Lately, the nurses at the hospital loved making rounds to Room 401. Zhang Qiu was one of them—before each visit, she’d spin around in front of the mirror, fussing over her appearance.

“Oh my, going to see the handsome guy in 401 again?” someone teased as they passed by, noticing Zhang Qiu primping once more.

Speaking of the patient in 401, all the female nurses had some impression of him.

Clear brows and bright eyes, wearing his hospital gown like a finely detailed black-and-white ink painting from old times, with shading that was just right. His demeanor in daily interactions seemed gentle, but he didn’t talk much.

“I got someone to check on that police officer—his name is Xu Xingchun, right? So young and already a squadron leader, with no bad habits. I have a cousin who works at their branch, and he says Xu doesn’t have a girlfriend yet. He rarely makes mistakes at work, and many leaders at their bureau appreciate him. Anyway, he’s a rising star with a promising future.” Nurse A’s eyes sparkled as she chatted with Zhang Qiu during lunch.

Zhang Qiu remained composed, listening to Nurse A’s gossip while eating gracefully. She couldn’t deny that she was quite interested in Xu Xingchun.

Part of it was because her family had been pressuring her about marriage recently, forcing her to go on blind dates with some greasy middle-aged men.

Zhang Qiu was very pretty, a bit proud, and had been appearance-focused since childhood. With her own good conditions and an iron rice bowl job as a nurse, she had no shortage of suitors. Although those blind date men had money, she felt they lacked class, and she just couldn’t fancy them anyway.

“Oh, oh, there’s more.” Nurse A said mysteriously, “His parents both seem to be gone, and he looks cold but has a warm heart—definitely the type who knows how to cherish people. Although his line of work is a bit dangerous, he still has a car and a house. Marrying him would be quite a blessing.”

Zhang Qiu paused, thinking carefully. Apart from an auntie who frequently brought him meals, it seemed no relatives really came to visit Xu Xingchun.

However, she didn’t show it on the surface and coyly scolded Nurse A with a touch of reserve, “What are you even talking about? That’s jumping the gun.”

“Stop pretending, okay? You’ve been living in springtime these past few days—how could I not know you’re interested in him? Last time when I went to change Sir Xu’s bandages, oh my, that beautiful body—eight-pack abs so sexy, I wanted to reach out and touch them. Too bad I have a boyfriend, otherwise I’d ask for his contact info or something.”

Zhang Qiu’s face flushed red as she pretended to hit her, “Aren’t you shameless?”

Nurse A smiled knowingly, “Alright, alright, enough joking around.”

During the midday break, Zhang Qiu was still mulling over Xu Xingchun.

She figured that since his family life was unhappy, he must be somewhat starved for affection. If she took advantage of this time to slip in, bringing him more warmth and letting him experience what it felt like to be cared for by someone, it might yield twice the results with half the effort. Although Xu Xingchun seemed rather frigid now, at least it proved that despite being handsome, he wasn’t the type who liked to flirt with women.

In the afternoon, rounds began at the scheduled time.

The elderly gentleman in the neighboring bed had passed away a few days ago and had been moved out, leaving only Xu Xingchun in the room.

He sat calmly, leaning against the headboard. Because his right shoulder was injured and only one hand could move freely, documents and a computer piled up before him, waiting to be processed.

Zhang Qiu’s gaze swept over Xu Xingchun’s face, then noticed his hand holding the pen.

No overly prominent knuckles, neatly trimmed, slender and smooth. Very pleasing to the eye.

When a man already possessed a handsome appearance, especially when he looked focused and absorbed in something, it was truly very attractive.

She coughed unnaturally, hands tucked in her coat pockets, calling for his attention, “Officer Xu?”

Xu Xingchun looked up at the sound.

Zhang Qiu tilted her head playfully, with a teasing, slightly smiling tone, “Such strong work ethic—your body hasn’t even recovered yet and you’re already busy with work?”

Xu Xingchun nodded slightly in response.

When flirting with men, you had to have moderation—not too enthusiastic, but not too cold either. A little overstepping was fine; subtle ambiguity was most appropriate.

Zhang Qiu walked over and helped adjust his crooked pillow, her voice carrying just the right amount of shyness, “Usually, you shouldn’t be discussing cases with those colleagues who come to the hospital. The doctor said you should talk less, preferably not talk at all. You haven’t recovered yet, so you need to rest properly.”

“Don’t blame me for being naggy—after all, your health is most important.”

She lowered her head, shyly smiling sweetly, naturally missing the weariness and indifference in Xu Xingchun’s eyes.

The delicate white calla lilies at his bedside had lost their fragrance. Zhang Qiu noticed and reached out to touch them, only to be blocked by his hand.

She froze, hearing Xu Xingchun’s emotionless two words: “—Don’t touch.”

“Um…” Zhang Qiu showed a somewhat wronged yet innocent expression, explaining hesitantly, “I saw they’d already withered and wanted to ask if you needed me to water them, or take them away to throw out?”

She felt that in Xu Xingchun’s tone just now, there seemed to be very complex emotions hidden. He was trying hard to control and endure something.

“No need, thank you.” Before she could think further, he nodded at her, his voice faintly distant again as it returned to its usual manner, “I need to handle some matters now.”

Was he implying he wanted her to leave?

That one sentence blocked all the remaining words Zhang Qiu wanted to say. She left the hospital room somewhat gloomily, running into the auntie who delivered meals every day at the corner. The two exchanged perfunctory greetings before Zhang Qiu walked away without much spirit.

Auntie Qi pushed through the door carrying two insulated containers, “Xiao Xu, still working?!”

Xu Xingchun paused and put down his pen, “Auntie Qi.”

“I made you chicken soup today, especially fragrant. You must be hungry.” Without asking, Auntie Qi directly picked up all the messy documents on the table and moved them aside, replacing them with the two insulated containers, “Eat first, hurry up.”

Auntie Qi sat nearby watching Xu Xingchun eat, making small talk with him, “Did the doctor say when you can be discharged?”

“Half a month.”

Auntie Qi smiled, “That’s quite soon.”

Xu Xingchun looked down, “Thank you for your trouble during this time.”

“What trouble?! I practically watched you grow up. You know, when I received Lili’s call before, she asked me to come to Shencheng to take care of you for a while, saying you were seriously injured and hospitalized—it broke my heart.”

Xu Xingchun’s hand paused.

Auntie Qi was the Fu family’s housekeeper, having worked there for many years with deep affection for the family—she was like half an elder. In recent years, because of starting families and busy careers, Fu Chenglin and Fu Xueli rarely went home, so Auntie Qi was semi-retired.

Watching Xu Xingchun finish the last bit of soup, Auntie Qi reminisced with a beaming smile, “I remember how much you loved Auntie Qi’s cooking. Back in middle and high school, you often came to tutor Lili. All of you were picky eaters, but you ate everything cleanest. After all these years, my skills are still sharp, right?”

Xu Xingchun smiled at this, “Yes, still delicious.”

“You’re such a child, always so sensible and endearing. Even in this condition, don’t push yourself so hard—stop thinking about work all day.” Auntie Qi cleared the table, suddenly asking, “By the way, how are things between you and Lili now? When I ask her, she won’t tell me, just says not to worry about it.”

Xu Xingchun reverted to his usual taciturn self.

Seeing his dejected expression, Auntie Qi didn’t press further, muttering to herself, “You two are really strange. Lili calls me every day asking about your condition, but when I tell her to ask you directly, she refuses. Who knows what you’re bickering about now.”

Xu Xingchun stared at the bouquet of nearly withered calla lilies.

Auntie Qi looked worried, “Sigh, Lili has been like this since childhood—stubborn temperament. After all these years, still like a child, emotionally immature. If you two have any conflicts, you have such a good temper, so bear with her more.”

Xu Xingchun seemed lost in thought, only nodding after a long moment and saying softly, “Alright.”

Shencheng’s recent muggy weather had persisted for a long time but finally started raining more frequently in recent days. It fell silently, like a giant net enveloping the entire city.

Summer rain came without wind, always feeling very oppressive.

Fu Xueli asked the director and screenwriter to let her wrap up filming quickly, citing schedule conflicts next month. So rushing here and there, her period costume drama finished shooting in less than a month.

Xiangshan Film Studio was only about an hour’s flight from Shencheng. During occasional breaks in filming, Fu Xueli would secretly catch early morning flights to sneak back and see Xu Xingchun.

Because she worried about Xu Xingchun, she was distracted even while filming.

Afraid to check her phone, fearing bad news, yet afraid not to check, fearing she’d miss important news.

But strangely, every time she actually arrived just meters away from Xu Xingchun, Fu Xueli would peer through the door crack for ages but couldn’t bring herself to go in.

Each time she felt like entering, she’d remember how she’d said such cruel, hurtful things to Xu Xingchun before. Now constantly taking the initiative to find him seemed contradictory and deliberate, like seeking reconciliation.

Not ideal.

When she was younger, Fu Xueli really didn’t like how much Xu Xingchun managed her. Sometimes when annoyed, she’d start unilateral cold wars every few days.

Taking the initiative to reconcile would have been very face-losing.

But now her state of mind was different from before.

It wasn’t about saving face—rather, deep in Fu Xueli’s heart, there was always vague hesitation, wavering, and worry.

She probably knew what Xu Xingchun wanted, but wasn’t sure if she could give it.

Maybe she could.

Maybe she couldn’t.

If she couldn’t… the hurt she’d bring him might be even greater.

So she kept secretly warning herself it was best not to approach him proactively.

But Fu Xueli often fell into contradictory and self-doubting states. She felt… she probably still quite liked Xu Xingchun…

If she let him go to another woman, just thinking about it made her somewhat unwilling.

But regardless, constantly running over to spy on someone was too bizarre.

Xiao Wang seized the time to report recent work to Xu Xingchun. He hurriedly poured warm water into a cup and made tea for Xu Xingchun, “Captain Xu, your recovery seems pretty good.”

“Mm.”

Xiao Wang placed the cup on the table, letting Xu Xingchun take it himself. He knew Xu Xingchun didn’t much like physical contact with people.

“Captain Liu mentioned a few days ago that when you’re discharged, living alone won’t be very convenient. How about staying at his place? His house has a spare room anyway, and his wife could help look after you. Captain Liu specifically told me you shouldn’t feel awkward about it. Captain Liu’s son just started middle school with mediocre grades, so he thought with your high education, you’re definitely highly knowledgeable and could tutor Little Liu with homework and such while you’re there.”

Liu Jingbo’s house was very close to Xu Xingchun’s—both in the old welfare housing complex assigned to police officers, where many veteran leaders lived in the neighborhood with good security.

Listening, Xu Xingchun rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, “No need.”

Xiao Wang tried to persuade, “I know Captain Xu doesn’t like troubling others, but it really won’t be convenient for you alone, right? With our line of work, we can’t just casually hire a caregiver either, and besides, with your bit of a cleanliness obsession and all…”

After talking for so long with little reaction from Xu Xingchun, Xiao Wang stopped making himself awkward. As dusk approached, he suddenly remembered something, “Hey, Captain Xu, I have a favor—not sure if I can ask you.”

“What.”

Xiao Wang scratched his head, “Well, a new young guy recently joined our unit, and we’ve become pretty tight. He’s absolutely crazy about Fu Xueli. Knowing you two are close, he begged me to ask you for an autograph or something.”

The room fell silent.

Seeing Xu Xingchun’s expression, Xiao Wang carefully gave himself an out, “…Speaking of which, Captain Xu could be considered Fu Xueli’s lifesaver—one autograph isn’t too much to ask, right?”

“……”

“—Not too much at all.”

Xiao Wang froze, then whipped his head around.

Xu Xingchun opened his eyes and slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice.

Fu Xueli was dressed all in black today—black jeans, denim jacket, wearing a black baseball cap. The insulated container she carried looked very familiar; her face had no makeup.

After signing, dismissing Xiao Wang, the room quickly quieted.

Xu Xingchun withdrew his gaze.

She removed her hat, hair cascading over her shoulders. Bending down to open the insulated container, clearly not very practiced, trying several times before succeeding.

Inside was steaming hot black sesame glutinous rice porridge and date paste steamed buns, fragrant and soft.

The heat from the food rose in wisps. Fu Xueli looked at Xu Xingchun.

His face seemed to have thinned a circle, all sharp angles. Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened, “How have you been lately?”

Xu Xingchun nodded.

“Auntie Qi had something to do today, so I’m delivering this for her.” Fu Xueli pretended casualness, arranging the bowls and chopsticks for him.

Before coming, Fu Xueli had done much mental preparation.

After experiencing near-death, Xu Xingchun should be able to see many things more clearly. He had waited and endured for so long—he must be tired too.

Fu Xueli thought this way because she felt Xu Xingchun’s emotions toward her no longer had that intensely suffocating quality from before.

Not very cold, but couldn’t be called tender either.

She couldn’t articulate exactly what it felt like. Like occasionally catching whiffs of some fading fragrance, but when trying to savor it carefully, unable to make sense of it.

Fu Chenglin had said before that many things were like playing Landlord—if you couldn’t match the cards, you had to pass.

Maybe Xu Xingchun really couldn’t match her hand and was planning to pass.

His right shoulder injured, he could only use his left hand to hold the spoon, movements slow and clearly inconvenient.

Fu Xueli held back, then said somewhat ingratiatingly, “Let me feed you?”

“……”

Under his gaze, she steeled herself, holding the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other, carefully blowing on it before cautiously bringing it to his lips.

Xu Xingchun lowered his eyes, pausing for about two or three seconds before obediently opening his mouth and swallowing.

Two people—one feeding, one eating. There was a rarely seen warmth and harmony.

For once, Fu Xueli relaxed considerably and even started joking with Xu Xingchun at the end. She talked as much as before; Xu Xingchun listened very patiently throughout.

“Xu Xingchun, I feel like you’re getting paler and paler—that death-face look, you’re practically turning into a mushroom. You should go get more sun.”

Xu Xingchun hummed in acknowledgment.

He wore blue and white hospital clothes, which made him appear even paler. His eyelids were somewhat sunken, lashes jet black and straight, not curled at all.

Thinking about his limited mobility, practically disabled, Fu Xueli blurted out without thinking, “What will you do when you’re discharged?”

“……”

As soon as the words left her mouth, both fell silent.

After a long while, not knowing what possessed her brain, Fu Xueli spoke the following sentence. She truly felt she needed tremendous psychological fortitude and a face thicker than the curved city walls.

She asked, “How about I move into your place?”

Xu Xingchun’s face tensed, his gaze shifting to her face.

Fu Xueli bit her lip, “I can pay you rent.”