Song Mianfeng followed Meng Yushan upstairs.

On the third floor, at the end of the corridor, Meng Yushan knocked on the door, and Song Mianfeng heard a cough, which made his heart tighten.

“Cough… Please come in.”

The man sitting on the bed looked much thinner than the last time they met. He was holding a book, his long hair disheveled, covering his eyes. When he looked towards the door, a pale face devoid of color was revealed, surrounded by a heavy air of illness. He looked emaciated and extremely unhealthy.

His eyes were dim, like stars covered by dark clouds, only emitting a faint light.

When he looked towards the door and saw Song Mianfeng, he paused for a moment before smiling.

The wind dispersed the dark clouds, and the stars shone.

For a moment, Song Mianfeng hesitated.

It was the first time he saw Lu Yin Zhen looking so seriously ill, as if he were a candle flickering in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment.

In the face of life and death, everything else seemed trivial.

Song Mianfeng stood still, suddenly feeling hesitant to ask Lu Yin Zhen for an answer, and even didn’t want one anymore.

He walked over, stood in front of Lu Yin Zhen, and reached out to touch his fingertips.

They were warm.

As he withdrew his hand, it was grabbed and held tightly.

Meng Yushan closed the door, leaving this quiet space to them.

A pot of June snow was placed on the windowsill, with lush greenery and delicate white flowers, like scattered snowflakes on the branches, making the warm sunlight entering the window seem colder.

A smile appeared in Lu Yin Zhen’s eyes, dispelling the oppressive illness and causing the June snow outside the window to lose its color. “You’re here.”

“Are you here to see Bai Sui?”

Song Mianfeng sat down on the edge of the bed and touched the faint blue mark left by the intravenous needle on his hand back, sighing, “I’m here to see you.”

Lu Yin Zhen lowered his eyes and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

“Leaving without saying goodbye, making you worry.”

“You also know that I would worry.” Song Mianfeng furrowed his brows, stopped the heavy words on his lips, and said lightly, “When did you get sick?”

Lu Yin Zhen admitted honestly, “The day I returned to City B, I went to pay respects to my mother, and I got a high fever at night.”

A cold and fever might not be a big deal to ordinary people, but he had never been very healthy since he was young. This illness, coupled with the physical symptoms and the long-standing emotional burden, exacerbated his condition to its current state.

After tossing and turning for two or three days, the fever finally subsided, but the persistent cough and the heavy illness… that wasn’t the hardest part.

The hardest part was the waiting, not knowing if or when Song Mianfeng would come.

They say love sickness can be fatal, and there’s no cure. He used to think it was an exaggeration, but now he understood the taste of it, and it was truly deadly.

Song Mianfeng hadn’t been doing well these days either. He barely slept a wink last night, clutching Lu Yin Zhen’s letter, and began to pack himself up. The person in the mirror had dark circles under his eyes, stubble on his chin, looking like a lovesick drunkard, utterly disheveled.

He didn’t even know how he shaved, changed into a decent shirt and pants, and even bought a gift for the two elders to meet them, before boarding the plane to City B with Meng Huai.

He just thought that he had to look handsome and suave to meet his beloved.

Looking around the room, Song Mianfeng didn’t see Lu Yin Zhen’s phone on the bedside. He held Lu Yin Zhen’s hand and lightly rubbed his fingertips with his own, speaking lightly but with a heavy question that fell heavily on his heart, “Where’s your phone?”

Lu Yin Zhen’s tone was somewhat unnatural, “It was confiscated by my grandfather…”

Thinking of the check that had been thrown at him earlier with a pot of dog blood, Song Mianfeng lowered his voice even more, hesitating, “Your grandfather seems to dislike me.”

Lu Yin Zhen was stunned for a moment. “How could that be.”

Talking behind someone’s back is not an upright behavior, especially against an elder.

Song Mianfeng pretended to be indifferent and smiled, trying to gloss over the topic, “Probably because I’m too different from the granddaughter-in-law he wants.”

“They know about my sexual orientation.” Lu Yin Zhen coughed a few times, his speech intermittent, “So, what did he say to you… cough… cough… or, what did he do to you?”

Song Mianfeng handed him the water on the bedside table, supported his back, and lightly patted it twice, “The old man… gave me a check.”

Lu Yin Zhen had just swallowed two sips of warm water, and his throat felt a bit better, but because of Song Mianfeng’s words, he couldn’t help but cough again, his tone difficult to discern whether it was anger or relief, “You… signed it?”

Hearing the tension in his voice, Song Mianfeng smiled instead, “I did.”

The hand holding his wrist tightened, then suddenly loosened, and Lu Yin Zhen’s hoarse voice, tinged with suppressed anger, asked, “How much did you sign for?”

Song Mianfeng continued to smile, casually adding fuel to the fire, “Twelve, or maybe thirteen zeros, I didn’t count seriously.”

A light breeze swept by. It was supposed to blow away the summer heat in people’s hearts, but instead, it fueled the flames in Lu Yin Zhen’s heart, “My affection is only worth twelve or thirteen zeros?”

Song Mianfeng had never seen Lu Yin Zhen like this before.

When he smiled, he was clearly a gentle person, but his eyelashes were so sharp that they could cut through the river of spring water with a gentle opening and closing, severing the entire year’s spring breeze.

Thinking so, he reached out and touched Lu Yin Zhen’s eyelashes. With his fingertips, he lightly touched them, then covered Lu Yin Zhen’s eyes with his palm.

“More than that.” Song Mianfeng leaned close, their lips almost touching, whispering softly, “That’s why I gave your grandfather the cheque back, along with all the cards, and cash I had.”

In the darkness, the moist and soft lips brushed against each other lightly. Lu Yin Zhen’s heart felt like newly fallen snow clearing up, melting into spring water, flowing towards a place called Song Mianfeng.

He heard a soft laugh, the warm breath and pounding heartbeat entwining together, and he couldn’t tell whose was whose anymore.

“Easy to get monetary treasures, hard to find someone with a beautiful heart.” Song Mianfeng’s voice was hoarse, “Compared to what I want, what are twelve or thirteen zeros?”

The back of the hand propped up on the bed was covered by a warm palm, and the person who was kissed complied, deepening the kiss.

Lu Yin Zhen said, “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

…

During dinner, Song Mianfeng met Mrs. Meng.

Perhaps because she was vegetarian and recited Buddhist scriptures, Mrs. Meng exuded a warm and gentle aura. She didn’t interrogate him like an inquisition, but simply asked if he had told his family about coming to City B, if his work arrangements were made in advance, and how long he planned to stay in City B.

It was like having a casual meal and chatting with family members, all in a caring tone.

Song Mianfeng answered each question.

After hearing that he had informed his family and arranged his work, and had even taken a whole week off, Mrs. Meng’s smile became even more pronounced. “Then, feel free to stay. Xiao Ze has prepared the room next to Xiao Yin Zhe for you. The daily necessities are all new. If you need anything, just tell him.”

Equating “Xiao Ze” with Meng Ze, who was already about the same age as his father, Song Mianfeng struggled to hold back his laughter and politely asked, “Would it be too much of a bother?”

“Not at all,” Mrs. Meng smiled gently. “This house is usually quiet. With more people, it becomes livelier.”

After dinner, Song Mianfeng chatted with Mrs. Meng for a while.

Meng Yushan sat on the sofa, reading a newspaper. He occasionally flipped through the pages, adjusted his glasses, and his gaze unintentionally fell on Mrs. Meng, who was being teased by Song Mianfeng. His expression relaxed, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Xiao Yin Zhen sent back a box of preserved fruits last month. I only tasted a few, and the rest were secretly eaten by the old man.” Mrs. Meng held his wrist and laughed, “We agreed that when you go back, the first thing you’ll do is send me another box.”

Meng Yushan pressed his lips into a flat line and cleared his throat lightly. “I didn’t eat them secretly. I clearly told you before, how could that be considered stealing.”

Song Mianfeng’s impression of Meng Yushan throwing a check at him was too deep. Now, hearing him defending himself like a little kid that he didn’t steal the preserved fruits, Song Mianfeng found it somewhat amusing. He thought, Meng Yushan was just an ordinary person after all, and his nervousness had dissipated. “When I go back, I’ll send you two boxes.”

Hearing him mention two boxes, Meng Yushan glanced at him approvingly, and Mrs. Meng smiled again, “Good boy, no wonder Xiao Yin Zhen likes you so much.”

I wonder how Lu Yin Zhen explained everything to them… Song Mianfeng felt a bit embarrassed, twisting his fingertips, feeling a faint blush creeping up his ears.

Meng Yushan snorted at his words, folded the newspaper neatly, and went upstairs with his hands behind his back.

Mrs. Meng didn’t pay him any attention and just smiled, reaching out to pat Song Mianfeng’s hair, “My husband deliberately tested you today. I hope you don’t take it to heart.”

“After the incident with Yaoguang back then, he was depressed for a long time.” Mrs. Meng sighed, “He always blamed himself for not looking out for our daughter, for misjudging people, and causing harm to Yaoguang, so…”

Song Mianfeng smiled, “It’s okay. I was mentally prepared on the way here. Wanting to be with Lu Yin Zhen, wanting to be accepted by his family, good or bad, I’m ready to bear it all.”

“This is already very good, really.” Song Mianfeng said.

Mr. Meng only tested him briefly, Mrs. Meng was so kind and friendly, and even Bai Sui liked him a lot. For him, this was already very good.

Mrs. Meng looked at him kindly, “Actually, when Xiao Yin Zhen suddenly told us he liked boys, his grandfather and I were also shocked.”

“They had a fight back then. Later, Xiao Yin Zhen went abroad to study, and gradually his grandfather and I became more indifferent. We hoped he could find someone who understands him.” Mrs. Meng seemed to think of something, and there was a moment of sadness in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and said softly, “It’s not easy to find someone like that.”

Song Mianfeng listened quietly, thinking that Mrs. Meng might have thought of her own daughter and felt a bit at a loss, not knowing what he could say or do to comfort her.

“Xiao Yin Zhen’s letters to me always mention you between the lines. He really likes you, and I hope you treat him well.” Mrs. Meng smiled again, took out a red envelope from somewhere, and stuffed it into his hand, “According to our customs here, normally when a new daughter or son-in-law comes, they must receive a red envelope.”

“I’m giving you the red envelope, and I’m also handing it over to Yin Zhe.”

Song Mianfeng glanced at the red envelope in his hand, feeling that it was hotter than the absurd string of numbers he signed. “You can rest assured.”

Song Mianfeng said slowly, “I will definitely treat him well.”

^[1]Author’s note: “Compared to what I want (you), what are twelve or thirteen zeros?” Twelve or thirteen zeros are intentionally exaggerated astronomical figures that Song … Continue reading