Xiaobai Is Also Troubled Today

When he came out of the shower, his phone screen was flickering. The rain outside had subsided, and though the flow of water on the street was slowing, ripples still danced in the reflection of the town's lights.
 
The shower warmed him up. Unlike him, Bai Tingzhi had always had cold hands and feet since she was little, and her stomach wasn't very good. That was probably why "he" was so thin.

 
Xiaobai was still sleeping now, and he had no idea what "her" parents were so busy with that they couldn't even answer the phone. His own parents were a different story; when they weren't home, it was usually for company business, and they'd always send him a message if they weren't coming back. Taking a shower with a cold was inconvenient, so it was important not to get chilled.
 

The shower hadn't taken long. Lin Yunian went to check on the kitchen; the porridge still needed about half an hour.
 
His mind had calmed down now, but he couldn't seem to do anything else. Homework? No motivation.

 
For the first time in a long while, he turned on the living room TV, immediately turning the volume all the way down. The dim living room was silent, and the half-drawn white curtains reflected the shifting colors from the screen. Hues he'd never spoken of played across Lin Yunian's stern face. He flipped through the channels before finally stopping on a cartoon, though he didn't actually plan on watching it.
 

Until a crisp "ding!" came from the kitchen.
 
It seemed the porridge was ready. He went to the cabinet to look for some side dishes. He remembered they had fermented bean curd and preserved eggs. Xiaobai didn't seem to like salted duck eggs very much.

 
Sick people usually don't have much of an appetite...
 

After thinking for a moment, he decided to just fry some peanuts; they would still be good tomorrow or the day after. They wouldn't keep for long, though. The humidity after the rain was too high, and they'd go soft quickly.
 
A moment later, he brought a small bowl of peanuts to the table. He then took the fermented bean curd from the refrigerator and scooped a piece into a clean bowl. Xiaobai might not eat it, and he couldn't eat much either. Half for each of them was just right.
 

The corners of Lin Yunian's mouth turned up slightly in a smile he didn't even notice himself.
 
"Lao Lin..."

 
A soft voice came from nearby.
 

Lin Yunian looked up and saw Bai Tingzhi, dressed in the light blue cotton clothes, leaning weakly against the wall.
 
"You're awake? Are you cold?"

 
Bai Tingzhi shook her head, feeling she didn't have the strength to walk, so she sat down at the nearest dining table. Lin Yunian went back to the bedroom, found a thin blanket to cover her with, and poured another cup of warm water, placing it in front of her.
 

"Didn't sleep well?"
 
"I sweated a lot... I wanted to come out and see."

 
"Feeling better?"
 

Bai Tingzhi nodded lightly and slowly drank some water.
 
"Want to eat something?" Lin Yunian asked again after Bai Tingzhi finished drinking.

 
"Mmm..."
 

Knowing Xiaobai didn't want to talk much, Lin Yunian didn't press, instead turning to wash two sets of bowls and chopsticks and ladling out two bowls of hot porridge from the rice cooker.
 
"Here are some peanuts and a bit of fermented bean curd."

 
"Okay."
 

Bai Tingzhi took the bowl from Lin Yunian and, after holding her chopsticks for a long moment, began to eat.
 
Weakened by the fever, one or two long strands of hair clung to her delicate neck. Her shoulders seemed to have shrunk again; she looked like she had no strength at all.

 
Lin Yunian finished his porridge while Bai Tingzhi still had half a bowl left. He didn't leave, just waited quietly for her to finish, occasionally picking at the peanuts.
 

Bai Tingzhi felt tired just holding her chopsticks, but she knew she'd feel worse if she didn't eat. It was a truth she knew well, as if she had experienced it firsthand, so she believed it deeply even if her mind wasn't clear.
 
The peanuts were quite good, perfectly crunchy. The fermented bean curd was a little too salty, maybe because she hadn't eaten it in a long time. She pouted unconsciously, thinking that some pickled vegetables would be nice.

 
The girl was "chewing slowly" in a daze, unaware that the person beside her was watching intently.
 

Lin Yunian felt that Bai Tingzhi had changed; it was more than just a feeling. His intuition seemed to be telling him that Xiaobai had undergone a huge change, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't something he could ask about directly; that would be too strange.
 
His gaze moved to the hand Bai Tingzhi was using to hold her chopsticks. He could probably wrap two fingers around that slender wrist. Her skin didn't look like a boy's; it was so fair it seemed to reveal her very nature.

 
His mind started replaying the earlier scenes again.
 

Bai Tingzhi was sitting right next to him!
 
Lin Yunian put down his chopsticks and pressed his hands down hard on his thighs.

 
Perhaps Lin Yunian was too focused on restraining himself, because after Bai Tingzhi finished her porridge, she noticed his strange expression.
 

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him in confusion. Wasn't she the one who was sick? Had Lao Lin caught a cold too?
 
"Oh... it's nothing. I was thinking about the competition," Lin Yunian replied calmly. He hadn't lied to Xiaobai in a long time; this was the first time this year.

 
Seeing him like this, Bai Tingzhi pouted slightly, stood up, and headed back to the room. "Remember to wash the dishes."
 

Being the patient was great. She could order Lin Yunian around, and he wouldn't even argue back!
 
She flopped onto the bed, kicking her small feet up and down.

 
Lin Yunian quickly put the dishes in the sink, unplugged the rice cooker, and hurried to his room. Pushing open the half-closed door, he saw Bai Tingzhi barefoot on the bed, kicking her legs around and messing up the white blanket.
 

"All better now?" Lin Yunian feigned anger, but Bai Tingzhi didn't get up, and he couldn't see her expression.
 
"I feel much better after eating..." Her voice was muffled by the blanket.

 
Just then, the girl suddenly flipped over, sat up quickly, and called out to Lin Yunian, "Do you have any unworn socks?"
 

"Socks..." Lin Yunian's gaze was once again locked onto that pair of delicate feet.
 
"You don't have any?" Bai Tingzhi was surprised that Lao Lin was silent for so long.

 
"Oh, yeah, I do." He turned, opened the wardrobe, and rummaged through a lower drawer. Soon, he found a pair of new white socks.
 

Should they be washed before wearing? He usually only washed new clothes, never socks, but the thought occurred to him now of all times.
 
"Give them to me!" Bai Tingzhi said.

 
What was wrong with Lao Lin today? Could he be sick too? He must be, otherwise why was he acting so dazed. Seeing Lin Yunian's absentminded expression, Bai Tingzhi became even more certain of her diagnosis.
 

So this kid had his moments ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) too. She wondered if he'd have the same expression when he was obsessed with someone someday.
 
She struggled to open the plastic packaging and pull the threads off the new socks.

 
"Lao Lin—"
 

"What is it?" Lin Yunian looked at the small figure on the bed and felt a sense of disorientation.
 
"Help—me—do—my—homework!"

 
"Can't you do it yourself?" He didn't say that he'd already done a little, nor did he intend to.
 

"I can't! I have a fever!"
 
"You seem pretty energetic for someone who's sick." Lin Yunian shrugged.

 
"...Just go. I want to sleep." Xiaobai's voice suddenly softened as she shrank into the blanket, burying her head completely.