Chapter 4

“Do you mind if I have a little drink?” Lin Sheng asked.

Xu Xieyi’s clear eyes looked at him, and she shook her head sideways.

This made the faint tension in Lin Sheng’s brows ease slightly, and he smiled.

In truth, Xu Xieyi wasn’t exactly so “well-behaved.” She was rebellious too, only much more restrained in front of elders.

The pot on the stove bubbled gently with steam rising.

Xu Xieyi propped her chopsticks in her hand, watching the man opposite tilt his head back to drink. His jawline was slender and defined, his beard neatly shaved, only faintly visible upon close inspection. Clean and tidy.

When it came to a man’s “taste,” it was still difficult for her to appreciate fully. She just felt this man was “clean” and “neat.”

Watching Lin Sheng’s delicate and refined manner as he drank water, she finally saw a faint resemblance to the graceful youth from her childhood memories, giving her a slight sense of reassurance.

“Brother Lin, do you have to sign that responsibility waiver for every surgery?” she asked.

Lin Sheng put down his cup. “Yes.”

Xu Xieyi set down her chopsticks, nervously and cautiously inquiring, “Then… could you make an exception for me?”

Lin Sheng was not surprised by her request; in fact, he had been expecting it for some time. Seeing the earnest expression on the girl opposite him, he directly asked, “What kind of exception do you want me to make?”

Xu Xieyi’s eyes flickered away. “I mean, can I not sign that responsibility waiver? Could you quietly perform the surgery for me, please?”

“No,” he replied without hesitation.

“Ah?” Xu Xieyi couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “Don’t you want to think it over before answering, Brother Lin?”

After all, I’m the one treating you to dinner…

“This is a matter of principle, Xieyi,” Lin Sheng said, looking at her. “A doctor’s scalpel isn’t something to be wielded casually.”

“Brother Lin, I have over ten thousand yuan. I’ll give it all to you.”

Xu Xieyi wouldn’t give up easily. Before Lin Sheng could respond, she added, “Or, I can write you an IOU! I know ten thousand might be little to you. I’ll start working a summer job in a couple of months. You tell me what’s fair, and I’ll pay you in installments.”

Hearing this, Lin Sheng found it both amusing and exasperating. His long fingers idly toyed with the wine glass as he looked across at her.

What boredom had driven him to chat here with such a flighty girl?

She was like an innocent little creature accidentally trespassing into the adult world.

Using the simplest, most straightforward logic, she was trying to negotiate something obviously impossible, yet she clung to hope.

Lin Sheng pondered how to explain this to Xu Xieyi. She was still quite young, still studying, most likely inexperienced in love; some things were difficult to say.

He even considered whether to find a woman to talk to her, to help her understand.

But then he thought better of it; they weren’t close enough to warrant that.

Never mind.

Lin Sheng said nothing. Xu Xieyi didn’t know what he was thinking and persisted, “Brother Lin, don’t worry—I definitely won’t run away. I promise I’m trustworthy.”

Between them, the pot steamed, and the overhead light was soft.

Lin Sheng couldn’t help but smile at her earnest three-finger promise. Xu Xieyi was a little baffled by his smile. After a while, meeting her hopeful gaze, he softened slightly and said, “That still won’t work.”

Xu Xieyi immediately felt discouraged. “Why not?”

He looked down at her disappointed face, the corners of his mouth lifting. What was meant to be a stern explanation turned into gentle words: “Because... I don’t like people running a tab.”

—

No chance.

Xu Xieyi thought.

He didn’t even let her pay for this meal.

She didn’t even know when Lin Sheng had settled the bill.

He was flawless, never giving her a chance to trade favors. She had wanted to treat him to dinner, but in the end, he ended up treating her. Instead of owing him a favor, she had become indebted.

—

Sigh…

Do adults always have to be so ruthless?

Xu Xieyi felt like crying but had no tears.

Lin Sheng drove Xu Xieyi home. Along the way, the girl said nothing, looking thoroughly dejected at having messed things up.

He shook his head at her stubbornness but couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at his lips.

The black Porsche pulled up beneath an old apartment building. Xu Xieyi slung her backpack over her shoulder and got out. “Thank you, Brother Lin. I’ve caused you trouble twice now.”

Lin Sheng spoke to her through the window, “It’s nothing. Don’t think too much about it. Study hard.”

“Mm.”

Xu Xieyi turned and trudged towards the building.

Lin Sheng’s fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel as he watched her retreating figure, the visible weight of her disappointment.

“Wait.”

Hearing this, Xu Xieyi’s eyes lit up with hope as she turned back.

A hand extended an umbrella through the window.

“Don’t want the umbrella?”

“...” So that was what it was.

Her hopeful expression quickly faded. She ran back, holding her backpack with one hand, took the umbrella, and politely nodded in thanks. “Thank you, Brother Lin.”

“Mm.”

“Well, I’m going upstairs now. Goodbye.”

Lin Sheng waved goodbye.

There was a narrow path of about ten meters between the building and the car. Xu Xieyi had walked halfway when she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, “Brother Lin, wait for me! I’ll be right down!”

Lin Sheng had just turned the car around and was about to leave when he wanted to ask what was going on, but the girl rushed inside and disappeared.

He glanced at his watch.

His appointment with Chu Yuefei was about to start.

Xu Xieyi stayed upstairs for a long time without coming down. Lin Sheng grew impatient, turned off the engine, got out, and lit a cigarette.

Xu Xieyi hurried down and, from a distance, saw the young man smoking under the streetlight. He leaned against the hood, tall and upright like a pine tree clinging to a cliff.

At twenty-seven, right in the prime of his life.

Handsome, young, wealthy, capable, knowing what he wanted and having the means to pursue it—Lin Sheng was exactly like this.

“Brother Lin.”

Hearing her voice, Lin Sheng turned.

Xu Xieyi’s cheeks were flushed from running. She handed him a neatly packed small bag in a transparent plastic pouch. “Drinking on an empty stomach hurts your stomach.”

Her eyes shone as she pointed to the medicine. “Stomach protection medicine. Take it with warm water, about forty or fifty degrees. If your stomach isn’t good, drink less cold water.”

Lin Sheng was taken aback. Smoke drifted slowly from his lips.

His gaze caught the small plush rabbit hanging from Xu Xieyi’s backpack zipper, gently swaying with her rapid breath.

“How did you know my stomach isn’t good?”

Xu Xieyi smiled shyly, dodging the question. “Brother Lin, if you don’t like lamb, why didn’t you just tell me? I noticed you barely touched your food all evening, just kept drinking.”

—

Lin Sheng left the neighborhood close to ten at night. The roads were strictly monitored on the way back, so he parked by the roadside and waited for a designated driver.

The road was damp and quiet after the rain.

His hand rested casually on the steering wheel; the odometer needle flickered occasionally. He glanced at the passenger seat where several neatly packed medicine boxes lay inside transparent pouches.

His eyes darkened slightly.

After a brief moment’s thought, he put on his Bluetooth headset, unlocked his phone, and opened recent contacts. That number without a saved name...

That weekend, with her parents away, Xu Xieyi had finished showering and sat at her mother’s dressing table, drying her hair with a blow dryer. Then she reached for her charging phone.

The screen showed a missed call, from quite some time ago, made while she was in the shower.

“Lin Sheng.”

She jumped, her heart pounding, various thoughts flashing through her mind.

Hadn’t Brother Lin already refused?

Why was he calling now...

After some mental preparation, Xu Xieyi finally pressed to answer.

—

Lin Sheng had thought Chu Yuefei was asking him out at night for some reason, but it turned out to be a “bilateral meeting.”

Though their surnames differed, they were relatives from their grandfathers’ generation. Lin Sheng had grown up living with his grandparents in the compound, alongside Chu Yuefei.

That night, the elders had spontaneously decided to visit each other, bringing the younger generation along.

In the living room, the tea scent filled the air, and voices mingled softly.

The two old gentlemen reminisced about their past in the military, eventually mentioning how Lin Sheng had beaten Chu Yuefei badly when they were boys.

“Ah Sheng is really growing more refined,” Old Mr. Chu said. “I still remember when he was little, he was quite fierce in fights in the compound.”

Chu Yuefei interjected, “Grandpa, I told you back then that Lin Sheng was a little tyrant who bullied me, but you didn’t believe me.”

Old Mr. Chu glanced at his grandson, his voice slightly aged. “How can you say that? Ah Sheng always scored excellent marks. Look at you—how could I believe you?” He rested his wrinkled hands on his cane and shot a sidelong glance. “Besides, would Ah Sheng bully you?”

Chu Yuefei smiled.

“Ah, Old Chu, you shouldn’t say that. Xiao Fei here is quite outstanding,” Lin Zhiguo said, his face marked with age spots but still dignified. He looked at the handsome Lin Sheng with a modest mouth but a pleased heart.

Chu Yuefei leaned closer, whispering to Lin Sheng, “Honestly, Ah Sheng, why were you so fierce in fights when we were kids? I could never beat you. Didn’t you get punished at home?”

Lin Sheng smiled and glanced sideways at him. “I did. But if I lost, the punishment was worse.”

Chu Yuefei thought this was harsh discipline indeed. The old commander was the old commander—strict even at home.

The Lin family had rigorous upbringing. Lin Sheng’s nature was gentle, but he was forced to become leader among the children. Even now, old friends still called him “Brother Sheng.”

Lin Sheng could be gentle, but not always. Chu Yuefei was among the few who truly understood him.

While Lin Sheng listened to the elders’ conversation, his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, excused himself, and went to the balcony to answer.

Chu Yuefei muttered meaningfully, “What secrets are you talking about, sneaking off like that?”

“Sorry, Brother Lin. I just missed your call.”

The rain had stopped by evening. Lin Sheng looked at the crescent moon in the sky from the balcony.

“It’s all right, no emergency.”

Xu Xieyi sat on the bed listening to Lin Sheng’s voice on the phone. Though she could not see him, she couldn’t help but sit properly, restrained. “Brother Lin, what did you want to talk to me about?”

She hoped quietly but dared not truly expect.

Raindrops hung from the balcony railing. Lin Sheng leaned against it, his shirt damp, revealing a hint of skin. Noticing, he glanced down but said nothing.

“Xieyi,” he said into the phone. “Do you want to make a promise with me?”

Hope! Xu Xieyi felt a thrill inside, her voice trembling slightly. “Yes, please say it.”

Considering Xu Xieyi’s age, Lin Sheng chose his words carefully and smiled. “When you get to university, or later if you fall in love, if you still haven’t changed your mind, come find me. I won’t charge you—I’ll do the best surgery for you.”