At three in the morning, Xu Sui was still sleeping in the man’s arms, but she had a nightmare. She dreamed that Hu Qianxi jumped off a cliff right in front of her. Xu Sui grabbed at empty air and finally woke up gasping from the dream.

Zhou Jingze was awakened by the disturbance. He helped her sit up, turned on the bedside lamp, and poured a glass of warm water for her. Xu Sui nestled in his arms, covered in cold sweat, her throat tight as she pressed her lips to the rim of the glass and drank.

Zhou Jingze’s palm pressed against her cheek, his thumb brushing her hair behind her ear, his voice slightly hoarse: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Sui took a couple sips of water and swallowed: “I dreamed that Qianxi was in trouble.”

Zhou Jingze’s arm around her unconsciously tightened, his eyes darkening for a moment. Just as he was about to say something, the phone on the bedside rang, its sharp sound cutting through the night’s tranquility.

Sheng Nanzhou was calling.

Zhou Jingze answered. After just a few words from the other end, his expression changed, his brows heavy with emotion: “We’ll be right there.”

“Qianxi went to the hospital, the situation is quite serious.” Zhou Jingze turned his head and said quietly.

Xu Sui’s heart jumped with unease. She immediately threw off the covers, stepping barefoot onto the floor, searching for clothes, her tone anxious: “Then let’s hurry over.”

Zhou Jingze watched the woman frantically getting dressed, even putting her sweater on backwards. He took her hand, their eyes meeting as he spoke slowly:

“Let me tell you something first. Qianxi actually has congenital heart disease. It was discovered when she was five, and recently… the situation might be more serious.”

Xu Sui stood there feeling ice-cold all over, unable to say a word. She let Zhou Jingze lean down to button her clothes, put on her coat, and wrap her scarf around her neck. Like a marionette, she was led out by the man, into the car.

At Puren Hospital, when Zhou Jingze and Xu Sui arrived at the emergency room, they immediately saw Sheng Nanzhou leaning against the wall, his head slightly tilted back, eyes closed. The hospital’s cold white light fell on his side, silent and stern.

Half in cold light, half in shadow, Xu Sui even suspected he had merged completely with the gray wall behind him.

Zhou Jingze walked over and asked: “How is it now?”

Sheng Nanzhou opened his eyes. The three of them looked toward the operating room, where the red light was on, showing emergency treatment in progress. Sheng Nanzhou struggled to get words out of his throat:

“In the middle of the night, she suddenly had chest tightness and couldn’t breathe. Taking medicine didn’t help, so she called me emergency. When I rushed over, she… was lying on the floor.”

Zhou Jingze asked: “Do her parents know?”

“I didn’t tell them. She didn’t want me to before, but we probably won’t be able to hide it tomorrow.” Sheng Nanzhou replied.

After the questions, the three maintained a long silence. They waited for two hours until five in the morning when the operating room light went out with a “click.” The doctor stepped on the sensor to open the door and walked out.

They surrounded him. The doctor turned his head to remove his mask and said: “The patient is temporarily out of danger, but her heart organ function is failing, blood vessels are blocked, and the heart failure that developed previously is now in the late stage. We recommend comprehensive examination after the patient wakes up…”

Sheng Nanzhou caught the key words, his eyes sharp: “Doctor, what do you mean by ‘heart failure that developed previously’?”

The doctor pulled the entire mask off from his ears, stunned: “The patient’s family doesn’t know? Her medical records show heart failure was detected six years ago.”

After the doctor left, Sheng Nanzhou said nothing, turned his back, and punched the wall hard. The back of his hand scraped against stones and flesh, becoming a bloody mess.

Six years ago, right after graduation, Hu Qianxi had joined an international wildlife rescue organization despite her family’s opposition and friends’ concerns.

Everyone thought Hu Qianxi was just playing around, that she was just seeking novelty and would return after a while. No one expected her to persist for so many years.

Xu Sui still remembered asking her why she wanted to work in such harsh conditions.

Hu Qianxi had answered with a smile: “Of course it’s because I want to shine a light and give warmth to others in my limited life.”

At the time, Xu Sui thought this was just a dismissive answer, not realizing that beneath the joking words lay her greatest sincerity toward life.

Hu Qianxi was quickly transferred to a ward. They followed, and through the glass, Xu Sui saw Hu Qianxi lying on the hospital bed, her face pale and defeated, thin and fragile like a leaf about to fall.

Unable to control the emotions she had suppressed all night, her nose stung and tears began falling drop by drop.

Zhou Jingze pulled her into his embrace. Xu Sui buried her head in his shoulder, crying while thinking how could there be such a foolish person.

No wonder Hu Qianxi had taken a month’s leave during freshman year and missed military training. Every morning in college, Hu Qianxi also didn’t participate in running exercises, explaining that she was lazy and didn’t want to run, so she had family connections get a doctor’s certificate. And Hu Qianxi often mysteriously disappeared for periods before returning.

There was also that time at Beishan Ski Resort – why hadn’t she thought more about it? Qianxi, someone who grew up in the north, supposedly longing to ski. Sheng Nanzhou had insisted everyone go together, originally to fulfill Hu Qianxi’s wish.

The more Xu Sui thought about it, the harder she cried. These were clearly traceable signs – why couldn’t she have cared more about her? Maybe things would have been different.

Sheng Nanzhou glanced at the time on his watch and walked over: “It’s almost dawn. You two go back to wash up and go to work. I’ll stay here and watch over her.”

“I’m in general surgery. Call me if anything happens.” When Xu Sui spoke again, her throat felt stuck.

“Mm.”

At ten in the morning, Xu Sui took advantage of a break to run to the inpatient department to see Hu Qianxi. Hu Qianxi had already awakened and was sitting propped up at the head of the bed, with a needle in the back of her hand, a patch of purple bruising.

Seeing Xu Sui arrive, Hu Qianxi raised the corners of her mouth in a smile.

Moisture immediately welled up in her eyes. Xu Sui secretly pinched her palm with her nails, forcing the tears back, and returned a gentle smile.

“You found out after all. Sigh, game failed.” Hu Qianxi stuck out her tongue.

Xu Sui walked over, took her hand, and smiled: “It’s not failure, we’re accompanying you to complete the game together.”

“Don’t worry. The cardiologist is my colleague, and I know an authoritative medical professor from when I studied in Hong Kong who specializes in treating heart disease,” Xu Sui pressed her thumb on the back of her hand, saying, “Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

“In any case, you’ll definitely get better.” Xu Sui looked at her.

Hu Qianxi blinked: “Okay.”

Actually, Hu Qianxi had heard similar words countless times since childhood. She knew her own physical condition, but she wanted to make Xu Sui feel better now.

She wanted everyone around her to be happy and not frown because of her situation.

In mid-December, Zhou Jingze officially joined the Zhonghai Transportation Department Flight Rescue Team. From when he took up his position, Xu Sui saw him most often on the news.

Either he was conducting cross-provincial search and rescue for railway workers trapped by heavy snow in western Zabei, or using helicopters to rescue people endangered by forest fires.

Xu Sui and Zhou Jingze rarely had video calls, and each call was interrupted by emergencies. She actually missed him very much.

This month, her good friend’s illness left Xu Sui anxious and exhausted. After work each day, she stayed up late collecting massive amounts of data and case studies, contacting colleagues within her means. Even her hospital colleagues were annoyed by her efforts, saying helplessly: “During her hospitalization, she’s been in ICU twice. Don’t you understand as someone who studied clinical medicine? Heart failure is a clinical syndrome from heart disease developing to late stages. Hers is long-term recurrent heart failure with poor prognosis. Sigh, it’s difficult.”

The hardest part was actually for Sheng Nanzhou, running around for her, constantly watching over her.

And so, Xu Sui welcomed her 28th birthday amid the chaos of December, the day before Christmas, on Christmas Eve.

Xu Sui temporarily set aside her troubled thoughts, applied light makeup, wore a blue velvet dress, and put on a pearl headband. With dark eyes and red lips, she looked gentle and captivating.

Zhou Jingze had specially adjusted his leave to today, saying he wanted to accompany her for her birthday.

Xu Sui arrived early at the restaurant Zhou Jingze had booked, a music restaurant bar. When Xu Sui took her seat, the server handed her the menu. Xu Sui smiled and said:

“Let’s wait a bit, I’m waiting for someone.”

At 7:50, ten minutes before the appointed time, Zhou Jingze called. Xu Sui’s expression was delighted, and when she answered, her voice carried a hint of happiness:

“Have you arrived?”

The sound of wind came through the phone, Zhou Jingze’s voice lowered as it came through: “Baby, sorry, there’s an emergency mission—”

“Ah,” a flash of disappointment crossed Xu Sui’s eyes, but her voice pretended to be relaxed, “It’s okay, I’ll call Liang Shuang to come out and keep me company.”

“Mm, happy birthday.”

After hanging up, Xu Sui felt a wave of disappointment. She actually hadn’t seen Zhou Jingze for over ten days and really missed him. Xu Sui waited alone for a while, called the server to order a table full of dishes, planning to eat and then go home to buy a cake – that would be the end of this birthday.

Originally, Xu Sui thought eating alone was no big deal, but the resident singer in the music restaurant was singing love songs, it happened to be Christmas Eve, and couples surrounded her.

She ate two bites of appetizer before putting down her chopsticks, looking down at the menu, suddenly wanting to order an iced fruit juice to stimulate her taste buds.

Xu Sui was seriously studying the menu when a shadow fell over her, and an upbeat voice sounded: “Miss, could we share a table?”

“Sorry, someone is sitting here—” Xu Sui refused instinctively without looking up.

Until a meaningful chuckle fell from above her head, speaking in a breathy voice with a laugh: “My girl has quite strong defensive awareness.”

Xu Sui looked up, and when she saw who was in front of her, dimples appeared on her face: “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

“Just teasing you,” Zhou Jingze smiled, placing the cake he was carrying to one side, “but I was delayed picking up something on the way.”

Zhou Jingze stood before her, wearing a black jacket, his hair extremely short, showing stubble, his facial lines sharp. He had somehow gotten injured, with a scar on his brow bone, still looking unruly, but his aura had become more mature and steady.

His broad shoulders were still dusted with snowflakes, as if he had traveled through wind and snow to get here.

Zhou Jingze opened the cake box, placed three candles, and lit them with a lighter. Xu Sui immediately clasped her hands together, making a wish seriously.

The man leaned lazily back in his chair. Seeing Xu Sui’s devout expression, he raised an eyebrow and joked: “Your boyfriend wants to share in your luck – give me one of your wishes.”

Xu Sui opened her eyes, blew out the candles with a smile: “Sure, I’m not greedy. I’ll share one wish with you.”

Halfway through dinner, a server approached with a flyer: “Hello, our restaurant is running a Christmas Eve promotion today. Taking photos and checking in on social media gets you a discount. Are you two a couple? Then it’s a discount on top of a discount.”

“No need, thank you.” Zhou Jingze politely declined.

Xu Sui was a bit dejected. When the server asked if they were a couple, what did he mean by not responding? Sigh. While she was secretly feeling down, Zhou Jingze curled his fingers and tapped the table:

“I’m going to the restroom.”

“Oh, okay.”

After he left, Xu Sui was seriously using a spoon to scoop yogurt from her bowl when suddenly the main chandelier in the hall went out with a “click,” leaving only warm-colored dim lighting on each table.

A spotlight suddenly lit up in the distance. Someone tapped a microphone, and Xu Sui looked toward the sound to see Zhou Jingze somehow appearing on stage, sitting there with the microphone, his gaze looking straight at her position, his voice low and deep:

“A song for the one I love.”

When the familiar intro started, Xu Sui’s heart trembled. It was her favorite Jay Chou song “Cute Woman.” During college weekends when she went to KTV with roommates, she had told Hu Qianxi and the others that she quite liked him – if someone sang Jay Chou songs as a confession, she would impulsively want to go with them forever.

Liang Shuang had immediately dropped to one knee and said: “Come with me then.”

Everyone immediately burst into laughter, tumbling together in a heap.

But how did he know about this?

Zhou Jingze’s voice was very low, resonating through the microphone around Xu Sui’s ears, making her ears tingle. He held a can of beer in his hand, his back slightly lowered, feet on the floor, his magnetic and captivating voice emerging from his throat:

Beautiful woman who makes me blush with embarrassment Gentle woman who makes my heart ache with tenderness

Smart woman who moves me deeply …woman who makes me crazy with love

When the song ended, Zhou Jingze walked toward her. The screaming and cheering from the whole venue nearly lifted the roof, and Xu Sui grew nervous too. He smiled and spoke, word by word:

“Happy birthday, Yiyi. The wish you gave me, I just made it—not for peace year after year, but for Sui Sui’s peace and safety.”

After joining the air rescue team, Zhou Jingze had witnessed more life and death, joy and sorrow. Now he only hoped the person he loved could be safe.

After finishing dinner, Zhou Jingze drove her home, but halfway there, Xu Sui realized this wasn’t the way home and asked: “Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll know when we get there.” Zhou Jingze drove while looking straight ahead.

Zhou Jingze drove her toward the Yajiang District area, stopping at Lingnan Mansion. Xu Sui was a bit dazed but still got out of the car. Zhou Jingze took her hand, swiped his card to enter, and they came to the front of a house.

Xu Sui thought he was taking her to meet his friends or something. Just as she was about to knock on the door, Zhou Jingze stopped her, lifting his chin toward her:

“Here.”

What he placed in Xu Sui’s palm was a set of keys.

“What’s this?” Xu Sui asked.

Zhou Jingze smiled: “Birthday present.”

Xu Sui unlocked the door with the key and walked in. The house was large, three stories total, with a duplex upstairs, fully furnished inside. Going up to the second floor, there was a master bedroom by the balcony.

“Is this our future wedding house?” Xu Sui asked.

Zhou Jingze chuckled, patted her head, and looked down at her: “Not ours – the house only has your name on it. I don’t want my future wife to feel wronged after marriage and run off to stay in hotels. If we fight and need to cool down, you’ll be the one kicking me out.”

“This gift is too expensive—” Xu Sui tried to return the keys to him.

Zhou Jingze’s eyes locked on hers as he smiled: “I’m the one taking advantage. I don’t want to be your neighbor.”

“I want to be your roommate, the legal kind where we can share a bed.”

Xu Sui’s heart trembled, feeling her face heat up. She changed the subject, noticing the house seemed newly renovated, with paint on the railings still half-dry: “Did you buy this recently?”

Zhou Jingze put one hand in his pocket, turned his head thoughtfully, and answered: “I think it was sophomore year, when I wanted to bring you home to meet Grandpa.”

It was also the first time he wanted a future with someone, so he bought this house.