He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

Mu Qinghan glanced at her, his expression unchanged: "Why are you here?"

"I've come to see you!" Su Mingyue sat down on the chair by the bed with an air of nonchalance, her eyes red-rimmed but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall. "You're so badly injured, and you wouldn't even let anyone come to see you. The telegram only had two words: 'Do not come'—who do you think you are? Comrade Mu Qinghan, stop putting on that arrogant air!"

Mu Qinghan said calmly, "Even if I came, I wouldn't be of any help."

"Can't I even see you?" Su Mingyue pouted. "Back when I broke my leg, you carried me to the infirmary. Now that you're injured, can't I even come to see you for a moment?"

Mu Qinghan did not respond.

Mu Chengyuan watched this scene with a smile, without interrupting. His gaze subtly swept over his younger brother's expression—Mu Qinghan's attitude towards Su Mingyue was polite and distant, without avoidance, awkwardness, or any extra emotional fluctuation.

Treat it like an old friend, but definitely not like a woman.

This shows that Su Mingyue never held that position in his heart.

Mu Chengyuan sighed inwardly.

Su Mingyue herself probably sensed it too, but this girl is stubborn and won't give up until she confirms it with her own eyes.

"Alright, Mingyue, let Qinghan rest for a while," Mu Chengyuan said at the opportune moment. "You must be tired from the journey. You go with Old Chen to the cafeteria for something to eat, and I'll talk to Qinghan for a bit."

Although Su Mingyue was unwilling, Mu Chengyuan's tone, though gentle, carried an undeniable weight. She responded and followed Dr. Chen out of the ward.

The moment the door closed, the air in the ward subtly changed.

Mu Chengyuan pulled up a chair, sat down on the edge of the bed, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees with his fingers interlaced. His gentle, jade-like face still held a smile, but the light in his eyes had sharpened.

"Let's get down to business," Mu Chengyuan said calmly. "Mom sent me here, firstly to check on your leg, and secondly... to settle the matter of the bracelet."

Mu Qinghan turned a page of the newspaper, her tone calm: "What?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Mu Chengyuan said, looking at him. "The marriage between Grandpa and Old Master Shen was originally a way of repaying a debt of gratitude. Now that you're in this situation, we can't really let the daughter of our benefactor fill the hole. What I mean is—take the bracelet back, give the Shen family some compensation, and settle things cleanly. No debts, no losses, and a respectable ending."

Mu Qinghan remained silent.

"I know you don't care about these things," Mu Chengyuan's voice softened slightly, "but this is a family matter, and it needs to be addressed. The old lady has been nagging about it several times. Have that girl return the bracelet, and I'll arrange for someone to send her to a good place—if she wants to go to school, I'll find her a school; if she wants to work, I'll find her a job. The Mu family won't mistreat her."

Mu Qinghan remained silent, but her movements as she flipped through the newspaper slowed slightly.

Mu Chengyuan waited a few seconds, and seeing that his younger brother did not speak, he raised his eyebrows slightly.

In any other situation, Mu Qinghan would have dismissed it with a simple "whatever" or "you arrange it." This silence itself is an attitude.

"The bracelet is on her wrist." Mu Qinghan finally spoke, her tone still cold. "Her wrist is swollen, and she can't take it off."

Mu Chengyuan stared at him for two seconds.

"It won't come off?" He repeated, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone carrying an all-knowing certainty. "How many days has it been? Are you trying to fool your brother? Let me ask you, once the swelling goes down, are you going to make her pay?"

Mu Qinghan's gaze remained fixed on a line of text in the magazine.

"We'll see," he said.

talk later.

Mu Chengyuan leaned back in his chair and gave his younger brother a deep look.

For over twenty years, he knew Mu Qinghan all too well. This younger brother had always been a drawn sword—he wouldn't waste a single word on people he looked down on, and he'd dismiss things with a simple "whatever."

But if something makes him hesitate, become ambiguous, and unable to say "yes" or "no"—

That means this matter is no longer insignificant.

Mu Chengyuan didn't press the matter. He simply smiled, stood up, and patted his younger brother on the shoulder.

"Okay, no rush. Think it over carefully. I'll stay here for a couple of days anyway, which will give me a chance to see how you're recovering."

Mu Qinghan hummed in agreement and continued flipping through his magazine.

Mu Chengyuan walked to the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, and suddenly turned back as if remembering something, asking, "By the way, Old Chen said that the girl who cooked and gave you massages—is she the one from the Shen family?"

Mu Qinghan's fingers, which were flipping through the magazine, paused for a moment, almost imperceptibly.

"Um."

"How is he?" Mu Chengyuan asked casually, as if it were just a casual question.

Mu Qinghan was silent for two seconds: "It's alright."

Okay.

For Mu Qinghan to utter those two words was already a very high compliment.

Mu Chengyuan smiled and pushed open the door without saying anything more.

……

In the cafeteria, Su Mingyue absentmindedly ate a bowl of noodles.

Her mind was filled with the look Mu Qinghan had given her just now—gentle, calm, neither too close nor too distant. Like looking at a childhood friend, an acquaintance, someone you don't need to deliberately distance yourself from but aren't particularly close to either.

There wasn't a single extra flutter of emotion.

Su Mingyue was never one to be shy or hesitant. She already knew the answer in her heart, but she just didn't want to admit it.

"Comrade Su, the noodles are getting cold," Dr. Chen reminded him from across the table.

"Brother Chen." Su Mingyue put down her chopsticks, looked up, and stared blankly at him. "Brother Qinghan...do you have someone you like?"

The teacup in Dr. Chen's hand hovered in mid-air. He neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply smiled and said, "You should ask him that."

Su Mingyue pursed her lips and didn't press the matter further. But her intuition told her—yes.

She had known Mu Qinghan for almost twenty years. When they were little, she would chase after him, which annoyed him, but he never really scolded her. Later, when she grew up and confessed her feelings, he rejected her decisively, saying, "You are my sister."

But today—the way he looked at her was different than before.

Before, it was an annoyance that I tolerated, but today it's a complete calm, as if—he already has someone else in his heart.

Is she the woman with whom I arranged a marriage when we were children?

Su Mingyue bit her lip and shoveled two mouthfuls of noodles into her mouth.

Alright. Since we're already here, we should at least see for ourselves what kind of woman could make Mu Qinghan, that blockhead, see the light.

Just then, a lively commotion came from the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Shen Meizi! Is the children's food window ready for today? My son Hu Zi says he wants to eat star-shaped potatoes today!"

"Alright, alright, Squad Leader Wang has already set everything up. Sister-in-law, let Tiger go line up by himself. He's a six-year-old boy, why does he need his mother to come with him?"

A clear and crisp female voice came from the direction of the cafeteria kitchen.

Su Mingyue subconsciously turned her head to look.

A young woman emerged from the kitchen, her hands still dusted with flour. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair and slender forearm. Her long hair was neatly styled in a bun, held in place by a chopstick, with a few stray strands falling beside her neck, making her face appear even more radiant and beautiful.

She was surrounded by four or five military wives and seven or eight children, all smiling broadly. The children, in particular, chirped and chattered around her like little birds. A boy named Hu Zi tugged at her sleeve and cried, "Sister Shen Tang! Are there any new animal shapes today? I want to eat little fish!"

"I'll make it next time." Shen Tang bent down and pinched Tiger's nose. "Today we only have mushrooms and stars."

Su Mingyue's gaze fell on the smooth, flowing mutton-fat jade bracelet on the woman's wrist, and her pupils contracted slightly.