By late October, Ji Chuan City had entered deep autumn.

The entire city had experienced several consecutive days of rain. The moisture in the air seemed to have crystallized into ice, alternating between dampness and cold. The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping, occasionally striking the windows with a tapping sound.

In the sealed room, the blackout curtains covered the outside scenery completely. The white wooden door had three silver locks embedded in it, arranged in a row, giving an oppressive and gloomy appearance.

The ceiling light was on, emitting a warm yellow glow with a soft hue. The room was brightly lit, unlike the dim lighting suitable for sleep.

But under this light.

On the bed near the window, a pink-blue blanket bulged.

A young woman was curled up underneath, her eyes closed. Half of her fair face was visible, along with her soft hair strands.

She seemed to be sleeping restlessly. Although Shu Nian hadn’t moved, her face was pale, with grayish shadows under her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled occasionally. She looked haggard and uneasy.

Suddenly.

A crisp, clear click sounded from far away.

It was the sound of the entrance door being opened.

Shu Nian’s heart lurched, and she immediately opened her eyes. Her expression was blank as she regained consciousness, cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Recalling the sound she had just heard, Shu Nian slowly got out of bed, making faint gasping sounds from her throat. She stepped onto the soft carpet and stopped at the bedroom door.

Standing there, she could faintly hear her mother, Deng Qingyu, talking to herself.

But she still maintained a very vigilant demeanor, unlocking the two lower locks while leaving the chain lock at the top intact. Shu Nian carefully opened the door, creating just a tiny gap.

Only after confirming the person outside was Deng Qingyu did Shu Nian completely relax. She pressed her lips together, scratched her head, and searched for her slippers that she had kicked somewhere unknown.

After putting them on, she walked out of the room.

The apartment wasn’t large, about fifty square meters. One bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, plus a small balcony. The curtains had now been opened, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, besides the lush camphor trees, one could only see the raindrops continuously falling.

The sky was gloomy, though night had not yet fallen.

A subtle breeze slipped through the gaps in the windows as if mixed with ice.

Shu Nian couldn’t help but shudder.

The living room had no carpet, and the sound of her slippers slapping against the floor was not small, quickly attracting Deng Qingyu’s gaze.

“Why do you look so pale? Didn’t sleep well?”

Shu Nian shook her head and asked softly, “Why did you come?”

“When I called you yesterday, I heard you coughing. Your aunt just sent over a box of pears, so I brought some for you.” Deng Qingyu pointed to the kitchen, “I put a bag in the refrigerator. Now I’m going to stew some pears with rock sugar for you.”

Shu Nian picked up the hot water kettle from the coffee table, went to the water dispenser to fill it, and responded tepidly.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Deng Qingyu gave a brief acknowledgment, tidying up the living room while saying, “It’s the season change now, so you should be careful. Don’t keep the windows closed all the time; make sure to ventilate, don’t let yourself get sick from the stuffiness.”

Shu Nian nodded, “Okay.”

Filling the kettle halfway, Shu Nian carried it back to the coffee table and started boiling water.

The electric kettle was powerful, and soon it emitted sounds of boiling, with steam rising. Shu Nian opened the plastic bag on the coffee table, took out several boxes of medicine, and carefully read the instructions.

Deng Qingyu, unable to stay idle, straightened the cushions on the sofa and casually asked, “You don’t have a fever, do you?”

Shu Nian looked up and obediently replied, “No, just a slight cough.”

Deng Qingyu didn’t say anything more, just glanced at Shu Nian.

Her lips were pressed together as she lowered her eyes again, focusing on the small print on the paper, looking particularly serious.

Afterward, Deng Qingyu went into the kitchen.

When Deng Qingyu returned to the living room, she found Shu Nian still maintaining her previous posture, motionless. Her spine was ramrod straight, her smooth hair hanging down, appearing somewhat fluffy.

Her delicate and gentle features made her look like a child who hadn’t fully grown up.

Below, her slippers had been kicked off, lying in disarray.

“What’s this?” Deng Qingyu walked beside her, suddenly remembering, “Today is Thursday, right? Are you going to see the psychologist later?”

“Mm-hmm.” Shu Nian put away the medicine, organizing it neatly, “I go every week.”

The atmosphere returned to silence.

Deng Qingyu crouched down to arrange her slippers properly, her voice small and careful: “Nian Nian, you’ve been seeing this psychologist for about a year now, do you think it’s effective…”

Shu Nian paused, seriously contemplated for a moment, and hesitantly replied, “It should be.”

Deng Qingyu’s expression showed she wanted to say something but held back, ultimately saying nothing and reaching out to rub her head: “That’s good then.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Deng Qingyu revealed a smile, “Mom’s just asking about your condition.”

Shu Nian recalled what the doctor had told her last week: “Last time I went, the doctor told me that if I continue treatment, after a while I could go once every two weeks. This interval will gradually extend.”

“And then you’ll be completely better, right?” Deng Qingyu’s mood immediately improved, and she even felt like joking, “Mom’s still waiting for you to bring a boyfriend home.”

The sudden change of topic made Shu Nian freeze, looking at her with astonishment.

Deng Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh: “Why that expression?”

“Well…” Shu Nian didn’t know what to say, and after hesitating managed only, “Mom, are you in a hurry?”

Deng Qingyu said, “Not really.”

Hearing this, Shu Nian sighed in relief: “Then can I wait until I’m completely better to find one? I’ll find someone very handsome so that you’ll like looking at him too.”

Deng Qingyu shook her head, disapproving: “Handsome men are unreliable.”

Shu Nian was choked by her words, coughed twice, and muttered softly, “If they’re not good-looking, even if they’re reliable, I won’t be happy…”

“…”

After a while, Deng Qingyu looked at the wall clock and gathered her things: “It’s almost four o’clock, I’m going to pick up your brother from school. Remember to drink the stewed pears with rock sugar. I made quite a lot, remember to take some to Officer He.”

Shu Nian stood up to see her off, mumbling, “I can finish it myself.”

Deng Qingyu couldn’t stand her stingy attitude and frowned: “Acting like this, and you still want to find a handsome boyfriend?”

“…”

After saying goodbye to Deng Qingyu, Shu Nian closed the door.

The room immediately fell silent.

This atmosphere made Shu Nian uncomfortable. She lowered her gaze, turned her hand, and locked the door. Returning to the balcony, she relocked the floor-to-ceiling windows that Deng Qingyu had opened.

Her movements were quick and efficient as if she had done it countless times.

Remembering Deng Qingyu’s earlier advice about ventilation.

Shu Nian hesitated, then opened a small gap in the floor-to-ceiling window before pulling the curtains closed.

Small, rustling movements.

After finishing the stewed pears with rock sugar, Shu Nian washed the dishes. Passing by the floor-to-ceiling window, she closed it again before returning to her room, feeling reassured enough to change clothes and go out.

It took about ten minutes for Shu Nian to walk to the entrance of the downtown hospital. She went up to the fifth floor for a one-hour psychology therapy session at the psychiatry department.

Afterward, Shu Nian went to the internal medicine department downstairs to get some cold medicine from the doctor.

For some reason, there were unusually many people during this time slot, causing some delay. By the time Shu Nian left the hospital, the sky was already half dark.

The street lights outside the hospital were bright, casting long shadows on the cement ground. The rain had lessened, falling in a drizzle, colored by the white light, pattering down.

There were still people coming and going, but not many, and it was very quiet.

Wanting to get home before it got completely dark, Shu Nian walked faster than before. Before opening her umbrella, she instinctively looked around.

Suddenly, she noticed someone else who was alone like her.

A man sat in a wheelchair, with fine, slightly long hair falling over his forehead, partially covering his eyes and brows. Half of his face was in shadow, immersed in darkness, obscure and unclear, carrying a gloomy and fierce aura.

Silent and still.

Quickly, Shu Nian withdrew her gaze. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she paused and looked back again.

Her lips parted slightly as she froze.

…She seemed to know him.

Shu Nian gripped her umbrella more tightly, her gaze bewildered, standing rigid on the spot. Her eyes rested on the wheelchair beneath him, wanting to say something, but was rendered speechless by the sight.

A few minutes passed.

The man suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her. But it was a stranger’s gaze, not lingering for even a second. Her breath caught, her throat constricted by that ice-cold look.

The rain continued to fall.

There was the whooshing sound of the wind around them, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold.

Shu Nian took a deep breath, pinched her palm hard to encourage herself, and walked over. Her voice was small and gentle, carrying a hint of uncertainty: “Xie Ruhe?”

Hearing her voice, the man looked over, his gaze settling on her, revealing his full face. He was an extremely handsome man. Almond-shaped eyes, deep double eyelids, a pale face. Despite his seemingly passionate features, his expression was as cold as ice.

The temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees.

Shu Nian pressed her lips together, feeling a bit awkward, and instinctively offered him her umbrella.

“You don’t have an umbrella? Why don’t I—”

The man didn’t let her finish, not staying any longer.

His expression hadn’t changed at all from beginning to end. He moved his wheelchair and directly entered the curtain of rain.

Shu Nian stood in place for a moment, not following him. She averted her gaze, no longer looking at him. Opening her umbrella, she skirted around the puddle in front of her and walked in the direction of home.

When Fang Wencheng drove his car to the hospital entrance, he happened to see a woman talking to Xie Ruhe.

The next moment, Xie Ruhe suddenly moved, silently going out into the rain. This unpredictable action startled Fang Wencheng, who immediately opened the car door and ran towards him with an umbrella.

“Young Master.” Fang Wencheng covered him with most of the umbrella, anxiously saying, “Why are you out in the rain…”

Xie Ruhe didn’t speak, half-wet, with water droplets dampening his dark, deep eyes. His skin was pale, with visible purple blood vessels under his eyes, and the curve of his jaw was sharp and cold.

Fang Wencheng was used to this and continued, “Just now, Old Mr. Ji called me, asking you to return to the Ji family’s house.”

After getting into the car.

Through the rearview mirror, Fang Wencheng noticed that Xie Ruhe’s expression didn’t look good.

At that moment, he was looking out the window. Water droplets were still sliding down his profile, dripping from his chin. His eyes were like thick ink, tinged with melancholy, reaching out to that distant figure.

Fang Wencheng followed his line of sight.

—It was the woman who had just spoken to him.

Fang Wencheng started the car: “Young Master, do you know that young lady? Should we give her a ride?”

Xie Ruhe withdrew his gaze and slowly closed his eyes.

His reaction was within Fang Wencheng’s expectations, so he didn’t continue: “Just now someone was robbing at the parking lot, I went to help, so it took a bit of time.”

“…”

Xie Ruhe’s eyelids twitched slightly.

“I wonder how many more days this rain will last.” Fang Wencheng sighed, “The drainage system in the South District hasn’t been fixed, the roads are flooded, and there’s always traffic. Old Mr. Ji is still waiting for you, I don’t know if we can arrive before eight—”

The man in the back seat suddenly interrupted him: “Follow.”

Fang Wencheng was stunned, not understanding: “Huh?”

Perhaps because he hadn’t spoken for a long time, Xie Ruhe’s voice was somewhat hoarse, deep, and heavy, like red wine in the night. He turned his head, unconsciously opening his eyes again, looking out the window.

After a long while.

Three more words came from the back. A low, moist voice, carrying a chill. Calm and undisturbed.

“Follow her.”