Lin Yiran was still feeling dizzy when she reached the west gate. People greeted her along the way, but she could only politely smile and wave, unable to distinguish who was who.

She had just told Li Qianduo that she was going out for a while, and Li Qianduo had asked with concern: “You’re in this state and still going out? Should I come with you?”

Lin Yiran shook her head and smiled: “Someone from home is coming to see me.”

“Oh, okay then,” Li Qianduo instructed her, “If you start feeling worse, remember to get an injection, don’t just try to tough it out.”

“I know,” Lin Yiran touched her face. Li Qianduo swayed her head and leaned against her briefly, saying, “Then I’ll be going?”

Lin Yiran nodded, and Li Qianduo left, turning to look back at her every few steps.

Qiu Xing stood across the street and raised his arm toward Lin Yiran.

Lin Yiran saw him and walked over.

From a distance, Qiu Xing could already see Lin Yiran’s pale face. Her thin blouse billowed in the wind, making her look even thinner.

There was heavy traffic on the road, and Lin Yiran stood on the median strip, unable to cross. She coughed a couple of times while holding her bag. She looked a bit anxious, rising onto her tiptoes and waving at Qiu Xing.

Qiu Xing raised his chin, gesturing for her to watch the traffic.

When Lin Yiran finally reached him, Qiu Xing took her bag, finding it a bit heavy, and glanced at it.

“There’s a hot water bottle inside,” Lin Yiran said in her congested voice.

Qiu Xing asked her: “Are you hungry?”

Lin Yiran shook her head gently: “Not hungry, no appetite.”

“Feeling bad?” Qiu Xing looked at her and asked.

Lin Yiran didn’t try to act tough. She sniffled and looked at Qiu Xing with pitiful eyes, saying: “Bad.”

Qiu Xing hailed a taxi, and Lin Yiran followed him into the back seat.

After giving the address, Qiu Xing felt Lin Yiran’s forehead. Lin Yiran said softly: “No fever.”

Her voice sounded hoarse and weak. Qiu Xing asked: “How did this happen?”

“Don’t know,” Lin Yiran thought for a moment before saying, “Maybe from the air conditioning.”

“You sleep with the air conditioning on?” Qiu Xing asked.

Lin Yiran shook her head: “Turned it off before sleeping.”

Lin Yiran had a pretty good constitution and didn’t catch colds often. Back when she followed Qiu Xing’s truck day and night, eating and sleeping at irregular times, often exposed to wind and rain, she never caught a cold. Qiu Xing had even said she was tough, though she looked thin, her health was good.

Today, she was completely wilted, with no energy at all. Her face was bare of makeup, with only a touch of lip balm applied because of her pallor. Qiu Xing had rarely seen her like this and kept turning to look at her in the car.

Lin Yiran’s voice was small and hoarse as she asked him: “Why did you come?”

Qiu Xing said: “Passing through.”

Qiu Xing was indeed passing through. He had come to negotiate a partnership with a company in the neighboring province, scheduled for tomorrow. When booking his ticket, Qiu Xing had hesitated and decided to come to Lin Yiran’s city today. It was a two-hour journey from here to there, and Qiu Xing would leave tomorrow morning.

Lin Yiran was still happy. She reached out to hold Qiu Xing’s arm and quietly rested her face on his shoulder. Qiu Xing lowered his back slightly, sliding down a bit.

The traffic was congested at this time, with the taxi squeezed into the slowly moving stream of vehicles, stopping and starting intermittently. Lin Yiran closed her eyes. Qiu Xing’s shoulder was at just the right height for her to rest comfortably. Although her body felt terrible, her heart was very calm at this moment.

“Want to get an injection?” Qiu Xing turned his head slightly, his chin touching Lin Yiran’s head as he spoke.

“Don’t want to go,” Lin Yiran said softly.

She didn’t hate hospitals, but she didn’t particularly like them either. When people are vulnerable, they think of home, of their mothers. Lin Yiran had lost her mother at the hospital, and since then, she had no home.

“I’ve already taken medicine,” she said, holding Qiu Xing’s wrist.

“Mm,” Qiu Xing said, “Then we won’t go.”

The hotel bed was clean and soft. Qiu Xing only opened a window, not turning on the air conditioning.

Lin Yiran lay fully clothed under the covers. Her dark, glossy hair spread against the white pillow, with the ends suspended slightly over the edge. Qiu Xing stood beside the bed and asked: “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it and bring it back.”

Lin Yiran said something, but Qiu Xing bent down, bringing his ear close to her lips: “What did you say?”

“Don’t want to eat right now,” Lin Yiran said.

“Then you sleep for a while,” Qiu Xing said.

Lin Yiran quietly moved back a bit, creating space in front of her.

Qiu Xing said: “I’m dirty.”

Lin Yiran didn’t speak, just opened her eyes to look at Qiu Xing. After a few seconds of eye contact, Qiu Xing stood up straight, lifted his hands to take off his short-sleeved shirt, and sat down.

Lin Yiran wasn’t a fragile person. She had a certain resilience about her, not easily admitting pain or fatigue. In the past, even when she felt unwell, she wouldn’t say much.

Now, she didn’t mind showing her vulnerable side to Qiu Xing, obviously seeking comfort.

Qiu Xing placed his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. His palm was warm, his fingers slowly massaging her scalp, which felt very comfortable. Lin Yiran’s breathing steadied, and she fell asleep quietly.

Qiu Xing waited until she had been asleep for a while before going out. He bought some light food for dinner, and before that, he passed by a mall and went in to buy some things for Lin Yiran.

When Lin Yiran woke up, she opened her eyes to see Qiu Xing still sitting beside her, looking down at his phone.

“Qiu Xing,” Lin Yiran called softly.

Qiu Xing shifted his gaze from his phone to her face: “Awake?”

The curtains were drawn, and Lin Yiran had slept so deeply that she thought it was already midnight. Qiu Xing said: “It’s almost eight o’clock. Get up and eat something.”

“Okay,” Lin Yiran lay there for a bit longer before sitting up in bed and saying, “I need to go out and buy…”

Qiu Xing, without raising his head, said: “Already bought everything for you.”

Lin Yiran got out of bed and had already seen a bag of items on the table. She turned back to look at Qiu Xing in surprise.

“How did you know?” Lin Yiran asked him, slightly stunned.

Qiu Xing raised his eyebrows but didn’t answer.

Qiu Xing always appeared indifferent to everything, cool and detached. Even now, he seemed too lazy to even open his mouth to respond.

Lin Yiran opened the bag to look at its contents.

Sanitary pads, a toothbrush, socks, and even a facial cleanser she usually used, along with what might have been some small skincare samples given with the cleanser purchase.

Qiu Xing still maintained that nonchalant expression, yet with that same sullen face, he had gone out to buy sanitary pads. He could remember roughly when Lin Yiran’s period came, and he thought of it immediately when he knew there was a hot water bottle in her bag.

Lin Yiran’s fate had turned unfortunate since her second year of high school, full of absurd drama. Yet there were always moments when she felt lucky because of Qiu Xing.

Fate had mockingly taken everything from her, then compensated by letting her meet Qiu Xing. Sometimes Lin Yiran thought, if it was like that, then apart from her mother’s life, exchanging everything else for one Qiu Xing might not be so bad.

Lin Yiran took a shower and felt clean and refreshed, as if she wasn’t feeling so bad anymore.

She ate a little food, though not much, as she had no appetite. Qiu Xing finished what she had left and also went to take a shower.

Lin Yiran sat on the edge of the bed, typing on her phone for a while. When Qiu Xing came out, he said to her: “Your headache is gone?”

“Better now,” Lin Yiran tilted her head back, smiled at him, and beckoned for him to come over.

“What is it?” Qiu Xing walked over and stood beside her.

Lin Yiran asked him to bend down. She tilted her face up high, her slender neck beautiful, the small mole below her ear conspicuously visible.

Qiu Xing was somewhat surprised but still kissed her on the mouth.

Lin Yiran smiled with curving eyes and said: “Smell me, I’m fragrant.”

Qiu Xing had misunderstood her, but he smiled too, his nose tip lightly brushing against her cheek and jawbone, saying: “Mm, you do smell nice.”

“I’ve only ever used this brand of facial cleanser, never tried others. I think they’re too expensive,” Lin Yiran hadn’t finished speaking when Qiu Xing raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

Lin Yiran asked him: “Did they give you those samples when you bought the cleanser?”

“I asked for them,” Qiu Xing said.

“How did you ask?” Lin Yiran asked with a smile.

Qiu Xing: “I just said give me some face cream.”

Lin Yiran could imagine Qiu Xing’s matter-of-fact tone, and her eyes curved again in a smile.

Qiu Xing sat down beside her and fiddled with his phone for a while.

Lin Yiran then received a text message—another bank card notification.

“Don’t need money,” Lin Yiran said after glancing at it.

“Buy face cream,” Qiu Xing said expressionlessly.

“I don’t need such expensive ones. My skin is pretty good,” Lin Yiran’s voice was still a bit hoarse, and speaking with a smile like this made her sound more lively than usual, perhaps because she was genuinely happy.

“Smells good. Buy it,” Qiu Xing said.

That night, Lin Yiran went to bed early. She still wasn’t feeling well—her body was uncomfortable, but her heart had a kind of fluffy, warm feeling.

Qiu Xing held her from behind, placing his hand on her lower abdomen over her clothes.

“Need the hot water bottle?” Qiu Xing asked from behind her.

Lin Yiran said: “No need.”

Qiu Xing didn’t speak again, only changing the position of his hand occasionally. Lin Yiran’s stomach felt warm from his heat.

Behind her was Qiu Xing’s chest, holding her snugly.

Lin Yiran liked the feeling of being enveloped by him. It made her feel like a child possessed, cherished.

She could faintly hear Qiu Xing’s heartbeat and feel his breathing.

Lin Yiran closed her eyes and called softly: “Qiu Xing.”

Qiu Xing: “Mm?”

Lin Yiran had her back to him, her breathing and voice both slow and gentle: “Let’s… be in a relationship, okay?”

Qiu Xing’s answer was decisive: “No.”

Lin Yiran’s breath trembled: “Why?”

Qiu Xing said: “That ship has sailed.”

Lin Yiran was silent for a moment, then grabbed Qiu Xing’s hand and moved it to a different position.

Qiu Xing asked her: “Does it hurt here?”

“Mm,” Lin Yiran asked again, “Let’s be in a relationship?”

“I said no,” Qiu Xing didn’t remove his hand, only saying, “You said three years when we started. Keep track of the time yourself.”

“I was young then…” Lin Yiran said hurriedly, “I thought you wouldn’t…”

“Are you going to sleep or not?” Qiu Xing interrupted her, nudging the back of her head with his nose. “Go to sleep.”

Qiu Xing kept saying no, but Lin Yiran vaguely felt that his tone was light, not entirely serious.