Outside, the wind howled and rain poured. Combined with the ambiguous sounds occasionally escaping from inside the house, the atmosphere became even more enchanting and lingering. Ruan Mian’s hands hung around his neck, her breathing becoming hot and scorching. The back of her neck was being kneaded by Chen Yi, and that spot also seemed to be infected with his temperature.

The sudden invasion caught her completely unprepared. Their wet, heated tongues entangled together, the pungent ginger smell spreading between their lips and teeth.

She tried to retreat backward, but he gripped her jaw and held her firmly in his embrace. His hand pressed against the back of her neck, continuously deepening the kiss.

Ruan Mian panted uncontrollably, the corners of her eyes tinged with red. The ginger taste on her tongue gradually dissolved and scattered in the deepening kiss.

She was almost completely controlled by Chen Yi, her breathing in his hands. In her ears was his somewhat rapid breathing, seeming to carry some unspeakable emotion.

Opening her eyes, the man’s eyes were slightly closed, his eyelashes long and thick, his skin with tiny pores and delicate texture, flushed with desire, like察觉ing her gaze. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet her gaze—dark and bright, deep and affectionate, almost drowning her in them.

The next second, his burning lips suddenly kissed her eyes. The wetness of his lips left traces on her eyelids.

He moved down bit by bit, then turned his head to take her earlobe in his mouth, his tongue slowly licking and biting, his teeth following the arc of her ear, biting lightly and slowly.

—”Thud!”

With the sound of a heavy object falling on the balcony, the two people who had been almost pressed together snapped out of the lingering atmosphere. Chen Yi released her and leaned back against the sofa, his hand falling to rest between her legs.

Ruan Mian leaned in his embrace, all her rapid breathing remaining near his neck, bringing a subtle tingling sensation.

After a long while, Ruan Mian gradually calmed down and straightened up, stepping barefoot on the floor. The color of her lips appeared especially vivid in such dim surroundings.

Outside, the rain showed no signs of letting up. Bean-sized raindrops struck the glass, making clinking sounds, followed by another sound of a heavy object falling.

“I’ll go check.” Ruan Mian lowered her head to put on her slippers and was about to walk toward the balcony when Chen Yi suddenly grabbed her wrist and stood up from the sofa.

The traces of desire on him had faded considerably, but the numerous wrinkles on his shirt could still reveal glimpses of the recent intimacy. When he spoke, his Adam’s apple moved slightly. “I’ll go.”

…

A ventilation window on the balcony hadn’t been closed. Two empty flowerpots on the plant stand had been blown to the ground by the wind, porcelain shards scattered everywhere.

Chen Yi closed the window, took a broom to sweep up the fragments, and tied up the garbage bag before turning back into the house.

Ruan Mian saw what he was carrying and asked, “What fell?”

“Flowerpots.” Chen Yi walked to the door and placed the garbage by the entrance, instructing, “Don’t go to the balcony without shoes. I don’t know if there are other fragments I haven’t cleaned up properly.”

“Oh.” Ruan Mian went into the kitchen to boil water. Opening the refrigerator, it was full of ingredients, but some had been left too long and had already withered and yellowed.

She picked out the inedible vegetables, then found most of a package of chicken drumettes in the freezer and placed them in the sink to defrost.

After finishing this, Ruan Mian walked out. “Chen Yi.”

“Mm?” Chen Yi looked up at her.

“Are you staying for lunch?”

Hearing this, Chen Yi glanced at the clock hanging on the wall—it was almost eleven. He turned his head to ask, “What time are you going to the hospital this afternoon?”

“Around three or four.”

“Then let’s eat. After eating I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Okay.” Ruan Mian said nothing more, casually tied up her hair, and went back into the kitchen.

In the two-bedroom apartment, the open kitchen directly faced the living room with no barriers. Chen Yi bent down to pick up the blanket hanging on the floor, stood up and walked over.

Ruan Mian was peeling potato skin. Chen Yi stood there watching for a few seconds and noticed something was off. Whether the knife was dull or her technique was unskilled, after she finished peeling a potato that wasn’t large to begin with, it had shrunk by almost a third.

When she reached for the second one, he asked softly, “Can you cook?”

Ruan Mian stopped her movements and looked up at him, her eyes clear and bright, with an innocent expression. “I don’t know what your concept of ‘can’ is.”

Hearing this, Chen Yi didn’t plan to continue asking. He walked over and took over what she was doing. “Let me do it instead.”

Ruan Mian didn’t cook much to begin with and didn’t decline. She quickly washed her hands and stood where he had been standing before.

The man’s knuckles were pale and slender, the tendons on the back of his hand clearly defined. Even holding a potato and peeler, he looked especially pleasing to the eye.

His movements were also skilled. In just a few minutes he had cleaned the potatoes and other vegetables. After finishing this, Chen Yi turned around and held up his arm toward her. “Help me roll up my sleeves.”

Ruan Mian came back to her senses and reached up to roll his sleeves up. Afraid they would fall down, she pushed them up further until his entire forearm was exposed. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.” He stared at her, suddenly leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth, his voice smiling. “Thank you.”

“…”

Chen Yi cooked very quickly. In just over half an hour, he stir-fried two vegetable dishes and a plate of braised chicken wings, and also made seaweed and egg soup.

The two didn’t talk much while eating, each eating their own food. When they were almost done, Chen Yi put down his chopsticks first. “Are you going back to Pingcheng for Mid-Autumn Festival?”

“Not sure, depends on whether I have shifts.” Ruan Mian still hadn’t had enough and ladled out a small bowl of soup. “Do you have leave?”

“Probably not.”

She made a sound of acknowledgment and lowered her head to take a sip of soup. Remembering something, she asked, “Then do you have to participate in the military parade ceremony for National Day?”

“We don’t have to this year. We participated once the year before last.” Chen Yi said, “Have you ever gone to watch?”

Ruan Mian shook her head, her words ambiguous about whether they were true or false. “I’m very busy.”

Chen Yi met her gaze and smiled very lightly, saying nothing. Ruan Mian quietly finished a bowl of soup, and the two cleaned up together.

Outside, the rain continued unabated. Dark clouds covered the sky, the entire expanse of sky dark and heavy. The sliding door to the balcony hadn’t been closed. Raindrops struck the glass with considerable noise.

Last night Ruan Mian had rented a companion bed chair at the hospital—hard and uncomfortable, she hadn’t slept well. Now listening to the rain sound, drowsiness rolled through her. Sitting on the sofa, she yawned several times in succession.

She turned her head to look at Chen Yi. He leaned against the sofa, sitting upright with his eyes slightly closed. The flickering images from the TV cast mottled light and shadow on his face.

Ruan Mian wasn’t sure if he was asleep. She leaned closer. “Chen Yi?”

“…Mm?” This sound was weary and languid, as if overflowing from deep in his chest. He lifted his eyes, his gaze somewhat unfocused. “What’s wrong?”

“Go sleep in the room for a while.” Ruan Mian pointed behind her. “That’s my room. Do you want to change into pajamas? I have a set of men’s pajamas here.”

Chen Yi leaned his head back. With this movement, his Adam’s apple was completely exposed—sharp and distinct, its arc and contours especially clear.

After a few seconds, he sat up again and said okay.

Ruan Mian led him back to her room.

She lived in the master bedroom, which was larger and therefore had higher rent. It also had a small attached bathroom. The balcony was a bay window, piled with professional books.

The room was decorated simply yet warmly. A bean bag chair was tossed by the bed. The desk was squeezed into the corner by the bay window. The wardrobe was built-in, and a bookshelf stood next to the desk.

A plush carpet covered the floor, soft when stepped on.

Ruan Mian rummaged through the wardrobe and pulled out the pajamas. “This was a buy-one-get-one-free gift when I made up an order last year. I’ve never worn it. Change your clothes first, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay.” Chen Yi took the clothes and right in front of her began unbuttoning his shirt. Ruan Mian froze, then snapped back to her senses and immediately turned and walked out.

Chen Yi curved his lips and efficiently changed into the pajamas.

He really was tired. Last night staying at the compound, Song Bao’er had caught him to play games all night. He hadn’t gone to sleep until after four in the morning. Then because of his grandparents’ living schedule, he was called up before seven to eat breakfast together. The entire weekend he hadn’t gotten much sleep.

The room had no lights on, dim and dark. Combined with the rain sound outside the window, the hypnotic effect was excellent. Chen Yi pulled back the blanket and lay down. Before long, drowsiness found him again.

Half dreaming, half awake, he vaguely heard the sound of the door opening. He squinted slightly and saw Ruan Mian enter the bathroom then tiptoe back out, carrying a pile of clothes in her arms.

He made no sound, turned over and continued sleeping.

…

Ruan Mian only remembered after brushing her teeth and washing her face that she hadn’t brought a change of clothes. She carefully went in once, came out and quickly took a shower.

After blow-drying her hair, she returned to the bedroom.

Chen Yi’s sleeping posture was good, only occupying a small half of the bed. Ruan Mian walked to the bay window and slowly drew the curtains. The room became completely dark.

She felt her way to the bedside, pulled back the blanket and lay down. The person who had been sleeping on the side immediately moved closer, his arm around her. “Did you set an alarm?”

“I did, for three-thirty.”

“Mm.” His voice grew quieter again. Ruan Mian sat up and moved his arm higher, pulled over a pillow to cushion behind her head, adjusted to a comfortable position and lay back down.

The room gradually quieted down. Outside the window, the rain slowly lessened. After the summer rainstorm, a few scattered clouds floated in the sky, the sunlight baking the air hot and stuffy.

The fierce sun gradually rose. By six-something it was dyed by the twilight colors. The cloud layer in the west stretched, and large swaths of sunset glow filled the entire sky.

Chen Yi woke at the last moment of the sunset. At that time, only he remained in the bedroom. The blackout curtain wasn’t thick enough, leaking some light onto the blanket.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, threw back the blanket and sat up. On the bedside table beside his hand was a note.

—I went to the hospital first. Remember to lock the door for me.

Chen Yi spread his hand on the blanket, squinted and leaned against the wall to recover for a while, then got up and grabbed the dress pants from the side, fishing his phone out of the pocket.

—18:47

He dialed Ruan Mian’s number. No one answered the first time. Later, after he’d finished changing clothes, she called back. “I just went to get water for Senior Sister. Are you up?”

Chen Yi: “I’m up. Why didn’t you wake me?”

She made a sound of acknowledgment. “I saw you were sleeping pretty deeply, and when I got up it had already stopped raining outside, so I just drove to the hospital myself. This way it’s more convenient for me to go back tonight. Are you about to leave?”

“Mm.” Chen Yi had slept longer than expected. There wasn’t much time left before he had to report back. “Your door just needs to be closed, right?”

“Right.” Ruan Mian said, “I left garbage by the door—take it down and throw it away when you leave. There are broken porcelain pieces inside, so be careful.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Let me think…” After stopping for a few seconds, she added, “There seems to be another bag of garbage in the kitchen, on the counter.”

Chen Yi walked out. “I see it. Anything else?”

“Also—” Ruan Mian laughed to herself, then suddenly confessed, “Actually, I can’t cook.”

“I could tell.” Chen Yi’s voice was lazy, seemingly teasing. “You almost peeled away the entire potato.”

“I’m too busy, no time to learn this.” Although Ruan Mian’s parents hadn’t gotten along since childhood, she’d still been a little princess who grew up pampered and well-fed, never worrying about life. Later after studying medicine and starting work, she had even less time to fuss with these things. Being able to occasionally cook noodles already counted as showing off her skills.

“You won’t need to learn in the future either.” Chen Yi picked up that bag of garbage. “Having one person at home who can cook is enough.”

Ruan Mian held the phone and smiled. Her gaze swept toward the hallway. “I’ll stop talking to you. I see Senior Sister’s boyfriend.”

“Okay.” Chen Yi thought for a moment and cautioned, “Don’t get into an argument.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, Ruan Mian walked forward. Zhou Yuan had just asked a nurse for Lin Jiahui’s room number. Turning his head and seeing Ruan Mian, he thanked the nurse and rushed over to her, his expression worried. “Ruan Mian, is Jiahui okay?”

“What do you think?” Ruan Mian looked at the flowers and fruit basket he held in his arms. “Are you here to visit a patient or see your girlfriend?”

“I…”

Ruan Mian turned to leave. Zhou Yuan hurried to follow. “Jiahui won’t answer my calls or reply to my messages. I’m really worried about her.”

“If you were really worried about her, you wouldn’t have let her come to surgery alone.” Ruan Mian stopped at the hospital room door and looked back at him, her tone cold. “I can’t decide whether Senior Sister will see you or not, but if she doesn’t want to see you, I won’t let you in. So please wait outside for now.”

Zhou Yuan pressed his lips together. “Okay.”

Ruan Mian turned and entered the hospital room. Lin Jiahui was on the phone with her mother. Mother Lin didn’t know about the surgery and gave her usual concerned greetings, then asked when she had time to come home.

Lin Jiahui: “Mom, you know how busy I am with work. Next time I have a break, I’ll definitely come back.”

“Alright, alright, but even when you’re busy with work, take care of your health.” Mother Lin expressed a few more concerns before hanging up. Lin Jiahui lowered her head in silence for a moment before looking up at Ruan Mian. “Zhou Yuan came, didn’t he?”

“Mm.”

“Let him in.” Lin Jiahui smiled. “You’ve worked hard these past couple days.”

“Why are you being so polite with me?” Ruan Mian said, “Then I’ll call him in for you. You two have a good talk.”

“Okay.”

That evening, Zhou Yuan talked with Lin Jiahui in the hospital room for a long time. Ruan Mian went down to eat dinner, and when she came back, she wandered around downstairs for over half an hour before seeing Zhou Yuan come out of the hospital building, his arms empty, his expression not as dejected as when he’d arrived.

Ruan Mian hesitantly returned to the hospital room, only to see that bunch of bright red roses thrown in the trash can. Lin Jiahui had unpacked the fruit basket. “Perfect, take this back to eat.”

She was a bit confused. “Senior Sister, you and Zhou Yuan?”

“We broke up.” Lin Jiahui peeled an orange and ate a segment. Out-of-season fruit—both astringent and sour. “But I also made him feel like we could still go back to how things were before.”

Now Ruan Mian really didn’t understand, but Lin Jiahui said no more. “Alright, don’t you have work tomorrow? Go back and rest early.”

“Did you get your leave approved?”

“I did.” Lin Jiahui smiled. “Used up all my annual leave.”

Ruan Mian didn’t ask more. “Okay, call me if you need anything.”

“Mm.”

Over the next few days, whenever Ruan Mian went to the hospital she could always see Zhou Yuan’s figure, but every time he left, Lin Jiahui would throw the flowers he brought into the trash.

This went on for a week. On the day she was discharged, Zhou Yuan specifically took leave to come over. At noon he and Lin Jiahui even treated Ruan Mian to a meal.

After returning home, Zhou Yuan hurried back to the company. Ruan Mian was cleaning in the living room when after a while, Lin Jiahui came out of her room carrying a pile of things.

Ruan Mian recognized some of them as gifts Zhou Yuan had given her before. Lin Jiahui used to treasure them like precious things, but now she was discarding them all like worn-out shoes.

“Senior Sister, what’s this about?”

“These are all things Zhou Yuan gave me before. I’m planning to return them to him.” Lin Jiahui found a cardboard box from the balcony and sat on the floor mat, putting them in one by one. “I’m preparing to leave City B.”

Ruan Mian froze.

Lin Jiahui said, “I joined the exchange study and research program between our department and an S City hospital. It’s for two years. I’ll be going there next month.”

“Will you come back after the exchange ends?”

“No, I won’t. After this exchange ends, I plan to apply to stay at the hospital there.” Lin Jiahui smiled. “You know, my hometown is in S City. If it weren’t for Zhou Yuan back then, I wouldn’t have come to City B for school, much less stayed here. Honestly, I don’t like it here at all.”

As she spoke, a tear fell unexpectedly. She lowered her head, looking at the music box in her hands that she once treasured like a precious jewel, and murmured, “I even hated my past self.”

Ruan Mian felt uncomfortable and stifled. She turned her head to look elsewhere and raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, forcing herself to laugh lightly. “Since you’ve decided, then go.”

“Also, no matter what the current Lin Jiahui is like, I think the Lin Jiahui of the past was a very brave girl.”

—Her courage to risk everything for the person she liked was something sixteen or seventeen-year-old Ruan Mian had once most desperately wanted to possess.