Headache

Wei Yin hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

The woman owned the shop. She spoke and moved with an easy warmth, and she clearly saw at a glance that Wei Yin was new to consignment and didn’t know the process. She explained everything patiently and in detail.

“My consignment periods here are three months, six months, and one year. Yours counts as a ceramic trinket, so the display spot will be the cabinet you were standing by just now. I’ll put it on the middle three shelves and won’t move it around unless I have a reason.”

Wei Yin nodded. She was explaining the consignment rules, as well as where and how it would be displayed.

“During the consignment period, we’re responsible for safekeeping it. After it sells, I take 30% of the profit. Of course, since this is our first collaboration, if sales are good later, we can lower it again.”

Thirty percent?

Wei Yin didn’t dwell on whether the cut was high. She didn’t know much about consignment anyway; rather than focus on the commission, she might as well ask how much these could sell for.

Wei Yin said, “Who sets the price?”

“You can tell me the minimum price,” the woman said honestly. “When I sell it, I’ll definitely mark it up.”

Wei Yin couldn’t think of a number on the spot, so she simply told her, “Anything above 1,200. You decide the exact price. My handiwork is worth quite a lot; selling it cheap wouldn’t be worth it.”

The woman agreed. The two of them discussed a few more details, took photos for the record, and signed a contract.

Wei Yin chose a three-month consignment period. If it didn’t sell by then, she would take it back and keep it for herself to admire, or give it to a friend.

The woman glanced at Wei Yin’s other box. “Is this one also for consignment?”

Wei Yin shook her head. “No, it’s for a friend.”

After saying that, she hesitated a little, then opened it to show the woman.

Inside was a lush, radiant sunflower.

The workmanship was exquisite, the colors vivid and lifelike, capturing the full energy of a sunflower blooming in the light.

It wasn’t a one-to-one copy of an ordinary sunflower. Instead, the intricate petals had been simplified; each one that showed was nimble and natural, thin and translucent. Artistic intention and the essence of the plant itself had been compressed into this sunflower, making it impossible not to fall in love with at first sight.

The woman liked it immediately. “This one, I’ll only take 15%.”

Wei Yin closed the lid and put it in her bag, smiling. “This one isn’t for sale.”

She was giving it to Hua Yu; she wouldn’t sell it.

The woman looked regretful. “If it were for your own use, I’d even want to borrow it for a few months. It would draw customers if it were displayed in the shop.”

The owner’s reaction proved the sunflower had turned out beautifully, and Wei Yin felt no regret at all. She said a cheerful goodbye to the owner.

She wasn’t a ceramics master who could make something especially beautiful with a random pinch of clay. The main reason was that sunflowers had been her favorite flower since childhood, so she’d made them many times. That was why this one had turned out better than the rest.

This sunflower was different from the ones she’d made before. It had a little less grandeur and a little more elegance, better suited to careful appreciation. She wondered whether Dr. Hua would like it.

In the end, Wei Yin bought Zhao Qi a panda plushie, a line-drawn potted hydrangea, and a book of funny anecdotes. When she reached the hospital entrance, she also picked up a pomelo fruit basket on a whim.

A lot of fruit could raise blood sugar quickly and wasn’t suitable for Zhao Qi, but pomelo was fine; at least she could eat some.

Following her principle that anything bought should be practical, Wei Yin carried a bag of things and knocked on Zhao Qi’s ward door.

Zhao Qi had already been moved to a general ward. Wei Yin had asked the nurse and been told visitors were allowed.

“Sis Wei Yin!”

Zhao Qi was scrolling on her phone in the recliner by the window. The moment she saw Wei Yin, she sprang up.

Her mother wasn’t at the hospital today; she had work too.

Wei Yin smiled as she walked over and studied her. “How are you feeling these past two days?”

Zhao Qi still looked sickly, with sunken dark circles under her eyes and lips tinted purple, but her spirits were much better. It was nothing like before, when she could only lie in bed.

At the mention of this, Zhao Qi showered Hua Yu with sincere praise.

“Dr. Hua is your attending physician now?” Wei Yin asked in surprise. “Since when?”

Zhao Qi counted on her fingers. “Since the day after you came to see me last time. Dr. Liu got sick, so Dr. Hua took over my treatment.”

Wei Yin kept nodding, as if she were swallowing a reassuring pill. “Dr. Hua is very good. She can treat you.”

Zhao Qi corrected her unhappily, “Not treat me; she’s treating me.”

Wei Yin smiled but said nothing.

Zhao Qi was delighted by the topic too. “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but ever since Dr. Hua started looking after me, it feels like my condition’s been shot out of a rocket and launched straight into outer space.”

“What a strange way to put it,” Wei Yin said, amused. “Illness comes like a landslide and goes like unraveling silk. You need to calm down and follow the doctor’s instructions for a slow recovery.”

Wei Yin touched Zhao Qi’s head. Her hair was black and long, but because of the illness it had turned yellow and dry; it felt rough and made Wei Yin a little heartbroken, so she stroked it a few more times.

“Hey, my hair isn’t something just anyone gets to touch, okay, seeing as you’re pretty, Sis Wei Yin,” Zhao Qi said, though a little shyly. She pinched up the stray strands falling over her forehead. “I really want to shave it all off. Do you think hair grows back better if you shave it clean first?”

Wei Yin took the question seriously and touched her own head. “I’m not sure. Before I got sick, my hair was stiff, and after I got sick it got soft. I actually like soft hair quite a lot.”

She had a slight natural curl; if it was cared for well, it could puff up into a big frizz, which would look pretty bad.

“You should grow it long,” Zhao Qi said casually. “I feel like you’d look even better with long hair.”

Long hair?

Washing it would be troublesome, and she’d have to blow-dry it too. If she didn’t take proper care of it, it would turn into a tangled mess. Wei Yin did not want long hair.

She smiled. “We’ll see later.”

“I should be able to eat a piece of pomelo,” Zhao Qi muttered to herself. “But I should still ask the doctor first.”

Wei Yin was just about to stop her when Zhao Qi had already talked herself into agreeing. Wei Yin couldn’t help praising her, “Exactly. If you listen to the doctor, you’ll get better sooner and be discharged sooner.”

Zhao Qi obediently agreed. “Okay. When I’m discharged, I’ll come find Sis Wei Yin to play.”

“Mm, I’ll wait for you.”

After leaving Zhao Qi’s ward, Wei Yin’s mood lifted again.

Seeing Zhao Qi recover well made her feel much lighter.

Following her memory, Wei Yin went to the nursing station in the differentiation department. “Is Yang Cha here?”

“Head nurse, someone’s looking for you.”

Yang Cha was preparing medication and called out, “Wait a moment.”

Another nurse who had just finished changing medication walked over.

Wei Yin remembered that this was the little nurse who often stayed by Yang Cha’s side; her name was Liu Rannran.

“Are you looking for Dr. Hua?” Liu Rannran came up to her. “She’s in the building across the way. She’s still busy.”

“It’s fine. I can go find her myself. Can you tell me the room?”

Liu Rannran scratched her head. “I only know which floor.”

Wei Yin got the floor number from her, left the pastries she’d bought along the way, and turned to go find Hua Yu.

By the time Yang Cha came out, Wei Yin had already left.

“She went to find Dr. Hua,” Liu Rannran said as she opened the box, took out a jujube paste pastry, and shared it with the other nurses.

Yang Cha let out a low laugh and picked out a napoleon. “These two are in sync. Dr. Hua mentioned Wei Yin in morning rounds today too. No wonder they’re such a little couple.”

“Huh? How did they become a couple?”

“You still haven’t figured it out? They’re already living together!”

The little nurses eavesdropping nearby were shocked in unison: oo!!

Yang Cha’s mouth ran on and on. “Didn’t Dr. Hua recently get close to her heat period? She asked me for suppressants; the strongest kind.”

Liu Rannran looked at her. “Doesn’t Dr. Hua always use the strong version?”

The others chimed in as well. “Yeah, even in our department, we can barely smell Dr. Hua’s pheromones.”

Yang Cha waved a hand, looking mysterious. “The department is nothing. She wanted the most powerful kind because she was afraid it would affect the person she lives with day and night.”

Liu Rannran’s eyes darted, then widened. “You mean—?”

She looked in the direction Wei Yin had gone and pointed. “Her?”

Yang Cha nodded.

The nursing station completely exploded.

Wei Yin, unaware that she had become gossip material, arrived at the building across the way. The entrance required a card swipe, but fortunately someone was cleaning on the first floor, so Wei Yin followed them in.

When she got to the designated floor, she made a circuit but didn’t see anyone.

It was empty; not a single person in sight.

Just as Wei Yin was wondering about it, footsteps came from the lounge behind her.

Wei Yin turned, about to ask for directions, when she saw the other person leave in a hurry, not even glancing at her.

“Hey…”

Then another person came out, looking much the same as the one before; both were tense and worried. Wei Yin hurriedly stopped her.

“Hello, may I ask if Dr. Hua Yu is here?”

The other person stopped and sized her up. “You’re looking for Dr. Hua? Who are you?”

“I’m her…” Wei Yin hesitated. Calling herself a housekeeper didn’t seem appropriate here. “Her roommate. My name is Wei Yin. She hasn’t come home for several days, so I came to see her.”

“Roommate?” The other person didn’t believe her and told Wei Yin to wait where she was. “I’ll go ask Dr. Hua.”

Half a minute later, that person poked her head out and waved at Wei Yin with a smile. “Come in.”

There was only one bed in the lounge, covered with pale blue sheets, and Hua Yu was lying on it.

“She’s… sick?”

Wei Yin didn’t dare go in at once.

The other person shook her head. “Headache. Dr. Hua gets like this when she’s worked overtime too much.”

At that moment, Hua Yu tilted her head slightly and looked over at Wei Yin.

Her white coat was still on. Lying flat on the bed, her side profile looked thin and pale; as she gently closed her eyes, weariness seemed to seep from every pore.

She looks so tired, Wei Yin thought.

The Hua Yu before her suddenly felt unreal and distant.

She had seen the composed, measured Hua Yu; the professional, meticulous Hua Yu; she had seen Hua Yu speaking eloquently, witty and humorous; and even the adorable, complaining Hua Yu when she was drunk.

But she had never seen her like this, exhausted and weak.

When Hua Yu turned her head, those deep, quiet eyes settled on her, and Wei Yin came back to herself as if waking from a dream. She subconsciously rushed over.

“Dr. Hua, are you okay?” Her voice came out so soft it was almost inaudible.

Wei Yin hurriedly cleared her throat and raised her volume. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Hua Yu curved the corner of her mouth at her and said to the person beside her, “Don’t worry about me. Go back to work first; I’ll rest for a while and be fine.”

The other person nodded and left. “Call us if you need anything.”

Wei Yin crouched by Hua Yu’s bed, holding her breath, her face full of worry.

“What’s that expression?” Hua Yu’s lips lifted slightly. “I’m fine.”

Wei Yin said nothing; she just kept staring at her.

Hua Yu said helplessly, “My brain was overworked. I’ve got a headache. Old problem.”

“You used to work overtime too,” Wei Yin said, her voice trembling at the end. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

Hua Yu lay still. Turning her head had made her dizzy, so she closed her eyes for a moment. “My heat period is coming soon.”

Her pheromone level was extremely high. To make a comparison, if other people’s pheromones were heat at 10, hers could reach 100. And because her pheromones had a pronounced effect on the brain, she had been exceptionally smart since childhood, and had also had headaches during her heat period since then.

When she was little, her parents had nourished her with traditional Chinese medicine for quite a long time. Hua Yu’s condition had already improved a lot; as long as she didn’t overuse her brain, it wouldn’t be too unbearable.

“Does heat make you dizzy?” Wei Yin asked helplessly. “What can I do to make you feel better?”

Hua Yu gave a faint smile. “It’s already much better. I’ll be off rotation starting tomorrow. If I rest well, it’ll be fine.”

Seeing that Wei Yin was still worried, Hua Yu took the initiative to ask, “Why did you come over today?”

Wei Yin said softly, “You’ve been working overtime for so many days and haven’t replied to my messages.”

She had already been worried that Hua Yu wasn’t resting properly because of overtime, and now she’d really caught her.

“Yes, that’s my fault,” Hua Yu’s tone was gentle, and nothing else could be read from her eyes. “I made you worry.”

Wei Yin wanted to complain about it when she heard this, but seeing Hua Yu like this, she didn’t know how to say it. After holding it in for a while, she still repeated the same point: “You didn’t even have time to reply to a message.”

Hua Yu let out an almost imperceptible sigh and lowered her eyes. “What are you holding?”

Wei Yin muttered, “A sunflower.”

“Let me see.”

Wei Yin opened the box, placed it by Hua Yu’s hand, and then adjusted the height of the headboard so Hua Yu could half-recline.

Hua Yu looked quietly at the sunflower. It was not quite the same as the one in her memory.

Brighter and more beautiful, passionate and full of life; a surge of vitality hit her full in the face.

Wei Yin said in a small voice, “It was meant for you from the start.”

Hua Yu reached out with her fingertips and brushed the texture of it, then asked softly, “Have you ever given sunflowers to anyone else?”