Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

In the room next door, Xu Qingfan was still focused on handling documents.

After Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu came in, they sat quietly on the bed, not disturbing him.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt that she had pressed on something beneath her and lifted the quilt to see.

"Oh~ little brother." She expressed surprise.

The white cat, disturbed in its sleep, covered its eyes with its paw and curled up to continue its nap.

Xia Xiaoxiao stroked the cat's head and covered it back up with the quilt.

The three of them and the cat quietly stayed in the room, each attending to their own business—working, playing on their phones, sleeping—as the peaceful aura of the moment slowly unfolded.

...

The next day.

At eight o'clock when the alarm rang, Xu Qingfan was already dressed and brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

He had a nine o'clock appointment to change Lin Wanning's medication. Holidays are usually a busy time at the hospital, and although they don't have to wait in line, Xu Qingfan didn't want his tardiness to waste a patient's precious time.

Winter is a great time to sleep in, but by the time he finished washing up and came out of his room, the doors to the girls' bedroom were still tightly shut.

Xu Qingfan tried to tiptoe so as not to disturb the girl's extra holiday sleep, knowing that as long as they'd been through high school, they understood that sleeping seven hours was already a luxury, and eight hours might be insufficient.

However, when he reached the first floor, Wu Lingyu was already busy in the kitchen. Upon hearing a noise, she peeked out to check.

"Brother Fan!"

"Good morning."

Xu Qingfan walked over and ruffled her hair before saying, "Why not sleep a little longer?"

Wu Lingyu didn't answer; she just pointed to the skillet with pancakes and said, "There's millet porridge, pancakes, and dumplings. Brother Fan, do you want anything else?"

"Thank you, Little Yu. I was just thinking about millet porridge and pancakes for breakfast, and here they are ready in the kitchen." Xu Qingfan brushed aside her bangs and affectionately kissed her forehead.

Seeing that she had prepared Brother Fan's favorite, Wu Lingyu was delighted. She said, "Okay, Brother Fan, I'll serve you some porridge!"

Xu Qingfan took the prepared pancakes and dumplings, returned to the kitchen, and found that Little Yu had already served two bowls of porridge—one big and one small.

The two of them left, each holding a bowl, and sat at the dining table in the living room, chatting casually while eating breakfast.

"You can go back to sleep after breakfast, and I'll come back with groceries for lunch," Xu Qingfan said as he quickly finished a pancake, speaking through a full mouth.

"Got it."

"After helping Wanning with the medication, it should be around ten o'clock; then I'll buy groceries, and I estimate I'll be back by eleven."

"Okay."

"If Little Yu goes out to play, remember to dress warmly and call for a driver to pick you up. No need to take the bus."

"Got it."

Wu Lingyu propped her chin with one hand, admiring Brother Fan as he ate. No matter what he said, her response was always "Okay" or "Got it."

Xu Qingfan quickly finished breakfast, while Wu Lingyu still had half of her millet porridge left in the bowl.

"Safe travels, Brother Fan." She got up and saw Xu Qingfan to the door, waving goodbye.

Xu Qingfan felt as if a husband was leaving for work, with his supportive wife Yu seeing him off at the door.

"Wait for me to come back." He gently hugged the girl and pointed to his lips.

Wu Lingyu's face flushed slightly, given that they were at the door, and it would be awkward if Lin Jing suddenly came out.

Yet she still obediently leaned up and gave Brother Fan a peck on the lips.

"Off I go." Xu Qingfan reluctantly let go of Wu Lingyu.

As they spent more time together, he increasingly realized how wonderful Little Yu was.

If he could go back to when he was six years old, Xu Qingfan might... might still want to have it all.

Ha~ what a scoundrel!

When the elevator showed "1," Wu Lingyu reluctantly closed the door and went back to finish her breakfast.

...

As Xu Qingfan exited the complex, the driver was already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing him, the driver immediately got out to open the back door.

In less than ten minutes, Xu Qingfan arrived at Lin Wanning's doorstep.

The door was unlocked. When Xu Qingfan opened it and walked in, Lin Wanning recognized him just by his footsteps.

"Brother Qingfan is here!"

Zhang Yiyi poked half her body out to see, and indeed it was Xu Qingfan. "Brother!"

"Did Little Fan have breakfast? Sit down and eat a little with us."

"It's cold outside; have some hot tea to warm up."

Lin Qiaoshan and Wen Wanqing hadn't left yet, and they enthusiastically invited him in.

"No tea for me, thanks. I have a nine o'clock appointment for medication change, and it's almost time." Xu Qingfan pointed to the clock.

"Mom, Yiyi and I are full. We're ready to leave!" Lin Wanning quickly responded.

"Thank you, Little Fan. During the New Year, Auntie will give you a big red envelope." Wen Wanqing got up to help Lin Wanning with her medical records.

"Hey, thank you, Auntie."

Even though Xu Qingfan wasn't short of money, and Wen Wanqing knew he wasn't short of money, a red envelope always held a special sentiment.

Making sure they had everything needed for the appointment, Lin Qiaoshan and Wen Wanqing saw the three of them off to the car.

"Goodbye, Mom and Dad!"

"Be safe, listen to your Brother Qingfan, and, Little Fan, please look after her for me."

"Don't worry, Auntie, leave it to me."

After a quick word to the driver, the car slowly drove away from Bijui Garden.

In the car, Lin Wanning sat in the middle, placing Xu Qingfan's and Zhang Yiyi's hands on her lap and then covering them with her own.

A small gesture, yet it declared their stance.

The three shared a smile, and that little tension Xu Qingfan felt vanished instantly.

"Brother Qingfan, shall we go to the hot springs next week? Xiao Ruawen already mentioned it in the group." After meeting Xu Qingfan, Lin Wanning brought it up again.

"Yes, the cast on Wanning's foot can come off next week. A dip in the hot springs will aid in the healing." Xu Qingfan had confirmed with the doctor during a call the previous night.

"And massages, Brother Qingfan's massages." After a foot bath during a previous hair wash, Lin Wanning had become fond of Brother Qingfan's foot massages.

"Sure!" Xu Qingfan said a single word, and Lin Wanning's eyes nearly turned into slits from smiling.

"And for Yiyi too." Seeing Zhang Yiyi blinking at him, Xu Qingfan immediately added.

"Yes!" Zhang Yiyi gave him a wink, but refrained from saying anything too mushy with the driver in the car.

...

They arrived at the hospital and took the elevator to the eighth floor, right on time for their nine o'clock appointment.

Xu Qingfan and Zhang Yiyi pushed Lin Wanning into the office, where the same orthopedic doctor from before had paused consultations to wait for them.

The doctor asked about Lin Wanning's recovery as usual and promptly began to remove the cast.

Not having washed her foot for a week, Lin Wanning feared her foot had become ugly and might frighten Brother Qingfan.

But it turned out fine. Compared to her first hospital visit, Lin Wanning's right ankle's swelling had reduced to almost normal, and due to being bandaged all the time, apart from being a bit pale, her foot looked clean and pretty.

Seeing this, Lin Wanning's anxious heart began to relax.

[Her feet weren't ugly, Brother Qingfan would surely still like them!]

"The recovery is good. Next week the call can be removed, but continue to avoid certain foods and unnecessary movement," the doctor advised after disinfecting, medicating, and applying a new bandage.

"Thank you, Doctor." Xu Qingfan nodded in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Thank you, Doctor Auntie."

"That's it for now. If you have any discomfort or other questions, you're welcome to WeChat or call," the doctor said kindly after removing her gloves.

"Goodbye, Doctor Auntie!" Lin Wanning waved goodbye to the doctor as Xu Qingfan pushed her wheelchair away.

"Goodbye, little one." The doctor smiled kindly as well.

Helping Lin Wanning with medication took just a short time, but it filled her with enough emotional value to last the day.

With high looks and good manners, it's hard for anyone to dislike them.

...