The next morning, Xia Qian Ge’s complexion had visibly improved. Though she still carried that soft, gentle demeanor, her eyes now held a noticeable brightness—no longer dim and hollow like when Su Yu first arrived.
Xu Dan showed up with the entire dorm. The four girls huddled together, chattering like sparrows, while Su Yu stood quietly to the side, feeling slightly out of place.
“Um… since you’re cleared for discharge, I should probably head out?”
“Oh, sure! Thank you so much for taking care of Qian Ge. Our dorm will treat you next time!”
Xu Dan beamed warmly, boisterously patting Su Yu’s shoulder as if he were one of them.
“Alright, I’m off.”
Exhausted, Su Yu hadn’t slept after waking once during the night. He’d stayed awake for hours until Xu Dan and the others arrived.
“Su Yu.”
Just as he opened the door, Xia Qian Ge’s voice followed softly from behind.
“Goodbye.”
“Mm. Goodbye.”
He glanced back, replied, and left the ward.
Silence fell the moment he stepped out. Xu Dan peeked into the empty corridor twice to confirm he was gone.
“Gone?”
“Yep, gone!”
She shut the door and pounced onto Xia Qian Ge’s bedside. The girls instantly dropped their polite fronts, voices swirling around one topic.
“What’s really going on between you two?” Xu Dan’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “I just asked Su Yu for a favor—he agreed right away. Are you *really* just high school classmates?”
“I knew… he’d come. You must’ve said something sneaky,” Xia Qian Ge murmured softly, her smile pure and gentle.
“My dear, I’m innocent! I didn’t say anything weird—I did it all for you!” Xu Dan drawled with a barely contained grin. Under eager stares, she finally revealed:
“Someone called *Su Yu* in her sleep. How could I *not* help?”
“He and I… really are just classmates.”
“Then why call his name in your dreams?”
No panic crossed Xia Qian Ge’s face. She simply smoothed her bangs. A faint smile touched her eyes—but they remained dark and hollow, unsettling if held too long. She never answered, seeming to confirm it, enduring the girls’ knowing giggles for a while.
None of it mattered. She’d gotten what she wanted.
After all… if she hadn’t whispered his name in her sleep, how else would the boy have come so willingly?
…
Back at his dorm, Su Yu collapsed into bed without showering and slept straight until afternoon. He only remembered the sky being bright when he lay down—and dim when he woke.
He hadn’t expected to sleep so long. Truly drained—body and mind. Anything tied to the past always wore him out. *Is this a side effect of rebirth?* he wondered.
The dorm buzzed with noise. Gu Chuan and the others sat on foam boards playing cards, slapping them against the floor with crisp snaps.
Gu Chuan shouted loudest. A bottle cap popped. “Drink up, Lu Si Yuan! You flirt who hit on my high school classmate—I’ll drown you today!”
“It was mutual!” Lu Si Yuan shot back, chugging fiercely. “Let’s see who drops first.”
“Chu Feng, stop—you’ll pass out again.”
“I’m building tolerance!”
“Tolerance’s a talent. Can’t train it.”
Listening from bed, Su Yu felt the tiredness ease.
Time to restart: new faces, new friends, a new life. Maybe even a girlfriend…
He shook his head, clearing the image of Xia Qian Ge’s fragile hospital smile. *Later.*
His nose twitched—egg fried rice from the canteen. Starving, he called out, “Food? I’m dying!”
“Yo, awake?” Gu Chuan shuffled cards noisily. “Come down. Saved you some.”
“Coming!”
The aroma pulled him upright. A large bowl waited on his desk. He rinsed his mouth, reached for the lid—
A hand slammed it down.
“What’re you up to?”
“Ahem… brothers missed you,” Gu Chuan grinned, teeth flashing.
Su Yu glanced at Lu Si Yuan and Chu Feng flanking him. Swallowed. Kept his face neutral. “A school friend was sick. Roommates couldn’t help. I stayed overnight.”
“Classmate? *Female* classmate?”
“Xia Qian Ge. Just classmates.”
“That’s it?”
“Mm. That’s it.”
Gu Chuan clicked his tongue. “Master Su’s focusing on studies, huh? Got your books. Class tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
Disoriented, Su Yu shoveled rice into his mouth, washed it down with cola Lu tossed him. Full stomach, quiet mind—until his phone rang. *Xia Qian Ge.*
He hurried to the balcony.
“Hello?”
“I’m back at the dorm.”
“Rest well. Class tomorrow.”
“Still… thank you.”
“No problem. Don’t push yourself. Health first.”
“I know. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye.”
…
Evening wind stirred, stained burgundy by twilight. Xia Qian Ge stood on the balcony in a thin spaghetti-strap nightgown. The breeze lifted her hem; strands of hair fluttered, hiding her eyes.
Phone glow washed her face pale. She stared at the ended call log. A translucent nail traced the screen—a faint white mark.
*Goodbye…*
She truly hated that word.
