Darkness enveloped Lu Shizhen's head, and the chirping of cicadas near the window instantly subsided.
Her heart pounded, and the tension was palpable, pressing against her chest and filling her ears.
As if to avoid giving herself away, the faint light above Lu Shizhen's head disappeared completely after a few slight movements.
Xu Shiyue was completely concealed by the quilt, and her sense of smell, which was usually easily overlooked, became obvious in the darkness.
Compared to the strong disinfectant that permeated her own room at all times, Xu Shiyue's room was filled with a faint fragrance.
Lu Shizhen had smelled it when she came in, and she thought it was the smell of summer outside. But now that Xu Shiyue was hiding her under the covers, she realized that it wasn't the smell of summer, but the smell of Xu Shiyue.
A faint, delicate fragrance emanated silently from its owner, slowly gathering around the tightly fitted bedding.
The light flavor intensified without being overpowering, gently enveloping Lu Shizhen with a touch of summer warmth that made the person trapped in the darkness feel comfortable.
"Take your medicine and get well before you can have your last surgery at the end of the month."
As Lu Shizhen was thinking this, the nurse's sudden voice pulled her back from her reverie. Her body, hidden under the covers, became still, and her breathing became cautious.
"Thank you." Xu Shiyue responded politely to the nurse, watching her walk in with a tray. Her gaze casually swept over the wall to the side, and her hand on the blanket tightened unnoticed.
The nurse, however, didn't notice the corridor that had suddenly appeared on the wall. With a casual glance, she turned her gaze back to Xu Shiyue and the wheelchair that had suddenly appeared beside her bed: "Shiyue, did you bring this wheelchair here?"
Xu Shiyue was somewhat surprised by what was happening. She nodded casually and said, "Hmm, I want to try and see if this can save some energy."
The nurse smiled slightly upon hearing this, seemingly chatting, but actually observing her condition: "Do you feel any relief?"
Xu Shiyue shook her head, her expression serious and somewhat frustrated: "I'm not very good at maneuvering a wheelchair, and it doesn't save any energy, so walking is better."
Hearing Xu Shiyue's answer, the nurse was immediately relieved and nodded, saying, "Yes, and you need to get up and exercise more."
Xu Shiyue had heard this instruction many times before, and as always, she nodded obediently: "I know, I'll put it back in the storage room later."
"I really hope all young patients can be like Shiyue," the nurse praised gently, then divided the medicine and handed it to Xu Shiyue. "Here, let's take our medicine."
"Okay." Xu Shiyue nodded and took the medicine and water cup from the nurse.
This action also caused the blanket, which was originally tightly pressed down on Lu Shizhen's head, to lift up slightly.
A cool breeze blew in, and bright light peeked through the cracks into Lu Shizhen's vision.
The blue and white striped hospital gown swayed slightly with its owner's movements, appearing loosely in Lu Shizhen's sight.
The little girl's dark eyes widened in surprise as she realized just how close she was to Xu Shiyue, to the point that her legs were already crossed over Xu Shiyue's.
The gentle breeze seemed to breathe life into the fragrance, floating and brushing against her face.
Even though the temperature under the blankets was much lower than before, Lu Shizhen still felt her face was hot.
Just then, a stronger wind suddenly blew in.
Large swaths of light fell into Lu Shizhen's view. The girl's slender, straight figure was vaguely blocked in front of the light. She said to Lu Shizhen, "Okay, she's gone."
Xu Shiyue watched the nurse leave, and the moment she made sure the door was closed, she couldn't wait to pull back the blanket for Lu Shizhen.
Just as she was about to share her discovery with Lu Shizhen, she suddenly noticed that Lu Shizhen's cheeks were slightly flushed: "Your face..."
Lu Shizhen's eyes darted around, and she explained somewhat guiltily, "Um...it was too stuffy, it's really hot in the summer."
As she spoke, Lu Shizhen raised her small hand to fan herself, looking as if she had been feeling stuffy for a long time.
Xu Shiyue lowered her eyes slightly, a smile playing on her lips, which quickly faded without her noticing. She said to Lu Shizhen in a serious tone, "Sorry, I should have left you a little room."
"No, it's nothing." Lu Shizhen shook her head. "As long as we got away with it, it's fine."
Xu Shiyue looked at Lu Shizhen, who was about to sit up, and gave her a hand, then said, "I've discovered something."
Lu Shizhen's previously hesitant expression immediately turned serious: "What?"
“When the nurse came over just now, she only saw your wheelchair and didn’t see the corridor connecting our two wards,” Xu Shiyue said.
The chaotic black doorway was squarely embedded in the wall, looking like a door in the sunlight filtered through the window grilles.
Lu Shizhen slowly shifted her gaze from the "door" to Xu Shiyue, their eyes meeting as Xu Shiyue looked at her.
Their eyes met.
A mixture of surprise and simple joy overlapped.
On this day, two little girls from different worlds acquired a secret that belonged only to the two of them.
The summer cicadas' chirping traveled through the long corridor and into the usually quiet ward, where laughter, no longer restrained, finally broke the silence.
As she got to know her better, Lu Shizhen discovered that this little girl, who was only a few months older than her, was truly calm.
Having experienced life and death many times, Lu Shizhen thought she was clear-headed enough, but Xu Shiyue was even more so.
Moreover, her calmness was completely different from mine; her calmness was more mature than that of her peers, and she was as composed as a young adult.
But what does it matter if you're mature or composed?
No matter what, she's still a child, and she still loves the rabbit and apple I carved for her.
Only she can carve a rabbit-shaped apple.
Lu Shizhen was very pleased with herself, even proud of it.
But sometimes I wonder why Xu Shiyue's mother didn't let her carve rabbits and apples? After all, it was her mother who taught her how to carve rabbits and apples.
The sounds outside the blanket were muffled, and the gentle, refined voices of two adult men and women reached Lu Shizhen's ears.
They are Xu Shiyue's father and mother.
This was the first time Lu Shizhen had encountered Xu Shiyue's parents visiting her after spending so much time together.
This was completely unexpected. Lu Shizhen hurriedly and skillfully hid under Xu Shiyue's blanket.
Perhaps because she had been hiding like this for so many days, Lu Shizhen's curiosity, coupled with her nervousness, emboldened her.
The tightly folded blanket was secretly lifted a crack by the little girl's fingers, revealing a pair of dark eyes.
Just like the voices coming in, Xu Shiyue's parents were also exceptionally refined and gentle-looking.
They sat together affectionately, looking like a perfect couple, just like the male and female leads in the TV dramas Lu Shizhen watched. It was quite enviable to watch them together.
Especially Xu Shiyue's mother.
The summer skirt was exceptionally light, swaying beautifully on her body. Her fingers, resting on her knees, were slender and white. It was as if she had never done any manual labor; if she were to do any, Lu Shizhen would probably feel sorry for her and rush to do it herself.
It's really beautiful.
but……
Thinking this, Lu Shizhen turned her gaze back to the blanket.
Xu Shiyue did not take her hand out; it just hung down on her lap. Her hands were as slender and fair as her mother's, but with more defined bone structure.
October's hands are prettier than her mother's...
As Lu Shizhen was secretly thinking this, a gust of wind suddenly rose above her head.
That familiar light once again blinded and surged into Lu Shizhen's vision, interrupting her deep thoughts.
This time, however, Xu Shiyue's face was much clearer than the first time, and her bright black eyes were looking at Lu Shizhen.
In an instant, Lu Shizhen felt like she had been caught peeping.
"Why is your face always red every time I lift the blanket?" Xu Shiyue asked with a smile, tilting her head in curiosity.
“Of course it’s hot.” Lu Shizhen said the same thing a second time, and this time she became more assertive.
She slowly sat up in bed, her gaze lingering on the two empty chairs not far away. Then she asked Xu Shiyue, "Do your parents come every day?"
The question seemed to be about the sudden incident just now, but Xu Shiyue saw a hint of loneliness in Lu Shizhen's dark eyes.
They don't always stay here; they spend about half their time at Lu Shizhen's place, but the need to hide is very rare.
Such a sudden event would not happen in Lu Shizhen's hospital room.
Time there seemed to run like a tightly scheduled program, with the prescribed events occurring precisely at the appointed time, down to the second. She had seen doctors and nurses while hiding in the closet, but she had never seen Lu Shizhen's parents even once.
Xu Shiyue immediately shook her head and said, "They probably just have less to do today and remembered to come see me. Once they get busy, they won't have time for me anymore."
"Oh, I see." Lu Shizhen nodded, feeling that such a beautiful mother shouldn't be the way Xu Shiyue described.
Before she could think any deeper, Xu Shiyue's voice rang out: "Lu Shizhen, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to finish your painting today? You won't be able to finish it by just spacing out here~"
Xu Shiyue's voice was soft, but it had a seriousness that came from a young age. Lu Shizhen frowned when she heard this and complained, "Shiyue, do you know that sometimes you sound like a shrew?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Shiyue immediately pursed her lips and remained silent, her slightly puffed-up face showing that she was a little angry.
That makes sense. What little girl wants people to say she looks like an ugly and extremely wicked old man?
Lu Shizhen immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly crawled out of bed, took Xu Shiyue's arm, and apologized three times: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong, Shiyue."
"October isn't Huang Bapi, October is the best, October is the best person in the world! And the most handsome person in the world!"
Even though Lu Shizhen showered Xu Shiyue with compliments and clung to her like a clingy puppy, she was still very much in love with her.
Xu Shiyue remained unmoved, sitting on the bed, turning her head away and ignoring her.
The child didn't understand what it meant to care; he just felt extremely anxious.
For a moment, Lu Shizhen couldn't think of any other way to please him, so she simply took out her most sincere gift: "After I finish this painting, how about I paint one for you too? I'll paint whatever you want!"
Xu Shiyue's expression softened slightly upon hearing this.
It seemed like she had been waiting for Lu Shizhen to say those words. She loosened her grip on her lip, turned her head, and said, "It's a deal, no backing out."
Lu Shizhen suddenly felt as if she had been tricked.
But Xu Shiyue has started paying attention to her again, so what else is there for her to consider?
Lu Shizhen readily agreed, saying, "Of course! I mean what I say!"
Time flies, and the end of the month is here in the blink of an eye.
Xu Shiyue is about to undergo her final surgery, and Lu Shizhen has finished the painting she promised to give her.
Although she was told she would see him the next day, Lu Shizhen was still a little worried.
The surgeries were a series of nightmares for her; many of her friends were taken in and never came out.
Lu Shizhen tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
She stared at the dark, long corridor on the wall, clutching her painting and apple, her little hands on the wheelchair, and mustered the courage to push it.
The long, dark corridor stretched endlessly into the distance, and it would be a lie to say that Lu Shizhen wasn't afraid.
But as long as she thought that she would soon see Xu Shiyue, she had nothing to be afraid of.
October is waiting for you at the end of the corridor. Keep going, Lu Shizhen. Don't be afraid, it will be here soon.
Don't be afraid. She'll be happy to see you in October. She's in a lot of pain and she needs you.
...
The words of encouragement kept repeating in Lu Shizhen's mind, she didn't know how many times she had repeated them, when the wheels of her wheelchair bumped against a familiar protrusion.
—That's the tiled floor of Xu Shiyue's room.
Moonlight streamed into the room through a side window, dimly outlining the room's furnishings.
Lu Shizhen carefully pushed the wheelchair to Xu Shiyue's bedside. Her heart, which had been filled with many emotions, finally felt at ease when she saw the little girl sleeping peacefully.
The monitoring equipment readings are stable and normal, and the IV drip is flowing steadily and orderly.
Even after learning that Xu Shiyue was alright, Lu Shizhen still sat by her bedside, reluctant to go back, and even hoping that she would wake up.
How long will it take her to wake up?
She had just finished her drawing and wanted to show it to her.
She's been here for five minutes already...
The night deepened, and a lone full moon hung in the dark night sky.
The little girl had gone from sitting to lying down, her sleepy eyes closed, then quickly opened again.
The eyelashes that spread out like a fan before Xu Shiyue's eyes were thick and beautiful, and her fair face had lost its maturity, but was full of a childlike plumpness.
Lu Shizhen, resting her head on her arm, gazed unabashedly at Xu Shiyue as she slept, and couldn't help but think that the sleeping Xu Shiyue looked like a porcelain doll.
Lu Shizhen was admiring it like this, and before she could react, Xu Shiyue's eyes moved.
Then it opened its eyes to her right in her line of sight.
Xu Shiyue: "Were you the one who was watching me here just now?"
Caught red-handed, Lu Shizhen's face flushed red.
Fortunately, the darkness of night provided her with protection, allowing her enough mental preparation to allow her to nod calmly, "Yes...yes."
Then, Xu Shiyue, who was lying on the bed, curled the corners of her lips.
Feeling a little guilty, Lu Shizhen saw Xu Shiyue smile and quickly asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Perhaps because she had just woken up, Xu Shiyue's voice was a little hoarse and her volume was also low.
She hooked her arm around Lu Shizhen's hand, which was resting on the edge of the bed, and whispered in her ear in a voice only Lu Shizhen could hear, "I'm just so glad to see you when I wake up."
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