Qiqi nodded and reached out to take it, but Lu Wei personally removed the ring, held her hand, and solemnly slid it onto the girl’s left middle finger—a beautiful silver ring, its base a pair of spread wings supporting a pure, translucent round gemstone. The gem was a vivid emerald green, set against the girl’s soft, fair fingers, looking exceptionally lovely.
“Oh, it fits perfectly.”
Qiqi was, after all, a girl; putting on a piece of fine jewelry, she couldn’t help but lift her fingers to admire it closely. Yet at that moment, Lu Wei’s gaze flickered, as if beneath those calm, spring-water eyes lay endless, surging undercurrents.
He held the girl’s hand and didn’t let go.
Qiqi clearly felt her senior brother’s hand trembling, so she asked suspiciously, “Senior Brother?”
Lu Wei abruptly closed his eyes, turned around, and stood with his back to Qiqi without a word.
But Qiqi distinctly saw his broad back stiffen in that instant. His entire being was stirred with emotion, yet he seemed to be forcibly restraining and suppressing it, making him like a perfect piece of porcelain—beautiful, hard, but fragile.
What’s wrong with Senior Brother?
Qiqi wanted to ask, but Lu Wei suddenly, without a single word, almost stumbled as he strode out of the room.
The door slammed shut behind him with a resounding echo, leaving Qiqi stunned—was Senior Brother so agitated because of the ring?
She couldn’t chase after him to ask, because her right hand was still attached to an IV drip.
After waiting for a while, her senior brother didn’t return. Qiqi puzzledly fiddled with the ring—it fit perfectly, as if custom-made for her.
Ah, I’ll just wear it for now; taking it off would definitely make Senior Brother angry. Once I get home and see Rong Yi, I’ll secretly remove it.
Just as she was thinking this, the door opened, and in came Mrs. Lu—Lu Wei’s mother.
Behind her followed a maid carrying a tray.
“Auntie Lu—”
Qiqi quickly sat up, but Mrs. Lu hurried over to the bedside, gently helped the girl lean against the headboard, and asked kindly, “Qiqi, are you feeling better?”
She had come to visit Qiqi.
It turned out that after Lu Wei had just recovered from his serious illness, Mrs. Lu, unable to rest easy, had moved into the villa to live with her son, making it convenient to care for him. She was deeply grateful to the person who had awakened her son, always regarding Gu Qiqi and Rong Yi as lifesavers. However, on the day Lu Wei regained consciousness, Rong Yi and Qiqi had quietly left, so she hadn’t been able to thank them in person. Now, learning that Qiqi had been brought back by her son and was ill, she immediately came to see her.
Mrs. Lu kindly inquired about Qiqi’s condition, then took a bowl of soup from the maid’s tray and said, “This is a bird’s nest soup; it’s very beneficial for girls. You’re weak from the cold right now, so this will help nourish you.”
Mrs. Lu was very affectionate, and Qiqi couldn’t refuse, so she obediently took it and drank.
As she reached out for the bird’s nest, Mrs. Lu noticed the ring on Qiqi’s left middle finger. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly and skillfully concealed it. Then, as she looked at Qiqi, her gaze carried a hint of scrutiny mixed with affection—when an elder looks at you like that, it’s definitely the way a future mother-in-law eyes a prospective daughter-in-law. Of course, Mrs. Lu, as a future mother-in-law, was quite easy to get along with, because from the smile pursed at the corners of her lips, she seemed quite satisfied with the future daughter-in-law her son had chosen.