PSE - 24

By Sunday, Ha Yue had completely forgotten about Lou Zhiyun’s troubles. A new week began, and Ha Yue started looking for a live-in caregiver to take care of Zhao Chunni.

Although she left her contact number at several domestic service centers and actively posted recruitment information on local websites, there were still very few qualified caregivers available.

The domestic service industry in Sui City was poorly managed, and the applicants were a mixed bag.

Many of the caregivers who came to work in Sui City were even older than Zhao Chunni and suffered from chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes. They could only handle simple shopping and housework and had no experience caring for dementia patients. Even if they were hired now, it would be difficult for them to deal with Zhao Chunni’s worsening condition in the future.

On top of that, being tied up with the grocery store business for most of the day left Ha Yue overwhelmed and dizzy. Thus, it wasn’t until Saturday, after Xue Jing and Director Zhao finished their meeting in Lincheng, that Ha Yue realized Xue Jing hadn’t returned to Jicheng.

In the morning, Ha Yue asked her neighbor Cao Xiaoyu, who was on break, to watch the store for a while, then rushed to Sui City Hospital early to look for professional caregivers.

After obtaining a few recommended contacts from the information desk, Ha Yue searched for each phone number on WeChat. To prevent her mother from potential harm when her mental state was unclear, she first excluded all male caregivers and then individually added female caregivers, clearly stating her intentions.

After completing this initial outreach, none of the caregivers had replied immediately. As Ha Yue tucked her phone into her pocket and looked up, she unexpectedly saw Xue Jing printing a report at a self-service machine in the hospital’s first-floor lobby.

Sui City Hospital was small, with all its facilities tightly packed together. The two were separated by only three tiles. When Ha Yue noticed Xue Jing, he also glanced over at her.

Wearing masks, their eyes met. Ha Yue’s eyelids twitched slightly, feeling the encounter was somewhat abrupt, but she still walked over to him. Swallowing nervously, she tried to soften her gaze and politely asked, “What are you doing here?”

It had been a week since they last saw each other, and the temperature in Sui City had dropped sharply.

Today, Ha Yue was wearing an oversized half-turtleneck fleece jacket and corduroy pants, making her look like a fluffy brown bear.

Her bangs were messy, likely because she had worn a helmet. Her loose high ponytail was held by a hair tie adorned with two pink hard candies. The hair tie, faded by the sun, appeared to be an unsold item from the grocery store.

Xue Jing shifted his gaze from the pink accessories, pulled out the printed health examination report from the printer, and naturally responded, “Health checkup.”

“Huh?” Ha Yue suddenly became nervous, disregarding social distance, and tiptoed to peek at the health report in his hand. Her tone was filled with concern, “Are you feeling unwell? Why are you getting a checkup in Sui City? Have you been sick these past few days?”

“Is your throat sore? Or do you have a fever? Did you get a nucleic acid test? I heard from customers that primary and secondary schools have suspended classes again because there have been cases of infection among students.”

“Did you get all three doses of the vaccine?”

Although the pandemic had raged for more than two years, this year seemed particularly alarming. Rumors suggested that the number of fever patients admitted to hospitals recently was significantly higher than the entire previous year. Alarmed by the situation, many residents were spreading rumors that Sui City might soon go into lockdown. Many villagers who came to the city for temporary work had already quit their jobs and returned to their hometowns.

Ha Yue, with her strong constitution, probably didn’t need to worry. But in her eyes, despite Xue Jing’s wealth and good looks, he seemed like the frail, sickly scholar type.

As Ha Yue spoke, she felt the urge to touch Xue Jing’s forehead, but as soon as her hand emerged from her sleeve, she quickly withdrew it. In her flustered state, her words tumbled out like a tangled tape, without even a chance to filter through her mind.

Nevertheless, Ha Yue still possessed the spirit of a host and didn’t want Xue Jing to fall ill in her hometown.

“Was it because you were exhausted that day?”

After speaking, Ha Yue’s face turned slightly red, and her nails itched. She discreetly scratched them against the side of her pants pocket.

Xue Jing, on the other hand, wasn’t much better. Before he could respond, he choked on his own words, coughing twice before clearing his throat and giving her a sidelong glance. “Thank you for your concern, but it’s unnecessary. I’m not quite ready to step into the coffin yet.”

“I need a recent health report for an assessment application at the Work Safety Supervision Bureau on Monday.”

“Oh. Haha, I see.” Ha Yue let out a few dry laughs and walked out of the hospital gate with Xue Jing. At the narrow threshold where only one person could pass at a time, Xue Jing still went ahead. After exiting, he stepped aside and lifted the door curtain to let her pass through unhindered.

Ha Yue, as usual, said “thank you,” and as she turned sideways, she looked back and asked, “So, will you return next week?”

“I thought you left last week.” He had mentioned staying for only a week.

Their chat history from last week ended with her informing him that she had safely arrived home and wishing him a smooth journey back.

Xue Jing hadn’t replied to her message, and she hadn’t disturbed him further either.

Their interactions and conversations were like a sudden gust of evening wind—starting and stopping harmoniously, full of humanistic care shining like sunlight.

Past events were just that—past. There was no longer any need for Ha Yue to use extreme measures like blocking or deleting to sever any possibility between them.

Everything was understood without words.

“Not returning next week either, there’s been a sudden change in work.”

So that’s how it was. Unexpectedly, Xue Jing’s work schedule was quite busy now. Besides the published works she had seen, he was also involved in many things the public didn’t know about.

Ha Yue nodded, not intending to pry into his work, and didn’t ask further.

The two walked down the stairs side by side, always maintaining a safe distance between them, not like a couple, but more like unfamiliar colleagues.

Under the parking shed, the small electric scooter lent to Ha Yue by Xiao Yu was still shivering in the cold wind. Out of hospitality, Ha Yue asked before parting again, “How are you getting back? Taking a taxi? The scooter is too small, otherwise I could give you a ride...”

She deliberately dragged out the last word, hoping Xue Jing would understand her difficulty, but Xue Jing didn’t decline. Standing at a safe distance, he looked at her sincerely with his aesthetically pleasing eyes and said, “Alright, then I’ll trouble you. I’m heading back to the hotel, I have an appointment in the afternoon.”

It was a day off, and there were many people riding electric scooters on the street. After leaving the hospital, Ha Yue merged into the main road, where groups of electric scooters, like silver fish rolling in the sea, rushed past the traffic lights.

But after a few intersections, only Ha Yue was left in the last group.

The pink electric scooter was at full throttle on the asphalt road, but the speed was still not very fast.

Because it was carrying two tall adults, it was as absurd as a grown-up insisting on riding a child’s bike.

Before getting on the scooter, Ha Yue gave the only helmet to Xue Jing to wear, while she herself was grimacing in the cold wind.

When the scooter passed over a speed bump, it slowed down even more, and a violent jolt caused Xue Jing’s voice to enter her eardrum from behind, close to her neck. It wasn’t that he was oblivious, but he did ask her politely first, “Ha Yue, the scooter is a bit shaky, the seat is too small, can I hold onto your shoulders?”

“It’s okay if not.”

Ha Yue quietly scoffed, thinking to herself that he knew the seat was small, but since she had suggested it, she couldn’t really let him fall to his death, so she had to agree.

But just as Xue Jing’s right hand touched her shoulder, a large pothole appeared on the asphalt road. Ha Yue made a sharp turn, and Xue Jing, caught off guard, grabbed her clothes with his fingers, almost plucking the fuzz off her shoulder.

An elementary school student standing up to pedal his bicycle quickly overtook them, making faces and laughing loudly at the two fools as he passed.

Ha Yue immediately shouted at him, “Hey! What are you laughing at? Come over here if you dare.”

The throttle was almost twisted off, but she still couldn’t catch up to the quickly departing little punk. Turning back, Ha Yue yelled at the instigator, “Alright, alright, just hold onto my waist, why are you pulling my clothes? I just bought this this year! If you tear it, I’ll have to spend money to fix it. Annoying.”

“Oh. Alright.”

Xue Jing, who had been unjustly scolded, sat at the back, both crying and laughing. He took the scolding without retorting and reached out from behind to wrap his arms around her waist.

The loose jacket was squeezed into a thin layer by his arms, his fingers interlocked, like a corset.

Xue Jing was wearing a new perfume today, which smelled very clean, with lemon as the top note, mixed with some sweet jasmine and cedar. To match the youthful setting, he also wore new clothes, with his overall tone being milky white and sky blue.

Today, Mr. Beauty’s careful dressing up was useful.

Ha Yue had indeed been too long without such close contact with the opposite sex while sober. She even forgot that her waistline was covered with sensitive nerves, and her sense of smell also favored the fragrant aroma on Xue Jing. The broken heart in her chest started to beat uncontrollably from the moment he leaned over.

But the more her heart roared, the more irritated she felt all over. The itchiness ran rampant in her peripheral nerves, from her fingertips to the soles of her feet, and even her cheeks were burning, her hair smoking.

What a psycho! Who wears so much perfume for a medical check-up? Did he kill the perfume seller?

Why hold so tight? Didn’t he already teach her how to make up for it hand in hand that day? Being such a petty man, still not satisfied, does he want to crush her?

The more Ha Yue rode, the angrier she got, her hair standing up in the wind, like a fierce dragon in a cartoon, finally starting to breathe fire without restraint.

With his chest against her back, Xue Jing could hear all of Ha Yue’s mutterings. Her mouth was like a machine gun, chattering under her mask, mostly complaining about him being too tall, causing great wind resistance for her driving.

And how he had the nerve to actually ride with her, she was just being polite.

At the end of every point, she would add, “Xue Jing, you’re really annoying, you know that?”

Xue Jing lowered his eyelashes, his gaze filled with Ha Yue’s profile, magnified infinitely.

On the way to the meeting that day, under Xue Jing’s intentional paving the way, Jin Zi had told many heroic deeds of Ha Yue’s childhood.

In Jin Zi’s subjective description, Ha Yue had been extremely domineering since she was a child, and before the third grade of elementary school, she had been the terrifying child king in their area.

All the petty theft activities of the children in Sui City had Ha Yue’s involvement.

In spring, she used mineral water bottles to catch caterpillars during breaks, climbed trees to feed birds, scaring female classmates  to tears. In summer, she caught tadpoles in dirty ditches and raised dozens of toads that jumped all over the yard.

In autumn, she skipped school to take kids to burn dry grass and roast sweet potatoes in the wild, almost causing a fire. In winter, she took apart the firecrackers meant for the New Year and competed with boys to see who dared to hold them while lighting.

In Jin Zi’s words, Ha Yue’s childhood image was like Sun Wukong causing havoc in heaven.

Fearless and more savage than boys.

But later, the naughty monkey was suddenly pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, forced to wear the tight hoop, becoming very well-mannered and gentle and refined.

As for the reason, Jin Zi was vague, with an air of mystery.

Xue Jing speculated that Ha Yue had experienced a significant life change at that time, perhaps her parents’ divorce, the death of a relative, or perhaps her young spirit had suddenly suffered from external heavy pressure and harm.

As for the kind of pain Ha Yue had endured in the years he hadn’t been part of, Xue Jing didn’t dare to delve deeper. At the same time, he fervently hoped his analysis was wrong—that Ha Yue’s changes were simply a matter of “a girl blossoming at eighteen.”

If that were the case, he could feel a little less guilty about how harshly he had treated her that day.

At this moment, Ha Yue’s profile had never appeared so vivid. Her furrowed brows, stubborn nose, and the incessant complaints escaping from beneath her mask—all of it struck him anew.

Fortunately, the mischievous and rebellious child within Ha Yue was clearly still alive and well. Unintentionally, Xue Jing had cracked open a time capsule belonging to her.

She was like this because she was meant to be like this.

He didn’t understand her only because he hadn’t yet received all the pieces of the puzzle.

After a week of emotional sedimentation, the feelings brewing inside Xue Jing boiled over even more intensely. Once he stopped suppressing his emotions, he began to lose his rationality. Instinctively, even the sight of Ha Yue scolding him now seemed sharp and endearing.

If, during their school days, he had fallen in love with only a part of Ha Yue—a mere slough of her true self—then now, he was being given an opportunity to explore her entire life.

In this city where she had lived, he could once again gaze at the clouds she had seen and walk the paths she had tread.

It felt like the ultimate honor of a first-love reunion.

The electric scooter was parked by the roadside. With a gentle swing of his long legs, Xue Jing mounted the rear seat. He unfastened the pink helmet from his head and held it out to Ha Yue without releasing his grip.

When Ha Yue tugged at it and realized he wasn’t letting go, she looked up and glared at him fiercely without restraint. Only then did he shrug, apologize, and release the helmet. Xue Jing glanced at the watch on his right wrist and, in a very casual tone, asked her, “Want to hop on?”

“I still have about an hour and a half before my appointment.”

When Ha Yue didn’t respond, his tone softened further.

“Don’t worry about me. I wasn’t that tired last time. If I were, I’d say so. We’re familiar with each other.”

How could anyone utter such inappropriate words in broad daylight on a public street?

Even during their boyfriend-girlfriend phase, Xue Jing had never been so brazen or insatiable. He rarely made aggressive demands, always quietly waiting for her to initiate. He never offered her tea unless she asked, and no matter how far things went, if Ha Yue said no, he would stop immediately—a perfect gentleman.

At this moment, Ha Yue’s jaw dropped beneath her mask, her eyes darting wildly in all directions as she scrutinized him for a long while. Finally, she gave him a look of pity, as though her ex-boyfriend had been possessed by a lustful ghost.

Sure enough, men with money turn bad, and middle-aged men become ruffians. Her once pure “white moonlight” hadn’t even reached middle age, yet here he was, transformed into such a debauched hedonist—unrestrained and utterly disgraceful.

Thankfully, she had taken precautions. She didn’t want to contract a contagious disease in her thirties due to a reckless impulse.

A great writer really should take better care of his health. Creating literature already consumed so much of his energy; he shouldn’t let his body collapse from exhaustion or risk sudden death. Fortunately, her apology that day had been made without malice. Had she entered the hotel with ulterior motives and later snapped a few private photos of Xue Jing sleeping, his career would have been ruined.

These days, there were plenty of celebrities whose reputations had crumbled.

Out of goodwill, Ha Yue had initially intended to offer Xue Jing some moral advice regarding relationships.

One should not harbor ill intentions, but one must also remain cautious.

In the end, realizing that how he chose to live his life was none of her business, she closed her mouth, put on the helmet, and maintained her composure before delivering her response: “No, thanks. It wouldn’t be appropriate in broad daylight. This is a small place, with too many prying eyes. Please understand.”

“Alright.”

Xue Jing fully respected her decision, accepting her refusal with ease, as if the question he had posed was as simple as asking whether she wanted to share a piece of gum. Bathed in the bright sunlight, he nodded to her, his face calm and amiable, with a hint of joy in his eyes that she didn’t notice.

“See you around.”