A hundred days for injuries to bones and tendons—Xie Ci lay in the hospital bed for close to a month. Though his right hand had been pierced by the knife, it hadn’t injured anything vital and was recovering fairly well. It was just his fractured lower leg that had been encased in heavy plaster and suspended high up.

Eating bland vegetables and plain congee every day, unable to move around from morning till night, left his whole body aching.

“I’ve already handled the transfer procedures for you. I’ve hired a tutor too. Just take a year off to heal your injury properly.” Xie Dongyu put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at Xie Ci lying on the hospital bed eating an apple.

“I don’t want a tutor. I want to go to school,” Xie Ci said without hesitation.

“Absolutely not!” Xie Dongyu frowned, unable to understand why Xie Ci was being so stubborn. He couldn’t control his temper with his son. “I’m telling you, stop being so willful all the time. You never listen to what adults tell you—it takes something happening before you’ll settle down! If you hadn’t run off to fight with others, would you be lying here now? Making such a huge mess, getting expelled from school—what right do you have to tell me no?!”

“You’re so annoying!” Xie Ci threw the remote control down. “You’re just like my mom—just don’t bother managing me at all!”

Both father and son had stubborn temperaments. Only the assistant on the side wiped away cold sweat and tried to mediate. “Boss Xie, Ah Ci is still sick. Whatever you want to say, say it nicely to him.”

Xie Dongyu took several deep breaths. “Fine, fine. You just stay put here properly. I’ll come see you again in a few days!”

Seeing his boss getting up, the assistant hurriedly followed, turning back to instruct Xie Ci: “Ah Ci, if you need anything, tell the nurse or call me.”

After saying a whole bunch of things, he left together with Xie Dongyu.

After they left, the hospital room became quiet again. A chubby boy from the adjacent bed climbed down from his bed and wobbled over. “Big brother, why did you argue with daddy just now? You scared me so much—hiccup—I didn’t dare talk just now!”

This chubby boy was a temporary “neighbor” who had moved to the bed next to Xie Ci’s last week. Whenever the adults weren’t around, he liked to come over asking for food.

Xie Ci felt suffocated with frustration. He poked the little fatty’s face and casually handed over a cookie. “Take whatever you want to eat. Don’t bother me.”

He was still angry.

“Oh, okay.” Little Fatty lowered his head and earnestly tore open the package, then bounced back to his own bed, eating the food quickly with small bites.

As he ate, he secretly glanced at the big brother lying on the bed next to him.

That big brother had a bit of a temper, but he was really good-looking. No wonder so many people indulged him.

—He’d heard many nurse sisters whispering about this.

When he grew up and lost weight, he definitely wanted to be this handsome too…

An apple, a banana, several bags of cookies. Before long, he was full, and Little Fatty rubbed his bulging belly.

Soon Little Fatty’s grandmother came in from outside after filling the thermos with hot water.

“Little Fatty! Why are you taking other people’s food again!” Grandma Gong patted her grandson’s back. Her voice was scolding, but her face showed an indulgent and kind smile.

“Xie Ci, don’t keep giving him things to eat. Children are greedy,” Grandma Gong said to Xie Ci with a smile.

Xie Ci was boredly flipping through the notebook Xu You had left him. Hearing this, he looked up and made a sound of acknowledgment, smiling carelessly. “It’s fine. I don’t like eating anyway.”

“Brother Xie Ci’s dad and friends are all so nice!” Little Fatty was a bit envious.

They always brought lots of delicious food every time they came.

“By the way, big brother.” Little Fatty had been lying on his bed doing homework, but after writing for a while, he impatiently tossed it aside and started feeling bored again. “When is that older sister coming to see you?”

“What older sister?” After asking, Xie Ci realized himself.

Who else could it be besides Xu You?

He turned his head to size up the little fatty, asking suspiciously: “Why are you asking about her?”

Little Fatty patted the homework beside him. “That sister always teaches big brother to study. Little Fatty wants that too.” As he spoke, he raised his arm. “And sister has a really good temper!”

Damn.

Xie Ci was amused to the point of anger by this chubby boy. He childishly replied: “I won’t let her teach you.”

Xu You generally found time to come to the hospital to see him on Saturday afternoons. Xie Ci looked forward to that half-day all week. But for some reason this weekend, by dinner time she still hadn’t come.

Xie Ci was in a terrible mood, looking at his phone over and over. She hadn’t replied to a single message.

The family of three at the adjacent bed was all together. Little Fatty hung on his father’s arm acting cute. The virtuous and quiet mother, the tolerant and kind father—the several people laughed and chatted harmoniously. The scene was lively for a while.

That kind of warm atmosphere made one’s heart feel soft, only the protagonists weren’t him.

Xie Ci’s side was lonely with just him alone. Little Fatty’s mother noticed this too. She always felt this child had a strange sadness about him, looking somewhat lonely.

So she initiated conversation. “Xie Ci, how come you’re all alone? Where are your mom and dad? Why haven’t they come to see you?”

Xie Ci’s body stiffened. He slid down from the pillow, his voice devoid of emotion: “My parents separated long ago. They each live their own lives and don’t care about me.”

“I’m sorry.” Little Fatty’s mother was extremely embarrassed and hurriedly apologized.

She wanted to say something more, but Xie Ci said indifferently: “It’s fine.”

After speaking, he turned over, rested his head on the pillow, and said nothing more.

He’d experienced this kind of thing too many times since childhood. If he felt sad every time, he wouldn’t need to keep living.

—

“Shh shh, keep it down.”

Though Xu You’s voice was very soft, it still woke Xie Ci who had been sleeping lightly. He opened his eyes to see this scene:

Xu You had her hair tied in a low ponytail. The hospital room had the air conditioning on, so she’d taken off her jacket and wore only a white long-sleeved shirt, sitting by his bedside.

On the table by the headboard sat steaming hot soy milk and buns. Xu You slowly unwrapped the plastic bag, turning her head to smile and talk with Little Fatty.

Seeing Xie Ci had woken up, she put down what she was holding. “You’re awake. Want to eat something? I brought breakfast.”

Xie Ci wore white and blue striped hospital clothes, the blood vessels obvious under his eyes, his black short hair messily sticking up on his head—clearly he hadn’t slept well last night.

When he saw Xu You, his first reaction was to look away, appearing very unhappy.

Xu You was puzzled. After thinking for a while, she understood and explained: “Don’t be angry. I didn’t come yesterday because of the school unified exam. Today is finally a day off.”

She felt both distressed and amused.

“I called you but you didn’t answer either,” Xie Ci finally turned his head, his brow still furrowed as he questioned her.

Probably because he’d just woken up, his voice was very hoarse.

Xu You was too lazy to keep arguing with him. She took out a water cup from the drawer, poured warm water, brought it to Xie Ci’s lips, and fed it to him little by little.

After finishing a cup of water, Xie Ci’s anger had mostly dissipated.

While Xie Ci ate breakfast, Xu You sat beside him reading.

He had a strange habit of washing up only after eating breakfast every day.

Recently the first round of comprehensive review had ended, and the coursework pressure was very intense. Studying until late every night, Xu You hadn’t slept well for many days, plus coming to accompany Xie Ci as soon as she had time off. She wasn’t in good spirits—if you looked carefully, the area under her eyes had already turned bluish. Her spirit was also very exhausted.

Looking at the densely packed study materials, when she raised her eyes, she saw Xie Ci staring at her.

Meeting Xu You’s gaze, Xie Ci immediately looked away.

She found it funny. “Eat your breakfast properly. Why do you keep looking at me?”

Xie Ci, having lost face, instinctively became stubborn: “Can’t I even look at you now? You’re not even as good-looking as me. How come I can’t look?”

“……”

What kind of robber logic was this?

Seeing Xu You’s speechless expression, Xie Ci couldn’t help but curl up the corners of his mouth, looking smug after bullying someone.

But the very next second, his smile froze.

Little Fatty shouted loudly from the side: “—Big brother, do you like this sister? Your mood gets so good when she comes!”

After hearing this, Xu You shook her head with a smile, looking at Little Fatty and saying: “How old are you? How do you know so much?”

Xie Ci threw down the bun in his hand. “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting? She’s my girlfriend. If I don’t like her, should I like you?”

Xie Ci thought to himself: I’m not going to say I’m very happy.

That wouldn’t be cool at all.

Knowing Xie Ci was joking with Little Fatty, Xu You still thought it was childish. He was already so grown up, yet arguing with a little kid.

“Oh right, I’m getting my cast removed today. Borrow a wheelchair. Later you can push me for a stroll around the park downstairs,” Xie Ci said, as if suddenly thinking of something, turning to Xu You.

She was surprised. “So soon?”

“You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s a bit cold outside today. I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold from the wind.”

“If I don’t get out for a stroll today, I’ll get moldy.”

Hearing this, Xu You laughed. “You’re not a dog. Why do you use the verb ‘stroll’?”

Xie Ci raised his hand to pinch her face. “What, looking down on me for my poor grades?”

Moving his hands around in public, Xu You struggled free from his clutches, saying somewhat embarrassedly: “No, I’ve been reviewing Chinese a lot lately. I unconsciously corrected you.”

The morning had been gloomy with gusts of wind, but in the afternoon the hospital garden was bathed in brilliant sunshine.

Xu You pushed Xie Ci slowly along the path, sunbathing.

Too many things had happened recently. The two of them hadn’t properly spent time together. Xu You was in a daze for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she found Xie Ci had been watching her the whole time.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Xie Ci raised his head. “Go sit on that bench ahead.”

She was going to help him up, but Xie Ci blocked her. He hopped up. “I’m fractured, not disabled.”

“Serves you right,” Xu You couldn’t help nagging. “You like fighting so much. Couldn’t you have run away? Why did you have to clash head-on with them?”

“What kind of man would I be if I ran?” Xie Ci grinned.

After the two sat down side by side on the wooden bench, Xu You breathed in the air, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on her body.

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you. My dad wants me to take a year off from school.” Xie Ci brought up this matter to Xu You as if it didn’t matter.

Xu You nodded. “Then rest well and don’t go out causing trouble again.”

“Then I’ll be your underclassman. Damn,” Xie Ci said unhappily.

He was seriously worried about this problem.

Xu You smiled and comforted him. “It’s okay. After this older sister finishes the college entrance exam, I’ll give free tutoring to my underclassman.”

“Oh ho, now you’re taking advantage of me, Xu You?” Xie Ci suddenly leaned close to her and kissed her lips. “Then I’ll take advantage of you too.”

“…Problem child.” Xu You’s face was always thinner-skinned than his. She covered her mouth and glared at him. “Don’t keep startling me.”

Xie Ci felt a bit contemptuous of himself.

At this moment when he should be obediently apologizing to his girlfriend, he only thought Xu You looked so cute when angry.

He couldn’t control his wandering thoughts.

The two fooled around for a while. Considering his condition, Xu You never had the heart to push him away firmly.

“By the way, how’s your hand?” She moved back a bit to ask.

Xie Ci answered perfunctorily: “Nothing serious.”

Seeing he didn’t want to continue talking about it, Xu You didn’t ask further. Being sunbathed made her lazy and a bit sleepy, her body relaxing.

Where they sat was very quiet without many people. Occasionally a breeze blew by, but it wasn’t cold.

Before she knew it, she fell asleep just like that.

The irregular honking of horns and the rustling sound of leaves mixed together, drifting far, far away with the wind.

When she woke up, the sky had darkened a little. She didn’t know how long she’d slept. Xu You slowly opened her eyes, her neck aching.

She had been sleeping with her head pillowed on Xie Ci’s shoulder. When she raised her eyes, she met Xie Ci’s smiling gaze.

After realizing the situation, Xu You immediately sprang away, her face flushing red.

Taking in her embarrassment completely, Xie Ci laughed even more freely. “Finally awake?”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Wake you for what? You wouldn’t wake up anyway.”

Xu You: “……”

Knowing her straightforward personality that couldn’t handle teasing, Xie Ci suppressed his laughter, coughed, and casually changed the subject.

Xu You bit her lip and massaged his shoulder for him. “Are you stupid? I slept so long—you should have just woken me up. Doesn’t your shoulder hurt?”

Seeing she was genuinely feeling guilty, Xie Ci said earnestly: “Hey, what are you saying? Waking you up—is that what a boyfriend should do? Do you think I could do that?”

“……”

Actually it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Xu You thought. With Xie Ci letting her pillow on his shoulder, when he lowered his head he could see her well-behaved, peaceful sleeping face. Instantly everything felt insignificant—both sore and enjoyable at the same time.

“Xu You, do you know what I was thinking just now?” Xie Ci suddenly spoke.

Xu You was still helping massage his shoulder. She hummed in acknowledgment. “Thinking what?”

He pinched her chin, making her head turn straight ahead.

—Not far away were black iron railings. Outside the park was a bus stop.

“See the Route 3 bus that just passed?” he asked.

She was puzzled.

Xie Ci stretched lazily, his arm naturally draping over her shoulder. His tone was relaxed and natural, yet not casual or frivolous.

“That’s the bus that goes to my home. While you were sleeping just now, four of them already passed by.”

“Every time one passed…”

He paused, leaning close to her ear, murmuring in a very low volume:

“—I wanted to wake you up and take you home with me.”