Mei Ran, her injured foot not yet completely agile, paced back and forth in front of the master bedroom door. Soft light and shadow from the hallway spilled gently over her form. Beneath her pitch-black, long hair, a section of her fair, tender neck, as white and crisp as fresh lotus root, was faintly visible, seeming to glow with a subtle radiance.
The lamplight wavered with her indecision.
To knock, or not to knock?
There were reasons to knock: a guest, however relative, with no preparation at all, were they truly ready for a bloodbath?
There were reservations against knocking: how exactly would she bring this up to him?
At the mere thought of that scenario, Mei Ran was mortified. She lightly bumped her head against the wall a few times. "Why did I have to go and get the villa's only driver drunk for no good reason?"
There was definitely no such thing at Old Madame's place. The only person she could hope for now was the man on the other side of that door.
The most crucial question now was: how to tell him?!
Biting her lip, Mei Ran paced another circle before finally mustering the courage to give the door a few gentle knocks.
"Come in."
The man standing beside the floor lamp, flipping through a book, turned and saw her standing outside. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
Mei Ran shuffled in, taking tiny steps like a snail, her head hanging so low she hardly dared look him in the eye.
"Mr. Fu, I need to trouble you about something."
"What is it?"
"Could you…" Mei Ran's voice dropped, "see me out to buy something?"
The man frowned, seemingly puzzled. "What kind of thing?"
Heat rose layer by layer to Mei Ran's cheeks. Her voice grew as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Just some… um… things that, under certain special circumstances, women absolutely must… use."
She had phrased it in a roundabout way, but Fu Shijin understood. His gaze swept over her, light yet meaningful.
Mei Ran flushed scarlet.
Her cheeks had always been thin, especially now, and especially when facing him.
It was really, really embarrassing.
"I understand."
The man had already put down his book and walked over. Mei Ran instinctively followed behind him. Unexpectedly, he suddenly turned around. "Wait here a moment. I'll be right back."
Mei Ran suddenly grasped his intention and quickly waved her hands. "No need, no need!"
How could she let a man like him help buy such things? It felt almost like a defilement of his person.
"It's still raining outside," he said, standing right in the hallway. Damp wind from the balcony stirred the hair on his forehead. His handsome, sculpted face remained calm, yet his tone carried a note that brooked no refusal. "It's best not to get cold during this special period."
"By the way," he added, taking a few steps before turning back to ask, "is there a specific brand you prefer?"
He was smiling.
Mei Ran felt as if she'd been struck by a petrifying spell.
This was the first time she had seen him smile.
She never knew a man's smile could be so good-looking.
Reflected in the faint smile on his lips, his deep, unfathomable brown eyes seemed to glitter with scattered stars. His handsome brows relaxed slightly. The whole of him appeared gentle, like underwater duckweed, instantly capturing her entire focus.
So this was how a cool, reserved man looked when warmed by tenderness.
***
The next day, due to tossing and turning the night before, Mei Ran slept straight through until nine in the morning.
A soft pool of sunlight lay quietly by her pillow.
The sky had cleared; the rain had stopped. Crisp birdsong drifted in from outside the window.
Regretfully, Mei Ran grabbed at her hair, then got out of bed to freshen up.
When Old Madame saw her coming downstairs, her smile carved deep into her wrinkles. "Come quickly and have breakfast."
It felt so natural, as if she were already part of this family.
Mei Ran couldn't muster a single ungracious thought toward this kind-faced old woman, even though she was the one who had informed her last night that the road down the mountain was blocked, and yet, in the end, *that man* had still gone out and bought back what she needed.
She had a vague suspicion that Old Madame seemed to have misunderstood something. Now, sitting here felt prickly, like sitting on needles.
"Shijin came to see me first thing this morning and told me you slept late last night, and asked me not to disturb you," Old Madame said, handing her a bowl of steaming hot porridge.
Mei Ran glanced around. "Where is he?"
"Probably catching up on sleep," Old Madame said, her brows knitting into a '川' shape. "There was a period when he was almost sleepless night after night. In the most severe times, even sleeping pills didn't help. He became terribly gaunt, lost a lot of weight… My heart ached seeing him like that."
"Has it been like that recently too?"
"It's been better lately," Old Madame nodded. "But I still occasionally see the light in his study on till dawn."
Mei Ran thought for a moment. "I know a few medicinal recipes. I can write them down for you later. You can take turns preparing them for him. It should at least somewhat help alleviate the insomnia."
"Wonderful!" Old Madame's eyes brightened as she looked at her, then sighed meaningfully. "Shijin is twenty-nine this year. It would be so good if he had a warm, attentive woman by his side."
Mei Ran didn't know how to respond. She could only silently bow her head and sip her porridge.
After breakfast, the sun was already high in the sky. The driver, Old Yang, had also shaken off the aftereffects of last night's drunkenness. Seeing Mei Ran, he gave her a thumbs-up.
Who would've thought such a young girl could hold her liquor so well!
Mei Ran smiled back. Actually, she wasn't that great at drinking; she just had her own "secret recipe." However, with her recipe as back-up, while the alcohol's effects took longer to kick in, their impact was astonishing. Like last time—once the liquor did hit, she was almost unconscious.
The driver had come specifically to take her back to the hospital. As the car slowly moved forward, Mei Ran looked out. The floodwaters had receded almost completely. Sanitation workers disinfecting the streets were a common sight.
Just as she stepped into the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, she almost collided head-on with her little assistant emerging from within. Mei Ran retreated to one side.
Seeing her, Tian Tian grimaced and started a little *"ying ying ying"* cry. "Senior Sister, don't go in just yet. There are dead rats inside!"
So Mei Ran stood outside the door and talked to her there.
The young assistant patted her chest, still shaken. "Probably got washed in by the water. It stinks horribly! Thankfully A'Lan is cleaning it up… Eh? Senior Sister, aren't you still on leave? Why are you back?"
"Also, you weren't home this morning? I bought you some snacks, but no matter how long I pressed the doorbell, there was no movement."
A glimmer appeared in Mei Ran's eyes. "Was the elevator fixed when you went?"
"Not yet," Tian Tian shook her head, then her tone paused. "But, it should be fixed by now, right? When I left, I saw workers repairing it."
Delight bloomed in Mei Ran's heart. It seemed she could go home tonight. She'd seen the notice from the property management this morning: power and water in the residential complex were restored.
The sunlight was dazzling. A'Lan shouted loudly from inside, "Sweetie, you can come in now!"
"Coming, coming!"
Amidst the silvery-bell-like laughter, Mei Ran glanced up at the washed-clean blue sky, then turned and walked inside.
The rain had passed, the sky had cleared. Everything should return to the way it ought to be.
Probably everyone was busy cleaning up after the flood, so the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department was particularly quiet and deserted all afternoon. Tian Tian hid bored under the medicine cabinet, scrolling through Weibo.
"Wow! My Mr. Right's fan count has risen to almost twenty million!"
Since becoming Fu Shijin's fan, she visited his Weibo daily to check in, her heart as frayed with worry as most of his other fans.
For example: how many fans had Mr. Right gained today? When would Mr. Right post his eleventh Weibo? And the tiny hollow next to his follower count—when would it finally sprout a little sapling?
Clearly, this last question was what concerned everyone most, especially after the recently red-hot starlet Mei Mengran followed Fu Shijin, making that historic progression from 0 to 1 even more noteworthy.
However, that '0' stubbornly showed no sign of breaking its shell. Some of Mei Mengran's slightly more radical Ran Fans found this unacceptable and went to Fu Shijin's Weibo to mock and sneer.
@Username: Could your username be any more troublesome?: Hah, such a lofty, icy king of cool! My goddess followed him ages ago and still no follow-back. He's just some rich second generation. What's there to be so arrogant about? Without his dad, he'd be nothing. Wealth doesn't last beyond three generations. I'll sit back and watch with cold eyes [cold smile].
This comment was quickly boosted to the trending spots by Mei Mengran's fans.
Soon, the formidable, highly combative fan army of the Heavenly Queen* also heard the noise and came to join the fun.
@smallhorseatennightgrass: Calling him a rich second generation, are you jealous? If you've got the skills, why don't *you* get rich and show me? Don't spout nonsense if you're broke [ha ha].
@Mr_SlowClimbingSnail: Allow me to do some more public education for everyone. First, I'd like to correct a point: Strictly speaking, this Mr. Fu Shijin is not considered a rich second generation; he's at least a rich *nth* generation. Additionally, his maternal grandfather was an antique dealer in old Shanghai, said to be fabulously wealthy at the time. Oh yes, as far as I know, Mr. Fu also owns and operates a century-old antique establishment, 'Ming Pin Zhai.'
@Mr_SlowClimbingSnail: To all the green-eyed monsters, I humbly present this link: *An Interview with Fu Shijin: A Benchmark Figure in Contemporary Chinese Art Collection.* P.S.: What's the point of us striving if those already excellent are working even harder than us? Let's just wash up and go to bed [sigh].
With this as the primer, Fu Shijin's true fans swarmed forward afterward, crushing and beating them to a bruised and bloody state, until they fled in disarray, tails between their legs.
Tian Tian's little heart trembled as she clicked on the link. By the time she finished reading and came back, her legs felt almost too weak to stand.
Holy moly!
Pinching her cheek in disbelief, she said, "Have I really had real-life contact with this legendary figure? This isn't just a dream, is it?"
*[TN: 'Heavenly Queen' is a term for a very successful, top-tier female singer/star in Chinese entertainment.]
***
After Typhoon Alice passed, a stretch of sunny days followed. Friday arrived quickly.
Saturday was her father Mei Hongyuan's birthday. Mei Ran had specifically swapped shifts to get three days off and return to her hometown, S City. After getting off the plane, she pulled her suitcase and found her family's waiting car with familiar ease.
"Young Lady Ran." The driver greeted her warmly, also taking her suitcase and loading it up.
"Uncle Zhou," Mei Ran replied in Cantonese, "long time no see."
"How long are you planning to stay this time?"
Sitting in the back seat, Mei Ran wiggled three fingers. "Three days."
Old Zhou sighed. "Every time you or Mr. Mei return, it's like a flash in the pan. You barely warm the seat before you're off again."
Mei Ran smiled. "Eh? Why aren't we leaving yet?"
"We might have to wait a bit longer," Old Zhou checked the time. "The Master has invited a distinguished guest this time. I heard it's an antique appraiser who's just returned from overseas." He muttered further, "He should be arriving soon too."
"I see…" Mei Ran didn't pay it much mind. "Then I'll go buy something first. I'll be back within ten minutes."
There were Kashmere cashmere scarves at the duty-free shops in S City's airport. Yu Sheng's birthday was approaching, and she intended to buy one as a gift.
Mei Ran already had a general style in mind and quickly picked out a gift. Checking her watch, only six minutes had passed. She walked briskly back to the car.
Pulling the car door open, she bent to step inside, only to find someone already sitting in her previous seat. Hearing the noise, the man happened to turn his head.
So she collided with him, utterly unprepared.
Forehead pressed to forehead. Nose tip to nose tip. Breath tangled with breath.
White dress shirt, meticulously buttoned. Deep-set eyes, straight nose—cool and aloof as frost. And that crisp, clean masculine scent…
All too familiar.
Mei Ran heard her own heartbeat as clearly as the most frantic drumbeats she'd ever heard—dense, powerful, thudding against her ribcage, one heavy strike after another.
Her entire body almost melted into limpness…