Lin Zhexia had a dream that night.

She dreamed she turned into a little rabbit living in the forest. The little rabbit woke up from bed, opened the door, and found carrots growing all around the doorway.

There was even a lotus leaf umbrella in the dream, though it wasn’t raining in the forest that day.

She was very happy and put a basket on her back, preparing to pull all these carrots and take them home.

However, at that moment, an annoying dog appeared. The dog leaned against her doorway, chin slightly raised: “With your tiny strength, you can’t pull them out. Beg me, if you beg me, I’ll consider whether to help you or not.”

“…”

In the dream, Lin Zhexia rolled up her sleeves: “Who needs to beg you?”

“I’m plenty strong.”

Then, while trying to pull the carrots, she couldn’t move them and fell hard on her bottom.

Lin Zhexia woke up thinking this dream was truly absurd.

Beyond being absurd, it also felt familiar.

She thought for a while and remembered it was very similar to the bedtime story Chi Yao had told her before.

Speaking of which, what was the ending of that bedtime story?

So after waking up, the first thing she did was message Chi Yao—

Chi Yao Chi Yao—

The story about the little rabbit pulling carrots, how did it end?

Have I lost my memory? Why can’t I remember the ending

The other side was probably still sleeping and didn’t reply.

Lin Zhexia didn’t mind; today was Lin He’s birthday, and they were having a family gathering at home. The day would be busy. She put her phone aside, got up, and went to wash.

Due to yesterday’s unexpected situation, she didn’t have time to buy Lin He a birthday gift.

After much thought, she finally sat at her desk and carefully wrote a birthday card for Lin He.

To the most beautiful, my most dear mom.

Happy Birthday.

Wishing you peace, health, happiness, and joy.

PS: Beautiful Lin He, you’re a year older this year, which makes you eighteen.

On the card, she used colored pens to draw a simple cartoon, depicting herself, Wei Ping wearing glasses and a striped shirt, and Lin He in a dress with her hair up. She also drew the South Alley street sign and the old car Wei Ping drove many years ago.

This was how they looked the first day they moved to South Alley.

After preparing the card, she went to the dining room for breakfast.

Wei Ping had prepared breakfast: a bowl of rice porridge and several side dishes.

“Eat more,” Lin He habitually put food in Lin Zhexia’s bowl, “look how thin you are.”

Lin Zhexia: “This is called being slender.”

Lin He: “More like a bamboo pole.”

Lin Zhexia looked at the food placed in her bowl: “…I don’t like cucumber cubes.”

Lin He: “I know you don’t like them, I did it on purpose.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia picked up the cucumber cubes and, when Lin He wasn’t looking, slipped them into Wei Ping’s bowl.

“Shh,” she raised a finger, “eat quickly, if you eat too slowly, she’ll notice.”

Wei Ping was slightly startled, then moved quickly, immediately swallowing the cucumber cubes.

The two seemed to have become close comrades overnight.

After a while, Lin Zhexia asked in a low voice: “Is there anything you don’t like to eat? I can help you eat it too.”

Wei Ping answered quietly: “Uncle doesn’t pick and choose…”

Lin He noticed their activity and suddenly looked up.

Both immediately raised their bowls and lowered their heads to eat, pretending nothing had happened.

Lin He had put on makeup today and especially curled her hair. When she received the card, her eyes reddened, and she had to hold back tears for a long time.

On her birthday, they invited many relatives to their home for dinner.

Lin Zhexia helped in the kitchen, serving tea, offering melon seeds, and also had to play with the children the relatives brought.

During a break, she finally had time to check her phone.

Chi Yao had replied to her two hours ago.

Chi Dog: The ending is that the rabbit didn’t find any carrots

Chi Dog: On the way home, it met a wolf and got swallowed in one bite.

Lin Zhexia: …

How could a bedtime story be so dark?

She forcefully tapped her phone screen, typing back: Indeed, what kind of person tells what kind of story?

Chi Dog: What kind of person

Chi Dog: Listens to what kind of story

Lin Zhexia searched through her sticker collection and sent over the most destructive set of characters beating up a little figure.

After their argument,

Chi Yao finally sent a message: Help me wish Auntie He a happy birthday.

Lin Zhexia: [ok]

The busy day continued until after 8 PM before ending.

People gradually left, and at the end of the gathering, someone took a birthday group photo of their family.

Usually, Lin Zhexia would slightly move away during group photos, but this time, she hesitated, then just before the camera clicked, she actively linked arms with Wei Ping, and with her other hand, somewhat stiffly made a “peace” sign.

“Mom,” Lin Zhexia asked while cleaning the table, “can I take a piece of cake to Chi Yao?”

Lin He smiled: “Of course, you can take all the leftovers to him.”

Lin Zhexia responded: “Then I’ll take it over after I clean up.”

Lin He thought more thoroughly: “And He Yang and the others, too, send some to them as well. We bought too much cake today, it would be a waste not to finish it.”

“He Yang?”

Lin Zhexia showed obvious differential treatment toward He Yang: “Let him come get it himself.”

Lin He gently scolded: “…How can you make them come get it?”

Lin Zhexia: “He has hands and feet, what’s wrong with him coming to get cake himself? Don’t worry, if I send him a message now, he’ll arrive within five minutes, coming faster than a dog.”

Lin He: “…”

Sure enough.

After she said that, He Yang excitedly sent back a voice message: “Xia-ge, wait for me. I’ll immediately, right away, use my school 500-meter running speed to get there.”

When she played the second voice message, He Yang was already panting, probably on his way.

“What flavors of cake are left? I like the chocolate flavor. Oh, should I go up to Yao-ge’s place and bring him along too?”

Lin Zhexia replied: “…No need.”

He Yang responded: “Why no need?”

“Because I,” Lin Zhexia walked out the door carrying the packed cake, pressing the voice message button, “am on my way to deliver cake to him right now.”

Chi Yao didn’t like sweets, so she specifically chose a flavor that wasn’t too sweet.

Mainly, she wanted him to share in today’s happiness.

However, after Lin Zhexia pressed the doorbell at Chi Yao’s door for quite some time while holding the cake, there was no response from inside.

She put the cake at the door, squatted down, and messaged Chi Yao—

You’re not home?—

You’re not home??—

Where did you go sneaking off to?

You went out to play without taking me.

Just as she sent the last message, the door lock made a “click” sound.

Lin Zhexia, still squatting, looked up through the opening door crack and saw Chi Yao standing at the door.

To be precise.

A somewhat sickly Chi Yao.

His overall state was different from usual. His already pale complexion looked even paler, giving off a kind of inexplicable lethargy. Even though he was wearing a sweater, it still gave the impression that his body temperature seemed very cold.

His eyes were drooping, particularly careless.

However, the young man’s nearly “arrogant” temperament didn’t diminish at all: “Is your key just for show? Next time, open the door and come in yourself.”

“…”

This person’s way of speaking was still as dislikable as ever.

But before knocking on Chi Yao’s door, she had felt a bit awkward.

This awkwardness might be because she had cried in front of him yesterday.

Or it might be because yesterday’s Chi Yao had been too gentle.

But the Chi Yao appearing before her today was the one she was most familiar with, and because of this familiar “dislikable” attitude, that bit of awkwardness suddenly disappeared.

Lin Zhexia righteously stated: “This is called being polite.”

After saying this, she noticed his voice was very hoarse and asked: “Are you sick?”

Chi Yao made an “mm” sound: “A bit feverish.”

She followed him inside, carrying the cake: “How many degrees? Is it serious?”

“Didn’t check.”

“You have a fever and didn’t take your temperature? What have you been doing all day?”

“Sleeping,” he said, “just woken up by you.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia didn’t speak, put down her things, and went to look for his medicine box.

She knew exactly where everything was in his home.

Although this person rarely got sick over the years and had few opportunities to take medicine, and the medicine box hadn’t been used for a long time, fortunately, the medicines inside hadn’t expired.

She found an electronic thermometer: “Sit down, let’s take your temperature first.”

Chi Yao didn’t take such minor illnesses seriously at all: “No need, just need to sleep it off.”

“At times like this, don’t try to act tough. I told you yesterday not to show off.”

Lin Zhexia thought of yesterday, and her expression became somewhat exasperated: “Still had to pose.”

Chi Yao was surprisingly concerned about his image in some strange areas.

He insisted with his hoarse voice: “It has nothing to do with yesterday.”

Lin Zhexia: “Oh.”

Chi Yao turned his head: “Oh?”

“‘Oh’ means,” Lin Zhexia explained, “I don’t want to deal with you, but I still have to respond perfunctorily.”

“…”

Finally, his temperature was measured to be high, but not severe.

Lin Zhexia looked at the thermometer for a while and said, “Not bad, this temperature shouldn’t burn up your brain.”

“You should worry more about yourself,” Chi Yao, even with his sore throat making speech difficult, didn’t forget to mock her, “your brain doesn’t work well even without a fever.”

…

Stay calm.

Lin Zhexia.

He is a patient now.

Currently half-dead, he can only be verbally tough.

Besides, his fever is somewhat because he lent his coat to her yesterday.

So.

Be as tolerant as possible of him.

Lin Zhexia took a deep breath and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water, holding the cup in one hand and fever medicine in the other: “Young Master, please.”

“The water temperature is just right, neither too hot to scald your precious mouth, nor too cold to make you uncomfortable.”

Chi Yao was pressed to sit on the sofa by her.

Perhaps because he was sick, he wasn’t sitting properly. Rather than “sitting,” he looked more like he was curling his long legs and reluctantly shrinking into the sofa. Like a young master, he extended his hand to take the water: “Although it’s unnecessary, I can give you face.”

Lin Zhexia mentally rolled her eyes: “Thank you, this humble servant is deeply grateful.”

After drinking the water, Chi Yao naturally handed the glass back to her: “A bit hot, be careful next time.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia: “Don’t be so arrogant.

Chi Yao’s listless eyes swept over.

Lin Zhexia immediately changed her words: “I mean, don’t wait until next time, I can pour you a second cup of water right now.”

She took the glass to the kitchen.

As she turned, she couldn’t help muttering: “Getting sick makes him so difficult to serve.”

From behind, Chi Yao’s hoarse voice sounded.

“Just to remind you, I have a fever, not hearing loss.”

The hot water wasn’t enough, so she boiled a kettle and waited in the kitchen for it to boil. By the time she had poured the water and come out, Chi Yao was almost asleep, waiting on the sofa.

He was dressed very casually today, in a light-colored sweater plus loose gray casual pants.

The cotton pant legs were very wide.

Normally, when Lin Zhexia saw such pants, her first reaction would be to determine that they would make legs look thick. However, they didn’t have this effect on him. Instead, because they were so loose, they outlined the contours of his legs.

Seeing her come out, he forced his eyes open and yawned.

After he finished drinking the water, Lin Zhexia asked: “What time is it now?”

Chi Yao didn’t care much and casually pressed his phone.

When the phone unlocked, it didn’t show the time on the home screen, but the WeChat chat box that hadn’t been closed yet.

She glanced at it.

This glance caught the note at the top of the chat box.

Coward.

……

“Wait a minute,” Lin Zhexia spoke up, stopping him from sliding the interface, “you didn’t have a note before.”

Chi Yao listlessly indicated: “Just changed it last night, satisfied?”

Lin Zhexia: “Satisfied my foot.”

“You’d better change it,” she added, “otherwise I won’t message you anymore.”

Chi Yao raised the end of his eyebrow, unusually showing some spirit: “Is that such a good thing?”

“Perfect, saves me the trouble of finding you annoying and having to manually block you.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia gritted her teeth: “Anyway, change it for me, to something else.”

Chi Yao: “Like what?”

Lin Zhexia thought of something randomly: “Like, Brave Lin or something.”

Chi Yao: “Oh.”

Lin Zhexia: “What do you mean by ‘oh’?”

Chi Yao copied her earlier reply and said: “I don’t want to deal with you, but I still have to respond perfunctorily.”

Chi Yao’s phone was right in front of her. She blinked her eyes, a certain idea springing up in her mind, and then, taking advantage of Chi Yao’s inattention, reached out to grab the phone from his hand.

However, this attempt failed.

Instead, it gave Chi Yao time to raise the phone high where she couldn’t reach.

Lin Zhexia became a bit desperate: “Give me your phone.”

Chi Yao: “Come and take it yourself.”

Lin Zhexia’s height was limited, and with the sofa between them, jumping wasn’t very convenient.

She stood on tiptoe, reaching out to take it, but lost her balance and fell forward uncontrollably.

“…”

Her vision went black.

Her nose hit something, taking a hard bump.

The sensation that followed was both soft and hard beneath her.

The soft part was Chi Yao’s sweater.

But he wasn’t soft at all. Boys’ bones are very hard, with little flesh. His shoulder that she bumped into was hard, and the chest her hand was pressing against was also hard. This person looked very thin and was currently sick, yet he wasn’t frail at all. His waist and abdomen seemed to have a layer of subtle abs.

Lin Zhexia was stunned for a moment, raised her head, and saw Chi Yao’s clearly defined neck and profile right in front of her.

The young man’s jet-black bangs hung down his forehead. Due to his illness, his eyes looked listless.

After a while, he looked at her and asked: “Lin Zhexia, how long are you going to lie here?”

Before his words ended.

He added with a trailing tone: “Are you… planning to stay sprawled on me and not get up?”