The little creases piled up in her chest were instantly smoothed out by Cheng Daichuan’s words.
The situation changed rather quickly.
Ruan Xi gripped the metal spoon handle and blinked: “You mean, you actually used a jewelry box to store that pale blue sea glass from yesterday?”
Cheng Daichuan looked as if it were obvious: “Yeah.”
Thinking about the expensive price of the jewelry box, Ruan Xi felt a bit embarrassed.
Although that piece of sea glass was very beautiful, and she did say something like, “Who knows if it’s really a gem, you should cherish it,” the chance of sea glass turning into a real gem…
No matter how you looked at it, it was extremely slim!
Ruan Xi wiped off a bit of cheese residue from the corner of her lips. “Cheng Daichuan, I’m telling you, that sea glass is very likely just ordinary glass worn down and dulled by the seawater.”
Cheng Daichuan kept looking at her until she finished and said, “I know.”
“You know it’s just glass?”
“Do I look like Shi Chao, blind?”
Ruan Xi laughed and nudged Cheng Daichuan’s arm, speaking playfully, “Little blind guy, I’ll call Shi Chao and tell him!”
Cheng Daichuan lowered his head and laughed too.
Shi Chao was proud of being “blind,” to the point where for a while his personal motto was “Representative of the blind.”
He had a whole set of absurd logic, saying blind people are lucky.
After laughing, Ruan Xi remembered the main point. “I mean, since you already know it’s nothing but glass, isn’t it too extravagant to buy a red sandalwood jewelry box just to keep a piece of glass?”
“You wanted me to cherish it.”
“You’re cherishing it a bit too much. The jewelry box is expensive.”
“I already bought it.”
“It hasn’t shipped yet. You can return it.”
“Don’t you want to see the style?”
Ruan Xi held the little spoon she was using to dig into the cake and nodded, “Sure, I want to see it. After all, with a price like that, how could it be sold without showing it?”
Cheng Daichuan casually said, “I’ll give it to you.”
Ruan Xi’s eyes widened. “No way, how could I accept such an expensive gift from you out of nowhere?”
Cheng Daichuan smiled. He said that on Children’s Day he treated Shi Chao to a meal.
Ruan Xi wasn’t there, so he wanted to make it up to her with a gift.
Ruan Xi’s attention was diverted. “It’s not a holiday though. How did you two manage to meet up?”
“Shi Chao came to our school.”
“Don’t tell me he skipped class…”
“Yeah.”
“Going to school but still celebrating Children’s Day?”
“Madam Shang said it’s allowed for unmarried people.”
Ruan Xi took another bite of the cheese cake. “Then next year on June 1st, let’s invite Aunt Shang out for a meal. Aunt Shang is also single now.”
“Madam Shang counts as previously married.”
“I don’t care, I’m inviting Aunt Shang anyway.”
Cheng Daichuan smiled: “Okay, let’s eat.”
The clouds parted and the sun shone brightly on the horizon, gradually drying the thin layer of dampness on the deck.
Cheng Daichuan asked, “Want some cake?”
Ruan Xi nodded, “It’s really good. Want to try?”
After she suggested it, Ruan Xi looked around:
The cake was served with a small spoon. The ice cream bowls and utensils from before had already been taken away by the waiter.
Looking over at the passenger area:
After the clear weather, more and more passengers filled the deck.
A couple with three kids were noisily picking out desserts over there.
Ruan Xi hesitated to bother the busy waiter, but after a moment, she turned her head back.
Cheng Daichuan raised his chin toward her.
Ruan Xi hesitantly lifted the small spoon from her hand: “Can you use this?”
“Yeah.”
She wiped the cheese cream off the spoon with a tissue before handing it to him, watching as he scooped a piece of cake and put both the spoon and cake into his mouth…
Cheng Daichuan habitually stuck out his tongue and rolled the tip under to lick off the cream from his lower lip.
Ruan Xi always thought Cheng Daichuan’s lips were especially soft, just like the kind she’d heard about when chatting late at night with her classmates—lips that would feel very pleasant to kiss.
She absentmindedly touched her own ear, feeling that something was off.
After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized that the Bluetooth earphone she had borrowed from Cheng Daichuan had gone missing without her noticing.
Her heart tightened as she searched her shorts’ pockets.
Nothing.
She rummaged through her crossbody bag, still no sign of it…
She made an excuse to go to the bathroom and hurried off without even taking her phone, flustered.
She couldn’t remember when she had taken the earphones off—maybe in the restaurant, maybe at Star Cinema…
Cheng Daichuan’s Bluetooth earphones weren’t cheap. She remembered he had bought them for himself with his scholarship as a gift.
It had to mean something special to him, right?
Ruan Xi asked all the staff at the places they had been—the restaurant, Star Cinema, the claw machine at the cinema entrance—none had found it.
The staff kindly helped her file a report and told her that if someone found it, they would call her.
Ruan Xi nodded and thanked them.
She was distracted on the stairs and accidentally missed a step, twisting the ankle she had hurt yesterday.
When Cheng Daichuan found her, she was sitting on the stairs.
Pitiful, like Ais when he was first brought home.
His gaze fell on the ankle she was unconsciously clutching, then on her seated figure. He furrowed his brow briefly, walked over, and squatted down in front of her.
“Ruan Xi?”
Ruan Xi looked up, weak: “I lost your earphones.”
Cheng Daichuan breathed out in relief: “Losing them is fine, but what’s with your ankle?”
Ruan Xi said, “I wasn’t paying attention going downstairs and twisted it again.”
Cheng Daichuan turned his back. “I’ll carry you to the medical room.”
“I’ll be fine in a bit. I should be able to walk on my own.”
“Get on.”
“Okay.”
Ruan Xi climbed onto Cheng Daichuan’s back. His arms supported the inside of her bent legs, easily lifting her up.
It was the busiest time on the cruise, with people coming and going, and she felt a little embarrassed. “What if someone sees?”
Cheng Daichuan said, “Who cares if they see.”
Ruan Xi said, “Sorry about the earphones. I’ll pay you back, though it won’t be as meaningful as when you bought them yourself…”
“Don’t worry about it. I have a new pair.”
“But I lost them. How can I not pay you back?”
“Forget the earphones for now. Does your ankle still hurt?”
“Not much.”
“How’s it compared to yesterday? Be honest.”
“…A little worse than yesterday.”
Ruan Xi lay on Cheng Daichuan’s back, able to smell his subtle fragrance and feel his body heat.
His steps were steady. Even when his phone vibrated, he used one arm to hook her leg, freeing one hand to quickly reply to a text.
This wasn’t Cheng Daichuan’s first time carrying Ruan Xi.
The last time he carried her like this was in high school.
It was a hot summer weekend. The weather was sweltering, and Shi Chao invited Cheng Daichuan and Ruan Xi to his place.
That morning, Ruan Xi woke up feeling unwell, lethargic, unwilling to move, but she didn’t want to disappoint Shi Chao’s warm invitation.
Shi Chao’s situation was like a left-behind child; his parents were often away on business, appearing even less often than Cheng Daichuan’s father.
Shi Chao lived alone. Occasionally, an ayi came to clean, but he was still lonely.
Ruan Xi forced herself out of bed and went with Cheng Daichuan to Shi Chao’s for some Spicy Hot Pot.
Her stomach hurt, and she thought it might be her period starting.
When Cheng Daichuan and the others asked why she looked so tired, she said she was fine and would feel better after drinking some hot water.
She drank half a pot, but still felt bad. Going to the bathroom, she had to lean against the wall.
Shi Chao looked at her: “Xi Zi, you better skip the football field today.”
The plan changed. Shi Chao drew the curtains thick and proposed watching a movie.
When Ruan Xi came out of the bathroom, the living room was dim, the air conditioner blowing cold air, like a wild cave.
She stumbled back in the dark and collapsed on the sofa, barely seeing the opening credits before dozing off.
Ruan Xi felt the sofa dip and someone touching her forehead, unwillingly lifting her heavy eyelids.
Cheng Daichuan lowered his eyelids, his expression serious, his palm pressing against Ruan Xi’s forehead: “No fever. Where does it hurt?”
Shi Langzhong (Shi Chao) stroked his nonexistent beard and interjected: “It’s summer. Drinking that old hot water, she must be overheated, right?”
Ruan Xi was too weak to scold the quack, barely able to answer, “Stomach hurts.”
Cheng Daichuan withdrew his hand: “Want to go to the hospital?”
She didn’t know she had appendicitis then, still thinking it was premenstrual symptoms. Shyly, she said, “Really, I’m fine.”
Cheng Daichuan seemed to realize something. After a pause, he asked, “Still want hot water?”
Ruan Xi curled up, “Yeah.”
The hot water in the kettle had cooled from the air conditioner, so Cheng Daichuan boiled more.
The electric kettle on the coffee table bubbled and hissed. He took off his short-sleeve shirt and draped it over Ruan Xi.
Ruan Xi’s nose brushed the collar, catching Cheng Daichuan’s faint, fresh scent.
He poured the boiled hot water into a glass cup, steaming.
Shi Chao probably saw in the owner group chat that the elevator was broken again and shouted excitedly: “Wow, I knew it! This damn elevator only works for a few days before breaking again. What about dinner? Xi Zi can’t go downstairs like this, and delivery probably can’t get in.”
Ruan Xi’s mind was foggy as Cheng Daichuan raised his hand to hush Shi Chao, then picked up the remote.
The movie played almost silently.
Ruan Xi was weak but too pained to sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness for a long time when suddenly she smelled snacks.
Spicy strips. So good.
She painfully reached out her hand: “Quick, give me one too.”
Cheng Daichuan’s soft laugh was pleasant to hear. He teased, “So miserable, and you can still eat spicy strips?”
“Maybe.”
Ruan Xi hadn’t eaten much at lunch; her stomach was empty, and the spicy strips smelled like a miraculous life-saving elixir.
After being weak all day, Ruan Xi had a brief moment of clarity and sat up to wrestle playfully with Cheng Daichuan over the spicy strips.
He stretched out his long legs and leaned on the sofa; she nearly fell on him before finally grabbing the last spicy strip.
Cheng Daichuan laughed: “You got it all, and now you don’t want to give it up?”
Ruan Xi suddenly remembered.
But beads of sweat instantly broke out on her forehead and neck, her whole body trembled, and she couldn’t sit up from the pain.
Cheng Daichuan saw her expression clearly. His face changed suddenly, his smile disappeared, and he put his hand back on her forehead. “Shi Chao, come help!”
The elevator was broken. Cheng Daichuan carried Ruan Xi down sixteen flights of stairs straight to the community gate.
Shi Chao’s building was at the farthest corner of the community. The side entrance was closed, so they had to go a bit further around.
Shi Chao ran after them, panting and cursing loudly—
“Damn high-end community!”
“Elevator’s broken thirty-two days a month! Three hundred ninety days a year!”
“And they still talk about safety, not letting taxis in!”
“If Xi Zi is really sick, I won’t let this go!”
Ruan Xi was weak and her vision blurred, but she comforted him softly: “Shi Chao, I’m fine, don’t curse…”
Under the blazing sun, Cheng Daichuan’s sweat was no less than Ruan Xi’s.
She had no strength and hung weakly on his neck, repeatedly whispering, “I’m fine.”
“Cheng Daichuan, slow down, don’t run anymore, don’t rush…”
Sixteen flights of stairs, combined with the relentless summer heat, made even Cheng Daichuan’s stamina wane.
But his voice was gentle as he told Shi Chao to send him the ride’s license plate number and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
Ruan Xi was in terrible pain but not scared.
Cheng Daichuan called Ruan Xi’s mother from the taxi, and before her family arrived, he carried Ruan Xi into the emergency room.
He rented a wheelchair, pushed her for blood tests, CT scans, and administered pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication…
Cheng Daichuan was the backbone for both Ruan Xi and Shi Chao.
With him around, no matter what happened, they could quickly calm down.
It was the same this time.
When Ruan Xi had acute appendicitis, she was hospitalized for surgery and took a week off school.
By comparison, a mild ankle sprain wasn’t urgent.
Ruan Xi had searched so many places for the earphones that a drop of sweat fell on Cheng Daichuan’s neck, blending with the moisture already there.
She reached out and wiped away the indistinguishable sweat.
Cheng Daichuan tilted his head: “Don’t touch.”