CHAPTER 87: "CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN?"

Lu Qingyan stopped entangling herself with this question and instead warned her, "Take this band-aid off when you get home and make sure to not get water on the wound."

The little boy tilted her head, a little puzzled, "Can this sticker cure illnesses?"

Lu Qingyan smiled, "Of course."

The boy glanced down at the pink cartoon bear sticker on his knee with an even more serious expression than before. "The doctor said I’m ill," he said slowly. "Can this sticker make me better?"

He looked up again, his little face full of innocent determination. "If I get better, my brother said he’ll let me play with a skateboard."

Lu Qingyan’s breath caught.

She didn’t expect her heart to ache like this. Looking into those big eyes, brimming with fragile hope, she felt something warm surge in her chest—something that made her want to give him a dozen more band-aids and personally beg the universe to heal him.

She reached out and gently wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek. "Mhm," she whispered, voice soft and sure, "It can."

The little boy’s ears turned pink.

He immediately took a step back, eyes darting to the side as if embarrassed.

Lu Qingyan paused, misreading the reaction. She quickly retracted her hand, giving him space. ’Right... I must’ve crossed a line. Some kids don’t like strangers being too familiar.’

But then he peeked up at her again and hesitated.

She tilted her head, waiting.

"Are you leaving?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

Lu Qingyan originally wanted to say ’yes,’ but instead she asked, "What’s wrong?"

The boy was silent for a beat, lips pressed together. Then he said, "Can you wait until my big brother comes before you go?"

So it was originally like this.

The corners of Su Lu Qingyan ’slips curved slightly, "Sure."

They waited quietly under the shade of the tree near the hospital gates.

The boy kicked at a pebble on the ground while Lu Qingyan glanced occasionally at the street, not expecting anything in particular—

Until the little boy suddenly went rigid.

Lu Qingyan was confused and turned her head.

Lu Qingyan straightened up a little too quickly, almost stumbling backward. She blinked twice, unsure if it was truly him. But that face—sharp brows, cold eyes, the black shoulder bag slung diagonally across his chest—was unmistakable.

Their eyes met briefly.

For a split second, she saw a flicker of surprise in his otherwise blank expression. Then it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

His gaze shifted to the boy beside her. His voice was flat, but the undertone was sharp and cool. "Why did you run out?"

To her shock, the boy—who had just looked like he would cry at the idea of her leaving—suddenly darted behind her, clinging to the edge of her jacket like she was a tree trunk during a storm.

The Lu Qingyan who hadn’t reacted yet: ?

She looked down at the child, then back up at Wang Jingyuan, her brain piecing things together with delayed shock.

Don’t tell me... the big brother he’s been talking about is—

Lu Qingyan tilted her head and asked, "You are her brother?"

Wang Jingyuan nodded casually, as if this whole situation was entirely mundane. As if his baby brother hadn’t just used Lu Qingyan as a human shield.

So this was Wang Jingyuan’s sickly little brother.

"Han Jinji," Wang Jingyuan called out, cutting into her thoughts, "If you don’t come out now, I won’t visit you again."

The child flinched like he’d been hit by lightning.

The little boy seemed to be frightened.

He contemplated for a moment before he immediately trotted out.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he tiptoed out from behind Lu Qingyan. With tiny hands clenched into nervous fists, he tugged lightly on Wang Jingyuan’s sleeve.

"Big brother... I was wrong," he said with a sniffle. "I won’t do it again, I promise."

Wang Jingyuan remained unmoved and raised his eyebrows, "I sent you back so late last night, yet you still ran out today. Your mother almost called the police."

The little boy sniffed, "Big brother, I was wrong...I really know I was wrong, it’s just that I don’t want to stay in there. It’s so boring in there, I want to go home."

"Big brother, I want to go home."

Wang Jingyuan’s eyelashes drooped slightly and he didn’t respond. Instead, he directed his attention towards Lu Qingyan.

His unreadable eyes made Lu Qingyan suddenly very aware of how out of place she looked in this dynamic—standing between the two brothers like a nosy bystander in a drama.

Lu Qingyan touched the tip of her nose and explained, "The little boy asked me to wait here with him for his brother. Unexpectedly, it was you...since you’re here, I’ll leave first."

To be honest, Lu Qingyan was really curious about Wang Jingyuan’s little brother since in the original novel it was only said that Wang Jingyuan really adored his little brother. It wasn’t mentioned if this little boy have the same me mother as Wang Jingyuan.

Who would have imagined that Wang Jingyuan seemed to know her thoughts as he raised his eyes and blankly explained to her,

"He’s my Father’s other child," Wang Jingyuan said suddenly, as if reading her thoughts.

Lu Qingyan froze, her hand still hovering mid-air as she adjusted her shoulder bag. She turned slowly.

"Same father," he continued flatly, "different mothers."

"Oh," she said awkwardly.

She hadn’t asked, technically.

But she definitely had been wondering.

Now that she had the answer, she wasn’t sure what to do with it. She gave a weird little nod. "Thanks... for clarifying."

"Mm."

She wasn’t sure if that was acknowledgment or just a polite grunt.

"Big sister, can I see you again?"

Lu Qingyan paused mid-step, and slowly looked over her shoulder.

Han Jinji was looking up at her again, hopeful. And behind him, Wang Jingyuan gave her a look that clearly said, ’You’ve made a new problem for yourself.’

She smiled sheepishly.

"...We’ll see."