Frozen to death, crazy, the mad ones mad, the dead ones dead.
Unlucky. Inauspicious.
Sometimes the suffering of one person cannot be understood by another, even between two kind-hearted people. Whether through argument or explanation, those who have never truly experienced it remain forever separated by a thick wall of glass.
Looking at the spectacle through that glass wall, the concrete people and events stained with blood and tears are stripped of their warmth, reduced to simple, weightless labels, becoming "unlucky" and "inauspicious" things that everyone must avoid.
Shen Lizhou lowered his gaze, his lashes draping low, concealing all the emotion in his eyes.
It wasn't that he had never heard the whispers—jinx, cursed to bring death to father, mother, and younger brother—nor was it that he had never seen those pitying or wary looks. He had long since grown accustomed to them. Occasionally, he even felt that what they said might hold some truth.
A sharp pain spread from his fingertips, the beads of blood dissolving into the fabric of his clothing where no one could see. The piercing ache felt familiar, and it also made him feel calm.
But the woman beside him suddenly stepped forward, placing herself between him and the old man.
"Thank you, Grandpa," she said with a beaming smile, her tone endearing. "But we Communists don't believe in such things. Chairman Mao said, don't fear heaven, don't fear ghosts, don't fear the dead…"
The old man was taken aback, then laughed. "You young lady…"
"Don't worry," Shi Ran said with a smile, pointing at Shen Lizhou. "This is my strategist—a young, promising big boss with exceptional vision."
When she finished speaking, her hand covered his coat, and she took his hand.
"Let's go."
Once she took his hand, she didn't let go.
Her steps were hurried, almost dragging him along as she walked, her grip on his hand firm. A faint ache and itch spread from his wound. Her soft, silky hair was lifted by the wind, and her voice carried back to him: "Are you hungry?"
"I…"
"I'm hungry," she said directly. "Let's stop here for today. The location is important, and opening a clinic isn't a small matter—we need to plan carefully. Let's eat first."
The property consultant, feeling he hadn't done his homework properly, said he would go back and look more carefully into available listings and also research the requirements for an animal clinic, promising to schedule the next viewing, before taking his leave.
The street grew quiet. Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, scattering across the ground. The two of them walked forward along the road, neither speaking.
A warm breeze slowly brushed aside the veil covering her memories, and Shi Ran finally confirmed that she, too, had heard some rumors about Shen Lizhou during high school.
A father who froze to death, a mother who was insane, a family of lunatics…
The gossip she hadn't paid much attention to back then now felt like tiny needles, pricking into her heart one by one.
Because the boy from those rumors had now grown into a man, following closely at her heels. He hadn't let go of her hand the entire time, allowing her to lead him. His cool body temperature passed through the fabric of his coat, reaching her, then gradually warming.
Slowly, Shi Ran's pace eased.
She felt she should do something.
Although they hadn't been close in high school, they got along well now. He had given her a chance to start over, and he took her clinic plans so seriously, helping her so much. She felt she should do the same for him.
If everyone took a small step forward, perhaps they could become closer friends.
Shi Ran took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at him steadily. "Shen Lizhou."
"How about we eat here?"
Shen Lizhou smiled at her, his expression relaxed and natural, causing Shi Ran to falter mid-thought. She followed his gaze and saw the restaurant sign beside them.
Friendship Kitchen.
"That's the restaurant behind the high school's back gate," Shen Lizhou said. "It moved here a few years ago, but the owner still cooks personally, and the owner's wife still greets customers herself. The taste is the same as before."
"Oh, that one," Shi Ran remembered, and asked, "Spicy diced chicken?"
He nodded. "Spicy diced chicken."
The two entered the restaurant and took their seats.
The restaurant was very clean, and the decor had become much more refined. Now they ordered by scanning a QR code, but the menu truly hadn't changed much from years ago. The owner's wife was just as brisk and energetic as before. Seeing Shen Lizhou, she greeted him with familiarity: "You're here."
Shen Lizhou acknowledged her with a sound. The owner's wife smiled and said, "Haven't seen you in a while. Didn't bring your little brother today?"
"He has something on today."
Shen Lizhou said. Shi Ran glanced over unobtrusively and saw that his smile was still on his face—the same relaxed, natural smile, like a perfectly fitted mask—yet it inexplicably reminded her of a cat in distress.
…Not even as good as a cat.
When a cat is stressed, it raises its fur, hisses, and runs away. When a person is stressed, they manage a polite, courteous smile.
The owner's wife noticed nothing unusual. Her gaze fell on Shi Ran, her smile still in place, carrying a kind curiosity.
"A high school classmate," he introduced. "A friend."
"Oh, oh," the owner's wife said with a laugh. "What a pretty young lady. I think I have a vague memory of you."
"You still look so young," Shi Ran said with a slight smile. "I loved your spicy diced chicken back in high school—I came by every week without fail."
The restaurant owner beamed. "Really? Come by anytime!"
The dishes arrived quickly.
The spicy diced chicken sat at the center of the table, steaming with the aroma of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. Shi Ran took a bite—still the same old flavor, incredibly well-seasoned, numbing, spicy, fragrant, and savory.
The sweet-and-sour ribs were sweet without being cloying, the osmanthus-glazed lotus root was soft and fragrant, and the stir-fried yellow beef was tender and juicy, perfect over rice…
All her old favorites.
"Did you come here often in high school too?" Shi Ran said nostalgically. "Back then my mom was so strict with me—she said these were all unhygienic hole-in-the-wall places and absolutely refused to let me eat out. So I'd sneak over for a meal, then go home and force myself to eat another one."
"I didn't come much in high school," Shen Lizhou said with a smile. "But later, I came often."
Back then, Shi Ran and Cheng Zimiao always liked to pick a seat by the window.
He'd passed by several times, and every time he saw that large plate of bright red spicy diced chicken in front of her—she'd eat it hurriedly, quickly, and happily, the tip of her nose flushed pink, her eyes brimming with smiles.
Back then, Shen Lizhou was curious about what that spicy diced chicken could possibly taste like, to make her wear such a blissful expression. So he saved up his money to try it—and the first bite gave him a stomachache that lasted until the next evening.
Only later did he understand that what makes people feel happy isn't just the taste of the food, but the person you share it with.
He calmly picked up a piece of spicy diced chicken and brought it to his mouth.
Shi Ran spoke slowly. "Le Wei…"
She looked up at him, and he instinctively met her gaze. Those light-colored pupils looked clear and obedient, as if they couldn't hide any secret at all. They curved gently, and then he smiled at her. "He had something on today."
"…I see." Shi Ran lowered her head and said quietly.
After a moment, she looked up again. "That shop earlier, I—"
"I thought about it again," Shen Lizhou interrupted her. "And I think it's good too, as long as you like it."
Shi Ran looked into his eyes. "Really?"
"Really." He smiled easily, then added, "Oh, by the way, there's an empty standalone building near Shensheng Manor. There are a lot of residents in that area, so it might be a good fit. After we finish eating, would you like to go take a look together?"
"Sure." Shi Ran said calmly.
The two finished their meal together and walked out of the restaurant. The setting sun had already lazily sunk below the horizon.
The last thin strip of orange at the edge of the sky was being swallowed by the endless deep blue, and the air carried the crisp chill of early spring.
Shen Lizhou's jacket was no longer wearable, leaving him in just a white T-shirt, revealing his cool-toned forearms and faint, winding veins. The night breeze blew past, outlining his well-proportioned frame—broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
The two walked against the night wind back to the car. Shi Ran started the engine and casually asked, "Cold?"
Shen Lizhou shook his head. "Not cold."
Shi Ran made a soft "oh" and turned on the heater.
The car merged onto the main road, trees receding one by one along the street. Streetlights and tree shadows painted alternating bands of light and dark across the windows.
The car was quiet, with only the sound of air flowing from the vents.
After a while, Shen Lizhou spoke. "If you open a clinic, do you plan to mainly see patients yourself, or focus on management?"
"I'll see patients myself first." Shi Ran had already thought about this question. She said, "I want to combine my overseas treatment system with the domestic disease spectrum and medication habits, and refine a fully replicable, standardized SOP."
"Mm," Shen Lizhou replied naturally. "That way other animal hospitals can use it as a reference, and there won't be that industry chaos where the same illness costs ten times more at different animal hospitals."
"…"
Perhaps because he had so casually spoken the goal she'd found so hard to voice aloud, Shi Ran's breath hitched for a beat, and her chest felt warm.
She smiled, a little casually. "I'll take it one step at a time… It'll be good enough if I can just open the doors smoothly."
"You will."
Shen Lizhou's voice was soft, yet carried an unshakable certainty: "If it's you, you'll definitely do it well."
"Oh?" Shi Ran grew curious. "…How well?"
His voice was gentle and pleasant, unfolding slowly, allowing one to imagine with ease: "You'll perfect this flagship clinic, refine the standards and the team. Then you'll open several branches, covering all of Lian City. Next, you'll expand into surrounding cities and build a regional chain brand. And finally… your hospitals will be in every provincial capital across the country, and you'll change the current state of animal treatment nationwide."
Shi Ran slowly held her breath.
She had never told anyone any of this.
Such an arrogant, impractical, grand dream—whether she told her parents or Cheng Zimiao, they'd probably just laugh it off, thinking she was playing around on a whim.
And yet Shen Lizhou had said it so casually, so unguardedly, so lightly.
As if it were as ordinary and inevitable as saying "the sun will rise again tomorrow."
The car happened to stop at a red light.
Shi Ran stopped the car. Pedestrians passed back and forth before them—office workers clutching laptops after overtime shifts, parents holding the hands of bouncing children, couples leaning into each other hand in hand, and delivery riders weaving swiftly through the crowd on yellow and blue electric scooters.
She instinctively glanced sideways at the man beside her.
His black hair fell softly across his forehead. The dim yellow streetlight outside the window cast a faint haze over his amber eyes, making him seem out of place in this bustling world.
It was a strange feeling—as though he were sitting right beside her, yet might vanish the very next second.
It made her chest tighten inexplicably.
Something caught her attention.
Her breath hitched. She bit her lip and gripped the steering wheel.
Green light. The car moved forward.
Shi Ran was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "…And then?"
Her voice rose slightly at the end, different from her usual tone.
Shen Lizhou ignored that faintly unusual feeling. His voice was soft, and his gaze unconsciously gentled, as though he could already see the future—a bright future that belonged to her alone, without him in it. "Then you can focus only on complex surgeries. Using the animal hospital as an anchor, you can gradually build a chain of rescue bases…"
"Wait in the car for a moment."
Shi Ran cut him off abruptly.
She pulled the car over to the side of the road, got out, and disappeared into the night without any explanation of what she intended to do.
Shen Lizhou pressed his lips together, his mouth feeling dry. He lowered his gaze and realized he had been clenching his fist without even noticing.
The wound had torn open, looking rather alarming. His knuckles had gone white from the strain, and sticky crimson spread along the lines of his palm. He closed his hand, leaned his head back against the seat, and stared blankly ahead.
Before long, she returned. Without a word of explanation, she started the car.
The storefront sat at a street corner, right next to the subway station—a standalone two-story commercial building with an off-white exterior, large glass doors, a dedicated parking lot in front, and a small pocket park beside it.
A full ten meters of storefront space had been reserved at the corner, more than enough for an imposing, eye-catching illuminated sign.
Standing beside her, Shen Lizhou explained, "This used to be a private club. The owner emigrated, and it's been empty for over half a year. He's been in no hurry to rent it out—he wants to wait for the right buyer."
"Within a one-kilometer radius, there are nine large upscale residential communities with over fifty thousand residents, yet not a single comprehensive animal hospital. The nearest one is a forty-minute drive away. The location is ideal."
He pushed open the glass door and switched on the lights, revealing a spacious, bright lobby.
The ceilings were high, with no unnecessary load-bearing walls—the space was remarkably open and airy.
"The two floors together come to 680 square meters. The first floor can house the waiting area, general consultation rooms, pharmacy, grooming and bathing section, plus a dedicated cat-friendly consultation room."
The two walked up the spiral staircase to the second floor, where Shen Lizhou continued, "The second floor can hold the operating rooms, ICU, inpatient ward, and your office. There's also an independent 80-square-meter backyard that can be converted into an isolation observation area and an activity space for hospitalized animals—it fully meets quarantine requirements."
"The load-bearing capacity has been calculated—DR, ultrasound, and MRI equipment are all fine. Medical waste disposal and fire safety were built to hospital standards. The previous club already had an independent wastewater treatment system; it just needs a minor upgrade to be usable. There's a separate 24-hour entrance, not restricted by property management hours, so the emergency entrance can open at any time."
By the time the two had walked through the entire building, inside and out, Shen Lizhou's introduction had just come to an end. He waited for a moment, but Shi Ran said nothing.
He had no choice but to ask, "What do you think?"
"I think it's excellent," Shi Ran said.
"Really?" Shen Lizhou asked. He paused, then couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "…Then why are you in a bad mood?"
Shi Ran said, "I'm thinking about that too."
"…What do you mean?"
"I'm also thinking about why I'm in a bad mood." Shi Ran raised her eyes and looked straight at him, speaking calmly. "Is it because that old man said such awful things, or because you looked like you were already used to hearing them?"
"Ah," Shen Lizhou found himself at a loss for words. He blinked. "I didn't think it was anything…"
"You didn't?"
The moonlight was too bright, making one's heart restless.
Shi Ran walked straight toward him. His back tensed instantly, and he almost wanted to step back half a pace—but he stood rooted to the spot, motionless, letting her approach. She reached out and took his blood-stained hand.
Her slender fingers parted his clenched ones without allowing any resistance, then revealed the raw, bleeding flesh beneath.
"Are you trying to tear yourself apart?" She examined it with lowered eyes. "I'm something of a doctor myself—a veterinarian, sure—but I deal with animals who can't speak or express themselves. So I have to be more perceptive than an ordinary doctor, and I can't stand things like this even more."
She pulled iodine swabs and a bandage from her trench coat pocket.
Snapped one open, then applied it to the bleeding wound.
“I just don’t understand,” she said. “You don’t seem to like spicy food at all. One bite and your ears turn red, the tip of your nose turns red, your lips turn red, and you have to drink several mouthfuls of water. Why do you force yourself to eat things you don’t like, listen to things you don’t want to hear, and do things that hurt yourself?”
The cold iodine brushed over the wound, and warm skin touched him.
Shen Lizhou’s fingers trembled slightly. She thought he was trying to pull away, so she instinctively held on tighter, and her movements became even gentler.
“Was I too forward?” she said, a little troubled. “But you clearly seem to treat me as a very important friend, thinking everything through so thoroughly for me…”
…Or was it that Shen Lizhou was actually someone who found it hard to refuse others, hoping to satisfy everyone, and so was this good to anyone?
Thinking back on it, Shi Ran felt that he hadn’t refused her anything since high school.
She calmed down, looked at the shocking wound, then at his pale, handsome face, and regretted being too blunt. Her tone began to soften with effort: “Anyway, because you’re so good to me, I hope I can do something for you too…” Her voice grew quieter, as if defending herself, “At least I can be a qualified listener, right?”
Silence.
Moonlight spread over the entire courtyard like water, falling on their clasped hands. A drop of blood slid from his fingertip, staining her pure, flawless skin.
The bloodstain looked especially clear, glaring, ugly.
What was she saying… Shen Lizhou’s long lashes trembled slightly as he thought, somewhat sluggishly.
She wanted to listen to him?
But what did he have to say?
They were all things of the past, meaningless things.
If he had to open his mouth and speak of those old matters, he might as well just die.
A self who couldn’t help in any way, who still needed her to apply medicine for him… why should he even continue living in this world?
The familiar feeling of self-loathing surged up, like a silent undercurrent, dragging all the churning emotions down into the abyss, then everything returned to calm.
It didn’t matter if he said it.
If she needed it.
As long as she needed it.
“Of course…” The corners of his lips curved up slightly, and he raised his eyes, but she suddenly lifted her hand and covered his mouth.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to say it.”
Shen Lizhou’s heart suddenly tightened.
Shi Ran looked at his smiling eyes and said softly, “But don’t smile like that.”
The light-colored eyes slowly lost their smile, looking somewhat blank, like a wasteland covered in snow, without a trace of light.
“Even though you look very handsome when you smile,” she withdrew her hand and wrapped the bandage around his finger, turn by turn, “when you’re not happy, don’t smile.”
Her gaze.
Her tone.
Both were like how one would treat a sick little animal that couldn’t speak.
“And don’t hurt yourself with that kind of smile.” She looked at him and asked, “Okay?”
She tugged at his finger and shook it.
So Shen Lizhou could no longer think.
“…Okay.”