
Her eyes moved quickly—
Then stopped.
A line.
Small.
Almost insignificant.
But wrong.
Her brows furrowed.
The medication listed post-surgery…
Didn't match what the doctor had told her.
Her grip tightened slightly.
"Am I overthinking this…?"
Before she could look further—
The door opened.
Xiaoyu quickly closed the file and turned around.
A nurse stepped in.
"Miss Lin," she said politely, "visiting hours are almost over."
Xiaoyu forced a calm expression. "I'll leave soon."
The nurse nodded and walked to the machines, checking readings.
Xiaoyu watched her carefully.
"Can I ask something?" she said.
"Of course."
"The medication my mother is receiving… has it changed recently?"
The nurse paused for just a second.
Too fast for most people to notice.
But Xiaoyu noticed.
"No," the nurse replied. "Everything is according to the doctor's plan."
A simple answer.
Too simple.
Xiaoyu smiled faintly. "I see."
Outside the hospital—
A black car stopped quietly under the dim streetlight.
Lu Shen stepped out.
His expression was colder than usual.
The driver closed the door behind him.
"Sir," the driver said, lowering his voice, "we've started investigating the records."
"And?"
"There are inconsistencies. Some files were modified."
Lu Shen's eyes darkened.
"Who has access?"
"A limited number of staff… but also external authorization."
"From where?"
The driver hesitated.
"…From the company that handled the original case seven years ago."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Lu Shen's gaze turned sharp.
"That's not a coincidence."
"No, sir."
He looked up at the hospital building.
Lights flickered across several floors.
One of those rooms—
She was inside.
Unaware.
Back in the room, Xiaoyu adjusted the blanket over her mother.
Her mind refused to settle.
The nurse's reaction.
The medical chart.
The feeling that something wasn't right.
She exhaled slowly.
"Maybe I'm just tired…"
But deep down—
She knew that wasn't it.
The door opened again.
This time—
It was him.
Xiaoyu turned sharply. "You're here again?"
Lu Shen stepped inside, his presence filling the room instantly.
His eyes moved quickly—from her, to the machines, to the chart at the foot of the bed.
Calculating.
Always calculating.
"You shouldn't be here this late," she said.
"You shouldn't either."
"That's different."
"Is it?"
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lu Shen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked past her and picked up the medical file.
Her heart skipped.
"You don't need to check that," she said quickly.
"I disagree."
His tone was calm.
Too calm.
He flipped through the pages with precise movements.
His expression didn't change.
But the air did.
It grew heavier.
Colder.
More dangerous.
After a few seconds, he closed the file.
"Something's wrong," Xiaoyu said quietly.
He looked at her.
And for once—
He didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened. "What is it?"
Lu Shen stepped closer.
Not too close.
But close enough that she felt the shift in his presence.
"From now on," he said, his voice low, controlled, "you don't leave her alone."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because someone already tried to make sure she didn't wake up."
The words hit like ice.
Xiaoyu's breath caught.
"What are you saying…?"
Lu Shen's gaze didn't waver.
"This wasn't an accident."
Silence crashed over the room.
The machines continued their steady rhythm—
As if nothing had changed.
But everything had.