Sheng Qiye’s tone was cold. "Do you have nothing better to do?"
Leng Xiao froze. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen that Sheng Qiye felt no revulsion toward Su Rong’s physical proximity last night. Besides, hadn't they both had some contact with her over the past few days?
Leng Xiao slapped his own mouth. "My apologies. I overstepped."
Sheng Qiye returned to his desk and sat down. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Where did she go?"
*So, he does care,* Leng Xiao thought.
"I’m not sure," Leng Xiao replied cautiously. "Would you like me to look into it?"
Sheng Qiye remained silent, his gaze shifting to his computer screen.
Ten minutes later, Leng Xiao returned to the office, having just checked the movements of Su Rong’s car. "Su Rong drove north early this morning. She likely headed toward Phoenix Mountain. Given her injured hand, do you think she’s gone to seek out Divine Doctor Hua?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Sheng Qiye’s eyes. "She knows about Divine Doctor Hua? And she knows he’s at Phoenix Mountain?"
"I only knew his general location," Leng Xiao explained. "I’m not certain if that’s where she actually went."
Sheng Qiye stared at him.
"Right. I’ll check immediately." Leng Xiao dialed Zhang Shuo’s number. Sheng Qiye had a nodding acquaintance with Hua Tuo; the medicine they had purchased for Lord Shen last time had been sent by Zhang Shuo.
"Mr. Zhang says that two girls did indeed come looking for Divine Doctor Hua. One of them is named Su Rong. But the doctor refused to see them, and they are still standing outside the villa."
Sheng Qiye was puzzled. "How would Su Rong know about Divine Doctor Hua? She’s only been out of prison for a few days."
Leng Xiao was equally curious. "Could Liu Xu or Old Madam Su have told her?"
After all, both the Liu Family and the Su Family were prominent, wealthy households with extensive connections and resources.
Sheng Qiye said, "Divine Doctor Hua doesn't interact with many people in the Imperial Capital. The Su and Liu families don't necessarily know his whereabouts. Hua Tuo is a strange man. If he says he won't take a patient, he won't. Even if Su Rong waits there for ten days or half a month, it will be useless."
Leng Xiao said tentatively, "Should we help her?"
Sheng Qiye became slightly intrigued. "Leave her be for now. I want to see if she has any way to make Hua Tuo break his rules for her."
...
Night fell, and the rain ceased. The ground was slick, and small droplets fell from the leaves, occasionally slipping down Su Rong’s collar, sending a shivering chill through her.
Liu Xu received a call from home; something urgent required her to return. She was worried about leaving Su Rong behind. "Rongrong, why don't we head back first?"
Su Rong reassured her. "You go ahead. I’ll wait a little longer. Maybe he’ll soften his heart if he sees me all alone out here. If he still won't see me later, I’ll just call a ride-hailing service to get back."
"Alright, but please, take care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Liu Xu left her an umbrella and some food before driving away.
The evening wind was chilly. Su Rong wrapped her trench coat tighter, staring longingly at the lights of the villa. In truth, compared to her time in prison, this bit of hardship was nothing.
The nights in prison were like a ferocious beast or an endless black hole, as if they could swallow a person whole at any moment.
The stinging pain in her wrist made her entire body ache, but it also steeled her resolve to seek treatment.
The ground was too wet to sit on. Su Rong paced back and forth in front of the villa, her lower back aching, but she had no choice; she could not leave.
It wasn't clear how much time had passed before the villa door opened again.
Zhang Shuo had seen her waiting all alone from upstairs. After receiving a call from Leng Xiao, he felt he had to go out and issue a warning. "You should go back. Mr. Hua will not be taking any patients in the near future. Perhaps you can try again some other time."
Su Rong bowed again. "I will not leave until Mr. Hua agrees to treat me. I beg you to show some leniency."
Zhang Shuo sighed. He stopped trying to persuade her, shook his head, and went back inside. He couldn't just leave her out there all night.
Su Rong assumed he had gone to consult Hua Tuo, but to her surprise, a few minutes later, the security guards from the villa complex arrived. They dragged her away, ejecting her from the gated community and warning her not to harass the residents again.
Su Rong felt chilled to the bone. Along with her dignity, her hope had been trampled. The persistent bruising and stinging pain from her hand to her wrist filled her with an endless sense of desolation.
She hadn't cried in a long time, but two lines of tears slid down her cheeks. She held them back, refusing to sob aloud.
Her phone rang. It was Liu Xu, asking how things had gone.
Su Rong didn't want her to worry, so she said she had already taken a car back to the Su Family home and would figure something else out later.
After hanging up, Su Rong walked aimlessly along the road. She didn't know what Zhang Shuo meant by "try again some other time," but since Hua Tuo refused to see her, she couldn't force it.
She had relayed the message as instructed by Li Nan, but it had no effect. It wasn't as if her "standing there" or her sheer willpower would be enough to move the divine doctor.
Su Rong called a ride-hailing car back to the Su house. It was already midnight when she arrived. She took one of the pills Sheng Qiye had given her and applied some of the ointment to her injuries, putting extra on her left wrist.
She sniffed it carefully and suddenly recalled smelling that scent earlier that evening. That was it—she had smelled it on Zhang Shuo! He must have just applied the ointment himself!
When she was a child, she had a weak constitution and had spent time with an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor. She had been particularly sensitive to the smell of herbs from a young age and could identify many of them.
The old doctor had even joked about taking her on as an apprentice, but she had been about to start primary school, and the Su Family had brought her back home.
Since Zhang Shuo was a person close to the divine doctor, the medicine he used was likely formulated by the doctor himself. In other words, it was highly probable that Sheng Qiye knew Divine Doctor Hua!
Excitement washed over her, followed by a sense of defeat. *Why does it always lead back to Sheng Qiye?*
She truly didn't want to trouble him, and he might not even be willing to help. She had already traded her ticket into the Socialites Hall for helping him acquire that ruby. It seemed he owed her nothing.
Yet, this might be the only way she could think of to gain an audience with the divine doctor.
The next morning, Liu Xu arrived. Once they were in the car, Su Rong told her about her idea.
Liu Xu drove straight to the Shengshi Group to find Sheng Qiye.
Arriving at the company, Su Rong hesitated. She didn't have much of a personal connection with him. Running over to ask for a favor so abruptly was truly inappropriate; she might not even get to see him.
"You’re right. If I’m asking for help, I should bring a gift." The situation was urgent. There didn't seem to be any professional gemstone auctions in the next few days, but there was one place where she might find something Sheng Qiye wanted that she could afford to offer. "Let’s go to the black market."
"What?" Liu Xu listened to her idea. "What if Sheng Qiye doesn't even know Divine Doctor Hua? That kind of place is full of riffraff; it’s quite dangerous."
Su Rong’s wrist began to throb again. If she wanted to turn her life around, she had to get her hand healed. Even if Sheng Qiye didn't know the doctor, his power and connections would make it much easier for him to get an introduction than it would be for her.
Therefore, she had to show her sincerity first.
As for the danger? *Ha.* After three years in prison, she had long since forgotten what danger was.