When Lu Zhi turned his head to confirm if it was indeed the male lead, Qin Huai, he only managed to catch a glimpse of the baseball cap the man was wearing as he entered the elevator.
The nurse then inquired, "What is your relationship with the patient?"
Lu Zhi took out his ID and explained his relationship with the patient. After the nurse's repeated confirmation, she finally disclosed the room number: "16th floor, room 218."
After thanking the nurse, Lu Zhi entered the elevator the male lead had just used. As it was a private hospital, there were fewer patients than in public ones. He recalled that when he entered the elevator earlier, the male lead was the only one inside, and he had stopped on the 16th floor.
Lu Zhi couldn't help but wonder what the male lead was doing at the hospital. Was he visiting someone? What was his relationship with the patient?
The tenth to sixteenth floors were all inpatient areas, and Lu Chengxuan's crush was in this hospital, also on the sixteenth floor. Was it a coincidence?
Each floor in the inpatient section had twenty rooms. Room 218 was at the far end. Lu Zhi deliberately slowed his pace, peeking with his peripheral vision as he passed each room. Some doors were tightly shut, some were half-open, and some were empty. It wasn't until he passed room 216 that Lu Zhi saw a man with his back to the door, wearing a gray baseball cap with an English letter printed on it. It was the male lead.
Lu Zhi dared not linger, fearing the male lead would notice him. He quickly walked to room 218. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door was pulled open from the inside, and a young female nurse questioned, "Who are you?"
Lu Zhi blinked and replied, "I am a family member of the patient in this room."
The female nurse frowned, closed the door, and said sternly, "You're lying. If you were a family member, how come I've never seen you before?"
Lu Zhi's gaze fell on the female nurse's hand as she closed the door, his eyes flashing slightly. He smiled and said, "Oh, it's like this, I've been studying abroad and only returned to the country two days ago. I came with my family."
The female nurse frowned, "Came with your family?"
Lu Zhi nodded, "Yes." He deliberately took out his phone, checked the time, and said, "They should be arriving soon. May I go in first?"
The female nurse lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression shifting slightly. She nodded, "Don't stay too long. I still have rooms to check on. I'll be going now."
Lu Zhi watched her enter the elevator. As she turned her head back, he averted his gaze and walked into the room.
In the empty room, besides the medical equipment, there was only a woman lying on the hospital bed. The ECG machine was working 24 hours a day. The patient chart next to the bed read 'Jiang Nuannuan'.
Lu Zhi's sharp eyes scanned the room, finally landing on the slightly open window, then shifting to the person on the hospital bed.
Since he had never met Jiang Nuannuan and encountered the strange woman who had impersonated a nurse earlier, Lu Zhi took out his phone and took a picture of Jiang Nuannuan on the bed. He sent it to Lu Chengxuan first. Seeing that Lu Chengxuan did not reply, Lu Zhi pondered for a moment and then sent it to Li Mei.
Within a minute, Li Mei sent a voice message, her breathing slightly hurried as she replied, "Your brother already mentioned Nuannuan's matter to you so quickly?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi's worried heart relaxed slightly. He replied with a voice message, "Yes, he did. Brother has something, so he can't come, and you all seem busy too."
Li Mei: "My guild members and I all received mission orders yesterday. There's no one in the guild."
Lu Zhi's eyes flickered. Was it a coincidence or deliberate? If it was a coincidence, then perhaps the novel world was making adjustments to maintain the subsequent plot development. If it was the latter... then who was this person?
Could it be the Lu family's enemy? Was it that God's Apostle that Lu Chengxuan refused to tell him about?
"Sister Li Mei, you go ahead and busy yourself." Lu Zhi didn't know what missions they had accepted that took them out. He decided to wait until they returned to discuss this matter.
The room door was suddenly pushed open. Lu Zhi's nerves tensed, thinking it was the woman who had impersonated the nurse returning.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before?" an older middle-aged female nurse inquired with a frown.
Lu Zhi quickly assessed her with his dark eyes. After a moment, he relaxed and smiled faintly, "Hello, I am a family member of the patient. You must be the head nurse responsible for my sister-in-law, right?"
The head nurse was surprised, "Lu Chengxuan is your brother?" She observed him carefully, and her stern face finally relaxed. "You do look a bit alike."
The head nurse entered the room, picked up the patient chart, and skillfully checked the medical equipment data, filling in the medical record. Suddenly, she frowned, "Did you open the window? With such a strong wind, why would you open it?"
After saying that, she closed the window.
Lu Zhi then began to inquire about Jiang Nuannuan's condition calmly. It was then that he realized Jiang Nuannuan had been in a coma for three years.
From a modern medical perspective, she was in a vegetative state.
The head nurse sighed lightly, "Your brother is truly a devoted lover. It's fortunate for Nuannuan to have a boyfriend like him."
Lu Zhi then asked the crucial question, "My brother couldn't come due to an urgent matter. Did you call him because something happened to my sister-in-law?"
"Look at my memory, I almost forgot," the head nurse explained. "About two hours before you arrived, her fingers and eyelids moved. I called the doctor to examine her, and incidentally notified your brother."
"The doctor said it's a good sign, indicating she might wake up soon." Just as the head nurse finished speaking, she was interrupted by a doctor outside the door, seemingly needing her for something.
When Lu Zhi was alone in the room again, he didn't rush to leave.
He thought that the novel did not mention this person, Jiang Nuannuan. Could it be that Jiang Nuannuan had already met with misfortune before Lu Chengxuan met the male lead?
There was too little information. The entire world of the novel was described from the male protagonist's perspective, and he could only explore it slowly.
Just then, Lu Zhi heard the sound of a door closing in the room opposite, the male protagonist's room.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhi walked into the corridor. The male lead had already left by elevator. He then casually walked to room 216 and glanced inside through the transparent glass window on the door.
Unfortunately, he could only see a corner of the bedspread inside; he couldn't see the person.
The phone rang. It was Lu Chengxuan. "Did something happen?"
Lu Zhi hadn't expected Lu Chengxuan to be so perceptive. He recounted the events: "Nurses are not allowed to wear nail polish while on duty. Also, when the other person left, they touched their ear. I suspect she was wearing a mini earphone for communication. The other party came here with premeditation."
There was a moment of silence from Lu Chengxuan's end. "Mm, I understand. I'll send someone over. Be careful at the hospital."
Lu Zhi hummed and hung up the phone. He then quietly waited in the room.
About half an hour later, a man named He Jiu appeared outside the room. His complexion was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly drained.
He Jiu got straight to the point, "I've already completed the transfer procedures for her."
Lu Zhi, not entirely at ease, called Lu Chengxuan to confirm before leaving the hospital with He Jiu.
"I didn't expect this. He actually has a younger brother." In the car, He Jiu appraised Lu Zhi with a listless expression, his eyelids half-closed as if he were about to fall asleep at any moment. He then forced his eyes open and teased, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Lu Zhi choked on his own saliva.
What kind of suggestive question was that?