Second Uncle has been in the operating room for six whole hours and still hasn't come out. Yi Luowa felt as if something was clutching at her heart, making her suffer—self-blame, worry, dread. She clenched her collar tightly, wanting to cry, but no tears came. They say when sadness reaches a certain point, there are no tears. This time, she believed it.
A pair of shiny leather shoes entered her sight. Yi Luowa slowly followed the straight pant legs upward. A white doctor's coat; this doctor was unusually tall. In order to see his face clearly, she had to tilt her head nearly to a ninety-degree angle, but all she could see was a face tightly covered by a mask.
"I'm your attending physician, Mai Zekai. You're the patient—you shouldn't sit for too long," he said sternly.
Yi Luowa rubbed her neck. "Will my Second Uncle be okay?"
The attending physician replied irritably, "I'm only responsible for you!"
"Your glasses are ugly, and your name doesn't sound good," Yi Luowa muttered, pouting, then turned to Ao Lie, who had been by her side the whole time. "I want to switch attending doctors!"
Ao Lie's mouth twitched slightly. "The doctor is doing what's best for you. I'll wait here for Second Master; you should go rest."
"You're a patient too. Why isn't your attending doctor taking care of you?" Looking at Ao Lie's hands and face, which were both wrapped in bandages, Yi Luowa lowered her gaze to her toes. She had already made up her mind: once they were both better, she would distance herself from them to avoid anyone getting hurt because of her again.
"What are you thinking about?" Ao Lie quickly caught on to her mood and asked in concern.
"Nothing much. Just hoping you both recover soon," Yi Luowa forced a smile at Ao Lie, but the result was more painful than crying.
Doctor Mai turned and glanced at her sideways. "Hideous!"
Yi Luowa promptly gave him a big glare. "I'm proud to be ugly! I'm ugly and I'm confident! How does my ugliness affect you? Don't like it? Then go cool off somewhere else!"
The corners of Doctor Mai's mouth curled slightly beneath his mask. This stubborn girl—how is she still this sharp-tongued even in this situation?
"Luowa, why are you still sitting here?" Li Hua stepped out of the elevator and scolded Yi Luowa in displeasure when he saw her still seated in the hallway.
"Uncle Li, how's everything over there?" Yi Luowa asked hopefully.
"Young Master Yi is kneeling there and refusing to leave. For now, you shouldn't go over," Li Hua replied.
Yi Luowa raised her hand to cover her face with her wide sleeves, choking up as she said, "He must hate me to death."
Li Hua sighed and shook his head. "Luowa, natural disasters and man-made misfortunes are beyond our control as mere mortals. Why torture yourself? Oh, by the way, I've found out about that phone number you asked me to investigate."
Li Hua's words successfully diverted Yi Luowa's attention. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and lifted her gaze to ask, "Do you know who it belongs to?"
"The number is registered in the Imperial Capital. The owner's name is Tong Yifei. But I contacted the after-sales department at Zhuoyuan Mobile, and they said they don't recognize this person," Li Hua explained.
Doctor Mai noticeably froze for a moment upon hearing this.
"I told you that guy was a scammer. But at least he's better than other scammers—still has some conscience left," Yi Luowa muttered. "Send the thank-you gift to Mi Chenxuan."
"Luowa, this Mi Chenxuan has quite a background. He's the second son of the Zhuoyuan family. There aren't many people who can command him, and the person who called you claimed to be from Zhuoyuan. If he could get Mi Ershao to act on his behalf, I don't think this person is a scammer. Think carefully: do you have any friends from the Imperial Capital with the surname Tong?"
Yi Luowa looked puzzled as she responded to Uncle Li, "I left the Imperial Capital when I was only two. How could I have any friends?"
Doctor Mai stared fixedly into her eyes. Yi Luowa's eyes were large and dark, perhaps because of her earlier tears. They shimmered, making her long lashes look like blades of grass swaying by the edge of a crystal-clear pond in the breeze.
"Why are you staring at me?" Yi Luowa noticed Mai Zekai staring at her and shot him a cold look.
Mai Zekai, caught red-handed, showed no sign of embarrassment. "I remember your eyes."
"Such clichés—all clichés!" Yi Luowa pointed at him and said to Li Hua, "Uncle Li, he's spying on me!"
"I'm openly watching you, thank you very much," Mai Zekai chuckled. "If you keep sitting here like this, you'll faint before your Second Uncle even gets out of surgery."
Yi Luowa scoffed dismissively. "Didn't you say earlier that you remembered my eyes? Now you're acting like you're all professional!"
"I really do remember your eyes. But you're definitely not her—you only happen to have a pair of eyes similar to hers," Mai Zekai remarked, turning to Li Hua. "When she passes out, come find me in the office."
With that, Mai Zekai strutted off arrogantly, not even bothering to leave Yi Luowa a chance to retaliate.
Li Hua looked at the tall figure disappearing into the distance and kept apologizing profusely. "She's just a kid. She doesn't know any better. Please don't take it personally—I'll persuade her to go rest right away."
Yi Luowa tugged on Li Hua's hand. "Don't bother with him; he's just a lunatic!"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too quiet—just enough for Mai Zekai to hear.
Mai Zekai clenched his fists tightly, not turning back as he entered the office.
Inside the office, Yuan Hang was leaning on the desk, staring intently at the figure sitting in the chair. Hearing the door open, he stretched his neck. "Fourth Master, you're finally back. Seventh Master is about to explode."
"I actually want to see what he looks like when he explodes," Tong Si remarked nonchalantly as he removed his glasses and mask, tossing them onto the desk to reveal a chiselled, striking face.
"Done playing?" Yuan Hang quickly stood up to help him take off the doctor's coat.
"Still playing! Why not? But I'm a bit tired now," Fourth Master said with a devilish smirk. "Seventh Master, arrange a ward for me right next to that stubborn girl's."
"Tong Airui!" Seventh Master, who had been silent, finally spoke slowly, "I'll report everything you did today to Auntie."
"Yuan Hang, burn that rare copy of *Hundred Forbidden Royal Witch Surgeries* we found," Tong Airui ordered, leaning against the desk.
"Got it!" Yuan Hang said, preparing to leave.
Seventh Master stood up with a jolt. "Tong Yuanhang! If you dare burn that book, I'll cut you up!"
"Haha…" Yuan Hang laughed heartily while leaning against the doorframe. "So Mai Zekai can act quickly after all."
Tong Airui casually picked up a book and threw it at Yuan Hang. "Don't bully the honest guy."
"Don't act like a saint. Weren't you the one telling him to bully me?" The real Mai Zekai, Doctor Mai, grabbed the glasses Tong Airui had thrown on the desk and put them on. "I'll go arrange the ward for you."
"Should've just agreed earlier," Tong Airui frowned slightly.
Mai Zekai shook his head helplessly. "You're so injured already, yet still stirring up trouble. If chasing girls kills you from the pain, so be it."
"Mai Zekai, let me clarify again—I'm not chasing girls! I'm here for revenge!" Fourth Master slammed his hand on the desk with force, sweat immediately appearing on his face from the exertion.