The buzzing ambulance carried them to the hospital. After the doctor’s thorough and professional examination, the results matched Bai Qingzhou’s earlier judgment.
The mousetrap had pierced into the flesh, but luckily it hadn’t hit the bone. The wound itself wasn’t large and didn’t require stitches, but a tetanus vaccine and serum were needed to prevent infection.
After all the procedures, two hours had passed without them realizing. Once Xia Xinghe’s wound was properly treated, Yan Cai and Nie Xingchao, who had gotten the news, rushed over.
“Xiao Xia! Xiao Xia! How are you feeling now?”
Yan Cai barged into the emergency room, his urgent voice echoing sharply in the quiet night. Xia Xinghe, who had been resting on a bench, was startled by his shout.
“Yan-ge, you’re here?”
Xia Xinghe smiled at him.
Nie Xingchao followed closely behind and gestured “shh” at Yan Cai. “This is a hospital. Don’t be so loud.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Yan Cai quickly lowered his voice, but still leaned close to Xia Xinghe to ask again, worry clear in his eyes.
Xia Xinghe felt warmth in his heart and hurried to reassure him: “Yan-ge, I’m fine.”
He lifted his bandaged ankle to show him. “See? It’s all wrapped up.”
“That’s good.”
Yan Cai let out a breath of relief. Standing nearby, Nie Xingchao smiled as well and said, “On the way here, Yan Cai worried the whole time, afraid something serious had happened to you.”
“Of course. I’m Xiao Xia’s friend, how could I not worry?” Yan Cai shot Nie Xingchao a glance, but quickly turned his focus back to Xia Xinghe. Frowning, he sat beside him, complaining without realizing it: “Unbelievable. What era is this, and there are still mousetraps lying around?”
He continued, “And this is a scenic spot too. Hiding them in such concealed places is far too dangerous. Do the management people have no sense of safety at all?”
Yan Cai kept muttering at Xia Xinghe’s side, intentionally or not edging Bai Qingzhou farther away.
Bai Qingzhou looked at him coldly, displeased, and finally stood up to position himself directly beside Xia Xinghe, his expression frosty.
Perhaps it was the unspoken understanding between people who had just gotten together, but Xia Xinghe quickly noticed. He pursed his lips with a smile, brushing Bai Qingzhou’s palm with his fingertips in a placating gesture.
“…”
Bai Qingzhou’s frown eased a little. He directly clasped Xia Xinghe’s fingers in his hand. Xia Xinghe gave a small tug, but couldn’t pull away. The friction of their skin made his fingertips heat up, and he quietly blushed.
Yan Cai, sitting nearby, noticed.
The distance was too close, and their small movements didn’t escape his eyes. In fact, from the moment he walked in, Yan Cai had already sensed something unusual between them. Now, with these intimate gestures, the truth was plain as day.
They must be back together.
Yan Cai let out a soft sigh.
Since Xia Xinghe’s injury didn’t require hospitalization, after sitting in the hospital for a bit, they helped him into a taxi back to the inn. Because Xia Xinghe’s leg couldn’t bend, one car wasn’t enough to fit them all. For once, Yan Cai didn’t insist on riding with Xia Xinghe and instead shared a cab with Nie Xingchao.
As the taxi started slowly, Nie Xingchao leaned back in the back seat beside Yan Cai. He gave the driver the inn’s address, then rested his arm behind his head.
He asked Yan Cai, “In a bad mood?”
Yan Cai leaned back in the same posture. “Not at all.”
Nie Xingchao smiled but didn’t call him out. He closed his eyes, pretending to rest. But Yan Cai fidgeted, and after a while, he finally called his name.
“Nie Xingchao.”
“Mm?”
Yan Cai took a deep breath. “They’re back together.”
He didn’t say who, but there was no need to.
“Mm… what?”
Nie Xingchao’s eyes snapped open, lighting up in an instant. He kept his face calm and asked, “How can you tell?”
“I saw them holding hands.”
Yan Cai sighed softly, his gaze lowering to his shoes, expression helpless and downcast—dulling the joy that had risen in Nie Xingchao’s heart.
Having helped Bai Qingzhou pursue Xia Xinghe for so long, Nie Xingchao had naturally hoped they’d end up together. But seeing Yan Cai’s dejected expression now, a subtle, complicated feeling stirred in him.
“Why…” He cleared his throat, asking casually, “Why does it bother you so much that they’re back together?”
A strange hint of sourness slipped into his words. “Could it be… you like Xiao Xia?”
“How is that possible!”
Yan Cai stared at him in shock, incredulous. “What nonsense are you thinking?”
He sighed helplessly. “We’ve known each other for so many years. If I really liked him, would it ever have come to that Bai Qingzhou guy?”
Nie Xingchao unconsciously let out a breath of relief, then asked again, “Then why don’t you want them to be together?”
“Sigh, it’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just afraid Xiao Xia will get hurt again.” Yan Cai let out a soft sigh and said, “Didn’t I tell you what happened between the two of them before? I saw it with my own eyes.”
Back then, in their dorm, Xia Xinghe was the youngest, and he had come all the way from the far north, thousands of kilometers away. The kid was pale, obedient, polite, with bright, lively eyes that sparkled. Everyone in the dorm liked him. Yan Cai, being a local and a righteous person, gradually came to treat Xia Xinghe like a real younger brother.
He had witnessed the whole process—from Xia Xinghe falling for Bai Qingzhou, to them being together, to their breakup. He knew how much grievance Xia Xinghe had swallowed, so he was even more afraid of him repeating the same mistake.
When they were together, it was always Xia Xinghe compromising for Bai Qingzhou without principles, wronging himself just to accommodate him. Later, when they broke up, on the surface it looked like Xia Xinghe had dumped Bai Qingzhou, but in reality, he had never really let go.
At that time, the other roommates didn’t know they had broken up and would sometimes still joke about them. Xia Xinghe couldn’t bear to spoil the fun, so he let them tease, but when he averted his eyes, the bitterness hidden in them was impossible to conceal.
The taxi was still moving steadily forward. Yan Cai sighed again: “Bai Qingzhou is too cold, and Xiao Xia has the kind of personality that hides all his grievances inside. I’m afraid they’ll end up like before… sigh, that would definitely be hard to watch.”
In the blink of an eye, four years had passed. They reunited, Bai Qingzhou pursued Xia Xinghe, and the two got back together. This might be the ideal happy ending in a storybook, but real life doesn’t have such endings. Even after reconciliation, there’s still the daily grind of life—after the intensity of love fades, how much will remain?
Yan Cai spoke earnestly, lowering his head in frustration, his heart weighed down. Suddenly, a warm, gentle hand rested on top of his head, its steady pressure transmitting comfort.
“They’ll grow,” Nie Xingchao reassured him, rubbing his hair gently. “The pain of the past doesn’t only leave scars, it also leaves experience. Children fall so many times before learning to walk. Adults are the same—very few skills come naturally. Next time will always be better than the last, right?”
The warmth seeped through his scalp. Yan Cai’s lips moved, as if wanting to say something, but then he heard Nie Xingchao chuckle lightly.
Puzzled, Yan Cai asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“At you.”
Nie Xingchao wrapped his arm around Yan Cai’s shoulders and completely messed up his hair.
Unhappy, Yan Cai frowned. “Laughing at what?” He looked again and saw Nie Xingchao exhale softly, his whole body relaxing.
“Nothing,” Nie Xingchao said. “It’s just… I didn’t expect a kid who looks so rash and hotheaded to have such a gentle side. Quite a surprise… Xiao Xia is lucky to have a friend like you.”
The tender tone was like a summer breeze—humid and warm—making Yan Cai’s heartbeat quicken involuntarily.
“It’s nothing… isn’t everyone like this?” Yan Cai muttered, unconsciously turning his head away.
Nie Xingchao smiled. “Don’t worry anymore. Qingzhou isn’t a cold-hearted person… just give them a little time, okay?”
Yan Cai awkwardly nodded. His worry eased quite a bit, but his heart only beat faster and faster.
…..
On the other side, Xia Xinghe and Bai Qingzhou got into the same taxi.
The car was quiet, the hum of the engine filling the silence. The warm palm resting against his waist was steady, giving an unreal sense of security.
Their earlier kiss had been impulsive, and then the hospital had been utter chaos. Now, sitting side by side with no space between them, the calm gave Xia Xinghe a subtle feeling of unreality.
Were they really back together?
It seemed only the lingering pain on his lips could confirm what had just happened.
Xia Xinghe secretly turned his head, wanting to read something from Bai Qingzhou’s cool expression. But unintentionally, his gaze collided directly with Bai Qingzhou’s eyes.
Pale, deep—like a vast ocean. Calm on the surface, surging within.
Bai Qingzhou’s gaze flickered as he asked, “Are you uncomfortable?”
Xia Xinghe shook his head. “No.” Bai Qingzhou frowned helplessly. “Next time, remember.” Then his hand gently slid around Xia Xinghe’s waist from behind, guiding him to lean against the seat.
Their distance shrank suddenly, warm breath surrounding them. Xia Xinghe’s face flushed red.
Ambiguous emotions quietly grew, but at that moment, a ringtone shattered the silence. Xia Xinghe’s WeChat lit up. It was a message from Sheng Tianyi.
[Big Bunny: Xia ge, are you okay?]
[Big Bunny: I heard from Yan-ge that you got hurt???]
[Big Bunny: Eat a lot.jpg]
Sheng Tianyi was a funny one—you could tell just from his username. He said that when he was little, he thought his real name was too hard to write, so he split each character into pieces and created this new one. The teacher scolded him badly, but he never changed his ways.
Seeing his messages, Xia Xinghe could almost hear Tianyi’s playful tone and see his exaggerated expression. The corner of his lips lifted as he replied.
[Little Bamboo: It’s fine, it’s fine]
[Little Bamboo: Already back from the hospital]
[Big Bunny: That’s good, that’s good!]
[Big Bunny: Rest well!]
They exchanged a few casual lines, and then Bai Qingzhou asked, “Who’s that?”
Xia Xinghe casually replied that it was Sheng Tianyi. Immediately, Bai Qingzhou’s brows furrowed.
“You like him a lot?”
Bai Qingzhou asked.
“Not really,” Xia Xinghe said. “Just a funny little brother.”
It was only a quick check-in from Sheng Tianyi. Soon he said goodbye, and Xia Xinghe ended the chat. But when he looked up, Bai Qingzhou was still wearing a cold expression.
“What’s wrong?” Xia Xinghe asked casually, remembering Bai Qingzhou’s earlier hostility toward Sheng Tianyi.
He asked, “Did you know Sheng Tianyi before?”
Bai Qingzhou lowered his eyes lightly. “No.”
“Then why are you being so cold to him?”
“Am I?”
Bai Qingzhou frowned, still sounding awkward, his eyes shifting away. For some reason, Xia Xinghe suddenly had a bold thought and blurted out, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
It was meant as a joke—Xia Xinghe never actually thought Bai Qingzhou would get jealous. But unexpectedly, it was like Bai Qingzhou’s sore spot had been hit. He suddenly turned his head.
“I don’t do childish things like that.”
His stiff tone was the perfect example of “the more you deny, the more obvious it is.”
Xia Xinghe froze, staring at him in disbelief. “You really are jealous?”
“…”
Bai Qingzhou turned away coldly, glancing at Xia Xinghe’s blinking eyes. “Ridiculous.”
After quite a while, he leaned in close to Xia Xinghe’s ear and muttered in a low voice, “Don’t hang around him too much from now on.”
The corners of Xia Xinghe’s lips lifted on their own, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
It felt like he had discovered another side hidden beneath Bai Qingzhou’s cold shell.