The lights were on inside the Medical Vehicle.
Lu Wenchuan sat by the window. The gauze on his shoulder had just been changed, and his wrist rested on a metal tray. Blood seeped from the edge of the Line-Sealing Patch, and Song Zhixia pressed it away with medicated cotton. His face was paler than usual, and a trace of a smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.
The sight annoyed Song Zhixia.
"Smile again, and I'll give you an anesthetic."
Lu Wenchuan looked up. "I wasn't smiling."
"The corners of your mouth were moving."
"From the pain."
Song Zhixia sneered. "How polite of you to smile when you're in pain."
Xu Zhihan sat opposite him, his Silver Nameplate resting just below his collar. The mark left by the fourth Fragment was hidden behind it. After leaving the Return-to-God Layer, the snowy pallor on his face had not entirely faded. With his lashes lowered, he looked even colder.
He watched Lu Wenchuan's wrist.
Noticing his gaze, Lu Wenchuan moved his hand farther into the tray.
"It's fine."
Xu Zhihan looked up. "When you say that now, you're about as believable as Xu Chengyuan."
Lu Wenchuan paused, then gave a quiet laugh.
Song Zhixia pressed a little harder with the medicated cotton.
Lu Wenchuan's brows twitched, and he finally stopped smiling.
"Doctor Song."
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes."
"Remember it."
Xu Zhihan watched the split in his wrist and said very quietly, "Of course he won't remember."
The Medical Vehicle fell silent for a moment.
Lu Wenchuan looked at him.
Xu Zhihan did not look away.
Song Zhixia finished administering the medication, then turned to inspect the fourth Fragment's containment case. It sat at the farthest end of the vehicle, wrapped in three layers of Sealing Patterns, yet faint tapping still