Lu Mian worked quickly, her movements steady and precise.
Clean. Disinfect. Assess. Suture. Bandage.
She checked for vascular compromise, hidden fractures, and noted signs of delayed hemorrhage. Despite her skill, several areas proved challenging — the wound had been left untreated for too long. Tissue necrosis had already begun at the margins and almost derailed her treatment. Without hesitation, she located the Xinshu acupoint and applied firm pressure to stabilize his cardiac rhythm. It worked! His internal bleeding slowed, allowing her to complete the sutures.
After almost an hour of relentless work, she sat back, feeling a bit dizzy. That was hard. She realized. Her body today was not honed to be the perfect machine it used to be. And she had extracted two whole bags of her blood.
She needs to start working out again. Her comrades would probably laugh at her or roll their eyes in disgust, seeing the weak her now.
Smiling quietly at the memory, Lu Mian proceeded to clean up. Her ribbon and tie were too bloody to use and she trashed them right away. She didn't want to take them with her anyway - the lesser noticeable traces about this episode, the better. She then went hunting for a change of clothes for the soldier. He wouldn't want to wake up in the truck driver's smelly clothes. A safehouse was bound to have a bit of everything. She finally spotted a small cupboard that had what she wanted. All the shirts were white. And were the same size. Well, that's easy. She mused.
Blushing at the boxers laid out, Grow up girl, you are not a teenager anymore, Lu Mian grabbed the first shirt on the rack and gently helped him put it on. It was harder than it looked. "Stubborn even in your sleep" she murmured.
She checked his pulse once more and frowned. He was still weak and needed to eat something when he woke up.
"You really are lucky to have met me" she told him and checked if she could make him a light porridge. The kitchen was surprisingly elaborate for a safehouse and had most things stocked. Ignoring the fresh ingredients, she made a simple rice congee with some medicinal herbs to help him heal and left it in the rice cooker for him.
Before leaving, she left him a note and a general prescription to nurse him back to health. His body seemed to have an odd illness. Maybe because of the trauma or because of the fatigue of the mission, she couldn't correctly diagnose it. To make sure her prescription doesn't trigger his condition, she used simpler ingredients and modified a general prescription to suit him.
"Don't ignore your health - I hope you feel better soon" she wrote and left the prescription by the table. She also left behind an unused bag of her own blood - the second packet she had drawn, just in case. Judging by how weak he was, he would definitely need it.
She glanced down at his half hidden face . With the eyes closed, she really won't be able to recognize him if she saw him on the street again. He wasn't resting peacefully. He was pursing his lips and his face was getting slightly sweaty.
Lu Mian's gaze turned solemn. She knew what she was seeing -PTSD. This poor soldier, even in a safehouse, did not subconsciously feel safe. She gently stroked his head. "Hush now. You are safe. I am here. I will make sure you stay safe." she assured him gently. Whether it was her calming voice, or the comforting hand, the soldier stilled. His body noticeably relaxed.
Lu Mian knew she couldn't leave him just like that. She set up the alarm back again so that he could feel safer and also set up booby traps around the house. Even if intruders broke in, they would set off the alarm and wake him first.
And finally, she drove the truck farther away, to a shipping yard and parked it right next to the dozen other trucks that looked similar. She meticulously wiped their traces from the truck and slunk away, making sure to avoid security cameras.
Well done Doctor Lu, she congratulated herself, a satisfied smile lighting up her face. Her skills weren't too rusty. Yet. She definitely needs to work harder to get back to form.
By the time Lu Mian hailed a taxi, it was well beyond noon. I have missed almost an entire day of school, she realized. Her class teacher would surely kick up a fuss. I will face it tomorrow, she sighed and stopped by a roadside stall.
She was starving. The fragrance of the beef noodles wafted thickly in the air, making her swallow audibly.
"Boss, one bowl of beef noodles please" she ordered and washed her chopsticks to enjoy her meal.
Unfortunately, not everything was meant to go her way.
Pei Yan was heading back from his shareholders meeting. "I think we have an opportunity here father", he said to Pei Chengyuan who looked a bit unhappy. "We just need to re-invent the traditional prescriptions. The old ones are clearly not a differentiator in the market anymore. If we can launch a new version of the same, trusted pills, our value will soar."
"We can also finally ask the old man for a larger share" caught on Pei Chengyuan, his tiny eyes gleaming with greed. "Well done Yan'er. I will leave this to you. See if the Lu family can pitch in with new prescriptions" he directed him.
Pei Yan bit his tongue on a retort. "I don't need them Father, I can.."
"Nonsense. It can be part of the Lu girls' dowry. We are in-laws after all. And remember, in this game, even the smallest advantage counts."
Pei Chengyuan's words reminded Pei Yan about the confrontation this morning. He still felt uneasy about it. She was suddenly so different. It's not that her face has changed, it was still the astonishingly beautiful face he knew. It's her eyes he thought suddenly. I don't see love or devotion in them anymore.
The realization strangely unsettled him. He had resented the arrangement from the start, feeling his worth was tied to a marriage and his true potential as the CEO overshadowed. His grandfather, his family, and even his own father involved him more in the company because of the Lu family's prescriptions and connections that came with the alliance.
I don't need her, he thought stubbornly. She's constantly showing me up with her supposed genius ideas and her snooty heiress power. I can research, develop and succeed without her just well. As he was about to state his thoughts to his father, he noticed the very familiar figure eating at a roadside noodle stand.
"Stop" he told the driver. "Father, I see Mianmian let me go talk to her" he rushed to explain. Pei Chengyan chuckled, the very picture of a benevolent elder "Go go, don't let me keep you. And don't forget to ask about the prescriptions" he urged.
Pei Yan mumbled a vague answer and crossed the road to meet her. "Lu Mian, this is why you said no to my ride?" He exploded. "You wanted to play truant and miss classes? The college entrance exam is coming up and.." His voice broke off abruptly as she raised her eyes to look up at him.
"You were in a fight?" he blustered in horror. If word got out the future Mrs. CEO of Pei family was in a street fight.."
"Don't worry CEO Pei" Lu Mian cut him off coldly. "I will make sure I don't embarrass you".
"You can start by going to school and stop being a hooligan. Pull this again and I will cancel our engagement" he threatened. That always worked, he thought smugly. Whenever he hinted at cancelling the engagement Lu Mian would cave and give him whatever he wanted.
"Oh? And pray how is CEO Pei planning to do that? It was set by our elders after all"
So that's it, thought Pei Yan with a sense of relief he didn't even notice. She knows I can't call off the engagement and is growing bolder. "I have my ways" he snapped. "Don't think just because you've charmed my mother you can do anything. You absolutely disgust me..."
"Why?" suddenly asked Lu Mian. She genuinely wanted to know what she had done to always be hated by Pei Yan.
Pei Yan paused, clearly not expecting her question.
Lu Mian didn't help him either and seriously waited for his answer.
"Don't act like a martyr, you clearly forced me into this..."
"The engagement was set when I was a baby" interrupted Lu Mian. "If anything, you as a 4 year old then had a lot more say than I did. All I have done since then is honor it and be true to it. I did not force you into anything CEO Pei. If you felt so badly about it, you should've had the guts to speak to your family, instead of taking it out on an underage teenager" she said sharply.
Her words cut deep, fully exposing Pei Yan for the spineless coward he was.
"You disgust me more" she pressed, looking into his eyes so he can see she truly means what she says. "You shamelessly beg me for benefits, use the connections I bring and hate me and denounce me for it. Didn't your father just drop you off? What did he want to ask this time? Beg nicely, and I might consider it".
"I dont' need anything from you!" yelled Pei Yan. "Your sister was right, you are an arrogant, harsh, selfish girl whose true colors are finally showing."
"I am arrogant because I pointed out the truth? Because I stood up for myself and refused to be your punching bag? If so, then good for me. I refuse to be abused by you anymore CEO Pei. Hear me well - I will not marry you. There's no more relationship between us. If you have an ounce of self respect, walk away now and don't ever talk to me again" blazed Lu Mian. The years of forbearance, of grief, of sheer unfairness spilling out. Her eyes shone with absolute resolve and Pei Yan couldn't see a trace of love or regret in it.
His sense of unease stronger, Pei Yan scrambled to make amends "The engagement was set by elders.." he tried feebly, hoping to convince himself and her.
"Just because you are useless doesn't mean I am. Rest assured I will find a way to break it off. I wouldn't marry you even if you were the last man on earth" she spat. "Now please leave, you are ruining my lunch".
"You-".
"Boss, this hooligan is disturbing me" called Lu Mian to the kindly shopkeeper. She knew Pei Yan valued face the most and would not be caught dead in a scandal.
True enough, when the worried shop keeper came to help her, Pei Yan left in a rush. "You will regret this Mianmian" he said and stumbled away, his mind in a mess and his heart full of a strange foreboding. It felt like he had suddenly lost a priceless treasure. Forever.
Don't be so exaggerated he comforted himself. Lu Mian had been his loyal dog her whole life. She must be unhappy I paid more attention to her sister this morning, he told himself. And then an idea struck him. If he continues doing it, not only will she beg to come back, but he can also easily ask her for some prescriptions.
Pei Yan grinned. He knew exactly what to do.