All day long, Song Jinxi noticed that Jiang Shuyi seemed restless, as if she had a motor installed inside her.
It was quite annoying.
"What's wrong with you?"
"... Nothing." Jiang Shuyi sighed, but her entire demeanor was filled with restlessness.
As she watched the snow outside grow heavier, she finally stood up from her chair anxiously.
"I'm going back." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked toward the classroom door.
"Huh?" Song Jinxi looked at her in confusion. "But there are still classes—"
However, Jiang Shuyi left without looking back.
---
Jiang Shuyi arrived at the small alley near Wen Yao's house, holding an umbrella as the snow began to fall more heavily.
In truth, she knew she didn't really need to be there.
Wen Yao was already eighteen, an adult who should be able to handle a cold.
Besides, she didn't even know if Wen Yao wanted to see her right now.
—But I still came.
Jiang Shuyi glanced at the medicine she was carrying and sighed.
"I've already bought so much medicine. I can't just throw it away," she justified to herself.
"..."
Jiang Shuyi's footsteps paused at the entrance of the alley.
Because it was cloudy, the area still looked quite dark.
The vicinity of this alley felt quite desolate.
It was worn down, carrying a hint of danger.
As she stepped into the area, Jiang Shuyi sensed an unusual heaviness in the atmosphere.
She recalled Zhou Jingtang mentioning not long ago that Wen Yao came from a wealthy family.
It seemed the rumors had some falsehoods mixed in, Jiang Shuyi thought.
Under the dim light of a nearly dark streetlights, the white snow swirled like moths fluttering in the air.
A few old buildings stood side by side here, crumbling and on the verge of collapse, remnants from the previous century.
This was a place Jiang Shuyi had never paid attention to, a place she had never stepped into.
If it weren't for Wen Yao, Jiang Shuyi might never have had the opportunity to enter such a place in her life.
A flock of crows flew overhead, and snow drifted through the gaps in her umbrella, landing on her forehead.
"..." Jiang Shuyi shivered.
The snow was getting heavier in the dim sky, as if it would never stop.
This was probably the biggest snowfall in Huan City's history.
Jiang Shuyi thought as she walked into the old building's hallway.
She took out her phone and called Wen Yao.
She only knew that Wen Yao lived in this area but had no idea which unit she was in.
Perhaps she was sleeping soundly, as Wen Yao didn't answer.
Hugging her arms, Jiang Shuyi looked helplessly at the heavy snowfall outside.
The snowflakes swirled around, cutting through the cold.
Jiang Shuyi squatted at the entrance of the hallway, snow falling from the open balcony onto the tips of her shoes, unsure how long she had been waiting.
Jiang Shuyi sniffed her nose.
She sent Wen Yao another text.
No reply.
Jiang Shuyi felt foolish for coming to this place without any information.
It was likely she would end up as a human popsicle.
"Don't block the hallway!"
Jiang Shuyi turned around to find a man in his thirties or forties standing behind her, looking fierce.
His voice was deep, and he wore an old black coat, with worn-out shoes, but his physique was surprisingly strong.
Seeing that Jiang Shuyi hadn't moved, he slowly raised his head and looked at her with blank expression. "Are you deaf or just not listening?"
"..."
Jiang Shuyi didn't want to stir up trouble near Wen Yao's home, so she stepped aside to let the man pass.
Although it wasn't evening yet, the stairwell was dim enough that she could barely see.
Jiang Shuyi waited for a long time but still didn't receive a reply from Wen Yao.
She looked at the swirling snow in the distance, wild grass blowing chaotically in the wind.
Wen Yao might have seen her but chose to ignore her. This thought made Jiang Shuyi feel a bit downcast.
Time passed, and Jiang Shuyi blew into her palm, glancing at her phone. A long time had passed since she made the first call.
Footsteps echoed on the stairs.
As the footsteps approached her from behind, they gradually slowed down.
"Jiang Shuyi."
Wen Yao's normally cold voice sounded quite hoarse.
But Jiang Shuyi recognized it immediately and quickly stood up from the ground, turning around.
Wen Yao was wearing a light blue winter loungewear, looking weak as she walked down, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked at the Alpha squatting at the entrance of the hallway, appearing somewhat relieved.
"Wen Yao..." Jiang Shuyi sniffed.
Wen Yao stared at her reddened nose from the cold wind, paused for a moment, but said nothing.
Jiang Shuyi, unsure of what to say, handed over the medicine. "I—I didn't know how sick you were, so I brought a little bit of everything..."
"You need to remember to take your medicine—"
Wen Yao didn't take the medicine, her gaze falling on Jiang Shuyi's delicate, fair knuckles.
Jiang Shuyi's knuckles were red, as if injured from being exposed to the cold wind for too long.
Wen Yao looked at her fingers and helplessly pressed her forehead.
"...Jiang Shuyi, are you an idiot?"
Perhaps not expecting Wen Yao's first words to be like that, Jiang Shuyi felt a bit wronged. "Wen Yao, I—"
She was 99% filled with grievances, wanting to argue back.
She was clearly standing there for Wen Yao, yet Wen Yao's first words were to call her an idiot!
But when Wen Yao wrapped her hands around Jiang Shuyi's, asking her somewhat helplessly, "Are you cold?"
Jiang Shuyi couldn't hold back anymore.
Perhaps it was because Wen Yao had just been lying in bed, so her hands still held some warmth.
Feeling the softness and warmth of her fingers, the emotions Jiang Shuyi had been struggling with in recent days surged up.
She couldn't help but feel her eyes heat up, and a complex mix of emotions flooded over her. "...I'm not cold."
---
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆Charvinovel ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆