If her memory served her right, Shawn was staying at the Brightway Health Hospital.

If her eyes were not playing tricks on her, then she was pretty sure Brian was not driving on the route to the Brightway Health Hospital.

When she pointed that out to Brian, all he said was "I know".

"you're still taking the wrong route if you know?" Joanne was swamped by a wave of confusion. "Is this your idea of fun?"

Brian smirked. "Won't you think that I'm doing this on purpose?"

For a long moment, Joanne tried in vain to puzzle out what he had meant. "Doing what on purpose?"

"Perhaps I'm purposely driving in the wrong direction to prevent you from seeing Shawn."

The look on his face was as if he was smiling and not smiling at the same time. It was impossible to tell whether he had been serious or joking.

Joanne, on the other hand, was nothing but serious as she contemplated his words. After a while, she shook her head. "Nah. Impossible."

Brian raised his brows in interest. "Why do you think that's impossible?"

"Because there's just no reason for you to do that." Joanne began a series of systematic analysis. "My meeting with Shawn doesn't affect you at all. Why would you prevent me from seeing him? Besides... driving in the wrong direction on purpose? That's just too childish. I believe you wouldn't stoop to such immaturity!"

Brian narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that your meeting with Shawn doesn't affect me?" he said. As usual, it was impossible to tell from his tone whether he was happy or upset.

A distracted look formed on Joanne's face. "You mean there is? Well, other than reducing the amount of petrol in your fuel tank, what else can there be?"

"..." The nerve of him!

Then again, Joanne probably would not get it even if he explained it, so Brian kept quiet. Noticing his silence, Joanne clammed up too.

After a short while, a private hospital, which was practically in the same league as five-star hotels, appeared before Joanne. She was at a loss of words for a long moment before she asked, "Why are we here?"

"Shawn was transferred here the same day we left for G City," Brian answered as he parked the car.

".... I'm close with Shawn, but yet I didn't even know that he had been transferred to a new hospital. How did you know?" Joanne stared at Brian's defined jawline. The look on her face was a mixture of doubt and suspicion. Then, it hit her. "It was you! You're the one who transferred him?!"

Brian hummed. "Come on, get out of the car."

Joanne followed Brian into the elevator pensively. "The environment here is more suitable for Shawn's recovery," she said, "thank you."

The elevator dinged when it reached the floor that Brian had selected. A narrow gap formed on the glossy surface of the tempered steel door as it began to slide open. Joanne was just about to march out when she heard a loud smack. Out of the blue, a tall figure loomed in front of her, blocking her path.

It was Brian.

His hand held down the elevator's close button, preventing the doors from opening. His tall and towering figure blocked her entirely.

All was quiet in the tight, confined space of the elevator. Joanne could practically feel the rise and fall of Brian's chest. His dark eyes had somehow turned deep and heavy. An aura of danger emanated from him, which was so intense that it was outright suffocating.

"Brian." Joanne looked at the man timidly. This man had suddenly transformed into a stranger. "Are you okay?"

Brian gritted his teeth. "Don't ever let me hear you expressing gratitude on Shawn's behalf," he growled, pausing on each word.

"..." Joanne felt a little confused. It was not her intention to express gratitude on Shawn's behalf. Still, putting that aside, even if that had been her intention, so what?

Seeing her confusion, Brian felt a sudden urge to engrave each and every one of his next words into her mind. "I switched Shawn to a better hospital. He's the one who should be thanking me. What's that got to do with you? Just who are you to each other, hm?"

Vaguely, Joanne realized something. "Brian sounds kind of jealous," she thought.

She pushed Brian away slightly and explained, "Shawn risked his life to save mine. But there's nothing much I can do for him other than bringing him food. I was just thanking you for helping me provide a better environment for him, not thanking you on his behalf. Why are you overthinking this?"

All of a sudden, that smothering and dangerous aura dissipated from the elevator like air leaving a deflating balloon.

Joanne went on thoughtlessly, "Although I'm close with Shawn, hmm... yup, slightly closer than I'm with you, I suppose. But we're still not close enough for me to be thanking others on his behalf. It's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything."

Seriously? She had the nerve to say that she was closer to Shawn than she was to him? Right to his face, no less?

It was as if that balloon had suddenly got reinflated. Slowly, the dangerous aura began to amass within the elevator.

Brian released his hold on the close button. The doors parted and slid open. He pulled Joanne out of the elevator.

Once again, it seemed to Joanne that Brian was acting strangely.

"Argh. Why's his mood as unpredictable as June's weather?" she thought.

She was still in the middle of her reverie when she was suddenly pushed against the wall by Brian. His tall frame had her completely trapped. His familiar scent and his breaths assaulted her nostrils...

She gulped. "Lu, Brian?"

Brian lowered his head slightly and stared right into her eyes. "Just how close are you and Shawn, hm?"

"About as close as Freya and I," Joanne said, feeling uncomfortable. She wanted to struggle herself free. "Why are you asking?" Also, did he really have to lean in so close just to ask that?

He had no clue if it was due to nerves or some other unknown reason, but a tinge of pink slowly took form on Joanne's cheeks. They were in enough proximity for him to shackle her completely, and yet she was trying to run away like a tiny bird. When she pursed her tender and plump lips, she had effortlessly distracted Brian.

By the time he realized what he was doing, Brian's lips had already crashed down on hers.

She tasted just as sweet as he remembered. One taste sufficed to turn him into an addict.

Cigarettes, alcohol, and even drugs; those were the temptations that he could effortlessly resist.

Only she could lower his threshold. Only she could make his powers of resistance vanish in an instant.

Joanne did not expect Brian to suddenly take advantage of her like this. One second he was pissed off, the next he had immediately switched to a new target. He was kissing her in broad daylight. In a hospital corridor, no less!

Her mind had gone completely blank. When she regained enough of her senses, she tried to push Brian away. But Brian wrapped his arm around her waist in a tight loop. In the next instant, she was pulled straight into Brian's arms.

"Don't you dare push me away!"

His deep voice held a subtle gentleness, but for the most part, it sounded like a forceful command.

As if Joanne could ever be that obedient. She shoved at him forcefully. "No, don't. We're at the hospital, you, oomph..."

Her lips were recaptured before she could finish her sentence. This time, she did not even have the chance to push him away. In fact, she barely had the chance to take a breath.

Brian's kiss was just like his personality. His icy lips would bring a kiss so insistent that there could be no room for refusal. He pried opened her clenched teeth, leaving no chance for her to argue. His tongue caught hers in a tangle, and he sucked forcefully.

Slowly, Joanne's struggles became futile. She sagged against him, allowing him to hold her. Beside her ear, the warmth of their mingled breaths caressed their skin comfortably.

This was their most intimate moment.

After a long while, Brian slowly released Joanne.

A foggy layer had glazed over her bright eyes, giving them a hazy and confused look. Right then, she looked like a small pet who had been separated from its owner. The pink on her cheeks had now bloomed into a deep shade of red, rendering her cheeks as enticing as her plump lips.

Dazed, she stared into his eyes as if she had yet to fully grasp the fact that she had just been utterly taken advantage of by him.

Smirking, Brian lowered his head to the point where their foreheads were almost touching. Some kind of inexplicable evil aura loomed at the tip of his brows. "Are things between you and Shawn as good as this? Hm?"

Joanne snapped out of her trance, her eyes widening abruptly. She broke herself free from his arms. "I, I, I'm going to the ladies room."

"Right. Good luck in finding the ladies room in the middle of a corridor," Brian thought, but he did not stop her. He watched as she stumbled around to find the ladies room. After a while, she paused, clearly having just realized that she was now in a corridor. She lowered her head and made her way back.

"No!" she raised her delicate face to stare at him. "Things aren't like that between Shawn and I. The only times our hands had touched were also out of necessity. The experiments we were conducting required it. I don't feel anything at all when our hands touched. Just like what normal people would feel when trying to hold hands using two right hands while standing side by side. No, we aren't close enough for us to be kissing. Are you satisfied?"

Brian smiled. "Very satisfied."

She and Shawn were classmates during their first year in university. Joanne did not warm up to people easily back then, so they got closer only during their second year. They would always finish classes and conduct experiments together. Things between them might seem intimate, though their relationship was purely platonic in reality. Not once had Shawn tried to cross any boundaries either.

Brian knew about all this. Otherwise, Shawn would have long since been transferred to another department.

"You're so lame," Joanne said with a pout. "Where is Shawn's room?"

"1401."

It was at the opposite end of the corridor. Joanne headed over and knocked on the door. Shawn's voice rang out shortly. "Come in."

Shawn was surprised for a moment when he saw Joanne walking in. But everything clicked when he saw Brian walking in behind her. "Please, sit anywhere you like," he said.

Joanne dragged a visitor's chair and placed it beside Shawn's bed before sitting down. "How are your wounds?"

"I'm recovering well. I can be discharged soon." Shawn shot Brian a glance, smiling. "Mr. Lambert, you don't actually have to take the trouble to visit me."

Unconsciously, Joanne looked towards Brian, who was already heading over. On his lips, there was a courteous smile. "Mr. Shawn, I should visit you to thank you personally. Thank you for saving Joanne's life in that critical moment."

"It's what I should do, whether it was personal or not. In that kind of situation, its only right that I try to save her. So, you're welcome." Shawn thought for a while, and then smiled. "Actually, it is I who should be thanking you right now. I've heard from my father that you've had a hand in helping our family business overcome a critical challenge. Plus, you've arranged for the hospital switch. You've done more than enough."

Joanne knew nothing of this. Brian had never mentioned it to her.

She shot Brian a questioning glance, but was met with a calm and composed smile.

"Joanne, you still haven't returned to work?" Shawn asked.

"Nope. Will return after a few days, though. By the way, what do you feel like having for dinner tonight? I'll make it for you!" Joanne said.

"No need," Brian had spoken way before Shawn.

Joanne looked at him in confusion. "Why not?"

"I've asked the doctor to arrange a nutritionist for Mr. Shawn. Right now, his meals are coordinated and managed by the nutritionist. This is to help speed up his recovery. The hospital's kitchen will take care of his meals. You shouldn't get in the way."

He could even make a phrase like "get in the way", which contained slight accusatory undertones, sound so affectionate. Joanne looked at him, at his lowered eyes and tender smile. There was a moment when she was at the brink of losing her mind, though she did not. "Oh," she muttered before quickly returning her attention to Shawn.

She wondered what on earth had possessed her. Shawn was pretty good looking too. In fact, he had been given the moniker "the most eligible guy on campus" when they were still students. He had received love letters and confessions every day. Heck, he could pretty much open a store with all that chocolate he had received for Valentine's. So how come she would not blush or feel her pulse race even if she hung around Shawn all day?

But one movement, one accidental touch, or even one single glance from Brian would drive her crazy.

She was way too pathetic!

She decided to do something that would make her less pathetic.

"I have some matters to discuss with Shawn," she said, glancing at Brian. "If you're busy, you can head back first. I'll take a cab later."