Rare atmosphere

Inside the ward, the IV dripped medicine. Bai Yixia's gaze followed a drop of water as it fell, then looked at Zhou Qingyan, who was lying pitifully on the bed, and then let out a long sigh.

"well."

Zhou Qingyan looked at Bai Yixia with a bitter expression and brows furrowed, while also shrugging his shoulders and sighing.

"Why."

Sitting on the right, Nie Jiayuan looked at the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Hey."

Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingyan looked over.

Nie Jiayuan was puzzled. "What's wrong? Weren't you the ones who were sighing and complaining first?"

"What's all this sighing and complaining about?" Zhou Qingchi came in with his phone, looking at the three of them with a questioning expression.

Bai Yixia shook her head, "It's nothing, I just feel that this matter has been made..." She smiled and turned to look at Zhou Qingyan, "How come you're allergic to mangoes? I remember you didn't have that when you were little."

The patient himself was also bewildered. "I don't know, I haven't eaten this in a long time." He frowned and sighed, "I never expected this, I never expected this at all."

Zhou Qingchi raised an eyebrow. "The birthday celebrant himself hasn't said anything."

Zhou Qingyan struggled to prop his head up and rolled his eyes at his brother, "Nobody's saying anything good about you, right?"

He lay back down on the bed, turned his head to look at Bai Yixia, and made a crying face.

Bai Yixia chuckled and patted his head. "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Zhou Qingyan was heartbroken. How could nothing have happened? My brother, he finally had a chance to find a girlfriend, and someone finally took a liking to him.

Zhou Qingchi adjusted his pillow and gently tapped his forehead. "Alright, go to sleep. You should be able to be discharged in two or three hours."

"I can't sleep!" Zhou Qingyan glared at his brother, then glanced at Bai Yixia. After seeing her helpless expression, he slowly closed his eyes.

He was still feeling a bit unwell and dozed off for a while. When he woke up, the ward was completely silent. He looked up and saw that there was about one-fifth of his medication left.

Zhou Qingyan struggled to lift his neck to look for his older brother and sister, only to find the three of them sitting side by side on a hospital bed, holding their phones horizontally and typing furiously.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Qingchi's movements were somewhat slow.

"?" Zhou Qingyan vaguely knew what they were doing, but still held a sliver of hope. "What are you doing?"

Unfortunately, no one was listening to him.

As the game ended, he watched in disbelief as Bai Yixia collapsed onto Zhou Qingchi's shoulder, her hand resting on Zhou Qingchi's hand and gently touching it. "Oh my, Brother Zhou, your move was amazing, hahahahahahaha."

Zhou Qingchi's ears turned red from her laughter, and he turned his head away somewhat awkwardly, "You know, I've never played this game before."

After saying that, he looked at her seriously and asked, "Why are you running so fast, and I'm so slow?"

He should have kept quiet, because once he asked, both Bai Yixia and Nie Jiayuan burst into laughter.

Zhou Qingchi was completely bewildered. "What's wrong?"

Bai Yixia laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Well, how should I put it? You're never this clumsy when we play PC games together. It's just kind of fun."

Zhou Qingchi blinked but did not answer.

Zhou Qingyan, who was being ignored, curled his lip. Of course he's skilled at it, because he'd drag me along to play before he played with you, hehe.

This is what they call a "good older brother," haha.

Wait a minute! Zhou Qingyan suddenly realized that no wonder his brother was so hypocritical; it turned out he had planned this all along.

He stared at the ceiling, suddenly realizing that he might have ruined something good for both of them.

When Bai Yixia came over to check the medicine, she saw his expression and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

As a result, Zhou Qingyan grabbed the hem of her clothes and she received a very soft but sincere apology.

Bai Yixia chuckled, glanced at Zhou Qingchi who was still arguing with Nie Jiayuan, and shook her head, "It's okay, good days don't end today."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Qingchi walked over, pressed the call button, and scolded his brother, "Why didn't you call for help? Is your mouth allergic too?"

Bai Yixia couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhou Qingyan sneered, "Fine, you'll stay single for life."

It was a little past six when they left the hospital. Bai Yixia rubbed her rumbling stomach and joked, "Hmm, perfect timing. We can go back and have dinner now."

She then clasped her hands together in a gesture of gratitude, saying, "I am truly grateful to myself for having my aunt help me cook this morning."

Nie Jiayuan made the same expression: "Thank you."

Zhou Qingchi went to get the car first, while Nie Jiayuan walked ahead carrying Zhou Qingyan's medicine, her phone beeping incessantly.

Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingyan both looked over with gossip in their eyes. Nie Jiayuan helplessly spread her hands, "It must be my clingy boyfriend. I'll go make a call."

She moved a little further away while holding her phone. Bai Yixia helped Zhou Qingyan stand in front of the open space, and the two suddenly fell silent.

Thinking of herself as the older sister, Bai Yixia cleared her throat, about to speak, when she heard Zhou Qingyan say, "Sister Xiaxia, I'm so sorry, did I disrupt your plans?"

He was still feeling unwell, his face was pale, and he looked completely listless. Even if Bai Yixia hadn't blamed him at all, any anger she might have felt had dissipated by his pitiful state.

Bai Yixia gently patted Zhou Qingyan's head and smiled, "It's okay."

Zhou Qingyan was skeptical. "Really? That can't be true. Jiajia asked my brother to go shopping yesterday. It seemed really strange. It must have been premeditated, right?"

"Wow, it's that obvious." Bai Yixia blinked and stammered.

Nie Jiayuan and Zhou Qingchi had a very ordinary relationship; they were childhood friends who were familiar but not very close. They used to bicker with each other when they were young, although Nie Jiayuan usually started the fights and Zhou Qingchi would retaliate. As they grew up and became more sensible, their bickering became less heated, but they weren't close enough to go shopping together.

Zhou Qingyan had witnessed countless arguments between them since he was a child. Thinking about how the two of them stood together yesterday, he shuddered: "Well, I hope they didn't fight yesterday."

Bai Yixia laughed heartily, "That's not the case."

Seeing that he still looked apologetic, Bai Yixia said again, "Xiao Yan, please don't feel bad about it, okay? Well, actually, today is important to me because it's your brother's birthday. Whatever I want to do is just to add to the celebration. It's okay if I don't succeed."

Bai Yixia smiled and winked at him playfully, "Don't feel sorry, otherwise I'll wonder why I didn't notice you had an allergy."

When she said that, Zhou Qingyan laughed instead. "It's all my fault. I should have stolen some mangoes to eat yesterday."

"Who told you to only eat cherries, hahaha."

—

Upon arriving home, Zhou Qingchi had just opened the door when Nie Jiayuan suddenly remembered that her gift was still upstairs. So she called out, "I'll go upstairs for a bit. Hopefully, dinner will be ready when I come down, hehe."

The elevator started going up again.

Zhou Qingyan didn't feel particularly sleepy while receiving the IV drip, but when he got home, he seemed a bit listless and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, I don't have much of an appetite. I want to go to sleep for a while."

Zhou Qingchi nodded, helped him into the room, and after seeing him lying on the bed, instructed, "Rest first. If you still feel unwell, call me again, and we'll go to the hospital."

"Um."

After closing the door, Zhou Qingchi finally sighed. Although she knew that Zhou Qingyan wasn't to blame, she still felt a little regretful that her birthday had turned out this way.

It's not that he was particularly looking forward to his birthday, it's just that his original plans seem to have fallen through again.

"Brother Zhou."

The interior lights were off, except for a small light in the entryway when you entered. Bai Yixia stood on the balcony, smiling and waving.

Zhou Qingchi remembered something he had left on the balcony and suddenly felt a little nervous. He hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and walked over.

Bai Yixia leaned on the railing, with a flowerpot shelf beside her. In late autumn, not many flowers were in bloom, making Yangtaishan seem somewhat lonely.

A small rattan lamp hangs on the balcony, its light faint and pale yellow, casting a beam of light from above and giving Bai Yixia a soft, scattering glow.

She seemed completely unaffected, still smiling broadly, bringing a touch of life to this desolate place.

Zhou Qingchi walked to her side, put his hand on the railing like her, and looked at her with his head turned to the side.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Bai Yixia asked.

Zhou Qingchi couldn't nod, but he also didn't feel so happy. "It's alright, just a bit unexpected."

Bai Yixia said, "Me too. I never expected Xiaoyan to be allergic to mangoes." She lowered her eyes, "I should have known better than to make fruit fillings."

“It’s not your fault. He was confused himself,” Zhou Qingchi said.

Bai Yixia paused for a moment, "Hmm... I feel sorry for Xiao Yan."

This was an unexpected event that Bai Yixia hadn't anticipated. She felt apologetic towards Zhou Qingyan, but more than that, she felt regret.

The setbacks made her feel discouraged, as if fate was telling her that what she was trying to do was impossible.

But seeing Zhou Qingchi's disappointed expression, Bai Yixia felt sad too.

She comforted herself, telling herself that good days come often, and it didn't matter if it wasn't today. Zhou Qingchi didn't like celebrating her birthday, but this was a special day, and she should be happy.

She fumbled for the things placed aside, her fingertips touching the hard wood, a surge of emotion welling up inside her. The foundation laid here at noon had been completely destroyed, and now she was filled with a desire to make him happy.

So he turned around, picked up the little ornament, and placed it in front of Zhou Qingchi, saying, "Don't be upset, Brother Zhou."

As expected, her sudden action drew Zhou Qingchi's surprised expression as he stared intently at the ornament in front of him.

Bai Yixia was satisfied and turned on the switch on the side.

With a click, a cluster of light illuminated the dimly lit balcony, revealing the shape of the ornament.

It's practically a miniature garden. Inside the round display cases are lifelike plants: climbing roses, and neatly arranged succulents on the shelves…

The small lights wrapped around it not only illuminated this little corner of the world, but also ignited Zhou Qingchi's heart.

He carefully took the ornament, looking at it with great affection. "Did you make this?"

Each small component has some minor flaws, so it's probably not something that was purchased.

Bai Yixia pouted and hummed, "It's not perfect. But I spent a long time making it. Do you like it?"

How could Zhou Qingchi not like it? He held the ornament in both hands, nodded with a smile, and said, "I like it very much. Thank you, Xia."

Bai Yixia was also satisfied. She leaned closer and pressed another switch below, and a display screen lit up in the blank space, showing a digital clock.

The skillful girl raised her eyebrows, "It's not just a pretty but useless thing. It's a usable clock, you can even set an alarm or something..."

She placed one hand under Zhou Qingchi's hand and pointed at the ornament with the other, "This is a button. It looks like a lump of wood, doesn't it? Yes, I made a mistake!"

To explain things clearly to Zhou Qingchi, she leaned very close, her hair swaying gently in front of his eyes, occasionally brushing against his nose and cheek, making him feel ticklish.

The itch on her face seemed to spread to her heart. Zhou Qingchi took Bai Yixia's hand and leaned forward under her questioning gaze.

Bai Yixia seemed to realize something, and stopped what she was doing. She looked at him with gentle eyes, and after a while, she gently closed her eyes.

Click.

The two of them suddenly realized that the distance between them was only a finger's width.

Their hot breaths brushed against each other's cheeks, and in the silence, the pounding of their hearts was all the more distinct.

Nie Jiayuan, who interrupted the two, was unaware of anything. Standing in the living room with a small bag in hand, she turned on the main light and asked in confusion, "What are you doing? Why aren't the lights on?"

The two people on the balcony heard her speak, first Bai Yixia, then Zhou Qingchi. The two touched foreheads and chuckled softly.

When Nie Jiayuan saw the two people in the photo from afar, she suddenly had a strong urge to rush out the door, but the two did not give her the chance and came in one after the other.

Bai Yixia glanced at the bag in her hand. "A gift?"

Nie Jiayuan nodded blankly and stretched out his hand, "Yes."

Zhou Qingchi hugged the small garden ornament with great care. When she saw the familiar logo on the bag, her brow twitched. "Bought it yesterday?"

"hold head high."

Zhou Qingchi felt a wave of dizziness and wanted to go straight back to his room, but Nie Jiayuan didn't give him the chance and took the things out directly.

It is a pink and white checkered scarf.

Bai Yixia looked at the scarf curiously, then at Zhou Qingchi.

Nie Jiayuan seemed to regain her senses at this moment and said stiffly, "Giving it to you doesn't mean you can use it. You can give it to Xiaxia to wear."

"puff."

Bai Yixia walked into the kitchen with a string of laughter.

In the living room, Nie Jiayuan and Zhou Qingchi looked at each other innocently.

Zhou Qingchi closed his eyes.

I made a terrible mistake in choosing my friends.