MC - Chapter 27

Zhang Rufan had been pressing the doorbell for a while, but Shen Mingjin hadn’t come to answer. Worried about his condition, she was about to call him when the door finally opened.

Shen Mingjin, his head throbbing, leaned against the doorframe, mustering his strength to speak. Surprised, he asked, “Why are you here?”

“I came to bring medicine.” Zhang Rufan noticed the unnatural flush on his face and the sweat on his forehead. She frowned. “Do you have a fever?”

Shen Mingjin raised a hand to his forehead, feeling the clammy sweat. His voice was weak as he replied, “Seems like it.”

Seeing how listless and sickly he looked, Zhang Rufan couldn’t help but ask, “Should we go to the hospital?”

“No need,” Shen Mingjin waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll be fine after some sleep.”

Noticing his discomfort, Zhang Rufan urged, “Then don’t stand here. Go inside and rest.”

Illness struck like a landslide. Truly unwell, Shen Mingjin stopped forcing himself, turned to go inside, and pulled the door wide open behind him.

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Rufan followed with her small medicine kit and closed the door behind her.

Exhausted, Shen Mingjin collapsed onto the sofa, leaning his head back against the cushions. He raised a clenched fist and lightly tapped his forehead.

Zhang Rufan walked over, placed the medicine kit on the table, opened it, and took out a digital thermometer. She pointed it at Shen Mingjin’s forehead—his temperature had exceeded 39°C.

He had probably caught a chill this evening, which led to the high fever. Anxious, Zhang Rufan turned to find a box of fever reducers in the kit. Glancing around the table, she saw no cup, and her eyes naturally drifted to the small bar counter.

At this point, she could no longer concern herself with guest-host formalities. She hurried to the bar, picked up the gooseneck kettle Shen Mingjin used for coffee, boiled water, and poured it into a coffee cup.

Carrying the cup to the living room, she saw Shen Mingjin leaning against the sofa, eyes closed as if asleep, brows tightly knit. She blew on the water to cool it, then gently shook his shoulder and called his name.

Shen Mingjin frowned and barely opened his eyes.

Zhang Rufan handed him the fever reducers. “Take this medicine before resting.”

His head was splitting, and his ears felt muffled, as if separated from the world by a thin membrane. All sounds were distant and unclear. He closed and opened his eyes again, only realizing what she had said when he saw the pills in her hand.

Straining to sit up, he took the pills from her and tossed them into his mouth. Afraid he might choke, Zhang Rufan quickly brought the cup to his lips, urging him to drink.

Swallowing the pills with warm water, Shen Mingjin exhaled slowly. His breath felt scorching to her, and seeing his pained expression, she couldn’t help but frown as well.

“Do you want to lie down in your room?”

Unwilling to move, Shen Mingjin slumped sideways onto the sofa. Zhang Rufan quickly grabbed a cushion to prop under his head, making him more comfortable.

The temperature had dropped today, leaving the room chilly. Zhang Rufan searched the living room for the AC remote but couldn’t find it. Worried he might get colder, she hesitated for a moment before heading into his room.

Turning on the light, she went straight to his bed without looking around, grabbed the blanket, and brought it out to tuck him in snugly.

After taking the medicine, Shen Mingjin drifted into a drowsy sleep. Zhang Rufan turned off the main light, leaving only the small floor lamp by the sofa. She pulled up a stool and kept watch beside him, monitoring his condition.

The fever reducers seemed to take effect—Shen Mingjin’s breathing steadied from labored to calm. Noticing he was sweating under the blanket, Zhang Rufan went to the bathroom and found a clean towel in the cabinet. She dampened it, returned to the living room, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Under the warm yellow light, Shen Mingjin’s sleeping face was serene, a stark contrast to his usual brightness.

Gazing at him, Zhang Rufan lost herself briefly in thought.

Earlier, trapped in the elevator, Shen Mingjin had asked her: If the letter had been written by Du Sheng instead of him, would she have approached Du Sheng? She had hesitated then, but after returning home, she pondered the question carefully. Though hypothetical, she arrived at an answer: Yes.

When she first found the letter in the book, what surprised her most was its content, not the sender. She had always seen her past self as ordinary, an insignificant speck in the crowd—even those around her called her dull. She couldn’t imagine anyone liking someone so unremarkable, so curiosity drove her to seek an answer.

Had Du Sheng written it, she would still have been curious—not about him, but about finding a new footnote for her youth. But the letter was Shen Mingjin’s. Looking back now, she couldn’t distinguish whether she’d approached him for that footnote or to confirm if he was the author.

Had the letter been from Du Sheng or someone else, she would have felt only relief upon learning the truth. But discovering she’d missed Shen Mingjin’s letter and misunderstood his confession left her remorseful and regretful, even wishing to make up for the past.

He was special.

In the dim light, Zhang Rufan traced Shen Mingjin’s face—his brows slightly relaxed, breathing steady, lashes casting faint shadows. He seemed deeply asleep.

Her gaze softened unconsciously, a faint smile emerging, carrying a tenderness she hadn’t even realized was there.

Shen Mingjin shifted, as if too warm, and freed his arms from the blanket.

Zhang Rufan took the towel again, leaning over to wipe his sweat. Noticing his dry lips, she fetched a cotton swab from her kit, dampened it, and gently moistened his lips.

His lips were pressed tightly together, a droplet sliding down the corner. Zhang Rufan brushed it away with her fingers, warmth spreading through her fingertips. Her heart fluttered as she gazed down at him, unable to resist touching his cheek.

Many hypotheticals had never occurred, leaving her unable to imagine or answer definitively. But one thing was certain: Had the letter not been from Shen Mingjin, she and its writer would have shared no further connection.

She hadn’t developed feelings for him because of the letter. Long before, he had planted a seed in her heart—the letter was merely sunlight that made it sprout.

Lost in thought as she caressed his face, she didn’t notice his eyes opening. When she finally looked up, her gaze abruptly met his.

Flustered, she tried to pull her hand away, but Shen Mingjin seized her wrist and tugged, throwing her off balance. She fell onto him.

Shen Mingjin had been dreaming—of the rally where Zhang Rufan harshly rejected him, then of doctors abroad saying his leg would never recover enough for sports. Lost and confused, his first thought had been of her. “Now I’m not even physically capable. She’ll like me even less.”

Later, he dreamed they were trapped in the elevator, where she said she’d only approached him because of the letter—it wouldn’t have mattered who wrote it.

At that moment in the dream, he plunged into an icy river. The freezing water sent chills through his feverish blood, jolting him awake.

Opening his eyes, he saw Zhang Rufan’s face, and for a moment, he couldn’t distinguish dream from reality.

“This must be a dream within a dream,” he thought. Otherwise, why would she be gazing at him so tenderly?

He released her wrist and touched her face as she had touched his. His fingers burned, the sensation blurring reality and illusion.

He brushed the corner of her eye first, and when she didn’t flinch, he trailed his fingers down her cheek, stopping at her lips. He traced them lightly, his gaze darkening with equal parts confusion and longing.

Certain this was a dream—why else wouldn’t she evade him?—he cupped her chin, drawing her closer, indulging in fantasies he’d never act on while awake.

Her face inches from his, her heartbeat raced, breath shallow. She knew what he intended—scenes like this often appeared in the few romance films she had seen.

It was as if she too had a fever; every inch of her burned, Shen Mingjin the source. Yet despite the heat, she didn’t think to pull away.

The faint light cast their shadows on the wall. As their breaths mingled, Shen Mingjin lifted his gaze to her nervous, innocent eyes—and snapped back to himself.

“In reality, I selfishly misled her. Now in dreams, I demand her compliance? How tyrannical.”

Mocking himself, he loosened his grip, expecting the illusion to vanish—but she remained, staring intently without retreating.

The air between them stilled for a brief moment, then stirred again.

Before he could fully let go, Zhang Rufan leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips.

The brush of her lips was featherlight, so faint he almost thought it imagined—yet it shattered his delusions.

Spurred by sudden courage, she had done what she never dared before. But as she pulled back and met his dark, gleaming eyes, her bravery ebbed like a receding tide, leaving only disarray.

Flustered, she straightened to step back and turn away, but he caught her wrist.

Shen Mingjin sat up, his head still throbbing, but his mind clearing. His heavy gaze pinned her, a storm brewing within.

"I don’t recall teaching you… to take advantage of the vulnerable," he said.

His voice was hoarse, its vibrations sending shivers through her from that short distance.

Turning back, she faltered under his gaze, eyes dropping. "Sorry, I…"

Biting her lip, she couldn’t explain the impulsive act.

Before she could, Shen Mingjin bowed his head, resting it against her hand.

"Ace of Hearts, you’ve defeated me."

His fever hadn’t fully broken, the heat of his forehead against her hand making her tremble.

"I wrote that letter. Not Du Sheng, not anyone else," he said heavily, as much to himself as to her.

"Even if you only sought me out because of it—that’s fine."

"Even if I’m not special to you—that’s fine."

"Even if you weren’t truly pursuing me—that’s fine."

He exhaled softly. "I can accept all of it… but you can’t use what I taught you on others."

Zhang Rufan froze.

Shen Mingjin cradled her hand, forehead pressed to it, looking devout yet vulnerable. Mumbling as if to himself, his tone was pleading, tinged with hurt.

She had always felt they lacked timing—five years ago, he liked her, and she didn’t know; five years later, she understood, but he seemed to have moved on.

That five-year gap had preoccupied her, but now she realized—perhaps it never existed.

The letter tucked in the book had been the last sunlight through time, awakening the seed in her heart. From then on, she would chase the sun.

Yet the light source had never dimmed—she’d simply been too obtuse to see that stars, too, need their light returned.

Eyes glistening, she stepped closer, touching him lightly until he looked up. "Shen Mingjin," she said firmly, "even without that letter, I’d still like you."

No longer hesitating, she met his gaze squarely. "Will you be with me?"

1. 鹅颈手冲壶 (Éjǐng shǒu chōng hú) – Gooseneck Pour-Over Kettle, a precision coffee brewing tool

2. 体温枪 (Tǐwēn qiāng) – Infrared Thermometer Gun, used to measure body temperature

3. 退烧药 (Tuìshāo yào) – Fever Reducer / Antipyretic, medicine to lower fever

4. 庄生梦蝶 (Zhuāngshēng mèng dié) – Zhuangzi Dreams of a Butterfly, a philosophical reference to blurred reality and dreams

5. 乘人之危 (Chéng rén zhī wēi) – To Take Advantage of Someone’s Weakness, idiom meaning exploiting vulnerability

6. 詈言詈语 (Lì yán lì yǔ) – Harsh, Abusive Words, describes verbal rejection

Characters

章入凡 (Zhāng Rùfán) – The protagonist.

沈明津 (Shěn Míngjīn) – A former classmate who wrote Zhang Rufan a love letter in high school, in her copy of Anne of Green Gables.

章胜义 (Zhāng Shèngyì) – Zhang Rufan’s father. 

李惠淑 (Lǐ Huìshū) – Zhang Rufan’s stepmother ("惠姨 Huìyí").

章梓橦 (Zhāng Zǐtóng) – Rufan’s much younger half-sister (~18 years age gap). 

章胜嫔 (Zhāng Shèngpín) – Rufan’s aunt (father’s sister). 

程怡 (Chéng Yí) – Rufan’s close friend from middle school. 

谢易韦 (Xiè Yìwéi) – High school class monitor who is getting married, prompting the reunion.

杜升 (Dù Shēng) – Someone Zhang Rufan didn't want to add as a friend on WeChat at first.

刘品媛 (Liú Pǐnyuán) – The planning department manager at OW.

孙璐 (Sūn Lù) – Zhang Rufan’s direct supervisor at OW, who goes by "Sister Lu" (璐姐, Lù Jiě).

袁霜 (Yuán Shuāng) – A friendly coworker in the planning department.

周慈 (Zhōu Cí) – Shen Mingjin’s mother

Sevyn here ~~~

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