Chapter 7: I thought you were going to steal again…

Hospitals and clinics are places no one wants to go, and Fang Fuyi was no exception.

She resembled the red Teletubby with a few strands of hair sticking up, her cheeks puffed from drinking porridge. She shrugged and asked, “Isn’t there an option to just lie in bed for the whole day?”

“No,” Sheng Sui replied firmly and sincerely, “Lying down alone won’t make the fever go away.”

“Then just give me an IV, get it over with quickly.”

The young man worked efficiently. She had just been diagnosed with a fever, and twenty minutes later, she was being escorted to the town’s health clinic.

At this time, there weren’t many people in the fever clinic. Fang Fuyi was wearing a white cotton and linen dress that Sheng Sui had bought for her at a small stall that morning. She carried a small bag containing her identification slung over her shoulder.

Sheng Sui knew she was very particular about sun protection, so he had also bought her a woven sunhat with lace trim.

In the sunlight, the girl with the sunhat walked alongside the young man.

The two of them walked without any obstacles.

Green curtains, infusion chairs, the smell of disinfectant—alcohol pervaded the infusion room.

The blood pressure cuff was fastened around her arm, and when the needle was being inserted, Fang Fuyi instinctively turned her head away.

When Sheng Sui wasn’t around, she would always turn her head away by herself. She would even trick herself into believing that if she didn’t look, she wouldn’t get hurt, just like how she never asked anyone at home whether they loved her because she didn’t want to hear a negative answer.

But this time was different.

The moment the needle pierced her vein, a large hand with a slight callus reached over and gently covered her eyes. The slight sting on her hand was immediately soothed by the warmth brought by the young man, and a wave of warmth spread through her heart.

It wasn’t being overly sentimental or afraid of pain, but sometimes, she just wished that someone would genuinely care for her.

When she was sick, her emotions would suddenly overflow.

Fang Fuyi’s eyes felt sore, and her forehead rubbed gently against Sheng Sui’s palm. Despite her eyes turning red, she still stubbornly said, “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

It had rained yesterday, and it was cool in the morning, but once the sun came out, the temperature rose, and the humid summer heat swept in again.

The air conditioning in the infusion room made her feel drowsy.

The water level in the IV drip bottle gradually lowered. Fang Fuyi turned her head to look, and her gaze landed on Sheng Sui. She saw him tilt his head, his eyes closed, sleeping beside her.

The young man had dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign that he hadn’t slept well the previous night. Even now, his sleep couldn’t be considered peaceful. His long lashes fluttered, and he occasionally woke up to check on the IV drip.

Sheng Sui had become much quieter and no longer smiled as much as he used to.

Life wasn’t a total mess, but it wasn’t particularly good either. It was easy to imagine how much the events that had happened affected him, and how difficult that time must have been for him.

He had it tough too, Fang Fuyi thought.

Squinting one eye, she secretly glanced over at him. She leaned closer, lightly touching Sheng Sui’s slightly trembling eyebrow, then gently tapped the corner of his lips, trying to make the young man smile, to coax a smile out of him.

But before anything happened, the corner of his eye lifted, and those dark, deep eyes opened first.

Their gazes met, and a humid, charged air spread between them.

The atmosphere felt different from anywhere else.

Sheng Sui gently pushed her hand away, staring at the faint blue veins on her hand. He cleared his throat, his voice light, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Of course, she wouldn’t admit to what she had done. Instead, she turned the blame back on him, “I haven’t asked you what’s wrong. I was sleeping, and when I opened my eyes, I saw you leaning over like this.”

“What’s the matter? Am I not allowed to ask questions?”

Fang Fuyi pouted and raised an eyebrow, but there was no trace of guilt in her words. “I thought you were going to steal another kiss from me again.”

The word “again” was used with a certain playful tone.

Sheng Sui turned his head away, his ears turning red.

It was like the smell of alcohol and disinfectant continued to spread, casting a spell that made one feel on the verge of dizziness.

It was almost noon by the time the IV was finished. The effects of the drip were fairly quick. Before the drip, Fang Fuyi had looked pale, her lips nearly colorless, but afterward, she seemed to finally have regained some energy.

The two walked side by side.

The tree-lined path was dappled with light and shadow, a road that Sheng Sui took to and from work every day. But today, it felt different—perhaps it was because of the day-to-night sensory shift, or maybe it was because of the person beside him.

On the way back to the rented house, Sheng Sui accompanied Fang Fuyi but didn’t bring up taking her home. Instead, he made a detour to a nearby small supermarket.

The supermarket’s sign was very eye-catching, with a red background and yellow letters that boldly displayed “Xiao Qing Supermarket.” There was a plastic curtain inside the sliding glass doors, and a string of bells hung by the door handle.

The fan creaked as it turned.

Inside the small supermarket, Ding Qing sat at the cashier, propping up her cheek, watching a popular TV drama on her phone. Her parents were out today, so she was left alone to manage the shop.

“Dingling!” The bell above the door rang.

Hearing the sound, she looked toward the door and saw the young man walk in. Ding Qing cleared her throat, immediately pausing the video on her phone. Her tone naturally became higher, “Brother Sheng, you’re not working today? What brings you here at this time?”

Sheng Sui paused for a moment, nodded, and greeted her. He seemed slightly hesitant. “I didn’t go to work today…”

In fact, he had quit his job.

In Ding Qing’s memory, Sheng Sui had moved to this small town about half a year ago.

She remembered the first time they interacted—it was a rainy day, and she was alone in the shop when a few boys with yellow-dyed hair came in to buy cigarettes. After buying them, they refused to pay, thinking that a young girl wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. A scene almost broke out right there.

At that time, Ding Qing was also scared, huddling behind the cashier counter, not knowing what to do. Fortunately, at that critical moment, the bell hanging on the door, which was used as a substitute for a doorbell, rang.

Amid the sound of the bell, Sheng Sui appeared at just the right time and came over to help resolve the situation.

Ding Qing ran into Sheng Sui a few more times afterward and began to pay attention, trying to find out more about the young man.

Although he didn’t speak much each time, whenever they met, he would always take the initiative to greet her. He didn’t speak nonsense or get into any conflicts with people. He was polite and respectful to others, and his kindness could be felt through their interactions.

The girl’s feelings couldn’t be hidden.

Normally, there weren’t many opportunities to be alone with Sheng Sui, but now, after finally summoning the courage to say a few more words to him and ask about how he had been lately, she saw, in the next moment, a girl walking in right behind him.

The girl was wearing a well-fitted white dress, and the sunhat on her head was taken off and held in her hand.

With almond-shaped eyes, a small face, a light sweat on her forehead, and soft stray hairs sticking to her skin, her delicate features were like those of a porcelain doll—pretty to the point of being almost too perfect.

The girl also had a medical anti-inflammatory patch on the back of her hand, looking like she had just returned from the health center after getting an IV. She complained while patting Sheng Sui, her voice as sweet as fine sugar: “Move a bit further in, let me get some air too. It’s too hot outside!”

Sheng Sui usually went about alone, and Ding Qing rarely saw anyone around him. This girl was the first.

For a moment, she stared, a bit mesmerized, and when their gazes met, she saw the girl smile at her warmly.

The pause button was turned off, and the TV drama resumed.

Ding Qing pretended to focus on her phone in front of her, but she couldn’t absorb any of the content. She tilted her ear, trying to listen to the two of them talking by the shelves, huddled together, picking out things.

Amid the sound of the fan turning, she could hear Sheng Sui’s voice asking, “Is there anything you want to eat?”

The girl said, “I saw some popsicles earlier. How about one?”

“You can’t eat that while you’re sick.”

“Not even one?” the girl asked.

“Not even one,” Sheng Sui replied firmly, then sighed helplessly. He slowly relented, “But anything other than a popsicle is fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll have a pack of Wei Long’s spicy sticks!”

Sheng Sui: “…”

“Aren’t you sick? I can’t believe you look so energetic. Maybe you should go get two more bottles of IV this afternoon.”

The girl pretended to swing her fist: “You’re so cold-hearted! Alright, alright, I’ll put it back. I’ll put it back. That’s okay, right?”

The two walked side by side, picking out a few household items from the shelves, then went to the cashier to pay.

Ding Qing had always felt that Sheng Sui wasn’t like the people here, and the reason she was interested in him at first was partly because of that. It wasn’t until today, when she saw the girl, that she vaguely understood something.

The feeling was subtle—there was a closeness between them, like they had been together for a long time. There was a unique atmosphere between the two, one that others couldn’t intrude upon.

It was as if they were meant to be together.

After paying, Ding Qing helped them pack the items they bought. When she handed over the plastic bag, she couldn’t help but ask, looking curiously, “This is…”

Fang Fuyi’s identity was difficult to explain, and their relationship was complicated. Besides, they were about to leave soon, so Sheng Sui didn’t want to go into too much detail. He simply replied, “This is my sister.”

“Huh? I’m your sister?”

Fang Fuyi, who had been packing the items, suddenly looked up at Sheng Sui when she heard that. She glared at him, then glanced at Ding Qing. After a brief pause, she lightly spoke, her words sounding forced, “Alright, let’s just say I’m his sister.”

The bright sun greeted them as they stepped out of the small supermarket.

Fang Fuyi put her sunhat back on, and the two of them carried the things they had just bought together.

The walk back home wasn’t long, and it didn’t take much to reach their place.

The scene from earlier kept replaying in her mind. As they turned a corner, Fang Fuyi couldn’t hold back anymore: “Sheng Sui, do you like that girl from earlier? Were you afraid of disappointing her, so you said I’m your sister?”

“?”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“Are you feeling better now?” Sheng Sui asked, noticing the bags might be too heavy. He took them from her and asked, “What do you want to eat for lunch? Can you eat something?”

“Anything’s fine.”

Sheng Sui was just stating facts, concerned about her health, but to Fang Fuyi, his abrupt change of subject felt too awkward. It made her feel like he was deliberately avoiding something. The more he acted this way, the more she wanted him to talk more, as if trying to turn the conversation back, almost like fighting fire with fire.

“I know you’re caring, but don’t forget, there are many types of sisters!”

Fang Fuyi’s hair brushed against her shoulder, and in the sunlight, her hair took on a brownish hue.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air.

Sheng Sui didn’t have the time to consider whether her scent was from her shower gel, because the next moment, he noticed her lightly scratching his arm. On her forearm, there were overlapping red marks from last night and from now—old and new.

She said to him:

“And there’s also a sister like me, leaving scratch marks on you.”