#63: Let’s Go Home.

The rain and low temperature made it chilly.

Cheng Wanyue wasn’t soaked, but Qing Hang’s pants were drenched below the knees, dripping water as he changed shoes at the door.

She ran to get a towel, telling him to dry himself first.

Qing Hang took off his glasses and placed them on the shoe cabinet. He then draped the towel over Cheng Wanyue’s head and, when she couldn’t see the way, carried her into the bathroom for a shower.

Cheng Wanyue thought he was going to make love to her, but he simply bathed her, attending to every single finger, as if trying to wash something away.

She only smelled of cream.

She wasn’t actually particularly fond of sweets. When she occasionally craved them, she only ate a few specific kinds. After spending several hours in the dessert shop, constantly smelling the sickly sweet scent, she had no appetite for a late-night snack. She only felt refreshed after getting clean.

Qing Hang brewed ginger tea, adding brown sugar to her cup.

Cheng Wanyue held the cup and drank it in a few gulps. “Chi Yue is in a bad mood because of his parents. He didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just a meal. We can treat him when he’s in a better mood.”

Qing Hang lowered his head, helping her apply body lotion. The light cast shadows on his face. “Are you explaining for him?”

“Explaining what?” She hadn’t taken it to heart at all, her mind on other things. “You’re not working overtime tomorrow, are you?”

“Can’t say for sure. There’s a patient in critical condition.”

“I’m off tomorrow. I’ll wait for you to come back for dinner, no matter how late,” Cheng Wanyue pulled the man’s hand out of her pajamas. “You don’t need to apply lotion here.”

The pink lotion in Qing Hang’s hand had a faint cherry blossom scent. “It’s already squeezed out; it’d be wasteful not to use it.”

“Put it on your leg.”

“I don’t use this.”

“...Then hurry up, you’re making me too ticklish.”

“Mm,” he unbuttoned her pajamas and applied the body lotion to her skin, slowly massaging it to help it absorb.

His rough thumb occasionally brushed against her nipples, sending a tingling sensation like electricity along her nerves directly to her brain.

He was very serious about everything he did. Although there was no desire in his eyes, he somehow didn’t seem entirely proper. Cheng Wanyue, who rarely blushed, felt her ears getting warm now.

She turned her head. Coal, the cat, was sitting in his usual reading chair, licking his paws.

He raised his hand and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

A hand reached around from behind her to her chest, fumbling to button up her pajamas. Gentle kisses were pressed onto her neck, very hypnotic. If his buttoning motion had been slightly faster, she might have already fallen asleep.

His warm breath fell near her ear. “You smell so good.”

She groggily turned over and snuggled into his embrace. Her forehead bumped against his chin, and she hummed twice before falling asleep.

Qing Hang didn’t dare to sleep too deeply, not wanting to wake her. He set his phone to vibrate, and as soon as he heard it, he immediately fumbled for it, gently removing her arm from around his waist, throwing back the covers, getting out of bed, and leaving the room.

After finishing the call, he checked the time. It was only 4 AM.

He left a note on the coffee table and hurried out the door.

Cheng Wanyue woke up in the morning to find that Qing Hang had gone to the hospital before dawn. She quickly ate her breakfast and watched Coal drink water before heading out.

The cake she made today was the prettiest one she had made in days. She was very satisfied with it. In the taxi, she started buying groceries online, wanting to buy everything she saw, but knowing she couldn’t cook, she eventually gave up and opted for takeout.

The food had been reheated in the microwave three times, but Qing Hang still hadn’t returned. He wasn’t answering calls or WeChat messages.

No matter how busy he was, he couldn’t possibly be too busy to check his phone all day.

The rain had stopped. Cheng Wanyue put on her coat and went out. Upon arriving at the hospital, she first called Qing Hang. He didn’t answer, so she went to his office.

Cheng Wanyue stood at the door of the doctor’s office and knocked. “Hello, is Qing Hang here?”

There was only one duty doctor in the office. He had seen Cheng Wanyue’s photo on Qing Hang’s phone and had also met her in real life. She didn’t come to the hospital often, but she had an unforgettable face.

“Qing Hang should be downstairs; his phone has been vibrating. Can you take it down to him?”

“Thank you,” Cheng Wanyue murmured, looking at the white coat draped over the chair back. “Why didn’t he even bring his phone...?”

The doctor said, “He’s in a very bad mood today.”

“What happened?”

“His patient passed away, a sixty-nine-year-old rag picker. After falling ill, he was brought to our hospital by a kind passerby. He passed away around 3 PM. He had no children, no family. It’s quite sad.”

A rag picker...

Cheng Wanyue remembered that patient. Qing Hang had mentioned him for the first time, saying he reminded him of his grandfather, not in looks, but in the feeling he gave him.

The elevator was slow, stopping on almost every floor.

After getting downstairs, Cheng Wanyue walked towards the small garden. There weren’t many people in the garden at night, and all the streetlights were on. She didn’t know what clothes Qing Hang was wearing when he left, but she recognized his back.

He wasn’t sitting under a streetlight but on the long bench in the furthest corner.

She first noticed the faint glow of fire between his fingers; he was smoking.

One day, he was upset and smoked a cigarette afterward. She hated the smell of smoke and forbade him from smoking at home, so he threw away all his cigarettes. That day, she asked him when he learned to smoke. At first, he was silent. When she pretended to be angry, he told her he started after his grandfather passed away.

When he had family alive, someone would manage him.

After his last relative passed away, he was all alone, with no one to manage or care for him.

Cheng Wanyue looked at Qing Hang’s defeated and lonely back, his head bowed, feeling a pang in her heart. She walked out of the hospital and went to a toy store.

Qing Hang only came to his senses after pulling the fourth cigarette from the pack. He suddenly remembered someone was waiting for him to come home for dinner. He sniffed his collar; if the smoke smell was too strong, a simple wash wouldn’t get rid of it.

As he was about to get up, he saw someone in a bulky mascot costume walking towards him.

The person walked with a fierce stride, taking large steps and holding their hands on their hips. They walked directly in front of him, pulled out a box of sparklers from behind their back, and handed it to him, gesturing wildly.

Qing Hang understood: she wanted him to light the sparklers.

He found the lighter on the chair and lit one. She waved her hand, indicating it wasn’t enough, so he lit another, still not enough, and the first one had already gone out.

He continued this way, lighting the entire box, one by one.

The last flicker of light disappeared into the darkness. She was also tired from all the commotion. Qing Hang took off the swaying mascot head, and her sweat-drenched hair was plastered to her face.

There wasn’t a hint of surprise in his eyes, but a strong emotion was present. Cheng Wanyue guessed he already knew the person in the mascot costume was her.

She sighed in distress, “I’m dressed like this, how did you still recognize me?”

Qing Hang pulled her out of the mascot costume and into his embrace, his voice a little hoarse. “Cheng Wanyue, even if you turn to ash, I’d still recognize you.”

Cheng Wanyue leaned on his shoulder and chuckled softly, “That sounds a bit strange...”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and patted his back twice. “Qing Hang, it’s okay now. It’s dark; let’s go home.”