Shu Nian was completely hidden under the blanket, instantly becoming motionless. Because her entire body was lifted, she felt insecure and instinctively pressed her hands against his chest.

The blanket wasn’t thick, and she could vaguely see white light filtering through.

She hadn’t quite processed what was happening yet, looking at Xie Ruhe who appeared in a dark shape blurred by the blanket, and cautiously asked, “What are you trying to get? Am I in your way…?”

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe’s movements seemed to pause for a moment, but it didn’t last long—so brief it felt like Shu Nian’s imagination. He didn’t answer and carried her out.

Shu Nian wanted to ask more.

Soon, she noticed her current state.

Wrapped in a blanket, curled into a small ball, being carried by him like an object.

Shu Nian immediately closed her mouth.

Xie Ruhe carried her to a bed in another room.

When her feet touched the ground and her body was no longer weightless, Shu Nian’s body wasn’t as tense as before. She held her breath, pulled the blanket down, and saw Xie Ruhe standing beside her, looking confused.

He took the blanket that covered her and placed it on a nearby chair.

“The blanket is wet,” Xie Ruhe draped the towel that was hanging around his neck over her head. “Don’t use it anymore. I’ll get you a new one.”

Shu Nian followed his gaze toward the blanket, her expression stunned. A second later, she lowered her head and saw her wet clothes, finally coming to her senses.

She had just finished showering and, in her panic and fear, had jumped into bed without drying herself with a towel, hiding under the covers. Her hair and body were still dripping with water.

The bedsheet in the other room was probably also soaked by her.

Shu Nian let out a small “Ah” and stumbled through an apology: “I’m sorry…”

Xie Ruhe took out a new blanket from the wardrobe, tilted his head, and asked, “Sorry for what?”

She kept her head down, her voice so low it seemed to have fallen into dust.

“I’m too much trouble.”

Xie Ruhe stood still for a moment, then tossed the blanket onto the bed and sat down in front of her. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and with lowered eyes, he played with her small hand.

Shu Nian wanted to pull her hand back, but he immediately tightened his grip, not letting her move.

Shu Nian stopped fidgeting.

This room had probably never been used much. Though clean, it looked empty, with only the necessary furniture and no other items. It was also about half the size of Xie Ruhe’s room.

Neither of them spoke, the silence so complete they could almost hear the air itself.

After saying that one phrase, Xie Ruhe remained silent.

Shu Nian felt somewhat awkward.

She felt he was probably brewing something to say, perhaps something difficult for him to express, which was why he remained silent for so long. This made the atmosphere excessively serious.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she said, “You can just say whatever you want to say. It’s okay.”

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe released her hand and brushed his nose with the back of his hand, appearing somewhat uncomfortable.

“You’ll sleep here tonight.”

Shu Nian paused, not understanding why it took him so long to say just this one sentence.

She relaxed a little and nodded, “Okay.”

Then, Xie Ruhe added: “I’ll sleep here too.”

“…” Shu Nian’s eyes widened, and she asked in disbelief, “What?”

Xie Ruhe’s ears reddened, but he calmly explained, “Two blankets.”

There was already one blanket on the bed, and Xie Ruhe had just taken another one from the wardrobe. Shu Nian couldn’t understand the logic between these two things, but his serious expression left her at a loss for how to respond.

Her face flushed red: “We can’t do that…”

Xie Ruhe licked his lips and answered honestly: “I can’t sleep soundly if you’re not beside me.”

Shu Nian looked at him and asked without much conviction: “Is it because of me…?”

“No, it’s because my leg hurts at night,” Xie Ruhe knew she easily believed others’ words, and calmly lied, “I might wake up from the pain.”

Shu Nian immediately believed him: “What should we do then…?”

The corners of Xie Ruhe’s mouth curved up imperceptibly, and he continued with a straight face: “If I wake up in pain, you can help massage it. I won’t have the strength.”

“Okay.” Shu Nian was still worried and asked anxiously, “Will it hurt badly?”

Xie Ruhe thought for a moment and nodded: “Mm.”

“…”

“So we’re helping each other.” Xie Ruhe reached out to touch her face, his voice hoarse and toned as if he were coaxing her, “I’m quite troublesome too. Fortunately, I have you.”

Shu Nian sniffled and mumbled: “You’re not that troublesome.”

Xie Ruhe stared at her and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“Mm, and you’re not troublesome either.”

Shu Nian tacitly accepted the arrangement to sleep together.

She hugged the blanket and crawled to the side of the bed near the wall, not knowing where to put her hands and feet. Seeing that Xie Ruhe wasn’t looking, she hesitantly took the pillow and placed it vertically in the middle of the bed.

Thinking she didn’t need that much space, Shu Nian moved the pillow one foot toward herself.

Xie Ruhe brought her a new set of clothes, then turned his back to lock the door. When he returned, he saw Shu Nian had already crawled under the blanket with a pillow placed beside her.

The pillow boldly prevented any further closeness between them.

He found it oddly amusing and walked over to take another pillow, silently placing it above her head.

Noticing his movement, Shu Nian timidly peeked out her head, looking embarrassed: “Don’t you need a pillow?”

Xie Ruhe said, “I’ll get a new one.”

“Oh.” Shu Nian sat up and adjusted the position of the pillow, as nervous as if she were spending her wedding night. “Didn’t you say you would stay in the recording studio tonight?”

“Suddenly felt like resting early.” Xie Ruhe came back with a pillow and properly lay down in the large space next to her. “Are you ready to sleep?”

Shu Nian thought about it: “I want to adjust my sleep schedule.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, my sleep quality is very poor.” Half of Shu Nian’s face was hidden behind the blanket, making her voice sound muffled. “And because of work, my sleep schedule isn’t stable either. I often go to bed late, and then I can’t fall asleep.”

“…”

Though she feared having dreams, she also feared insomnia.

Feared being awake with her eyes open, enduring the long night alone.

Xie Ruhe made a sound of acknowledgment: “Then sleep now.”

Shu Nian nodded, but her eyes remained open, gazing at him.

After a few seconds, Xie Ruhe asked, “Why aren’t you closing your eyes?”

Shu Nian clutched the blanket and summoned the courage to make a request: “Could you sing me a song? I feel it’s a bit quiet. Hmm… it feels a bit quiet.”

Xie Ruhe was stunned for a moment but quickly agreed: “What would you like to hear?”

Shu Nian thought about songs with slow melodies and hesitantly said: “How about ‘The Cricket Song’…”

“Okay.” Xie Ruhe reached out to cover her eyes with his hand. “Listen with your eyes closed.”

Shu Nian obediently closed her eyes.

Then, Xie Ruhe’s voice filled her ears.

His voice was deep and magnetic. When singing this children’s song, it no longer had the clear, bright quality of his youth, but carried a slight huskiness. The emotion was gentle, with a sense of indulgence floating in the air with his song.

…

The dark sky hangs low / Bright stars follow

Cricket fly / Cricket fly

Who are you thinking of

…

His voice seemed to carry a power that made her feel extremely comfortable and secure. Shu Nian relaxed, gradually loosening her grip on the blanket, and her thoughts shifted from brightness to darkness.

Shu Nian’s breathing became even, and she slowly descended into the abyss of dreams.

Xie Ruhe’s singing seemed to grow distant.

As the darkness drew nearer, his voice became softer and softer, almost inaudible, as if it overlapped with another voice.

The same lyrics, but a different melody.

Back then, they stood side by side on the podium.

Below were classmates sitting neatly. Those faces, not seen for so long, seemed both strange and familiar. The young boys and girls wore smiles without malice, whispering to each other.

Shu Nian felt embarrassed and instinctively looked to the side.

Then, she saw Xie Ruhe in his youth. He wore a clean school uniform, his face expressionless, seemingly deaf to his classmates’ laughter.

Noticing her gaze, Xie Ruhe looked back at her, his eyes conveying reassurance before he quickly looked away and continued singing “The Cricket Song” with its tune completely off-key.

Shu Nian inexplicably found courage.

Ignoring the laughter from below, she earnestly finished the song.

The scene flashed, and the sky around them darkened.

Outside, the sound of heavy rain pounding down could be heard, the ceiling fan’s rotation was exceptionally loud, and the classroom was stifling hot. During the evening self-study, stern-faced teachers regularly passed by in the corridor, with occasional suppressed cries from female students nearby.

Bright fluorescent tubes, with many water ants flying around—those that always appeared on rainy days.

One flew onto Shu Nian’s desk, and she calmly used a piece of paper to fan it away. Xie Ruhe, sitting in front of her, noticed her movement and turned around.

Shu Nian looked at him and blinked: “Are you afraid?”

He didn’t say anything.

The corners of Shu Nian’s eyes curved upward as she comforted him: “Don’t be afraid. If one flies onto you, I’ll quietly help you get rid of it without letting you notice.”

Xie Ruhe paused, hesitantly nodded and then swatted away a water from her sleeve.

Shu Nian was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and lowered her head.

When she looked up again, she found Xie Ruhe still watching her, his eyes seemingly filled with amusement.

The frame froze.

In an instant, both the younger versions of her and Xie Ruhe disappeared.

The scene grew dim.

Suddenly, there was no one beside Shu Nian as she walked forward alone, hugging her books. Around her were sympathetic discussions, but no one approached her. As if they were afraid of hurting her, or perhaps afraid of her.

It was a feeling of profound loneliness and despair.

Before she was an iron dormitory door.

Shu Nian wanted to push it open, to hide inside.

Before she could move, she heard the voice of her roommate, Ruan Xitong: “Last night, it was just me and Shu Nian in the dorm. She was really scary… she suddenly started crying and saying strange things I couldn’t understand…”

“Not scary,” another roommate was saying, “She’s the one who got scared, after all, considering what happened.”

“Then she should see a psychiatrist! Why is she still living with us…?”

“Hey! Stop talking! It wouldn’t be good if she heard.”

Shu Nian immediately released the doorknob and turned to leave the dormitory building.

Then she saw Xu Zeyuan.

He didn’t take her hand as he used to, silently leading her to the campus cafe. There weren’t many people nearby, and slow, melancholic instrumental music played in the background.

After a long while, Xu Zeyuan said to her: “I think you’ve been strange lately. Have you been…”

Shu Nian didn’t want to linger. She stood up, wanting to escape this place.

She didn’t want to stay in such a depressing place. She wanted to return to her childhood, to that time when no matter where she went, there was always someone else accompanying her.

Those sunny, bright days.

She left the cafe, running desperately forward until she reached the end of the road.

Then, Shu Nian saw a familiar figure.

He stood in the brightest part of the light, backlit, his face unclear. But all her fears vanished at that moment. Shu Nian nervously swallowed and carefully approached.

The closer she got, the clearer the person’s appearance became.

It was Xie Ruhe.

His lips moved, he was speaking, but Shu Nian couldn’t hear a single word.

Shu Nian reached out to him, saying softly, “What are you saying?”

Xie Ruhe repeated himself.

She still couldn’t hear clearly.

The Xie Ruhe standing opposite her closed his mouth, ignoring her outstretched hand. After a moment of silence, he repeated once more.

This time Shu Nian heard him.

He was saying: “I’m sorry, Shu Nian. I just can’t take it anymore.”

Shu Nian stared at him blankly, withdrew her hand, and pressed her lips together. She nodded firmly and said, “It’s okay.” She took a step back, and the tears she had been holding back suddenly fell.

Looking behind.

Zeng Yuanxue was holding a knife, smiling gently at her.

…

The day she returned home for National Day.

After being knocked unconscious by the man with a hard object, Shu Nian regained consciousness after an unknown amount of time.

Shu Nian slowly opened her eyes, her gaze scattered, her vision turning slowly. The environment before her was unfamiliar, a place she had never seen before. Her head and body ached.

She tried to speak in confusion but found her mouth was stuffed with something.

She could only make muffled cries.

Her hands were tied behind her back, and despite struggling for a while, it had no effect.

Shu Nian gradually regained clarity, and images flashed in her mind of the strange man thanking her, and then striking her with a hard object. At the same time, she heard the sound of a man humming outside.

She held her breath.

The next moment, the room’s only door opened.

Blinding white light streamed in.

Shu Nian couldn’t adapt to the strong light for a moment and instinctively closed her eyes, only to open them again quickly.

She met the man’s gaze as he stood in the doorway.

Under her gaze, the man slowly walked in, crouched in front of her, and smiled as if greeting an old friend: “Awake, are you?”

“…” Shu Nian couldn’t speak and moved backward in terror.

“I’m particularly happy today.” The man seemed oblivious to her fear, his facial muscles stiff, his smile especially creepy. He moved closer to her and suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.

Shu Nian’s emotions were the polar opposite of his.

Her eyes reddened, her whole body trembling, and she couldn’t help making pleading, sobbing sounds.

He seemed to enjoy these sounds and quickly returned to normal, gently stroking her head. Again and again. After a while, the man whistled cheerfully, his hand pausing for a moment before forcefully grabbing her hair and yanking it back.

Listening to Shu Nian’s painful cries.

The man laughed and said: “Finally, another guest has arrived.”