Xie Ruhe lowered his eyes, staring at her slightly uncomfortable face, his expression somewhat stunned. His eyes narrowed, and his fingertips unconsciously moved as he asked in a low voice, “Dating at school?”

This was the first time Shu Nian had ever said such a thing.

Apart from her voice acting scripts, in her memory, she had never done anything against her conscience like this before—calling something she believed was wrong as right. She had even apologized for it.

This was an unprecedented event.

Shu Nian was already embarrassed, and now hearing his question, she didn’t even dare to look at him. She immediately lowered her head, feeling regretful yet unwilling to take back her words. She remained silent, lost in her self-reflection.

Xie Ruhe curled his lips and asked knowingly, “Who do you want to date at school?”

Shu Nian didn’t look up, unable to see Xie Ruhe’s expression at that moment, unsure if he truly didn’t know the answer. She was too embarrassed to say it and could only silently bow her head and eat her noodles, pretending not to have heard him.

His voice took on a hint of laughter as he continued, “Can’t say it?”

Two seconds of silence.

Shu Nian picked up a piece of beef and placed it in his bowl, awkwardly changing the subject, mumbling, “Eat your noodles quickly, otherwise, they’ll get mushy soon, and they won’t taste good.”

Xie Ruhe understood that for her to say such words required a tremendous internal struggle. He stopped teasing her, and his bad mood was completely swept away.

He looked at the piece of beef placed in his bowl and paused for two seconds: “I understand.”

Shu Nian thought the attention had finally been diverted and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Ruhe added, “I feel the same way.”

Huh?

The same about what?

That noodles don’t taste good when they get mushy?

Shu Nian didn’t understand what he was saying and looked up in puzzlement, coincidentally meeting his dark eyes.

They gazed at each other silently.

The corners of Xie Ruhe’s eyes lifted slightly, his dense eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyes, his gaze focused and passionate. Then, he chuckled softly: “Dating you at school sounds nice.”

—I also think dating you at school sounds nice.

Shu Nian’s heart skipped a beat, and her previous awkwardness and confusion dissipated. Her ears grew hot, and the corners of her mouth turned upward as she gave a soft “Mmm” in response.

After saying this, Xie Ruhe fell silent.

Shu Nian ate slowly, chewing each bite for a long time before swallowing. As she bit into the noodles, she secretly glanced in Xie Ruhe’s direction. Recalling his words from earlier, she hesitantly said, “Don’t be upset because of your grandparents.”

Xie Ruhe nodded expressionlessly.

“What they said was all wrong. Don’t listen to them.”

“Mm.”

Shu Nian didn’t want to speak ill of others behind their backs, but she still mumbled quietly, “And they even pushed you.”

Her tone was full of complaint. Perhaps because they were his relatives, or maybe because she simply wasn’t good at cursing people, her words weren’t particularly harsh.

But her unhappiness was all for his sake.

It was as if she was venting his emotions, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Xie Ruhe responded flatly to her words, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

Shu Nian tightened her grip on the chopsticks, feeling that saying such things was quite ridiculous and somewhat presumptuous. Her voice lowered, lacking confidence as she said, “In the future when we encounter such situations, I’ll protect you.”

“…”

“We’ll go out together,” Shu Nian said seriously. “If we encounter them again, I’ll try my best not to be afraid.”

Those were Xie Ruhe’s family members.

They had a blood relationship with him, and even if they hadn’t fulfilled their responsibilities, in the eyes of outsiders, they were still his grandparents, his uncle, and his elders.

For their disrespectful and unkind actions, perhaps Xie Ruhe couldn’t bring himself to respond in the same manner.

So she would help him.

Xie Ruhe had already finished his noodles, and when he heard these words, his hand paused as he reached for a napkin. He looked at her, suddenly remembering her reaction the first time she saw the injuries inflicted on him by Xie Ji.

Just like now.

Though she knew she might get hurt, she was still willing to stand in front of him.

These were words that could make his heart melt completely.

Over the years, he hadn’t been very happy. Although he was doing what he loved, there was no one else around him, making life lonely and monotonous. The world seemed dark and without light.

Those empty feelings, however, could be filled by her in unexpected moments.

The memory of their reunion day floated in his mind.

Even now, thinking about it still makes him feel fortunate and grateful.

That day, because the rehabilitation physician had an emergency, he was sent to the hospital by Fang Wencheng for rehabilitation. And because it started pouring outside, Fang Wencheng moved too slowly, making him wait at the hospital entrance for quite a while.

While lost in his thoughts, he heard Shu Nian’s voice.

Looking up, he saw her standing in the bright light, appearing somewhat unreal.

Like a dream from the past.

I worried it was just a dream.

But even if it was a dream, this dream has continued until now.

Making her truly present before his eyes at this moment.

Xie Ruhe’s throat went dry as he ruffled her hair, his expression gentle: “Mm, you’ll protect me.”

Except for feeling very uncomfortable when first taking the medication, there wasn’t much sensation afterward. Sometimes Shu Nian would even forget to take her medicine, and it was always Xie Ruhe who reminded her on time.

However, the effect of the medication was only to alleviate certain symptoms and reduce suffering.

Many times, Shu Nian couldn’t control her emotions—she would suddenly get angry, and sob uncontrollably, with extreme emotional swings. She would also suddenly become depressed and lose her appetite.

During panic attacks, Xie Ruhe would stay by her side. Hearing her panicked pleas for help and crying, witnessing the physical reactions they caused, all he could do was to continuously comfort her.

Most of the time, Shu Nian was quite normal.

Although she would worry about the next attack and feel anxious about it, knowing that someone was with her, someone to accompany her through this dark time, made her feel that it wasn’t so hard to endure.

Apart from necessary outings, they spent the rest of their time at home.

Only during the first week, out of concern for Shu Nian’s condition, Xie Ruhe told a lie, making Shu Nian sleep in the same room with him.

Later, Shu Nian discovered that there was nothing wrong with Xie Ruhe’s legs and realized he had said such things only because he was worried about her. She then tactfully suggested that she would like to sleep in another room.

The two lived together in a very respectful cohabitation.

This went on for several weeks.

“While He’s Still Here” was released in early June.

Afraid that Shu Nian might change her mind, Xie Ruhe bought tickets a week in advance and asked her once more.

Shu Nian had almost forgotten about this matter and pondered seriously for a long time, feeling conflicted and timid. Thinking about those scenes made her feel irritable and anxious; her first instinct was unwillingness.

The movie theater was crowded and chaotic, with dim lighting. Moreover, she didn’t know what scenes would be shown in the film. Would some disturbing images would remind her of past events and make her uncomfortable?

She always considered too many things.

And because of these considerations, she felt very anxious and didn’t want to think about it anymore.

After Shu Nian refused this time, Xie Ruhe didn’t mention it again.

As May was about to end, Shu Nian received a phone call. It was from the director of a show she had recently voiced, saying that some lines didn’t pass censorship and needed to be changed, asking Shu Nian to go record additional dialogue.

Upon receiving this call, Shu Nian realized she hadn’t been to the recording studio for quite some time.

This was work she couldn’t refuse, so Shu Nian agreed immediately.

Afterward, she told Xie Ruhe about it.

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe observed Shu Nian’s reaction discreetly, and seeing that she didn’t seem very resistant to the idea, he breathed a sigh of relief: “Alright, I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

The next day, they left on time.

The location of this recording studio wasn’t far from Xie Ruhe’s home, about a twenty-minute walk.

The outside temperature was very high, with the sun hanging high. The cement ground was like a steamer, emitting heat, and the air was distorted by the heat. The scent of grass and soil could still be detected.

Originally intending to walk there directly, Xie Ruhe called Fang Wencheng due to the weather.

His physical condition was now good enough to drive. But because he hadn’t driven for a long time and hadn’t had time to practice during this period, he still needed Fang Wencheng to come over.

The car drove to the recording studio.

Shu Nian got out of the car.

For the past few weeks, except for sleeping, she and Xie Ruhe had barely been apart. Shu Nian turned around nervously, looking at Xie Ruhe in the car, and couldn’t help saying, “I should be quick.”

Xie Ruhe was discussing work matters with Fang Wencheng. Hearing her words, he turned his head and said softly, “Wait for me a moment.” Then, after saying a few more words to Fang Wencheng, he quickly got out of the car.

Shu Nian looked up at him and hesitantly asked, “Why did you get out?”

Xie Ruhe took a hat from the car and raised his hand to put it on her: “I’ll go up with you.”

Shu Nian relaxed and blinked: “Why wear a hat?”

“It’s too sunny,” Xie Ruhe murmured, “Don’t get sunburned.”

“Then we should have brought an umbrella.”

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe glanced at her, as if thinking, and quickly nodded: “I’ll bring one next time.”

Shu Nian pointed at the tall building: “The walkover is very quick.”

“You can take it off if you feel hot inside, and put it back on when you come out.” Xie Ruhe was adjusting the size of the hat for her, and after finishing, looked for a few seconds, “It still seems too big.”

“It’s not too big.” Shu Nian’s mood suddenly improved, and she raised her head. Afraid the hat would fall off, she instinctively held it against her head, the corners of her eyes curving, “It fits quite well.”

The additional recording was just redoing a few lines, which generally doesn’t take much time.

Xie Ruhe couldn’t enter the studio, so Shu Nian looked around, found a place for him to sit, instructed him to wait there like she was telling a child, and then entered the recording studio.

Shu Nian hadn’t done voice acting for a while, and she had some difficulty concentrating, so it took a bit longer than expected. Worried that Xie Ruhe had been waiting too long, she immediately said goodbye to the director as soon as she finished recording.

Because the hat kept falling off, Shu Nian had taken it off in the studio. Before leaving, she thought about it and put the hat back on.

As she left the studio, Shu Nian looked in Xie Ruhe’s direction.

He was still sitting in the same place, but there was now a woman beside him.

Shu Nian paused, standing in place watching them.

The woman wore a spaghetti strap dress, revealing her fair neck and collarbone, with a waist-cinching design that outlined her beautiful figure. She had tied all her hair up into a small bun, her forehead smooth, and her smiling eyes curved below.

It was Lin Qiqi.

Xie Ruhe sat in place, lowering his eyes to look at his phone.

Lin Qiqi stood about a meter away from him, saying something to him.

The scene looked exceptionally harmonious.

Shu Nian licked her lips, walking over slowly. Many images flooded her mind at that moment, making her feel a bit dazed. For some reason, she didn’t even dare to continue walking over.

She felt inexplicably unhappy and aggrieved.

She lowered her head, standing in place for a few seconds before lifting her feet to continue walking forward.

She walked to a position about five meters away from them.

Perhaps noticing her presence through his peripheral vision, Xie Ruhe looked up, the coldness in his eyes dissolving in an instant. The next second, he stood up and said softly, “Finished recording?”

Following his words and his gaze.

Lin Qiqi swallowed the unfinished words and also looked over at Shu Nian. She didn’t seem to remember Shu Nian very well, but found her familiar, examining her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Shu Nian nodded.

Without waiting for Xie Ruhe to continue speaking, Shu Nian looked up, just in time to see him brush past her shoulder and walk toward the back. Then she met Lin Qiqi’s gaze, which for some unknown reason, seemed somewhat unkind.

Shu Nian pressed her lips together and withdrew her gaze.

She didn’t know why he had just walked away like that.

Shu Nian’s mood wasn’t very good, and she was about to turn around to look. At the same time, the shape of a hat brim reappeared in her field of vision, and someone put the hat back on her head.

Xie Ruhe stood back beside her, staring at her silly appearance.

“You didn’t even notice the hat fell off.”

Shu Nian instinctively touched the hat, mumbling, “It’s too big.”

Xie Ruhe paused: “Not happy?”

Shu Nian lowered her head, unwilling to admit it: “No…”

Seeing through her lie, Xie Ruhe thought for a moment: “Then let’s go.”

Shu Nian asked, “Going home?”

“No,” Xie Ruhe said seriously, “Let’s go buy you a hat.”