The next time she regained consciousness was from thirst.

Feng Ning propped herself up, sitting up a little, taking in her surroundings. A fairly upscale suite, a wall-mounted TV, floral wallpaper, European-style sofa. If not for the IV drip, she wouldn’t have realized this was a hospital.

The solid wood wall lamp gave off a faint glow. The moment she moved, the person slumped by the bedside woke up.

The curtains were half-open, pitch black outside, the moon hanging hazily at the edge of the sky. She forced herself to gather some energy. “What time is it, why are you here.”

Jiang Wen rubbed his eyes, his voice low and a bit hoarse. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better.” Feng Ning’s stomach was cramping, but she pushed through to talk to him. “Is there water? Pour me some.”

It was very late, hardly any other sound around. Warm water flowed down her throat, easing her raw, smoke-dry voice considerably.

In the dim light, Jiang Wen stood a few meters away, looking haggard and utterly disheveled.

Their eyes met; Feng Ning, looking at his glistening eyes, smiled easily. “I’m perfectly fine, why the long face?”

He paused. “Today…”

“I’ve been out selling drinks since middle school, seen plenty of storms. Besides, Teacher Feng was just leading by example, showing you all that circumstances are stronger than people. Last time all my talk didn’t get through to you guys — this time was vivid enough, memorable enough, right?”

She yawned, still in that same joking tone. “Alright, alright, turn the page already, look at that gloomy face of yours, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were mourning me.”

“……”

After a while, Feng Ning shifted, feeling a sudden gush of blood in her lower abdomen. She sniffed at her own collar and nearly gagged again.

Feng Ning looked up. “Hey, do me a favor. Go find a 24-hour convenience store nearby, buy me a cotton short-sleeve shirt, and a pack of overnight sanitary pads.”

Jiang Wen’s face flushed, then paled, then flushed again. After a long pause, he asked with difficulty, “What brand…”

Late-night convenience store. Jiang Wen wandered alone through the feminine products aisle, an unnatural flush on his face.

A night-shift nurse passing by glanced at him curiously.

Under her gaze, Jiang Wen had no choice but to pretend to be composed, bending down to pick out the blue-packaged pads from the shelf.

He took them to the counter to check out, quick and efficient.

The clerk, not particularly energetic either, scanned the item lazily and said, “Really spoiling your girlfriend, huh.”

He kept his expression neutral, giving a vague hum in response.

Feng Ning came out after her shower to find Jiang Wen with his eyes closed, breathing heavily, apparently exhausted, having fallen asleep right there on the sofa.

She tiptoed over. Looked at him for a while, found a thin blanket to cover him with, and turned off the light.

The next day, Meng Taoyu arrived early, setting the fruit she’d bought to the side.

Feng Ning was leaning against the headboard with an IV drip in, a bit helpless. “I’m getting discharged this afternoon.”

“What exactly happened?” Meng Taoyu was worried sick. “I messaged you last night, called you, you never answered. Then I found Zhao Binlin in the class group chat, messaged him, and that’s how I found out you were in the hospital. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, really fine.”

“Zhao Binlin said Jiang Wen stayed here last night — did he leave?”

“Probably left in the morning, I was asleep, not sure.”

Meng Taoyu changed the subject, holding up the book in her hand. “Are you bored? Want me to read to you?”

The nurse opened the window for some air; a gust blew in from outside, blowing her hair over her eyes.

Meng Taoyu set down the book, freeing her hands to undo her ponytail, letting it fall loose, then re-tying a few loose strands by her cheek.

The sound of footsteps approached; she turned her head to look and saw, without noticing when, four or five people had entered the room.

Meng Taoyu, hugging her book, froze in place without warning.

The one leading the group was tall, an expressionless, hard face, broad shoulders. He wore a mechanic’s coverall with oil stains on it, as if he’d just finished work. His cuffs were pushed up to his elbows, revealing slightly tanned forearms.

Meng Taoyu quickly stepped back to make room. The man brushed past her; she felt her arm bump against him.

Feng Ning on the hospital bed called out, “Bro.”

“What happened to you.”

Feng Ning smiled wryly. “Got too drunk. I’m probably going to have to answer this question a few more times, might as well hang a sign around my neck.”

“Was it A’Xin?”

Feng Ning’s expression sobered. “It’s handled, none of your business.” She said to Meng Taoyu with a smile, “Let me introduce you — this is my brother. Turns out you two even share a surname.”

Meng Taoyu was fair-skinned, small, with a sweet, gentle look about her. Slender and delicate, quite endearing.

A bit shy, she bit her lip, mumbling a greeting. “Hello, big brother.”

Meng Hanmo turned his head slightly to look at her. “Oh… hello.”

Zhao Binlin arrived at the hospital, went up to the third floor, turned a corner, and saw someone leaning against the hallway wall.

Hearing footsteps, Jiang Wen turned his face over.

Zhao Binlin hesitated, looking him over, pointing a finger toward the inside. “Why aren’t you going in?”

Jiang Wen lifted his eyelids, glancing at him flatly. “Someone’s in there.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know.” Jiang Wen answered.

Zhao Binlin, seeing his expression, found it a bit odd, poking his head out to sneak a few glances, then suddenly getting it. “Ah, Feng Ning’s boyfriend?”

Jiang Wen turned his gaze aside and hummed in acknowledgment.

He’d recognized Meng Hanmo — the man who’d fed Feng Ning tangerines that day.

Easily reading his friend’s silent dejection, Zhao Binlin couldn’t help but chime in, voice small as a mosquito’s buzz, “So anyway… you and Feng Ning, you two… you have a girlfriend too, right.”

“We broke up.”

Zhao Binlin didn’t quite process that at first. “Huh? Huh?! Just like that… how’d that happen.”

“Didn’t like her.” Jiang Wen said this quite calmly, with a touch of indifference.

“Didn’t like her…” Zhao Binlin repeated, then trailed off, about to say more. “Then you like…”

Nearly a minute of silence followed. Jiang Wen laughed at himself.

While they talked, Meng Taoyu stared at the floor beneath her feet, eyes fixed forward, mind elsewhere.

Meng Hanmo seemed to have other business, and left after exchanging a few words. Meng Taoyu couldn’t help but glance over out of the corner of her eye.

Waiting outside, a guy with a buzz cut held out a cigarette to him; he didn’t look at it, didn’t take it, just waved it off with one hand.

After the man left, Feng Ning suddenly called out, “Damn it, my brother left his keys here.”

Meng Taoyu chased after him down to the ground floor, heart pounding like a drum. She looked out through the glass and spotted the figure. Her steps slowed, then quickened again despite herself.

The group had all gotten on their motorcycles.

Meng Taoyu, in a rush, shouted from dozens of meters away:

“—Brother Meng!”

That single shout, and the whole group heard it. Several of them paused mid-motion, all turning toward the voice.

“Brother… Meng?” Cuntou savored the words, shoulders shaking with laughter. “Mo-ge, where’d you pick up a little sweetheart like that?” “Looks like a student, so pure — Mo-ge’s taste has gotten pretty mild these days, huh.”

Meng Taoyu caught that line the moment she arrived. Her steps froze, a rush of heat flooding her head, her face and earlobes visibly reddening.

Meng Hanmo kicked the guy, not too hard. “Don’t tease the little girl.”

This only egged the others on further, one after another chiming in, unrestrained: “Oh ho ho, little sister, why so shy?”

“Blushing already, little sister?”

“Cut it out, you bunch of jerks, none of you tease Mo-ge’s little sister.”

Ignoring the others’ laughter, Meng Hanmo put out his cigarette and looked at her. “What’s up.”

“Um, the keys.” Meng Taoyu, as if waking from a daze, quickly held the item out, saying softly, “Ning Ning asked me to bring it to you.”

“Thanks.” Meng Hanmo bent slightly, taking it.

Meng Taoyu stepped back two steps, quickly shaking her head. “It’s fine, it’s fine, no need to thank me.” Under the gaze of so many people, she was so nervous that she even gave a slight bow. “Then I’ll get going, bye, big brother.”

“Pfft.” Cuntou nearly cramped his face trying to hold back laughter.

Meng Hanmo raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming to smile a bit too, saying casually, “Mm, bye.”

Meng Taoyu’s heart was pounding absurdly loud, her mind still half-blank. She carefully hid by the edge of a flower bed, secretly watching their group ride off into the distance.

Monday, school as usual.

Feng Ning’s stomach had been dully aching these past couple days, and even her period seemed to be dragging on longer than usual. She felt especially exhausted, listlessly slumped over her desk through two whole class periods.

Third period was English.

Before the bell even rang, the Iron Lady stood at the podium, clapping the table. “Everyone quiet down, put last week’s homework on your desks, I’m going to check it one by one. Anyone who didn’t do it, stand up and get out.”

The moment she said this, the whole class erupted into an uproar.

Feng Ning had been in the hospital for two days and hadn’t touched any homework. She sighed silently, and just as she was about to stand up, a completed test paper suddenly landed on her desk. She was too out of it, her brain lagging behind.

The sound of a chair scraping came from up front.

Her eyelashes fluttered; she looked up, startled, to see Jiang Wen standing up.

The Iron Lady happened to walk by right then, looking him over. “Why are you standing, didn’t do your homework?”

Jiang Wen lowered his head, hummed in acknowledgment.

“Where’s your paper, let me see, how much did you do?”

Jiang Wen said quietly, “Didn’t do any.”

“Not a single word?”

Jiang Wen stayed silent.

Zhao Binlin’s mind was in turmoil, mouth hanging open in an O shape, looking at Feng Ning, then at Jiang Wen, then back at Feng Ning again.

The Iron Lady’s face was caught between expressions, holding back her temper. “Why didn’t you do it?”

“Forgot.”

“Forgot?!” The Iron Lady’s face darkened, her voice suddenly rising. “I’ve reminded you how many times and you still forgot? Are my words just going in one ear and out the other? Do you even know where your rank dropped to on the weekly test?”

Jiang Wen said nothing.

By now, the whole class’s attention had turned this way.

The Iron Lady took a breath to steady herself, then raised her voice. “Anyone else who didn’t do it?”

A few minutes later, three or four more boys straggled to their feet in the class.

“You lot, line up.” The Iron Lady pointed toward the door. “Get out there right now, run laps on the field!”