Jiang Qin poked her forehead. “How old are you? Still tattling.”
Jiang Ruoning’s gaze drifted to the fruit plate on the coffee table. “What brought Sister Xiao Man by today?”
Jiang Qin, a bit distracted, missed the unnatural probe in her tone. “Nothing much. Dropped off some fruit and tea.”
Jiang Ruoning let out a quiet breath of relief.
Yeah—if Zhou Man had mentioned Shi Sui, her mom couldn’t possibly be this calm. She was overthinking. She stood. “I’m gonna shower first.”
As she rose, Jiang Qin called, “Ningning.”
Jiang Ruoning looked down, eyes clear. Jiang Qin said, “Finish the fruit first.”
“I’m not a trash bin.” Jiang Ruoning grumbled as she stuffed apple slices in her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jiang Qin, unsure if she should mention Little Uncle and Little Aunt. She’d left that jar of beef sauce in the car when she got out.
No idea how to bring it back.
Just like now—no idea how to bring it up.
Jiang Qin noticed her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Ruoning said, “Just thinking about work tomorrow.”
Jiang Qin didn’t know about all the drama with her old company or the online backlash. Thinking her job was bothering her, she tensed. “What happened? Trouble at work?”
Jiang Ruoning swallowed her apple and shook her head.
Then her shoulder got a pat from Jiang Qin. Jiang Ruoning yelped, “Ow, that hurts.”
Jiang Qin said, “Finish eating and then shower.”
Jiang Ruoning bolted to the bathroom. Though she’d tangled with Shi Sui today, the marks weren’t too obvious—Shi Sui must’ve gone easy. She lathered up, glanced at her fingers under the shower spray, rinsed them clean, shook her head, finished quickly, and stepped out. Jiang Qin was tidying the kitchen and peeked out. “That fast?”
Previously, she used to dawdle in the bathroom for half an hour, and when she was in a good mood, she would even hum a little tune.
Jiang Ruoning had a dry towel draped over her head as she looked down. “Mm, all done washing.”
Jiang Qin noticed the redness on the back of her neck and walked over. Her gaze fixed on it, making Jiang Ruoning’s scalp tingle. Jiang Ruoning touched her neck with one hand. “What’s wrong?”
“How did this happen here?” Jiang Qin’s finger pointed at the red mark. Jiang Ruoning had washed her hair and wrapped it up on her head, exposing her slender neck. The back of her neck was fully visible too. She scratched at it casually. “Probably a mosquito bite. It itches so much.”
Afraid that she would scratch her skin raw, Jiang Qin grabbed her hand. “Go to the bathroom and spray some calamine lotion on it.”
Jiang Ruoning hurried into the bathroom. She checked the back of her neck in the mirror. Good thing she had rubbed and scratched it a few times while showering, or she really wouldn’t have been able to explain it!
That damn Shi Sui.
What was with her liking to bite the back of her neck? Was she a vampire or something?
Jiang Ruoning fumed as she sprayed the calamine lotion. The cool sensation spread across her skin, and she sneezed.
Great.
She wouldn’t have caught Shi Sui’s cold, would she?
A bit worried, Jiang Ruoning brewed a packet of cold medicine before bed as a precaution. Jiang Qin had already gone back to her room to rest. As Jiang Ruoning passed by after drinking her medicine, she saw that her mother’s light was still on. She squeezed into the room, hugged Jiang Qin, and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Qin said, “Xiao Guai came over today. She was so cute. If only you…”
Jiang Ruoning’s head throbbed. “Stop, stop, stop!”
Jiang Qin looked at her with clear dissatisfaction.
Jiang Ruoning slunk away guiltily. “I’m off to bed.”
Jiang Qin nodded with a smile.
She knew Jiang Ruoning hated hearing that kind of talk, so she said it on purpose. She just didn’t want to lose her composure in front of her daughter.
Unaware of all these twists and turns, Jiang Ruoning returned to her room and messaged Qin Zheng to say she was safe: [Home~]
Qin Zheng immediately called. “You’re home?”
Jiang Ruoning was puzzled. “Why aren’t you asleep this late?”
Qin Zheng glanced at the person standing by the window. “She’s on the phone.”
Jiang Ruoning let out an “ooh.” “Whose call is more important than you? You’re losing your favorite status.” She gloated mischievously.
Qin Zheng said, “Her sister.”
Jiang Ruoning went quiet. “Oh.”
Yun An’s sister was nothing like Yun An. She was someone you couldn’t joke around with at all. Jiang Ruoning had met her a couple of times back when she used to freeload meals off Qin Zheng. She was even more serious than Yun An, sharp and intimidating. If Zhao Miaomiao instinctively feared Yun An, then Jiang Ruoning felt a bit intimidated by Yun An’s sister.
Though her sister was always pretty gentle with her, greeting her lightly whenever they met.
Still, Jiang Ruoning just thought she was fierce and formidable.
Hearing her instantly behave, Qin Zheng burst out laughing.
Jiang Ruoning, who feared nothing under heaven, turned into a mouse seeing a cat in front of Yun Jingshu—silent and shrinking. Once, she even grabbed Qin Zheng’s hand and said she was scared.
How could she not be scared?
One person who single-handedly dismantled a drug trafficking ring, emerging from nine deaths and one life. From high school graduation onward, she lived a life licking blood from the edge of a knife. Just from what Qin Zheng knew, Yun Jingshu had been shot no fewer than four times. A few years ago, they finally caught the drug dealer who killed Yun An’s parents. Yun Jingshu was personally sent to the police academy by Yun An’s little aunt, hoping she’d learn some discipline there and cultivate her character. Who knew she’d meet a girl inside.
Later, that girl went undercover to investigate a friend’s death, and then Yun Jingshu vanished too.
It was only recently that news of Yun Jingshu surfaced again, which excited Yun An greatly.
Qin Zheng glanced at Yun An by the window. She was hanging her head low. Outside, Yun An was serious and rigid, clever enough to strategize from afar like a puppet master. But at that moment, she was like a child, whining into the phone: “Sis, so when are you coming back?”
Nice voice.
Tonight, she’d make her use that voice to coax her to sleep.
Qin Zheng was satisfied.
Jiang Ruoning scampered off like a rabbit. “Bye!”
It was as if she could see Yun Jingshu through the phone.
Qin Zheng hung up helplessly and messaged Jiang Ruoning: [You still haven’t told me.]
Jiang Ruoning stared at the message in confusion: [Told you what?]
Qin Zheng: [What’s your relationship with Shi Sui now?]
Jiang Ruoning: [Nothing.]
Qin Zheng: [Nothing?]
If it was nothing, would she fly from Shangjing to Linping?
Qin Zheng had gotten fevers and colds before too. Jiang Ruoning had never flown back to Linping in a panic for her then.
When it came to being stubborn, Jiang Ruoning was number one—no one came close.
Jiang Ruoning: [Really nothing. I’ve made it clear to her.]
Qin Zheng: [Whether it’s clear or not, only you know in your heart.]
Jiang Ruoning didn’t want to continue the topic and changed the subject: [Got it, got it. Oh right, guess who I ran into on this trip back?]
Qin Zheng: [Who?]
Jiang Ruoning: [Old Zhou!]
Qin Zheng: [Teacher Zhou?]
Jiang Ruoning: [Haven’t seen her in forever, right?]
Qin Zheng: [Yeah, not since graduation, I think.]
There was a class reunion once that she and Yun An attended, but Teacher Zhou had family matters and didn’t come. During the gathering, everyone chatted with her and Yun An, but the subtext was all about Ye Yu—begging for autographs or whatever. That was fine; Qin Zheng could accept it between classmates. But afterward, several sent her private messages asking her to get Ye Yu to help with jobs—in Ye Yu’s team, anything would do, as long as the pay was good.
Qin Zheng was speechless.
After that, she stopped going to class reunions and hadn’t seen Old Zhou since.
Jiang Ruoning hadn’t gone back at all.
She messaged Qin Zheng: [Old Zhou misses you guys a lot.]
Qin Zheng: [Then next time we go back together.]
Now that Shi Sui was back too, they owed Teacher Zhou a ton of meals from senior year. It was about time to make good on it.
Jiang Ruoning: [Bring Ye Yu?]
Qin Zheng: [Of course.]
Jiang Ruoning was a bit happy: [Sounds good.]
Qin Zheng: [Bring Shi Sui too~]
Jiang Ruoning stared at the message, lips pursed, silent.
She leaned against the headboard, looking out the window. It was pitch black outside, like a beast ready to swallow everything, amplifying every desire. Jiang Ruoning coughed dully. She touched her forehead with the back of her hand. Had she really caught the cold?
She had no idea how Shi Sui was doing.
Before she got out of the car, she didn’t even know if Shi Sui was still running a fever.
Shi Sui lay on the sofa with the TV on, playing Jiang Ruoning’s favorite movie—the protagonist traveling through space. She felt as if she were among the stars too, watching until she grew dizzy. It seemed like she saw Jiang Ruoning.
Jiang Ruoning rushed at her, unhappy. “No bed? Sleeping on the sofa all day!”
She patted her back.
The touch felt so real. It hurt from the pat, and she cried out “ah.” Then Jiang Ruoning poked her spine. “Ahhh, you know it hurts but won’t move.”
She was chased back to bed.
As soon as she got under the covers, it still felt cold. Her bedding was the cooling type. Seeing Jiang Ruoning nearby, she pulled her into a hug, and they both tumbled onto the bed. Jiang Ruoning pushed her hands away. “You’re burning up and still feel cold? I’ll get you some fever reducers.”
It was like she took fever reducers and cold medicine, and something else she couldn’t remember. Her mind was a fog. Jiang Ruoning came in and out of view who-knows-how-many times. She stripped off all her clothes, wiped her down with a wet towel, applied ointment to her neck—cool and refreshing. Shi Sui sighed in satisfaction.
Jiang Ruoning tucked her in without putting her clothes back on.
Shi Sui felt ice and fire all at once.
She hadn’t been sick in a long time and couldn’t remember the last fever—maybe over New Year’s, or a year ago. Thinking about it, she took good care of herself, at least better than Jiang Ruoning.
With that thought, she called out, “Jiang Ruoning.”
The figure that had been hovering vanished in an instant.
Shi Sui sat up. The room was dark. She felt her body—clothes still on, no cool sensation on her neck. Her throat was parched and sore. She wasn’t even sure if she’d taken the fever reducers.
It was a dream.
Shi Sui slipped on her slippers and got out of bed. She turned on the light, the brightness stinging her eyes. She pressed her fingers to her forehead and stumbled groggily to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and returned to the living room. Somehow, the TV had been turned off. The fever reducers and cold medicine sat on the coffee table.
Fever reducers, on the coffee table.
Shi Sui gripped the medicine box. As she looked down, she spotted a key on the table too.
The key she’d given Jiang Ruoning.
So it wasn’t a dream.
Jiang Ruoning had really come, but left again.
And returned the key. Shi Sui clutched it in her palm. The jagged edges dug into her hand painfully. She coughed muffledly, a burning sensation surging from her lungs to her throat. In that instant, all her organs ached.
