Lin Chaoxi arrived at Ci'en Hospital a little later than agreed.

She had been staring at the gate since the taxi drove into the path in front of the hospital.

In the distance was a vast expanse of cool, clear water, and along the road stood straight holly trees. The boy's elegant figure transformed from a small straight line into something three-dimensional and complete.

Lin Chaoxi got out of the taxi, and the moment he saw Pei Zhi, he forgot the uneasiness caused by the tight time along the way.

Pei Zhi was wearing a navy blue sweater with a white school uniform on top. It was simple, and he looked like he wasn't afraid of the cold at all.

Lin Chaoxi slowly walked to Pei Zhi, took off the scarf from her neck and put it around him, then hugged him tightly: "I forgot to buy KFC on the way. I found out that there is one in the Lohas Town here. You can go back and forth within half an hour."

——

The lakeside scenic area serving tourists is obviously not very popular in winter, but there are always nearby residents going to KFC and McDonald's to eat.

Lin Chaoxi and Pei Zhi walked on an antique-style path. Most of the shops on both sides were closed, but there were still many middle-aged and elderly people walking on the street with their grandchildren.

The weather is gloomy today, but maybe because there are so many children, there is always a warm and light feeling.

They walked side by side, and Lin Chaoxi could not feel Pei Zhi's steps were hurried or slow. He did not look sad, which made it difficult for Lin Chaoxi to ask him directly about the specific situation in the ward.

"What happened yesterday?"

Instead, it was Pei Zhi who spoke first.

Lin Chaoxi thought about it and said, "We were working on the traffic prediction software at that time. I happened to be in Yongchuan, so I wanted some data about Yongchuan. I was working on this yesterday."

She couldn't tell Pei Zhi the seriousness of the matter, so she spoke softly, with a little deliberate understatement. She didn't know what Pei Zhi would think if she canceled the appointment for such a thing.

Pei Zhi fell silent.

"How is Auntie now?" Lin Chaoxi asked.

"The doctor said it'll only be a few days."

Pei Zhi remained calm. Lin Chaoxi felt nervous and held his hand.

"You have a fever?"

"What?" Lin Chaoxi was at a loss. At this moment, the boy turned around, and the next moment, Lin Chaoxi felt a cold palm covering her forehead.

She looked up and could clearly see the expression on the boy's face. Pei Zhi frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes. They were very close, and he kept staring at her, which made Lin Zhaoxi's ears slightly red.

After a moment, Pei Zhi withdrew his hand and Lin Chaoxi took half a step back.

"High fever." Pei Zhi said.

Perhaps she had been hanging on by a thread before, but now that Pei Zhi had revealed it, Lin Chaoxi realized why all the data looked like a mess to her.

She was upset and didn't know why she got sick in such a tight schedule. But she still joked with Pei Zhi to reassure him: "It must be because he saw you were excited."

"Do you still need to get an IV drip today?"

"I..." Lin Chaoxi paused, "I'll go later."

"Actually, you don't have to come here specially if you have a fever." Pei Zhi said.

"You're too polite." With a heavy heart, Lin Zhaoxi lowered her eyelids and said softly, "I was originally going to ask you if I could accompany you to the ward to see your aunt."

Pei Zhi said nothing.

This was the first time that Lin Chaoxi talked about this matter so frankly. After all, he had a fever, so it was okay to talk nonsense: "I know you are having a hard time now, so I really want to accompany you. I don't know how you are in the ward, but I think, if Lao Lin..."

Lin Chaoxi paused when he said this.

Pei Zhi looked at her gently: "Pah, pah, pah, pah."

"Puh, puh, puh!" Lin Zhaoxi simply let go and asked, "I'm worried about you. Auntie is by your bedside every day. Will she force you... to never study math again?"

Pei Zhi looked at her and finally said, "Yes."

"Will you agree to her?"

"Can."

Lin Chaoxi held Pei Zhi's hand tightly.

"Don't be nervous. I know what promises must be fulfilled and what does not."

Pei Zhi said in a very sober tone, and it didn't seem like a big deal.

But when Lin Chaoxi was 22 years old, he personally heard Pei Zhi, who was 22 years old, talk about this past event six years ago. He was also very calm and composed, with a similar tone to now, but the final relief was different from when he was experiencing it.

At this point in the conversation, Lin Chaoxi couldn't just grab him by the collar and say: You clearly can't get over this hurdle now.

But what if Pei Zhi tells us in person how much pain he is in?

No matter how much she comforted him, it wouldn't change anything, and Pei Zhi was very clear about this.

KFC was within easy reach, the aroma of fried chicken lingered in the cold winter streets, and the Colonel himself smiled on the sign. The high fever made her feel cold all over, and Lin Chaoxi could not feel any warmth.

Pei Zhi took her to the cashier to order food, then turned around and said, "I ordered mashed potatoes and vegetable soup for you. Don't eat anything too greasy."

Lin Chaoxi wanted to lighten the mood, so he said, "I want another Coke, without ice!"

"Don't you not drink Pepsi?"

"I'm not that narrow-minded!"

Pei Zhi had no choice but to follow his instructions and order. When he picked up the food, Lin Chaoxi realized that there was not much on the plate. He only ordered a burger for himself.

"Why did you order so little?"

"I'm afraid you'll eat it secretly."

Lin Zhaoxi: “…”

They sat side by side in the window seat and watched. The stool was slightly higher so they could have a clear view of the street.

Lin Chaoxi opened the lotus fresh vegetable soup and took two sips, then put down the spoon: "But chicken has a high digestibility and can help patients recover their strength."

Pei Zhi opened the burger wrapper and said, "Spicy burger."

Lin Zhaoxi: “…”

He opened the mashed potatoes and took two more bites, then finished. Lin Chaoxi bit the spoon and licked it twice: "But Pei Zhi, you are a math student, why are you so concerned about medical matters?"

"I care about you."

Lin Zhaoxi: “…”

Lin Chaoxi lowered his head and continued to drink the soup, his face flushed.

Across the street was the children's playground of this happy town. The empty tram was still running, with a front that looked like a cheap Wolf. Two children were sitting on the merry-go-round, and the electronic music of Favourite Alice seemed to penetrate the glass and linger in their ears.

"When I was a child, I often had a fever. My father hadn't committed suicide at that time." Pei Zhi said in a gentle voice.

Lin Chaoxi paused slightly while scooping the soup, but did not interrupt him.

"But he was ill and couldn't take care of me. My mother took over many things in the family company and was busy every day." Pei Zhi took a bite of the burger and said in a very calm tone, "For about a month, she came home at 2 o'clock every night. I had a fever, so she took me to the hospital for an IV drip, stayed with me for 4 hours, took me home, and then went to work at 7 o'clock. She called me at noon to remind me of various precautions. My experience probably came from that time."

"Then Old Lin is happier. I have been healthy since I was young!" Lin Zhaoxi rolled up her sleeves and made a gesture. Then she realized that in this world, Old Lin had never accompanied her through her childhood, so she added, "And even if I occasionally catch a cold or have a fever, he doesn't know."

"If possible, he would definitely want to grow up with you." Pei Zhi said.

"kindness."

"My mom has always tried hard to be a good mom and never missed any of my parent-teacher conferences. Her biggest wish is that nothing happens to me, so she wants me to grow up the way she wants. Later, our differences grew bigger and bigger, so I often lied to her to make our lives easier, but she would occasionally find out, and then we would go into a cold war again." Pei Zhi narrated while eating a burger, "When we were in a cold war, she would ignore me and let me fend for myself. But after a while, she couldn't bear it anymore and came back. When I think about it carefully, we have actually been torturing each other."

"Auntie loves you, she just tried in the wrong direction." Lin Zhaoxi said, "and it's not your fault at all."

"I know it's not my fault." Pei Zhi finished the last bite of burger, "I just suddenly realized that she has never been happy in all these years."

Lin Chaoxi looked out the window. The sky was so overcast that it seemed to have dyed the playground across the street gray. The merry-go-round slowly stopped, and a little girl in a strawberry skirt climbed down from it and fell into her mother's arms.

Lin Chaoxi slowly put down the plastic spoon and suddenly realized that sometimes mathematics is not the most difficult thing.

Even compared to Lao Lin’s car accident or the data that she couldn’t process in a short time, what Pei Zhi encountered was the most unsolvable problem in life.

She leaned on Pei Zhi's shoulder and grabbed the boy's wrist with her right hand.

She was probably confused, she just wanted to pull Pei Zhi away from it all, so she said without thinking about the consequences: "I have important data that I don't have time to sort out, can you come and help me, let's go to the Internet cafe all night and not go back to the hospital, okay?"

The boy's arm muscles slightly contracted, and the arteries under his skin throbbed again and again. He didn't speak for a long time, and the sound and fragrance of the entire store were completely drained away.

Lin Chaoxi suddenly realized something. She lowered her head, put her left hand on Pei Zhi and rolled up his sleeves, but Pei Zhi held her down.

He pulled his hand back, rubbed her head, and said, "Go back and have a good rest. Remember to take your medicine."