Direct

The room was silent, and Pei Huan steadied herself before continuing, “You need to go to the hospital.”

“I won’t,” Lu Yinghuai replied instinctively.

As expected, Pei Huan glanced in the direction of his voice and said carelessly, “If you don’t want to, then forget it. I’ve brought what I needed and expressed my concern. I should be leaving.”

Lu Yinghuai hadn’t anticipated her decisiveness; for a moment, he panicked and called out, “Wait.”

Pei Huan stopped in her tracks. After a brief silence, Lu Yinghuai spoke, “I’ll go.”

She turned on her phone’s flashlight and saw he was wearing only a thin jacket. She frowned, “Go find something warmer to wear. If you go out dressed like that, you’ll freeze.”

Lu Yinghuai obeyed and went upstairs.

Pei Huan moved toward the light switch in the living room, intending to turn on the lights. No matter how many times she pressed the switch, the lights remained dark. At first, she thought the bulbs were simply broken and hadn’t been fixed yet. She groped her way into the kitchen and opened the tap—no water flowed. Pei Huan guessed the reason.

Returning to the living room, she glanced at the coffee table, picked up a card bearing the property manager’s phone number, and called to pay all the utility bills. Soon, the living room lights flickered on.

Lu Yinghuai had just changed clothes and come downstairs, squinting against the sudden brightness. Pei Huan looked him over with some satisfaction. Without giving him a chance to speak, she said, “I’ve already called a cab. Let’s go.”

Lu Yinghuai followed her outside, his mind foggy, moving by instinct.

At the hospital, after his temperature was taken and a prescription written, Pei Huan told him to rest while she fetched his medicine. After the injection, they sat in the infusion room. At first, Pei Huan said nothing, but as she began yawning, Lu Yinghuai tried to chat with her. Unable to resist the pull of sleep, he soon dozed off.

When he awoke, the seat beside him was empty. Alarmed, he sat up and scanned the room for Pei Huan, but she was nowhere to be found. His heart sank, thinking she had slipped away while he slept. Eyes dim, he lowered his head and reached to pull out the needle in his hand. Pei Huan returned at that moment, catching him in the act, her voice sharp, “What are you doing, Lu Yinghuai?”

There were quite a few people in the infusion room, and her voice drew their attention. Pei Huan paid them no mind, striding over and placing the porridge she’d bought to one side, then scolding him, “If you didn’t want the injection, you shouldn’t have agreed in the first place. Now you want to sneak off while I’m gone, is that it?”

It was the first time Lu Yinghuai had seen Pei Huan angry; he was at a loss. He tried to explain, “No, I thought you’d gone home.”

“Do you really think I’d leave a patient behind and sneak home myself?” Pei Huan’s tone was sharp.

Her presence was commanding. Even Lu Yinghuai, whom everyone else feared, dared not utter a word before her.

Pei Huan didn’t expect an answer. She sat down beside him and began playing on her phone, ignoring him entirely.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at the porridge on the neighboring chair and asked tentatively, “That porridge…”

Before he could finish, Pei Huan shot him a glare, and he fell silent.

During this time, Pei Huan called a nurse to change his IV bag, never speaking to him, eyes fixed on her phone. Lu Yinghuai was unhappy, but feeling guilty, he didn’t dare protest.

Once the drip was finished, they rose and left the infusion room. Pei Huan carried the porridge and medicine ahead, Lu Yinghuai trailing behind. In the hospital corridor, an acquaintance spotted him and exclaimed, “Ah Huai?”

Blocked, Lu Yinghuai looked at the person with impatience. The person didn’t catch on and continued, “Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Yinghuai’s expression grew increasingly impatient. He brushed past with a perfunctory response and hurried after Pei Huan, who was already out of sight. He quickened his pace, and as he reached the hospital entrance, Pei Huan had just hailed a taxi, opened the back door, and beckoned him in. She got in after him.

The ride home was silent. When they arrived at Lu Yinghuai’s house, Pei Huan set the porridge on the coffee table and went into the kitchen. Lu Yinghuai sat at the dining table, opened the lid, and slowly ate the porridge.

Pei Huan came out to find him hunched over, drinking the now-cold porridge. She hurried forward, “It’s cold. Don’t eat it.”

“But you bought it,” Lu Yinghuai replied quietly.

Her heart felt struck, her pulse quickened, but she kept her expression indifferent. “I cooked porridge for you in the kitchen. Go shower, and you can eat it when you’re done.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” Pei Huan nodded.

Lu Yinghuai finally set down the porridge and went upstairs. When he returned, a steaming bowl of porridge was waiting on the table. Pei Huan sat at the dining table, playing on her phone, waiting for him. As he came down, she rose, “It’s late. I should go home.”

Lu Yinghuai sat at the table, glanced at her, and suggested, “Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

“I shouldn’t,” Pei Huan hesitated, “I haven’t told my parents.”

“You said yourself it’s late. It’s not safe to go back alone,” Lu Yinghuai pressed.

Pei Huan struggled internally, checked the time on her phone—it really was late. After a brief battle with herself, she called Tang Yue and asked her to play along, saying she’d spend the night at her house.

Tang Yue found it odd but didn’t question her, playing along as needed.

After all the arrangements, Pei Huan finally relaxed in her chair. Lu Yinghuai glanced at her, then quietly drank his porridge, feeling a surge of satisfaction.

Pei Huan also drank a bowl of porridge and watched as Lu Yinghuai took his medicine. He led her to the guest room and found her a set of clothes—his own, from before. After thanking him, Pei Huan turned to enter the room, but Lu Yinghuai grabbed her wrist, gently. She turned, “What is it?”

Lu Yinghuai pressed his lips together, then hesitantly asked, “Are you still angry?”

Pei Huan shook her head; she had long since calmed down.

But Lu Yinghuai seemed unwilling to let her go. After a pause, he said quietly, “I didn’t mean to pull out the needle.”

“I know,” Pei Huan replied gently.

“But next time, don’t leave me alone, okay?” His voice was low, like a wounded puppy seeking comfort. “You can message me, but don’t leave without a word. I don’t want you to leave me.”

It was the first time Pei Huan had ever heard Lu Yinghuai speak so frankly. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled softly, “Alright.”

Lu Yinghuai looked at her for a while before reluctantly letting go. Pei Huan turned into the room, leaned against the door, and pressed a hand to her heart, releasing a deep breath.

Just a moment longer and she would have lost control.

Lying in bed, Pei Huan felt unreal—she hadn’t expected to end up staying at Lu Yinghuai’s house. She wondered whether he was always so kind, or simply felt guilty about tonight.

She didn’t dwell on it, pulled the covers over her head, took a deep breath, and then flung them back. Her restless heart still beat wildly.

In the master bedroom, Lu Yinghuai was no better. He lay in bed, amazed that Pei Huan was staying in his house. Eyes open, staring at the ceiling, he recalled the moment when Pei Huan cupped his face and their foreheads touched. The memory was vivid—he could almost feel her warm breath, and those beautiful eyes shining in the dark.

With so much happening, Lu Yinghuai suddenly felt that having a fever wasn’t so unbearable after all.

The next morning, Lu Yinghuai woke and went downstairs to find Pei Huan setting porridge on the table. She looked up as he came down, “Awake?”

“Mm,” Lu Yinghuai replied.

He sat at the table and waited for Pei Huan to join him before picking up his spoon.

After breakfast, Pei Huan watched him take his medicine, then shouldered her backpack to head home. Lu Yinghuai offered to see her off, but she refused, “You’re still recovering. Don’t exert yourself. I’ll text you when I get home. Take your medicine today and tomorrow, and send me a video each time. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Lu Yinghuai listened quietly, saw her off, and only returned indoors once she’d gotten into the car.

Over the next two days, Lu Yinghuai followed Pei Huan’s instructions, taking his medicine on time and sending her videos as proof. Pei Huan watched the videos with satisfaction.

After this episode, their relationship seemed to deepen further. At school, they spent more time together; at lunchtime, they were always seen side by side. Some bold students speculated that they were already dating.

Neither addressed the rumors. Sometimes Pei Huan would browse the school forum, laughing, and call Lu Yinghuai over to look. He glanced at it and asked, “Aren’t you going to clear things up?”

“It’s all nonsense, no need to clarify,” Pei Huan said, shooting him a sly look, “Unless you want me to say something?”

Lu Yinghuai looked at her meaningfully, said nothing, and continued working on his assignments.

After school, while playing basketball, Li Xuan couldn’t help gossiping.

“There’s been a lot of rumors about you and Lu Yinghuai lately. Be honest, is there something between you two?” he asked.

“You said yourself they’re just rumors. Even if I wanted something with Lu Yinghuai, he’d have to agree first,” Pei Huan shrugged.

“Really nothing?” Li Xuan squinted at her.

“Really nothing,” Pei Huan replied sincerely.

As summer approached and the college entrance exam drew near, the atmosphere in the senior year was intense. Pei Yan left early for class and returned late each night. Pei Huan often saw him exhausted as he entered the house while she fetched water downstairs.

“Is studying tiring?” Pei Huan asked.

Pei Yan shot her a glance, “Isn’t it obvious? Can’t you see your brother is about to drop dead every day?”

Pei Huan nodded solemnly, “You’re working hard, brother. Hang in there—a brighter future is just around the corner.”

“That’s not how that poem goes,” Pei Yan groaned.

Pei Huan’s rambling made Pei Yan’s head ache, but he couldn’t bring himself to scold her. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and went upstairs.

Pei Huan followed, chattering nonstop, and Pei Yan responded occasionally until Pei Huan retreated to her room.

But within seconds, Pei Huan’s door swung open again; she poked her head out, exchanged a few more words, then closed the door. Pei Yan scratched his forehead with his pinky, resigned.

Youth truly is a wonderful thing.