Lu Lingchuan was about to continue exploring when the bathroom door made a faint sound, as if blown by the wind.
This sound immediately made Lu Lingchuan retract all his thoughts. He quickly picked up everything on the floor and put it back exactly as it was, closed the drawer, locked it, and placed the key back in its original position.
He had come in quietly and left without a trace.
As if nothing had happened at all.
The bathroom door remained tightly closed, with the light inside still on, mixed with the sound of running water.
Inside, Shen Nian stood barefoot on the floor, wrapped in a towel.
She was exceptionally fair-skinned, especially her slender white calves beneath the towel, which were particularly alluring.
With one hand clutching the towel, she leaned against the wall next to the bathroom door, her head pressed tightly against it.
Looking up, she stared at the bathroom light above, lost in thought.
Who knows how long it took before she hazily returned from her own world.
Turning her head, she looked at the messy pile of medicine blister packs and bottles on the sink.
She lowered her eyes, concealing the dimness in their depths.
...
In the following days, the two resumed their normal life, continuing to fulfill their 100-day agreement, playing the role of a happy couple.
The only change was that Shen Nian, who hadn't taken medication for a month, started taking it again. Since witnessing the suicide jump firsthand, things appeared the same on the surface, but had actually changed.
Whenever nightmares plagued her, that scene would appear in her dreams.
Previously, although deeply immersed in guilt, she hadn't actually seen Lu Lingrui commit suicide, so everything in her dreams was just her imagination.
Now, with a real example, she would repeatedly dream of being in an elevator, rising higher and higher... then witnessing Lu Lingrui standing on the rooftop, jumping down with an expressionless face.
And she watched helplessly, a suffocating feeling enveloping her.
The scene played over and over, tormenting her mind.
Lu Lingchuan always felt that Shen Nian was hiding something from him. After that incident, he had tried to probe and search several times, but Shen Nian was too natural, showing no nervousness, making it impossible for him to find any issues.
Shen Nian was in the living room looking at her computer when Lu Lingchuan made up an excuse to enter the bedroom, searching once again.
He came out empty-handed.
Shen Nian wasn't in a hurry. She quietly listened to the faint sounds he made, her eyes fixed on the computer screen, not saying a word.
It wasn't until she heard the bedroom door open that Shen Nian slowly raised her head, flashing a big smile at Lu Lingchuan.
"It seems we need the A file. I remember bringing it back yesterday."
Lu Lingchuan walked over, glanced at the content on the computer screen, and gave an "Mm" of agreement to Shen Nian's words.
Shen Nian stood up. "Shall I go get it?"
With that, she entered the bedroom.
Locking the bedroom door, Shen Nian knelt on the carpet beside the bed, feeling under it.
She felt something and pulled it out.
It was a large but not tall box, where she had stuffed all the medicine she was taking.
Their large bed had only a one or two-centimeter gap underneath, but pushing aside the bedside table revealed a slightly higher gap in the designed headboard area, just high enough to slide the box in for easy cleaning.
Usually hidden by the bedside table and not visible unless lying on the floor to look, this hiding spot was completely undetectable.
While Shen Nian went to fetch the item, Lu Lingchuan had no heart for work.
Not just the bedroom, but the living room, dining room, and storage room - he had checked them all many times, finding nothing unusual.
It seemed he was indeed being overly sensitive.
Glancing at the time and date in the lower right corner of the computer screen, he calculated that today was the 50th day of their trial relationship.
Time really flew; half of it had passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Lingchuan's lips curled into a slight smile.
Only 50 days left, and their 100 days would be over.
Ending five years of entanglement, starting anew...
"Buzz—" The phone on the table rang. Lu Lingchuan glanced at the caller ID; it was Lu Lingchen.
He picked up the phone and answered, his voice pleasant and magnetic: "Lingchen."
"..."
The other side said something, and Lu Lingchuan's expression changed slightly. He immediately stood up: "What's the situation now?"
"I'll be there right away."
As he spoke, he hurriedly put on his jacket while walking towards the door.
Shen Nian had just come out of the room and, seeing Lu Lingchuan in such a hurry, asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Lingchuan hung up the phone, his face grim. He pulled Shen Nian close, left a kiss on her forehead, his voice tinged with urgency: "Something's happened at the hospital. I need to go there for a bit."
The hospital... something must have happened to Li Mingshi.
Shen Nian's face paled slightly, and she immediately grabbed Lu Lingchuan's hand: "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Lu Lingchuan hurriedly changed his shoes: "Not for now. Just stay at home and wait for me, alright?"
He patted her head, his large hand reassuring: "I'll be back early. We still have that movie to see, remember?"
Their plan for today was to work from home during the day and go see a newly released blockbuster in the evening.
Shen Nian pressed her lips together, looking at him worriedly.
Lu Lingchuan finished changing his shoes and opened the door, about to leave.
Shen Nian had seen Lu Lingchuan's back many times before, watching him get further and further away from her. But this time was different. Her heart plummeted, as if someone had stabbed it several times, the pain making her lips tremble.
"Lu Lingchuan!" she called out to him.
Lu Lingchuan's steps faltered. He turned to look at Shen Nian, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Be good. I'll be back soon."
"..." Shen Nian opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat felt parched.
In the end, she nodded with difficulty: "Be careful on the way."
"Mm."
Lu Lingchuan left, and the entire apartment fell silent.
Shen Nian returned to the living room sofa, unable to focus on work, sitting there lost in thought.
Remembering something, she lowered her head and felt under the sofa cushion, pulling out a photograph.
It was her high school graduation photo with Lu Lingrui.
Shen Nian gently traced Lu Lingrui's smiling face with her finger, murmuring softly.
"Lingrui, Auntie has suffered enough. Remember to give her some sweetness."
...
Lu Lingchuan and Lu Lingchen hurried to the hospital one after another, entering the ward.
The ward door was tightly closed, no sound escaping from inside.
After who knows how long, the door finally opened. The first thing visible was a man's long legs.
His figure blocked the light from the hospital ceiling, casting a shadow on the ground.
His steps, unlike his usual firm stride, seemed somewhat light.
Lu Lingchuan stumbled out of the hospital room, one hand pressed against the wall as he inched forward step by step. Several times he nearly fell.
"Brother!" Lu Lingchen called out anxiously, wanting to go and support him, but Lu Lingchuan pushed him away.
The two brothers left the hospital room, one in front of the other.
There was an artificial lake at the hospital, with an ancient-style pavilion beside it, offering a pleasant view.
Lu Lingchuan sat in the pavilion, head bowed, not saying a word.
