Chapter 7 Part 2: Tasted strongly of rust

He Shuliu blinked. “Do you wish there was something wrong with me?”

Of course Yu Yan didn’t mean that.

She was just worried that He Shuliu might have some rare disease that a regular checkup couldn’t detect, so they just called it ‘weakness’.

But then again, if He Shuliu really felt unwell, he wouldn’t be so casual about it.

He used to make a big fuss even over a cold, desperate for her to worry about him, to always think of him and stay by his side.

Thinking of this, Yu Yan felt more at ease.

Since the Hospital didn’t find anything, and he didn’t feel uncomfortable, it probably was just simple weakness.

Even if it really was something rare, judging by his current state, it probably wasn’t serious.

As long as he was alive, with time and proper care, he’d recover.

All she could do was help him stay calm and stable, and avoid upsetting him.

Once he was mostly recovered, she could bring up breaking up.

Jianing was right—He Shuliu’s situation was special, this couldn’t be rushed.

“Alright, since the Doctor said so, just rest well and don’t go to any strange places.” Yu Yan said as she opened the food delivery app.

“Okay.” He Shuliu leaned over, “What are you looking at?”

“Takeout,” Yu Yan replied. “You don’t need to cook for a while. We can order in or eat out, or I can cook if you don’t mind my food…”

She’d lived alone for years, so she could cook, but just barely.

Unless she had no other choice, she wouldn’t cook for herself—unless she was prepared to waste food.

“If you cook, will you eat properly every day like you do now?” He Shuliu asked with a teasing smile.

Yu Yan thought for a moment.

“…No.”

He Shuliu laughed. “Then let me do it.”

He was so pale and weak, yet still worried about whether she was eating well every day?

Yu Yan pressed her lips together, that subtle guilt washing over her again.

“Don’t worry about it, just go shower. I’ll order, and you’ll eat whatever I get.”

She pushed He Shuliu toward the bathroom, closing the door before he could protest, then went to the bedroom to fetch clean clothes and slid them through the crack in the door.

She really didn’t want to overwork a patient.

While He Shuliu was showering, Yu Yan ordered roast duck and two portions of wonton soup. After he finished, she went to shower herself. By the time she was done, the food had arrived.

After dinner, it was already past eight.

He Shuliu turned on the TV, picked a movie, then turned off the living room lights and pulled Yu Yan down to sit on the sofa with him.

The room instantly darkened, with only the flickering glow of the TV screen.

Yu Yan saw the familiar opening credits and said in surprise, “Haven’t we seen this movie before?”

He Shuliu turned to look at her, eyes sparkling. “You remember?”

Of course she remembered.

Yu Yan looked away from his gaze. “I’m not senile yet.”

It was the movie they’d watched together at the Movie Theater last year. After the movie, He Shuliu confessed to her.

Yu Yan had been completely unprepared—it was just too sudden.

It was just a normal weekend. She was bored and interested in a newly released horror film, so she asked He Shuliu to watch with her. Afterwards, they could grab dinner, so she wouldn’t have to fuss alone at home.

He Shuliu arrived on time and smiled the whole time, but after the movie started, he seemed a little distracted.

Maybe he wasn’t interested in the movie and just agreed to keep her company.

Thinking this, Yu Yan didn’t bother him and watched the movie quietly by herself.

To be honest, the film was mediocre—not terrible, but nothing special.

No wonder He Shuliu wasn’t interested.

When the movie ended, it was already dark and a light rain was falling outside the Movie Theater.

Yu Yan wanted to buy an umbrella, but He Shuliu gently pressed her shoulder and said, “Wait a second.” Then he ran out into the rain alone.

Yu Yan didn’t know what he was doing, and couldn’t go far, so she just stood obediently at the theater entrance, watching the fine rain in the night.

Soon, He Shuliu came back holding an umbrella.

It was a long-handled umbrella, with a black canopy and a wooden handle—the very one she’d given him before.

Yu Yan was a bit surprised. “You knew it would rain today?”

A hint of pride flashed in He Shuliu’s eyes. “Didn’t you check the weather forecast?”

Yu Yan:

What’s there to be proud of?

Even though she complained in her heart, since the umbrella was in He Shuliu’s hand, she wisely kept quiet.

He Shuliu held the umbrella over their heads, and after glancing at him, Yu Yan ducked under it.

The rain seemed to fall even harder as they walked together under the umbrella.

Yu Yan started to feel a bit uneasy.

The umbrella wasn’t that big, so if she didn’t want to get wet, she had to walk very close to He Shuliu.

But this distance… was just too close.

She tried to say something to break the tension. “Sorry for making you watch such a boring movie.”

“It’s fine,” He Shuliu said. “I thought it was interesting.”

“It’s alright, I thought it was boring too.” Yu Yan looked at the raindrops on the umbrella’s edge. “You seemed distracted a few times. Actually, I was spacing out too.”

Hearing that, He Shuliu suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

“You noticed?”

Yu Yan, confused, stopped as well. “Yeah. But I wasn’t trying to spy, I just…”

She didn’t finish, because He Shuliu was looking at her with those deep, clear eyes—so focused it made her heart race, making her inexplicably nervous.

“…What is it?”

He Shuliu didn’t answer. Instead, he stared into her eyes, leaning closer.

“Yan Yan.”

He was so close that Yu Yan could smell the sweet Popcorn Scent on him.

His voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the rain, but his eyes were bright, shining with undisguised warmth.

“Will you go out with me?”

Yu Yan was stunned.

Maybe the atmosphere was just right, maybe his gaze was just too bewitching—she answered without even thinking, as if possessed.

Thinking back now, He Shuliu’s mind had never been on the movie.

It was the same now.

Maybe he wanted to use this movie to remind her of their sweet times, but her heart no longer wavered.

Yu Yan avoided He Shuliu’s expectant gaze and calmly stood up. “I’m going to cut up some watermelon.”

The hope in He Shuliu’s eyes disappeared instantly.

His bright pupils dimmed. He looked at Yu Yan’s back, a flash of disappointment and sadness on his face.

He lowered his eyes in silence. When he looked up again, his expression was back to normal.

Yu Yan took the watermelon out of the fridge and put it on the cutting board. She grabbed a knife from the rack, about to cut down, when a large hand suddenly reached over.

“I’ll do it.” He Shuliu appeared silently, naturally taking the knife from her. “How do you want it cut?”

Yu Yan: “…I want it cut in your shape, is that okay?”

He Shuliu paused. “What shape am I?”

Yu Yan:

…Was this conversation a little weird?

She glared at He Shuliu, who chuckled softly and started cutting the watermelon.

Yu Yan walked to the other side, opened a cupboard, and took out some fruit plates and forks.

Just as she was closing the cupboard, she suddenly heard He Shuliu let out a very soft hiss.

“What happened?” She put down the plate and hurried over.

He Shuliu had put down the knife and was holding his left index finger under the running water.

When he saw her come over, he looked up and smiled nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing, just got watermelon juice all over my hand.”

“You didn’t cut yourself, right? That knife’s really sharp.” Yu Yan asked worriedly.

He Shuliu looked at her with wide eyes. “Are you worried about me?”

Yu Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue and grabbed his hand to inspect it carefully.

Other than being wet from the water, his hand was completely unscathed—not a scratch anywhere.

…Strange, he really didn’t cut himself?

Then why did he hiss?

“Told you, didn’t I?” He Shuliu raised an eyebrow.

Yu Yan, relieved, said grumpily, “Go watch your movie. I’ll clean up here.”

With that, she pushed him out of the kitchen, then returned to the sink, washed the knife, and got out some plastic wrap to cover the leftover half of the watermelon.

Suddenly, she noticed a patch of darker flesh on the watermelon.

To be precise, it wasn’t watermelon flesh, but something more like… a drop of blood?

Yu Yan frowned in confusion, touched the dark red drop, and brought it to her lips to taste.

Though the watermelon juice had diluted it, she instantly tasted the strong, metallic tang of blood.

—It really was a drop of blood.