After sleeping for a while, Shu Nian felt that the side effects from the medicine had lessened considerably, and the heaviness in her heart wasn’t as severe as before. She had never told Deng Qingyu about the thief breaking into her home, and fearing that her mother would worry, she didn’t mention it now either.
Shu Nian chatted with Deng Qingyu for a few more minutes before hanging up.
The room was quiet as usual.
Xie Ruhe never made much noise and never disturbed her.
Shu Nian rubbed her eyes and went to the window to pull back the curtains. The apartment was on a high floor, providing a view of most of Ruchuan City’s night scenery, with thousands of lights entering her eyes. She lowered her gaze to check the time, then got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
Having only had a bowl of porridge at noon, Shu Nian now felt hungry. She opened the bedroom door and was about to walk toward the living room when she suddenly noticed a sticky note on the door.
Shu Nian paused and reached out to pull the note off.
It was in Xie Ruhe’s familiar handwriting.
—I went out to buy some things, call me when you wake up. Xie Ruhe.
Shu Nian walked back to the bedroom to get her phone.
It was just after seven o’clock. Thinking back, she had fallen asleep around three or four in the afternoon and hadn’t heard any movement. She had no idea how long Xie Ruhe had been gone.
Shu Nian walked toward the kitchen while calling him. She opened the refrigerator and looked around.
The phone rang in her ear.
Shu Nian took out a cup of jelly from the refrigerator and stood on tiptoe to reach for a spoon from the top shelf.
By the time she finished this series of actions, Xie Ruhe still hadn’t answered the phone.
Shu Nian sat down on the sofa and waited a little longer.
The call automatically disconnected after a long time without an answer.
Shu Nian stared at the screen hesitantly, feeling that something wasn’t right. Since their reunion, she had never encountered a situation where Xie Ruhe didn’t answer her calls, regardless of what time she called.
She licked her lips and tried once more.
Still no answer.
Shu Nian thought for a moment and sent him a text message.
[Where are you now?]
After sending it successfully, Shu Nian put the phone aside, her mood instantly deteriorating. She tore open the jelly’s packaging, took the spoon, and absentmindedly dug out a bite.
As Shu Nian was hesitating about whether to call Fang Wencheng, there was a noise at the entrance.
Shu Nian quickly moved to the edge of the sofa and stretched her head to look toward the entrance.
Xie Ruhe came in carrying a bag and wearing a different set of clothes. He looked unhappy, his eyes sharp with a hint of anger. He lowered his head while changing his shoes, and when he looked up and noticed Shu Nian, some of his emotions dissipated.
He walked over: “You’re awake?”
Shu Nian nodded and asked: “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“I accidentally dropped it when I went out.” Xie Ruhe casually took his phone out of his pocket and pressed the power button, but the screen remained black. “It’s broken.”
Shu Nian was silent for a few seconds, lowering her eyes and noticing scrapes on his arm and elbow. She walked over to the TV cabinet and took out the first aid kit.
Xie Ruhe remained standing where he was: “Are you hungry?”
“A little,” Shu Nian answered honestly, “but I just ate a jelly, so it’s fine.”
Xie Ruhe made a sound of acknowledgment and put one of the items from the bag into the refrigerator.
When he returned to the living room, he saw Shu Nian already sitting on the sofa, calmly taking out medical cotton swabs and iodine. She sniffled and asked: “What did you go out to buy?”
Xie Ruhe sat down beside her: “Ice cream, but it might have melted.”
“It’ll be fine after freezing for a while.” Shu Nian grabbed his wrist and leaned closer, carefully treating his wounds. “Did you fall? The skin is broken here.”
Xie Ruhe didn’t say anything.
Shu Nian carefully applied the medicine, stealing a glance at him: “Why are you unhappy?”
Xie Ruhe’s face showed no emotion as he said flatly: “I’m not.”
Shu Nian didn’t quite believe him and slowly suggested: “Do you want to eat ice cream now? If so, we can go out and buy some, and we can have dinner outside as well.”
“Hmm?” Xie Ruhe looked up. “The ice cream was for you.”
“Why would you buy ice cream for me…”
“You said in the afternoon that you wanted some.”
“Did I say that?” Shu Nian’s expression was a bit dazed as she tilted her head and thought for a moment. After quite a while, she remembered, “Oh, right. I did say that… I forgot after sleeping.”
Xie Ruhe’s lips curved slightly, his bad mood largely dissipating. He took the cotton swab from her hand and said: “I’ll do it myself. I brought noodles for you, go eat first.”
Shu Nian shook her head: “Let me finish treating you first.”
Xie Ruhe paused, then said nothing more, obediently remaining still.
“My father used to get injured often,” Shu Nian’s movements were gentle, and she spoke softly. “When he was at home, I was always the one who treated his wounds.”
Xie Ruhe lowered his eyes to look at her.
Shu Nian smiled: “I think I do it quite well.”