This rest stop was situated nicely between the urban area of Yuncheng and Xuan’an Town, with dozens of kilometers in either direction. Ruan Nianchu’s current condition was already quite bad, and they couldn’t afford any further delay.
Li Teng pursed his lips, called Aunt Xia, and told her that Ruan Nianchu had a fever today and couldn’t go to teach Xiaoxing. Upon hearing this, Aunt Xia immediately urged Li Teng to take good care of Ruan Nianchu.
After hanging up the phone, he pondered for a moment, turned off the car, got out, and then went around to the passenger side to open the door.
The girl had her eyes closed, her thin eyebrows tightly knit, her breathing slightly hurried, and her consciousness fuzzy. He bent over and lifted her up. The slight bump caused her to murmur something, her voice soft and gentle, like a little cat.
He couldn’t hear clearly.
She seemed to be in a lot of discomfort, rubbing her cheek against his chest, trying to wake up, but without success.
There was a small inn open in the rest area, specifically for travelers or truck drivers rushing through the night, a four-story building with weathered walls. A sign stood at the entrance: Accommodation starting from 80 yuan.
Li Teng walked in and temporarily placed Ruan Nianchu on the sofa on the first floor.
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Jlbkde vbl qasdv elpj pvsse y osxyd kd bla vbkavklp, olyakdt y zso-nwv ealpp, bla nblpv pdsou obkvl, ralpwxyczu vbl rasraklvalpp sq vbkp kdd. Fbl oyp naynjkdt xlzsd pllep obkzl oyvnbkdt y MA eayxy. Ebld pbl blyae vbl xshlxldv, pbl zssjle wr, pyo Nk Mldt, yde kxxlekyvlzu takddle yde tallvle, “Tlal qsa ynnsxxseyvksd?”
Nk Mldt dseele lmralppksdzlppzu, “Llle y assx.”
“G pkdtzl assx kp y bwdeale, okvb yka nsdekvksdkdt yde y MA,” vbl rasraklvalpp pyke, “Qkhl xl uswa RP nyae qsa altkpvayvksd.”
Nk Mldt rzynle bkp RP nyae sd vbl vyczl yde rwpble kv shla, dsvknkdt y pxyzz czynjcsyae bydtkdt sd vbl oyzz dlmv vs vbl qasdv elpj, obknb alye: Flzzkdt qsse, psxl nsxxsdzu wple xleknkdlp, yde qyxkzu rzyddkdt pwrrzklp.
Tl ypjle, “Ps usw plzz qlhla-alewnkdt xleknkdl blal?”
“Ls, R sdzu plzz Twsmkydt Hbldtik Nkiwke1MUY qsa nzlyakdt yoyu blyv yde xsvksd pknjdlpp xleknkdl blal,” vbl rasraklvalpp ydpolale, tzydnkdt yv Swyd Lkydnbw sd vbl psqy, zlydkdt shla yde zsolakdt bla hsknl, “Tlu, kp uswa tkazqaklde qllzkdt wdolzz?”
Nk Mldt eked’v ydpola, nsdvkdwkdt, “Mbld oblal kp vbl dlyalpv rbyaxynu?”
“Mblal’p ds rbyaxynu dlyacu,” vbl rasraklvalpp vbalo vbl xlzsd plle pblzzp vs vbl taswde, aykple bla lulcasop, “Jwv R byhl sdl yv bsxl. Rq usw oydv, R nyd tkhl kv vs usw qsa qall.”
At this moment, a woman wearing sunglasses entered the inn, glanced at Ruan Nianchu lying on the sofa as she passed by, and then surveyed the surroundings.
The proprietress grinned again and greeted, “Here to stay?”
But the woman with sunglasses seemed dissatisfied with the rudimentary environment here and quickly left the inn and drove away.
“Tsk,” the proprietress clicked her tongue.
Li Teng didn’t pay much attention to that woman. He coldly said to the proprietress, “Thank you.”
“For what?” The proprietress waved her hand, giggling, and then turned around, lifted the door curtain, and went into the back room. A few minutes later, she came out with a box of ibuprofen and handed it to Li Teng, “Here, handsome.”
Li Teng reached out, took out one pill from the medicine box, and handed the rest back to the woman. “One pill is enough.”
“Oh, it’s just a box of ibuprofen, handsome, why are you being so polite to me,” the woman said, acting coyly, intentionally leaning towards him. Suddenly, a strong scent of cheap perfume hit his nose, almost overwhelming.
Li Teng slightly frowned imperceptibly and grabbed her wrist, twisting it with force.
“Ouch, it hurts!” the woman screamed in pain immediately.
Li Teng let go of her hand.
“Really…” the proprietress scolded, “What are you doing, you made me hurt.”
Li Teng impatiently asked, “Which room?”
“Third floor, room 302,” the proprietress rubbed her swollen wrist, threw a key over, and said unkindly, “You must check out before 12 o’clock tomorrow, or you’ll have to pay extra!”
Li Teng picked up Ruan Nianchu and turned to go upstairs.
The room in the inn was moderately furnished, with a bed, a bedside table, a desk, a TV, and an air conditioner, relatively clean but everything was quite old.
Li Teng placed Ruan Nianchu on the bed as gently and softly as possible.
Her temperature was getting higher, her brows were furrowing tighter, she turned to lie on her side, unconsciously curling up her hands and legs, like a fully cooked shrimp.
With one hand holding the fever-reducing medicine, Li Teng reached around her shoulder and hugged her tightly, lifting her up slightly, his right leg half kneeling on the edge of the bed. Then he called her name, “Ruan Nianchu.”
“…,” After a while, Ruan Nianchu struggled to open her eyes a little, “Hmm?”
Li Teng looked down at her in his arms, “You’re sick. Take the medicine.”
With a narrow field of vision, the person’s face in front of her seemed to split into countless pieces and only merged together after a long time. She looked blankly and replied, “What illness do I have?”
Li Teng said, “You have a fever. Probably caught a cold.”
Upon hearing this, she nodded, surprisingly relieved, “That’s okay, as long as it’s not a terminal illness. It would be such a pity for such a beautiful woman like me to die.”
Li Teng knew she was getting a little confused due to the fever. He also nodded, “Yeah, it’s not a terminal illness. You’ll be bouncing around again tomorrow, beautiful lady.” Saying that, he handed the pill to her lips, “Take it.”
Ruan Nianchu frowned, looked at the pill, then at his face, her gaze puzzled, and she didn’t open her mouth. The fever made her cheeks flush red, her eyes watery and unfocused, her lips slightly parted, with a seductive charm.
Li Teng said softly, “Be good. Take it.”
She said, “I don’t like taking medicine.”
“What do you like then?”
“Candy.”
“That’s perfect,” he remained calm and composed, not even blinking his eyelids, “This is candy.”
“Oh,” Ruan Nianchu seemed to really believe it. She smiled, opened her mouth, and swallowed the pill. As soon as she tasted it, she made a bitter face, “This candy is not sweet at all.”
He handed her water, “New flavor.”
Ruan Nianchu obediently drank the water and swallowed the medicine. Li Teng moved to place the water glass on the bedside cabinet but kept his other hand holding her, not loosening his grip.
Her eyelids were heavy, and Ruan Nianchu closed her eyes tiredly again. It was dark now, with a refreshing breeze brushing her cheeks, carrying a hint of warmth and a faint smell of tobacco. Suddenly, she chuckled softly, her voice light and hoarse, “I know that thing just now was medicine, not candy. You tricked me again.”
A feverish patient naturally speaks nonsense. Li Teng didn’t pay much attention, his fingers caressed her burning cheeks, and he casually responded, “When did I ever trick you?”
Ruan Nianchu said, “You’ve tricked me many times.”
“Such as?” Li Teng raised an eyebrow slightly.
This time Ruan Nianchu didn’t answer. Her thoughts somehow traversed through seven years of time, back to the beginning of everything. She continued softly, “Tori said that in a while, two big clients will come here, and you’ll be busy. But with that long scar on your waist, you should at least rest for half a month…”
Li Teng fell silent, his fingers holding her shoulder unconsciously tightened a bit. After a while, he calmly replied, “That wound has healed.”
“I miss home a lot,” her voice grew softer, almost falling asleep, “Do you think I can really leave here alive?”
Li Teng said, “Yes.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, “After leaving, I will definitely forget everything here.”
Li Teng said, “Okay.”
“Including you.”
He hummed, his fingers tracing from her forehead, down her nose, to her lips, one by one, his voice low and hoarse, “Okay.”
*
Due to illness and fatigue, Ruan Nianchu slept directly until half past ten in the evening. The suburban sky was still dark, but clearer than in the city, with the moon at its zenith and faint scattered starlight around.
She opened her eyes in bed.
The surroundings were unfamiliar, the smell of air freshener covering the faint mildew odor. Her head felt fuzzy. She sat up, subconsciously looking around.
The room door was not closed tightly, and with a glance, she saw a tall figure in the corridor.
Li Teng had his back to her, half leaning, his elbows on the railing outside, holding a mostly burned-out cigarette in his hand. The railing outside was wide, with the night sky in the distance, and the faint sound of engines roaring as cars sped by.
Ruan Nianchu lowered her gaze, trying to recall seriously. Her head still hurt, and apart from a few disjointed scenes, she couldn’t remember anything else.
She frowned, raising her hand to massage her temples, then suddenly thought of something and quickly lifted the blanket to check if her clothes were intact.
Thankfully.
Apart from two buttons on her shirt collar being undone, there were no other changes.
“…” Ruan Nianchu touched her chest.
Suddenly, a voice came from the doorway, casual and indifferent, yet full of a rogue-like charm, “What, afraid I’ll take advantage of you while you’re weak with a fever?”
Ruan Nianchu choked for a moment, it took her a few seconds to reply with a serious face, “One must be cautious.” After all, he could come and kiss her forcibly after drinking, who knows if he might do something even more excessive.
Li Teng leaned against the railing, both arms resting behind him, staring at her. After a while, he spoke in a soft tone, “Is your head still hurting?”
“I’m fine now, thanks for your concern, Captain Li.” Ruan Nianchu’s tone in response was not particularly good. She got out of bed, preparing to go out and see where she was.
Unexpectedly, she moved too quickly, and her head spun again. Ruan Nianchu quickly grabbed the nearby wall for support.
Li Teng swiftly came over in two steps, gripping her arm, his tone very serious, “Lie back down. Do you know what state you were in with the fever this afternoon?”
“…” Ruan Nianchu kept her head down and didn’t speak, her arms moved slightly, trying to break free.
Li Teng’s hand froze in mid-air.
She raised her gaze, looking around weakly, and asked, “Where is this place?”
Li Teng withdrew his hand, his face returning to its usual indifference, “It’s a motel at a rest stop.”
Ruan Nianchu frowned immediately, “I want to go home.”
“No.” He walked out of the room, playing with a lighter in his hand, and said, “Rest for another night, and I’ll send you back tomorrow morning.”
“…No.” She repeated the words. The room was not large, and there was only one bed. How could she possibly stay in the same room with him?
Li Teng paused, then turned back, raising an eyebrow, “Why not?”
After a few seconds of silence, Ruan Nianchu answered very honestly, “I don’t want to be with you.”
Then Li Teng fell silent.
After a long while, he scoffed lightly, lit a cigarette, and said lightly, “Ruan Nianchu, do you think I’m always trying to take advantage of you?”
“…” She was suddenly blocked, silent.
“My room is next to yours.” Li Teng said without much emotion, turning around to leave, “If you need anything, just call out. The sound insulation here is poor, I can hear it.”
Just as he reached the corridor, footsteps followed behind him.
Li Teng stopped, without turning back, “Do you have something else?”
Ruan Nianchu buried her head, biting her lip, took a deep breath, exhaled, then finally raised her head, “That afternoon outside the Western restaurant, you said I mentioned that you have someone you like. Li Teng, who is that person?”
The end of the cigarette was instantly bitten off.
His expression was expressionless, his hands in his pockets slowly clenched into fists, and he said lightly, “It’s late, you should go back to sleep soon.”
Ruan Nianchu gritted her teeth, took a step forward, “Who is that person…” Before she could finish her sentence, Li Teng’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and he said in a cold, low voice, “Watch out!”
She froze, puzzled, but he had already lunged forward, pulling her down under him tightly.
Ruan Nianchu looked at him in surprise.
Where they had just been standing, there was now an empty bullet casing.
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