Perhaps it was because she hadn't watched a movie in a long time, or perhaps it was because Lu Qingxu's demeanor was quite pleasant.
In any case, Melody went to watch a movie with him.
After the movie, unable to resist his gentle persistence, the two of them had dinner together.
They returned and spent some intimate time, and the next day, Melody successfully overslept.
When her phone rang, Melody's first thought was that something had happened.
This was because only Zhan Beijue had this number.
He wouldn't call her for no reason.
Being held by Lu Qingxu, she jolted awake when she heard the ringtone.
Seeing Zhan Beijue's name, she quickly grabbed her phone and went to the bay window without even putting on her bathrobe.
"What's wrong?"
She immediately switched to English when she was anxious.
Zhan Beijue's tone was cold and stern. "Where are you? Why aren't you at the hospital now?"
"I'm sorry, I'm still at the hotel. I slept in a bit late yesterday."
"The doctor said the test results weren't very good. They need to have a meeting now to formulate a treatment plan. Come over quickly."
"Understood, I'll be right there."
Lu Qingxu was naturally woken up too.
Seeing Melody looking flustered as she answered the phone, and then returning with a serious expression to find clothes to wear, he quickly sat up.
"What's wrong?"
Melody was a lawyer by training and always held herself to high standards.
Even though taking care of her mother wasn't solely her responsibility, she had promised Zhan Beijue and intended to do it well, not allowing herself any mistakes.
Being late today, even without Zhan Beijue's reprimand, she would feel bad herself.
So, Lu Qingxu's question at this moment was akin to walking into her line of fire.
"I have serious matters to attend to. I can't mess around every night and sleep all day. These past two days were an exception, and they're in the past. We won't talk about them anymore. But from now on, you should leave."
"If I don't contact you, don't text me. Our arrangement must be kept absolutely confidential."
"You've already signed the contract, right? I won't say anything more. Alright, hurry up and get up."
One moment they were sleeping in each other's arms, dreaming sweet dreams, and the next she was treating him with such an attitude.
Not only was she asking him to leave, but she also forbade him from contacting her proactively...
Lu Qingxu felt like he was just… being paid to do a job and then dismissed. Was he that unattractive in her eyes?
He got out of bed, wanting to say something, but Melody sensed his attitude and looked up, her gaze icy.
"I told you, I have serious matters to attend to. I'm already late and don't have time for your nonsense. Stop talking."
"Please pack up and leave quickly, okay?"
By the time Jiang Nan Fang followed Zhan Beijue's movements to the hospital entrance, Zhan Beijue had already entered the ward.
The red dot on her phone stopped moving.
Although she didn't know his exact whereabouts, it was clear that Zhan Beijue had lied to her.
He hadn't come to Beicheng for financing at all, but why was he at the hospital?
If a friend or important client of his were sick and hospitalized, requiring care, or even financial assistance, Jiang Nan Fang wouldn't have said a word. Why was he hiding it from her?
Standing at the hospital entrance, Jiang Nan Fang hesitated.
She wasn't sure whether she should go in to find Zhan Beijue's location and expose his lie face-to-face.
At this stage of their relationship, she believed they were close enough, and nothing could stand in their way, but now…
The situation had arisen so unexpectedly, she didn't know the truth. She wasn't prepared to face it.
If it were just a casual friend, and Zhan Beijue chose to conceal it because he didn't want her to worry, wouldn't exposing him on the spot be embarrassing for him?
But if it wasn't just a casual friend… she couldn't imagine that behind Zhan Beijue's daily sweet talk there was such a hypocritical and fickle side. How could she face it?
She suddenly regretted coming to Beicheng.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been so smart, so sensitive.
As long as Zhan Beijue was willing to create a facade of affection for her, having a child, wealth, status, and influence – that was enough.
Was it really beneficial for her to investigate everything so thoroughly?
However, it was too late for regrets now.
Since she had followed him this far, there was no reason to give up halfway.
She wasn't someone who gave up easily, so after a moment of hesitation, she finally decided to go in and see.
At worst, she wouldn't expose him on the spot.
She owed herself an explanation.
Following the red dot, Jiang Nan Fang navigated the winding corridors of the hospital.
Several times her path was wrong, taking her further and further away from the red dot and wasting her time.
It wasn't until she entered Building Two of the inpatient department that her route finally seemed correct.
However, she didn't know which floor to go to.
The lobby was bustling with people, and a guide nurse in uniform sat behind the counter.
Just as she was about to approach and speak to her, her shoulder was bumped hard.
Her phone nearly fell from her hand. Jiang Nan Fang steadied herself and instinctively turned to look at the person who bumped her.
It was a tall, slim, and very beautiful young woman.
Melody, wearing sunglasses, was walking briskly towards the elevator and accidentally bumped into someone next to her.
She almost knocked the woman's phone out of her hand. The woman turned to look, and she was very apologetic.
Quickly pulling her sunglasses down from her nose, she said "I'm sorry" in English, "Are you alright?"
Seeing each other's faces, both women froze for a moment.
Although Jiang Nan Fang wasn't tall, her features were sharp and three-dimensional, and her attire was rather business-like, often giving her the impression of a modern-day Mulan in the workplace.
Melody was tall with long legs and flowing hair. While her demeanor was rather cool, overall, she was the type of woman who exuded more femininity.
Both were stunningly beautiful, especially in a hospital filled with numbness and pain, they truly caught each other's eyes.
People are always more forgiving towards beautiful things.
Even between people of the same gender.
Moreover, her English was so fluent and her demeanor so refined, she didn't seem like an ill-mannered person.
"It's okay," Jiang Nan Fang smiled gently at her.
Melody returned her smile, patted her shoulder, glanced at the elevator, and lightly jogged away.
Only when the elevator doors slowly closed and her striking figure completely disappeared from sight did Jiang Nan Fang look away.
She didn't want to go upstairs anymore.
For some reason, an answer seemed to have appeared in her heart in an instant.
Following the nurse's instructions, Melody entered the conference room where the experts and Zhan Beijue had already begun their discussion.
Looking at the information provided by the doctor, she learned that her mother had a very serious illness – late-stage breast cancer, with cancer cells having already spread to half her body.
No wonder she had been feeling so sluggish and feverish lately.
Upon hearing this news, both of them, as his children, felt ashamed and guilty.