Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Seeing that Wen Miao seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, the female doctor’s tone softened. “Don’t worry too much. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you. Once you’ve finished the course and the itching is gone, that means you’re cured. If the sensation persists, come back for a follow-up.”

Wen Miao felt numb. “So, I should judge based on whether I feel that sensation or not?”

But she didn’t feel anything like that right now, so she should… probably… be fine?

“Correct. Once you’re better, pay more attention to personal hygiene, okay? Especially during your period-the change in pH levels makes it very easy for Trichomonas to flourish, so you must keep clean.”

Wen Miao quickly agreed. When the doctor told her she could get up, she suddenly remembered Nan Mu was still outside.

She hurriedly straightened her clothes while straining to listen. It was quiet outside; there wasn’t a sound.

According to the plan, Nan Mu should be waiting behind the partition curtain for her to walk out first.

The doctor was still taking off her gloves and disinfecting her hands. Wen Miao stepped out into the main area a step ahead of her.

As soon as she left the cubicle, she saw Nan Mu pressed against the side of the window curtains.

Her eyes widened. He was way too conspicuous; anyone would be able to see him.

Nan Mu made a shushing gesture at her. Wen Miao quickly moved to the opposite side to draw the doctor’s attention toward her.

“Doctor, I have a question I’d like to ask…” The moment the doctor stepped out, Wen Miao leaned in close, showing the woman something on her phone.

While the doctor’s attention was focused on Wen Miao, Nan Mu crouched down, gently lifted a corner of the curtain, and rolled inside.

Wen Miao suddenly let out a sharp scream, startling the doctor.

Using Wen Miao’s voice as cover, the slight rustle of fabric and clothing was completely masked.

“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry! I thought I saw a bug,” Wen Miao apologized profusely.

The doctor glanced back, seeing nothing but the gently swaying partition curtain. She didn’t give it much thought, and since Wen Miao kept peppering her with questions, she quickly moved on to answering them.

Nan Mu crawled under the examination bed. It was a standard medical model made of metal that could be folded and moved, with support bars underneath that he could grab onto.

Wen Miao’s legs were weak with nerves. Only after seeing Nan Mu successfully hide did she let out a secret sigh of relief.

Once the doctor finished writing the prescription, Wen Miao took the slip and left the room. However, she didn’t dare go far, pacing back and forth anxiously with the paper in her hand. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how she would explain things if Nan Mu were discovered.

Lying under the bed, Nan Mu heard the sound of the doctor typing on a keyboard. About five minutes later, he heard the chair slide back as the doctor stood up and began walking around the room. Then, the footsteps started heading toward the cubicle.

There were no barriers around the base of the bed. Given its height, anyone standing outside would have a clear view of everything underneath.

His heart tightened. He reached up and gripped the iron bars beneath the bed, took a deep breath, and performed a pull-up to lift his entire body off the floor, pressing himself tightly against the underside of the bed frame, parallel to the surface.

There was nowhere to hook his feet; he had to rely entirely on his core strength to maintain his balance. He had practiced this position before, but using only his arms to support his full weight, he could only hold it for five minutes at most.

As the seconds ticked by, he could feel the dull ache in his arm muscles and the strength draining from his body, yet the doctor outside was still tidying up bottles and jars, seemingly with no intention of leaving.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, disappearing into his hairline. Just as he was about to lose his footing, Wen Miao’s voice suddenly rang out from outside. “Doctor… are you off duty? I wanted to ask how I’m supposed to use this medicine.”

The female doctor paused in the middle of packing her things and quickly walked out, asking as she went, “Didn’t the pharmacy explain how to use it?”

The door closed, and the sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Almost at the same moment, Nan Mu collapsed to the floor, his body devoid of strength.

After resting for a minute, he pulled out his phone and realized Wen Miao had sent him several messages.

Since he had silenced his phone before coming in, he hadn’t received them immediately.

Wen Miao’s latest message was: [The doctor is gone.]

Nan Mu flexed his fingers, preparing to reply, when another message from Wen Miao popped up.

Wen Miao: [She’s off duty. I watched her leave.]

Wen Miao: [She shouldn’t be coming back.]

Nan Mu replied with an “OK” first. After thinking about it, he added another line.

Nan Mu: [Don’t stay on this floor. Go walk around outside for a bit, grab something to eat or whatever. Come back when the time is right, once most people have left.]

Wen Miao sent back a “no problem” emoji, her mood visibly light and cheerful.

===

7:00 PM.

Following their usual routine, Wen Miao arrived at the gynecology department with a balloon, playfully bickering with Wen Xin.

No one was on duty here at night. Aside from the small nightlights in the corridor, it was almost pitch black.

The group timed their move perfectly. Using the balloon to block the camera’s view for a split second, Nan Mu opened the door and swapped places with Wen Xin. Wen Xin also took the opportunity to return Nan Mu’s hat to him.

Unsure how long it would take Wen Xin to finish, Nan Mu and Wen Miao left the area first.

…

Nan Mu hadn’t eaten yet, so the two went to a small restaurant across from the hospital and ordered a bowl of noodles.

As Nan Mu ate, he asked curiously, “What did you tell Wen Xin?”

“What else could I say? I just told him the truth.”

“Huh?” Nan Mu, who had been mid-slurp, suddenly sat bolt upright.

Wen Miao giggled. “Just kidding.”

Nan Mu’s tense body relaxed. “You scared me. So… how did you explain it?”

Wen Miao propped her chin on her hand, mindlessly stirring her juice with a straw. “I just said it was a friend. I haven’t explained who it is to him yet.”

As she spoke, she leaned forward and reached out to pull Nan Mu’s hat lower over his head.

She pressed the hat down quite low, covering his eyes. Nan Mu instinctively raised a hand to push it back up, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey, don’t move!” Wen Miao pulled the hat back down.

“It’s covering my eyes…” Nan Mu didn’t know what Wen Miao was up to, but he sat there obediently and didn’t reach for the hat again.

Wen Miao leaned back and took a serious look at the compliant Nan Mu. The hat obscured more than half of his face, leaving only the area from his nose to his chin visible.

She looked him over from side to side, hoping for the best. “Wen Xin isn’t that familiar with you. If he doesn’t see your whole face… he probably won’t recognize you. Keep your hat on tight later. If he doesn’t realize it’s you, I won’t bother explaining.”

So she was planning to fish in troubled waters.

Nan Mu gave a light chuckle and nudged the brim of his hat up noncommittally.

With things like this, who could really say?