Cheng Wanyue wore an orange knit hat that stood out in the low-saturation colors of the hospital lobby. Having just taken her fever medication, she felt drowsy and kept yawning while sitting in the chair.

She touched her forehead with her hand, feeling it wasn’t as hot anymore. She took out her phone from her down jacket pocket and saw she had a missed call from Qing Hang, so she called him back.

He only answered in the last few seconds.

“Are you off work? Are you off work? Are you off work?” She had eaten a casual lunch in the cafeteria but wasn’t full. “Qing Hang, let’s go eat barbecue. I also want to have a cup of milk tea. I’m waiting for you downstairs, hurry up.”

Qing Hang struggled to speak. “…Wanyue.”

“Hmm?”

“Tell me where that barbecue restaurant is, and I’ll get takeout.”

She frowned. “Takeout doesn’t taste as good. It’s only delicious when you eat at the restaurant. I don’t have anything to do tonight, so let’s just eat there.”

“…It’s too cold.”

“We won’t be eating outside. Qing Hang, are you very tired today? Then you should go back and rest. I’ll go with Cheng Yanqing.”

“…I’m not tired, not busy. Wanyue, you still have a fever…”

“You’re so nagging today,” Cheng Wanyue looked up and realized that Qing Hang was standing not far away. He hadn’t changed his clothes yet.

Cheng Wanyue remained seated, her toes slightly swaying as she raised them. “If we don’t eat now, we might not have the chance later.”

Qing Hang’s throat tightened. “What do you mean, no chance?”

Her tone was light. “What if they close down? What if the owner switches to a different business? The restaurant industry changes so quickly. One less chance every time we miss it.”

“When you’re sick, you should eat bland food.”

“That’s tasteless. I don’t like it.”

Cheng Wanyue angrily hung up the phone. Qing Hang watched her from a distance, trying to recall Cheng Yanqing’s reassuring words: It’s nothing, it’s nothing, just an ordinary fever. Once the fever breaks, she’ll be fine.

People came and went in the lobby. Though the distance wasn’t far, it seemed to take Qing Hang forever to reach her, each step as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Cheng Wanyue turned her head to the other side, her face clearly showing her displeasure.

Qing Hang crouched in front of her, took her hands and gently rubbed them, bowing his head to breathe warm air on them. “Let’s compromise today, and we’ll go eat there in a few days, okay?”

Looking at him this way, his face was very pale.

He added, “There’s no space in the infusion room. Cheng Yanqing is going to arrange for hospitalization soon.”

“Can’t they just insert the IV needle first, and then I can slowly get the infusion at home?”

“There are other examinations as well.”

“See, once you come to the hospital, there are endless tests. Even healthy people can be tormented into developing all sorts of problems. I should have eaten everything I wanted yesterday. Anyway, I’m not that hungry. Are you done with work? Why don’t you go change your clothes first?”

“I’m already off work. I’ll just stay here with you, not going anywhere,” Qing Hang zipped up her down jacket. “Are you scared?”

Cheng Wanyue smiled. “It’s just getting a couple of shots. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Her reaction was as normal as could be, yet Qing Hang watched her with a pained heart.

“I’m very afraid,” his voice was low. “Wanyue, I’m very afraid.”

The blood test results had come back. Her parents had been called to the doctor’s office for a long discussion, so Cheng Wanyue guessed the situation might not be good.

The first time, she didn’t have time to be afraid. She had suddenly fainted, and when she woke up, many days had already passed.

This time, she was mentally prepared. Before her previous discharge, the doctor had already mentioned that the probability of recurrence was high.

Cheng Wanyue felt Qing Hang’s body trembling. Her temperature was high, and by comparison, his hands felt cool. “Are you very nervous? Then let’s secretly slip out to relax a bit. The weather is so cold, wandering on the streets isn’t much fun. Let’s still go eat barbecue. I’ll come back after eating. Anyway, the examinations are scheduled for tomorrow, so it doesn’t matter if we’re out for an hour or two. Even hospital patients need to eat. If Cheng Yanqing scolds you, I’ll defend you.”

She pulled him to stand up. “Let’s go, go, go. Hurry and change your clothes.”

They shouldn’t be leaving the hospital right now, but when Qing Hang saw the smile on her face, he gave up resisting. He wanted to go along with her wishes.

At the restaurant, Qing Hang realized that Cheng Wanyue didn’t want to eat as much as she claimed. She enjoyed the process of grilling the meat herself and the steamy atmosphere. She even insisted on grilling the last piece of pork belly until it was slightly golden before placing it on his plate. He ate everything she grilled, not wasting a bit.

Everyone was waiting for them in the hospital room. Before they opened the door, the room was silent. Cheng Wanyue gripped the door handle, and as soon as she pushed it open a crack, voices from inside drifted out.

She entered the room as if returning home, taking off her down jacket and casually tossing it to Cheng Yanqing.

The nurse came to give Cheng Wanyue an IV. She turned her head to the other side, closing her eyes to avoid watching the needle insertion. Cheng Yanqing teased her, and even with her face buried in the blanket, she wasn’t quiet for a moment, bantering with Cheng Yanqing. Everyone else laughed along, except for Qing Hang, who remained silent.

After Cheng Wanyue fell asleep, Cheng Yanqing told everyone to go home first, saying he would stay at the hospital.

Outside the hospital room, everyone’s expressions were grim.

Zhou Yu was pregnant and had vomited half an hour earlier. After Cheng Yuzhou took her home, he returned to the hospital. Cheng Yanqing was smoking downstairs, one cigarette after another, and only returned home in the early hours of the morning when Cheng Yuzhou pulled him away.

Cheng Wanyue woke up when the nurse removed her IV. Qing Hang was sitting beside her bed, having watched her for who knows how long. She urged him to go home and sleep, but he remained motionless. She pretended to be angry, and only then did he listen to her.

But Qing Hang didn’t leave. He waited outside for more than half an hour before returning to the hospital room, then left again before she woke up in the morning.

During Qing Hang’s working hours, Cheng Wanyue underwent many examinations. She still had a fever, looking sickly when she first woke up. Around four in the afternoon, the director informed her of the preliminary treatment plan.

Cheng Wanyue’s fever left her dizzy and weak. Looking around, she noticed that only Qing Hang was absent.

“Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister-in-law, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, I’m sorry.”

She was sick again.

Yang Huimin stroked her face, turning her head to wipe away tears. “Silly child.”

Cheng Yanqing couldn’t bear to hear such words. He would rather have Cheng Wanyue cry or make a fuss. On New Year’s Eve, she had been so lively that she nearly brought the house down, yet now she was in the hospital.

“At least I got to eat barbecue last night,” Cheng Wanyue said, sitting up to drink some porridge, accidentally pressing on her IV tube.

Zhou Yu was right beside her. “Don’t move your hand carelessly. Be careful of blood flowing back. Let me feed you.”

“It’s fine, I can eat by myself. Help me fix my hair.” Cheng Wanyue hadn’t eaten lunch, and there was a medicinal taste in her mouth that made everything taste bitter. “You all should go home and rest. You still have work tomorrow.”

Zhou Yu found a comb to help her brush her hair. “It’s still early.”

“If you leave later, the roads will be congested, especially you, A’Yu. Don’t keep coming to the hospital. Work is exhausting enough without the back-and-forth trips. Dad, Mom, Brother, your flight is on Saturday, right?”

Cheng Yanqing spoke up, “I’ll stay here.”

“What’s the point of staying?” Cheng Wanyue knew he was about to cancel his ticket when she saw him take out his phone. “You should all go back to work and come again during the New Year.”

There was still more than a month until the Spring Festival.

She added, “Or… whoever is free on the weekend can come. Don’t disrupt your other affairs.”

“Alright, alright, we’ll listen to you,” Cheng Yanqing said, cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks. “Lie down if you’re not feeling well.”

Cheng Wanyue had slept for several hours and wanted to get out of bed to move around, but she was still on an IV, making everything inconvenient.

After Qing Hang finished work, he just took a shower before coming over After the Cheng family left, he pulled up a chair beside the hospital bed and began trimming Cheng Wanyue’s fingernails.

With only the two of them left in the room, it felt empty.

Cheng Wanyue turned on the TV, which happened to be playing “Tom and Jerry.” She watched for a while, laughing so hard that the hospital bed shook.

She said she was thirsty and wanted water. Qing Hang handed her the thermos from the table. She took a few sips, but there was still a bitter medicinal taste in her mouth. Just as she was about to speak, a milk candy was offered to her lips.

Once, because of a milk candy, she had made him stand with her for half a class period as punishment.

That was the first time Qing Hang had been punished by having to stand.

After all these years, Want Want milk candies still had the same red wrapper with a little person drawn on it, and the taste hadn’t changed either.

The TV was showing commercials, which were boring. Cheng Wanyue burst out laughing. Qing Hang looked at the TV and then at her, not knowing what she was laughing at. She had the milk candy in her mouth, her left cheek bulging. The light reflected in her eyes looked like moist tears, but they weren’t.

Qing Hang asked softly, “What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing at you. You didn’t go to work looking like this today, did you? Same clothes, unshaven, ” Cheng Wanyue took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a tissue. “Dirty glasses, messy hair, and even your shoelaces aren’t tied properly. You all rush to the hospital rooms when you’re in a hurry. What if you tripped and fell?”

Qing Hang bent down to tie his shoelaces.

She reached out a hand to him. “Do you have more candy? Give me another one.”

“Yes, but you shouldn’t eat too many,” Qing Hang took out a handful from his pocket and placed them all beside her pillow.

Cheng Wanyue picked one at random, unwrapped the plastic, and fed it to Qing Hang.

Outside, he was a doctor with responsibilities and obligations. He couldn’t be careless or impulsive, needing to maintain calm at all times. Only when he entered this door could he temporarily set those things aside.

He had been to the director’s office and knew Cheng Wanyue’s current condition.

“You talked with the doctor for a long time. What did you discuss?” Even though she had been diagnosed, Cheng Wanyue’s attitude wasn’t much different from before. “I’ve used all those medications before and undergone all those examinations. Don’t worry.”

Qing Hang didn’t speak. After a while, he stiffly nodded.

Cheng Wanyue hooked her pinky finger with his. “Yesterday, you asked if I was afraid. Actually… at first, I couldn’t accept it either. Why me? I’m so unlucky. But later, I felt that I was very fortunate. My family’s financial situation isn’t bad. Second Uncle and Second Aunt love me very much, treating me like their own daughter. My parents won’t be ruined financially to treat my illness. They all love me and don’t see me as a burden or a nuisance. I’ve seen a four-year-old child who also had this disease. At night, he could only sleep on the floor outside the hospital. His mother had no money to continue his treatment. She knelt before him, crying, repeatedly saying sorry to him.”

She smiled. “Compared to a few years ago, this time I have you by my side. So what is there to be afraid of?”

Qing Hang gripped her hand. “I was careless. When you caught a cold last time, I should have taken you to see a doctor. If I had been more attentive, I should have brought you to the hospital on New Year’s Eve.”

Cheng Wanyue herself had thought it was just an ordinary fever.

During their argument, she had indeed been in low spirits, feeling listless and unmotivated every day. But she had been preoccupied with thoughts of Qing Hang and hadn’t considered this possibility.

“A day earlier or later doesn’t make much difference. Qing Hang, I wasn’t with you when your grandfather passed away. Let’s call it even.”

She turned her head to look out the window. It rarely snowed in Nanjing during winter. “I might have to spend this year’s Spring Festival in the hospital. You’ve just started working here, and they might schedule you to be on duty on New Year’s Eve. That’s fine too. I can sneak out to see you.”

Qing Hang suddenly stood up. “I’m going to the cafeteria to eat.”

He forgot to wear his coat, his silhouette looking thin. Cheng Wanyue called out to him, reminding him to wear his clothes. “After you eat, just go home. Take a hot shower, get a good night’s sleep, and come back tomorrow.”

“Mmm,” Qing Hang murmured vaguely.

The stone pressing on his heart sank inch by inch. He closed the door and leaned against the wall, his elegant features appearing pallid and ashen.

Qing Hang followed Cheng Wanyue’s instructions: he went home to shower, shave, blow-dry his hair, and change into clean clothes. But he didn’t follow her advice to get a good night’s sleep at home. Instead, he returned to the hospital room, and like yesterday, left before she woke up in the morning.

At night, he studied medical cases. During the day, he found time to contact experienced doctors. The first thing he did after work was rush to the inpatient department. Before knocking on the door, he went to the restroom to tidy his clothes and hair, wiping his glasses spotlessly clean.

Cheng Wanyue’s charge nurse already recognized Qing Hang and greeted him when they met.

Qing Hang followed her into the hospital room. Cheng Yanqing was also there.

An IV port had been placed in Cheng Wanyue’s left hand, which was uncomfortable. She constantly wanted to scratch it. Cheng Yanqing peeled an orange and occasionally placed a segment in her hand to keep her right hand occupied.

The small oranges she was eating were much sweeter than the ornamental orange tree at home.

“You just finished your night shift. Why don’t you get some sleep?” Cheng Yanqing’s flight was tomorrow, and he planned to stay at the hospital overnight.

“I’m not sleepy yet. I’ll sleep later,” Qing Hang moved closer to tuck in Cheng Wanyue’s blanket. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Cheng Wanyue pointed to the thermal food container on the table. “I had some pumpkin porridge and saved half for you. It should still be warm.”

The nurse replaced Cheng Wanyue’s IV with a red medicine and checked her temperature. She didn’t have much appetite but ate several oranges because they tasted sweet.

Qing Hang finished the remaining porridge with the spoon she had used, and then she started urging him to leave.

He wanted to stay a bit longer. “I’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

“Cheng Yanqing is here, and I can boss him around easily.” If Cheng Wanyue wasn’t on an IV, she would have gotten out of bed to push Qing Hang out. “You can’t hide the red bloodshot in your eyes. How many days have you gone without sleep? Do you think you’re a perpetual motion machine?”

She stuck one foot out from under the blanket, her toes brushing against Qing Hang’s leg. “I miss Meiqiu a bit. After you wake up, video call me so I can see Meiqiu. When you come, bring me a hat, a blue one. If you can’t find one in my room, ask A’Yu.”

Qing Hang nodded in agreement. “What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?”

Cheng Wanyue thought for a moment. In two more days, she might not even be able to eat porridge. “Buy two plum-blossom cakes with red bean filling.”

Qing Hang went downstairs to the payment office to prepay some expenses.

Cheng Guo’an and Yang Huimin had left before Qing Hang arrived at the Cheng family’s house. Others also had to go to work as usual. Only the housekeeper was at home, without even a hint of extra sound.

The orange tree placed beside the sofa was still vibrant. Cheng Wanyue had originally hung some small colored lights on it, which blinked when plugged in at night, but they had been destroyed by Meiqiu and Nuomi on the first day.

Qing Hang went upstairs and entered Cheng Wanyue’s room.

He slept deeply, only waking up in the evening.

Meiqiu was scratching at the door outside, making rustling noises. Zhou Yu was about to take it away when the door suddenly opened. Before Qing Hang could bend down, Meiqiu ran in between his feet, jumped on the bed, walked from the foot to the head, then circled to the other side, and finally sat beside the pillow, meowing softly twice.

After dinner, Qing Hang asked Zhou Yu if she had a blue hat. Zhou Yu, knowing it was for Cheng Wanyue, went with Cheng Yuzhou to the wardrobe to look.

Qing Hang sat on the sofa. Meiqiu approached him, slipping through the gap under his arm into his lap. Only then did he snap back to reality and use his phone to video call Cheng Wanyue.

She held the phone very close, chatting casually with Meiqiu. Later, she fell asleep, with the phone flipped face-down on the bed, leaving the screen completely dark. Qing Hang couldn’t see anything.

If he listened carefully in the silence, he could faintly hear her breathing.

Zhou Yu couldn’t find a blue hat and told Qing Hang to look in Cheng Wanyue’s room again. It might be in one of the cabinets, as Cheng Wanyue often misplaced things.

Qing Hang searched everything, even the bedside table, but still couldn’t find it. Finally, he opened the desk drawer.

Inside the drawer were two Polaroid albums. In one, Qing Hang found a group photo of the three Cheng siblings taken in a hospital room. Cheng Wanyue was sitting on the hospital bed laughing heartily, while Cheng Yuzhou and Cheng Yanqing were fighting over a hat. All three had shaved heads.

Cheng Yuzhou bought a blue knit hat at the mall. Just as he arrived at the house, he looked up and noticed points of light on the balcony. The street lights weren’t very bright, and Cheng Yuzhou couldn’t see clearly. That was Cheng Wanyue’s room, and the person smoking on the balcony could only be Qing Hang.

Not just smoking.

He was crying.

He made no sobbing sounds, only the heavy breathing that resembles someone who has nearly drowned. He didn’t even hear a car entering the courtyard.

After the cigarette’s glow extinguished, he completely merged with the darkness.

A neighbor’s car passed by the roadside, its headlights illuminating Qing Hang crouched on the balcony, his head bent low.

Cheng Yuzhou looked away, entered the house, went upstairs, and hung the hat he had bought on the doorknob of Cheng Wanyue’s room.

Zhou Yu couldn’t sleep or eat well. Cheng Yuzhou got up early to make her breakfast. Before leaving, Qing Hang greeted them as usual, showing no sign of having wept bitterly in the night.

“He probably only slept yesterday out of all these days,” Zhou Yu was worried that Qing Hang’s body couldn’t withstand the strain. “Let’s tell Dad and Mom to let Qing Hang stay in Wanyue’s room.”

Cheng Wanyue spent most of her time in the hospital, so her room was empty. Cheng Yuzhou had no objections. “Yes, I’ve already given him a key. He can come anytime.”

The more Zhou Yu thought about it, the more distressed she felt. After starting treatment, Cheng Wanyue visibly grew thinner and weaker day by day. She had asked Qing Hang to bring back a hat because she knew she would have to shave her head.

“The family neglected Wanyue because of my pregnancy. We should have gone to the hospital to check earlier,” she turned away to wipe the corner of her eye. “As a result, we delayed for so many days.”

“You’re pregnant, and the whole family is happy, including Yueyue.” Cheng Yuzhou went over to hug her. “Don’t overthink it. I’m here.”