It's hard to say how many days drifted by; I spent this time in a hazy state, alternating between lying down, dozing off, and waking up, only to drift off again. While asleep, I was trapped in the loop of those two dreams, waking each time drenched in sweat. Sometimes, Old Shao would sit nearby and talk to me; when he wasn't there, I’d just stare into space alone.

One time, as I was drifting off, I vaguely felt Old Shao wiping the sweat from me. With my eyes still closed, I suddenly grabbed his hand (the handcuffs and shackles had been removed) and mumbled, "When are you finally going to tell me?"

Unexpectedly, a girl's voice came from right beside me: "You're awake?"

Only then did I realize the hand I was gripping was delicate and exquisitely small, with soft skin. Opening my eyes, I saw it was indeed not Old Shao.

Language textbooks often use the phrase gù pàn shēng huī (a glance filled with charm and brightness) to describe a girl's eyes. In all my years, I had never felt that any girl truly warranted that description. But this one was different. She was dressed entirely in a nurse's uniform, her temples neatly tucked behind her ears. A small wristwatch hung from her left breast pocket, and two strips of adhesive tape were stuck to her right. She had an oval face, small lips, a delicate nose, and a pair of soft, large eyes gazing at me with deep feeling.

"You are Ming Xiaoyu, right?" she asked with a smile. This little face, with just the slightest upturn of her lips, could make anyone feel as if they were bathed in the spring breeze.

"Mm-hmm…" I nodded, returning her smile.

"My name is Wenshu. I’m the new nurse assigned to this bed. If you need anything at all in the future, just tell me." As she spoke, her small mouth opened and closed, occasionally revealing a row of sparkling, brilliant pearls.

Back when I read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, I could never understand why Jin Yong wrote Duan Yu as behaving like a complete lunatic upon first seeing Wang Yuyan, immediately dropping to his knees and kowtowing. Now, I think I understand a little bit.

"Your sister came to visit. Let me wash your face and change your clothes so you can go to the visiting room." With that, Wenshu took the washbasin and left. Watching her retreating back, my heart unexpectedly gave a heavy thump-thump-thump. I don't know what day it is—a new nurse is here, and my older sister has actually come, too.

A little while later, Wenshu returned carrying half a basin of water, holding a towel ready to wash my face. My face flushed, and I lowered my head, snatching the towel away to wipe it myself.

Sigh, I thought, wiping my face and letting out a breath. Why am I such a stick in the mud when it comes to romance? Here was a beautiful girl offering to serve me, and I actually snatched the towel away. Even though my heart was pounding hard, I had to pretend to be calm.

After drying my face, Wenshu handed me a set of clean hospital clothes. "I'll wait for you outside the room. Put these on and come out when you’re done; I’ll take you to the visiting room."

I quickly stripped off my dirty clothes. Touching them, I found they were completely soaked in sweat, like something washed but never dried. Clean clothes really do make a difference; putting them on instantly boosted my spirits tenfold.

I followed Wenshu to the visiting room. She stopped at the doorway, signaling for me to push the door open myself. Just as I reached for the handle, she suddenly grabbed me and said, "Take off your shoes."

I was stunned for a moment, then remembered the incident from last time. I figured the hospital administration was afraid I might attack someone with my shoes again, so they had Wenshu tell me to remove them before entering. Truthfully, it was unnecessary; my sister was visiting today, not some stranger.

Resignedly, I took off my shoes and, barefoot, pushed the door open. A gust of cold air rushed out. I wasn't heavily dressed to begin with, and the blast of cold air made me shiver.

Then, looking up, I saw my sister sitting upright and proper on the sofa in the center of the visiting room, staring straight ahead as if she hadn't noticed my entrance. Standing beside her was a man, hands jammed into his pockets, pacing slowly back and forth. Hearing the door open, he lazily turned his head. Seeing that it was me, he smiled and nodded slightly. The moment I saw that face, I was shocked—how was it him again?