"You've been fooling around outside for days! Mom and Dad are furious! We've been searching everywhere for you! (Fusang language)"
"Eh? Eh? Eh..."
Jin, who swaggered with confidence in front of strangers, couldn’t lift his head before his little sister.
"I—I already told them not to worry about me… (Fusang language)"
"But you can’t disappear for days without coming home! (Fusang language)"
The siblings babbled rapidly in Fusang language. The onlookers were utterly lost, only guessing they were family.
"Isn’t that Harusaki Chie…?" Yumo recognized her instantly.
"Harusaki…?" Ling Xue recognized her too.
"Huh? You know her?" Yumo whispered.
"We were both in the track club before…" Ling Xue didn’t elaborate. Chie had even mentioned Yumo asking for her WeChat once…
"I was just hanging out with friends! Totally safe! (Fusang language)"
"Friends? *These* guys? (Fusang language)"
Chie scanned the crowd—every one of them rode modified motorcycles. How was *this* "totally safe"?
When her gaze swept over them, Ling Xue immediately turned her back. Yumo tugged his gas mask higher. If she recognized them now, explanations would be impossible…
Luckily, Chie—fuming—didn’t look closely.
"Let’s go! Uncle Kuan’s waiting with the car. Save your excuses for Mom and Dad! (Fusang language)"
"But my bike… (Fusang language)"
"Abandon it! Mom said no more motorcycles for you! (Fusang language)"
"Damn it… F-fine… Can you put in a good word for me? (Fusang language)"
"Dame!"
THUD!!!
Before anyone could blink, Chie twisted Jin’s arm, flipped him over her shoulder, and slammed him headfirst onto the asphalt. His skull cracked against the road with a sickening thud. She stomped twice on his stomach. By the end, the idiot was foaming at the mouth.
"Good. Now behave and go home! I’m telling Mom and Dad everything you’ve done! (Fusang language)"
"Ugh… sniff… hnn…"
Chie yanked her idiot brother up by the ear, shoved him into the car, and sped off.
Silence fell over the scene.
No one expected the race to end like this.
"Well then…" Yumo broke the quiet. "Guess that guy’s got no complaints? So… I win?"
"...Yeah. You won."
Da Fei nodded helplessly, then shouted to the crowd:
"That’s it for tonight! Yumo wins, Jin loses! Everyone disperse! This race… was too weird. Don’t go blabbing about it later. Understood?"
"Understood…"
The bikers scattered, riding home. Tonight’s spectacle was worth the trip—no complaints.
"So…" Da Fei turned to Yumo and Ling Xue. "Your bikes look totaled… Need a ride?"
"Do I look like I need one?" Ling Xue said coldly.
"...Guess I’m the third wheel. My bad."
Da Fei shrugged, gave quick instructions, and rode off.
...
...
...
...
...
One hour later—
"I told you, no hospital…"
"No. You’re getting checked."
"Fine…"
Ling Xue ignored her wrecked motorcycle. She hailed a cab, rushed Yumo to the ER, begged the on-duty doctor to review scans, and waited until midnight. Only when the results confirmed no serious injuries did she finally relax.
"See? Nothing wrong. Let me go home."
"You’ve got plenty of cuts and bruises. At least stay overnight."
"You’ll take care of me?"
"Obviously!"
Ling Xue brought him hot water, a small apple, peeled an orange—acting every bit the nurse. Her own arm was still bruised, but this much she could handle.
Yumo liked this about her: she never asked what she shouldn’t.
Just as he sighed in relief—
"Take off your undershirt too. Let me clean you up. Look how filthy you are."
"...I can manage. Nothing’s broken."
"Take. It. Off."
"…………Fine."
Yumo couldn’t refuse. Under her gaze, he stripped—far more mortifying than he’d imagined. Now he understood the humiliation he’d put Ling Xue through that day.
Off, off, off… until only his boxers remained.
"Hey! This is enough!"
"Hmm… Good."
Ling Xue’s eyes traced his frame. He was the type who looked lean clothed but packed tight muscle underneath—every line honed by intense training.
*Is this from working out with Liyu?* The thought flashed and vanished. She wouldn’t ask what she shouldn’t.
"You really want to wipe me down…"
"Don’t be shy."
"It’s not about shyness…"
Ling Xue gently scrubbed his skin with a warm towel. He turned his head away—luckily, for she was flushed crimson too. This was her first time touching a boy so intimately. And… it wasn’t bad.
Hair, face, hands, back, legs, feet… Less skin remained untouched. The air thickened.
By the end, Ling Xue’s blush was unmistakable.
"Yumo…"
"What now…"
"Remember what I said before the race?"
With tender but unyielding force, she pressed him onto the bed. The towel lay forgotten.
Only two people filled the dim hospital room. The bedside lamp haloed her face—vibrant yet pure, flushed cheeks, dewy eyes, golden hair… Yumo had never studied a girl this closely. Not even Liyu.
*Why does this feel like betrayal?*
"I think…"
Yumo’s throat tightened. Words stumbled out.
"I think… this… something this important needs careful thought. For the person you truly can’t live without…"
"Guess who that is?"
"Uh…"
"Who…?"
Her fingertip pressed his left chest—over his heart. Such a simple touch made his pulse leap.
"You’re sure… it’s me?"
"Who else could it be?"
"But I don’t think I…"
"Do you know what you did? You stood up for me when I was in danger. You defended me against my awful family. You gambled your life for me like a hero… Did you really think any girl could resist that?"
"But you helped me face my fears too… Isn’t this too rushed? We’ve only just…"
"The happiness you’ve given me in these days outweighs my entire past decade."
"But—but…"
"Or… are you thinking of someone else?"
"…………!"
Liyu’s face flickered in Yumo’s mind.
Ling Xue caught his micro-expression.
She knew who it was.
Knew—but didn’t say it.
*Not making the one you love uncomfortable matters more than petty jealousy.*
"Alright. You’re right. It *is* rushed… And a hospital room kills the mood. Let’s forget it."
"Mm. Good…"
Yumo exhaled. Winning over Tang Lingxue *and* fulfilling four wishes was worth celebrating—but this was too much, too soon.
"Ah, but giving up entirely feels wasteful. How about… a compromise?"
"What!?"
Ling Xue’s face suddenly moved toward his center of gravity.
Yumo froze.
