Lin Wan's face turned red, and just as she was about to pull away, she realized that their bodies were now leaning toward each other. Chen Jin was like a mountain, slowly collapsing toward her. Her hand instinctively went behind her to brace herself on the sofa, unable to push him away. As his lips neared hers, she closed her eyes, resigned, thinking, So this is what he's after. All roads lead to this—he sees me as a toy.
To her surprise, his lips landed on her nose instead, and he even stuck out his tongue to lightly lick it. The sensation made her nose tickle, and she couldn't help but twitch her nose. Chen Jin pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes, and said, "Wan Wan, I can't remember the last time I saw you smile."
Seeing her expression change, he quickly switched to a lighter tone and asked, "Isn't my imitation good?"
Lin Wan turned her face away, unimpressed. "Yeah, you should try out for the Star Avenue show."
"Heh," Chen Jin laughed, "I'm not interested in performing in front of billions of people."
Lin Wan corrected him with disdain, "That's called art."
"Right. Performing is an art too," Chen Jin said with a grin. "And I'm only performing this art for you. You're my only audience. How lucky are you?"
"…."
"Want me to sign something for you? Hmm?"
"…"
"I'm different from others. I don't sign with a pen, I sign with my lips."
"Boring."
They messed around a little more before returning to the movie. After it was over, it was time for Lin Wan's rest. Chen Jin wasn't used to going to bed early, so he didn't want to go back to studies to read boring documents. Instead, he took a bath and climbed into bed with a magazine. Lin Wan was already breathing evenly next to him. After a while, Chen Jin felt drowsy too. He turned off the lights and went to sleep, but he didn't hold Lin Wan like usual, because he was afraid he might not be able to control himself.
Lin Wan didn't sleep soundly. The milk wasn't enough to fully fix her sleep problems, but she didn't want to rely on medication. Half-asleep, she heard a faint sound coming from outside the bedroom. At first, she thought it was just a dream or maybe a hallucination, but after a while, she recognized the sound—it was Nini's barking.
Lin Wan got out of bed, went to the balcony, and turned on the light. She was shocked to see Nini lying limp in the cage, a small pile of red vomit in front of her. Panicking, she quickly opened the cage, pulled Nini out, and heard her weak whimpers. She looked completely drained.
"What's wrong with her?" Chen Jin, disturbed by the noise, woke up and asked, surprised.
"Nini's sick. I'm taking her to the vet."
Chen Jin grunted, "What could be wrong with her? She was fine just a moment ago, jumping around."
Lin Wan didn't feel like explaining. She quickly put on her coat and rushed out of the room. Chen Jin got up and followed. He peeked into the cage, muttering, "Looks like she's having digestive issues."
"What do you mean?"
"Her stomach's probably upset," Chen Jin replied casually.
Lin Wan glared at him, then grabbed Nini and started heading for the door. Chen Jin stopped her, saying, "Wait, I'll get dressed."
"No need, I can go alone."
"Wan Wan, can you stop being so polite with me?"
"I'm not being polite."
"Fine, I know you're not being polite. You're annoyed with me. But this isn't the time for that. Wait for me."
On the way, Lin Wan anxiously looked at the weak little dog in her arms and kept urging, "Can you drive faster?"
Chen Jin yawned and replied, "If I drive any faster, we'll crash. Are you planning to have two live people die for a little animal?"
"Can you stop jinxing her?"
"Damn, I wish my words were that powerful."
Chen Jin, in the middle of the night, leaving his warm bed to rush out into the cold wind, wasn't exactly thrilled. But he couldn't vent his frustration on Lin Wan, so he directed it at the little dog, giving it a few angry glares. One Lin Wan is enough to drive anyone crazy, but why does it have to be a dog, too? He had thought that they were both like her—little troublemakers, always pestering him.
At the 24-hour pet hospital, the attending vet examined Nini and said she had gastric bleeding, probably caused by sharp objects. He asked what they had been feeding her, and Lin Wan thought for a moment, replying, "A few pieces of chicken a few days ago."
Chen Jin immediately chimed in, "You're such an idiot! Don't you know chicken bones are the most dangerous thing for dogs?"
Seeing Lin Wan's hesitant expression, he quickly softened, "Don't worry. She's here at the hospital now. The doctor will take care of her."
The vet, sensing the tension, tried to reassure them, "Don't worry, a few injections and some medication should do the trick."
While Nini was getting an IV, Lin Wan paced the waiting room, looking worried. Chen Jin sat on the couch, trying to rest, but her constant movement was making him dizzy. He pulled her down beside him and said, "The doctor has already assured us, what else are you worried about?"
Lin Wan muttered, "It's my fault…"
Chen Jin smiled, "Of course it's your fault. You can't even take care of yourself, let alone a pet. And now I can't sleep because of it." Seeing her look so pitiful, he softened a little, "But it's not entirely your fault. Puppies are just prone to problems. Just make sure to be more careful next time."
The vet suggested keeping Nini overnight for observation, and Chen Jin was relieved. He gave a few instructions and pulled Lin Wan out of the clinic. As they stepped outside, they were surprised to see that it had started snowing. The little snowflakes were falling gently, illuminated by the surrounding lights. Chen Jin, feeling like he had discovered something rare, turned to Lin Wan and said, "Look, it's snowing."
Lin Wan, still preoccupied with Nini, glanced up briefly, then turned away, not really paying attention.
Chen Jin felt a strange emotion rise in him, something unfamiliar and romantic. He suddenly didn't want to drive anymore. He felt like pulling Lin Wan into the streets and running around, or even picking her up and spinning her around. He was startled by this thought, realizing it was something out of a romantic fantasy. He laughed it off, realizing how silly and childish it was. Fortunately, he didn't act on it. Otherwise, he might've scared Lin Wan.
Looking at the tired woman sitting next to him, Chen Jin thought to himself with amusement: It turns out, everyone thinks they're mature until they actually encounter it. But what happens when they do? Just as he realized this, a thought struck him: even once you see it, once you touch it, you'll want to let go. He didn't know much about love, but he understood one thing: getting something and then losing it is more painful than never having it at all. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and sighed inwardly, Love... it's really all about the fear of loss.