Chapter 4

The rain came down hard and kept falling.

It drummed on without letup for nearly the whole night and day, refusing to stop even by Friday evening.

Yu Min had always had a weak constitution. After getting soaked on the way back, then not changing out of her wet clothes in time, it was no surprise that she came down with a low fever that night. In the middle of the night, she was drowsy and dizzy, miserable all over; her body burned, but she couldn’t get up, and no matter how hard she tried to wake herself, her mind stayed muddled.

She had caught a cold. By the time she finally struggled awake, her throat was dry and sore, her head was aching, and even her voice had gone hoarse.

She’d spent the whole night burning up; it felt as if she’d almost been cooked through.

As soon as she got out of bed, she felt light-headed and unsteady. Still half-stunned, Yu Min went to find some medicine to take. Aunt was the first to notice something was wrong. She pressed the back of her hand to Yu Min’s forehead to feel her temperature, then checked with a thermometer.

A fever of 39.2°C.

“Oh my, how did this happen? Did the air conditioner blow on you too much?” Aunt cried, alarmed. “It’s been raining outside this whole time; this is really... No, we have to go to the hospital. Just taking medicine won’t be enough.”

A cold was no major illness. A trip to the hospital meant the usual routine; the doctor ordered an IV and some medicine, and once the fever came down, there was basically nothing serious to worry about.

“You were home all day, so where did you get caught in the rain? When did you even go out?” Zhou Jin couldn’t make sense of it. “What were you doing?”

Yu Min kept it from him and brushed it off. “Nothing much. I just went out for a walk and got caught in the rain.”

“All right, be careful next time.” Zhou Jin believed her; he wasn’t the type who knew how to take care of people. He scratched his head. “My parents can’t come over right now. They’ll probably be here later. If you need anything, tell me; I’ll stay with you.”

The IV drip moved slowly. Three huge bottles of fluid took up most of the afternoon.

Yu Min was still dizzy. Lying on the hospital bed, she drifted in and out of sleep, her chest uncomfortable and her stomach even worse. First she felt like throwing up; after that wave passed, hunger set in.

Young Master Zhou was hardly someone who knew how to look after a sick person. To him, “stay with you” meant exactly that: he sat there brazenly on the adjoining bed, playing with his phone, and by noon he still hadn’t thought to buy a meal. Even when Yu Min’s fluids ran out, she had to ring the bell herself to call the nurse over for the next bag.

Luckily, the hospital cafeteria wheeled meal carts to the ward entrance at mealtime, so the families of the other patients all went out to buy food. Only then did Zhou Jin, a beat late, put down his phone and ask, “Can you eat? Want a box meal or some porridge?”

Yu Min’s face was deathly pale as she leaned against the iron bed frame. She was so hungry she felt hollow.

“Either is fine. Just buy whatever.”

Zhou Jin had money, so he bought both a box meal and porridge. While he was at it, he made a phone call to report the situation and sent the hospital location on WeChat.

Seeing him message someone, Yu Min naturally assumed he was chatting with Aunt or Uncle Xiao. She didn’t really see who he was talking to. She took the porridge, along with a box of plain greens, and opened them with one hand to eat by herself.

“Be careful. There’s a needle in your hand; don’t yank it out and end up going through this all over again,” Zhou Jin said nervously. He was afraid of needles and didn’t dare look at her hand for long. “The nurse said it should be done around one o’clock. If the fever comes down today, you won’t have to come back tomorrow. Otherwise you’d have to make another trip. My dad’s not home today either; he’s gone to my great-grandfather’s place. Someone else will come pick us up later.”

Yu Min had no objections. “Anything works.”

The location had been sent to that “someone else”; namely, the idle Lin Baixin.

Yu Min didn’t know any of this. After paying, she followed Zhou Jin to the parking lot. Halfway there, Zhou Jin asked, “Are you still dizzy? If you want, you can sit in the front once we get in the car. That might feel better.”

Yu Min said, “No need.”

After the IV, she felt even more drained. Even the left hand that had been injected was half numb. Cold wind mixed with fine rain lashed at them wildly. Yu Min kept her head down to dodge the rain, caring only for herself and not looking where she was going. She opened the car door, got into the back seat, and closed it. Only when she happened to glance up toward the front did she realize.

Lin Baixin had come alone, dressed in an entirely different style from usual: a white shirt with jeans, neat and capable. She had done her hair today, and a leather bag sat in the passenger seat, making it look as if she had come straight from work.

“Sis.” Zhou Jin waved. “I was just about to call you, and then you showed up.” His gaze also swept over the bag, and he clearly knew Lin Baixin’s schedule well enough. “My dad didn’t come with you?”

“No.” Lin Baixin said, “He had something to do and went back first.” Through the rearview mirror, she glanced at the sick girl in back. Yu Min’s face was still white as paper, without a trace of color. “You two all set?”

“Of course,” Zhou Jin cut in, lifting his chin proudly. “I handled it myself; everything’s definitely been taken care of. Absolutely guaranteed.”

With all the windows shut tight and not a crack left open, the meeting was just a brief formality; they exchanged a few words, and Lin Baixin remained as calm and detached as ever.

“My dad said you were coming to pick us up, and I thought he was lying to me. Aren’t you supposed to be heading back to Kyoto? My mom said you already bought a ticket. What day is it for?”

“Not decided yet. I’ll see.”

“That works too. Enjoy your break; no rush.”

Yu Min stayed on the side the whole time. Her throat itched, and she couldn’t help coughing a few times. She covered her mouth and turned away, doing her best to keep the sound down, even her coughs as quiet as possible.

Lin Baixin handed two bottles of water to the back seat. Zhou Jin took them and passed one to Yu Min. Yu Min was coughing so hard her face had turned slightly red; she was forcing it down, and the harder she tried to hold it back, the less she could control it.

“Th-thank you... cough, cough...” Yu Min said, taking the water and setting it on her lap before turning her face away again.

Then a pack of tissues was handed back. Lin Baixin didn’t seem to mind any of it; she simply turned off the air conditioner with the back of her hand.

The car drove into the residential complex, but it wasn’t heading to Zhou Jin’s house. It was going next door.

For the rest of the afternoon, they were under Lin Baixin’s care until the adults came to pick them up.

Zhou Jin was thinking about his computer. It was the last day before his deadline; tomorrow he’d lose his gaming freedom. He didn’t want to stay here. His eyes darted, and he quickly said, “Sis, I’ll take Yu Min’s medicine home first, then come back later. Right, I want to go shower first so I don’t have to wash up again tonight. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be back after I’m done.”

Seeing through his little scheme, Lin Baixin didn’t stop him and just went along with it. “Come back at six for dinner.”

Zhou Jin took off at once. “Got it!”

That left only Yu Min and Lin Baixin in the house. It was Yu Min’s first time here, and because she was sick and muddle-headed, she was slow to react. Faced with the unfamiliar surroundings, she froze for a moment, standing there uncertainly, wondering whether to go with Zhou Jin or stay.

Lin Baixin spoke first and made the decision for her.

“It’s still early. Do you want to go upstairs and rest for a bit?”

Yu Min hesitated. “I...”

“Then how about watching TV?” Lin Baixin asked.

After a pause, Yu Min murmured, “...Okay.”

The detached villa looked similar to Zhou Jin’s house from the outside, but inside it was completely different. Unlike the other place’s lavish, ornate style, this one was minimalist and modern, easy on the eyes.

There was no live-in maid here. Lin Baixin only came back during long vacations each year, and not even every time she had a break from school would she return to Siping County. With so few people, the whole house felt especially empty and quiet.

The “TV” was actually a projector. Lin Baixin casually turned it on for her. “What do you want to watch? A movie or a drama?”

Yu Min still gave the same answer. “Anything’s fine.”

“Then a movie. Sci-fi?”

“Mm.”

She put on Inception. Yu Min had seen it before, but she kept quiet. Whatever movie the other person chose, she would watch it.

“If you don’t like it, change it yourself,” Lin Baixin said.

“Mm, okay.” Yu Min nodded. She didn’t change it, only lowered her gaze and sat down in the corner of the sofa, not taking the middle seat.

She thought Lin Baixin probably wasn’t really planning to watch the movie; she was just killing time and making arrangements for her. Yu Min was very self-aware and tried as hard as she could to keep her presence low, so as not to trouble the other woman.

Sure enough, Lin Baixin set down the remote and left, going upstairs for a while.

Since she had just arrived, and this was someone else’s place after all, Yu Min acted as if she were still at Aunt’s house. She sat properly while watching the movie; her back was straight, and she didn’t dare lounge carelessly against the sofa.

When footsteps sounded at the stairwell and it seemed Lin Baixin had gone to the second floor, Yu Min finally dared to turn her head and glance openly in the direction Lin Baixin had left. Her fingers unconsciously curled around the edge of the sofa, tugging at it lightly.

The movie had only just finished its opening when the other woman came back down.

Yu Min released her grip and turned forward as if nothing had happened, deliberately facing the big screen straight on, pretending all her attention was on the movie and nothing else.

Lin Baixin was carrying a pair of long pants and a shawl.

She came over and placed them beside Yu Min.

Yu Min sat even straighter, not understanding what had been put down. She didn’t look at it, treating it as if it were just some random item left there.

Lin Baixin gave no explanation. After setting them down, she sat too and watched the movie.

The images kept changing as the plot unfolded, tight and fast-paced. Yu Min’s nose was blocked, her breathing obstructed; she could only part her lips a little to get air. Her attention wasn’t on the movie at all. Breathing through her mouth made a sound, very soft, so soft that no one else could actually hear it, but she still deliberately kept it down. Quietly, she tugged at the sofa again, her knuckles scraping the fabric, which stung a little.

Only after a while did she notice the pants and shawl beside her. Yu Min didn’t really understand; her mind was so drained it wouldn’t turn properly. She blinked, then realized they were for her to change into.

It was still raining, and the temperature had dropped. She was still wearing shorts... Biting the soft inside of her lower lip, Yu Min, as usual, didn’t look at the other person and said softly,

“Thank you...”

Lin Baixin said, “It’s nothing.”

The pants were new. Lin Baixin was 176 centimeters tall; she was tall, while Yu Min was under 170. On Yu Min, the pants were too long, and the cuffs had to be rolled up a bit before they fit properly.

The shawl was something Lin Baixin had used before; it was old, and carried a pleasant scent.

Probably the smell of laundry detergent.

Only then did Yu Min belatedly feel the cold. The weather was a little above twenty degrees, and the hospital had been stuffy. She couldn’t feel the change in temperature properly in the car, but wearing long pants was indeed better.

Yu Min was too thin, thinner than she had looked even two days ago. Her ankle was so slight one hand could almost wrap around it. In her current weak, sickly state, she looked as if a gust of wind could knock her over.

Inception ran for over two hours, longer than an ordinary movie.

There was very little conversation afterward. Yu Min was quiet and introverted, and Lin Baixin wasn’t the talkative type either. They simply watched the movie in silence, keeping their distance and not disturbing each other.

The rain stopped a little after four. The entire sky had been washed clean, clusters of white clouds gathered overhead, and everything was a clear, deep blue.

After one movie ended, Lin Baixin switched to another. She kicked off her slippers; sitting too long had made her legs ache, so she curled one long leg up barefoot on the sofa and leaned back casually.

Yu Min relaxed a little as well. Her gaze drifted to one point, then secretly passed over the other woman and away again, never lingering for even an instant.