At that moment, both of them were still engaged in their heated argument. The old house they lived in had poor sound insulation, and when they entered the building, Lin Xichi had to lower her voice to continue the argument with Xufang, not wanting to disturb others or embarrass themselves in public.
During that time, all her attention was focused on the argument, and she hadn’t noticed whether Xufang had used his phone or not.
Now, seeing the screenshot sent by Lin Xigeng and Xufang’s message, Lin Xichi was momentarily puzzled, trying to figure out its meaning. After a while, she finally remembered.
She had said something to Xufang in the car earlier.
—”But now, I’ve told her that you’re so infatuated with me that you can’t help yourself, you can’t live without me, and now she’s seen this kind of scene. Where should I hide my face?”
Then, right after he got out of the car, he sent her a message.
—”Indeed, I can’t help myself.”
Lin Xichi’s mind suddenly clicked, and much of her anger dissipated. She pursed her lips, staring at Xufang’s message.
As time passed, her emotions gradually calmed down. She thought about Xufang’s back as he left and began to feel guilty.
When it came to Xufang, Lin Xichi was the type who could be swayed by both soft and tough approaches. If he was truly furious, she would yield. If he softened, she would instantly lose her temper.
However, when he was in the middle, “arguing but still accommodating her,” Lin Xichi would become unstoppable, insisting on her way until he conceded.
Xufang had just been in that state, which led to him leaving the house in the end.
Now, she realized that he had already softened toward her in private. This made things more complicated.
Furthermore, he was leaving for B City tomorrow, and they had inexplicably argued tonight, which felt like a waste of time.
Lin Xichi buried her face in a pillow and rubbed it for a while, then lifted her head, hesitating as she composed a text message to Xufang. Sending a reconciliatory message within half an hour of their argument felt like she was backpedaling.
But when she thought about it, she couldn’t stand being angry anymore.
Lin Xichi thought of Xufang’s attitude, which was like “although we’re arguing, I’m still accommodating you overall,” and she couldn’t help but start the argument again, escalating it until he left.
Now she realized that he had already softened toward her in private, and that made things difficult.
She also noticed the time; it was already half-past ten. They had been arguing for two hours after returning home.
Lin Xichi let out a sigh, sent a text message to Xufang, and then went to bed. She decided to go to Xufang’s house early the next morning to make up.
A fresh start tomorrow should help her save face, right?
The next morning.
Lin Xichi’s first action upon waking up was to check her phone.
Seeing that there were no new messages on WeChat, she sighed and got out of bed. She thought Xufang was being stubborn and childish, and it annoyed her that he was still upset.
Unlike her, who was mature and understanding.
Nevertheless, she decided to pamper him. No strings attached.
There was no relationship whatsoever.
After quickly getting ready, Lin Xichi changed into a different outfit, applied her everyday makeup, and grabbed her usual bag. She had no appetite for breakfast and felt dejected as she opened the door.
She wasn’t sure how long Xufang intended to stay angry, and yesterday her tone hadn’t been good. If he stayed away out of anger and didn’t talk to her, it would be troublesome.
Lin Xichi started to feel anxious as she closed the door, but then she noticed Xufang standing in the small corner by the door.
She wondered how long he had been standing there.
Xufang’s head was slightly tilted upward, and the contours of his neck were visible. His posture was relaxed, with his hands in his pockets, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Hearing the movement, Xufang subconsciously looked over.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to freeze.
Xufang had been silently watching Lin Xichi, making her feel a strange tingling sensation on her scalp. After a few seconds of silence, he rubbed his cheek and awkwardly blurted out, “I have amnesia.”
Lin Xichi was stunned, and the heaviness in her heart seemed to dissipate with his presence. It vanished even more with his words.
Then, she suddenly remembered what she had said to him yesterday before he left, and she couldn’t resist the urge to…
Push the envelope.
Lin Xichi cleared her throat and cautiously picked up his thread, “But you still remember that I’m your dad.”
Xufang: “…”
Xufang felt like he had used up all his rights to get angry in his lifetime before the age of nineteen. Now, faced with Lin Xichi’s provocative behavior, he wanted to scold her, but he had to hold back.
He had held back before.
He was used to it.
Xufang raised his eyes lazily, no longer wanting to engage with her, and simply said, “Open the door.”
Lin Xichi obediently replied with an “Okay” and turned to get the keys to open the door. Her mood had improved, and her tone returned to its usual lightness.
“Son, how did you know this is where your home is if you have amnesia?”
Xufang placed the items in his hand on the shoe cabinet, then casually replied, “I asked for directions.”
Hearing this, Lin Xichi turned to look at him. “How did you ask?”
“I asked if there was someone here called ‘Stupid.’” Xufang’s tone was indifferent, devoid of any emotion. “The security guard pointed me to this house.”
Lin Xichi bit her lip and was about to say something when she suddenly noticed something on the shoe cabinet.
It was another box, shaped like a book with a deep blue cover.
Her curiosity was instantly piqued. She approached the box, opened the outer layer, and found a four-digit combination lock.
“…” Due to her anger last night, Lin Xichi had completely forgotten about the existence of this box. Now, it suddenly clicked in her mind. “Did you go out yesterday just to buy this?”
Xufang raised an eyebrow slightly, which could be considered an acknowledgment. He handed the box to Lin Xichi, then lifted her onto the shoe cabinet, and began taking off her shoes, casually saying, “Try one number each day.”
Lin Xichi fiddled with the four rolling wheels on top of the box. “What number?”
“Try the date of that day,” Xufang replied nonchalantly.
Then, Xufang couldn’t help but lower his head and kissed Lin Xichi’s lips. His tongue parted her lips and sought hers, dancing together passionately.
His lips slowly moved downward, lightly nibbling her chin, then continuing to her neck. The intensity increased gradually, leaving marks in its wake, as he muttered vaguely, “You always make me angry…”
After sending Xufang off at the airport, Lin Xichi returned home. She had taken the day off for the Qingming Festival and had another day off tomorrow, but she didn’t know what to do with these two consecutive days off.
Lin Xichi lay on her bed, playing with her phone for a while. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the box on the coffee table and reached out to grab it. She looked at the combination lock with curiosity, wondering what could be inside.
What could stay in there for five years without going bad?
Today was April 4th.
Lin Xichi slowly turned the four wheels of the lock, setting the numbers to 0404. She hesitated for a moment before confirming that it wasn’t the right combination.
She was intrigued by the mysterious contents inside the box, but she also remembered Xufang’s stern face from last night. She decided to hold back her curiosity for now, not wanting to provoke another argument.
After Qingming Festival had passed, Lin Xichi returned to work at the hospital. She had been away for a couple of days, but there were other doctors on duty. Lin Xichi spent her morning busy with work until it was time for lunch. That’s when she suddenly remembered the little black cat.
Had it not come for its IV today?
Lin Xichi went to the front desk and asked. The interns who had been on duty these days said that the girl had brought the cat in yesterday and the day before, mostly in the mornings. They didn’t know why she hadn’t come today.
Lin Xichi didn’t press further, thinking that maybe the girl had some temporary matters to attend to and would come in the afternoon.
However, in the afternoon, Lin Xichi received a phone call from the girl. Her voice was shaky, filled with sobs as she stuttered, “My cat, after getting the IV yesterday, started having incontinence, both urine and stool, and it kept vomiting yellow fluid.”
Lin Xichi was taken aback, and just as she was about to ask the girl to bring the cat in for an examination, the girl continued, “And this morning, I found it not breathing.”
Lin Xichi’s heart sank upon hearing this. She gently said, “Please don’t be too sad. The survival rate for feline panleukopenia is only around 80%, and it’s even lower for younger cats. This isn’t…”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone!” The girl burst into tears, directing all her grief towards Lin Xichi. “You’re supposed to know what you’re doing! You’re useless! It’s getting worse and worse, and it cost me thousands of yuan!”
The girl’s crying grew louder.
After a moment of silence, Lin Xichi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and hung up the phone.
Calling to vent her frustration, this situation was relatively mild.
When Lin Xichi first joined this hospital, she saw a woman protesting outside with banners and a crowd of relatives and friends because her dog had died. They all rushed the veterinarian when he came out.
It was eventually resolved with a police intervention.
However, this was the first time Lin Xichi had encountered such a situation personally.
She hadn’t been at the hospital for long, and most of the cases she had handled so far were common illnesses. This was the first time she had a pet die on her watch.
Thinking about what the girl had said, Lin Xichi felt a weight on her chest. She realized that this was something she had to bear in her line of work, and there would likely be more cases like this in the future.
Lin Xichi continued to adjust her emotions, picked up dinner on her way home, and returned to her apartment.
On her way home, Lin Xichen received a call from Lin Xigeng. He sounded a bit displeased, and Lin Xichen could imagine his cold expression as he said, “Lin Xichen, are you free now?”
Lin Xichen replied, “Yes.”
Lin Xigeng continued, “Can you do me a favor? I’ll send you a Word document, and I need you to create a PowerPoint presentation based on the content. I have something to attend to right now…”
Lin Xichen agreed, saying, “Sure.”
She hung up the phone quickly and continued her way home.
When she arrived at her apartment, Lin Xichen unlocked the door, entered, and headed up the stairs. The voice-activated lights were not very responsive, and as she climbed the dimly lit staircase, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
Another call came in.
Lin Xichen had just reached her apartment door and opened it. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve and answered the call.
It was Xufang.
His tone didn’t sound too pleased, and Lin Xichen could sense his displeasure. “Didn’t you say you were going to video call me? I’ve called you so many times. What are you doing?”
“I just got home,” Lin Xichen replied softly.
“It’s already nine o’clock,” Xufang said, his tone becoming even less friendly. “Can’t you come home earlier? You work late every day.”
“I had to work overtime today.”
There was a pause, and then Xufang continued speaking, but he sounded different than usual. He seemed to be more talkative, his voice low and husky, as he recounted what had happened today.
Lin Xichen sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, and listened attentively.
After a while, her eyes turned red. She didn’t want to worry him, but she couldn’t help but say, half-jokingly, “Xufang, I’m feeling a bit down.”
There was a moment of silence, and Xufang’s breath seemed to catch. “I know.”
He didn’t take it as a joke at all. After a few seconds, he continued, “Otherwise, why would I have so much nonsense to tell you?”
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