FY - 38

After leaving Yaogu, Si Wen returned home.

Before entering his apartment, he fantasized about pushing open the door and seeing Zhou Yan in the living area watching TV, wearing a thin-strapped top, her pink chest faintly visible. Seeing him enter, she would put her legs down from the sofa and walk towards him.

She would take off his jacket, loosen his tie, then his shirt. Halfway through, he would grab her hand and pull her into his embrace.

He would inhale the scent of her hair and ask her: “What are you thinking about?”

She would smile playfully: “You.”

...

Si Wen’s expression softened considerably as he pushed open the door.

No lights were on, no Zhou Yan.

The softness in him vanished.

He took off his jacket, pulled out his phone, and stared at Zhou Yan’s number for two minutes, but still didn’t call.

She should be asleep.

Thinking of this, he suddenly realized, when did he start caring whether Zhou Yan was asleep or not? When had he ever not just called directly, regardless of what she was doing, demanding that she immediately appear before him, then thrusting into her body, ejaculating on her face?

The more he thought about it, the more his breathing became ragged.

He grabbed his jacket and walked out.

At the elevator, he felt something was wrong again.

He had just seen her at noon; it hadn’t been many hours since then.

He turned around and walked back.

________________________________________

Zhou Yan wasn’t asleep either. Zhou Siyuan’s high fever hadn’t broken, and his condition was very unstable, so she had brought him to the hospital for admission.

Zhou Siyuan was asleep, hooked up to an IV drip.

Zhou Yan sat by the bed, wiping his face.

Although she knew Zhou Siyuan’s immune system was very weak due to the drugs, and she was prepared for it, seeing him get fevers and viral colds every other day still made her heart ache.

After wiping his face, she rinsed the towel clean and put it aside.

Zhou Yan then took out her phone. The screen was blank; there were no messages.

She locked the screen and put it back in her jacket pocket.

________________________________________

At 6:30 AM, day broke.

Zhou Yan woke up and went to the hospital cafeteria to see what was available for breakfast. It was mostly millet porridge and plain side dishes, so she returned to the ward, thinking of asking Zhou Siyuan what he wanted to eat, and she would go home and make it for him.

Back in the ward, Zhou Siyuan happened to be awake, lying obediently.

Zhou Yan went over and touched his forehead. It wasn’t hot anymore, and her heart settled.

Zhou Siyuan looked at Zhou Yan with his big eyes.

Zhou Yan smiled: “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Siyuan thought of the man he had seen yesterday: “Sister, will you marry him?”

Zhou Yan was adjusting his bed, wanting him to sit up comfortably. She stopped at his words, turned around, and said: “No.”

Zhou Siyuan didn’t quite understand this boyfriend-girlfriend thing: “Don’t boyfriends and girlfriends all get married? Guo Xiaolei likes our class monitor, and he said he’ll be her boyfriend someday, and then they’ll get married and have children.”

Zhou Yan quickly cranked up the head of the bed, sat on the stool in front of the bed, and said: “Two people who love each other and are willing to be together become boyfriend and girlfriend to get to know each other better. Only after they understand each other and still want to be together will they get married and have children.”

Zhou Siyuan asked her again: “After you get to know him, you don’t want to marry him?”

Zhou Yan didn’t answer. She and Si Wen would not get married. There was no love between them, only a dependence on each other. They might continue to be entangled like this, but there would be no ceremonial things.

Of course, this entanglement would only last as long as they were both alive.

Zhou Siyuan said: “I don’t want you to get married, and I don’t want you to have children. But then I’d be a bad kid, like the bad kids I’ve seen in movies, only thinking about myself. So if Sister wants to get married, I’ll agree, though I won’t be very happy.”

Zhou Yan came back to her senses and poured Zhou Siyuan a glass of water: “What do you want to eat? Egg pancakes? Sandwiches? Or meat buns? Sister will make them for you.”

She was avoiding the topic. Zhou Siyuan also stopped talking: “I want small wontons.”

Zhou Yan nodded: “Okay, I’ll go buy them for you.”

Before she could leave the ward, Guo Xiaolei skipped in: “Zhou Siyuan! I’ve come to see you!”

Zhou Siyuan, who had been leaning against the bed, immediately sat up when he saw Guo Xiaolei: “How did you get here? Don’t you have classes today?”

Guo Xiaolei went up to Zhou Siyuan, sat on a stool, and said: “Classes, yes, so I woke up early, came to see you, and then I’ll go to school.”

Zhou Siyuan gave him a foolish grin: “Then you can’t stay long, you’ll be late soon.”

Guo Xiaolei nodded and took out a bag of milk candy from his backpack: “Here, for you.”

Zhou Siyuan took it and gave him the Dragon’s Beard Candy that Zhou Yan had bought for him from under his pillow: “This is really delicious.”

Guo Xiaolei took it, also smiling foolishly: “Then I’ll go now.”

Zhou Siyuan nodded: “Mhm.”

“Get well soon. I’ll wait for you at school,” Guo Xiaolei said as he walked out.

He stopped as he passed Zhou Yan and greeted her: “Good morning, Sister.”

Zhou Yan smiled. She was about to go out to buy wontons, so she walked with him.

At the door, Zhou Yan told Guo Xiaolei to go first. Guo Xiaolei didn’t understand: “Why?”

Zhou Yan saw his earnestness, squatted down, and patted the back of his head: “Who brought Xiaolei here?”

Guo Xiaolei said: “My mom.”

“And does your mom know you came to see Zhou Siyuan?”

Guo Xiaolei pursed his lips and whispered: “No, we were eating beef pancakes nearby, and I secretly ran off after I finished eating.”

Zhou Yan guessed that was the case. That woman had listened to her words, at most not telling Guo Xiaolei what a prostitute was, but she definitely wouldn’t allow Guo Xiaolei to play with Zhou Siyuan again. Guo Xiaolei’s visit was naturally a sneak-out.

She smiled: “Mom and Sister have different personalities, they can’t be good friends, so she’ll be unhappy when she sees Sister, and Sister will be too.”

Guo Xiaolei nodded, half-understanding, and then left the hospital first.

Zhou Yan waited for about ten minutes before coming out, but she still bumped into that woman. It was unavoidable, because the woman was waiting for her.

Guo Xiaolei shivered behind the woman, his small mouth pouting, his eyes misty.

Zhou Yan just glanced, then looked away and back at the woman: “I never thought of harming this child. You don’t need to look at him like a thief, or at me like a thief. It’s quite painful for the three of us.”

The woman, having been unprepared last time and intimidated by Zhou Yan’s aura, had privately analyzed the reason for her lack of presence compared to Zhou Yan and could now calmly face her sudden attacks: “Stay away from my son. If I see Zhou Siyuan bothering my son one more time, I’ll let the whole school know what kind of trash he was raised by.”

Zhou Yan lightly bit her back teeth, her masseter muscles subtly protruding in her cheeks: “If you dare, I dare to kill you too.”

The woman thought Zhou Yan was all bluster. In this world, who wasn’t afraid of death? Even those involved in gangs only talked big about not fearing death, let alone a woman like Zhou Yan, who had Zhou Siyuan as her weakness.

If Zhou Yan dared to kill anyone, she herself would die, so she definitely wouldn’t dare.

“Do you think you’re some hotshot? Is everyone afraid of your harsh words?” The woman scornfully glanced at Zhou Yan, strutting past her, and simultaneously dragged Guo Xiaolei to the front of the car.

Her demeanor was as if to say: I won a round, I’m so awesome.

Zhou Yan didn’t understand the meaning of her behavior. Was it just because she was humiliated by Zhou Yan last time, so she had to get back at her whenever she had a chance?

Sick.

Guo Xiaolei had just gotten into the car when the woman forcefully slammed the door shut on him. His backpack strap got caught, so he opened the door again to retrieve it. However, at that moment, the woman started the car and floored the accelerator, throwing Guo Xiaolei out.

The backpack strap was still caught in the car door, and Guo Xiaolei was dragged along.

When Zhou Yan saw it, Guo Xiaolei had already been dragged for several meters, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

She ran over, shouting as she ran: “Stop the car! Stop the car! Guo Xiaolei isn’t in the car! Guo Xiaolei! Stop the car!”

The woman was immersed in the satisfaction of having outmaneuvered Zhou Yan and was seemingly deaf, hearing neither Zhou Yan’s cries from behind the car nor Guo Xiaolei’s near-choking sobs.

However, a kind-hearted person drove over, slammed on the brakes with their front wheels, and effectively blocked the woman’s path by positioning their car horizontally.

The woman couldn’t brake in time and crashed into it.

Her head hit the steering wheel, scraping her skin, and she was furious. She got out of the car and cursed: “Are you blind?!”

Zhou Yan finally caught up, picked up Guo Xiaolei, and ran towards the hospital.

The kind person, ignoring the woman’s cursing, ran up to Zhou Yan, took the child, and said: “I can run faster!”

Only then did the woman see her son covered in blood,奄奄一息 (gasping for his last breath).

Her legs immediately went weak. She leaned against the car door, her face and neck as white as if powdered.

After they entered the hospital, she came to her senses and followed them.

Someone called the police and described the scene as tragic. The agency thought it was a criminal case and dispatched a team, also notifying the criminal investigation unit.

Upon arrival, they saw that it was no criminal case, just a careless mother who had almost killed her son.

The agency left two people to understand the situation, and the criminal investigation team, except for Wei Lian, withdrew.

When Zheng Zhi left, he called Wei Lian, but he couldn’t move his feet. Zheng Zhi thought he had an urgent matter and didn’t ask, just left.

Zhou Yan ran back and forth between the emergency room and Zhou Siyuan’s ward, wanting to know Guo Xiaolei’s condition while also ensuring Zhou Siyuan didn’t find out. Zhou Siyuan was still sick, and this news would be too detrimental to his recovery.

Wei Lian had been following her all along, like a man possessed, watching her anxious back. He just wanted to see her. He couldn’t help himself.

Even if she didn’t want him, he still wanted to be able to see her.

Humiliation had become an addiction, hard to break.

Guo Xiaolei’s bones were soft; he didn’t suffer any fractures, but his head wasn’t spared, sustaining a slight concussion. He had multiple abrasions and cuts from roadside wires and pebbles, requiring stitches, a tetanus shot, and at least a week of observation in the hospital.

When Zhou Yan heard this news, she felt relieved and could now prepare food for Zhou Siyuan, though breakfast had turned into dinner. Zhou Siyuan had eaten hospital cafeteria food for breakfast and lunch.

Wei Lian kept following Zhou Yan, as if under a spell.

Zhou Yan initially didn’t notice, but later, when she returned to the ward and saw him, she pretended not to, walking straight into the room.

________________________________________

Watching Zhou Siyuan eat, Zhou Yan had time to check her phone. No messages.

It was normal; some people were always unpredictable.

Just as she put her phone back, it rang. She picked it up and saw it was Si Wen.

Zhou Yan instinctively stood up and walked out.

Stepping out of the ward, Zhou Yan answered: “Hello.”

Si Wen felt comfortable just hearing that one word: “Come over.”

Zhou Yan gently inhaled, then gently exhaled: “Siyuan is in the hospital.”

Si Wen paused for a moment: “Mhm.”

The call ended. Zhou Yan leaned against the wall, all the day’s tension and exhaustion completely gone.

This feeling was truly strange; she had never experienced it before. Was it because she was too tired today? Or because Si Wen’s voice was different today?

It didn’t seem to have changed.

It was still that unforced deep tone.

Wei Lian sat on the long bench, observing every expression on Zhou Yan’s face as she took the call. Her unrestrained eagerness was evident in her brows and eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. She just explained what she was doing.

When the call ended, she leaned against the wall, gently closing her eyes, as if she had finally heard some good news after a day of chaos.

Wei Lian was very jealous.

He stood up and walked over.

Zhou Yan heard the movement, straightened her back away from the wall, and looked at him.

Wei Lian asked her: “What happened this morning?”

Zhou Yan retorted: “How many cases does a police officer handle in a day, and how many scenes do they visit?”

Wei Lian didn’t understand: “What do you mean?”

“Quite a few, as far as I know. Where there are people, there are always conflicts, always accidents. So, you’ve been waiting at the ward door all day, not holding things up?” Zhou Yan finished speaking and returned to the ward. Although she asked a question, she didn’t expect Wei Lian to answer.

After Zhou Siyuan finished eating, Zhou Yan peeled an apple for him. After eating, he dutifully brushed his teeth, lay down on the hospital bed, and wished Zhou Yan goodnight.

While he slept, Zhou Yan went to lock the door. As her hand reached the doorknob, the door was pushed open from the outside, and she stumbled backward.

The door opened, and her heart skipped a few beats.

Si Wen.

Zhou Yan looked at him, her eyes like water: “Why are you here?”

Si Wen entered, closed the door, walked a few steps inside, saw Zhou Siyuan asleep, then turned back, pulled Zhou Yan’s hand behind his waist, hugged her, and tilted his head to kiss her hair: “I felt like coming.”

Zhou Yan still wanted to ask, why did he feel like coming?

She wondered if Si Wen would say, I missed you.

Si Wen had seen Wei Lian. He didn’t want to ask Zhou Yan why Wei Lian was there, but he wanted to tell Zhou Yan: “If you tell me that Wei Lian likes you, I’ll go out and chop him up right now.”

Zhou Yan pulled away from him, frowning: “Are you a butcher?”

Si Wen didn’t reply, saying: “I don’t want him to have any relation to me.”

“How could he possibly have any relation to you?” Zhou Yan thought he had uttered a grammatically incorrect sentence.

Si Wen pinched her face: “If he has a relation to you, then he has a relation to me.”

Zhou Yan’s face hurt. She took his hand off: “I understand.”

Si Wen repeated: “Don’t let me see him near you again.”

How could Zhou Yan control that? She told him: “What am I supposed to do if he insists on following me?”

Si Wen was shameless: “That’s for you to consider.”

“...”

Si Wen wasn’t joking with her: “One more time, and he won’t have it easy, and neither will you.”

Zhou Yan had never met anyone so unreasonable. What did this have to do with her? Why should she not have it easy? She pushed him away: “I’m going to sleep!”

Si Wen pulled her back: “Sleep with me.”

Zhou Yan couldn’t sleep with him: “I need to stay in the hospital to watch over Siyuan.”

“I helped the patient next door transfer to a private hospital. That ward is mine now. We can sleep next door.”

“...”