The Scorching Sun - 89
Yan Lie's voice kept cutting through the scenes of her dream, until the light and shadows began to shift, and Fang Zhuo began to realize she was dreaming.
She opened her eyes. A hazy veil of moisture blurred her vision, everything looked indistinct.
Yan Lie cupped her face in both hands, soothing her with a smile. "Go back to the bedroom and sleep. You'll catch a cold sleeping out here."
Fang Zhuo sat there in a daze for several minutes, and Yan Lie sat with her, equally dazed. When the heavy fog of sleep finally lifted, Fang Zhuo got to her feet.
She stepped past Yan Lie, took some clothes from the cabinet in the bedroom, and headed to the bathroom with the dull, sleepy irritation of someone who'd just been dragged out of bed.
The steady patter of water filled the bathroom, followed by the whir of the hair dryer.
Yan Lie turned off the main light, leaving only the dim little amber lamp beside the bed.
Soon, Fang Zhuo emerged from the bathroom. Her oversized pajamas hung loosely on her, her skin still damp with water, flushed red from the heat and steam.
Yan Lie put down his phone and watched her slowly walk in.
But Fang Zhuo left not a trace of romance in her wake. She walked straight past him, dropped onto the empty side of the bed, pulled the covers over herself, and went back to sleep.
She pressed herself right against the edge, placing a good half meter between herself and Yan Lie.
...He really should've gotten rid of this one-eighty-centimeter-wide bed.
Yan Lie came to a clear realization. Distance did not make the heart grow fonder. It only made him miserable.
Fang Zhuo mumbled, "Turn off the light. Good night."
Yan Lie switched off the light and lay there quietly for a while before reaching over to poke the person beside him.
Unable to stand his pestering anymore, Fang Zhuo turned her head. "What?"
"Your husband has an injured leg. Can't you take a little initiative?"
Fang Zhuo was slightly more awake now. Her few words sounded particularly chilly in the darkness. "Take initiative and do what?"
Yan Lie fell silent.
Careful not to kick his injured foot in her sleep, Fang Zhuo shifted a little toward the middle, then tucked the edge of his blanket around him and offered him a thoroughly halfhearted reassurance. "Go to sleep. Good night."
Yan Lie racked his brain for an excuse, murmuring, "Come a little closer. I can still help you feed the mosquitoes..."
There was no response. Before long, the steady sound of Fang Zhuo's breathing came from the other side.
Yan Lie gave up. He carefully lifted the covers and edged a little closer to Fang Zhuo. Silently, he praised himself twice. Good thing it's me.
The next morning, Fang Zhuo woke from a nightmare that felt half real and half imagined.
She had the sensation of being pressed tightly against something hot, with what felt like a stone fresh from the fire weighing down half her body. Even the cold from the air conditioner couldn't dispel the suffocating heat.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced to the side. Yan Lie was wrapped tightly around her, one hand still resting on her waist.
Fang Zhuo checked the time, then reached over and pushed him awake.
As expected, Yan Lie's injured foot had gotten worse.
He sat up with misery written all over his face. His morning grumpiness, combined with the sharp pain in his leg, made the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably. His expression was positively ferocious.
Fang Zhuo examined him and thought his swollen, reddened ankle looked alarming. She didn't dare move it carelessly. "We'll go to the hospital after breakfast."
Yan Lie nodded and answered in a muffled voice, but made no move to get up. He yawned, scratched at his hair, and remained dazed for a while before finally coming back to himself and getting up to wash.
He leaned on his crutch on one side, keeping his injured foot off the ground.
That position worked well enough for brushing his teeth. But when it came time to wash his face, he found it difficult to bend over. The sink was far too low for him. After several attempts, his awkward one-handed maneuvering only succeeded in splashing water all over himself. In the end, he set the crutch aside and bent down to splash water over his face.
When he picked up the towel to dry himself, he couldn't quite keep his balance. His body swayed, and he nearly toppled sideways.
Yan Lie hurriedly hopped over, intending to brace himself against the wall, but a pair of hands reached his shoulders first, supporting him from behind.
"Careful."
Handing him his crutch so he could steady himself, Fang Zhuo took the towel from his hand and wiped his face for him.
Yan Lie wasn't annoyed anymore, and he wasn't in pain anymore either. He bent down slightly to make it easier for her.
Just as Fang Zhuo was about to pull her hand away, he deliberately found something else for her to do. "Get this side too."
Fang Zhuo gave him a sidelong look, but still carefully wiped that area again.
Yan Lie turned his face away. "Behind my ears too."
Then he tilted his head back. "And under my neck."
Fang Zhuo obligingly followed his instructions, though her expression gradually went numb.
Had this man ever washed his face for this long in his entire life?
When he looked ready to push his luck even further, Fang Zhuo turned the towel over and folded it again. Her voice turned icy. "Want me to give you a bath while I'm at it?"
Yan Lie suppressed a laugh. "If you insist, of course."
Injured people really did become shameless.
Fang Zhuo rinsed the towel and hung it up, refusing to indulge him any longer. She called a car and took him to the hospital.
Once he was sitting in front of the doctor, Yan Lie finally behaved himself. He sat in the chair looking every bit like an obedient patient.
After examining the injury, the doctor lowered his foot and looked between the two of them, asking as a matter of routine, "How did you manage to do this?"
Fang Zhuo's shoulders shook as she muffled a laugh. The doctor, who was filling out his medical chart, glanced over at her curiously.
Yan Lie's eye twitched. He tugged at her clothes and gave her a look that plainly said, Have some mercy.
Fang Zhuo pretended not to notice. "He was jumping around on the stairs and fell."
Yan Lie lowered his head with humble resignation.
Whether the doctor believed them or not, the eyes behind his glasses curved slightly. He reached up, pinched the top of his mask, and tugged it higher. "Quite the lively one."
Fang Zhuo patted Yan Lie on the head with maternal affection. "Yes. He's eight, after all."
Both the doctor and the nurse couldn't help laughing.
Yan Lie decided there was no point fighting anymore. He put his arms around Fang Zhuo and asked in an utterly innocent voice, "So if I fall in love too young, are you going to call the police?"
The doctor handed them the completed medical chart. "Guardian, keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't put weight on that foot again. If you can't keep him off it, you can rent a wheelchair outside."
Yan Lie reached out to take it, but the doctor dodged his hand and passed it to Fang Zhuo instead, joking, "Here, Mom. Hold on to this for him."
"Okay." Fang Zhuo took the chart and patted Yan Lie on the shoulder, her expression perfectly normal. "Say thank you to Uncle."
Yan Lie had somehow been taken advantage of from every possible direction, and even he found it funny. Keeping a straight face, he reminded her, "Fang Zhuo, I'll be back on my feet soon."
"I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery."
Fang Zhuo inclined her head to thank the doctor, then took Yan Lie out with her.
After lunch, Yan Lie seemed to have thought things through. As they left, he called out of his own accord, "Guardian, can you pick me up and drop me off for class this afternoon?"
Fang Zhuo had already planned to take him there. She had nothing much going on that afternoon anyway. But hearing him ask so readily, she couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"Because you're my guardian," Yan Lie said as a matter of fact.
Fang Zhuo stared at him in surprise. "Is taking advantage of every available opportunity a required course in Computer Science?"
"That mostly depends on talent. There's a lot of room for independent choice." Yan Lie cheerfully leaned against her, shameless as ever. "I don't care. You're the one who volunteered to be my guardian."
Fang Zhuo still took Yan Lie to his classroom.
Worried she might be late, she arrived early and left as soon as she'd watched him take his seat.
A few minutes later, the bell rang once, the professor and students gradually began filing in before it rang again signaling the start of the class.
There were fewer fourth-year students in attendance than usual, and Yan Lie had once again claimed the seat in the middle, with the clearest view of the room.
While waiting for the computer to boot up, the professor swept his gaze around the classroom. He spotted the crutch beside Yan Lie and asked, "Yan Lie, what happened to your foot?"
Yan Lie couldn't answer right away. Telling the truth would mean explaining the whole story, and it wasn't exactly a particularly impressive one. So he simply borrowed Fang Zhuo's excuse. "I twisted it jumping around on the stairs."
The professor was startled. Pondering for a moment, but unable to find the right words. He was just about to sum it up with the adult euphemism "lively" when a boy beside Yan Lie pinched his voice high and squeaked, "Mischievous."
The voice was shrill and loud, sending the entire classroom into laughter.
Another roommate chimed in, "A little thorny rose."
The uproar came in waves, even the professor at the lectern was laughing helplessly.
Yan Lie gave up resisting. He sat up straight, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "I may be temporarily incapacitated, but I have a guardian."
The professor looked confused, but the students below were already shouting, "So you have a girlfriend. Big deal!"
The professor suddenly understood. He pointed at Yan Lie, "See that? Having someone backing you really does give you a little extra swagger."
After two classes, Fang Zhuo came to pick him up right on time. But the professor still had a little left to cover when the bell rang.
As she happened to pass by the front door, Yan Lie spotted her immediately and waved.
The professor had been watching him the whole time. Seeing this, he turned around and waved to Fang Zhuo as well.
Fang Zhuo exchanged a bewildered look with him, eyes widening in confusion.
"Your guardian's here," the professor teased. "I'll finish this problem and then we're done. Give me a minute."
Fang Zhuo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She bowed to the professor, then retreated behind a wall where she could no longer be seen.
The professor sped up, wrapping up the remaining material in a minute before announcing the end of class.
The students didn't leave. Some gathered around the professor with questions, while several lingered around Yan Lie to watch the spectacle.
When Fang Zhuo went in to collect him, she had the uncomfortable feeling that people were staring at her from behind. She turned her neck slightly and asked, "What exactly have you been telling them?"
"I..." Yan Lie had originally felt a little guilty, but his eyes shifted and his tone immediately turned confident. "I was just making our relationship official. What's wrong with that?"
Fang Zhuo said, "What could you possibly..."
He took her backpack from her and slung it over his own shoulder. Fang Zhuo didn't dare fight him for it. She merely told him to be careful and not get carried away again.
Yan Lie put on a solemn expression. "You'd better get used to it sooner rather than later, Mrs. Yan. After all, Yan Lie isn't getting any younger."
Fang Zhuo opened her mouth, then closed it again. He had left her completely speechless. As they arrived at the stairs, she reached out to steady him.
Yan Lie struggled down one step at a time, then stopped halfway and suddenly asked, "What do you want for dinner tonight?"
Fang Zhuo asked languidly, "Is there some price to pay for that question?"
"No price." Yan Lie hooked his arm through hers. "I'm simply trying to win you over."
"Oh." Fang Zhuo drew out the word. "What a shame. I was hoping you'd threaten me a little."
"I don't mind."
By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, Yan Lie had already made up his mind. He held Fang Zhuo's hand tightly and said softly, "Let's go home. We can buy groceries and cook, or order takeout. I still want to get home early."
Fang Zhuo gazed toward the slanting sun, the clouds glowing in shifting hues. For a fleeting moment, she felt there was something inherently warm and comforting about those simple words: go home.
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