Su Qing had been to Jiang Sui's house once before.
She memorized the route, neither too deep nor too shallow, and had memorized the location.
Su Qing was now standing at the doorway, looking at the familiar small advertisement plastered on the doorframe from her last visit.
Just across the door, Su Qing held some fruit in one hand and raised her other, pausing just before knocking.
Her mind echoed with the word she'd said the last time they met. Tired...
Su Qing didn't know.
Now she was standing at his door again. For a long moment, as it was getting off work, people were coming and going on the stairs, forcing Su Qing to slowly raise her finger again.
Knock, knock, knock…
She knocked on the door, and after a moment, silence answered her.
Isn't he home?
Su Qing's eyes flickered with suspicion.
Then her palm touched the door.
Two creaks...
It had just been pushed open. Hadn't he locked the door?
Su Qing frowned at this dangerous move. She stepped softly inside, finding the familiar entrance. She spotted his slightly dirty sneakers lying on the floor.
Su Qing, worried she might have walked into the wrong place, relaxed a little. However, the moment she entered, she felt a chill in the air.
It was too cold, even colder than outside.
After a shudder, Su Qing closed the door and walked into the hallway. The tidy home was completely out of place, but the instant noodle bucket on the coffee table didn't quite fit in.
Within her sight were those pink dolls, stored in glass storage boxes, a bit like pillars, adding a touch of warmth to the home.
The whirring air conditioner made Su Qing look up at the ever-lit light. She placed her belongings on the floor and turned toward the bedroom, which was half-closed.
He should be inside.
Just across the wall, Su Qing felt a wave of unease, nervousness, and anxiety, instantly washing over her. Her eyelashes drooped, and she searched for the air conditioner remote and turned it off.
It was hard to imagine the boy sleeping in there like this. He might have caught a cold. His phone was still on the coffee table, presumably out of battery.
Su Qing was momentarily lost in thought when her feet were already standing outside the boy's door, and one hand was slowly pushing it open.
A faint glimmer of light filled the dim bedroom as she pushed the door open. The sound of heavy breathing made Su Qing nervous.
The last time she came, Su Qing hadn't been in this bedroom.
The young man lying in bed felt groggy. The light and scattered sounds made his eyes struggle to open. The heat from his body made it impossible for him to open his heavy eyelids.
In a trance, Jiang Sui seemed to see Su Qing.
Had he dreamed of her again?
"Jiang Sui..."
Her voice was soft, and her face was filled with worry and concern.
Su Qing even placed her hand on his forehead.
The fiery touch forced Su Qing to withdraw her hand. Her brow furrowed at the burning sensation on her palm.
He clearly had a fever, a severe one.
Su Qing bent over the bed, withdrew her hand, and tried to search around for a thermometer or a medicine box.
However, the person on the bed grabbed her hand.
The young man muttered to himself, his expression obsessed. His handsome face flushed crimson, his lips pale and dry, perhaps from dehydration.
"In my dream, how could I let you go? You can't go."
A hot palm tugged at her hand, and Su Qing, forced and shocked, intertwined their fingers.
With overwhelming force, unbecoming of someone ill, Jiang Sui lifted Su Qing by the waist and laid her on the bed.
He gazed at Su Qing with an almost obsessive expression.
"Even in my dream, you tried to escape!"
The boy's crimson face was tinged with a hint of displeasure and a touch of anger, his eyes dazed as he stared at the girl beside him.
Su Qing cried out in shock and tried to push Jiang Sui away, but the boy, unable to distinguish between dream and reality, was now filled with deep discontent at Su Qing's refusal.
His burning fingertips gently caressed Su Qing's eyes, eyelashes, nose, and finally rested on her scarlet lips.
Su Qing was frozen in fear. She could sense Jiang Sui's feverish warmth, his dazed expression, and his childlike tone.
Her heart was beating like a drum.
Dong-dong-dong, her heart leaped into her throat, and she sank deeper onto the bed.
"Jiang Sui..."
Su Qing's voice was soft and stiff, her gaze unfocused. The boy, so close to her, his warm breath bathed her face, and she could sense his abnormal temperature.
"Shh..."
The young man stared at her blankly, motionless and stunned. He placed his index finger on the bead of her lip, silencing her.
"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear you reject me again and again."
The young man's voice sounded hoarse and aggrieved. Even his sinister brow furrowed sharply, then the corners of his lips curled up.
"But you came to see me in my dream again."
He was visibly happy. He buried his head in Su Qing's neck. Her scent was so real that Jiang Sui couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Su Qing flinched at the tickling sensation on her neck.
"Jiang Sui..."
Her fingers clutched tightly at the hem of Jiang Sui's shirt, fearing he might do something. Her heart was twisted into a knot. She took a deep breath, but also worried that if she pushed Jiang Sui away, he would become dissatisfied.
As Su Qing struggled with her expression, the boy emerged from her neck.
His nose gently nudged hers.
His voice was filled with a gentle, ethereal quality.
"I love you so much."
The boy's eyes were filled with a lingering, deep gaze. Their lips touched, but not quite, and his breath poured down upon her face.
In a matter of moments, Su Qing's face also turned crimson, and the boy's eyes were hazy, as if his eyelids were heavy.
He drooped his head, wanting to do something but afraid, and feeling a little tired.
"Can I get you up and walk for a bit?"
Su Qing's bright eyes suppressed the slight throbbing in her heart. As the boy grew taller with the warmth of his body, Su Qing's eyes grew more worried.
He must have been delirious with fever, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.
"Give me a kiss."
He didn't forget to bargain even then...
Su Qing was stunned for a moment. Kissing her was easy enough for him.
For some reason, meeting that handsome face, Su Qing lifted her neck and gently kissed the boy's eyelid.
"Is that okay?"