Take a Step Back, Advance Ten Steps

She was thrilled.

Today, Bai Xing was completely satisfied.

Although she had forced him to say it, she felt that, in a way, she had already defeated Su Ling and Meibi!

She had crushed them!

Her senior said that she was the best.

Didn’t that mean they weren’t as good as her?

So, so she still had a great chance to take things further!

Win!

She could win!

The girl’s small face flushed pink, and Lu Qing, feeling the pressure, stared at her, who was now speechless, and reminded her, “You were the one who insisted on asking. It’s not my fault if things turned out this way.”

“…Mhm, mhm.”

Bai Xing, content, turned her gaze away, her delicate body trembling slightly and her restless hands betraying her inner emotions.

The two of them were sitting very close, with less than a finger’s width between them.

The atmosphere in the air had shifted slightly, and after saying those words, Lu Qing also felt his heart racing.

He wondered, why did it feel like he had just confessed, even though he was only answering her request to say what she wanted to hear?

Wasn’t he just honestly complimenting her as she had asked?

Why did it feel so strange afterward, and why couldn’t he calm his own heart?

He couldn’t figure it out, nor did he dare to think too much about it.

But he knew that if things continued like this, it might get a little dangerous. After all, the girl’s expression, which seemed ready to pounce at any moment, hinted at something. The relationship between them was so fragile that it felt like a single layer of paper could tear it apart.

“Uh, listen…”

Just as Lu Qing was about to step in and play the firefighter to cool her down, the sound of a cart and a few hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

The sound grew louder as it approached.

Lu Qing and Bai Xing, one a composer and the other a voice actor, both had excellent hearing and immediately recognized the sound of the grandmother’s cart and the footsteps of the medical staff.

They exchanged a glance, stood up, and turned their attention to the door.

“Family members, are the family members here?”

A deep, resonant male voice sounded familiar to Lu Qing.

“We’re here!” Bai Xing quickly responded.

Sure enough, within five seconds, Doctor Zhang, whom they had glimpsed outside the door before, accompanied by a few nurses, wheeled the grandmother back into the room.

“The medication has been administered. We observed her for a while, and she seems fine. There were no serious side effects. Over the next few days, you family members should keep an eye on her. If you notice any issues, call the nurses immediately. If it’s urgent, call me directly, and I’ll come to help.”

Doctor Zhang, wearing a blue medical mask, held a large notebook in one hand and pulled a business card from the pocket of his white coat with the other, preparing to hand it to the family.

“Ah! Thank you, Doctor Zhang! Thank you so much. Is my grandmother okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine. She just vomited twice, which is a common side effect. There’s no need to panic.”

It was clear that this attending doctor was quite responsible. After all, Tianhai First People’s Hospital had an excellent reputation, and its skilled doctors performed numerous surgeries every day, often several in a single morning. They were incredibly busy.

Bai Xing’s grandmother was only undergoing chemotherapy and observation, not brain tumor removal. It hadn’t reached that stage yet, and yet Doctor Zhang had personally accompanied her throughout the process and even provided his contact information. This level of care was undeniably reassuring.

As Doctor Zhang was about to hand the business card to Bai Xing, he suddenly noticed Lu Qing’s presence and, without hesitation, redirected the card toward him.

“Young man, you’re also a family member, right? You’re with this young lady, aren’t you? Here, help the nurses lift the elderly woman onto the bed. She’s still in a drowsy state and needs some time to process the medication before she can wake up and speak. Take this card too. If anything comes up, contact me promptly.”

“??”

Doctor Zhang’s move left Lu Qing momentarily stunned.

Was this what high-level social etiquette looked like?

After years in the workforce, he knew that handing a personal business card to a male family member was a way to avoid unnecessary gossip or speculation?

Wow, this was flawless. Truly impressive.

Lu Qing had no choice but to accept the card. There was no need to explain anything, as in serious matters like this, the nature of his relationship with Bai Xing was irrelevant.

So, he nodded and took the card, then followed the nurses, holding the IV bag, as they carefully lifted the grandmother from the cart onto the hospital bed.

“Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Zhang.” Bai Xing stifled a laugh, thoroughly satisfied with Doctor Zhang’s judgment.

Doctor Zhang didn’t linger. He simply acknowledged her with a nod, reiterated the medication instructions and when to schedule follow-up tests, and then, under their grateful gazes, turned and hurried back to his office.

The remaining nurses noted the approximate time for removing the IV and then returned to the nurse’s station, leaving only the two of them to keep watch over the sleeping grandmother in the room.

Lu Qing and Bai Xing sat on either side of the elderly woman.

The nearly eighty-year-old grandmother’s wrinkled face bore the marks of a lifetime of hardship. Beneath her white hair, her pained expression seemed to convey a sense of determination.

It was hard to imagine the conditions under which the old woman had raised the young girl.

Curious, Lu Qing softly asked,

“Bai Xing, tell me about your childhood.”

“Huh? You want to hear about that, Senior?”

“Yes. You didn’t finish last time.”

“But I just lived in the countryside when I was little. There aren’t any exciting stories… It wouldn’t help your creative work, would it?” Bai Xing hesitated, still worried that her unfiltered life might affect how Senior saw her.

To her surprise, Lu Qing was upfront: “I grew up in the countryside too. I lived there until middle school, when I was sent to study in Tianhai City.”

“What?! Really? I can’t tell, Senior… You and I are the same kind of people?”

Bai Xing was utterly shocked and, without realizing it, raised her voice, nearly waking the grandmother.

“…Keep it down. Let’s talk over there.”

Lu Qing stood up and led her to a corner of the private hospital room. He opened the window, letting in the background noise from outside, and began reminiscing:

“My childhood wasn’t any more exciting than yours. Honestly, aside from a cat and a neighbor, I don’t remember much from those days.”

“Really?”

Bai Xing’s curiosity was piqued, and she instinctively pressed further: “What kind of cat? And what kind of neighbor left such an impression on you?”

“Ah, a black…”

Lu Qing was about to reflexively mention the “black cat” and the “kind older sister,” but years of emotional intelligence kicked in at the last moment, and he stopped himself. Instead, he turned the question back on her:

“Wait, I’m the one asking the questions here. How did this turn into you wanting to hear my story?”

Seeing the girl’s transparent expression, he thought to himself how close he had come to accidentally provoking her again.

But Bai Xing seemed even more interested now. She touched her lips and said, “You already admitted in front of others that you’re my boyfriend. Isn’t it only natural that I want to know more about my boyfriend’s past?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Oh, fine, fine. Senior, you’re always so cold.”

Bai Xing pouted, deciding to retreat half a step but advance ten—

“How about this? Next time we go back to the countryside, I’ll invite you, and we can go see the scenery by the pond together. Doesn’t that sound good? Seeing the past with your own eyes will make your creative work more vivid, right~?”

“?”

…

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