Chapter 5: Privilege

The balcony remained silent for a moment.

After a brief moment, Fu Yingcheng seemed to find it absurd and lightly tugged at the corner of his lips, letting out a soft laugh.

His voice carries a magnetic quality, and when he laughs, there’s a kind of deep, melodious sound, like a pebble being cast into the center of a winter lake, stirring up faint ripples in the listener’s ear.

“When did I ever say,” Fu Yingcheng said slowly, “that what you’re lacking is intelligence?”

“Never said you lack intelligence” and “never said what you’re lacking is intelligence.”

A tiny difference can lead to a huge mistake.

Ji Fanling pouted, her face downcast. “What do you mean? What do you think I’m lacking?”

However, the man had no intention of bickering with her. He turned and headed straight into the living room.

Unable to resist, Ji Fanling called out a “Hey!” towards his back, but her tough words couldn’t catch up to his heels.

Forget it.

Let him off the hook.

A wise person doesn’t pick fights on someone else’s turf.

Although the drying process wasn’t exactly pleasant, the result was rather delightful.

The dried clothes were as warm and dry as if they had been sun-dried, making it hard not to like them. Ji Fanling immediately ran to the bedroom to change into them.

In the afternoon, Fu Yingcheng stayed in the study, occasionally going to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, and glancing at her in passing.

Ji Fanling curled up on the living room sofa, watching a TV drama while waiting for Zhou Sui’s reply.

She wasn’t sure what Zhou Sui was busy with, but she waited until evening before Fu Yingcheng interrupted his work and called her over to check Zhou Sui’s recent reply on QQ.

Fu Yingcheng had sent a message to her at six in the morning:

【Classmate Zhou, sorry to disturb you. There’s something urgent I need to contact you about. May I ask where you are right now?】

Zhou Sui: 【?】

Zhou Sui: 【Are you really Fu Yingcheng?】

A little later, Zhou Sui replied again: 【I’m currently at the Pediatrics Department of People’s Hospital. May I ask what you need from me?】

“Thanks, I’ll go right now!” Ji Fanling glanced at the message and immediately turned to run.

Fu Yingcheng followed behind her, reaching for the coat on the hanger and grabbing the car keys. “Do you know where the hospital is?”

“I know, it’s not far.”

Ji Fanling quickly slipped on her shoes. “I’ll take the bus. I’ll be back soon.”

After saying that, she hesitated for a moment, scratched her face, and slowly added, “Or maybe… I won’t come back.”

If she could stay at Zhou Sui’s place, that would be even better.

Fu Yingcheng stared at her for a moment with an unreadable expression, and said, “Alright.”

…

“If you’re not coming back, have her let me know.”

*

At People’s Hospital, Pediatrics Department.

It was the peak season for autumn and winter flu, and despite the dim sky, the Pediatrics Department was still crowded with anxious parents holding children who were either crying or fussing.

Ji Fanling squeezed through the crowd of patients, but most people were wearing masks, making it harder for her to find someone.

After walking back and forth once, Ji Fanling happened to notice a woman near the self-service payment machine.

The woman was wearing a white cotton jacket, with her upper body appearing slightly bulky. She had just removed her mask and looked up at the camera for a moment before putting the mask back on, grabbing her receipt, and turning around.

Just before she put on the mask, Ji Fanling caught a glimpse of the woman’s thin eyebrows that furrowed tightly, with her front teeth biting her lip.

…It was the kind of expression one would make when unable to solve a problem.

Ji Fanling’s heart skipped a beat. “Zhou Sui!”

The woman looked up, glanced around, but couldn’t tell who had called her.

The next second, a girl squeezed out from the crowd and ran toward her with quick steps.

Zhou Sui was clearly stunned. She stared at Ji Fanling’s face, and as it gradually overlapped with her memory, her expression turned deathly pale. She took three steps back in a panic, stammering, “You, you, you!”

“It’s me, Ji Fanling.”

“Huh? Huh? Huh?????”

Ji Fanling tried to calm her down, “Don’t be afraid.”

Zhou Sui panicked, “Don’t come any closer!!”

Ji Fanling ignored her plea, strode forward, grabbed Zhou Sui’s arm, and gave it a twist. She raised her eyebrow and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Ouch… yes, it hurts,” Zhou Sui admitted honestly.

“Good, that means you’re not dreaming.” The girl said with a straight face.

“…”

“Uh, uh, well,” Zhou Sui stammered, “if a ghost pinches someone, would it still hurt?”

Ji Fanling slowly replied, “I don’t know if it hurts when a ghost pinches, but…” she suddenly sped up her speech, “it definitely hurts if a ghost bites!”

With that, she grabbed Zhou Sui’s arm, baring her teeth, and pretended to bite down, looking fierce.

Zhou Sui, already on edge, was so startled that she immediately flailed her arm and cried out, causing the people nearby to glance in their direction.

Of course, Ji Fanling didn’t actually bite. She lifted her head and couldn’t help but chuckle, “Look at you, so pathetic.” She thought Zhou Sui would have grown braver by now.

Zhou Sui, still shaken, her chest rising and falling, watched as the girl, wearing an ill-fitting, old jacket, stood there with one hand in her pocket, smiling at her. Her smile revealed a sharp little canine tooth, and somehow, Zhou Sui found herself smiling along with her.

…

She felt a bit silly for how she had just acted.

Zhou Sui moved closer, cautiously reached out, and gently touched the back of the girl’s hand, softly calling, “Ji Fanling?”

The girl snorted softly through her nose.

Zhou Sui looked at her old friend’s youthful face, and her heart suddenly ached. “What… what happened to you?”

“I got hit by a car, and when I opened my eyes, I was here.” Ji Fanling said casually. “Ji Guoliang ran off, Cheng Jiali can’t be reached, and you, you’re the best—”

The girl gave her a half-smile, glancing at her.

“Accused me of fraud and even wanted to call the police.”

Zhou Sui: “…”

Zhou Sui awkwardly said, “So it really was you yesterday?”

“Yeah.” Ji Fanling didn’t hold a grudge. “Why are you at the Pediatrics Department at this time?”

“My child has a fever.”

Ji Fanling was stunned. “You have a child?”

“A son, three years old, his surname is He, and his name is He Han.”

Ji Fanling: “He’s already three??”

“Oh, my brain!” Zhou Sui suddenly slapped her forehead. “Hanhan’s medicine!”

It was a subtle change. Although she was still the same person, the girl whose expressions and demeanor echoed traces of the past suddenly transformed into a stranger, a worried mother, the moment she mentioned her child.

Zhou Sui, who had been somewhat timid just moments ago, now feared nothing.

She reached out and patted Ji Fanling on the shoulder. “Wait for me a bit. I still need to get his medicine. Once the IV finishes, I’ll take his temperature again.”

Even though her eyes were still on Ji Fanling, her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

Ji Fanling urged, “Hurry up.”

Zhou Sui rushed toward the pharmacy in a fluster. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning her head to look in another direction. “Mom?! Why are you wandering around with Hanhan?”

An elderly woman walking toward Zhou Sui was holding a boy wearing a mask, moving slowly. “You were gone for so long, and Hanhan kept crying for you…”

“We finally got a seat, and as soon as you left, someone else took it…”

Zhou Sui reached out to take the child and noticed that the IV bag was already deflated, with a small section of blood returning into the tube. She became anxious and raised her voice at her mother-in-law, “I told you to keep an eye on it! It’s backflowing already, oh no!”

“I was watching the whole time! The IV finished, so I came to find you,” the mother-in-law replied, also annoyed.

“What’s the point of finding me? I’m not a nurse!” Zhou Sui grabbed the IV stand and rushed off.

The child in her arms, frightened by his mother’s anger, burst into loud sobs, and coughing between cries.

…

Ji Fanling stood quietly from a distance, feeling a bit stifled inside.

If it weren’t for her, Zhou Sui probably would have made it in time to get the medicine for her child.

She remained where she was, and waited for nearly an hour. In the middle of it all, she finally found an empty seat and sat down, but then a six or seven-year-old girl came over, not crying or fussing, obediently carrying her IV bag. Ji Fanling stood up and gave up her seat again.

Her legs started to go numb from standing for so long. After waiting and waiting, she figured Zhou Sui had forgotten about her, so she pushed back into the crowd to look for her.

This time, Ji Fanling found Zhou Sui at the entrance of the pediatrics consultation room.

Zhou Sui rushed out in a hurry, nearly bumping into her. It was only then that she seemed to notice her, her gaze finally focusing on Ji Fanling’s face. “Oh, Ji Fanling, you’re here.”

Ji Fanling asked with concern, “How’s the child?”

“He’s still running a fever. He was on an IV drip yesterday, and again today, but the fever’s gotten worse. It’s up to 38.5 degrees now,” Zhou Sui said, clearly overwhelmed, and her eyes bloodshot. “The doctor said it might be mycoplasma pneumonia and told us to go down to the first floor for a CT scan. I’m taking him there now.”

Ji Fanling urged her again, “Then hurry up and go.”

Zhou Sui called for her mother-in-law, carrying the child as they squeezed into the elevator and headed downstairs. Ji Fanling, not wanting to cause any trouble, stayed where she was and waited.

The entire floor was filled with sick children, all crying sharply like boiling tea kettles, and the constant noise grating on her nerves.

But there was nothing that could be done—these children were sick at just the wrong time.

She had shown up at a bad time, too.

But how could she bring herself to ask Zhou Sui, “Can I stay at your place for a few days?“

Ji Fanling reluctantly waited for another hour.

It seemed like Zhou Sui was stuck in line for the CT scan, as she never came back.

She sighed quietly and left.

*

After leaving the hospital, Ji Fanling suddenly remembered that she only had two yuan left, which she had already spent on the way there.

She thought to herself, she should have borrowed some change from Fu Yingcheng…

Going back to find Zhou Sui didn’t seem necessary either.

A few kilometers wasn’t a big deal, so she decided to just stroll back on foot.

For some reason, even though she hadn’t felt cold on the way there, the wind seemed to have picked up on her way back.

By the time Ji Fanling walked all the way back to Fu Yingcheng’s house, her face was numb from the cold.

She raised her hand, exhaled into her palms to warm them, and knocked softly on the door.

She waited for a while.

But the door didn’t open.

Ji Fanling paused for a moment, and guessed that Fu Yingcheng must have gone out.

What could have made him leave the house at night?

In that instant, an inexplicable thought emerged in her mind.

…

Maybe he was home but just didn’t want her staying any longer.

Was it because she had used the mop without asking? Or because her wet clothes had dripped water all over the balcony?

Ji Fanling began to panic. She rubbed her face hard, refusing to give up. She went back to the door and knocked again, starting softly but gradually getting louder and faster, becoming more urgent.

She knocked again and again.

Five minutes later, the door suddenly opened.

The man stood there in a white shirt and black pants, with the buttons on his long-sleeve shirt fastened all the way to the top. The light-colored mother-of-pearl buttons reflected a cold, refined glow under the entryway light.

Ji Fanling let out a breath of relief. “Gosh, I thought you weren’t home.”

“I was in a meeting in the study room and didn’t hear you.” The man frowned slightly behind his glasses, and his expression clearly displeased.

Ji Fanling’s smile gradually faded, and her lips flattened into a straight line.

She was very annoyed with herself, feeling like an annoying stray dog, shamelessly bothering people everywhere—delaying the child’s medical treatment, interrupting others’ meetings, and begging them to give her a place to stay…

Always knocking on someone else’s door.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were…” Ji Fanling mumbled, pinching her fingertips slowly.

Fu Yingcheng’s voice was cold. “We’ll talk later.”

Ji Fanling immediately shut her mouth.

He glanced at her and raised a hand to point at his ear, his tone softening slightly. “…I wasn’t talking to you.”

Only then did Ji Fanling notice the Bluetooth earpiece he was wearing.

Fu Yingcheng stepped past her, walking outside the door, and said with a calm voice, “Come here.”

Feeling guilty about what had just happened, Ji Fanling obediently followed his instructions for once and moved closer.

Fu Yingcheng stood outside, casually leaning over with one hand resting on the door handle. His fingers quickly tapped a sequence on the door lock’s keypad.

“Give me your hand,” Fu Yingcheng said.

Puzzled, Ji Fanling extended her hand. He grabbed her wrist through the sleeve of her coat.

“…Now, extend one finger.”

Ji Fanling suddenly realized, “Wait, are you adding my fingerprint?”

Fu Yingcheng, still holding her wrist, gently pushed her hand forward.

Her slender fingertip pressed against the cold surface of the fingerprint scanner, slightly flattening. The groove beneath her finger lit up, and a green circle glowing as it rotated clockwise.

“There’s no need for this,” Ji Fanling hesitated, trying to pull back, but her wrist was firmly held by Fu Yingcheng, giving her no chance to withdraw.

Her fingerprint was scanned, and he released her hand.

“If you’re in a meeting, I can wait by the door.”

Pressed, released.

“And I’m only staying one more night, so there’s really no need…”

Pressed, released.

With a soft “ding,” the fingerprint lock beeped, signaling that the fingerprint had been successfully registered.

That soft ding perfectly filled the beat that Ji Fanling’s heart had skipped.

She now had a door.

A door that would open for her, without the need to knock.

Fu Yingcheng released her wrist, straightened up, and gave her a brief glance.

Ji Fanling instinctively took a step back, but he followed, stepping forward two paces, entering the entryway and standing in front of her. With a backward motion, he closed the door behind him.

His chest was now just inches from Ji Fanling’s nose.

The closing door stirred a cold gust of night air, bringing with it a faint, solitary woody scent from the man’s body.

“Whether it’s necessary or not isn’t up to you.”

The man’s voice came from above her, still as cold, indifferent, and lazy as always, with a deep, low ending:

“Adding your fingerprint is because I don’t like opening the door for people.”

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Author’s Note:

Stubborn as a mule.

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