The apartment's interior showed no one had lived there before, or perhaps the previous residents had taken good care of it; everything looked brand new.
The young man, feel she uneasy, had only then spoken of the fact that the house had become her one.
Su Qing pinched her brow, the pain in her stomach making her realize clearly that her actions had affected Jiang Sui.
It must have been the last time, in the hospital, when she had said she couldn't come here, or perhaps even earlier, that Jiang Sui had decided to give her this place.
In a daze, the young man stopped beside her and placed a heat pad in her hand.
"This is warm enough, Qing Qing, take it."
He handed her a pink, bunny-shaped heat pad and turned to walk away.
As if afraid she would ask him more, or even reject him again, he quickly left behind.
Su Qing looked at the heat pad, feeling a surge of warmth and bitterness in her heart.
Both of them were now wounded, but Jiang Sui was still thinking about how to care for her.
She knew that to untie Jiang Sui's knot, she had to untie her own first.
The boy, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a small bowl of soup.
His features were picturesque, a stark contrast to the pink apron, yet he was so dedicated as he half-knelt to serve her soup.
"Qing Qing, drink some, and your stomach will feel better."
The boy seemed accustomed to caring for her, so he held the bowl and spoon, blowing on it as he tried to feed Su Qing.
But after a moment, the boy, lost in thought, came to his senses and tried to put the spoon down.
He had clearly forgotten that Su Qing was no longer the patient she once was, no longer needing his meticulous care.
Jiang Sui's mood was visibly depressed. When Su Qing pursed her lips and then opened her mouth.
The boy's eyes lit up.
He was filled with joy, enjoying the opportunity to care for her.
The boy was cautious, and a warm feeling flowed down Su Qing's heart. After drinking a small bowl, a thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead.
Su Qing's stomach felt noticeably better than before, and her complexion also improved, a faint blush.
"I was worried it wouldn't work. It seems Baidu can be reliable sometimes."
The young man felt slightly relieved as Su Qing's complexion improved. He'd seen many examples of people being rushed to the hospital for painkillers when in extreme pain.
Su Qing's illness and wounds had just healed, and he was worried the medication would affect the healing process or develop medicine resistance.
Jiang Sui knew his worries were somewhat unfounded, but he seemed to quite enjoy them.
"It worked. I'm feeling much better now."
Su Qing pursed her lips and looked at Jiang Sui. The moment his eyes lit up, it was because of her.
The young man pointed to a bag on the coffee table to one side.
"Qing Qing, here's what you need, some heat packs, and some for day and night use."
With such a large bag, the young man thought of everything he could think of.
Even doing these things was a bit embarrassing, so his voice was particularly low as he spoke.
Su Qing pursed her lips. She was already feeling hot from drinking the brown sugar drink, and hearing Jiang Sui's voice, shyness threatened to overwhelm her.
Jiang Sui saw that Su Qing's complexion had improved considerably.
He gestured towards the layout of the house.
"Qing Qing, this is a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment. One bedroom is upstairs, the other downstairs. The kitchen is downstairs, and there's a bathroom upstairs with the bedroom. You live upstairs, and that's the master bedroom."
"Qing Qing, don't worry. No one has ever lived in this house."
It was just as Su Qing had imagined—it was incredibly new.
It was next to the school, so she guess Jiang Sui's mother bought it for Jiang Sui.
"This is actually my coming-of-age present, and now I'm giving it to you."
The boy blinked and placed the key in her hand. Su Qing knew she had to accept it. The boy's emotions had finally calmed down a bit, so she gripped the key a little tighter.
"Even though it's a fingerprint lock, you still have to keep the key, Qing Qing."
The young man softly instructed something and then looked at Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, you should get some rest. I'll be leaving first."
Su Qing watched the air outside grow dark. She pursed her lips, thought for a long moment, and grabbed the boy's shirt as he was about to leave.
"It's too dark outside. You can stay here."
This place had always been his, the most precious gift he'd given her. From the beginning, Su Qing hadn't actually intended to let Jiang Sui leave.
But her thoughts kept pulling her back.
In the end, she agreed.
The boy's eyes burned at Su Qing, and he pointed at himself in disbelief. "Qing Qing, you're letting me live here?"
The surprise in his eyes was palpable.
Su Qing truly trusted Jiang Sui.
Su Qing knew the boy's character, his sense of propriety, and his repressed emotions.
Su Qing nodded. "Well, there are two bedrooms, aren't there? You stay. I'm a little scared to be alone."
The fear was genuine.
Su Qing rarely lived alone, almost never.
Ever since Su Rao left, Su Qing's loneliness had only intensified.
When Jiang Sui heard Su Qing say she was afraid, her eyes flickered.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. There's a nightlight in the bedroom. I'll take you upstairs."
He seemed to have considered every possible scenario.
As Jiang Sui pulled Su Qing upstairs, there was an orange nightlight and a ringing phone on the girl's bedside table. When he pressed 1, the boy's phone rang.
"Qing Qing, get some rest. I'm downstairs. Don't be afraid."
The boy was reluctant to leave, but he still gave Su Qing a gentle hug.
Su Qing sat on the bed.
Her eyes were clear and bright. The moment the boy left, that feeling of loneliness began to wash over her again.
She lowered her eyes and went to the bathroom. After a quick wash, she lay down on the bed. The phone rang.
Su Qing pressed the answer button.
"Qing Qing, I'm done. Are you done?"
It was Jiang Sui's voice. She felt strangely at ease and answered the boy's question slowly.
His voice lingered in Su Qing's ears.
A faint sense of loneliness seemed to dissipate so quickly.
Slowly, Su Qing began to drift off to sleep.
The young man never hung up the phone, staring at the ceiling.
He thought of the girl's eyes trembling slightly when she said she was afraid.