Two bags of IV fluids took nearly four hours, and Cen Jin stayed with Li Wu all morning. Thanks to the fast-acting dexamethasone for fever reduction, when Cen Jin called the nurse to check near noon, Li Wu’s temperature had returned to normal.

Cen Jin breathed a sigh of relief, closed her laptop and stuffed it back in her bag, then asked if he’d eaten breakfast.

Li Wu tilted his head slightly, then paused and changed to a nod instead.

Cen Jin glanced at him, her expression knowing: “Did you eat or not?”

“No.” This time he answered honestly.

Cen Jin said: “I’ll go downstairs to buy you something to eat. Wait here, and don’t forget to watch the IV—it’s almost done.”

Li Wu nodded: “Okay.”

Cen Jin stood up and left.

The woman’s figure was graceful, moving like the wind. Li Wu watched her turn past the glass door and his lips curved up, but unexpectedly she suddenly turned her face back, sweeping a glance his way.

Li Wu quickly averted his gaze and only dared look straight ahead after a good while. By then, Cen Jin’s figure had vanished among the crowds flowing through the corridor.

But this didn’t stop Li Wu from continuing to feel happy, because he knew Cen Jin would return. He lowered his eyes to watch the medicine drip by drip into his veins, praying for it to go slower, yet also hoping it would go faster. His feelings were complex and tangled, but before long, the IV bag had reached its end anyway.

Li Wu was about to call someone when a little boy of about four or five beside him already called out loudly: “Nurse Auntie, this big brother’s water is gone!”

Li Wu: “…”

Hearing this, the nurse came over to remove Li Wu’s needle.

The little boy beside them immediately covered his eyes, but peeked through his fingers while offering comfort: “Big brother, taking out the needle doesn’t hurt, it’s much better than putting it in, don’t be scared.”

The boy’s mother smiled and chided her son for being talkative; Li Wu’s eyelashes lowered halfway, the dimple at the corner of his mouth deepening.

After the nurse cleared everything away, Li Wu said thank you, pressed the needle site for a moment, and then got up to throw the cotton swab in the trash.

The hand warmer in his hand had long since gone cold. He stared down at it for a while, not knowing where to put it appropriately, and could only grip it and stuff it back in his pocket.

As he did so, Li Wu’s fingers touched something else.

He froze, felt around a few times, his heart starting to skip beats, and quickly pulled out the item from his pocket to check.

Sure enough, it was the phone Cen Jin had lent him.

He checked the other pocket and found tangled wires—the matching charger.

The youth leaned back against the chair, lost in thought for quite a while, then started smiling foolishly, though frustrated at discovering this so late.

When he finally came to his senses, he hurriedly turned on the phone and went straight to WeChat to compose a message.

…

At that same moment, Cen Jin was sitting in a steamy little noodle shop next to the hospital.

She had ordered a takeout portion of three-delicacy chicken noodles, but the kitchen’s efficiency was mediocre, and she’d been waiting idly for quite a while.

Finally, when the staff called her to pick up her order, Cen Jin quickly opened WeChat to make a payment but noticed a new message in her friend’s list.

It was three words from Li Wu: I’m sorry.

I sent it one minute ago.

Simple content, but sincere.

Cen Jin’s lips curved up involuntarily. After paying and picking up the takeout box, she switched back to the chat interface to admire the message a few more times before replying with a Buddhist-style sticker of someone striking a wooden fish, accompanied by three large characters: It’s okay.

…

Walking out of the shop, even the wind seemed gentler. Cen Jin messaged the youth: What time are your afternoon classes? Li Wu replied: One-thirty.

Cen Jin looked up to the nearest dessert shop, hurried over, and selected a chocolate cake topped with macarons from the window display, taking it back to the hospital with her.

Returning to the infusion room, Li Wu was still waiting obediently in his chair.

Cen Jin walked to his side and raised both hands to show him everything: “I bought you noodles and cake, which do you want to eat first?”

Li Wu’s eyelids flickered rapidly twice, with a sort of dazed feeling that happiness had come too suddenly and too intensely: “It’s too much.”

“I was planning to treat you to cake for Christmas, but you were in such a bad mood then and missed out,” Cen Jin sat back down, saying casually: “Fortunately it’s not too late, since December isn’t over yet.”

Li Wu paused, asking softly: “Are you still angry with me?”

Cen Jin looked at him, frowning in feigned confusion: “I think I already answered that on WeChat, didn’t I?”

Li Wu lowered his head and smiled, too happy to speak a single word.

“Eat the noodles first, they’re going to get mushy.” Guessing this child wouldn’t be able to complete this multiple-choice question anytime soon, Cen Jin took the initiative to decide for him.

“Eat the cake first!” The little boy beside them had been watching for a while and couldn’t help but interject with a grin.

He turned to plead with his mother: “Mom, I want cake too! I want a cake like Big Brother’s! I’m sick too, I’m getting an IV too, why don’t I get a cake reward!”

Li Wu turned to look at him once, then agreed: “Okay, let’s eat the cake first.”

He took the cake box and looked back at Cen Jin, his eyes sincere and bright: “Can I share it with him?”

Cen Jin raised the corner of her mouth, helpless: “You need to ask me about this too?”

Li Wu opened the lid, only took the macaron for himself, and then handed over the rest along with the fork to the little boy beside him.

The boy’s mother quickly said: “Don’t just eat, hurry and say thank you.”

The child licked the chocolate crumbs and white cream from around his mouth, his eyes creasing with joy as he called out clearly and loudly: “Thank you, big brother! Thank you, Auntie!”

Li Wu was already stuffed with an entire macaron, and these two mixed-up forms of address made him choke even more, not daring to move his cheeks.

Cen Jin’s expression slightly froze. She rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head, looking past Li Wu at the child with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes: “Little one, why am I suddenly ‘auntie’?”

The child raised his head from the cake, still wolfing it down, and declared matter-of-factly: “You’re not wearing a school uniform!”

Cen Jin analyzed just as matter-of-factly, with a serious attitude as if determined to correct his understanding: “Clothing doesn’t represent anything, you know. You call him ‘big brother,’ and I’m this big brother’s big sister, so what should you call big brother’s big sister? Is it ‘auntie’? Think about it carefully.”

The child was confused by her tongue-twisting string of titles, frozen in place, and turned to ask his mother in a tiny voice: “What… should I say?”

“Big sister,” his mother gently prompted.

“Oh―” the child had a sudden revelation and corrected himself with renewed vigor: “Thank you, big sister!”

That’s more like it, Cen Jin was finally satisfied and looked away.

Li Wu, who had silently witnessed the whole thing, had laughter spilling from his eyes as he finally swallowed his pastry, nearly dizzy from the sweetness.

—

At one o’clock, Cen Jin drove Li Wu back to school.

Stopping in front of the school gate, Li Wu didn’t rush to get out. After hesitating for a few seconds, he turned his face toward Cen Jin: “Big sister.”

He pronounced this title with extreme precision, carrying the unique clear and crisp quality of a youth’s voice. It made Cen Jin’s heart suddenly lift, as if about to be entrusted with a sacred mission.

Cen Jin asked: “What is it?”

Li Wu gripped the bag of fever medicine: “Can I go home and return to school by myself on weekends from now on?”

Cen Jin didn’t probe deeply, nodding in agreement almost without hesitation.

Li Wu was slightly surprised.

Cen Jin freed one hand from the steering wheel, asking: “Give me the phone for a moment.”

Li Wu quickly handed it over.

Cen Jin looked down, skillfully set up the transit pass on his WeChat, then took out her phone, transferred some money, and returned his phone: “Just scan the code for buses and subway from now on.”

She added a reminder: “Make sure you know the routes clearly, don’t take the wrong direction.”

She said a bit more, simply not wanting to teach everything step by step.

Li Wu responded with an “okay” and began checking the nearby transit facilities.

The warm air flowed steadily in the car, feeling like spring.

Cen Jin glanced at Li Wu, feeling a surge of indescribable satisfaction.

This emotion wasn’t unexpected. From the moment Li Wu suggested he didn’t need rides, she understood that his action wasn’t about distancing himself out of anger, but rather a form of reconciliation and request.

He didn’t want to trouble her and was also seeking permission to get closer and explore this city. She should have given him these opportunities earlier, instead of losing composure and hurting both of them at the slightest loss of control.

But Cen Jin was still curious about that night and morning she knew nothing about: “How did you get back to school last Sunday?”

Li Wu said: “I walked.”

Cen Jin was surprised: “Isn’t that very far?”

Li Wu still didn’t mention the distance, only answering: “Much easier than mountain roads.”

“True,” Cen Jin smiled, her words carrying deeper meaning: “Once you’re familiar with the subway and buses, these roads will become even easier to travel.”

—

After watching Li Wu walk into the campus and disappear, Cen Jin turned her phone back on.

She switched to WeChat, wanting to reread Li Wu’s apology, but quickly, her gaze stopped on the youth’s profile note.

January 2nd…

Seems like this kid’s birthday is coming up…

Back at the company, Cen Jin asked Lu Qiqi while starting up her computer: “Do we get New Year’s Day off?”

Lu Qiqi dug into her newly ordered sundae: “Yeah, but what’s the difference between having it off or not? Weren’t we on 24/7 standby during National Day too?”

Cen Jin nodded, agreeing with this industry maxim.

Lu Qiqi bobbed up and down with the spoon in her mouth, glancing at her: “Do you have any important plans?”

Cen Jin turned and denied: “No.”

“Perfect timing then,” Teddy, like a crafty Siamese cat, appeared behind them without warning, slapping two tickets onto their desks: “These are sponsor tickets from the event organizer. The sponsors gave us quite a few, you two should go if you’re free.”

Lu Qiqi jumped in surprise, holding one up to the light: “What kind of game?”

“NBA friendship match in China, with several star players.”

“Pfft, I thought it was something good. I’d go for a League of Legends event,” Lu Qiqi pushed her lips up in disdain: “Basketball, boring.”

“Well, I’ve already handed them out anyway,” Teddy threw out a line in Cantonese, turning to continue distributing the remaining tickets.

Cen Jin looked at her ticket, noting that the date was exactly January 2nd.

Seizing the opportunity, she reorganized her plans, turned her chair to face Lu Qiqi, and put on a purposeful smile: “Qiqi―”

Lu Qiqi looked back: “What?”

Cen Jin’s eyes curved like crescent moons: “Since you don’t want to go, how about giving your ticket to big sister?”

Lu Qiqi pulled the ticket from her notebook, declaring: “Who are you going with? Must be some guy.”

The girl’s eyebrows jumped several times as she gossiped: “Oh? Your second spring has arrived?”

“No,” Cen Jin rested her forehead on her hand, forced to reveal the truth under her overly aggressive imagination: “I want to take my little brother, it’s his birthday that day.”

Lu Qiqi was greatly disappointed, and questioned uncomprehendingly: “Why are you so nice to your brother? I want to kick mine every day.”

“Maybe because my brother doesn’t go to illegal internet cafes and is in the top ten of his class,” Cen Jin smiled slightly, unable to hide her pride.

Lu Qiqi exploded: “Damn!” She turned and shoved the ticket toward Cen Jin: “Take it, hurry up and take it, go enjoy your sibling bond, I don’t want to see this thing anymore.”

Cen Jin showed her pearly whites, smiling brilliantly: “Thanks~”

—

That evening, after self-study, Li Wu returned to his dorm room.

After a simple cleanup, he spread out his lecture notes, preparing to pour a cup of water to take his medicine and continue burning the midnight oil.

Ever since his falling out with the other three, he no longer used the dorm’s communal water dispenser, switching to getting water from the hot water room every day.

Today, as soon as the water was poured into the cup, Li Wu sensed something was wrong.

He capped the water bottle and put it back on the ground, taking a sip from the cup to confirm.

Sure enough, it was all cold, and not just cooled boiled water—it had been replaced with tap water.

He turned back to look at his roommates. Lin Honglang, who had been watching, immediately raised a book in front of his face, pretending to read.

Ran Feichi was still looking at him, a provocative smirk of satisfaction at the corner of his lips.

Li Wu met his gaze for a second, gave up on arguing, and sat back down to read his book.

“Hey? Li Wu, look what this is.” Lin Honglang, unsatisfied with his non-confrontational attitude, slammed his foot up onto the desk.

Li Wu glanced over and was struck as if physically hit, immediately standing up, and letting the chair legs screech against the tiles.

“Where did these shoes come from? Why keep them in the desk drawer instead of wearing them? Why don’t I try them on for you.” Lin Honglang said sleazily, swinging the toe back and forth, utterly malicious: “Tsk, they’re not fake, are they? Original price was over a thousand.”

Li Wu clenched his fists, strode over quickly, and warned from above: “Take them off.”

Seeing him react so strongly for the first time, Lin Honglang leaned back excitedly, nearly falling over the chair. He quickly spread his legs to stabilize himself, continuing smugly: “No way.”

As he spoke, he casually tossed the unworn shoe from the box to Ran Feichi: “Ran, you try them too.”

Li Wu went to grab them from Ran Feichi.

They laughed, tossing the shoes back and forth, dodging, playing keep-away, deliberately keeping them out of Li Wu’s reach.

Li Wu’s gaze darkened. He returned to his spot, picked up his thermos, and walked toward the door.

Thinking he had given up in frustration and was going to get water in the dead of night, Ran and Lin showed victorious smiles, but their expressions froze the next second.

Li Wu hadn’t left the dorm room. Instead, he effortlessly removed the water dispenser tank by the door and began pouring his tap water into the purified water container.

As the water level rose, so did the level of mockery.

Ran Feichi stood up, attempting to stop him.

Lin Honglang had already rushed over in one quick step, violently shoving Li Wu’s shoulder: “Are you sick in the head!”

Li Wu stumbled backward, thudding against the doorframe. But his posture didn’t change, his expression remained calm: “Since you like wearing my shoes so much, you shouldn’t mind drinking my rejected water.”

His pupils were sharp and bright, like a well-honed blade, able to see through to people’s hearts.

Lin Honglang was briefly stunned, then came to his senses, grabbing Li Wu’s collar and threatening through gritted teeth: “Looking to get beaten up?”

“Come on.” Li Wu raised his chin slightly, coldly spitting out the word as he carelessly dropped the empty bottle to the ground.

The inner container shattered instantly, creating an urgent, sharp, and highly threatening noise in the confined space.

Even Ran Feichi was frozen in place.

Cheng Rui, lying in bed, could no longer play dead. He sat up abruptly, watching the drama below without blinking.

“Not brave enough?” Li Wu asked again, his gaze commanding, his eyelashes unwavering.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Honglang lunged forward, pinning him to the ground.

Ran Feichi followed immediately, raining down wild punches.

Li Wu struck back, causing Ran Feichi to flinch in pain and loosen his grip. Just as he was about to counter-attack, Lin Honglang’s arm slammed over again, forcing him back down…

…

Three hot-blooded youths, like fighting beasts, like vicious wolves, rolled around in a tangled mess.

Cheng Rui climbed down from his bed with his heart pounding like thunder, shaking uncontrollably, temporarily unable to make a sound.

“Stop fighting!” Cheng Rui trembled all over, finally regaining sensation. After several failed attempts to separate them, he was nearly in tears, and could only shout for help: “Please― stop fighting, stop beating Li Wu, somebody help me―”

Surrounding dorm rooms heard the commotion and came running to the corridor, banging on the door and shouting.

The dorm manager also rushed upstairs.

Cheng Rui hurried to open the door. The middle-aged man and several male students immediately poured in, and after much pulling, finally managed to separate the three who had long since seen red.

The dorm manager was nearly mad with anger, cursing: “What kind of nonsense is this, are you here to study or to be thugs!”

Li Wu’s mouth was full of a rusty taste. He shook off the several hands gripping his arms, supported himself on the desk to stand up, and then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He was breathing heavily as he turned back to pick up the two shoes scattered at Lin Honglang’s desk feet, put them back in the box, and carried them back.

The young man’s eyes were cold as he looked around the room. One glance was enough to intimidate the others; no one dared to speak.

The dorm manager took out his phone to contact the teacher, glaring at all three troublemakers before finally fixing his gaze on Cheng Rui’s face: “Who threw the first punch?”

Cheng Rui stood frozen in place, still shaken, not saying a word.

The dorm manager barked again: “Who was it!”

Cheng Rui jumped violently, trembling as he raised his hand, sweeping it across the crowd. He pointed at Lin Honglang, then at Ran Feichi, and then, under their disbelieving stares, squeezed his eyes shut as if steeling himself to answer:

“It was those two, they started hitting Li Wu first.”