Chapter 29: Brother, Hello

Sang Sui’s eyes widened in shock, quickly pulling back her neck and instinctively covering her mouth.

She was now completely awake.

Her eyes darted around, unsure of what to do.

The man’s body didn’t move; he raised an eyebrow and looked at her with lowered eyes.

The message was clear: give me an explanation.

How embarrassing!

Sang Sui felt a mix of awkwardness and nervousness. Her face, which had just cooled from the earlier fever, flushed red again.

She stammered for a while before meeting his gaze seriously. “I can explain.”

“Go ahead.”

“It wasn’t me; it was my mouth that did it. You…” Sang Sui grinned. “Do you believe that?”

“I’d rather believe that you’ve lost your mind from the fever.”

“…”

Seeing that the person in his arms was embarrassed to the point of nearly disappearing, Sheng Yize didn’t press the issue further. He carried her and quickly walked to the hospital bed, gently placing her down.

After covering her with a blanket, Sheng Yize saw the female doctor coming in and asked her to check on Sang Sui.

After the examination, the doctor put away her instruments and said, “Nothing serious, the fever has subsided. The fainting was caused by dysmenorrhea combined with low blood sugar. I gave her some glucose to replenish her energy.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The doctor left, and not long after, a nurse came in with a cup of glucose. Sang Sui sat up to drink it and then laid back down.

After drinking, she felt much better and no longer felt dizzy.

“Open your mouth.” The man spoke.

“Hm?”

He reached over and placed something into her mouth.

Suspicious, she held it with her tongue for a moment and realized it was sweet.

It was a piece of candy, a milk-flavored candy.

The taste was familiar—she loved the creamy sweetness of the White Rabbit milk candy.

Sang Sui’s eyes slightly opened as she turned to look at him. “When did you buy this?”

Sheng Yize sat beside her. “I bought it at the supermarket… when I was there.”

Sang Sui’s heart softened. She remembered the first time she had her period and fainted in the bedroom from the pain. He had been like now, giving her a piece of White Rabbit milk candy.

He said, “The sweetness can help ease the pain.”

She believed him.

Since then, she had grown fond of this candy.

Just like how she grew fond of his scent, the cedar fragrance that enveloped her whenever he was near, slowly occupying her heart.

The sweetness spread across her mouth, and the sharp pain in her abdomen seemed to subside a lot.

Sheng Yize looked at her, his gaze soft and tender in a way he hadn’t noticed before.

He said, “Sleep now. I’ll stay here with you.”

Just like when they were in the hospital, he had stayed by her side for a long time.

Sang Sui was afraid he might suddenly leave, just like that time in the cafeteria when he had suddenly told her not to come eat with him anymore.

“Sheng Yize.” Sang Sui’s eyes flickered slightly.

“Hmm?”

“This time… why are you staying with me?”

The implication was clear: this time, her incident wasn’t because of him, so he had no reason to stay with her.

The man looked into her round eyes, as if giving both her and himself a reassuring answer.

“There’s no particular reason. This time, I just… wanted to stay with you. That’s all.”

Sheng Yize’s words swept away the gloomy feelings that had lingered in Sang Sui’s heart these past few days.

She seemed easy to comfort. With just one sentence from him, she fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Sheng Yize stayed in the medical room with Sang Sui all afternoon.

Throughout the afternoon, other students were brought in, but most of them had heatstroke or were physically weak, and after taking some medicine and resting for a while, they were fine.

Sang Sui also slept through the entire afternoon in the medical room.

By 3 p.m.

Sheng Yize sat beside the bed, his eyes fixed on her.

The fever had subsided, the pain had eased, and Sang Sui was sleeping peacefully. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was relaxed, her long lashes resting gently on her skin, moving slightly with each shallow breath.

Outside, the sounds of military training from the new students filtered into the quiet room, while sunlight poured through the glass window, casting a warm glow inside.

The sunlight was bright, and the girl beside him was safe.

In that moment, Sheng Yize felt something in his heart shift, a faint sense of peace.

He found it strange that this thought had emerged, almost as if something had quietly grown in him without his noticing.

At the school’s laundry room.

“Excuse me, what laundry do you need done…?”

As Sheng Yize entered the laundry room, a female student approached. When she saw him, she froze.

“Senior Sheng? Are you here to do laundry?”

Sheng Yize raised his fist to his mouth and coughed lightly, looking slightly awkward.

“Is this okay to wash?”

He handed over a bag. The girl took it and looked inside.

To her surprise, it was a set of women’s clothing, stained with menstrual blood.

The girl blinked, staring between the clothes and Sheng Yize.

“Is it not allowed to wash?” Sheng Yize asked.

“No! Of course we can wash it!” The girl hurriedly took the bag from him. “Don’t worry. We’ll treat it separately, clean it, and then put it in the washing machine. After it’s dried, it’ll be good as new, and you’ll be able to wear it soon. It’ll be quick.”

“Thank you.”

“The cleaning fee is fifty yuan. We’re offering an 88% discount today, so it’ll be forty-four yuan. Please scan the code to pay.”

Sheng Yize nodded and walked over to scan the code on his phone. With a “ding,” the payment was successfully made.

As soon as he turned around, the girl was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. She quickly ran to gossip with her colleague.

“Senior Sheng has a girlfriend!”

“No way, how do you know?”

“He brought his girlfriend’s clothes here to wash!”

…

After the menstrual blood was properly treated, Sang Sui’s clothes were placed in Washing Machine No. 3.

The washing machine’s drum rumbled, and Sheng Yize sat nearby, his upper body slightly leaning forward, his hands resting on his knees, his eyes fixed on the machine.

Memories from years ago suddenly flooded his mind.

It was the summer vacation before his senior year of high school when his mother, Wen Xuelin, brought home a mother and daughter.

Wen Xuelin smiled as she introduced them to him: “This is Aunt Yun Man, and this is her daughter, Sang Sui.”

At the time, he had just returned from playing basketball with his friends, holding a basketball in his hands. Hearing the noise, he couldn’t help but glance at the pair of mother and daughter.

His mother looked to be in her early thirties, dressed in simple clothes with her long hair tied back. She was tall and slim, her smile gentle and kind, exuding warmth.

Next to her stood a girl who was barely taller than his chest.

The girl had a ponytail, looked fragile and pale, and her skin was very fair, making her appear delicate.

Wen Xuelin explained that Yun Man was her best friend, and this time they had come to Yunjing for Sang Sui to attend school.

Since it was their first time here, they didn’t know anyone and hadn’t found a place to stay yet. So, Wen Xuelin suggested they stay with them for a while until they found a place.

Sheng Yize, who had always been cold by nature, didn’t dislike them but wasn’t particularly fond of their sudden arrival.

Wen Xuelin, seeing him holding the basketball, clicked her tongue in displeasure. “Xiao Ze, don’t just stand there. Say hi to them.”

Sheng Yize nodded lazily and greeted them, “Hello.”

Wen Xuelin smiled apologetically and explained, “My son’s personality is a bit cold. Please don’t mind him.”

Yun Man smiled and shook her head, then gently patted the young girl beside her. “Sui Sui, say hello to your older brother.”

Sang Sui, sensing his coldness, nervously hid behind Yun Man, her voice soft and clear.

“Hello, Brother.”