Jiang Wang learned for the first time that the little girl was so difficult to appease.

He and Shi Niannian had been together for a month already. She always had a very good temper, and he rarely saw her truly angry, just occasionally getting a bit upset or showing a bit of petulance when he said something too mischievous.

This was the first time she was genuinely angry.

After finishing his examination, he came out of the room already changed into a hospital gown with blue and white vertical stripes. Shi Niannian had just arrived and was standing in front of Xu Ningqing, saying something.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Ningqing turned his head, merely shrugged, gave him a “you’re on your own” look, waved his hand, and left.

The corridor where the pre-operation examinations were conducted was quite quiet, with only some inexplicably irritating low-decibel noise.

Shi Niannian stood to one side with a cold expression, not moving.

The little girl looked both cool and funny with her cold expression, pursed lips, and drooping eyes. She looked a bit cold, which contrasted with her facial features.

Jiang Wang wanted to laugh but didn’t dare at this critical moment, afraid of thoroughly provoking the little girl’s temper.

He held back his laughter as he walked over, squatted down in front of her, looked up at her, and calmly said: “I was wrong.”

Shi Niannian’s expression didn’t change: “You said the surgery was the day after tomorrow.”

Jiang Wang: “I didn’t mean to deceive you. It was rescheduled at the last minute.”

“But you didn’t tell me.”

He raised his hand to her head, ruffling the girl’s soft hair: “I just didn’t want you to worry.”

Shi Niannian leaned her head back slightly, silently avoiding his hand, indicating she was still angry and unwilling to accept his explanation.

Jiang Wang withdrew his hand and stood up: “Come on, accompany me back to the ward.”

Jiang Wang was in a private room. The facilities were clean and tidy, with a medical record card clipped to the corner of the bed. Shi Niannian’s gaze fell on it as she sat down in the chair by the bed.

“Little kid,” he hooked his index finger under her chin and suddenly bent down to come close, their eyes meeting. “Still angry with me?”

With the distance suddenly shortened, Shi Niannian’s pupils silently dilated, her heartbeat quickening. She blushed and looked away, muttering a muffled “hmph.”

Jiang Wang had rarely been cared for like this. Even when his ear first had problems, or even when he was imprisoned, it was rare. His group of friends showed their concern violently and exaggeratedly, not like Shi Niannian’s awkward yet adorable reaction.

His heart softened, as if someone had squeezed it hard.

“What were you originally going to tell me on the phone?”

Shi Niannian scratched her head, her palm resting against her cheek as she exhaled: “Final exams, you got… first place.”

Jiang Wang raised his eyebrows, without much additional reaction, and asked: “What about you?”

“Tied for first,” she said.

He paused, then smiled: “What a coincidence.”

Shi Niannian’s expression finally softened, her lips curving into an arc: “Mm, so tomorrow’s surgery… will be successful.”

The old Jiang Wang would have scoffed at such statements, but perhaps people involuntarily start to believe in some mysticism before an uncertain surgery.

Hearing Shi Niannian say this, he truly felt as if the likelihood of the surgery’s success had increased significantly.

He made a sound of agreement and said, “It will succeed.”

By the time Shi Niannian left, the sun was about to set. Winter days are naturally short, and it was already dark. Soon after, her aunt called.

She had been so anxious that she had left without saying a word. Her aunt must have discovered she wasn’t at home.

She walked to the door of the ward and answered the phone: “Aunt.”

“Niannian, your brother said he took you out for dinner?”

Shi Niannian was startled and softly made a sound of agreement.

Her aunt continued, “When did you leave? I didn’t even notice he came to pick you up.”

She wasn’t good at lying and hesitated for a long time before saying: “…Just now.”

Fortunately, her aunt didn’t suspect much, just instructed her to be careful on the road and then hung up.

Jiang Wang sat on the edge of the bed peeling an apple. This apple was bought by Fan Mengming. He looked down, his hospital gown sleeves rolled up to his elbows, using a peeling knife.

After putting her phone back in her pocket, Shi Niannian moved over and sat on the edge of the bed, shoulder to shoulder with him, watching him peel the apple.

The apple peel was a thin layer clinging to the flesh, without breaking once.

Jiang Wang, looking down, asked: “That was your aunt’s call?”

“Mm, my brother said he took me out for dinner.”

Jiang Wang tugged at the corner of his mouth and laughed.

“You’re good at… peeling apples,” Shi Niannian said.

He joked: “Bold and meticulous.”

He quickly finished peeling, not forgetting to show off by spinning the peeling knife on his fingertips, frightening Shi Niannian. With a gentle flick of his fingertip, the unbroken peel slid off into the trash can.

He held the apple to Shi Niannian’s lips: “Want some?”

She took it, took a bite, and after swallowing asked: “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I am,” he moved a bit closer.

Shi Niannian mechanically froze as she handed it over, watching wide-eyed as he bit exactly where she had just bitten.

Jiang Wang wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb: “Sweet.”

In the dead of winter, Shi Niannian didn’t want to go out. They ate dinner together at the hospital that night. It was quite good, not as bland as imagined.

After dinner, it was already quite late. Xu Ningqing seemed to have timed it perfectly, returning to the hospital right on schedule to pick up Shi Niannian.

“Don’t worry, the surgery won’t have any major problems,” he told Shi Niannian in the car.

It didn’t provide much comfort. Shi Niannian looked out the window without speaking.

The car stopped at the front door of her home.

Shi Niannian turned and asked: “Aren’t you coming in?”

Xu Ningqing: “No.”

Shi Niannian guessed it was because her parents were there. She knew her brother didn’t like them. She said “Goodbye, brother” and got out of the car.

After taking a shower and coming out of the bathroom, she sat on the edge of the bed, drying her wet hair, her gaze falling absently on a spot on the wall. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice when her mother came in.

“What are you thinking about so intently?” Xu Shu asked.

“Ah,” Shi Niannian rubbed her eyes. “Nothing.”

“When did you buy that bracelet in your drawer?”

Shi Niannian was startled and looked up.

Fortunately, Xu Shu was just asking casually and continued, in a relaxed tone: “Your brother broke it while playing with it during dinner. I put it back for you. See if it can be fixed.”

Shi Niannian suddenly stood up, losing her temper: “Why did you touch, touch my things?!”

Her voice was very loud, and she couldn’t control it. She had never been like this in front of Xu Shu, which stunned her mother. After a long pause, Xu Shu scolded: “You’re still in high school, why are you wearing a bracelet? What’s wrong with letting your brother play with it for a while?”

The window was open a crack, the wind blowing the curtains, bringing in cold air.

Shi Niannian had never done anything crazy in these past ten or so years.

Her temperament was mild; even when bullied, she seemed not to feel it in her daze. Even her shouting at Xu Shu just now could be counted as one of the crazy things in her life.

Moonlight cast a cold, bright spot on the space in front of the door.

The house was peacefully quiet. Everyone had returned to their rooms. Shi Niannian quietly changed her shoes and went out.

Jiang Wang was stunned for a good while when he saw Shi Niannian return.

It was too unbelievable; he even wondered if it was a scene from his dreams.

He had just come out of the bathroom, standing at the door, his hand still on the doorknob. Shi Niannian was panting, her hair disheveled by the wind, looking at him with red-rimmed eyes.

“Why did you come back?” he asked softly.

Shi Niannian didn’t say anything. She walked up, wrapped her arms around his waist, tightened her grip, and buried her face in his chest.

Jiang Wang raised his hand to the back of her head and tilted his head to look at her from the side: “Did Xu Ningqing bring you?”

Her posture unchanged, she just shook her head: “By myself.”

“You came by yourself?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Wang exhaled slowly, pushed the little girl away a bit, and asked gently: “What happened?”

His voice was obscure and hoarse, mixed with too many emotions and unspeakable feelings—a tenderness he had never shown to others.

If being tied for first place in the final exam was a good omen, then the broken bracelet struck a heavy blow to Shi Niannian’s already worried heart.

She pressed her lips together without speaking, shook her head, and only asked: “Are you afraid?”

“Hmm?”

“Tomorrow’s surgery.”

“I’m not afraid,” he smiled, squeezing the back of her neck reassuringly. “It’ll be fine.”

“I’m afraid,” she said.

The private ward was very quiet as they held each other.

When did he stop saying he was afraid? Perhaps after seeing Jiang Chen beat his mother several times as a child, perhaps after realizing that saying he was afraid was useless, perhaps after seeing those terrifying, ugly faces in prison.

He didn’t know how long he had been silent before bending down to hold Shi Niannian tightly, sighing: “Actually, I’m quite afraid too.”

“But it’s good that you’re here,” he said.

Shi Niannian wondered aimlessly if this counted as running away from home as she sat in the chair by the bed.

“Come sleep on the bed,” Jiang Wang said.

Shi Niannian laughed: “It’s not me who’s having surgery.”

“Are you going to sleep sitting up? I can’t sleep with you like this.”

“I’m fine.”

“Then let’s sleep together,” he said, half-jokingly with a smile.

Shi Niannian raised her hand and pinched the back of his hand.

Jiang Wang couldn’t bear to let Shi Niannian just sit there, but the little girl was indeed stubborn. Once she had decided on something, nothing could change her mind. In the end, he had to let her have her way.

It was already quite late. Only a small lamp was lit in the room, the light falling on the little girl’s face.

She leaned on the edge of the bed, her head tilted, her little finger gently hooked with Jiang Wang’s finger as she spoke softly.

There wasn’t much to say. She was naturally a person of few words and didn’t know what to talk about, so she talked about the final exams, and then about meeting Xu Zhilin with Jiang Ling at the subway station.

The little girl’s voice was sweet and clear, rare for her to be like a little chatterbox.

“Do you tend to talk a lot when you’re nervous?” Jiang Wang asked, amused.

“Not at all,” she paused, her fingertip deliberately pinching his palm. “I just don’t want you to… be bored.”

Jiang Wang smiled without speaking.

Shi Niannian looked up, blinked her eyes, and asked: “Do you want to sleep?”

Jiang Wang: “No, not tired.”

“You should sleep soon,” she said. “Surgery tomorrow.”

“I’ll sleep if you give me a kiss.”

Because of Jiang Wang’s words, she involuntarily licked her lips. Jiang Wang watched her action in the dim hospital room—her pale pink lips left with a moist, watery trace, like an alluring attempt to conceal.

Shi Niannian straightened up, leaned over, her hair brushing his neck.

Just as she was about to lower her head to place a kiss on his cheek, Shi Niannian’s wrist was suddenly grabbed. She didn’t even have time to react before there was an overwhelming sensation.

The young man’s scent suddenly filled her nose, sweeping over her…

Her hands were pinned above her head, Jiang Wang’s legs straddling her sides. In the darkness, he bent down, blocking the last bit of light that Shi Niannian could see.

He lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Their hot breath intermingled. Shi Niannian unconsciously raised her chin and clenched her fists, the veins on her wrists bulging with the effort, only to be pressed down more forcefully the next second.

Jiang Wang controlled both her wrists with one large hand, while the other hand moved down to caress her waist.

Shi Niannian almost felt she would suffocate from his kiss, until she suddenly became aware of the warm fingertips on her waist that were no longer separated by fabric.

“Jiang Wang… Jiang Wang…” she murmured. “Don’t.”

His breathing was rapid, his eyes terrifyingly dark, his reason precariously balanced as he coaxed: “Baby, let me touch you for a while.”

Shi Niannian closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to ignore the burning sensation on her waist, but after a while, she really couldn’t bear it. Her whole body was so hot it felt like it would catch fire. Her voice took on a pitiful pleading quality, trembling with a vague fear.

“Jiang Wang… we can’t…”

He suddenly rose from her, quickly walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.

Shi Niannian was stunned for a moment before sitting up in bed, red-faced, pulling down her bra that had ridden up during the struggle, and slowly moving to the bathroom door.

She hesitantly spoke: “…Jiang Wang?”

“Don’t talk,” he said.

His voice was serious and hoarse, unusually devoid of all his mischievous smiles.

After a good while, the bathroom door opened again. Water droplets were sliding down Jiang Wang’s face, gathering on his thin chin, then falling into his collar.

He sighed, saying with an unclear meaning: “Sooner or later, I’ll die by your hand.”