#65: Nanjing, Beijing.

In mid-November, Qing Hang received an email from abroad inviting him to give an academic presentation.

Although Cheng Wanyue couldn’t understand the email content, she still leaned over his computer desk and studied it for a while.

Attending an international academic conference would not only enhance his life experience but also give him the opportunity to interact face-to-face with very skilled doctors.

The conference was scheduled for early next year. Cheng Wanyue supported Qing Hang’s attendance; he would only get better and better.

Qing Hang sat behind her, slowly explaining the meaning of each word, but it went in one ear and out the other for her. She just kept praising him for how amazing he was.

Coal also squatted beside the mouse, his round eyes staring unblinkingly at the computer screen.

This afternoon, Cheng Wanyue had taken him out. He had just been bathed, and his fur was white and clean. If she touched him, he would gently lift a paw.

Initially, he would scratch people, but now, no matter how she played with him, he wouldn’t hurt her.

Qing Hang remembered that Yan Ci’s family used to have a ginger cat. She had been bitten once and even had to get rabies shots. She didn’t blame the cat, blaming Yan Ci entirely. It was also because of this incident that she forgot about the unresponded love letter.

Eight years ago, their last conversation was in the alley near the school. The boy wearing jersey number 6 had some resemblance to Yan Ci back then.

She had often done unconventional things since childhood. Cheng Guoan, when drunk, could talk for several hours. Qing Hang learned a lot about her past, which he hadn’t been a part of, through Cheng Guoan’s memories.

Among all the people and things she liked, he was the most ordinary.

When she said he would definitely become more and more amazing, the light in her eyes was even more dazzling than the crescent moon outside the window.

Qing Hang wondered if she would also like him more and more.

“Let’s go to the mall and buy a few suits, shall we?” Cheng Wanyue suddenly stood up, pulling him out the door. “We need to buy shoes and ties too.”

Qing Hang only had time to grab the keys from the table. “We have over three months.”

“Prepare in advance, and you won’t be rushed then. Plus, some things need to be custom-made and take time. It’s rare that you’re not working overtime and finished work on time today. You’re either at the hospital or at home every day; you’re almost growing mold. Let’s go out and stroll around.”

He was very busy, and his work consumed most of his energy.

In the morning, she was still asleep when he left, and in the evening, she was already asleep when he returned.

After getting out of the car, Qing Hang switched hands to hold hers, making her walk on the inner side of the road. “Does living with me make you feel bored? Is it dull?”

“No,” Cheng Wanyue smiled. “I’m not a child who needs someone with them twenty-four hours a day.”

There was a long line at a bubble tea shop on the street, filled with young students. Qing Hang asked her, “Are you thirsty? Want to buy a bubble tea first?”

“No, don’t buy it. I’ve gained weight,” she wasn’t someone who easily stayed thin. “It’s cold now, I’m kind of craving Meihua糕 (plum blossom cake).”

“Nanjing pastry?”

“Yes, exactly, the kind sold by street vendors. The ones made outside Nanjing don’t taste the same. I like the red bean paste filling. The first time I ate one, it was just made and so hot it burned my mouth, and Cheng Yanqing made fun of me for days.”

Qing Hang thought about how he still had a few days of annual leave. He could accompany her back to Nanjing around New Year’s Day.

The Cheng family had never split up, and her second uncle and aunt’s home was also her home. Compared to Beijing, she preferred Nanjing.

When Cheng Wanyue went to the restroom, Qing Hang called Cheng Yuzhou to ask if Meihua cake could be sent to Beijing by express delivery. Cheng Yuzhou immediately knew that Cheng Wanyue was craving it. He said it could be sent when the weather was cold, but the taste would be very different. Cheng Wanyue was picky, and she wouldn’t like it; sending it would be a waste of effort.

Qing Hang looked up and saw Cheng Wanyue walking towards him, talking on the phone as she walked.

She had only graduated half a year ago, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with senior year of college. “No classes, no exams, no grad school prep, so yes, it’s very free.”

“Super free. You can pay back that meal you owe me today; I can treat you too.”

“I want hotpot today. I won’t change my plans for you unless you can accept that.”

Ten hotpot meals wouldn’t equal Chi Yue’s performance fee.

He was in a good mood today and didn’t care what they ate. “Even if you treat me to a bowl of instant noodles, I’d still go.”

“Wait a moment,” Cheng Wanyue moved her phone away and asked Qing Hang, “Chi Yue wants me to repay a favor, so should we add him?”

Qing Hang’s expression didn’t change much. “Whatever you say.”

Only then did Cheng Wanyue tell Chi Yue, “Come on over; I’ll send you the location.”

There weren’t many customers in the restaurant on a weekday. Cheng Wanyue and Qing Hang ordered after getting a table.

The hotpot broth boiled, steaming. She then remembered she hadn’t brought a hair tie and was about to ask a waiter for one when Qing Hang pulled one from his coat pocket. As she slowly added ingredients, Qing Hang, sitting on the same side as her, casually tied her hair up for her.

She ordered two portions of lamb rolls, which she didn’t usually like.

Qing Hang asked, “Are you very close with Chi Yue? You even know what he eats.”

“He just sent it to me,” Cheng Wanyue tapped her phone. The screen showed her WeChat chat with Chi Yue.

The only time Qing Hang ever pried into her privacy was when he secretly opened and read the love letter she wrote to Yan Ci. During the time he tutored her, he was in and out of her room almost daily, but he never lingered on anything he shouldn’t have seen.

When she fell asleep, he could carry her off the bed without her waking up.

Her phone was always on the table, giving him plenty of opportunities to secretly look at her WeChat and other social media apps if he had wanted to.

Just like now, he could look down and see her chat with Chi Yue, but he didn’t.

Chi Yue walked in, and his gaze met Qing Hang’s for a moment, showing a fleeting surprise, which meant he didn’t know Cheng Wanyue was with Qing Hang. When he greeted them, he did so naturally.

They had mutual acquaintances, and as they chatted, the conversation drifted into a circle Qing Hang was somewhat unfamiliar with.

Cheng Wanyue suddenly remembered something, turned her head to speak to Qing Hang, and inadvertently, the meatball she had just picked up fell into the pot. She was pulled back by Qing Hang, and the splashing oil scalded the back of Chi Yue’s hand.

She quickly took Chi Yue to run his hand under cold water. Chi Yue reassured her, saying it was fine, but he frowned as soon as he picked up his chopsticks again.

It was her fault, so she naturally wouldn’t ignore it. She started putting food on Chi Yue’s plate.

Qing Hang thought that Chi Yue’s methods for charming women weren’t very sophisticated.

Perhaps he could do better.

“You haven’t eaten much; the shrimp paste is cooked, have some more,” Qing Hang scooped the floating shrimp paste into her bowl. “I’ll get some for him.”

Chi Yue lowered his rolled-up sleeves. “No need, I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s hot oil, so it must hurt a lot.”

“It’s fine, I can bear it.”

“Don’t be so polite. You’re Wanyue’s friend, which makes you my friend,” Qing Hang was more considerate than Cheng Wanyue. “Burns can easily get infected. It’s best to eat bland food.”

Chi Yue had lost his appetite.

“It’s my fault, my fault,” Cheng Wanyue blamed herself. “Qing Hang, does this degree of burn require a hospital visit?”

Qing Hang said, “An ointment for burns would be enough, but he seems more sensitive to pain. It might be more reassuring to see a doctor.”

Cheng Wanyue saw that Chi Yue’s hand was still red and worried it might blister. “You’re grown up; can you manage yourself? Or find your roommates or friends to go with you?”

Her tone and gaze made Chi Yue feel like she was treating him like a younger brother. “You burned me, aren’t you going to take responsibility?”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Cheng Wanyue explained. “A nurse would apply the medicine for you; even if I went, I couldn’t help.”

Chi Yue didn’t pester her either. “Just take responsibility; this won’t heal in a day or two.”

Qing Hang wrote his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Chi Yue. “If you have any problems, contact me directly.”

Chi Yue chuckled softly. “Contact you?”

Qing Hang repeated, “Contact me, anytime.”