I slept soundly through the night until dawn. I set my alarm very early, but outside the window, it was still shrouded in a thick fog. The air was damp and chilly. Looking around, the whole city seemed to be enveloped in a dense fog, as if it had not yet woken up.
Jiang Jianhuan finished getting ready and went downstairs. The wind that greeted her was a bit chilly, so she sniffed and buried her face in her scarf.
My head was still a little fuzzy, and I was unconsciously thinking about what to have for breakfast. Just as I stepped out of the building, an unexpected person appeared in my line of sight.
Jiang Jianhuan stopped in his tracks and looked at Su Mo not far away.
He stood in the morning mist, with a row of old residential buildings behind him. The sky was still shrouded in mist, and the light was clear and soft. The whole scene looked like a layer of blue watercolor, with varying shades of blue being blended together.
Jiang Jianhuan's gaze was fixed on Su Mo.
His face was noticeably pale. He was wearing a navy blue down jacket and light blue jeans. He was tall and straight, with one hand in his pocket and a white transparent bag in the other, from which steam seemed to be rising faintly.
The down jacket had a frayed edge on the hood, and the dense, soft feathers made his face look even smaller, revealing a slender jawline.
On her thinner face, only her eyes seemed unusually large, dark and focused, gazing at her intently.
"Why are you here?" Jiang Jianhuan asked, standing still. Looking at Li Sa's WeChat Moments post from yesterday, he should be at the hospital right now.
Su Mo's eyes flickered slightly, and he unconsciously lowered his head and pursed his lips. He then took a step towards her, and Jiang Jianhuan noticed that the bag he was carrying contained breakfast.
"Just passing by." He said with a slightly nasal tone, his voice sounding a bit hoarse, and then handed her the bag he was carrying.
"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I just bought some."
Jiang Jianhuan was caught off guard and didn't know how to react. It took him a long time to regain his composure.
"Weren't you at the hospital yesterday? Why did you suddenly come to bring me breakfast?"
"How did you know?" Su Mo asked, then immediately realized something and awkwardly looked away to explain.
"Everything's alright now, so I came."
"Oh." Reason stopped her from speaking further. Jiang Jianhuan took the breakfast from his hand and said in a low voice.
"I'm going to work now."
Su Mo was only stunned for a moment, then stepped aside and said softly.
"Then go ahead, be careful on the road."
The bus swayed and rocked, and Jiang Jianhuan was still somewhat dazed when she finally stepped into the company. She couldn't understand how Su Mo could appear in front of her so nonchalantly after things had gone so far.
The bag of breakfast in her hand had already become slightly cool in the wind. Jiang Jianhuan opened it in the tea room. Inside were the most common street vendor items: steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and a bowl of sweet porridge.
She was starting to believe that Su Mo was really just passing by.
-
Watching Jiang Jianhuan's figure disappear behind the bus door, Su Mo lowered her head, zipped up her down jacket, buried her face in it, and slowly walked in another direction.
Just as she saw the hospital entrance, her phone started buzzing. Su Mo glanced at the call from Li Sa and immediately hung up.
He took the elevator to the eighth floor, and sure enough, Li Sa was pacing anxiously outside the ward. When she saw him, she felt as if she had seen a long-lost relative.
"Where have you been! I've been looking for you everywhere, and you even hung up on me. Don't you know your physical condition right now?" Li Sa kept scolding him, her words full of dissatisfaction. When she saw Su Mo walk into the ward and ignore her, she raised her voice even higher.
"ah?!!!"
"Hmm?" Su Mo glanced at him briefly and gave a response.
"Please get this straight, the doctor said last night that if you had come any later, you would have developed pneumonia! If I hadn't insisted on bringing you to the hospital despite your objections, you probably wouldn't even be able to get out of bed right now. Please take care of your health, okay? There are so many people in this big studio who are relying on you for their livelihood!"
"I understand," Su Mo said calmly, lifting the covers and lying down on the bed.
"You know, if you know, you wouldn't be running around so early in the morning... By the way, where did you just go?!" Li Sa looked at him with a suspicious expression. Su Mo closed his eyes and just casually said a sentence.
Jiang Jianhuan lives nearby.
"Her? She lives nearby...so?" Li Sa's mind was a little confused, then a thought suddenly struck her.
"So you took advantage of being sick to play the victim and beg for forgiveness?! Oh my god, Su Mo! I didn't expect you to be so scheming..." Li Sa swallowed the last word silently under Su Mo's sudden gaze as she opened her eyes. She swallowed hard.
"I just went to deliver breakfast to her," Su Mo said calmly.
"Since we're already there, why not do more? It's such a rare opportunity; women are all soft-hearted..."
After listening, Li Sa muttered to herself. Seeing that he was preparing to rest, her voice gradually faded. Soon, the footsteps disappeared behind the door, and with a soft click as the door closed, the room became completely quiet.
Su Mo opened her eyes.
There's no reason why, I just did what I wanted to do, and I went to see her because I really wanted to.
Su Mo never imagined that one day he would sit peacefully with Shen Zaixi in a foreign café. Sunlight streamed through the glass, warm and inviting, while plump pigeons fluttered in the square outside.
The conversation always revolved around the same person.
"...She was afraid of the dark and a little afraid of strange adult men, so she dared not walk on secluded paths. Once, when she was walking home from a part-time job, she was followed by two white men. Luckily, she met a college student who was also walking home late, and she made it home safely."
“When she was short of money, she was very strict with herself. She could eat a bowl of noodles for three days. If she lost weight quickly during that period, pay more attention to her diet.”
"Don't get angry with her, and don't ignore her explanations. If she feels wronged, she'll just hide away and cry silently."
Shen Zaixi paused for a moment, as if she couldn't think of anything to add, and finally just raised her head and looked at him solemnly.
"If you really decide to get back together with her, treat her well."
"She has had a very hard time these past few years."