Liu Zhi stared at the long string of English words, unsure of what to say.
"My hands are fine. Even if I apply hand cream, it'll just get all over the blanket anyway." Liu Zhi held up the hand cream. "You can take it."
Meng Yang took a few steps and then turned back. She took the hand cream, squeezed some onto the back of Liu Zhi's hand, and held it tightly. Liu Zhi tried to pull her hand away, but Meng Yang gripped it even tighter.
Liu Zhi sighed inwardly, waiting for Meng Yang to wipe it evenly.
Meng Yang finished wiping and left, not in a good mood. Liu Zhi noticed her micro-expressions and, recalling the way she looked at the male homeowner during the day, the phrase "cute yet fierce" popped into her mind again.
"Come back." Liu Zhi's throat tightened as she called out to her, "You haven't brought the hand cream yet."
Meng Yang placed the hand cream on Liu Zhi's transparent box and turned to leave.
...
In the washroom, Meng Yang hung Liu Zhi's dry towel together with his own, took the wet towel out of the plastic bag, and put it on the dryer.
Coincidentally, Meng Yang's mouthwash cup and Liu Zhi's are very similar in style. Hers is white, and Liu Zhi's is black, making them look like matching couple items.
"This is really..." Meng Yang chuckled softly, then looked up at himself in the mirror. The fog on the mirror hadn't completely dissipated, so Meng Yang reached out and wiped it.
She felt like she had gone a little crazy lately.
Because of a few rumors he heard, he frantically contacted his high school classmates, and then tried to get in touch with Liu Zhi, pretending to be a roommate, just to help Liu Zhi in a little way.
He shamelessly offered his enthusiasm, only to be met with a barrage of cold water from the other party.
Meng Yang had never suffered such injustice many times in his life.
She splashed cold water on her face, but before she could even compose herself, there was a knock on the door behind her.
"It's too late. I'll pack up my things tomorrow. You should get some rest. I won't bother you anymore."
Liu Zhi's white hoodie was bathed in a warm light, and her expression seemed to soften as well. Meng Yang's gaze lingered on her for several seconds.
"Okay." Meng Yang wiped the water off his hands and left the washroom to Liu Zhi.
The door closed, and Meng Yang walked to his bedroom door but then turned back. After hesitating for a long time, he poured two cups of herbal tea and sat on the sofa to wait for Liu Zhi.
When Liu Zhi came out drying her hair, the flower tea had long since gone cold. Meng Yang called out to her.
"Liu Zhi, let's talk."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhi's heart tightened. She slowly walked over to Meng Yang, the feeling of unease returning.
Chapter 3 Sneer
"Would you like some flower tea?" Meng Yang pushed the cup he had been holding in his hands to Liu Zhi, who instinctively caught it.
The glass still held the warmth of Meng Yang's palm. Liu Zhi held it, looking down at the tattered petals floating on the surface.
“I really didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence,” Meng Yang said, looking at Liu Zhi. “The landlord is a very nice person, and the house is also very nice. It would be great to live here long-term.”
"Don't dwell too much on things from high school." Meng Yang took a sip of her herbal tea. "We were really too naive back then."
Young girls are sensitive and delicate, easily getting caught up in trivial matters. Liu Zhi was a timid person; after much deliberation, she dared not accept Meng Yang's affections and ultimately chose to retreat into her comfort zone.
This hiding lasted for twelve years.
"I acted too extremely back then, which hurt you."
Liu Zhi looked at Meng Yang and said sincerely, "I'm sorry."
Meng Yang's eyes darkened, and he smiled slightly. "Let's not dwell on the past. Let's get along well from now on and be friends again."
"Okay," Liu Zhi replied.
"How do you take care of your meals?" Meng Yang asked casually. "I cook my own breakfast and dinner. If you're too busy, I can provide you with two meals."
"I'm usually in the cafeteria, and I probably won't come back except for rest days."
"oh……"
The conversation became awkward again. After a moment of silence, they said goodnight to each other and went back to their respective rooms.
Liu Zhi had rested during the day and felt quite refreshed in the evening. She stuffed her clothes and bedding into the closet and leaned against the headboard to look at her phone.
Two hours ago, Dr. Gu was discussing the specific time for his wedding banquet with his colleagues. He plans to hold the wedding before the Spring Festival.
According to the law, Dr. Gu is entitled to three days of marriage leave. With him gone, Liu Zhi and the other two doctors in the department will have to work non-stop, and their bi-weekly leave may be lost.
They discussed it for more than ten minutes but couldn't make a decision. Finally, the director made the final decision and arranged the shifts.
Liu Zhi glanced at the form and realized she had two extra night shifts. She lay back for a while, feeling somewhat melancholy.
With her sleep schedule constantly changing, Liu Zhi's biological clock was completely messed up. She stared at the ceiling until one or two in the morning before finally falling asleep, only to wake up just after five. She managed to stay in bed until six before getting up to go out and buy breakfast.
Liu Zhi rubbed her temples with her left hand, pushed open the door with her right hand, and looked down to see Meng Yang squatting on the floor in the next room tying his shoelaces.
Meng Yang looked up at her, his expression a little bewildered.
"Why are you up so early?" Meng Yang stood up and noticed that Liu Zhi was staring at her shoes.
"These are new shoes I just bought online. I'm trying them on first." Meng Yang quickly showed the tag on the shoes. "I've been in the room the whole time and haven't gone out to step on the blanket."
Liu Zhi's focus wasn't on that; she just thought Meng Yang's shoes had a bit too high a heel.
"I'm going out to buy breakfast, wanna come together?" Liu Zhi didn't continue the topic of shoes.
“There’s a breakfast shop at the entrance of the community, let’s go together,” Meng Yang said.
The new shoes looked great; Meng Yang's hair was now level with Liu Zhi's eyes. Meng Yang's mood improved considerably, and she straightened her back and stood closer to Liu Zhi.
Liu Zhi glanced down at her, while Meng Yang looked up at her, feeling a little uneasy.
"The new shoes are nice," Liu Zhi said.
Meng Yang understood immediately. If they hadn't been separated for so long and their relationship hadn't deteriorated, Liu Zhi would definitely have said, "The new shoes are quite effective at increasing height."
The sky was still gray at six in the morning, and the wind stung her face. Liu Zhi turned up her collar and wrapped her coat tighter; all she wanted now was to get to the breakfast shop as soon as possible.
The gatekeeper greeted Meng Yang, who responded with a smile.
The old man glanced at Liu Zhi and said in surprise, "Hey, in this weather, you're wearing so much that it's quite cool! Young lady, you should take care to keep warm!"
Liu Zhi gave an awkward laugh.
"Warrior." Meng Yang seized the opportunity to deliver the final blow.
There were already a few people scattered around the noodle shop. Liu Zhi and Meng Yang chose the table at the very back and ordered a bowl of noodles and a bowl of wontons.
The wontons and noodles arrived at the same time. Liu Zhi first pushed the chili oil in front of Meng Yang, then drank a spoonful of noodle soup.
Meng Yang added some chili and also sipped the soup.
"What time are you going to the hospice?" Liu Zhi put down her chopsticks. Seeing Meng Yang with his head down and not answering, her heart skipped a beat. "Meng Yang?"
Liu Zhi buried his head and noticed that Meng Yang was shedding tears.
"Could you please pass me a piece of paper..." Meng Yang said softly.
"So it was chili oil that got into my eyes," Liu Zhi murmured.
Meng Yang squinted with one eye as he touched a napkin, looking quite pitiful.
"Come with me." Liu Zhi walked around to Meng Yang's side, took her arm, and led her inside.
Meng Yang was dressed too warmly, and the down jacket was made of a rather smooth material, so Liu Zhi had to hold her wrist instead.
The boss readily led them to the sink.
Liu Zhi used a tissue dampened with cold water to wipe Meng Yang's eyes, but Meng Yang was hesitant to use too much force. Liu Zhi took the wet tissue, supported her chin with her left hand, and wiped her eyes with her right.
Meng Yang was too far away, so Liu Zhi supported her waist and pulled her forward a little.
Now, Meng Yang is completely attached to her.
The cool, damp tissue brushed against his eyelids, easing the burning sensation considerably. Meng Yang tried to open his eyes, but the burning sensation returned as soon as he removed the tissue.
Liu Zhi wiped her clean again without hesitation.
It took five or six minutes for Meng Yang's eyes to stop hurting. His eyes were a little red, and he kept crying as he walked back.
When Liu Zhi returned, she forgot that she was still holding Meng Yang's wrist.
The noodles and wontons on the table had gotten quite cold. The men at the next table gave them several concerned glances.
Liu Zhi ignored them and led Meng Yang back to their original spot.
This breakfast was a bit of a disaster. Meng Yang quickly ate half a bowl of wontons, grabbed her bag, and went to work. Liu Zhi saw her stop eating, so she stopped eating too, and watched Meng Yang leave.
Meng Yang didn't come back at noon because of something. Liu Zhi ate a simple meal by herself and rested until dinner.
At the dinner table, Liu Zhi was only halfway through her porridge when it was time for her to go to work.
Meng Yang sat on the chair with his arms crossed, watching her put on her shoes and go out.
After the door closed, Meng Yang drew back the curtains and his gaze fell on the poplar tree at the corner.
Four minutes later, Liu Zhi passed by there, his shadow stretched long by the streetlights.
Meng Yang only lowered the curtains after her figure had completely disappeared.
She looked down at her phone screen, switched her WeChat account, accepted the money transfer her friend had sent that morning, and replied to a message.
"Transfer received. You can contact me via WeChat if needed."
At the same moment, Liu Zhi's cell phone vibrated several times in his coat pocket.
She saw the message from the landlord and replied, "Okay, thank you."
The landlord sent a simple, smiling, default emoji.
Liu Zhi hesitated for a long time before sending another message.
How long has my roommate been renting this place?
"She rented the place with another girl at the end of December last year. The rent is paid monthly, and I don't know how long she will stay."
Liu Zhi sent another "thank you" message.
Looking up again, the light had turned green. Liu Zhi put her phone back in her pocket and continued walking towards the Capital Medical University Affiliated Hospital.
The shared apartment was very close to the hospital. Liu Zhi was too tired at noon, so she called a car. Now, after taking a nap, she felt refreshed in the cool breeze.