Chapter 162 Seeing What Shouldn't Be Seen
Hunter stood at the entrance of the inpatient building, hands in his pockets, a warm smile on his face as he watched her. He looked like a boyfriend waiting to pick up his girlfriend from work.
He was dressed in a burgundy mid-length woolen overcoat with a black turtleneck sweater underneath. A hint of a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, giving him the air of a debonair gentleman.
He exuded an air of elegance and charisma. Black leather boots paired with his long legs accentuated his slender figure, along with an innate air of nobility that could rival that of a top international male model.
The cold wind howled, causing his coat to flutter and his hair to sway.
Patricia could clearly see him shivering from the cold.
She immediately went over, pulling him away from the wind to take refuge behind the wall, scolding, “You're dressed so lightly, aren't you cold standing in the wind? Don't you know to find shelter from the wind?”
Hunter, like a child, quietly let her lead him, his lips curving happily, “I was afraid you wouldn't see me, so I stood in the most noticeable place, to make sure you could find me at a glance.”
Patricia's heart skipped a beat, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite describe.
There was touch, concern, but more than anything, a sense of helplessness she couldn't respond to.
Hunter then said, “Besides, you personally picked out this coat for me yesterday. I think it's very warm, not cold at all! Don't believe me, touch my hand, and feel how warm it is,” saying this, Hunter took Patricia's hand.
Just as he said, his palm was warm, but his fingertips were cold. One could easily guess that he must have clenched his hand into a fist from the earlier cold to keep his palm warm, but that hadn't warmed his fingertips.
Patricia withdrew her hand and grabbed the back of his hand.
Indeed, the back of Hunter's hand was even colder than his fingertips.
“You still say you're not cold, but every part of you, except for your palm, is as cold as ice.”
“Hehe...” Hunter just stared at Patricia and chuckled relentlessly.
Patricia was mystified by his laughter.
Hunter said with delight, “Are you worried about me?”
Patricia responded confidently, “We grew up together since we were kids. Shouldn’t I care about you?”
Hunter's smile broadened, looking like a teenager experiencing first love, “Hehe...of course, of course... that's why I'm so happy.”
Patricia, who normally sat primly and stood upright, felt her cheeks redden from his relentless chuckling and teasing words. Her heart inexplicably raced, and she cast her gaze down in a mix of turmoil and shyness, wanting to escape. As her eyes fell upon their intertwined hands, she momentarily held her breath. Embarrassed, she tried to withdraw her hand.
Sensing her intention, Hunter grasped her hand even tighter.
“I'm cold, your hand is warm, warm me up!” he said.
Visiting hours at the hospital had not started yet and passersby couldn’t help but notice the couple.
With her cheeks burning and her heart in a flutter, Patricia ignored Hunter's wishes, forcibly pulling her hand back and from her pocket, she took out a hand warmer and thrust it at him.
“This is warmer than my hand! Use this instead!”
Sensing her resistance, Hunter wisely refrained from insisting. He clumsily opened the heat patch package and, following the instructions, attempted to activate it.
Patricia raised her eyebrows in confusion, “You’ve never used a heat patch before?”
“Do you really think someone of my status would have to use this personally? I may not have used it myself, but I've seen others do it; it seems you need to rub it to generate heat,” Hunter explained, rubbing the heat patch in the hope of warming it up.
Patricia fell silent, slightly amused. Of course, a person of Hunter’s standing is always surrounded by central heating; why would he need a heat patch? And if he did, a servant would typically prepare it for him; he wouldn't need to do it himself.
With a sigh, she took the nearly destroyed heat patch from his hands and tossed it into a nearby bin. Then she pulled a new one from her pocket, unwrapped it, stacked it properly, and put it back in Hunter’s hands.
With a hint of exasperation, Patricia clarified, “No need to rub it. Just tear open the packaging, and the oxygen in the air will react with the polymers inside to produce a sustained heat release. Just wait a moment, and it’ll warm up on its own.”
Hunter chuckled with a hint of self-mockery, adopting a consoling demeanor, “Oh... haha... My Patricia is so intelligent. You’ve gone from the little girl who needed my protection to a mature woman who can stand on her own.”
Once, the words 'my Patricia' wouldn’t have caused her to overthink. But after Hunter’s confession, those words seemed to have gained a new layer of meaning, causing her mind to wander and her cheeks to redden.
Under the light, her skin appeared delicately smooth and flawless, without a single blemish.
Hunter was mesmerized, his breath becoming uneven as his heart began to beat faster. Noticing his emerging feelings, he immediately shook off the budding emotions and teased her, “Are you blushing?”
Patricia, flustered and annoyed, smacked him lightly, “Stop teasing me! How long have you been here? Have you had dinner?”
Hunter shook his head, “I’ve been waiting here since 5:30, hoping to surprise you. I didn’t expect to end up catching a cold from the night air.”
In shock, Patricia exclaimed, “You’ve been here since 5:30? Why didn’t you call me? What if you caught a cold?”
Showing a hint of grievance, Hunter replied, “I was afraid of disturbing your work.”
Patricia sighed in resignation, “Next time you come to see me, call first, so you don’t have to wait this long. Let’s go; I'll join you for dinner! Though since it’s past regular meal hours, our options will be limited.”
Hunter shrugged nonchalantly, “No need to go to a restaurant; we can have a late-night snack! Remember how I used to sneak you out for supper when we were kids? Those were the happiest times for me, and it feels like it all happened just yesterday.”
Patricia's memories were instantly triggered by his words.
Not just for Hunter, but for her too, it was the fondest of memories.
"Alright, I'll take you for some late-night food! To the place we always used to go."
Hunter asked in surprise, "I went to the place after I returned, wasn't it closed?"
Patricia shook her head, "No, it just moved to a bigger location. The old place was too small."
"Oh!" Hunter nodded, suddenly understanding.
The two walked side by side to the door.
At some point, the sky began to flutter with large snowflakes.
The cobblestone path, the trees, and the grass were all lightly coated in a thin layer of snow, stretching into a vast expanse of pristine white beauty.
"It's snowing! It's so beautiful."
Patricia put on her coat and hat, opened her hands, and watched the snowflakes fall and quickly melt in her palms.
Hunter took out a folding umbrella from his pocket and opened it. With the umbrella in his left hand and his right hand around Patricia's shoulder, he pulled her close into his embrace.
Patricia felt a twinge of resentment and was ready to struggle.
Sensing her intention, Hunter spoke first, "I only have one umbrella, and I can't stand to watch the woman I love walk in the snow. Alternatively, I can give you the umbrella, and I'll walk in the snow, if that's what you want."
With these words, he effectively cornered Patricia, blocking any retreat.
Patricia gave up the struggle and allowed him to hold her.
The two walked closely under one umbrella on the snowy ground, their intimacy resembling that of a couple deeply in love.
Meanwhile.
The elevator doors opened.
Martin, holding an umbrella and looking anxious, ran out. Upon seeing the affectionate pair, he froze as if struck by lightning.
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