Xu Zhihan slept in the infirmary until the afternoon.
When he woke, there was a cup of warm water on the bedside table, along with a piece of candy.
The wrapper indicated it was mint-flavored.
He knew who had left it without asking.
Xu Zhihan stared at the candy for a while without touching it.
A quiet argument drifted in from outside the door.
"No. He needs to rest right now."
That was Song Zhixia.
Another young voice spoke very softly, tense with nerves. "Just one thing. I promise I won't disturb him."
Song Zhixia said coldly, "Your promise means nothing. I don't believe you."
"Please, miss. I'm begging you."
Song Zhixia fell silent.
Listening to them gave Xu Zhihan a headache.
He spoke. "Come in."
Outside, everything went quiet for a moment.
Song Zhixia pushed the door open, looking displeased. "You're awake?"
Xu Zhihan murmured an acknowledgment.
Song Zhixia stepped aside.
A boy in a school uniform stood in the doorway.
It was the high school student they had rescued from the night bus. His face was still pale, his eyes a little swollen. He held a clear bag containing a rather poorly folded paper flower.
The boy grew visibly nervous at the sight of Xu Zhihan.
"M-Mr. Xu."
Xu Zhihan looked at him. "What is it?"
The boy shrank back at his cold tone.
Song Zhixia frowned at Xu Zhihan.
Xu Zhihan ignored her.
The boy took a deep breath, stepped forward twice, and held out the paper flower.
"I wanted to thank you."
Xu Zhihan looked at the paper flower without taking it.
It was clumsily folded, its edges uneven. Whoever had folded it clearly had shaky hands and little experience.
The boy flushed deeper and said quietly, "I didn't know what you liked. My little sister said you should give flowers to someone who saved your life. But there wasn't a flower shop near the hospital, so she taught me to fold this."
Xu Zhihan was silent for a moment.
"Your little sister?"
"Yes." The boy nodded, his voice a little hoarse. "I almost didn't make it home last night. My mom cried all night, and my sister was terrified too. She insisted I come thank you in person."
Xu Zhihan lowered his eyes.
He wasn't good at handling situations like this.
In his previous life, people had knelt to thank him, begged him, and regarded him with awe. He had only found them noisy.
But this boy was different.
He hadn't knelt or asked for anything.
He simply held a very ugly paper flower, his hands trembling with nerves.
Xu Zhihan found it troublesome.
But he didn't tell him to leave.
Song Zhixia stood to one side, seemingly worried he might say something unpleasant again, ready to usher the boy out.
Lu Wenchuan had arrived at some point too. He leaned against the doorframe without coming in.
Xu Zhihan looked at the paper flower for a long time before finally reaching out to accept it.
The boy's eyes lit up at once.
"Thank you for saving me."
Xu Zhihan frowned. "You already said that."
The boy froze for a moment.
Lu Wenchuan gave a quiet chuckle from the doorway.
Song Zhixia glanced at Lu Wenchuan, and he immediately fell silent.
The boy looked a little embarrassed too, but still said earnestly, "I wanted to say it again. I could actually hear you talking on that bus. I know you're not in good health, and I know you got hurt saving us."
Xu Zhihan set the paper flower on the bedside table and said flatly, "Just happened to be there."
The boy shook his head. "That wasn't all."
Xu Zhihan looked up.
His gaze frightened the boy a little, but he kept going. "When I woke up, I saw you standing on the bus. Those things were all afraid of you, but you still sent them off, one by one."
The infirmary fell quiet.
Xu Zhihan said nothing.
The boy lowered his head, his voice growing softer. "I'll make sure to live well from now on."
It was an ordinary statement.
So ordinary it sounded a little clumsy.
But after hearing it, Xu Zhihan's fingers stirred faintly.
So this was what people said after being saved.
Live well.
In his previous life, he had judged departed souls, deciding where they belonged and what punishment they deserved. He had never cared whether they had thought about their futures while alive.
Now, he suddenly found those words a little more pleasing than kneeling homage.
"Mm."
That was all Xu Zhihan said.
Yet the boy seemed to take it as an enormous response, and his eyes reddened again.
Song Zhixia quickly ushered him away. "All right, he needs to rest. You should go back for your checkup too."
Before leaving, the boy glanced back at the paper flower.
Xu Zhihan sat on the bed, looking down at it.
The paper flower rested quietly beside the candy.
One was very ugly.
The other was very sweet.
Neither belonged in the world he had come from.
Lu Wenchuan walked in, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Pretty popular, aren't you?"
Xu Zhihan looked at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking whether you scared the kid into tears."
"He didn't cry."
"Almost."
Xu Zhihan didn't reply.
Lu Wenchuan approached the bed, his gaze falling on the paper flower. "You accepted it?"
Xu Zhihan said coldly, "He kept holding it out. It was an eyesore."
Lu Wenchuan nodded. "Got it. You only took it because it was an eyesore."
Xu Zhihan glanced at him.
Lu Wenchuan immediately smiled. "I believe you."
He said that, but his eyes made it clear he thought otherwise.
Xu Zhihan found him annoying.
He picked up the mint candy and tossed it to Lu Wenchuan.
Lu Wenchuan caught it. "You're not eating it?"
"Too sweet."
"Even mint?"
"Yes."
Lu Wenchuan looked at him, then suddenly put the candy back on the bedside table.
"Keep it. In case your blood sugar drops."
Xu Zhihan frowned. "You're persistent."
"The doctor said patients should carry candy."
"Are you a doctor?"
"No."
"Then why are you listening to one?"
Lu Wenchuan answered matter-of-factly, "So I get scolded less."
Xu Zhihan fell silent for a moment.
That was certainly a practical reason.
Lu Wenchuan sat in the chair beside him and handed him a file.
"The test results for the bus mark are back."
Xu Zhihan took it and opened it.
The first page contained a familiar analysis of drug components.
He skimmed a few lines, and his gaze turned cold.
Lu Wenchuan watched his reaction. "You already knew?"
Xu Zhihan didn't look up. "I heard you."
Lu Wenchuan sighed.
"You've got pretty good ears."
"You weren't quiet enough."
"All right. We'll pass notes next time."
Xu Zhihan turned to the second page, and his fingertips stopped.
The report stated that the residual drug traces in the mark contained components similar to a batch of special drugs the Xu Family had purchased regularly over a long period. The supplier was a small pharmaceutical company that had since been deregistered.
The company's legal representative was Zhou Man's distant male cousin.
Xu Zhihan stared at the name, his gaze icy.
Lu Wenchuan dropped the joking manner. "This lead could take us to your stepmother."
Xu Zhihan closed the file.
"Finally, it's her turn."
Lu Wenchuan looked at him. "What do you want to do?"
Xu Zhihan didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the paper flower beside the bed.
After a few seconds, he said, "First, make sure she can't sleep."
Lu Wenchuan raised an eyebrow.
Xu Zhihan's tone was calm.
"It's time the dead came knocking to collect their debts."