Chapter 7 The World Is So Small

Leng Keyan put all his effort into acting cute. “Uncle, please be merciful and help me out. Hospitals are really cutthroat right now.”

“Interns without any connections are at the very bottom of the food chain—they fetch tea, run errands, get scolded, and take the blame all alone.”

“If you drive me in that flashy Phantom and park right at the hospital entrance, it’s like carving ‘This person has backing, don’t mess with them’ on my forehead.”

Lu Er recalled how, when he first entered the entertainment industry, he’d suffered plenty of silent injustices. He felt a bit soft-hearted.

“You’re full of tricks, but since you call me ‘uncle,’ I’ll help you hold this ground.”

On the first day of the internship, Lu Er meant what he said.

Not only did he personally act as the driver, but he also had his assistant, Bai Zhi, order Starbucks breakfast for the whole department in Leng Keyan’s name.

Even before Leng Keyan appeared in the department, rumors of “the new intern is a rich second-generation heir” were already spreading through the office.

Lu Er, wearing a baseball cap and black mask to cover himself completely, accompanied the slightly nervous Leng Keyan to the hospital.

Beside him, Leng Keyan whispered excitedly, “Uncle, I heard my mentor is amazing—a top expert in the field.”

“The legendary Dr. A, brought back from overseas at great expense. Young, handsome, skilled… but a bit cold and supposedly hard to deal with.”

Lu Er frowned. The more he listened, the more familiar it sounded.

Before the words could finish, the office door opened from the inside.

A figure in a white coat, upright like a pine tree, walked out holding a patient file.

Lu Er’s eyes met those deep, cold, pond-like eyes, and his mind went blank.

In such a big hospital with so many orthopedic doctors—why did it have to be Song Jingmo?

This kind of luck… was just unreal.

Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket—might as well try for the jackpot.

Song Jingmo clearly hadn’t expected to see Lu Er again either.

His gaze quickly swept over Lu Er’s fully disguised appearance, catching the shock he couldn’t hide, then rested on the young man whose features bore some resemblance to Lu Er’s.

Looking at Song Jingmo’s name tag, Leng Keyan’s heart sank halfway: “Uncle… this is my mentor.”

Uncle?

No wonder the saying goes, “Nephew resembles uncle.”

Indeed, they looked alike.

Song Jingmo pressed his thin lips. “Am I really hard to deal with?”

Leng Keyan almost cried out of fright, his face pale. “I… I just heard… I’m sorry, Dr. Song.”

He bowed ninety degrees, sincerity on full display.

Who knew that after murmuring this behind him, he’d get caught by the very person he was talking about.

All the compliments he’d given earlier were ignored, but the last comment was clearly heard.

It was their first meeting, and he was his mentor.

Leng Keyan could already foresee the miserable life ahead.

“Dr. Song,” Lu Er managed to force out a dry greeting.

His voice sounded muffled behind the mask, awkward enough that he wanted to vanish on the spot.

Sensing the unusual tension between the two, Leng Keyan asked softly, “Uncle… do you know each other?”

Song Jingmo didn’t answer, quietly watching Lu Er, as if waiting for him to define their relationship.

Lu Er’s heart pounded wildly in his chest. He swallowed hard, hesitated a few seconds, then said,

“Yes. We knew each other well in college. Dr. Song was the legendary top student.”

He carefully avoided all sensitive words that might raise suspicions, burying that messy past deep inside.

They had eaten and lived together in college, so “knowing each other well” was technically true.

If they hadn’t crossed the line, they’d still be close brothers.

At that moment, Bai Zhi came over with the remaining cups of coffee, smiling as she handed them out to other doctors and nurses.

Leng Keyan called out familiarly, “Sister Bai,” then turned and offered a cup to Song Jingmo. “Dr. Song, I’m not sure what you like—latte okay?”

“Wait,” Lu Er instinctively intervened, handing over the unopened cup in his hand.

“He only drinks American coffee, no sugar, no milk.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could bite his tongue off.

Disaster.

Habits were a scary thing.

It was blatantly telling Song Jingmo that he couldn’t forget the past, maybe even had improper thoughts.

Lu Er’s cheeks flamed red, thankfully hidden behind the mask. He stammered to recover, “Do you want American or latte?”

Song Jingmo’s gaze landed on Lu Er again, deep enough to see right through him.

It carried a complex, unsettling scrutiny.

Just as Lu Er was about to retract his hand, Song Jingmo’s long fingers reached out and took the American coffee he’d handed over.

His cool fingertips brushed Lu Er’s warm palm.

In an instant, a tiny spark of electricity shot through the touch.

Lu Er recoiled as if burned, heart racing uncontrollably.

“Thank you.”

Song Jingmo’s voice remained calm, unreadable.

He took a sip of the black liquid, the bitter taste spreading across his tongue.

Feeling like he’d been granted reprieve, Lu Er dared not linger another second, quickly dragging the curious Bai Zhi away in a flustered retreat.

Their departing figures were hurried and chaotic, revealing their uncontainable panic.

Song Jingmo stood in place, reluctant to look away for a long time.

Thinking of that day with Liu Yuan’s “golden couple,” his gaze unconsciously darkened.

Holding the cup Lu Er had handed him, he sipped again, letting the pure bitterness fill his taste buds.

As if suddenly recalling something trivial, he asked Leng Keyan, who was curiously observing his surroundings, “Just now… why did you call her ‘Sister Bai’?”

Leng Keyan didn’t understand. “What else should I call her?”

“Isn’t she your uncle’s wife?”

“Uncle’s wife?”

Leng Keyan jumped in surprise, blinking in confusion.

He quickly waved his hands. “Dr. Song, please don’t misunderstand. Sister Bai is my uncle’s personal assistant—they seem inseparable and perfectly in sync, but they’re just work partners.”

“As for my uncle having a wife—that’s impossible. He’s been single all his life, busy with his career nonstop.”

“Last New Year, our grandmother nagged him about settling down and even tried to arrange a matchmaking opportunity for him this year.”

Lu Er is single?

Song Jingmo’s fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup.

The warmth of the cup immediately softened a cold corner in his heart, stirring a barely perceptible ripple.

If Lu Er is single, then what about the girlfriend in his social circle he worries about on snowy days?

A secret romance?

Song Jingmo lowered his eyes, his thick lashes hiding the complex emotions beneath.

When he looked up again, he had regained his usual composed calm.

Setting down the coffee, he said calmly to Leng Keyan, “Familiarize yourself with the environment first. Once ready, come with me for rounds.”