CS - 20

That night, Lin Zhe Xia had a dream.

She dreamed that she had turned into a little rabbit living in the forest. The little rabbit woke up from bed, pushed open the door, and found carrots growing at the doorstep.

In the dream, there was even a lotus leaf umbrella—though it hadn’t rained in the forest that day.

She was overjoyed, slung her basket on her back, and prepared to pull the carrots home.

But at that moment, an annoying dog appeared. The dog leaned casually against her doorway, tilting its chin upward: “You’re so weak. You can’t pull them out. Beg me—I’ll think about helping you.”

“…”

In the dream, Lin Zhe Xia rolled up her sleeves: “Who needs your help?”

“I’m plenty strong.”

Then, as she tried pulling the carrots, she couldn’t budge them and fell flat on her butt.

Lin Zhe Xia woke up feeling that this dream was utterly absurd.

Absurd as it was, it also felt strangely familiar.

After thinking for a while, she realized it bore a striking resemblance to the bedtime story Chi Yao had once told her.

Come to think of it, what had happened at the end of that bedtime story?

So, upon waking up, she immediately sent a message to Chi Yao.

-Chi Yao, Chi Yao.

-What happened at the end of the story about the little rabbit pulling carrots?

-Did I lose my memory or something? Why don’t I remember the ending?

The other side was probably still asleep, as there was no reply.

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t mind. Today was Lin He’s birthday, and the family had organized a dinner gathering, so she would be busy all day. She set her phone aside, got up, and went about washing up.

Because of the unexpected events the previous day, she hadn’t had time to buy Lin He a birthday gift.

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

To the most beautiful, the dearest mom in the whole wide world.

Happy Birthday.

I wish you peace, health, and happiness.

P.S.: Beautiful Lin He, turning one year older today makes you eighteen.

On the card, she drew a simple cartoon with colored markers. It depicted herself, Wei Ping wearing glasses and a striped shirt, and Lin He in a dress with her hair up. There was also the street sign for Nanxiang Street and the old car Wei Ping had driven years ago.

This was how they looked on their first day moving to Nanxiang Street.

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

Breakfast was prepared by Wei Ping: a bowl of rice porridge and a few small dishes.

“Eat more,” Lin He habitually served Lin Zhe Xia some dishes. “Look how thin you are.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “I’m slim, not thin.”

Lin He: “More like a stick.”

Lin Zhe Xia looked at the dish that had been placed in her bowl: “…I don’t like diced cucumbers.”

Lin He: “I know you don’t like them. That’s why I deliberately gave them to you.”

“…”

While Lin He wasn’t looking, Lin Zhe Xia secretly transferred the diced cucumbers into Wei Ping’s bowl.

“Shh,” she raised a finger to her lips, “Eat quickly. If you eat too slowly, she’ll notice.”

Wei Ping was momentarily stunned, then quickly swallowed the cucumbers.

The two of them suddenly became close comrades-in-arms overnight.

After a while, Lin Zhe Xia whispered, “Is there anything you don’t like eating? I can help you finish it.”

Wei Ping quietly replied, “Uncle isn’t picky about food…”

Lin He noticed their movements and suddenly looked up.

Almost simultaneously, the two of them lifted their bowls and began eating in silence, pretending nothing had happened.

Today, Lin He had applied makeup and styled her hair. When she received the birthday card, her eyes reddened slightly, but she held back tears for a long time before managing not to cry.

For her birthday, they invited quite a few relatives over for dinner.

Lin Zhe Xia helped out in the kitchen, serving tea, passing snacks, and entertaining the children brought by the relatives.

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

Chi Yao had replied two hours earlier.

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

Chi Dog: On the way back, it met a wolf and was swallowed whole.

Lin Zhe Xia: …

How could a bedtime story possibly be so dark?

She furiously poked the screen and typed back: Naturally, people like you tell stories like this.

Chi Dog: What kind of person?

Chi Dog: Listens to what kind of stories.

Lin Zhe Xia scoured her emoji collection and sent him the most vicious set of beating-up stickers she could find.

After their argument, Chi Yao sent one last message: Wish Aunt He a happy birthday for me.

Lin Zhe Xia: [/ok]

The busy day lasted until after eight in the evening.

As guests gradually left, during the final moments of the gathering, someone took a birthday family photo.

Normally, Lin Zhe Xia would step slightly to the side during group photos, but this time, she hesitated briefly. Then, just before the shutter clicked, she actively hooked her arm through Wei Ping’s and awkwardly made a “V” sign with her other hand.

“Mom,” Lin Zhe Xia asked while clearing the table, “Can I take some cake to Chi Yao?”

Lin He smiled: “Of course! Take the leftovers to him.”

Lin Zhe Xia replied: “Alright, I’ll bring it over after I finish cleaning up.”

Lin He thought more carefully: “And He Yang and the others too. We bought too much cake today—it’d be a waste if we don’t give it away.”

“He Yang, huh…”

Lin Zhe Xia showed clear favoritism toward He Yang: “Let him come and get it himself.”

Lin He gently scolded her: “…How can you make someone else come and pick it up?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “He has hands and feet. What’s wrong with him coming to get his own cake? Don’t worry, if I send him a message now, he’ll definitely arrive within five minutes—faster than a dog.”

Lin He: “….”

Sure enough.

After she spoke, He Yang excitedly sent a voice message: “Big Sister Xia, wait for me! I’ll rush over right away, at the speed of my 500-meter sprint at school!”

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

“What flavors of cake are left? I… I like chocolate. Hey, should I go to Brother Yao’s place and call him along the way?”

Lin Zhe Xia replied: “…No need.”

He Yang: “Why not?”

“Because,” Lin Zhe Xia picked up the packed cake and stepped out the door, pressing the voice button as she said, “I’m already on my way to deliver it to him.”

Chi Yao actually wasn’t very fond of sweets, so she specifically chose a flavor that wasn’t overly sweet.

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

However, after pressing the doorbell at Chi Yao’s house for a long time, there was no response from inside.

She placed the cake at the door, crouched down, and sent Chi Yao a message.

-Are you not home?

-You’re seriously not home??

-Where did you go to hang out?

-You went out to play without taking me.

Just as she sent the last message, the lock clicked open.

Still crouching, Lin Zhe Xia tilted her head up through the gap in the door and saw Chi Yao standing at the entrance.

To be precise.

It was a somewhat sickly-looking Chi Yao.

His demeanor was different from usual. His already pale complexion looked even paler, exuding an inexplicable lethargy. Even though he was wearing a sweater, it gave the illusion that his body temperature might be low.

His droopy eyes conveyed an air of indifference.

Yet the boy’s almost “arrogant” aura remained unchanged: “Is that key of yours just for show? Next time, let yourself in.”

“…”

This person was as annoying as ever when he spoke.

Though truthfully, before knocking on Chi Yao’s door, she had felt somewhat uneasy.

This unease might have stemmed from crying in front of him yesterday.

Or perhaps because Chi Yao had been unusually gentle yesterday.

But the Chi Yao standing before her today was the familiar version she was used to—the one with that annoying attitude. Because of this familiar vibe, her unease disappeared in an instant.

Lin Zhe Xia spoke with righteous indignation: “I call this being polite.”

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

Chi Yao grunted: “A bit feverish.”

She followed him inside, carrying the cake: “How high is your fever? Is it serious?”

“Didn’t check.”

“You’re running a fever and didn’t measure your temperature? So what have you been doing all day?”

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

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t say anything further. After setting down the cake, she went to rummage through his medicine cabinet.

She knew exactly where everything was in his house.

Although he rarely got sick these past few years and hadn’t needed much medication, the medicine cabinet hadn’t seen use in a long time. Fortunately, the medicines inside hadn’t expired.

She pulled out an electronic thermometer: “Sit down and take your temperature first.”

Chi Yao didn’t pay much attention to minor illnesses: “No need. A good night’s sleep will fix it.”

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

Thinking of yesterday, Lin Zhe Xia’s expression turned exasperated: “You absolutely had to pose.”

Chi Yao surprisingly cared about appearances in some odd ways.

With a hoarse voice, he insisted: “It has nothing to do with yesterday.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Oh.”

Chi Yao turned his head: “‘Oh’?”

“‘Oh’ means,” Lin Zhe Xia explained, “I don’t want to deal with you, but I still have to humor you.”

“…”

In the end, the measured temperature was slightly elevated but not severe.

Lin Zhe Xia stared at the thermometer for a moment and said: “It’s alright. At this temperature, your brain shouldn’t fry.”

“You should worry more about yourself,” Chi Yao, despite his hoarse voice and difficulty speaking, didn’t forget to mock her. “Your brain barely functions even without frying.”

…

Calm down.

Lin Zhe Xia.

He’s sick right now.

Even if he’s half-dead, he’s still stubborn.

And his fever might partially be because he lent her his coat yesterday.

So.

She should be as tolerant as possible.

After taking a deep breath, Lin Zhe Xia went to the kitchen to pour a glass of warm water. Holding the cup in one hand and the fever-reducing medicine in the other, she said: “Young Master, please.”

“The water temperature is just right—it won’t burn your precious mouth, nor will it be too cold to make you uncomfortable.”

Chi Yao was forced to sit on the sofa.

Perhaps because he was sick, his posture lacked refinement. Rather than sitting, he seemed to curl his long legs and slump awkwardly into the couch. With a lordly gesture, he reached out to take the water: “Though unnecessary, I’ll humor you this time.”

Lin Zhe Xia rolled her eyes mentally: “Thank you. Your humble servant is deeply grateful.”

After finishing the water, Chi Yao naturally handed the glass back to her: “It’s a bit hot. Be careful next time.”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Don’t kick…” Her face reddened.

Chi Yao lazily glanced over.

Lin Zhe Xia quickly corrected herself: “I mean, don’t wait until next time. I can bring you a second glass of water right now.”

She took the glass to the kitchen.

As she turned around, she muttered under her breath: “Such a hassle when he’s sick.”

Behind her, Chi Yao’s raspy voice rang out.

“A reminder—I have a fever, not hearing loss.”

There wasn’t enough hot water, so she boiled a pot. While waiting for the water to boil, she returned to the living room to find Chi Yao nearly dozing off on the couch.

He was dressed very casually today: a light-colored sweater paired with loose gray sweatpants.

The cotton pants were very baggy.

Whenever Lin Zhe Xia saw such pants, her first reaction was to assume they would make legs look thicker. However, on him, they didn’t. Instead, due to their excessive looseness, they outlined the contours of his legs.

Seeing her emerge, he struggled to open his eyes and yawned.

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

Chi Yao carelessly pressed his phone, unlocking it.

Instead of displaying the homepage time, the unlocked screen showed the WeChat chat window that hadn’t been closed.

She glanced at it.

That glance caught the top of the chat window.

Coward.

……

“Wait a moment,” Lin Zhe Xia spoke up, stopping him from swiping the screen. “You didn’t have a nickname set before.”

Chi Yao, lacking energy, replied: “I just changed it last night. Are you satisfied?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Satisfied my foot.”

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

Chi Yao’s eyebrows lifted slightly, showing rare signs of interest: “Is that so?”

“Good. Saves me the trouble of manually blocking you because I’m annoyed.”

“…”

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

Chi Yao: “Like what?”

Lin Zhe Xia thought of something randomly: “Like, Lin the Brave or something.”

Chi Yao: “Oh.”

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

Chi Yao parroted her earlier response: “I don’t want to deal with you, but I still have to humor you.”

Chi Yao’s phone was right in front of her. She blinked, a certain thought flashing through her mind. Taking advantage of Chi Yao’s distraction, she reached out to snatch the phone from his hand.

But this attempt failed.

Instead, it gave Chi Yao time to raise the phone out of her reach.

Lin Zhe Xia grew flustered: “Give me your phone.”

Chi Yao: “Get it yourself.”

Lin Zhe Xia was limited by her height. Across the couch, even jumping wouldn’t make it easy.

She tiptoed, reaching out to grab it, but lost her balance and fell forward uncontrollably.

“…”

Her vision went black.

Her nose hit something hard, painfully and she felt a sharp sting.

The sensation that followed was a mix of softness and firmness beneath her.

The softness came from the sweater Chi Yao was wearing.

But his body itself was anything but soft. The boy’s bones were hard, and he had little fat on him.

The shoulder she collided with was firm, and so was the chest her hands pressed against. Though he looked thin and was currently sick, he didn’t feel frail at all. In fact, there seemed to be a faint outline of abs on his waist and abdomen.

Lin Zhe Xia was momentarily stunned. She lifted her head and saw, up close, Chi Yao’s neck—its prominent bone structure—and his profile turned slightly away.

His jet-black bangs hung loosely over his forehead, and because of his illness, his eyes appeared lethargic and listless.

After a long pause, he looked at her and asked: “Lin Zhe Xia, how much longer are you planning to stay sprawled on me?”

Before she could respond, he added, dragging out the last word: “Are you… planning to cling to me and never get up?”