Xavier didn't react immediately and tentatively pointed at himself, "Me? Silly?!"
"Yep!" Serena nodded, "With your conditions, you can have any kind of woman you want. Why waste time and energy on me?"
"...! Probably, I owe you from the last life!" The man curved his brows and joked.
But Serena suddenly felt a twinge in her nose.
Out of the more than six billion people in the world, besides one's biological parents, there is still someone who treats you sincerely, without asking for anything in return, regardless of the cost. How lucky that is!
She stared at Xavier's face, and she found that this man was even more charming than she had imagined.
But, it was precisely because he was so good that she didn't want to get close.
It wasn't that she had low self-esteem or thought she was unworthy. It was just that, after all, she was a divorced woman. If she really became involved with him, it would inevitably stir up trouble for his family.
She feared trouble, and more than that, she didn't want to cause him any. So, the best choice was to stay away from him, not drag him down, and avoid adding any more troubles for herself.
"Let's go!" She turned her head, about to pick up the things she had already tidied up on the coffee table.
"I'll do it!" Xavier raised his hand to stop her, and quickly grabbed the two plastic bags right under her nose.
"You're the patient. You're still recovering! Let me do it!"
Serena leaned forward to grab them.
But Xavier, with his long legs and height, lifted the two bags above his head. Even when she tiptoed, she couldn't reach them.
After several attempts, all failing, Serena crossed her arms, "With your current physical condition, do you still have the strength?!"
"..." Xavier lightly smirked, lowering his head slightly and bringing his handsome face closer to hers.
His eyes flickered as he smiled and, with a strange tone, asked, "Want to try and see if I still have strength?"
"You..." Serena instantly blushed, instinctively taking a step back.
She barely stepped back when the coffee table blocked her way.
The man leaned forward, letting go of the bags. They fell to the ground. His long arm reached forward, pressing on the coffee table, positioning himself on either side of her body. "What are you avoiding for? Are you scared?"
Serena frowned, turning her face to the side, not daring to look at him.
She stubbornly retorted, "What's there to be scared of? I don't understand what you're saying!"
"Don't understand?!" He lowered his head and looked at her neck. One hand raised, gently tugging at the slightly turned collar.
Serena suddenly shivered, instinctively covering her chest. "What... What are you doing?!"
Xavier crooked his lips and gave a mischievous smile, "Weren't you not scared? Why are you so nervous?"
"You..." Her voice got lower and lower, almost impossible to speak. She murmured, "Can you back off a bit? Stay away from me?"
"Why?! You don't like it like this?!"
Serena wanted to shake her head, telling him, "Yes, I don't like it!" But those words felt entirely against her conscience.
In fact, she didn't mind his closeness. Instead, her heartbeat quickened, and her mind started to feel dizzy.
Her nose twitched, Serena still tilted her head but remained silent.
Xavier then lowered his head, bringing his lips near to her slender, fair neck. Instead of kissing, he gently rubbed her skin with his nose.
It felt like there were countless ants nibbling at her neck. Serena felt an unbearable itch where he had touched, and gradually, the tingling sensation spread from her neck to the rest of her body. She felt both hot and thirsty, almost unbearably uncomfortable.
Unable to tolerate it anymore, she pushed against the man's firm chest, "Hey, you... you're pressing against me!"
Xavier's heart tightened, and he quickly looked down.
Aside from his nose against her neck, his body didn't really touch hers much.
He was careful with all his movements, making sure before acting.
"Where did I press?" he asked in confusion.
He was certain that he hadn't pressed against her while propping himself up on the coffee table.
"That..." Serena blushed deeply, like a ripe tomato, stammering, unable to say anything.
Xavier was embarrassed, "Serena, so you also make such excuses! If you admit it, say you're scared, I might, just might, consider letting you off today..."
"No! It's not an excuse! It... it really pressed against me..." Her voice got softer and softer, until it was barely audible, almost impossible to hear.
"Then tell me, where did it press?"
Serena bit her lower lip, hesitated for a while, then slowly raised her hand, pointing downwards.
Following her finger, Xavier's gaze fell to the lower part of her abdomen, where a distinct bulge appeared. His face, even more rarely, turned red.
He hurriedly released her, stood up, and stepped back a bit.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, this is just a normal physiological response. If I didn't do that, how could I prove to you that I'm completely normal, and... capable?"
He finished speaking, bent down, picked up the two bags of toiletries Serena had bought for him, and walked toward the hospital door. "Come on, let's go! Now you can rest assured. I... I'm totally capable of carrying these!"
Serena clutched her chest, recalling the scene just now, still blushing and feeling her heart race.
After a brief pause, she finally gathered the courage to follow him.
On the way from the Vernon Hospital to the exclusive clinic, the two remained silent, not speaking.
Serena gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed ahead, not daring to glance at the passenger seat.
Strangely, Xavier was also unusually quiet. Aside from a few reminders about pedestrians at intersections, he hadn't said much.
Soon, they arrived at their destination. Serena turned off the engine and kept her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. "We're here!"
"Yeah!" Xavier nodded, "Well... I'll go in first."
"Alright, rest well, get better soon!"
The man didn't reply, but turned around, picking up the two bags of toiletries from the back seat. "I'll take the stuff."
"Alright!"
Without further conversation, he took long strides, getting out of the car.
At the exclusive clinic's entrance, a group of medical staff, who had received the news, were already waiting.
Seeing Xavier, a man in a white coat with black-framed glasses jogged up, smiling, "Sir! I'm the new director, Dr. Wale."
Xavier nodded without looking at him, his face serious.
Dr. Wale quickly exchanged a look, and another younger doctor stepped forward, bent down to grab the plastic bags from Xavier's hand. "Sir, you've worked hard, let me carry these."
"No need, I can carry them myself!" Xavier swiftly dodged the man's hand.
All the medical staff were surprised, secretly wondering what precious item Xavier was carrying that he wouldn't even let anyone touch it.
***