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Jian Xi reflexively pushed He Ran.
“Oh no, damn it,” he winced in pain, his face contorted. “Are you angry because of embarrassment?”
“If you keep talking nonsense, you can sleep on the street,” Jian Xi turned to the kitchen and ignored him.
She filled a glass halfway with water and drank it all at once but still felt unsatisfied, so she poured another half glass.
Holding her cup, Jian Xi glanced out; the bathroom door was closed, and she inexplicably felt relieved.
What was wrong with her? Was she inviting trouble by letting him in?
Jian Xi chuckled self-deprecatingly, shook her head, picked up two vitamins from the counter, and swallowed them with water.
He Ran finished showering quickly, coming out after about ten minutes with wet hair. Still wearing his old clothes, he said rather impolitely, “Dr. Jian, help me apply some medicine.”
Jian Xi stood by the window, replying to Tao Xing’s WeChat message. She glanced sideways, her eyebrows furrowed in exasperation.
He Ran: “I can’t reach my back.”
Jian Xi snorted, “Even at 188 cm tall, your arms are still too short.” Despite her sarcasm, she walked over to him. “Where’s the medicine?”
One tube to reduce swelling, one to dissolve bruises, and a pack of anti-inflammatory medicine.
He Ran struggled to take off his shirt, leaving water stains on his skin. His muscles were taut, and his spine curved slightly into his waist.
He Ran had a tattoo on his inner waist, an unusual spot for one.
Jian Xi glanced askance, “You’re quite trendy, isn’t that a girl’s name?”
He Ran laughed, lowering his shoulder to make it easier for her to apply the medicine. “No, I wouldn’t do something so foolish. I had an injury on my waist, and the scar was ugly, so I got a tattoo to cover it up since I’m not married yet.”
Jian Xi looked closely again and spotted a long, dark red scar. She asked, “Is that a knife wound?”
“A meter-long machete cut,” He Ran said calmly. “It nearly cost me a kidney.”
Jian Xi paused momentarily as she applied the last tube of medicine before asking, “Why did those people frame you and get you sent to the police station?”
“We had some past issues.”
“You’ve done work for them.” Jian Xi spoke calmly. “And it’s not just a simple grudge; there’s significant animosity.”
He Ran chuckled softly. “Dr. Jian, are you part of the underworld? Ouch, gently, it hurts.”
Jian Xi eased her grip, stood up, took a few steps, then stopped.
“I have a question I’ve always wanted to ask you.”
He Ran sat on the sofa, putting on his clothes. “Go ahead.”
“That time at Ziti, why did you help me?” Jian Xi turned around to face him.
“Want the truth?” He Ran leaned back on the sofa, his voice lazy. “Because you’re beautiful.”
Jian Xi: “...”
He Ran sat up slightly. The soft living room lights softened his features. “At that moment, you were holding a beer bottle angrily. I was sure you wouldn’t dare smash it on that jerk’s head. You deserved to be bullied to death by him.”
Jian Xi clenched her hands together and didn’t say anything.
“That little pretty boy, surnamed Lu? Hmph, slick and oily, even if he went into prostitution, he couldn’t handle much.” He Ran was extremely disdainful. “After a few drinks, he thinks he’s king.”
“Don’t talk about him like that,” Jian Xi’s eyes shifted slightly, still defending Lu Pingnan despite her inner resistance. “He is a very talented person.”
He Ran sneered. “Playing the piano and basketball makes him talented? But he bullied you and took advantage of your feelings, which is infuriating.”
Jian Xi suddenly raised her eyes. “Then why do you like me?”
He Ran’s gaze didn’t waver, letting her look her fill, speaking calmly, “When you saved his wife at Old Zhao’s place, I fell for you. At that moment, I thought this woman deserves my care.”
Jian Xi was slightly stunned.
He Ran held back a laugh and teased, “Blushing? Tsk, don’t hide it, it’s already red down to your neck.”
Jian Xi gathered herself and solemnly said, “I can’t give you anything.”
“But I still want you, what should I do?”
“Then I can’t give you anything either.” Jian Xi pursed her lips. “Don’t waste your time on me.”
He Ran still smiled. “Whether it’s wasted or not is up to me to decide.”
The calmer and more composed he was, the more flustered Jian Xi became. “I’m a doctor, I only treat illnesses.”
“No,” He Ran gazed at her. “You can save my life.”
This half-serious, half-joking tone made him burst into laughter himself.
Jian Xi’s expression of exasperation reached its peak. Helplessly shrugging, she turned around with a bitter face, silently chanting twice, “I’m dead, I’m dead,” having encountered a world-class nuisance.
Suddenly, He Ran said, “Jian Xi, how will you know unless you try?”
“What should I know?”
“How it feels to be cherished by me.”
He Ran’s features were sharp, and he smiled slightly. His eyes, lit by the overhead light at an angle, radiated a gentleness starkly contrasting his usual image.
Though not spoken seriously, his words lightly tickled Jian Xi’s heart.
She returned to her bedroom and closed the door.
A single door separated the two, but the subtle emotions continued to well up in her chest uncontrollably. While lost in thought, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw a WeChat friend request.
Two words: [He Ran]
Immediately following, a voice came from the living room—
“Such compassion, Dr. Jian.”
Jian Xi couldn’t help but laugh. All the tension and anxiety from the night dissolved into a soothing warmth.
In the living room, He Ran held his phone. Within seconds, the other side accepted the request.
He raised an eyebrow and finally relaxed, lying back on the sofa and opening Jian Xi’s WeChat.
Jian Xi’s Moments were simple, with basically just one post per month. The most recent one was on February 8th:
“Someone said the chickens I slaughtered looked beautifully dead, making me so hungry I couldn’t resist eating a whole pot of rice.”
He Ran chuckled. This was from when he first texted her; it seemed she remembered it vividly too.
Returning to the chat page, He Ran sent: “I thought you’d share those health tips.”
Jian Xi quickly replied: “Middle-aged hobbies, I’m still quite young.”
He Ran’s lips curved upwards, continuing: “Don’t all women love taking selfies? I scoured your Moments and didn’t see a single one.”
Jian Xi: “They’re all acquaintances; seeing each other every day is tiresome enough. Spare others’ eyes.”
He Ran stared at the screen, his fingers hovering mid-air, hesitating. Finally, he typed: “Please don’t spare mine.”
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, one minute.
The other end remained silent.
Just as He Ran was about to send another message, his phone vibrated. Jian Xi sent a picture of a pig kneeling and kowtowing.
He Ran burst out laughing: “Your self-portrait is beautiful; I’ll set it as my wallpaper.”
This time, Jian Xi really didn’t reply.
He Ran lowered his gaze, extinguishing the screen. He casually pulled a corner of the blanket over his stomach. The dim living room light bathed him in a fuzzy, warm yellow glow, as if it could weave itself into his dreams.
Inside the bedroom, Jian Xi read a few pages of a book. At exactly eleven o’clock, she prepared to sleep. Before bed, she refreshed her Moments. Her finger paused as she scrolled down.
Thirty minutes ago, He Ran had posted the picture of the kneeling pig with a description of a single emoji:
A bright red, beating heart.
________________________________________
The next morning, Jian Xi was startled by the full breakfast table as she emerged from her bedroom.
He Ran stood by the table setting out bowls and chopsticks. “You don’t have to work today?”
Jian Xi rubbed her neck and said, “No, I’m resting. Did you make all this?”
“The noodles, yes. The milk and buns were bought downstairs.” He Ran handed her a pair of chopsticks. “Try them.”
Jian Xi thought of something and asked, “Didn’t you say you had no money yesterday?”
“Not enough for a hotel, but buying a couple of buns was manageable.” He Ran moved closer. After a night’s rest, his spirit had recovered. “Don’t be too moved.”
Jian Xi was both amused and exasperated. “I’m so moved I might cry.”
She took the chopsticks and sat down at the table. The noodles were simple, with minced meat and a few slices of greens. They smelled delicious. She took a bite; the taste was neither remarkable nor bad.
He Ran clicked his tongue. “I waited for so long, and you haven’t praised me once.”
“Do you like being praised that much?”
“I like being praised by you.” He Ran spoke with a calm face, opened her milk, and pushed it towards her. “Drink up. What are your plans today?”
Jian Xi slowly sucked on the straw. “Go home.”
“Where do you live?”
Jian Xi glanced at him. “I won’t tell you.”
He Ran chuckled. “Guarding against me, huh?”
“Yes, guarding against wolves.” Jian Xi wasn’t polite.
“If you have the ability, guard me well. Once you give me an opportunity, I won’t leave even if you try to drive me away.” He Ran spoke lightly, ambiguously.
Jian Xi choked on the milk and couldn’t help but spit it out.
“Cough, cough, sorry.”
White milk splattered all over He Ran’s face. He exclaimed, “Dr. Jian, trying to start something?”
Still coughing, Jian Xi laughed. “Who told you to talk nonsense.” She grabbed a few tissues and offered them to He Ran. “Wipe it off.”
He Ran didn’t take them, instead wiping his face directly with his hand, then went to wash his hands in the kitchen.
Jian Xi smiled, calling out to his back, “There’s disinfectant under the cabinet.”
After finishing breakfast, Jian Xi tidied up. Today was Tao Xihong’s birthday, so she gathered the clothes she had eyed during previous shopping trips and asked He Ran, “Are you going home? I’ll pass by Yati Road and can give you a ride.”
He Ran stood at the door, hands slanted in his pockets. “Your house is in the suburbs?” Passing through their area meant heading out of town.
Jian Xi nodded. “Our old house is over there.” Actually, it wasn’t too far from Yati Road.
The two took the elevator downstairs. Just as they stepped out into the hallway, a voice called out—
“Jian Xi.”
By the roadside, Lu Pingnan got out of his car, his smile freezing upon seeing He Ran.
Jian Xi was surprised to see him and stood rooted to the spot without moving.
Lu Pingnan looked dejected, making assumptions on his own, pointing at He Ran and saying, “He’s harassing you again?”
He Ran remained calm, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Jian Xi opened her mouth but suddenly didn’t feel like explaining anything, choosing silence instead.
Lu Pingnan pushed his hands back, spreading his coat over his waist, muttering sarcastically, “Look at yourself, sticking like dog skin plaster.” He quickly changed his expression, smiling brightly at Jian Xi. “I remember it’s Auntie’s birthday today. I bought her a gift.”
Lu Pingnan was impeccably dressed today, wearing a white wool coat and driving a luxury car, looking every bit like a knight in shining armor.
Jian Xi stood unmoving. He Ran observed her hesitation clearly.
“Hey.” He Ran nudged her with his shoulder. “What are you spacing out for?”
Jian Xi gave him a glance, her eyes hiding unspoken thoughts.
“Aren’t you fond of this guy? He’s here offering his services, and you’re dilly-dallying.” He Ran smirked. “Go on, don’t chicken out.”
Jian Xi paused briefly, perhaps spurred by his words, instinctively walking towards Lu Pingnan. After a few steps, she turned back and asked, “How will you get back?”
He Ran waved her off. “Mind your own business.”
Jian Xi’s retreating figure resembled a joyful butterfly, while Lu Pingnan’s smug grin was obnoxiously triumphant.
He Ran touched his empty pocket, feeling as though a large chunk of his heart was missing too.
Coming back to reality from his feigned calm and nonchalance, overwhelming desolation replaced it.
He Ran ground his shoe tip fiercely into the ground. When he looked up, he froze.
Across the road stood a furious Lu Pingnan, and walking towards him was none other than Jian Xi. Her expression was calm, but compared to earlier, it carried a hint of a smile.
“Why are you back? Not taking the pretty boy to meet your parents?” He Ran suppressed his inner joy and sneered, “Coward.”
Jian Xi walked up to him. “I’m a coward, mind your own business.” Then she took out her car keys and walked briskly. “Get in the car.”
He Ran was dumbfounded for a while before he couldn’t suppress his inner ecstasy and followed her, thinking, who said you’re untouchable? From now on, you’re mine to manage.
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