Give Me Another Smile

Yin Zhao-an lazily yawned as she grew drowsy amidst the comfortable breeze.

Wang Zhen, who had stood some distance away to offer the two teenagers some privacy, walked over with a thin coat in hand when she noticed her daughter yawning. After draping the coat over her daughter's shoulders, she asked, "Tired? Let's go back, then. It's been quite some time since you've come outside."

"Okay." Yin Zhao-an nodded with a weary look.

Zhao Yu smiled as he watched the two leave. Then, he leaned back against the bench, spread his slender legs naturally, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, a man leaned against the edge of a window sill, his eyes lingering on the young man in the courtyard for a long time as the sun cast its warm afterglow on the cold metal frame of his spectacles.

…

Zhao Yu's stay in the hospital didn't last for long. He could already start attending school again in less than half a month. Before he was discharged from the hospital, though, Gao Rang helped him switch out his splint for a new one.

Gao Rang wore a calm expression that day. Zhao Yu noticed that the Doctor Gao who'd always take the initiative to talk to him had seemingly disappeared, as Gao Rang did not say a word throughout the entire process of replacing his splint. Even after Gao Rang finished his job, he simply said, "Take care of your arm and come back for a reexamination after half a month," before handing his tools to the young nurse waiting nearby and leaving.

Zhao Yu thought Gao Rang would at least say some words of concern. If nothing else, tease him a little. Yet, Gao Rang behaved no differently than a stranger. Didn't Gao Rang say he wanted to be friends? Sure enough, adults couldn't be trusted...

The care worker was the one who helped Zhao Yu pack his belongings. Father Zhao had arranged for a driver to wait for him outside the hospital, and the driver's task was to send him back to the school directly.

When the care worker entered the elevator and noticed that Zhao Yu remained standing outside in a daze, she worriedly asked, "Did you leave something behind, Young Master?"

Shaking his head, Zhao Yu faintly smiled and said, "Wait for me downstairs, Auntie. I'll catch up in a bit."

The care worker assumed Zhao Yu wanted say goodbye to Yin Zhao-an. After all, he would frequently visit the girl's ward throughout his hospitalization, and it seemed like they shared a good relationship. Hence, she readily agreed and said, "Okay, I'll head downstairs first."

When the elevator doors closed, Zhao Yu reached into his pocket to grab ahold of the small piece of paper inside, his somewhat sweaty palm creasing the paper's smooth edges.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Yu pursed his lips and made his way to a particular office.

The office in question was meant for two people only. When Zhao Yu arrived, there was only one doctor in the office. However, as the doctor was busy with paperwork, he did not notice Zhao Yu's arrival and subsequent departure.

...

It was already three in the afternoon when Gao Rang came out of the operating room. After removing his glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose, he walked back to his office with heavy steps.

Gao Rang did not try to be careful when opening the door to his office. So, the noise he made attracted the attention of his busy colleague. Meanwhile, after giving Gao Rang a sympathetic look, Gao Rang's colleague asked, "Was it a tough surgery?"

Gao Rang didn't wish to speak. So, he simply kept quiet and shuffled his way back to his desk, all the while massaging his temples and trying to keep his weary eyes open.

After a while, Gao Rang put on his glasses and reached out to turn on his computer. However, before he could power on the monitor, his hand froze when he noticed a blue post-it note. Meanwhile, on the note was a line of neatly written characters:

"Thank you for your care throughout this period, Big Brother."

The neatly written characters looked exceptionally refreshing on the paper. Even though there was no signature on the note, Gao Rang could tell who the owner of these characters was.

…

Tang Yu sat in front of a warm desk lamp with her soft hair draped over her shoulders, her hand scribbling words into a notebook while her eyes scanned a different notebook before her.

Tang Yu had missed out on a lot of notes because of the classes she had skipped. Fortunately, her deskmate was a cute and enthusiastic girl, and the other party took the initiative to lend her notes to her. This saved Tang Yu from having to awkwardly borrow notes from people she didn't know.

Li Xiuli sat in her bed with one leg propping up her chin and the other hanging over the edge. After looking around the room a few times, she moved to Tang Yu's side and quietly asked, "Are you really not with Wen Tao?"

This wasn't the first, second, or third time Tang Yu had heard this question. After setting her pen down, Tang Yu looked at her roommate seriously and said, "I really am not dating him. We are only friends, the kind that will never cross any boundaries."

"Oh." Li Xiuli breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. "That's good, that's good. I won't have to feel guilty if that's the case."

"Are you...really going to go after him?" Tang Yu asked, feeling a little worried. Although Li Beining seemed polite and didn't look like the kind of person who'd be rough on girls, she didn't know him well enough to say for certain. Of course, she also didn't know what Li Beiling actually thought about Wen Tao. Even so, she decided it was still necessary to give her roommate a kind reminder, so she said, "Make sure to take safety precautions, then."

Li Xiuli blushed when she heard Tang Yu's words. Then, she patted Tang Yu on the shoulder in embarrassment and said, "What are you thinking?! I'm not a loose person!"

"...?" Li Xiuli's reaction stupefied Tang Yu, her expression gradually freezing and her heart rate skyrocketing when she realized how severely her roommate had misinterpreted her words. What am I thinking? You're the one whose thoughts are running wild!