[Preface: All the stars fell on my head when I saw you.]
Late at night, bone chilling winds swept through the deserted streets.
Inside the busy downtown hospital, Lu Wei Xi took the last number. Cradling a hot cup of cocoa, the waiting room she entered was already packed full of anxious people. Not even water would be able to squeeze through.1
This winter’s temperatures were one moment high, another moment suddenly low making the temperatures in the day and night vary greatly. After barely sustaining for a week, she still eventually succumbed to the mighty fever.
Struggling through the crowd, glancing left and right for a long time, Lu Wei Xi finally found an empty seat in the innermost corner.
In actual fact it was already 10.30 at night, but everywhere there was continuous sounds of low coughing and people moving. She leaned against the wall, carefully sitting down, hands a bit frozen numbly hugging the cup, braving the heat of the hot cocoa.
The air was full of the pungent smell of disinfectant, Lu Wei Xi was dizzy, whole body from top to toe couldn’t gather even a little energy. Just a moment ago, in the bedroom, Xia Nuan had stared at the thermometer for a long time before, her serious face scaring her, finally said her body temperature has already jumped to 39.5 degrees, she could possibly die in the night if she still didn’t go to the hospital.
But……she thinks dazedly, why does she feel that her fever this time is even worse?
Burying into her long knitted scarf, she yawned, hard-pressed to resist closing her eyes. After a while, afraid she’ll fall asleep in the hospital, struggling again to open her eyes and bored stiff, she turned towards the glass window to look at the night outside. A few stars were extinguished in the night sky, the streets were cold and cheerless, a few dead yellow leaves circled down once in a while. An ambulance swept through at a gallop, leaving a cold wind to mess up a passing girl’s fringe.
Of the four seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn and winter, Lu Wei Xi hates winter the most. Especially such a winter like now where she’s sick with no one beside her, a single person going to see the doctor alone.
Most likely because they’ve indeed waited a while, there’s already people nearby who couldn’t endure and started eating. The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes and bread charged into her nose, making Lu Wei Xi overcome by waves of nausea.
She lifts up her head thinking to try to think of something else, when she immediately saw the LCD screen directly opposite the top of her head, clearly written a line of words:
No. 76: Jian Chi
Her reason already being almost engulfed by the fever, Lu Wei Xi looked up for a long time before finally comprehending. Next one in line will be her.
Before dropping her head once more, glancing out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help staring at that name again.
Jian Chi…
Spring was late, abundant trees…2
Lightly sighing, spring is really slow… so, when will winter finally pass.
[No. 77: Lu Wei Xi.]
A sweet and clear voice of a nurse came through the speakers. Lu Wei Xi drank the last of the cocoa from the paper cup, threw the empty cup away, blinked her eyes, and supported herself with one hand on the wall to stand up. A sense of vertigo, the view in front of her eyes a bit fuzzy, she shook her head, and very slowly step by step went over to the entrance of the emergency consulting room.
The smell of different foods and disinfectant mingled in the air, stinking enough to kill. Feeling the gastric acid inside currently pushing to gush out from her throat, she diligently took deep breaths, fingers unconsciously covering her mouth and nose, worried she would vomit in the next moment.
People went to and from, making the already narrow corridor impenetrable. The crowd’s coughing and talking ringing continuously, she kept her head down, moving forward, concentrating on the ordered pure white tiles below her feet the whole way.
Afterwards —–
Accidentally hit something.
Wow…so tall, a little firm, a shadow shading the top of her head, bringing a slight chill.
How come she hasn’t reacted yet. Her head crashed into a chest, her nose smelling a refreshing scent, a bit like peppermint, very pleasant, in a flash pressing down the overwhelming3 gastric acid from a moment ago.
Her mind clearing up bit by bit, Lu Wei Xi rubbed her slightly aching forehead, trying to straighten up, wanting to step back. Who knew that in the next moment she almost fell under her weak legs.
A pair of hands stretched out at the right time to support her, following which an unfamiliar male voice sounded.
[Careful.]
Very deep, very calm, and… had very nice texture, uh, what was that expression?
Right, heavenly sounding.4
In that sparks-lighting moment, this stranger’s voice, herself unclear and uncomprehending, ignited a fire in her heart.
Stiffening, Lu Wei Xi’s big brain, after freezing for a few moments, finally started slowly working again. After that, she slowly, slowly raised her head. A white, low-cut, wool sweater appeared first in her dizzy view, raising her head more, saw part of the man’s exquisite collarbone exposed to the cold, even further up…
Unexpectedly it was a blue and white medical mask, big enough to properly obstruct nearly half of his face.
Unexpectedly causing one to feel regret.
[Are you OK?]
The man’s voice sounded from behind the mask, slightly muffled as a result. Low, couldn’t hear any emotion, secretive… seeming to carry a bit of impatience.
Has my body temperature already reached 40 degrees? Because…it seems like her face is flushing even more, as well as her heart jumping… beating at least twice the frequency of before.
Subconsciously shaking her head, Lu Wei Xi opened and closed her mouth wanting to say something, but saw the man already politely withdrawing.
[No. 77: Lu Wei Xi.]
Second time broadcasted.
She blanked for a while, raised her head to face the LCD screen, drowsily turning her head away after a few minutes, only to see in time, the indistinct, lofty back view of the man disappearing down the stairs.
——
Sitting in the consulting room’s white chair, Lu Wei Xi complied with the doctor’s directions, obediently opening up the mouth, sticking the tongue out and once again her temperature was measured. However, her mind was going over that stranger’s voice, dazedly, over and over again.
While on the way to lining up to fetch the medicine, carrying a medicine form, the phone in her coat pocket started vibrating non-stop.
All the way to the line in front of window no. 5, she reached into her pocket to take out the phone, saw in fact that it was their dormitory room 306’s Weixin5 group currently chatting in full swing6, news spreading practically at the speed of light.
306 Little Angel Ran Ran: Honestly speaking……who do you really think Su Shi loves the most?
306 Xia Nuan is Meng Mei7: King, ten years of life and death is two boundless things after all.
306 Imperial Lady Cheng Si Ran: Obviously it’s Little Sister Su!
306 Little Angel Ran Ran: …Ok let’s change the subject, it’s almost 11, how come Ah Xi8 hasn’t arrived yet?
306 Imperial Lady Cheng Si Ran: You actually don’t know she has a fever! By the way, Ah Xi, are you currently getting an injection? Or hooked up?
306 Xia Nuan is Meng Mei: A temperature of more than 39 degrees, of course, she’s hooked up. Don’t fear, Ah Xi, we’ll come collect you in a short while.
……
Looking up, she gauged that there was still 4, 5 people carrying medicine collecting forms and so shouldn’t be her turn for the time being. Hence Lu Wei Xi looked down at her phone and started typing away at the phone keyboard at ease.
[Just finished seeing the doctor, now lining up to collect the medicine.]
Her hand moved to the [Send] button, however she couldn’t help pausing for a moment. She pursed up her lips, hesitated for a few seconds but still slowly added one more sentence at the end: [Ah… I just…. heard a really pleasant voice.]
306 Xia Nuan is Meng Mei: Hermit Ah Xi, don’t tell me you are also a secret voice lover?
306 Little Angel Ran Ran: …What’s in a voice to be infatuated over.
Lu Wei Xi saw Mu Ran Ran’s message, couldn’t stop laughing, her eyes squinted in laughter.
That’s right, the her before also didn’t know, in fact this world also has this type of person, only relying on voice, can make someone perfectly willing to abandon everything.
——
Like lightning, or is it a split second firework.
Although hard to imagine, but in that moment he opened his mouth, she seemed to hear the sound of love’s wings lively fluttering over.9
Notes
1 Idiom (水泄不通) – impenetrable (crowd, traffic); literally meaning not one drop can trickle through
2 Part of a poem
3 Idiom (翻江倒海) – overwhelming, in a spectacular mess; literally meaning overturning seas and rivers
4 Idiom (天籁之音) – don’t know how to translate this!
5 Weixin – what the Chinese call WeChat, messaging app
6 Idiom (热火朝天) – in full swing, buzzing with activity
7 Meng Mei (萌妹) – cute little sister (not necessarily related by blood)
8 Ah Xi – kind of like a nickname or calling someone’s first name
9 Idiom (翩然而至) – come trippingly… don’t know what that looks like
bananajoys 