Night Duty

"Why don't I take care of him?"

Sister Li's voice rang out at just the right moment, like music from heaven.

"After all, this whole thing was my fault."

Wei Xingbang thought it over but hadn't yet spoken when Wei Jin hurriedly agreed.

"That would be great. Sister Li, if you took care of me, I'd probably get better faster."

And so Zeng Li officially became Wei Jin's hospital caregiver, helping him with his meals, daily needs, and nighttime care.

Wei Xingbang hastily made his travel arrangements and left that same night.

Before long, it was 9:30, and the hospital was about to turn the lights out. Zeng Li bustled about helping Wei Jin wash up and was just about to let him rest when he said hesitantly:

"Sister Li, I need to use the bathroom."

Zeng Li hurriedly fetched his crutches and was about to help him to the bathroom when Wei Jin asked quietly:

"Sister Li, my sense of balance hasn't come back yet. Could you help me?"

Zeng Li's face instantly turned crimson. She understood what Wei Jin meant.

Wei Jin's right leg was injured, and he was unsteady standing on one foot. With his sense of balance gone, he wouldn't be able to stand steadily in the bathroom even with crutches. Someone had to hold him up.

Zeng Li wailed inwardly. It was a debt she owed, so she could only grit her teeth and pay it back.

After a struggle, the two of them shuffled into the bathroom. By now, Zeng Li felt completely out of sorts.

Wei Jin rested his right hand on Zeng Li's shoulder and fumbled around with his left. His hospital pants had buttons instead of a zipper, so he either had to undo them or pull the pants down.

After fumbling for a while, Wei Jin turned to Zeng Li and saw that her eyes were squeezed shut. He then pleaded:

"Sister Li, help me undo the buttons. I can't manage with my left hand."

Zeng Li was beside herself with regret. If she'd known, she would have called a caregiver. Why had she insisted on showing what she could do? Although she was no longer a naïve young girl, doing something like this was still rather awkward.

Taking a deep breath, Zeng Li switched to her left hand and worked together with Wei Jin's left hand. At last, they got the damned buttons undone.

But Sister Li was rather nervous as she helped him, and used a little too much force. She got a slight sense of Wei Jin's strong point and was somewhat shocked. Listening to the powerful stream splashing, Zeng Li actually felt a little hot and bothered. It had been far too long since she'd had anyone.

Three minutes later, the two of them struggled back to the hospital bed.

It was a sunny July day in the capital, but the ward had no air conditioning. After that short trip of just over ten meters each way, Zeng Li was covered in sweat.

She happened to be wearing a fitted, short-sleeved white blouse that day, and the front and back were slightly damp. The thin fabric clung to her body, accentuating her lovely figure.

Seeing this, Wei Jin felt a rush of heat surge to his forehead. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he mustered his courage, cupped Sister Li's face in both hands, and kissed her hard.

Zeng Li was still panting for breath. The young man, at 1.8 meters tall, was rather heavy. The sudden, passionate kiss caught her completely off guard. Three seconds later, she was about to resist, but her defenses had already fallen.

The passionate kiss went on for more than ten seconds before Zeng Li reclaimed her lost ground and broke free.

Wei Jin took the opportunity to hold Zeng Li and lie down on the hospital bed. She was about to struggle when he whispered in her ear:

"Sister Li, don't move. Let me hold you."

His voice was full of tenderness and anticipation. Zeng Li grew weaker and weaker, letting Wei Jin hold her without saying a word.

Worried that Zeng Li was angry, Wei Jin made no other moves. He simply stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

By then, Zeng Li had calmed down after her initial panic. She spoke up:

"Xiao Jin, let's get some sleep."

Without waiting for Wei Jin's answer, she broke free, returned to the caregiver's bed, and made her own preparations for sleep. But her pounding heart showed she was far from as calm as she looked.

Wei Jin also felt some regret. He had been too impulsive, and he didn't know whether his rash behavior would make Zeng Li dislike him. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin. A thousand thoughts raced through his head, making it even harder for him to fall asleep when he was already somewhat prone to insomnia.

An unknown amount of time passed, and Wei Jin still hadn't fallen asleep. Anyone who had experienced insomnia knew that when you couldn't sleep, you were bound to toss and turn in bed. Wei Jin was no exception.

Perhaps Wei Jin was making too much noise, or perhaps Zeng Li also had things on her mind and hadn't fallen asleep. Her voice came from the darkness:

"Xiao Jin, what are you doing up?"

"Sister Li, did I disturb you? Sorry, I can't quite get to sleep."

Wei Jin really did feel somewhat embarrassed. She was taking care of him, yet he had done something out of line.

"I was too impulsive earlier. I'm sorry, Sister Li."

Silence filled the darkness. Thinking Zeng Li really was angry, Wei Jin continued to explain:

"Sister Li, when I saw you like that just now, I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't control myself. I..."

"All right, I don't blame you. It's easy to be impulsive at your age, but you mustn't do that again."

Where Wei Jin couldn't see her, Zeng Li's face reddened slightly as she pretended to be calm and reassured the "little boy" she took him for.

"Sister Li, would you keep me company and chat with me?"

Wei Jin wanted to make things between them as little awkward as possible.

"All right. What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about your life. I only know that you're an actress and graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. I don't know anything else."

Zeng Li's own thoughts were in turmoil, and she didn't have much to do during the day anyway. She decided to stay up and chat with the boy who was seven years younger than her.

Zeng Li's life was actually quite simple. She had been born into an ordinary Manchu family, and both her parents were ordinary employees. From a young age, her mother had sent her to the youth center in their hometown to study physical training, singing, dancing, and other subjects.

When she was in elementary school, the Hubei Province Peking Opera Troupe had gone around the province recruiting promising Peking opera students. At that time, Zeng Li had been selected by the secondary opera school affiliated with the opera academy. After graduating from elementary school, she had tested into the opera academy, majoring in qingyi roles.

After graduation, Zeng Li had been assigned to work at the Hubei Province Peking Opera Troupe. With few opportunities to perform and nothing to occupy her, she had decided to continue her studies. In 1996, she had tested into the Central Academy of Drama, placing third in the professional examinations. After graduating in 2000, she had joined the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Art Troupe.

"Wow, Sister Li, you've done so much. So you'd already worked before, and then you went to study at the Central Academy of Drama?"

"Yes. That made me one of the older students in my class. When I first started, I didn't have any confidence at all."

Zeng Li recalled how inferior she had felt when she first entered the Central Academy of Drama, with a touch of nostalgia and self-mockery.

"Sister Li, you're so beautiful. How could you not be confident? Look how you captivated me just now."

Seeing that the incident of his taking liberties with the beauty had been put behind them, Wei Jin began testing the waters again.

"Can't you be serious for a day? Enough about me. Tell me about yourself."

Zeng Li was also curious about this young man from the Beijing Film Academy and couldn't help speaking up.

Wei Jin then gave Zeng Li a brief account of the original owner's life as he remembered it. In the process, he too truly began to overlap with the original owner.

When she heard that Wei Jin's mother had passed away, Zeng Li felt some pity for him and gained some understanding of his impulsive behavior.

When Wei Jin told her that, while unconscious, he had felt as though he were trapped in a box, plunged into darkness and unable to move, Zeng Li was again overcome with guilt.

"Xiao Jin, I'm sorry. Thank goodness you've woken up now, otherwise I..."

"Hey, Sister Li, how many times have you said that? How about something a little more practical?"

Seeing that Zeng Li was about to start blaming herself again, Wei Jin didn't want to spend forever comforting her, so he spoke up to tease her.

"Um... all right. What kind of practical thing do you want?"

Sure enough, Zeng Li stopped dwelling on her own problem and instead concerned herself with how she could make it up to Wei Jin.

"I can't sleep at night. How about keeping me company?"

"Aren't I keeping you company right now?"

Zeng Li was a little puzzled.

"No, I mean, could I hold you while I sleep... Don't get the wrong idea. I'm disabled right now; I can't do anything. It's just that I'd sleep better with someone beside me."

Wei Jin wasn't lying to her. When his insomnia was severe in his previous life, he really had needed a woman.

"Mm... all right. But you have to promise not to try anything, or I'll tell your dad."

Zeng Li thought Wei Jin might be lacking a mother's love, so she reluctantly agreed. In any case, she figured he couldn't do much in a hospital.

"All right. Then come over here, Sister Li."

Zeng Li dawdled over getting dressed, but she eventually slipped under Wei Jin's covers, her heart fluttering anxiously.

To her surprise, though, Wei Jin fell asleep quickly. That made Zeng Li believe what he had said, and she was no longer quite so resistant.

After several days in a row, Wei Jin and Zeng Li had both grown used to sleeping together at night. They also became increasingly close, and the unspoken understanding they often showed was like that of a couple deeply in love.

Zeng Li couldn't explain why she was like this either. Her relationship with Wei Jin was rather strange now; it was as though all that remained was to poke through that layer of window paper.

Zeng Li cared for him as though he were her boyfriend, going home during the day to prepare nutritious meals and returning at night to stay by his bedside.

Wei Jin, meanwhile, began his miserable life of typing away. That was right: Lin Xue had informed him that Snowstrider had officially begun serialization and was being well received by the market. In a few more days, they could renegotiate his pay for the manuscript.