Chapter 343: Chapter 134 Medicine Man_2
He turned his head and looked down at her, his gaze no longer as aggressive as before, but still tinged with coldness, "Still refusing to talk?"
The response was silence.
He stared at Lu Tong, and after a long moment, he said, "Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then forget it. I already know anyway."
Lu Tong: "You!"
He raised the colorful ribbon in his hand.
Lu Tong was furious, trying to snatch it away, but she grasped at air.
"I didn’t know your thoughts before, but now that I do, I will never let go." He twirled the ribbon around his fingertip and watched her silently for a long time, pronouncing each word deliberately: "Lu Tong, no matter what excuse you come up with, I will no longer believe you."
Lu Tong’s head throbbed with pain.
Pei Yunmeng was notoriously tenacious. In past confrontations, he was like an unshakeable shadow, adept at finding hidden errors and deep-seated weaknesses, targeting the vital points with relentless pressure. It used to be him who compromised and gave way to her, but now, as soon as they crossed paths, she had already exposed her hand, leaving her utterly powerless against his pursuit.
After a while, Lu Tong managed to choke out, "So full of yourself."
"Doctor Lu." Pei Yunmeng seemed unconcerned, his eyes as calm and profound as the night snow on Luomei Peak—cool, quiet, and gentle.
"Having feelings for someone is something you taught me. So why not teach me how to stay together with someone?"
Together.
Lu Tong’s heart skipped a beat.
The words were meant to be a threat, yet they sounded so enticing.
She retorted defiantly, "Who wants to stay together with you?"
"You will eventually admit it."
She stood stiffly on the spot, seething with rage, feeling as though she were split in two. One part of her, hidden in the shadows, was moved by the clear and sincere affection, secretly delighted by the mutual attraction. The other part looked on from a lofty height, scoffing at the hopeless and unending outcome.
The cold began to seep in through her feet, which were bare; in her haste to leave the bed earlier, Lu Tong had not put on her shoes. The ice-cold nocturnal chill of Luomei Peak now slowly crept over her.
As the standoff continued, her vision blurred, her body suddenly felt light. Lu Tong looked up in shock to find Pei Yunmeng had abruptly swept her into his arms.
He was swift in his movement but held her with a gentle embrace. He cradled her effortlessly, with an ease that felt remarkably comforting.
"You..."
"How long were you planning to stand?" He carried her toward the bed, "Catching a cold might not have a cure."
He set her down on the bed, and Lu Tong sat up straight, eyeing him warily.
Pei Yunmeng sneered, "What do you think I’m going to do?"
Lu Tong: "Stay away from me."
Pei Yunmeng didn’t do anything, but his presence was enough to make her tense. She feared she might succumb to the allure of his deep eyes, never knowing she was so vulnerable to temptation.
He looked down, offering her a cotton handkerchief, "Aren’t you going to wipe your sweat?"
Only then did Lu Tong realize that she had originally intended to retrieve a handkerchief from the medical box.
She snatched the handkerchief and began to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
She had just had a nightmare, followed by his relentless pursuit, as if she had fought a fierce battle. Her heart felt heavy and unsteady, and now she realized she was drenched in sweat.
The sweat from her forehead trailed down her cheeks to her neck, so she wiped along her neck where her collar had loosened, revealing skin as luminous and white as jade, like transparent snow-white petals, casting a faint glow under the lamplight.
Pei Yunmeng watched, his eyes shifting ever so slightly, then abruptly turned away.
Lu Tong, unaware, only saw his sudden turn and finished wiping her sweat quickly, clutching the handkerchief in her palm, "I’m going to sleep."
He turned back to her, a smile playing on his lips, "Do you think you can sleep now?"
It had been a tumultuous night, and to be honest, sleep was elusive.
Thinking about the recent events, she felt even more embarrassed and angry at the indignity of having her emotions uncovered.
"I can sleep," she gritted her teeth, "You needn’t worry about me."
After speaking, she lay down, just as before, turning the back of her head towards him.
Pei Yunmeng watched her, the candlelight reflecting in his clean eyes, which lacked their usual brilliance, serene as a deep, quiet pool.
Moments later, he pushed the oil lamp inward and lay down by the bed, just as he had done earlier.
Snow swirled outside the door like flying sand, the wind howling like waves. However, inside, the flickering lamplight illuminated the window’s plum shadow, the color serene and tranquil.
Lu Tong lay with her back to him, hearing his voice.
"After the epidemic in Su Nan ends, you won’t stay at the Medical Officer Institute, will you?"
Lu Tong was startled.
Her purpose in joining the Medical Officer Institute had been to get close to the Qi Family. Now that her vendetta was completed, there was no point in staying. She didn’t particularly like the Institute, and life in the Imperial City was not free. Sometimes, the more she saw, the more disillusioned she became.
Pei Yunmeng spoke casually, "If you don’t want to stay at the Medical Officer Institute, it wouldn’t be bad to return to West Street to run a clinic. Or if you don’t want to stay in Shengjing, you could go back to Su Nan or Changwu County to practice medicine or do something else. That would also be a fine course. I’ll accompany you."