"Hello..." Ying Qian didn't check the contact name, but directly reached for her phone under her pillow, her tone unfriendly.

I originally wanted to just start cursing.

"Are you sick?" The man's voice was gentle, with a slight hoarseness.

Hearing the sound, Ying Qian suppressed her irritation and opened her eyes with difficulty, "..."

At 2 a.m., Meng Beiyan would still call.

Even if there was something urgent, he had never bothered me this late before.

He asked abruptly, "Ying Qian, are the flowers on the balcony dead?"

Ying Qian's mind was buzzing, and she hadn't yet recovered from the dream. Suddenly, she remembered the jasmine plant on the balcony that hadn't bloomed yet, and chuckled twice. It had recently started to bud.

"He's not dead yet. I reckon it will be open by the time you get back..." Her voice was also hoarse.

"That's good." Meng Beiyan's tone softened considerably. "Take good care of yourself."

"Why are you still up so late?" she finally remembered to ask.

There was a long silence on the other end, which almost made Ying Qian think that she had accidentally hung up the phone.

"work overtime."

Meng Beiyan seemed to have only managed to find time to make the call amidst his busy schedule, and after connecting, he didn't know what to say, as if he only wanted some comfort and encouragement.

"You must find time to catch up on sleep after working overtime. Your health is the most important thing... Brother, don't overwork yourself." She mumbled, her words unclear.

Meng Beiyan didn't care what she was saying. As long as he could hear her voice, everything was fine. His irritability from the whole day would disappear because of Ying Qian's few words.

The call never ended.

Meng Beiyan would chime in from time to time, and Ying Qian would also find an opportunity to hum in response, making her presence known.

"I want to see you, right now."

This was the only sentence that was ignored; Ying Qian was probably fast asleep and didn't hear it.

That night, Ying Qian slept very soundly.

The man on the other end of the phone stood on the hotel balcony, wearing a Bluetooth headset. The cigarette in his hand remained unlit. He wanted to sleep, but when he closed his eyes, he couldn't fall asleep.

He listened to Ying Qian's occasional soft snores, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

There were no lights in the room, only the faint moonlight and the scattered lights of the city. He returned to the room and leaned against the headboard.

Gradually, she fell asleep.

I slept soundly through the night.

The sunlight shone on Ying Qian, and she screamed "Ah—!"

Because! Meng Beiyan didn't hang up the phone all night!

Her phone bill! Her phone bill! Ah—

Ying Qian asked softly, "Brother, are you awake?"

After a while, a lazy voice came from the other end: "I'm awake. You woke me up."

He heard screams early in the morning. Meng Beiyan chuckled softly, unsure whether he was laughing at Ying Qian or at himself.

"Did you know the phone call wasn't disconnected?"

Meng Beiyan actually knew, but he said, "I didn't know. I was asleep last night and didn't pay attention."

"that……"

Ying Qian wanted him to help her pay her phone bill...

"What?" Meng Beiyan's tone was slightly raised, as if he wanted to tease him. He wanted to hear Ying Qian beg him in person.

However, Ying Qian didn't say anything; she felt really embarrassed.

He just said, "I'm hanging up now! I'll pack up and go to school right away!"

After saying that, she hung up the phone with a pained expression.

After hanging up the phone, she lay stiffly on the bed, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. She clutched her pillow tightly, trying not to cry out, and screamed hoarsely, "My phone bill—!"

"Ring." The phone vibrates.

She sniffled as she gathered information.

It's a notification that the phone bill has been credited to your account, 300.

Ying Qian immediately wiped away her tears, which were replaced by a silly grin on her face.

She no longer has a fever today, but her throat still feels like it's being cut by a razor blade.

Today is a sunny day, but the temperature is not high, around ten degrees Celsius.

Before leaving, she received a message from Meng Beiyan, which basically told her to wear more clothes.

She replied: I'm not stupid.

Ying Qian left very early in the morning, and there were only a few people scattered around the breakfast shop.

She bought two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk; that was her breakfast.

"Oh, Ying Qian!" Ren Yi slowly walked over, glanced at her breakfast, and exclaimed in surprise, "You only ate this much? Aren't you going to get a tea egg?"

Ying Qian shook her head, instead looking puzzled: "Did the sun rise in the west? Why are you here so early today?"

Ren Yi chuckled dryly, looking utterly hopeless, and said, "Don't even mention it. I played games late last night and got punished by my mom this morning."

Ying Qian couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Ren Yi pouted, and said matter-of-factly, "Is it that funny?"

She was still covering her face and laughing, then admitted, "I have a low threshold for laughter, okay?"

As she spoke, she took a bite of the bun and headed towards school.

Ren Yi followed behind, his eyes reflecting her back. "Ying Qian, did your parents give you hormones? How come you're so tall? Or are girls just naturally tall from your area?"

Hearing this, Ying Qian was taken aback, feeling a little disappointed. She pretended to be normal and replied, "No, I'm a local. I just live in Qincheng. As for being tall... well, it's determined by genes!"

"Is she a local?" Ren Yi nodded. He hadn't asked Ying Qian about her and didn't know many things about her.

I only know from gossip that she did not live in S City before.

Ying Qian pursed her lips and never turned around. If she did, her bright red eyes would be immediately apparent.

She wiped her face with her sleeve and quickened her pace.

"Hey! Ying Qian! Why are you running so fast all of a sudden!"