By the third day of Xing Wu’s hospitalization, his spirit had noticeably improved. Every time the doctor came for rounds, they would marvel at how quickly young people recover.

Xing Wu had many injuries. Though they looked severe, they were mostly surface wounds. He couldn’t get them wet, which meant he couldn’t shower.

During these days, even his buzz cut had grown a bit, sitting messily atop his head with a kind of rugged handsomeness. Li Lan Fang brought a clean hospital gown and told him to go to the bathroom so she could help wipe him down.

Xing Wu didn’t object, but when he reached the bathroom door, he suddenly turned to Li Lan Fang who was about to follow him in, and said, “I don’t want you to do it.”

Li Lan Fang laughed and scolded, “You little brat, are you being shy with me?”

Xing Wu’s gaze drifted to Qing Ye, who was preparing medicine nearby, and said to her, “You come.”

Qing Ye suddenly froze, looking up at him. His eyes held a subtle smile. Li Lan Fang turned to look at Qing Ye, who awkwardly met her gaze before lowering her head, running to the bathroom door, pushing Xing Wu in, and quickly closing it behind them. “Are you crazy?” she asked.

Xing Wu leaned against the wall, suppressing his smile with a mischievous look: “I’d rather get moldy than let my mom wash me. Besides, she knows about us now anyway.”

Qing Ye’s cheeks flushed slightly. True, after that kiss at the stadium when her blood had rushed to her head, probably the whole world knew, but since it hadn’t been explicitly addressed, she still felt somewhat awkward in front of Li Lan Fang.

Seeing her lost in thought, Xing Wu said, “Why are you just standing there? Help me take off my clothes.”

“Can’t you undress yourself?”

“If I could, why would I need you to come in?”

“…”

Qing Ye raised her hands to undo his buttons. The bathroom was very small, a cramped space with Xing Wu’s breath falling on her head. She looked up at him; his gaze was hot and intense, that familiar feeling making Qing Ye inexplicably nervous.

With all the buttons undone, revealing his faintly visible chest, Xing Wu looked at her pink-tinged face and suddenly pressed her against the wall behind her, kissing her. Her hands pushed against his chest weakly, but her body melted from his kiss. Xing Wu pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, “I missed you.”

Qing Ye wiggled out of his embrace and glared at him: “If you want your wounds to burst open, keep fooling around.”

Xing Wu looked at her fierce expression and suddenly smiled: “Am I going to be henpecked in the future?”

“Yes, now sit still.”

Xing Wu behaved and sat quietly. Qing Ye had him stretch his neck so she could wash his hair first, then used a warm wet towel to carefully wipe around his wounds. But he had so many injuries that even the slightest touch to their edges made his muscles tense up, making Qing Ye nervous. She kept saying, “Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“Go ahead, don’t worry.”

Xing Wu never once said it hurt. To ease her tension, he casually chatted with her about recent happenings at the factory.

Liu Nian had been managing production at the factory, while Du Qi Yan was running the online store. Some traffic came from the streamers Pangzi had introduced. Though orders weren’t many, they were steady. At this rate, the monthly earnings would just cover their two salaries plus utilities and operating expenses.

Qing Ye squatted down to wipe around his lower abdomen when her hand suddenly stopped. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with misty sparkles. Xing Wu asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qing Ye pointed at his underwear: “Do you want to take these off?”

As soon as she said this, Qing Ye rarely saw a trace of embarrassment on Xing Wu’s face. He immediately grabbed the towel from her hand and said, “I’ll do it myself. You go out.”

Qing Ye smiled and leaned closer, tilting her head to look at him: “Are you being shy?”

She was squatting between his legs, and from Xing Wu’s angle, her loose t-shirt revealed an enticing view. The sight made his blood rush.

Qing Ye’s peripheral vision seemed to catch something, and when she looked down again, the dragon had awakened. Xing Wu looked at her with a half-smile: “Did you do that on purpose?”

Qing Ye quickly stood up, waving her hands: “Pardon the intrusion.”

Xing Wu stared at her dangerously through half-lidded eyes: “If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to leave at all.”

Qing Ye frantically ran out of the bathroom. Fortunately, Li Lan Fang wasn’t in the ward anymore, or it would have been another awkward moment.

When Xing Wu came out of the bathroom, Qing Ye had gone to visit his grandmother. Li Lan Fang had just returned with water, muttering: “Didn’t that Cao fellow confess? Now his family refuses to compensate us, saying they have no money since their son has to go to jail. I’ll have to go make a scene at their house.”

She handed Xing Wu a freshly washed apple as she spoke. He took it casually and took a bite without saying anything. After a while, he said, “His mom ran off with someone, and his dad gambled away everything including the house. If you go make trouble, aren’t you afraid his dad might take a knife and die with you?”

Li Lan Fang’s face paled: “Really? But we can’t just let this go! Our old house might not be worth much, but they should at least compensate us a few thousand. Besides, Qing Ye paid for the new house construction.”

Xing Wu lowered his eyes and took another bite of the apple. Li Lan Fang sat down by the bed, looking at him. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, “Wu Zi, you and Qing Ye… you two…”

Xing Wu calmly raised his head: “What do you want to ask?”

Li Lan Fang lowered her head and smiled bitterly: “Though you’re my son and I certainly want the best for you, you need to be clear about our family’s situation. You’ll hold her back like this.”

Xing Wu’s Adam’s apple moved silently, but he didn’t speak, just took another bite of the apple.

Li Lan Fang looked at the floor tiles and sighed: “Qing Ye is good in every way. If our family holds her back, I won’t be able to face her mother in the future. I need to get the money back from Cao’s family for her education.”

Xing Wu raised his head, throwing the apple core into the trash, and said to her: “Don’t worry about this. I’ll figure something out.”

…

Half a month later, Xing Wu’s concussion had completely healed, and all his wounds, big and small, had scabbed over and healed. But one day when Qing Ye came to the hospital after school, three people were standing in his ward. She pushed open the door with some surprise.

These three people were dressed very fashionably, clearly not locals. When they turned around, Qing Ye recognized one of them—he had come to Xing Wu’s house in a sports car before.

The man called San Sheng recognized Qing Ye too, and teased: “Oh, Wu Zi, the beautiful girl from last time?”

Xing Wu beckoned to Qing Ye. She put down her bag and walked to him. He took her hand and said to them: “My girlfriend, Qing Ye.”

Qing Ye smiled at them, and Xing Wu told her: “They’re from AEG Club.”

AEG Club—even though Qing Ye wasn’t in the e-sports circle, she had heard of this famous club’s name. They had a very popular team under their banner.

They didn’t stay long. Before leaving, San Sheng said to Xing Wu: “Rest well these few days. See you next week.” Xing Wu nodded.

After they left, Qing Ye lowered the table on the hospital bed, ran out to rinse the bowls and chopsticks, then laid out the food she’d brought from home on the table, telling Xing Wu: “They’re going to connect electricity to the house these days. Your mom won’t be coming today.”

Xing Wu silently took the chopsticks, looking at Qing Ye. She handed him the rice and added, “After we finish eating, I need to go back to the factory. If it gets late, I’ll just go straight to the hotel.”

Xing Wu lowered his head and called out: “Qing Ye.”

“Oh right, the mock exam results came out today. Guess what Pang Hu scored? 476! He couldn’t believe it himself. If he pushes a bit harder at the end, he should have no problem getting into university, right?”

Xing Wu put down his rice bowl, his voice deep: “Qing Ye.”

Qing Ye slammed the bowl on the table and started to walk out. Xing Wu finally couldn’t hold back and said in one breath: “You don’t want me to go?”

Qing Ye didn’t turn around, but her eyes were already blurry with tears, her shoulders trembling slightly. After a while, she raised her hand to rub her eyes and turned around: “Your injuries just healed, can’t you wait?”

Xing Wu slightly furrowed his brows, the light in his eyes bottomless: “Can’t wait. The domestic EA League starts next month. They’re willing to give me 100,000 yuan as travel expenses to go to Shanghai. It’ll take about a month.”

AEG Club didn’t have a strong FPS (first-person shooter) team—this had always been a weakness for many domestic clubs. San Sheng, who had left the county years ago, had recommended Xing Wu to the club’s bosses. After several bosses anonymously watched one of Xing Wu’s matches, they had been trying tirelessly to recruit him into the club for years.

Xing Wu slowly turned to look out the window. Spring had arrived unknowingly. The coldest winter had passed, but this remote county still showed no signs of blooming flowers. He said to Qing Ye: “Changing the path you want to take because of money—this kind of crappy thing has happened to me too many times. So I won’t let it happen to you. Including the money for building the house at home, consider it borrowed from you. I’ll raise this money and return it to you as soon as possible.”

Qing Ye looked up at him: “I don’t care!”

“But I do.” Xing Wu turned to look at her with determination.

The air suddenly grew quiet. Xing Wu got off the bed and came to stand before her, looking down: “You don’t want me to go?”

Qing Ye just shook her head silently. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to go—Grandmother was currently in the hospital, maintained by daily medication, and didn’t need Xing Wu’s constant attendance.

If Xing Wu was willing to take this step, it might be good for him. It’s just that after such a long time, she had grown so accustomed to having him nearby, to their bantering and fooling around. Suddenly being apart for a month—Qing Ye didn’t know how to face it.

Xing Wu pulled her into his embrace and said: “I should be back before your college entrance exam.”

Qing Ye said chokingly: “Shanghai has lots of beautiful women.”

“I’m going there to compete, not to chase girls.”

“Looking like you do, even if you don’t chase others, they’ll chase you.”

“How do I look?”

Qing Ye raised her head, eyes full of tears: “Don’t you know?”

Xing Wu’s lips held a smile: “No, tell me.”

Qing Ye said huffily: “I heard those e-sports stars are always surrounded by internet celebrities.”

Xing Wu said amusedly: “Who told you that? A country bumpkin like me wouldn’t catch their eye.”

“Then why did I fall for you?”

Xing Wu tilted her chin up, his warm breath falling on her face: “You have poor eyesight.”

Qing Ye sniffled: “My taste is excellent. What I like is usually limited edition, something everyone wants.”

Xing Wu laughed, standing straight and holding her shoulders: “I promise after I go, I won’t even eat mother hen wings at KFC.”

Qing Ye couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.

The day Xing Wu was discharged, Huang Mao and the others all came. When they heard he was going to Shanghai for EA League training, they were even more excited than him. The group of guys were shouting wildly in the street—if Xing Wu hadn’t just recovered from serious illness, they would have lifted him.

Although the ID “Sniper King” was indeed famous in the county, with many people impersonating his account, he wasn’t a real professional player yet.

During this trip to Shanghai, even though Xing Wu hadn’t explicitly stated he would join AEG Club as a professional e-sports player, Huang Mao and the others seemed to already see tomorrow’s e-sports god.

Originally, everyone planned to arrange a farewell dinner the next day, but Xing Wu directly refused. Huang Mao, thinking about Xing Wu leaving for a month, couldn’t contain himself and called again suggesting they hang out at the hotel.

Xing Wu held his phone, looking at Qing Ye showering in the bathroom. She had forgotten to pull the curtain, and through the frosted glass, her alluring silhouette was visible. His eyes tightened as he said to Huang Mao: “Are you just bored out of your mind?”

Huang Mao was stunned, replying: “Well, yeah, kind of bored. You’ve been in the hospital all this time, I’ve been dying of boredom.”

“Go play with mud if you’re bored, I don’t have time for you.” He hung up after speaking.

His footsteps took him to the bathroom door. Qing Ye turned off the water and asked: “Why are you standing at the door?”

“Getting you a towel.”

“I have one.”

“Getting your clothes.”

“Got those too.”

“Oh, then I’m coming in.”

“…”

Qing Ye frantically covered herself, but Xing Wu had already opened the door. In the misty air, her proportionate, fair body was breathtakingly beautiful.

Xing Wu directly lifted his shirt and walked toward her step by step, saying: “That was Huang Mao calling.”

Qing Ye trembled slightly looking at him: “And?”

“He wanted to come over.”

“What did you tell him?”

Xing Wu pulled her hands away, his eyes dreamy as he dropped light kisses: “I told him to go play with mud.”

Qing Ye, burning from his kisses, hooked her arms around his neck. The water droplets from her body transferred to Xing Wu’s skin, carrying a sweet fragrance. Her eyes flashed fiercely: “If he dares come, I’ll throw him from the second floor.”

Xing Wu carried her out from under the shower, laughing: “Then what do you want to do?”

Qing Ye buried her flushed face in his neck, her soft body making Xing Wu lose control instantly.

After being discharged, Xing Wu disappeared for two days. This time, however, his brothers weren’t as tactless as during New Year’s—even Huang Mao didn’t disturb him.

But on the morning he left, everyone still came to see him off. Quan Ya, Da Hei, and all the others showed up at the long-distance bus station.

The weather was beautiful that day, with occasional breezes. Qing Ye wore the light blue dress Xing Wu had bought her after his discharge—she had chosen the color herself. With her fair skin, it was particularly eye-catching. The breeze lifted her skirt hem as Xing Wu held her hand with one hand and carried his bag with the other.

At the terminal entrance, the group of brothers went to hug him. Xing Wu said disgustedly: “Get lost, stay away from me.”

Huang Mao and others insisted on pulling him close, while Qing Ye stood beside them giggling.

During the commotion, someone pulled at Xing Wu’s collar, revealing clear hickeys on his neck. Everyone froze, the atmosphere suddenly turning awkward. Qing Ye’s face instantly turned red.

Xing Wu hurriedly fixed his collar and cursed: “Itching for trouble?”

He gave Huang Mao a kick, who jumped away laughing. Xing Wu pulled Qing Ye close and said to them: “After I leave if anything happens to her…”

Before he could finish, Quan Ya, hands in his pockets, coolly said: “Relax, do you need to say it?”

He then lowered his head to tell Qing Ye: “I’ve talked to my mom. She’ll go to the hospital during this time. Just focus on your things, don’t worry about Grandmother.”

Qing Ye nodded.

The time came, and Xing Wu turned to enter the station. A row of brothers hung on the railings outside watching him. He still wore his neat sportswear, his tall figure strong and straight, carrying only a simple handbag as luggage. This was Xing Wu’s first time leaving his hometown for somewhere far away.

Qing Ye had been laughing and joking with them all the way, but the moment Xing Wu turned to enter the station, she finally couldn’t control her tears.

As if sensing something, he turned back to look at her. Time seemed to freeze in that second. Qing Ye seemed to remember when she first came to the county and noticed him at first glance—his clear profile, and bright eyes. Back then, she didn’t know this boy would leave such a deep mark in her life.

Tears blurred her vision, blurring Xing Wu’s figure. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It was only a month—she had been telling herself repeatedly these past few days that it was just one month, it would pass quickly.

But somehow, watching Xing Wu’s departing figure now felt like they were heading to opposite ends of the earth, making her heart unsettled.

She blinked, and as her tears fell, her vision cleared again. She saw Xing Wu suddenly push through the crowd and stride back to her. They held each other tightly across the railing as he said to her: “Wait for me.”