No one knew where Martina had come from. She followed Jiang Cheng step for step, a strange, eerie light shimmering in her eyes. Lu Linjiang burst out of the hospital room, shouting, "Jiang Cheng!"
Jiang Cheng, holding a vacuum blood collection tube, froze in his tracks. He didn't understand why Lu Linjiang was charging toward him with such a tense expression.
"Behind you!"
Jiang Cheng instinctively looked back. Standing behind him was a woman who seemed both a stranger and vaguely familiar. After their eyes met for a moment, Jiang Cheng finally recognized her—she was the mysterious person who had delivered the letter to Weiguan University.
Lu Linjiang had already reached Jiang Cheng’s side in a few strides. He stepped between Jiang Cheng and Martina, asking guardedly, "Can I help you with something?"
Jiang Cheng didn't understand why Lu Linjiang was so defensive toward this woman, but he sensibly took a step back to create some distance. Martina’s gaze flickered between the two men before she signed to Lu Linjiang: *I want to talk to him.*
Lu Linjiang refused without a second thought. "There’s no need. Isn't the person you're looking for Jiang Langmin?"
Martina seemed puzzled by his defensiveness. After a moment of consideration, she signed again: *But, JIANG likes him.*
Lu Linjiang’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Displeased, he replied, "Then you should definitely go find Jiang Langmin. What do you want with Jiang Cheng?"
Standing behind Lu Linjiang, Jiang Cheng couldn't understand the sign language passing back and forth between them; he only felt the woman’s eyes constantly lingering on him. Seeing that she couldn't bypass Lu Linjiang, Martina turned her gaze directly to Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng asked suspiciously, "Lu Linjiang, what did she say?"
Lu Linjiang glanced back at him. "She said she wants to chat with you."
Understanding this, Martina nodded happily. Jiang Cheng pointed to himself in confusion. "Me? Chat about what?"
"Exactly, chat about what?" Behind them, Jiang Langmin was walking over. He looked at Jiang Cheng, seemingly entirely unaware of Martina, whose back was turned to him.
Martina didn't seem surprised to encounter Jiang Langmin. She turned and gave him a smiling nod, then "spoke" to Lu Linjiang in sign: *Before talking to Jiang Langmin, isn't it necessary to talk to Jiang Cheng first? After all, they are both JIANG.*
Lu Linjiang let out a cold mental sneer. *They belong to two different families,* he thought. This time, he spoke aloud while signing: "Since Jiang Langmin is here and so are you, there’s no need to go through Jiang Cheng. There are plenty of restaurants across from the hospital. Find one and have your chat."
He looked at Martina. "Didn't bring a phone? Do you need me to find some paper and a pen to make it easier for you two to talk?"
Jiang Langmin arched an eyebrow with interest. He hadn't expected Martina to be so bold as to come straight to the door. "So, did you go to Weiguan University to find me as well?"
Jiang Cheng’s expression shifted to one of realization. "I have things to do, so I’ll head out first. You guys take your time talking." Seeing Lu Linjiang still standing there, he gave him a tug. "Come over and help me with something."
Once the two of them returned to Guo Junyi’s ward, Jiang Cheng finally spoke. "It’s not that unusual. In the past, whenever Senior Brother Jiang went out to give a report or something, his inbox would be flooded with all sorts of letters when he got back. Every once in a while, men and women would show up at the doors of Hughes demanding a meeting..." He scratched his head, a bit slow on the uptake. "I suspected she was looking for Senior Brother Jiang when she was at the university, but I thought her method of finding people was too strange at the time, so I didn't give it much more thought."
"But now that I know she can't speak, it’s not so strange anymore."
Guo Junyi, who had been listening intently despite his confusion, suddenly realized he was hearing gossip. He instantly felt like he had truly returned to the land of the living. His eyes sparkled with interest as he asked eagerly, "Gossip? Give me the details."
Amused, Jiang Cheng drew his blood. "It’s not really gossip. Senior Brother Jiang being popular isn't exactly news."
Guo Junyi pressed the cotton swab down, saying dissatisfiedly, "You have to understand how lonely the heart of a patient who has been isolated for nearly a month is. Forget gossip—if a mosquito flew by right now, I’d have to study whether it was male or female. Come on, let’s get specific. Is she pretty?"
Jiang Cheng nodded. "Pretty."
Guo Junyi shot a mischievous look at Lu Linjiang. "How does she compare to our Captain Lu?"
Jiang Cheng frowned instinctively, not understanding why Lu Linjiang was suddenly being brought into this. "One’s a man and one’s a woman. How can you compare them?"
"I’m more familiar with Lu Linjiang, so naturally, I use him as the benchmark," Guo Junyi explained forcedly, before changing the subject. "A beautiful and shy girl... who can't speak? Why can't she speak?"
Jiang Cheng pointed to his own mouth and shook his head.
Guo Junyi finally understood. "That’s a real pity then." Thinking back to the conversation the two had before Lu Linjiang stepped out, Guo Junyi looked at the flowers by his bedside and couldn't help but sigh, "Is spring finally in the air?"
However, what was happening in the hallway had absolutely nothing to do with spring. Once Jiang Cheng and Lu Linjiang entered the ward, Jiang Langmin asked, "Do you want to talk here, or should we find a place across from the center?"
His attitude was casual and his demeanor relaxed; to an outsider, it truly looked as if he were facing yet another admirer. Martina smiled. Though her features were very Asian, she possessed the deep-set eyes typical of Europeans. When she smiled, even the passing nurses couldn't help but steal a few extra glances.
Martina pointed toward the elevator. Jiang Langmin nodded and followed behind her with a leisurely stride. When the elevator arrived, Jiang Langmin gallantly held the door, letting Martina enter first.
The elevator was mostly empty. Once inside, Martina pulled out her phone and began typing away. Her fingers moved with incredible speed, and she finished what she wanted to say in moments.
Jiang Langmin was in no hurry to see what she had written, waiting until they exited before following her out. As they walked, Martina handed the phone to Jiang Langmin. He was confident she couldn't pull any tricks on him, but once he finished reading the contents on the screen, his expression nearly broke.
*I don't know what's inside the diamond. Just to be safe, I added a little something to the strawberry juice you guys have been ordering these past two days.*
Jiang Langmin’s face paled slightly. He steadied his nerves and kept reading.
*I just don't know which one of you drank that cup of strawberry juice.*
Recently, as Guo Junyi’s condition improved, everyone’s nerves had relaxed. They no longer settled for the hospital cafeteria every day, and after discovering how convenient food delivery was, they had used it several times. Jiang Cheng seemed to have found joy in it; what started as an occasional treat quickly developed into at least twice a day. Over the last two days, he had become particularly fond of afternoon tea. A nearby fresh juice shop happened to be running a promotion, and every day at two in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng would habitually order a cup.
That cup of strawberry juice was a new flavor he had tried just two days ago.
Jiang Langmin hadn't expected someone to dig a hole for him in such a crude and direct manner. He forced himself to control his facial expression, asking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "How do I know what you're saying is true?"
Martina looked at him and shrugged. She took her phone back and typed out, word by word: *You can do exactly what I did—take a gamble.*
***
