[“…Even if it’s just to give our first love a complete ending.”]

The quarantine room was a standard hotel room with two single beds, a private bathroom, and close proximity to the road. Located in the suburbs near the airport, those under health observation would spend 14 days in isolation here.

On the first day, Zhou Leqi slept deeply, waking up at 3:00 AM Beijing time. The sky outside was still dark—similar to what she had seen in Rome—but for some reason, Beijing made her feel more grounded and calm.

She lay in bed for a while, then got up to grab a drink of water. As soon as she moved, there was a rustle from the neighboring bed—he had also gotten up, asking, “Do you want water?”

She didn’t respond but sat up herself. However, he had already fetched a bottle of mineral water for her and returned to her bedside moments later, unscrewing the cap and handing it to her.

In silence, she accepted it and drank.

“Are you going back to sleep?” he asked. “If not, I’ll change your medicine.”

She still didn’t speak but lay back down on her own.

In the darkness, it seemed he sighed—or perhaps not. After a moment, he asked, “…Shall I turn on the light?”

She didn’t object.

Click.

He flipped the switch of the bedside lamp. The dim wall light emitted a soft, yellow glow—gentle and comfortable, neither too bright nor harsh.

Only then did she notice that he already held the supplies needed to change her medication. It seemed he had grabbed them earlier when fetching her water—he was always so attentive and skilled at taking care of others.

He gently lifted the blanket covering her injured left foot. It had improved significantly, though it was still swollen. Healing from a sprain took time—it would be a while before it fully recovered.

Carefully, he placed her left foot on his lap, skillfully removing the splint and changing the dressing without causing her any pain. She watched the soft glow of the wall lamp cast over him and suddenly recalled a few playful exchanges they’d had in the past.

It was before the college entrance exam. He had privately given up the independent recruitment test for her sake, which infuriated her. She dragged him to the underground parking garage of their high school to confront him. He consoled her, then jokingly brought up choosing majors for the future. She said she wanted to study finance, and he replied that he could do the same—or failing that, he’d go into medicine.

Thinking about it now, life was truly strange. Despite all the turmoil that had caused an irreparable rift between them, the details eerily aligned with their original plans—they hadn’t stayed together as they once imagined, but she had indeed gone into finance and investment banking, while he had pursued medicine and earned a PhD.

She remembered him saying, “Being a doctor isn’t bad either—remember last time my dad fixed that thug’s dislocated joint at the police station? You were completely mesmerized. That’s when I thought becoming a doctor would be great. Whenever we argue, I’ll just fix someone’s dislocation, and we’ll make up in no time.”

Now, reflecting on these words, they felt like ominous prophecies—his father had passed away, and it seemed unlikely they would reconcile.

Despite… how much she longed to return to the way things were.

The tense atmosphere persisted for several days. During this time, Zhou Leqi continued to ignore Hou Zihao, and he, in turn, avoided provoking her, silently caring for her instead. In his heart, he hoped these torturous 14 days would pass quickly, yet paradoxically, he wished they could remain forever confined within this small room.

Zhou Leqi worked tirelessly every day, writing reports nonstop. Midway through, she received a call from Pei Qiming.

She didn’t avoid Hou Zihao, directly addressing the caller as “President Pei.” On the phone, she assured him of her well-being and arranged to have dinner after the quarantine ended. He tried to pretend he wasn’t listening, but of course, he heard everything—and his heart swelled with jealousy and bitterness.

“Yes, Cici is also working on it; we’re almost done,” she reported to Pei Qiming over the phone. “I can submit the final draft before the quarantine ends.”

“No, President Pei has worked harder,” she smiled faintly. “You decide—I don’t need rest. I can jump into the project right after the quarantine.”

The other party said something, and she laughed again. “It’s really fine. Just make sure the bonus is generous enough.”

…She sounded so close to him.

Just then, it was mealtime, and the staff delivered lunch to their door. Hou Zihao finally found an opportunity to assert his presence by retrieving the food and bringing it inside. When he placed it in front of her, she remained focused on her call, ignoring him entirely. Frustrated, he deliberately set the lunchbox down with a slight thud—”Bang!” Yet, she still paid him no mind, continuing her conversation with Pei Qiming.

…Damn.

He lingered by her side for a few seconds, assuming she intended to ignore him indefinitely. To his surprise, she suddenly looked up, meeting his gaze. Her expression was… peculiar.

It seemed surprised, suspicious, and perhaps… slightly pleased?

Hou Zihao furrowed his brow.

…What had she heard? Why was she looking at him like that?

Soon after, she lowered her head again and quickly responded to Pei Qiming. “Alright, let me review this project first. I’ll get back to you later.”

After hanging up, her attitude toward him underwent a subtle shift.

Previously, she had completely ignored him, but afterward, she began glancing at him occasionally, her gaze tinged with deep contemplation. Hou Zihao had no idea what she was thinking, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Fortunately, she soon became busy again, though she stopped typing reports and appeared to be searching for something online. This continued from noon until evening, during which her brows furrowed increasingly tightly, her expression growing more somber.

Later, she stopped looking at the computer altogether, sitting alone on the bed lost in thought, her eyes distant and vacant.

He didn’t mean to disturb her musings, but he worried she wouldn’t eat. During quarantine, they couldn’t order takeout, and if she skipped meals, no one would deliver fresh food late at night. If she didn’t eat, she’d starve. She was already too thin, and with her injury, she couldn’t endure hunger.

“Let’s eat first,” he urged her gently. “Eat a little, at least. Don’t harm your body.”

But she remained distracted, her gaze softening as she looked at him, as if seeing distant memories through his current self.

Her features softened slightly, no longer as cold as they had been in the past few days. After a brief silence, she suddenly spoke, asking him, “You still insist on breaking up with me, right?”

He didn’t expect her to bring this up so suddenly and was momentarily stunned. A familiar bitterness welled up in his heart as he heard himself respond, “…Yeah.”

She nodded, seemingly unsurprised but still a little hurt, the light in her eyes dimming slightly. After a pause, she continued, “I have a suggestion. Would you be willing to hear me out?”

“Go ahead,” he replied.

“We still have nine more days here together. It’s pointless to keep things so tense,” she calmly stated, her voice neither too loud nor too soft. “Maybe… would you be willing to spend these last nine days with me as if we were truly together?”

He didn’t understand—or perhaps he understood but wasn’t sure if he had interpreted her correctly: “…What?”

“I still like you a lot,” she said with a faint, bittersweet smile. “Seven years ago, we didn’t get a proper ending. Could you use these nine days to make it up to me?”

“Let’s be together properly, then part ways properly. No talk of the past or the future—just pretend nothing ever happened. When we leave here, that’ll be the end. How does that sound?”

“…Even if it’s just to give our first love a complete ending.”

Her words were profoundly moving, despite language classes always being her weak point in school.

“Like,” “first love,” and “complete” were all beautiful words, simple yet capable of painting an intoxicating picture. It could be a bus under the sunset, a flickering hallway, a sunlit desk, or the sincerity and naivety of a distant era—a time when they longed for connection without barriers.

“I…”

He actually had something to say, but he felt at a loss for words. So much had gone awry since seven years ago, and by now, he no longer had any choices left.

What could he say now? Whatever he said would be meaningless, only bringing her more trouble. It was better to stay silent.

She didn’t press him for unfinished words either. Instead, she reached out for another hug, and when he finally pulled her into his arms, she tilted her head up and kissed him.

…A kiss both tender and painful, its sweetness and bittersweetness fully understood only by those who had grown into adults.

More restrained than their youth.

Yet simultaneously more passionate.

A complex contradiction.

The next nine days passed like a dream.

They were both intelligent people; if they put in the effort, they could skillfully conceal their inner pain and appear natural while spending time together. Though the state of infatuation couldn’t be restored overnight, ordinary intimacy came easily. After all, they both yearned to be close to each other, and dreams, after all, are where wishes come true.

They spent entire days nestled together. She clung to him like she had no bones, leaning on him even while working on reports. His math skills were exceptional, and sometimes he’d help her check statistics or calculations, occasionally spotting one or two errors in the data. After work, they’d chat—mostly her asking questions, listening to him talk about his life studying abroad in the UK, how terrible the landlord’s cooking was, how much his Italian roommate could drink, how brutal medical students’ finals season was, and how chaotic his first attempt at cooking had been.

It was simple yet warm, as if they hadn’t spent seven whole years apart. She often found herself laughing at his stories.

They also kissed without restraint.

Only each other could evoke such intense longing in them. Their bodies couldn’t lie—each kiss burned with the fervor of the end of the world. Knowing that their separation was imminent made them even more reckless, as if they wanted to leave traces on each other, to remind themselves of who they once belonged to and how deeply they had loved one another.

Except at night.

No matter how intimate they became during the day, he steadfastly held to that final line, refusing to take her body. The man who had once been so eager to claim everything from her suddenly turned into a moralist, more disciplined than the most devout believer, resisting even when his body was taut with desire.

She found it both heartrending and amusing, her beautiful black hair splayed across the bed, lying in his arms as she teased him, “Is this some British custom? So conservative?”

He didn’t even have the energy to respond to her banter, focusing solely on trying to avoid her breathtakingly beautiful eyes and the expanse of smooth, fair skin that made his heart ache.