Once the medicine on Yan Junxi's wounds had mostly taken effect, she went to take a shower.
Listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, Shu Wang sat alone in the living room, hugging himself.
He inexplicably felt that the house was truly cold; he looked around and saw no heating, only an old-looking air conditioner and an old-fashioned fan.
After a long while, Yan Junxi came out of the shower wearing pajamas, looking as beautiful as a lotus emerging from water.
Shu Wang couldn't help but glance at her twice, unconsciously ruffling his hair.
She was truly beautiful.
After drying her hair, Yan Junxi looked at him and asked, "There's only one bedroom. Who sleeps on the bed tonight, you or me?"
Shu Wang's eyes widened as he looked at her. After confirming he hadn't misheard, he pouted and said, "It's definitely you! How could I, a big guy, let you, a girl, sleep on the floor?"
Yan Junxi smiled and said, "I don't think it makes a difference, gender equality."
A moment later, Shu Wang followed Yan Junxi to the door of her bedroom.
To be honest, it was his first time entering a girl's bedroom, and he felt a little nervous, accompanied by some curiosity.
With a "creak," the door opened.
A fragrant aroma wafted out, and the two walked inside.
Moonlight poured in through the window, scattering across the floor. Shu Wang stood in the moonlight, stunned.
What met his eyes was not the expected girlish decorations.
The walls were covered with music posters and stickers. On the table by the window were many white A4 papers, faintly showing small characters that looked like musical scores.
A guitar was placed in the corner, and a guitar case hung on the wall.
"What's wrong? Is a girl's room that good to look at?" Yan Junxi stood beside him, smirking.
Shu Wang realized his impoliteness and quickly explained, "No, it's just a bit different from what I imagined."
Yan Junxi asked, "What did you imagine it to be like?"
"First, there should be lots of plush dolls, and the walls should be covered with posters of her own older brother. The decorations would generally be pink, and there should at least be a dressing table!"
"Ah... like that. Sounds a bit childish."
Shu Wang heard her words and naturally understood why she reacted that way. He didn't say much, only felt a bit of heartache.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you like music very much?"
Yan Junxi nodded, not saying much more.
— — — —
Late at night, the moon hung over the willow branches.
Yan Junxi spread the cooling mat she bought last year on the empty space beside the bed.
Fearing he might find it uncomfortable, she placed a yoga mat underneath before laying out the quilt and pillow.
Shu Wang sat on the edge of the bed, hands propped behind him, his eyes looking through the window at the lights of the old train station outside.
Faint sounds of bustling could be heard in the distance; the breakfast shop owner had already woken up and started her busy day.
He was thinking about some things, and his gaze began to unfocus, the city lights gradually blurring.
After a long while, a soft voice pulled him back from his daze.
"You sit on it and try. See if it's too hard. If it is, I'll put another layer for you."
"It's fine, quite comfortable."
"Okay, then I'm turning off the light."
After the light was turned off, the room instantly became completely dark.
Shu Wang lay flat on the floor bed, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue. He opened his phone and wrote something in his memo app.
Shu Wang's Flower shop was quite large, and he wasn't short on money, but he was also an online novelist, accustomed to recording daily events around him.
However, after writing for a while tonight, he wasn't in the mood anymore.
To be honest, his emotions were churning, and all he could think about was the person beside him.
It was his first time sleeping in the same room as a girl three years older than him, and he didn't feel any nervousness or anything like that.
He just thought to himself how much he truly paled in comparison to the girl lying on the bed beside him.
His proud academic achievements during school, his self-satisfaction at getting into a good university—he actually knew his own capabilities all too well.
In society, he was an ignorant novice, or to put it harshly, a lamb to be slaughtered.
The two of them simply didn't live in the same world.
Thinking this, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The floor bed was very soft, and she had thoughtfully considered his comfort, so it didn't feel hard at all. The quilt on him even carried a girl's scent.
Just then, a gentle voice suddenly broke the silence in the darkness.
"Little guy, are you asleep?"
"Not yet."
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Aren't you awake too?"
Yan Junxi turned over, facing Shu Wang's direction, though she couldn't see him. She joked, "I don't dare to sleep."
Shu Wang heard the hidden meaning in her words and said innocently, "Heaven knows, I'm not that kind of person."
Yan Junxi let out a long breath and said calmly, "Who knows?"
The two were silent for quite a while.
Shu Wang hesitated, then quietly asked, "Are you still going to work tomorrow?"
"Probably not. I'll rest for two days. If the wound gets inflamed again because of work, I'd have to go to the Hospital, and then spend more money. I think the Hospital is such a rip-off; a tiny bit of medicine costs hundreds of yuan, so ridiculously expensive..."
The person on the bed was clearly unhappy when she mentioned the Hospital.
Shu Wang felt as if he had heard something interesting and thought-provoking. He suddenly found her contradictory yet self-assured, even a little cute.
In the darkness, bathed in moonlight, the two chatted about various random things. Shu Wang felt her voice grow softer and softer until he could no longer hear it.
A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and Shu Wang closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he vaguely felt the person lying beside him get out of bed.
A moment later, it seemed as if someone pulled the quilt up over him.
This was followed by the faint sound of a door closing.
Shu Wang suddenly sat up, looking beside him in the moonlight—no one was there.