The hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
A doctor, two drivers, and a butler stood before Zhou Chiye, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Zhou Chiye had arranged everything.
The butler was to help Ji Zhaoxi handle the funeral arrangements — after all, the girl had no experience with such things.
The doctor was there to reapply his bandages; he didn't want to keep being wrapped up like a mummy, it was truly embarrassing.
The remaining two were to do the driving.
After making all the arrangements, Zhou Chiye immediately went to find Ji Zhaoxi.
The driver waited at the mouth of the alley. Zhou Chiye sat in the car, frowning as he looked at the nearby buildings.
The outer walls had peeled, covered in mold. The alley was gloomy; outside the sun was shining brightly, but inside, not a single ray of light could reach. The garbage beside the trash cans had overflowed, with no one coming to clean it up.
Zhou Chiye lowered his eyes. He had known her for so long, and yet he hadn’t known she lived in a place like this.
The driver glanced at a small stall nearby and spoke up: "Young Master, is it okay if I go buy something to eat? I’ll come back after I finish."
Zhou Chiye hummed in acknowledgment.
Then he watched as the driver expertly jogged over to the stall, quickly ate, and got back in the car.
"You knew she lived here all along?" Zhou Chiye suddenly asked.
The driver scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, Young Master. I’ve been driving Miss Ji back home these past few days."
"Then why didn’t you tell me she lived in a place like this?" Zhou Chiye’s expression darkened.
The driver was taken aback. "Isn’t this kind of place pretty normal, Young Master?"
His young master really needed to get out and see more of the world!
Back when he first arrived alone in City A, he had also stayed in a village within the city, where his clothes could never dry.
Remembering his own bitter past, the driver couldn’t help but shed a tear.
Zhou Chiye stared intently at his phone, checking how many apartments he owned. After the funeral was over, he would give her one.
Actually, his had also been given to him by others — his grandparents on both sides, his father, his mother — they would gift him a house whenever they were happy.
Zhou Chiye paused. Maybe he should choose the one by the sea, so the two of them could be close together.
A moment later, a commotion came from the alley. A girl who looked like a student was yelling at an old man.
"How can you be like this? Why won’t you give back my deposit? Believe me, I’ll call the police!"
The old man shouted back, his face red. "Go ahead and call them!"
Zhou Chiye frowned even more tightly at this scene. Had she faced something like this too?
Just then, a familiar figure finally appeared in the alley.
Ji Zhaoxi walked over with a backpack on her back, looking a bit embarrassed. "Have you been waiting long?"
Zhou Chiye took her bag, clearing his throat. "No, we just got here."
The driver gave him a quiet look.
Ji Zhaoxi sat in the back, beside Zhou Chiye.
Ji Huaichuan sat in the front passenger seat with his backpack.
Ji Zhaoxi accepted the tissue Zhou Chiye handed her and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I’m really sorry for the trouble. You didn’t have to come all the way here."
Zhou Chiye was so loyal, but Ji Zhaoxi truly hadn’t planned to go so early. After all, it wasn’t as if someone very important had died.
Zhou Chiye’s tone was stiff. "Who else would you trouble if not me?"
He hated it when she said things like that, as if they were strangers!
He wanted her to just accept everything from him!
The driver and Ji Huaichuan exchanged a silent glance.
This Brother Ye was so fierce. Suddenly, he wasn’t so envious of his sister anymore — it felt like he was about to hit someone.
Ji Zhaoxi, as if used to this attitude of his, didn’t take it to heart. She put away her bag and handed him a bottle of water.
Zhou Chiye unscrewed the cap with a cold face and handed it back to her.
Ji Zhaoxi took a few sips and finally relaxed a bit. She looked at him, still sulking beside her, and poked him.
"I didn’t mean it that way. It’s because no one other than my family has ever been this good to me, so I feel a little awkward."
Zhou Chiye’s ears turned red at her touch.
Damn... even a poke was adorable.
He cleared his throat. "Got it."
His eyes glanced at her hand — he wanted to squeeze it.
Just then, Ji Zhaoxi’s phone rang. It was her aunt calling. Ji Zhaoxi lowered her voice, answering her aunt’s questions.
"Yeah, Mom called me already."
Ji Zhaoxi kept her eyes down, her hand unconsciously picking at the corner of her clothes. Maybe because she had just gotten into the car and it was a bit warm, her face was slightly flushed. She took another sip of water, continuing to listen to the voice on the other end.
Zhou Chiye’s face was bright red as he stared at the bottle’s opening, involuntarily swallowing.
He snapped out of it the moment he realized what he was thinking, forcing himself to look away.
Actually, he wasn’t that perverted. He had initially only been worried she might cry, but she hadn’t cried; her face was calm. That was when he noticed the water bottle.
If she hadn’t just been drinking water, he wouldn’t have started thinking such wild thoughts...
Ji Zhaoxi finished the call and placed the water bottle to one side, next to the bottle Zhou Chiye had just drunk from.
Zhou Chiye silently stared at the two bottles, lost in thought.
The driver had also heard the content of Ji Zhaoxi’s call and looked at Ji Huaichuan, saying regretfully, "My condolences."
Ji Huaichuan forced a smile. "Thanks."
Listening to his sister on the phone, he had almost burst out laughing.
Because the road in their village was too steep, Jiang Dayong’s body had fallen off several times, and someone had started arguing with the doctor, saying they disrespected the deceased.
Zhou Chiye leaned against the car seat, his heart pounding wildly. He took a deep breath and stiffly picked up the water bottle beside him.
Ji Zhaoxi was looking out the window, occasionally telling the driver the directions.
Zhou Chiye quickly glanced at her. Seeing she wasn’t paying attention, he immediately unscrewed the cap and took a swift gulp.
As his lips touched the bottle’s rim, a shiver shot through his nerves. His face burned intensely, and his breathing quickened.
Seeing that bottle’s rim reminded him of how Ji Zhaoxi had just drunk water, of her slightly parted lips.
Zhou Chiye kept his head down, clutching the bottle, guilty as hell. But if given a second chance, he would still drink from it.
Two identical bottles of water — it was perfectly normal to pick up the wrong one, wasn’t it?
Right now, Ji Huaichuan was especially happy. He couldn’t help humming a tune.
The driver joined in humming along. Halfway through, he suddenly sensed something wrong. Wasn’t the song titled "Good Times" or something?
Ji Huaichuan had earphones on, immersed in his own world, humming softly.
"Today is a good day..."
Driver: ...
Listening to a cheerful song at a time like this — was that a local custom of theirs?
It must be. He remembered that at some funerals, people sang and danced, making them quite lively.
The driver quickly convinced himself and continued humming along with Ji Huaichuan, considering it his blessing to Miss Ji’s father.
May Miss Ji’s father be well on the other side too.
