Yu Na popped a rock candy into her mouth.
Rock candy had always been used as a seasoning in her cooking, so she had never eaten it directly before.
This was the first time.
It was sweet.
The sweetness mixed with the fiery sensation in her throat.
After not finishing one, Yu Na took out another rock candy.
Xiao Chen thought she took his words seriously and quickly stopped her, "You can't really eat as much as you want of this thing."
"But the ginger soup is really difficult—" Yu Na caught herself about to say the wrong thing and quickly changed her words, "It's too spicy."
"...," Xiao Chen sighed and took the bowl from her hands, "If you don't want to drink it, then don't."
Yu Na's heart sank as she carefully judged his tone. It didn't sound like he was angry.
But after Xiao Chen took the bowl, he didn't stay long and left the room directly.
Not a single unnecessary word was spoken.
Yu Na instinctively thought he was angry.
Realizing this, she didn't care about feeling uncomfortable. She put on her slippers, opened the door, and followed the sound of Xiao Chen's movements to find the kitchen.
Yu Na saw him tidying up the kitchen, and there was half a bowl of ginger soup on the countertop.
Without hesitation, she ran to his side, picked up the bowl, and before Xiao Chen could react, she drank the ginger soup in one go.
She didn't give herself a chance to buffer.
The spicy sensation surged up again, and Yu Na couldn't control herself and dry heaved.
"...,"
Xiao Chen looked at her in disbelief, shocked by her seamless series of actions.
When she couldn't control her dry heaving, she quickly poured a glass of water and asked, "What are you doing?"
Yu Na took two big sips of water before regaining her composure, patting her chest, and answering, "Drinking the ginger soup."
"But I thought you didn't want to drink it anymore?"
"You worked hard to make it, it's a waste not to."
Seemingly not expecting this kind of response, Xiao Chen chuckled, "Alright, you've grown up."
"...,"
From his tone, she could tell he wasn't angry.
Of course, he had such a good temper, how could he be easily angered?
Although Yu Na knew how good his temper was, she was still cautious.
This kind of caution seemed uncontrollable.
Because every seemingly ordinary daily word or a small gesture of his would be magnified infinitely in her heart.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Yu Na's thoughts were brought back, "...Sleep."
"Go to sleep then."
When Yu Na returned to her room, her drowsiness wasn't as strong as before.
She tightly held onto the blanket, and there was a voice in her heart telling her: you haven't forgotten him.
In fact, it seemed like she liked him even more.
This feeling was tormenting.
Because she didn't know if her affection would be reciprocated.
But it's not something she can just let go of.
After all, when she deleted his WeChat five years ago, wasn't it because she wanted to forget him? But in reality, she had spent five years without completely forgetting, and after the short memories with him had faded a little, they unexpectedly met again in this city without any signs.
This low-probability fate gave her a strong hint—fate is not yet fulfilled.
These four words seemed to merge into her heart, so when she saw him, she would speak to him with this hint.
That kind of affection, it existed within her, invisibly giving her hope and unconsciously deepening it.
Initially, Xiao Chen had said that he saw her only as a younger sister.
Even after several years had passed, it seemed that his feelings for her hadn't changed. It was evident from their recent conversation.
She didn't dare to confront him about it anymore, so she had to process it on her own.
She spoke of the pain of unrequited love, yet she couldn't help but feel that pain.
...Yuna forgot to set her alarm clock.
The next day, she was awakened by a knocking sound on her door.
Her body felt heavy, as if her feet were weighed down by two enormous stones.
She opened the door and saw Xiao Chen standing outside. "Aren't you supposed to go back and change your clothes?" he asked.
"Uh," Yuna weakly replied with a nasal voice, "I forgot to set my alarm clock. I'll go tidy up now."
Xiao Chen sensed something off in her voice. "Are you still feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing, just a slight cold."
She closed the door and went to the bathroom in her room to freshen up.
After finishing her morning routine, she opened the door.
Xiao Chen was already waiting outside with the car keys.
The two of them remained silent throughout the journey.
Xiao Chen focused on driving, while Yuna gazed out of the car window at the receding morning scenery.
The week-long rain had finally stopped, leaving the streets damp with a fragrant blend of mud.
It wasn't until they arrived outside Golden Jade Garden that Yuna snapped back to reality. She heard Xiao Chen say, "Why don't you take a day off?"
"No need, it's fine."
The car stopped in front of Building 9, and Xiao Chen happened to see another car pulling out, so he parked in its spot.
Yuna unbuckled her seatbelt, feeling quite weak, and tentatively asked, "Are you busy later?"
"Why?" he asked.
"Can you drive me to school?"
Xiao Chen didn't hesitate and nodded. "Sure."
They still had some time, so he followed Yuna upstairs.
Her apartment was on the third floor.
Golden Jade Garden was an old residential complex, and the hallway was dimly lit, with no sunlight seeping in. Even during the day, the surroundings appeared gloomy.
Concrete steps, footprints on the walls, advertisements for locksmiths, and some boring graffiti.
Xiao Chen remembered when he was studying abroad and had just met Yuna, he had escorted her home after a dinner gathering.
Her home was like a magnificent mansion.
It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but the reverse is difficult.
So now, with each step he took up the stairs, he couldn't help but marvel at Yuna's incredible adaptability.
Fortunately, her home was tidy.
The furniture was simple yet full of liveliness, bearing the marks of her love for life.
There were stuffed animals on the bed and sofa, and a few cute fridge magnets adorned the refrigerator.
On the coffee table, there was a calendar. Every day, she would cross off a day and use smiley and crying faces to describe her mood on that day.
Xiao Chen leaned closer and noticed that almost all of them were smiley faces.
On the sixth day of the calendar, Yuna had drawn a heart.
She had just changed her clothes and poured herself a glass of water.
Xiao Chen casually asked, "What's special about the sixth day? Why did you circle it?"
Her actions suddenly froze.
Then she took a sip of water to conceal her uneasiness. "That day, it's my period. I circled it to remember."
"...," Xiao Chen realized he had been too talkative and quickly changed the topic. "Are you comfortable living here?"
Yuna didn't even hear his question; she was still stuck on the previous one.
On September 6th, it was indeed her menstrual cycle, but she specifically marked that day not because of that.
It was the day she would reunite with him.
It was a day that seemed to hint at something in the depths of fate.
In the director's office.
He forgot.
Perhaps he had never remembered.
Only she, like a precious treasure, treated the day of their reunion as such.
Yu Na held a water cup, feeling self-deprecating inside.
Her gaze shifted to the kitchen, suppressing her disappointment, she asked, "It's still early, shall I make breakfast?"
Xiao Chen didn't immediately grasp the sudden change in her question, "...Huh?"
Yu Na didn't reply, she carried the water cup and went into the kitchen.
