On the next morning, when Jiang Baizhou drove away from home, he deliberately paused for about half a minute in front of Cen Jin’s house, checked the time, and then drove off towards the clinic.
As he passed Cen Jin’s studio, he saw a wooden sign on the door that read ’Open for Business.’ Unable to resist, he stopped the car, got out, and walked in. Upon hearing footsteps, Ye Lingran in the studio turned back and said, "Welcome... Oh, Jiang Baizhou?"
Jiang Baizhou’s gaze swept over the large studio, finally landing on Ye Lingran. "Where’s Cen Jin?"
"She didn’t come! There’s nothing going on at the studio today, so she decided not to come. I’m mainly here because I have an appointment with a client." Ye Lingran replied blankly, then puzzledly asked, "Why? Do you need something from Cen Jin?"
"No, just asking casually." Jiang Baizhou pulled his lips into a faint smile, withdrew his gaze, and said, "I’ll be going now."
"Oh, okay." Watching his departing figure, Ye Lingran responded softly and only withdrew her gaze after his car disappeared from the doorway.
When he arrived at the clinic, it was already ten in the morning. As he walked in, he coincidentally ran into Lu Xize, who was coming out of the office to give instructions to the assistant. Seeing him, Lu Xize raised an eyebrow, gave him a teasing once-over, and walked alongside him to his office with a casual stride. "I thought you weren’t coming today either! So, is your cold better?"
"Are you very idle today?" Jiang Baizhou pushed open the glass door, entered his office, pulled out the swivel chair, sat down, and turned on the computer. The series of actions flowed smoothly, but he didn’t look at him even after asking the question.
"Not really idle, just sent off a patient with anxiety earlier." Lu Xize also pulled out a chair in front of the desk, sat down leisurely with his legs crossed, and pondered while stroking his chin, "Seeing your color, looks like your cold is better?"
"Cough, cough." As soon as Lu Xize finished speaking, Jiang Baizhou couldn’t help but cough heavily twice, giving him a rare direct look. "Get out."
"Seems like the cold hasn’t fully passed." Lu Xize raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Jiang Baizhou withdrew his gaze, completely ignoring his presence.
On the other end, Cen Jin was out shopping and watching a movie with Lu Shishu. Halfway through shopping, Lu Shishu sensed that she seemed slightly off. After selecting the restaurant and ordering the dishes, Lu Shishu took a sip of juice, propped her chin with her hand, seriously scrutinized her expression, and finally waved a hand in front of her. "What are you thinking about? You’ve been distracted all morning."
"Oh, it’s nothing." Cen Jin snapped back to reality abruptly, lifted her head, and smiled at her.
"Nothing?" Lu Shishu glanced at her sidelong, snorting lightly. "You sure don’t look like nothing’s wrong. You’ve been so absent-minded that even while ordering, you weren’t focused."
"Oh, really?" Lu Shishu doubted deeply at her denial. "Then tell me, how many dishes did I just order, and which ones?"
Cen Jin was speechless. She knew that Lu Shishu had asked for her opinion when ordering, but she indeed hadn’t paid much attention, so she genuinely couldn’t answer.
Seeing her at a loss for words, a bright red smile bloomed on Lu Shishu’s beautiful, worldly-weary face. "Come on, let me be your listener. What secret is haunting your mind so persistently?"
Cen Jin moved her lips, wanting to deny it again, only to be interrupted by her raising a hand. "Wait, let me guess first." With that, she narrowed her beautiful and seductive phoenix eyes. "Could it be related to Jiang Baizhou?"