"Crazy!" You Mingxu cursed inwardly, too lazy to bother with him as she went upstairs.
Her house was actually quite old, but being one of the earliest commercial housing developments, it was built decently with stubbornly good quality. She entered, turned on the light—this square two-bedroom apartment, much like herself, was simple, spacious, plain, lacking any cozy feeling, only a slightly messy and casual liveliness.
Hanging on the wall in the center of the living room was a black-and-white memorial photo. After entering, You Mingxu would always glance at her, sometimes inexplicably smiling at her, feeling a bit warmer inside.
The mother in the picture was only in her thirties, much more gentle-looking than You Mingxu, yet with a spirited elegance in her gentleness. Her large, moist eyes held a sweetness that You Mingxu lacked. Even the police uniform and cap couldn't hide her vividness. You Mingxu had grown up in Jiangcheng with her maternal grandparents and only came to Xiangcheng for university. They never mentioned her father. Only once, her uncle casually remarked, "Mingxu's looks must take more after her father." No one responded at the time.
You Mingxu carried her mother's surname and had no interest in delving into who her father was, whether he was alive or dead, good or bad.
She took a shower, lay in bed watching dramas—American series, soap operas, trashy shows, she watched them all. Time passed unnoticed this way, her mind free of thoughts, comfortable.
Just as she was watching the male lead spin the female lead under a cherry blossom tree, with the villain standing two meters away, face twisted as if screaming "I'm evil," her phone beeped. Without taking her eyes off the tablet, she fumbled for her phone and quickly glanced at it.
A text from an unfamiliar number: "Mingxu, it's Yin Feng."
You Mingxu initially didn't want to reply, but after a moment's thought, responded, "Got it."
Ending the conversation with one sentence was her goal.
Clearly, it didn't work—the guy had too many screws loose right now, how could he possibly understand her brush-off?
He immediately asked again, "What are you doing?"
You Mingxu held back her annoyance, paused the feel-good drama, and replied, "Watching TV."
"Watching what?"
"'Peerless Passion.'"
"Can I call you?"
"No."
"Why?!"
"Because I'm tired and need to sleep."
"Then add me on WeChat, and approve me. It's that green tadpole app."
Green tadpole...
You Mingxu had never heard anyone describe WeChat in such a refreshingly unique way. She approved him and clicked to view his profile picture in full size. It was a man's side profile, in black and white, with excellent use of light and shadow, like faint ripples reflecting on his sharply defined cheek. The man had a slight smile on his lips, his eyes slightly lowered. He wore the most ordinary black T-shirt, yet it somehow looked very stylish.
At the same time, the picture showed that the former Yin Feng had been a bit narcissistic, a bit arrogant, absolutely confident in his looks, hence using such a cover-model-like photo as his profile picture.
On a whim, she opened his Moments, only to find he had set it to show only the last three days—there was nothing.
He sent a voice message.
You Mingxu clicked to play it."I took my medicine as the doctor instructed today and also got an injection. In the evening, Chen Feng took me for some light activity. I watched TV for a while, but it was quite boring. For lunch, I had meat, carrots, onions, and vegetables. In the evening, I had soup, more meat, chicken broth, shrimp, and vegetables. The doctor said the wound still can't get wet, so I washed with a towel. Now I only smell a little bit. I'm going to sleep now. Good night, You Mingxu."
His voice on the phone was unexpectedly deep and pleasant, carrying a certain softness due to his overly obedient tone. After listening, You Mingxu remained silent for a moment before replying via voice message: "Good night, Yin Feng."
Three days later.
Sunlight generously flooded the entire hospital room. Yin Feng, freshly showered, sat on the bed wrapped in a towel like a large cat. His stitches had been removed, and though it still hurt quite a bit, he felt extremely comfortable and didn't care anymore. The nurse had also blow-dried his hair, which now lay soft and fluffy all over his head.
He didn't know he currently looked like a young man in his early twenties - fair-skinned and clean.
Chen Feng stood before him holding two pieces of clothing, saying: "These are from your favorite brand and style, the latest collection this season."
One was a dark gray stand-collar jacket, the other a black overcoat. The tailoring and craftsmanship of luxury brands were like this - appearing very simple at first glance, yet actually made from exquisite materials with thoughtful design. The two nurses nearby watched quietly, eager to see how the handsome man on the bed would look in these clothes.
Yin Feng stared for a while before showing a somewhat disdainful smile: "So ugly."
Chen Feng's expression remained unchanged as he pulled out casual wear and sportswear from his bag, all from top trendy brands.
Yin Feng's brows relaxed slightly: "Acceptable, passable."
Chen Feng almost laughed. The teacher was still as picky as ever, though his picky direction seemed completely reversed... Back in the day, a certain international first-line menswear brand had even wanted to invite the teacher to be their Asia region spokesperson.
Finally, what Chen Feng pulled from his bag was a green T-shirt with a large, lively Astro Boy printed on the chest, with matching pants.
Yin Feng remained seated, his eyes fixed intently. He could sense the nurses nearby lowering their heads to suppress laughter, which made his face inexplicably warm and somewhat inexplicably angry. He thought that if Mingxu were here, she definitely wouldn't laugh, but would just say in her usual casual tone: "Hmm, you look good in this." Thinking of this, his mood improved again, though he deliberately maintained a serious expression as he said: "Well, since there aren't any other good-looking options, this set will do."
Chen Feng: "Okay."
"I can't be bothered to choose anymore. Buy a few more sets of the same."
Chen Feng: "Okay. Same brand but different styles and patterns, is that acceptable?"
"Hmm."
After changing into the new clothes, Yin Feng walked to the mirror, looked at himself for a while, smiled and muttered to himself: "I'll wear this to show Mingxu today."
Chen Feng said: "Ziyi is here. I had her wait in the next room. Do you want to see her?"
Yin Feng's brows immediately furrowed: "Who is she? Why does she keep coming to see me?"
Chen Feng: "I told you a couple days ago, she's the childhood friend of your brother Yin Chen who died over ten years ago. You've called her sister since you were young. I think she's coming because she's concerned about you."Yin Feng said, "I know. But she's my brother's person, not mine. Since Yin Chen died long ago, does that mean she has nothing to do with me now?"
Chen Feng replied, "Theoretically, yes. But over the past few years, she's always been by your side, and you never objected."
Yin Feng's expression suddenly turned tense: "Is she... my girlfriend?"
Chen Feng thought for a moment and said, "Not exactly."
Yin Feng was confused: "What does that mean?"
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