HEY XIAO GUI, first of all, you. you to the moon and the back.

Ugh this feels very satisfying.

Thanks jie, for encouraging me to curse maturely.

This is a good thing, right? Wait-

Last Friday, jie's hand was injured in the Taekwondo session thus she was brought to the infirmary. But then suddenly during the blackout someone kicked her on the stomach. So out of nowhere. You can call the hospital for proof. It's the W Hospital.

Lin Yanjun was gentleman enough that his phone was reachable. Unlike a certain someone.

Also thanks to you, she couldn't sue the hospital if something happened to her, because she insisted to go on the so-called library trip with you.

If you still don't believe in her, just because of some lousy photos; then you are disgusting.

I hate you.

---

After sending the no-chill emergency voice note to the ing Xiao Gui, I rush to Xiao Xin jie. "Sorry, that I took so long." I close the door of her room.

She chuckles. "You can leave anytime, by the way. I'm already happy that you brought me here."

"This is probably the first time I'm ever able to feel calm in a hospital."

"Should I just drop out of the campus?"

"What are you talking about!?" I sit on the chair earlier. "Just what did they give you while I was away??"

She chuckles, then says, "Just kidding. I won't drop out for now. I guess--"

"You're making me sad, you know.." I pout while facing her; I'm making sure that she notices it.

She smiles. "Chill... I won't ever drop out, Yuxi. It's a lot of work for me to enter the campus, so, I don't want to just leave without graduating first."

"Thank God." I mutter. "Besides, I know you'll be absolutely big once you enter the singing industry, jie. I believe that deep inside, lots of people in campus already have a little crushing going on for you, but they're just not so vocal about it."

Isn't she basically copying what I told her before? But that works.

"You don't have to go that far just to make me feel better."

"This is serious. You have this certain appeal that I think, at least the girls will feel weird because they don't have that...?"

"So you're feeling that way?"

"N-no no. I see that as something I want to cherish from you. Something I'm thankful for, because you are my jiejie anyway."

"Alright... I believe you. Although I'm not sure with what you meant with that. But I don't buy that people are feeling the same about me."

"Seriously, jie. It's not easy for me to come up with that idea."

She chuckles again

"I actually just ordered some burgers for you, jie." She furrows her eyebrows. "I mean, us." I clear my throat then show her the receipt on my phone.

"You ordered in the bathroom?"

"Well I can do that anywhere. But maybe yes....?" I twitch my lips. "I read on Google that people with low blood sugar level basically need to eat more stuff. It's actually 80% my assumptions and 20% Google, but whatever, because you love burgers anyway, haha."

---

Just then, someone starts knocking on the door.

"It must be the burgers. Wait a sec."

I walk out of the room, to process the payment and everything.

But in the middle of that, I'm distracted by the sight of.... the ing Xiao Gui. He's talking to the receptionist jiejie.

It seems like he's just asked her about jie's room, so she's now doing her thing with the computer.

Hopefully it's really about that, because if it isn't, I'm going to curse him for the rest of every life of his.

I grab the plastic bag from the delivery guy, then close the door.

"Jieee, there you go." I give her a cheeseburger and a coke.

Since I bought many kinds of burger, the plastic bag is still full now, and I can't put it on the table beside her bed. It's too narrow. So, I stand from my seat to put it on a couch near the door.

I can see that Xiao Gui is about to arrive in here.

I mess the pillows on the couch then put them one by one to their original place--I'm buying time to see whether he's manly enough to come in, or not.

It's obvious that he isn't, because he's already standing in front of the door, and he stays there.

---

Seriously? These burgers must be really cold by now.

I walk to jie's bed and sits on its edge, facing the door--so I can still take a peek on Xiao Gui. I blurt, "What if.... what if he finally knows the truth?"

"Huh?" She furrows her eyebrows. Her hands are still holding the burger.

"I'm just curious."

"You mean, Xiao Gui?"

"Uh-huh." I nod. "I mean, people change. They also make mistakes sometimes."

"It's impossible for him." She takes a bite of her burger. "Don't ruin the mood, Yuxi."

I gulp.

"W-what do you mean with impossible?" I ask.

Come on.

There's a brief silence after that, that I feel like the clock is getting really slow.

I don't feel good about this.

"It's impossible for him to ever forgive me."

Fiuuuuuhhhh.

"Will you forgive him, then?"

She wets her lips.

Come on, jie, come on...

"I'm saying, that what if one day he wants to apologize to you? Because he finally understands?"

That's so brave [re: reckless], Yuxi. You still have no idea whether he intends to apologize, or he only wants to spout another ty word to jiejie.

I take a peek at the door, and he's still there.

She lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't know.."

That's not the answer we need here...

My heart's beating so fast because it feels like everything's depending on me; both the feelings of jie and the ing Xiao Gui, also the weird thing between them.

"Don't you like him?" I gulp.

Please, this is my final blow. Not a good one I know. But, just reconcile already you guys--

"What's the point?"

Bad.

"Listen, Yuxi. I've said it to you that I'm happy because you brought me here. So I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Jie... I just...."

Her eyes have turned red again. Then she lets out a heavy sigh. "You know he said I was disgusting. Even if now I know that he's talking about the alleged ing moment of me and Yanjun... it still hurts."

"Also why did he call me a shameless ? I didn't give a when everybody in the practice room literally called me cheap , stick , ugly and stuff . But why did he call me that, too?"

"Even if there's actually a shameless , let's say it's me or anyone," Her voice becomes shaky. "--we still don't deserve to be called that! Nobody deserves that!"

And out of nowhere, her phone buzzes like crazy for a call.

"Hello...?" She answers it.

"Ah yes, I left an hour ago."

"No, I'm with Yuxi. Everything's fine."

"Uh, no no." She starts coughing weirdly--she's faking it. Her voice is currently different than usual because she's in the middle of about to cry and about to explode.

"It's just freaking cold here. Haha." Another faking... it.

I furrow my eyebrows and tilt my head a bit. She mouths "It's Yanjun," then turns on the loudspeaker mode.

"Have you seen the post on Weibo? I mean, you shouldn't if you haven't. It's crazily uncomfortable." He says.

"Ugh... seen it before I left, actually."

"Good news is, my friend just succeeded to take it down. But he's still having a hard time to track down the sender. Let's just hope that he'll find it soon."

She gasps.

"Whoa.... thanks a lot." She blinks very quickly in disbelief, and I also do the same thing.

"Have you seen Xiao Gui? He doesn't return my calls."

[Of course] I unconsciously turn to the door. And he's still there.

"The last time I met him was before we went to the infirmary." She sighs. "I think.... I can't see him again, ever."

What--

"Let's not talk about him." She adds.

Bad bad bad bad.

Xiao Gui's leaving.

I mouth to her, "Bathroom calls, gotta go!"

So I hurry to Xiao Gui.

---

I literally have searched on every edge and every floor I could think of, and now I'm very annoyed. Because after I gave up and went back to jie's room, it turned out, he's been sitting on a bench near jie's room.

Ugh.

If only you and jie didn't share the same look for each other, I might--

He's sitting straight, with closed eyes, while resting his head on the wall. But he's clearly not sleeping.

I yell, "WHAT THE--" I halt myself, letting out a good deep breath, then continue in a calmer tone. "--are you doing here?"

I'm trying my best to sound like I'm not panting, because I-am panting.

He starts to open his eyes. But when he sees me, his eyes flash. He quickly takes his bag, wears it, then says, "Sorry, I was just preparing to leave."

He stands up. "Well, see ya."

But I rush to block him, yelling, "Wait! You've come a long way here and now you want to leave, just like that? Seriously?"

"What did you expect? Move." He rolls his eyes.

"You're not going to check on her then... say hi? You have a lot of things to say to her."

He lets out a heavy sigh.

"Listen, I didn't intend to see her today." He wets his lips.

I tell him, "You know what, I'm really sorry that you heard what she said on the phone with Yanjun, but--"

"I came here because her doctor called me. Her hand doctor."

Ok... that sounds legit.

But are you saying that my voice note was impactless? No, not a chance. He could've just gone straight to his car, then zoned out there and not here, if he really didn't want to see jie. Duh.

Unless, the doctor's room is near this area. But I know it isn't.

Also why did the doctor contact him instead of me? I'm lowkey disappointed--and partially happy because it means he cares about her.

"See ya." He left. Just like that.

---

But my perseverance doesn't end that easily.

"Hey ing Xiao Gui!" He stops, but doesn't turn to me. "Wow, you're leaving for real? What a gentleman..." I snicker.

He still doesn't budge.

"Just, don't tell her I was here." He mutters.

The drama of showing that you're the protagonist dude here is really unnecessary.

He walks away.

Can I flip things here for real and not only a metaphor?