Xu Yueliang squatted down to pick up the cup from the floor, guilt flooding her face until it nearly sealed her lips shut. “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t hold on tight. I’m really such a klutz…”
“It’s okay,” Lin Qimian said. “That was my fault.”
Xu Yueliang wasn’t listening, though. She snatched up the cup but kept frowning at the water stain on the carpet. “What are we gonna do about this? It’ll get all moldy. Should I… blot it with some paper?”
Lin Qimian had no intention of squandering this precious time scrubbing the carpet. More importantly, if they waited much longer, the water on Xu Yueliang’s pant leg would dry out.
“Sure,” she said offhandedly. She turned to the nightstand, yanked open the drawer, and pulled out a full pack of tissues. Ripping off all the packaging in one go, she bent down and tossed several thick wads right onto the stain.
Xu Yueliang’s mouth dropped open in a perfect O, her eyes wide with shock at the sheer waste.
“That’ll do it. Don’t worry about it,” Lin Qimian said. “Your pants are soaked. You should change.”
The subject pivoted so abruptly that Xu Yueliang’s O lingered. “Ah.”
Lin Qimian slid out of bed and headed for the walk-in closet. Xu Yueliang trotted after her, hands outstretched like she was ready to catch her if she tripped.
The closet door swung open, and the motion-sensor light flickered on. Everything was meticulously organized: clothes folded or hung as appropriate, shoes and socks in their places. Immaculately clean.
The palette skewed muted—mostly blacks, whites, and grays claiming the bulk of the space.
But Lin Qimian nudged open another door and plucked a set of pink loungewear from amid a sea of beiges.
“Put this on,” she said. “It’ll match the slippers better.”
Xu Yueliang: “!!!!”
Who knew Doctor Lin was so exacting about coordination?
Xu Yueliang had been wavering. The damp spot on her clothes would air-dry soon enough. Wearing someone else’s intimates felt a tad off. And she wouldn’t be staying long—hardly worth the hassle…
But Doctor Lin had declared it matched the slippers.
Xu Yueliang glanced down. The slippers were a soft pink, adorned with fluffy bow accents—irresistibly cute.
They clashed hard with her jeans and hoodie.
She hadn’t packed her own slippers, and if it bugged Doctor Lin, she’d have no choice but to swap them out.
Biting her lower lip, she looked up with wide, obedient eyes. “Okay.”
Lin Qimian handed over the clothes and turned back toward the bedroom. “Toss the dirty ones in the laundry basket.”
Xu Yueliang watched her silhouette vanish through the doorway, then exhaled a long breath.
She glanced around. Doctor Lin’s closet was enormous.
Xu Yueliang had plenty of clothes herself—mostly flashy, colorful getups for her streams, nothing she’d wear in public.
And hers weren’t half this tidy; pinpointing one meant dragging out a pile.
She pouted. No way could she fling open her own closet like this for anyone to see.
Slumping onto the bench, she changed.
Stepping in front of the full-length mirror, every trace of her sulk evaporated, swept away by pure delight.
She never would’ve guessed Doctor Lin’s clothes would fit her like a glove!
Doctor Lin towered over her, their everyday styles polar opposites, yet this loungewear didn’t just pair with the slippers—it suited her perfectly.
Pink vertical stripes, ruffled edges on the sleeves and pant legs, a massive dolly collar trimmed with fluffy bows.
“Ah…” Xu Yueliang breathed.
She couldn’t even imagine Doctor Lin rocking this look.
A quick front-and-back once-over, and Xu Yueliang hurried out—no dawdling.
Doctor Lin still needed water. She rinsed the cup and refilled it.
Back in the bedroom, Doctor Lin was propped against the headboard, thermometer in hand.
Xu Yueliang rushed over. “Temperature taken? How’s it look?”
Lin Qimian passed it to her. “Low-grade fever. Nothing serious.”
Xu Yueliang craned her neck to peer at the display. “Mm, 37.4. That’s not too bad.”
Lin Qimian smiled.
This time, the water went down without a hitch. Lin Qimian sipped steadily while Xu Yueliang watched her every swallow, the room hushed to perfect stillness.
Lin Qimian set the cup aside and eyed Xu Yueliang, thoroughly pleased with her selection.
Xu Yueliang caught the look, ducked her head, and fiddled with the hem of her top, giving it a little sway. “I never figured Doctor Lin for someone who lounges around in such cute stuff at home~~~”
Lin Qimian: “…”
She murmured a vague, “Mm.”
Xu Yueliang peered up at her. “Doctor Lin, you got a touch of OCD, don’t you?”
Lin Qimian: “What gives you that idea?”
Xu Yueliang glanced around. “Everything in your room is arranged so neatly, all square and proper.”
Xu Yueliang clearly didn’t have OCD; she was incredibly laid-back. Even if fan gifts piled up to 999, she wouldn’t bother adding one more just to hit a thousand.
Lin Qimian didn’t want to seem too distant from her. “The housekeeper tidied it up.”
Xu Yueliang fell silent for a moment.
She fiddled with her fingers. “Doctor Lin, do you have a bit of a neat freak streak? Seems like a lot of doctors do…”
Lin Qimian lifted her eyelids and pointed to the tissues on the carpet, still soaking up the water on their own. “See? I don’t.”
“Oh, right.” Xu Yueliang gave an embarrassed smile.
She wanted to ask Doctor Lin a few more questions, but the doorbell rang suddenly.
Xu Yueliang turned to peer outside as Lin Qimian frowned.
“I’ll get the door, Doctor Lin,” Xu Yueliang said, standing up.
“Wait a second,” Lin Qimian called out.
She pulled up the surveillance feed on her phone. “I didn’t order anything, and none of my friends said they were stopping by…”
She trailed off. There, outside the door, stood an unexpected visitor. Lin Qimian couldn’t fathom why Lin Zixuan had shown up.
Seeing her go quiet, Xu Yueliang asked worriedly, “Doctor Lin? What’s wrong? Who is it?”
Lin Qimian thought it over for a few seconds, then looked up. “Could you stop calling me Doctor Lin?”
“Huh?” Xu Yueliang blinked.
Lin Qimian blinked back at her. “I’m going to let the person outside in, but I need you to play along and act with me.”
“Huh!”
Xu Yueliang snapped to attention in an instant. She leaned in close, her expression turning deadly serious, as if she’d just been handed a mission to save the nation. “Doctor Lin, tell me what to do!”
Her tone rang out firm and resolute.
Lin Qimian matched her seriousness. “You’re still calling me Doctor Lin.”
“Doctor Lin, then what do I call you?”
“Call me Lin Qimian. If it’s necessary, just Qimian. And if it’s really necessary…”
She hesitated, the words sticking in her throat.
Xu Yueliang caught on quick. “Got it! Mianmian!”
Lin Qimian stared. “…”
Her temperature ticked up another notch.
“Ahem. Just act like we’re really close—like I don’t need anyone else looking after me,” Lin Qimian explained.
“Got it, Mianmian.” Xu Yueliang turned and headed for the door.
Lin Qimian couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not even going to ask who’s out there or why we’re doing this?”
Xu Yueliang glanced back over her shoulder. “Doctor Lin has her reasons.”
Lin Qimian watched her go. When it came to dealing with outsiders, Xu Yueliang trusted her completely.
She paused, then added, “It’s my stepsister outside. Stepsister—got it?”
Xu Yueliang’s face grew even graver, like she was marching into battle. “Got it.”
Her footsteps thudded heavier as she walked away.
Lin Qimian didn’t want to miss the show, so she slipped out of bed.
She crept to the edge of the bedroom doorway, where she had a clear view of the scene, and stopped there.
Xu Yueliang took a deep breath and swung the door open.
Lin Zixuan on the doorstep clearly hadn’t expected anyone but her sister to answer. She froze for a second, then craned her neck to double-check the apartment number. “This is the right one…”
“Who are you looking for?” Xu Yueliang asked.
She’d tried to toughen up her tone, but her naturally sweet voice made it come out soft and gooey.
“My sister,” Lin Zixuan replied in that same sing-song lilt. “Her name’s Lin Qimian. She’s a doctor.”
“You’ve got the right place,” Xu Yueliang said. “Doctor Lin lives here.”
“Ah—you’re…?”
Xu Yueliang ignored the question and called into the apartment, “Qimian! Someone’s here for you!”
Lin Qimian nearly burst out laughing.
That shout alone, with all its momentum—Xu Yueliang’s acting was spot-on.
She’d never called her like that before. It was like a whole new person.
Lin Qimian cleared her throat, ready to respond, but Xu Yueliang beat her to it, turning back toward the door. “Sorry, but Qimian’s not feeling well today. She’s probably not up for visitors.”
“I know she’s sick,” Lin Zixuan said. “I’m not here for her to entertain me—I came to take her to the hospital.”
“It’s just a little cold. No fever or anything. A couple days of rest and she’ll be fine.” Xu Yueliang held the door open wider. “Come on in.”
Lin Qimian ducked back out of sight.
Lin Zixuan stepped inside, her eyes darting all around. Xu Yueliang recognized the look all too well. She bent down to the shoe cabinet, making a show of smoothly pulling out a pair of slippers. “First time here?”
“Yeah,” Lin Zixuan said. “I was studying abroad until last month.”
Xu Yueliang arched a brow. Nailed it.
They headed farther inside, and Xu Yueliang gestured to the living room. “Have a seat.”
Lin Zixuan was obedient as always. She nodded to Xu Yueliang and went to sit down.
Exuding the poise of a perfect host, Xu Yueliang handed her a glass of water before saying, “I’ll go check if Qimian’s up yet. She was sleeping a little while ago.”
“Okay~” Lin Zixuan replied.
Xu Yueliang strode into the bedroom with perfect posture, but the moment she reached a spot just outside the door where she couldn’t be seen from the living room, her spine curved like a cat’s. She scurried over to Lin Qimian in tiny steps and whispered, “I’m back. She’s in the living room. Doctor Lin, how’d I do? Did I nail the vibe?”
“That’s the vibe,” Lin Qimian said with a smile, pinching the tip of her nose.
“！！！！”
Xu Yueliang’s cheeks flushed bright red. “Do we have to be this intimate?”
“…Yeah.”
Xu Yueliang lifted her hand but didn’t quite dare to pinch back. Instead, she just tapped Lin Qimian’s nose lightly with her fingertip. “Got it~ I understand~~”
“…”
Lin Qimian’s heart skipped a beat.
“I grabbed her a pair of blue slippers,” Xu Yueliang went on. “You’ve got several pairs in the shoe cabinet. That’s okay, right?”
“Sure.”
“The glass I picked was from the rack—just a plain clear one, no fancy designs. Fine?”
“Sure.”
“So, Doctor Lin, are you heading out now?”
“Whatever you think. If you’ve got this handled, I’ll stay put. If not, I’ll step in.”
Xu Yueliang wiggled her shoulders. “Then I’d better give it my best shot. She’s got the same style as me~~”
“Hm?”
“Cute and sweet, with that super cutesy way of talking~~”
Lin Qimian laughed. “She’s not as cute as you.”
Xu Yueliang’s lips curved up in a huge grin. “And she’s not half as pretty as you, Doctor Lin~~”
She didn’t dare meet Lin Qimian’s eyes after that. Instead, she spun around and dashed back out like a whirlwind.
Lin Qimian overheard her say, “Qimian’s still sleeping. She took some medicine earlier—it’s got a sedative in it.”
“Oh, I see,” Lin Zixuan said. She sounded concerned as she asked, “What happened? How’d she catch a cold? We talked on the phone a couple days ago, and she seemed totally fine. My sister’s a doctor—she usually takes such good care of herself…”
“Changing seasons, you know,” Xu Yueliang replied. “Everyone gets a little headache or fever now and then. Even doctors aren’t immune to it.”
“When did it start?”
Xu Yueliang started spinning a tale. “Yesterday—no, actually the day before. National Day, right? She wanted to go out and enjoy it. Wouldn’t put on an extra jacket no matter what I said—just a thin shirt with a wide-open collar. In and out, catching every breeze…”
“Hey!” Xu Yueliang slapped her thigh and frowned. “Next time, I’m bundling her up no matter what she says!”
Lin Zixuan watched her. “Sister, you and my sister are so close…”
“We get by,” Xu Yueliang said with a smile. “We’ve known each other a long time. When she gets sick, she turns into a total kid. I just look after her a bit more.”
“Sister, you look kind of familiar.”
“…Do I?”
“There aren’t many people as pretty as you~” Lin Zixuan propped her chin on her hand, thinking it over. “Hmm… I saw a dance video yesterday…”
Cold sweat beaded on Xu Yueliang’s forehead.
Lin Zixuan smiled. “That sister doing the Feitian Dance was gorgeous. She looks just like you.”
She bent down to grab her phone. “What’s your name, sister? I still don’t know. Let me show you the video…”
Xu Yueliang froze solid, too stunned to move.
All her clever plans evaporated. Every ounce of her quick thinking went offline.
The Feitian Dance videos blowing up online these past couple days—who else’s could they be?
She couldn’t hide her name forever. Her stream handle was Little Moon, and her real name was Xu Yueliang.
She’d wanted to play the part of Doctor Lin’s good friend, backing her up perfectly.
But now, any second, she was about to embarrass Doctor Lin in front of everyone.
Xu Yueliang shot to her feet and bolted toward the kitchen. “There’s juice and coffee in the fridge. Anything else you’d like to drink…”
“Eh?” Lin Zixuan looked up.
Xu Yueliang barely registered her. All she wanted was to hide.
She hurried forward a few steps—only for a figure to appear right in her path, blocking the way.
Lin Qimian stood there, resting a warm hand on her shoulder and gently turning her around.
Xu Yueliang half-fell into Lin Qimian’s arms, enveloped in softness that felt utterly secure.
Lin Qimian guided her until they faced the living room together.
Then, from just above her head, Lin Qimian’s voice rang out, laced with amusement. “Yeah, that video’s Moon’s. You saw it too, huh?”
Xu Yueliang’s body prickled as if countless thorns had sprouted beneath her skin, piercing outward.
She still wanted to hide; she was afraid, and she felt cold.
Lin Qimian didn’t let go of her, though. Her palm not only stayed on her shoulder but even pinched it gently, as if to soothe her.
Xu Yueliang almost jumped from the pinch.
Lin Qimian led her forward. When she couldn’t pull her along, she pressed her body against Xu Yueliang’s back and pushed her ahead.
Xu Yueliang couldn’t control her expression right now, so she could only lower her head.
Lin Qimian finally released her shoulders, but the separation didn’t even last a second. In the next instant, her palm covered Xu Yueliang’s head.
She rubbed it gently and said, “Why aren’t you wearing the matching hair tie?”
“Ah?” Xu Yueliang finally made a sound.
Lin Qimian reached her other hand into the pocket of Xu Yueliang’s top, pulled out a fluffy hair tie, then raised her hand and slipped it onto her hair.
After adjusting the hair tie’s position so the tension felt just right and comfortable, Lin Qimian finally ended this great endeavor. Her gaze fell on Lin Zixuan, and she said faintly, “Moon’s dance was amazing, right? I watched the live stream with everyone that day, and she didn’t even tell me ahead of time…”
Lin Qimian looked at Xu Yueliang until their gazes met, then she smiled and said, “She gave us such a big surprise.”
