As the lunar new year gradually passed, the indistinct early spring crept into Star City.
After the Spring Festival holiday, Xu Xing had been back at work for over half a month.
Recently, she had been exhausted and suffering from headaches due to being tormented by those little brats, barely holding on thanks to the good news of her salary doubling after getting confirmed as a full-time employee.
At quitting time, she stretched lazily, already daydreaming about dinner.
Just then, her phone chimed with a "ding."
She casually grabbed it; it was a notification from the platform that someone had bought the gym membership she had listed for transfer.
Xu Xing was momentarily stunned.
D*mn! That's a big sum!
She hadn't even lowered her heart's bottom line to seven thousand; it was snapped up for eight thousand!
The happiness came a bit too suddenly, and Xu Xing dumbly opened the app to communicate with the buyer.
After confirming that it wasn't a prank, she called the gym's front desk. "Hello, could you tell me the process for transferring the gym membership? Do both parties need to be present at the gym to complete it?"
"Yes, each annual membership can be transferred unconditionally once. Please have both parties bring their original ID cards to our gym to complete the transfer procedures."
Before Xu Xing could fully celebrate, the front desk staff added, "Only group discount cards issued after January 1st cannot be transferred."
…?
Xu Xing recalled when she won the prize at the annual meeting and suddenly felt dizzy.
"Why can't cards issued after January 1st be transferred?"
"That's our company's latest policy."
Is the boss of this company out of their mind…?
Xu Xing watched helplessly as the hard-earned money turned to ashes in an instant, feeling a heartache so intense she could barely breathe.
"Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
Could you help me curse your boss…?
Xu Xing felt utterly disheartened.
"Xingxing, aren't you leaving yet? Can you turn off the lights before you go? I'm heading out first."
Colleagues were leaving one after another, and someone called her from the office door.
Xu Xing forced herself to perk up. "It's fine, I'll turn them off."
Hearing her response, the colleague smiled and gracefully left.
It was Friday, and the colleague was dressed so beautifully, probably having a date that evening.
Once the last colleague left, the office turned quiet and empty. Xu Xing slumped over her desk, feeling both disappointed and lonely.
Li Yuanjun was going out for dinner with her author friends tonight, and there was no one at home. What should she eat for dinner?
Suddenly, she felt that being a poor adult was exhausting, and being a poor single dog was even worse—she didn't even know what to eat for dinner.
After lingering at her desk for a moment, she decided to go home and make instant noodles before finally packing up her bag.
As she was about to leave and turned off the lights, her phone rang unexpectedly. She struggled to dig it out of her bag, and upon seeing the caller ID "Bi Wang," she was taken aback.
"Kang Chen? What's up?"
On the other end, Kang Chen was holding the steering wheel, his voice gentle. "I'm calling to inform you that Lu Ke is sick and can't make it to class tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh, that's fine."
If he's sick, he won't be able to cause trouble, right?
Although she knew this thought wasn't very ethical, she felt inexplicably relieved.
Realizing her wicked thoughts, Xu Xing quickly felt guilty; after all, he was just a three-and-a-half-year-old kid. Even if he was a little troublemaker, she couldn't wish illness upon him. How cruel could she be?
As she kept thinking about it, she felt increasingly guilty and hurriedly asked, "This weather change can easily cause colds; is he serious? Has he seen a doctor?"
Kang Chen replied casually, "The doctor is here. It's not a big deal; he just has a fever of thirty-nine degrees and refuses to take medicine, crying for his mom."
…?
Not a big deal?
Xu Xing felt a bit anxious. "Can I go see him? He can't just not take medicine!"
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm at the office. Give me the address; I'll take a cab over."
"No need, just wait a moment. I'll come pick you up."
"You're coming to get me? What about Lu Ke?"
Kang Chen remained calm. "He should be asleep. There's a doctor here; it's fine."
What do you mean "should be"?
Looking at her phone screen after the call ended, Xu Xing felt a bit dazed.
***
Kang Chen arrived much faster than Xu Xing had imagined. She had just bought some fruit downstairs when he pulled up.
She didn't think much of it and assumed his home was nearby.
However, as they drove back to his house, the speed wasn't slow, yet it was already thirty minutes, and they still hadn't arrived.
Xu Xing couldn't help but wonder, "How much farther? You got here in less than fifteen minutes; why is it taking so long to go back?"
"When I called you, I was outside."
And I was on my way to your office.
"..."
Xu Xing felt something was a bit off, but she couldn't quite figure it out, so she decided not to dwell on it.
***
Kang Chen lived in the Green Island Villa area in the northern part of Star City, which was over a forty-minute drive from where she worked.
After getting out of the car, she walked while taking in the scenery of the villa area.
Suddenly, Kang Chen firmly grabbed her arm and said in a deep voice, "Be careful."
Xu Xing stumbled slightly as she was pulled, finally noticing a few steps leading down in front of her.
She looked up at Kang Chen.
He didn't say anything else but cast a deep glance at her, then unceremoniously took her wrist and continued to lead her forward.
Xu Xing glanced at her wrist, feeling an inexplicable warmth rise on her cheeks.
Kang Chen lived in a detached villa.
As they entered and changed their shoes, a cool color palette greeted them. The first floor had no partitions, and sunlight streamed through a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, making the interior feel quite bright.
As Xu Xing looked around, she asked, "Where's Lu Ke?"
"Upstairs."
As he spoke, he gestured for Xu Xing to follow him up.
Seeing them arrive, the doctor who had been watching over Lu Ke sighed in relief. He stood up and briefed Kang Chen on the situation. "Mr. Kang, Lu Ke's fever has gone down. He's been asleep for almost an hour. When he wakes up, remember to give him his medicine twice a day."
Kang Chen extended his hand in thanks. "Thank you for your hard work."
The doctor shook his hand back and nodded. "No problem. Then, Mr. Kang, I'll take my leave."
Once the doctor left, Xu Xing stepped forward to check on Lu Ke.
The sickly Lu Ke was no longer the mischievous little troublemaker; he lay on the bed, his lips pale, eyes tightly closed, and a children's fever-reducing patch stuck on his forehead.
Perhaps the noise from the comings and goings had disturbed him. His long eyelashes fluttered, and he soon opened his eyes.
Still dazed from waking up, his eyes glimmered with a layer of moisture. After recognizing Xu Xing sitting beside him and Kang Chen standing behind her, he rubbed his eyes, suddenly sat up from the bed, and leaped into Xu Xing's arms, calling softly, "Teacher Xu~"
Because of his cold, his voice sounded a bit babyish.
Lu Ke's affectionate leap took Xu Xing by surprise. Is this little rascal turning over a new leaf?
Tentatively, she hugged the little rascal back, gently soothing him on his back and softly asking, "Did you wake up? Is there anywhere that hurts?"
"My throat hurts, and my tummy hurts too," Lu Ke said with a pitiful pout, snuggling closer to Xu Xing while sneakily glancing at Kang Chen.
Kang Chen remained calm and composed, showing no sympathy, as if the sick little rascal wasn't his nephew.
In this moment, Xu Xing felt an overwhelming sense of maternal affection. She spoke softly, thinking: A three-and-a-half-year-old has a cold and fever, and with no parents around, only a scary uncle—how cruel!
She turned around, her tone growing a bit colder. "Have you prepared anything for Lu Ke to eat?"
"The cook made porridge; it's probably kept warm in the kitchen. I'll go get it," he replied.
"Probably"? He needs a reminder to go get it?
Xu Xing mentally marked Kang Chen with several big crosses.
Once he left, Xu Xing continued to comfort Lu Ke. "Uncle is going to get the porridge; let's wait a bit. Teacher will tell you a joke, okay?"
Lu Ke nestled in her arms and nodded, then added a condition, "Teacher Xu, I don't want to drink porridge; I want to drink sour stuff."
"Sour stuff?"
Lu Ke kindly explained, "Yogurt! I want strawberry flavor~"
"Then how about we drink the yogurt after the porridge?"
Suddenly, Lu Ke turned stubborn again. "I want to drink sour stuff first!"
Xu Xing's gaze landed on the children's cold medicine on the bedside table, and an idea struck her. She pretended to reluctantly agree, saying, "Alright, Teacher will talk to Uncle for a moment."
Lu Ke tugged at her sleeve, urging, "Mm-mm, teacher, hurry and tell me a joke."
Xu Xing racked her brain and finally recalled a joke she had seen online. Clearing her throat, she asked with a serious expression, "Lu Ke, do you know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west?"
Lu Ke looked confused. "I don't know."
…?
"It's okay; now you know. Um… Do you know what a sunflower is?"
Lu Ke shook his head again and innocently asked, "What's a sunflower?"
"…"
D*mn it, this joke isn't going anywhere.
Fortunately, at that moment, Kang Chen returned with the porridge. Upon seeing it, Lu Ke's little face tightened, and he alertly shouted, "Teacher, you promised I could drink sour stuff first! Adults can't break promises!"
Xu Xing quickly reassured Lu Ke, and once he calmed down, she leaned over to Kang Chen and quietly explained, "Get some yogurt, I mean, yogurt, and put the cold medicine in it. He doesn't want to take his medicine."
She had heard this trick from a colleague who already had kids at the office, claiming it worked every time.
Kang Chen didn't say anything but looked at her with a complex expression.
Xu Xing was too lazy to waste time talking with him, urging him to get the yogurt. Once he brought it back, she took the yogurt and added the cold medicine herself. They began their secretive little drug administration outside the door.
Throughout the whole process, Kang Chen didn't comment on her questionable idea.
After mixing it well, Xu Xing tiptoed over, holding out the open yogurt. "Here, your strawberry-flavored yogurt."
Seeing the yogurt, Lu Ke indeed quieted down.
Xu Xing felt a secret sigh of relief.
She picked up the chicken porridge from the bedside table and slowly blew on it to cool it down, meanwhile feeling a little pleased with herself—Kang Chen probably thought she was just a clueless teacher.
Before long, Lu Ke shouted, "Teacher Xu, I finished drinking it~"
Xu Xing smiled broadly and reached for his empty bottle. But as she took it, her smile froze suddenly.
Seeing her like that, Lu Ke laughed so hard on the bed that the fever-reducing patch on his forehead fell off. "Did you think I really finished it? There's medicine inside! How could I be tricked? Silly!"
…?
Are you really not a little rascal?!
Xu Xing could hardly believe that she had been outsmarted by a three-and-a-half-year-old. She sat at the edge of the bed, stunned.
Kang Chen soon entered again, holding a cup of slightly steaming cold medicine.
He wasted no time, directly placing the cold medicine on the bedside table, gently uttering, "Drink it."
His expression was calm, with no hint of a threat. But Xu Xing watched helplessly as the little rascal, who had just been rolling around in laughter, instantly transformed into a wilted little cabbage, sending her a look of desperate appeal.
Seeing this, Kang Chen rubbed Lu Ke's head again, still speaking softly. "Drink it right away."
The little rascal gave up struggling entirely, reluctantly picking up the small cup with a look of martyrdom—
He drank it!
Xu Xing looked at the little rascal, then at Kang Chen, feeling that the world was a bit surreal.
Who am I? Where am I? Why did I come here?
Wasn't he supposed to cry and beg not to take medicine?