There was no sound from the other end, as if it had been silent for a long time.

Xu Sui had always been reserved, rarely expressing her feelings, so when she didn’t get a response, she felt a bit embarrassed. Just as she was about to change the subject, Zhou Jingze suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep:

“Me too, more than you can imagine.”

A “click” sound came through the phone – the sound of a lighter’s gear scraping against flint. He took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled softly: “When I get worked up at night, I can only rely on your photos to cool down. You understand?”

Zhou Jingze’s tone was casual and roguish, carrying a hint of mischief. His naturally low voice traveled through the unstable electrical current straight into her ears.

It was tickling and tingling. Xu Sui only felt her ears burning terribly.

“Pervert.” Xu Sui blushed and scolded him dryly.

Zhou Jingze let out a soft laugh, removed his cigarette, and coaxed her: “Go to my place and help water those plants. Be good, I’ll come back after you finish watering them.”

“Okay.”

It happened to be the weekend. Xu Sui brought 1017 and Lord Kui back to Zhou Jingze’s home in Amber Lane. She pushed open the courtyard gate and looked around.

The plants in the courtyard had almost all died, their leaves yellowed, their entire bodies drooping limply on the ground.

Zhou Jingze had clearly tricked her into coming over. With plants in this condition, even an agricultural expert couldn’t save them.

After entering and drinking a couple sips of water, Xu Sui took Lord Kui to the flower market and bought several pots of plants. There were cacti, eucalyptus leaves, fiddle-leaf figs, and snake plants.

She arranged all these plants in the courtyard and watered them with cool, refreshing water, instantly making the entire house’s color scheme much brighter and more cheerful.

Xu Sui walked into the house, took out a carton of milk from the refrigerator, poked through the aluminum film with a white straw, and leaned back on the sofa to drink her milk. However, after resting for only a short while, she inadvertently noticed a pile of toppled beer cans on the table, men’s clothes messily draped over the sofa, and aviation magazines thrown to one side.

She couldn’t sit still again.

Xu Sui put down her milk, got up to find a white plastic bag, threw the beer cans into it, wiped the coffee table clean, and even tidied up other messy areas of the house, finally taking the trash outside.

The entire house looked brand new.

After everything was cleaned up, Xu Sui threw his clothes into the washing machine, tossed in a blue laundry pod, pressed the button, and after the washing drum slowly began to rotate, she went to do other things.

Today was the hottest day since spring began, and after cleaning all afternoon, Xu Sui was drenched in sweat. She walked into Zhou Jingze’s room, found one of his T-shirts and sweatpants, and immediately rushed into the bathroom to shower.

When putting on clothes after her shower, Xu Sui discovered that Zhou Jingze’s black sweatpants were too big – the kind where even tying the two drawstrings at the waist couldn’t keep them up, and they just fell right down. She simply gave up and ended up wearing just his T-shirt and a pair of slippers.

She casually dried her wet hair with a white towel. Her hair was half-dry, draped over her shoulders, with water dripping from the ends, leaving wet spots on her chest.

Xu Sui shook the water from her ears, shuffled in her slippers to the washing machine, and put the clean clothes into a laundry basket. She carried the basket upstairs to hang the clothes.

It was already dusk, the sky displaying a thick honey-like color. The sultry wind blew, making the weather so stifling it felt like summer was approaching.

Just as Xu Sui was about to hang the clothes, she noticed several pieces of Zhou Jingze’s clothing stuck at the top of the railing, currently fluttering in the wind. Xu Sui stood on her tiptoes and stretched to reach the clothes, but found she couldn’t reach them.

She brought a small stool from the room, stepped onto it barefoot, and reached for the clothes caught on the railing. But every time her hand just touched the hem, the evening breeze would blow it away from her fingertips to somewhere else.

Xu Sui had no choice but to stretch as hard as she could on her tiptoes to reach the clothes.

Zhou Jingze stood leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth, having watched for who knows how long.

Xu Sui had her back to him, completely unaware, still struggling with those few pieces of clothing fluttering in the wind. She wore Zhou Jingze’s white T-shirt, which barely covered the roots of her pale thighs, exposing two smooth, slender long legs with a few water droplets still clinging to her rounded calves.

Her perky bottom was faintly visible under the oversized T-shirt. Each time she reached out to grab the clothes, through the loose sleeves, one could glimpse those jade-white curves.

Her hair was wet, dripping water all over the floor.

Still the same pure girl, yet her every movement carried an enchanting allure.

Zhou Jingze squinted as he watched her, the cigarette in his mouth exhaling wisps of gray-white smoke. His Adam’s apple rolled slowly, and heat surged through his lower abdomen.

Xu Sui’s talent was that she didn’t need to do anything – just standing there was enough to get a reaction from him.

Zhou Jingze extinguished the cigarette in his hand, casually tossing it into a flowerpot at his feet. Hands in his pockets, wearing military boots, he walked toward Xu Sui step by step.

Xu Sui stretched on her tiptoes, making her umpteenth laborious attempt to reach the clothes. The wind blew, and she missed again, finally feeling defeated. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, and a pair of strong hands with prominent blue veins encircled her legs, lifting her entire body into the air.

Xu Sui let out a startled cry. The person behind her made an ambiguous chuckling sound. Looking down, she realized the man who should have been thousands of miles away was right there before her eyes.

“How did you get back?” Xu Sui’s voice was filled with delighted surprise.

Zhou Jingze was still wearing his aerial rescue team’s blue uniform, four stripes on his left shoulder, a small golden airplane on his right shoulder with a circle of bright red five-starred red flag around it, cargo pants, and military boots. Broad shoulders and long legs, dashing and handsome yet carrying an air of roguish charm.

“When have I ever lied to you? I said I’d come back after you watered the plants.” Zhou Jingze smiled.

“Which piece of clothing do you want?” Zhou Jingze asked her.

Xu Sui wrapped her arms around his neck, sitting on one side of the man’s shoulders. Zhou Jingze supported her, willingly listening to the little girl’s directions – left for a while, right for a while – until she finally retrieved the clothes.

Zhou Jingze supported her bottom with one hand, his rough fingers stroking her tender legs once, his throat tightening: “Wearing my clothes to seduce me?”

Xu Sui trembled at his touch. Sitting so high up, she was on edge and afraid of falling, her heart practically roasting over a fire as she said hoarsely:

“No… no, I didn’t know you were coming back.”

The man pushed his tongue against his left cheek and smiled, his voice deep: “But you did seduce me.”

Zhou Jingze was back, and Xu Sui was very happy, unusually clingy. Wherever he went, she followed behind like a little tail.

That evening, Xu Sui said she didn’t want dinner but wanted cake instead. Zhou Jingze didn’t even change his clothes, took ingredients from the refrigerator, walked into the kitchen, and resignedly baked a small cake for his girl.

No choice – his own wife, if he didn’t spoil her, who would?

Zhou Jingze was in the kitchen beating eggs and kneading flour. After it formed, just as he was about to get the utensils, Xu Sui had somehow entered, hugging him from behind, her cheek nuzzling against his waist.

“Tsk,” Zhou Jingze smiled languidly, his tone dangerous and suggestive, voice lowered: “Keep teasing me and I’ll take you right here and now.”

“Want to feel if there’s a reaction, hm?” Zhou Jingze pretended to take her hand and guide it over, but Xu Sui clung tightly to his waist, refusing to let go no matter what.

“Why are you suddenly so clingy?” Zhou Jingze mischievously turned his head and smeared cream on her cheek and nose.

Xu Sui didn’t get angry either, her voice muffled: “I need to apologize to you.”

“I know about everything you’ve been doing for me – the map, the little bear cap, the noodle shop…” Xu Sui hugged him, sniffling: “Recently, because of my mother’s situation, I wasn’t firm enough about our relationship. I’m sorry.”

Zhou Jingze’s movements paused. He turned around to look at her.

Xu Sui also looked up at him. Zhou Jingze’s hair was much shorter, his features sharp. He was looking at her with half-raised eyelids, his thin eyelids like two blades.

One glance, and she fell into the whirlpool under his control.

Xu Sui spoke first: “I will follow you, support you. I won’t waver about our relationship anymore. For life, I only recognize you.”

Like a pick disturbing the calm, unmarked surface of a lake into rippling waves.

Zhou Jingze lowered his neck, pressing against her forehead, his tone serious as he said: “Xu Sui, follow me, and I won’t let you regret it.”

I’ll present the best things to you, never let you be sad again.

“Okay.” Xu Sui nodded.

Zhou Jingze was afraid she might cry again, so he changed the subject, his fingers tucking the loose hair at her forehead behind her ear as he smiled: “Were you just apologizing? Then compensate me.”

Xu Sui looked at him with confused eyes: “How should I compensate?”

Before she could react to her own words, Zhou Jingze wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He lowered his head and licked the cream from her nose and cheeks into his mouth.

Zhou Jingze looked at her, slowly licked it, then lowered his head to feed it into her mouth, pushing it bit by bit between her lips and teeth. Xu Sui passively tasted some cream – it was quite sweet. Then her lips hurt as the man bit directly in.

Xu Sui was forced to swallow the cream he fed her, the sweetness making her throat hoarse. She wore a white T-shirt, oversized and loose, which was quite convenient for him.

Xu Sui only felt a chill in front, his knuckles rough, rings pressing against her, both cold and hot. She lowered her head, passively burying her face in the man’s neck, her throat too dry to speak.

The cream melted from the heat, quickly turning into a puddle of water.

Zhou Jingze’s movements were forceful, pressing against the tattoo at her ribs. At the crucial unbearable moment, a hint of red appeared at the corners of his eyes, and sweat from his forehead dripped onto the kitchen floor.

“Yiyi.”

“Mm?”

Zhou Jingze looked at her, his voice hoarse: “I want to marry you.”

…

Zhou Jingze was on leave during this period, and Xu Sui spent all day with him. Except for work, they were practically inseparable. She thought everything was developing in a positive direction.

Who knew that a bolt from the blue would strike. Life is like that – sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy. You never know which wave will crash down on you.

At three in the morning on Sunday, Zhou Jingze received a call from the hospital. He was told that Hu Qianxi had suffered a sudden heart attack and underwent two emergency resuscitations. During the second resuscitation, Sheng Nanzhou saw her in extreme pain. Hu Qianxi was so thin she looked like a sheet of paper, yet her heart and lungs were swollen like balloons, her breathing nearly failing.

Each time they applied the defibrillator, she weakly resembled a soft peach, her body extremely frail and in pain, but her consciousness remained clear.

The clearer she was, the more painful it became.

She was silently shedding tears.

Like a fragile doll.

The doctor came out and explained Hu Qianxi’s condition to Sheng Nanzhou. Sheng Nanzhou lowered his eyes, his fists unconsciously clenching, then finally nodded.

He chose to give up the resuscitation.

Sheng Nanzhou calmly notified each of Hu Qianxi’s relatives and friends to come and say their goodbyes.

Sheng Nanzhou was the last to enter. He held her hand throughout, always wearing a smile on his face. He didn’t want his wife to worry about him even at the end.

Finally, Hu Qianxi passed away at 4:45 AM.

When the doctor announced Hu Qianxi’s time of death, Xu Sui completely fainted. Meanwhile, Sheng Nanzhou continued sitting by that white hospital bed, holding her hand, motionless for a long time, silent as a statue, blending into the hospital’s dim, pale background.

Like a cutout figure.

In a corner where no one could see, a scalding tear dropped onto the bedsheet, quickly spreading before disappearing without a trace.

Hu Qianxi’s funeral arrangements were all handled by Sheng Nanzhou. On the day of condolences, Xu Sui and Zhou Jingze stood in the main positions as Hu Qianxi’s family, welcoming and attending to each guest.

Lu Wenbai also came. He brought a bouquet of winter jasmine, shadows beneath his eyelashes, his face still sickly pale. He walked forward, patted Sheng Nanzhou’s shoulder, and said softly:

“My condolences.”

During the graveside memorial, Xu Sui stood in the center of a hundred people wearing black clothes, holding a speech she had written. The reading didn’t go smoothly – she choked up several times as she said:

“Hu Qianxi, born July 13, 1993, aged 28. Also my good friend Hu Qianxi. She was beautiful with big eyes and fair skin. At first glance, you’d think she was a spirited girl who stepped out of a manga. Like most ordinary girls, she liked chasing celebrities and worried about not losing weight and getting pimples on her face. She loved sushi, disliked anything irritating, and her favorite color was pink.”

“She was our friend, a little princess in her parents’ eyes, an ordinary wife, and also a wildlife veterinarian who rescued 1,300 small animals around the world. She watched 3,000 sunsets alone and still… lived well. Sometimes she cried, sometimes she was delicate, but throughout her life she was kind and lively, smart and strong, brave and passionate, like a sunflower.”

“Please don’t forget her.”

After she finished, the entire venue was eerily quiet, with only soft sobbing sounds, then the crying grew louder as everyone seemed enveloped by a massive darkness.

After seeing off the guests, Xu Sui and their group stood before the grave. She stood there for a long time, staring blankly at the smiling Hu Qianxi in the photo on the tombstone.

Since the last warming, the entire city had fallen into rainy season, perpetually shrouded in a layer of white moisture. But today, Xu Sui looked up at the sky.

Surprisingly clear.

It was good weather.

Xixi, are you watching us? I will never forget you. In the next life, we must be good friends again, and I’ll put a duvet cover on you.

After everyone left, Sheng Nanzhou sat alone beside the tombstone. The sun gradually set, and fiery clouds spread across the sky in blood-red romance, magnificent and spectacular.

Sheng Nanzhou sat there, thinking about some things. That night during their farewell, he held Hu Qianxi’s hand. She lay there, managing a strained smile, and said:

“Brother Nanzhou, I’ve always had a secret I never told you. Actually, I secretly liked you for a long time too. But once in high school, I accidentally overheard you telling a friend that you only saw me as a sister. So I kept this feeling hidden in my heart. When I chased Lu Wenbai in college, it was really foolish. I couldn’t call it liking – I was purely tempted by his looks, and inexplicably persistent. At that time, I thought, since my life wouldn’t be long anyway, why not try what it feels like to love someone boldly and passionately.”

Lu Wenbai was like a character she chose to experience in the game of life.

Later she cleared things up with Lu Wenbai, and they became friends.

As Hu Qianxi spoke, a tear slid down her cheek. She struggled to raise her hand to touch Sheng Nanzhou’s temple, her voice weak and powerless, squeezing out each word from her throat:

“Brother Nanzhou, I’m leaving. Don’t be sad for me. You must live well, see the beautiful things in the world for me – rainbows, sunny days, sunsets. I haven’t seen enough yet, and there’s so much delicious food I haven’t had time to eat, so… you must complete these for me. Don’t do anything foolish.”

“If there’s a chance in the next life, I’ll meet you first and chase after you.”

Sitting beside the tombstone, Sheng Nanzhou’s expression, which he had maintained as strong and calm for several days, finally cracked. His face showed grief and devastation as he leaned there. He raised his hand to stroke the characters on the tombstone:

Beloved Wife Hu Qianxi’s Grave.

On this day, forever lost his love.

At the same time, he placed a sunflower in front of the grave and spoke a sentence from his throat, his tone serious:

“Xixi, forever living in the sun.”

On this day, the sky was clear and boundless, the evening beautiful, flowers fragrant, birds chirping, and the wind gentle.