Yaxi hastily pushed Chen Ling inside and closed the door behind them. The green windbreak covering sealed out the draft, instantly warming the room.
She guided Chen Ling to sit beside an older woman. "Uncle Yu, my nephew copied someone's homework, and they retaliated by breaking his leg. Can you fix it?"
Chen Ling: ...
Old Man Yu, who had just finished applying a poultice to an elderly man, squinted at her skeptically. "You little liar, trying to fool me again? Look at this tall young man—how could he possibly be your nephew?"
He puffed out his chest and compared heights; the boy towered over him, reaching only his neck.
"Hmph, not bad-looking, but deceiving high school kids into romance? That's troublemaking. I'm not treating him," he scoffed, shaking his head.
Yaxi grabbed his arm quickly. "Come on now, I brought you candy—the same Soviet chocolate as last time. Don't want it? Fine, I'll leave."
From her coat pocket, she pulled out a small cloth bag tied with a panda-print ribbon and shoved it into his hands.
Old Man Yu's eyes lit up momentarily, but he quickly resumed his stern demeanor. "Hmph, fine. For your sake, I'll take a look."
Since entering, Chen Ling had maintained a polite smile, observing quietly without saying a word. He sat patiently, watching their interaction.
Perhaps it was because Yaxi felt comfortable enough to let her guard down in front of someone familiar, appearing relaxed yet full of emotion. To Chen Ling, she looked especially endearing.
He rolled up his pant leg himself.
Old Man Yu bent down to feel his kneecap, frowning deeply. "Young man, you've got guts. This leg wasn't broken accidentally—it was smashed with a stick, wasn't it?"
His touch was firm, meant to assess the bone. The pain shot through Chen Ling like needles piercing marrow. He sucked in a sharp breath. "It's my aunt who covered for me. I didn't copy homework—I copied an exam. I took first place from someone, and since he's young and reckless, he broke my leg."
Yaxi: … What aunt?
Old Man Yu burst into laughter.
After hearing the story and seeing how casually Chen Ling joked about it, Yaxi's heart tightened. She couldn't bring herself to laugh.
"Uncle Yu, can his leg… can it still be fixed?"
Her voice trembled slightly, and Chen Ling noticed the pity in her reddened eyes.
That pity pricked at his heart, though he chose to ignore it.
"Fix it? Of course we will! Since he's your sweetheart, I have no choice but to treat him!" The old man steadied Chen Ling's leg. "Girl, hold him tight. Don't let him move. It'll be over in a second."
Yaxi immediately understood. Old Man Yu was experienced—and unorthodox. He was going to reset the bone.
"Got it," she replied swiftly.
A soft warmth enveloped Chen Ling, and his body tensed. The girl had wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, one hand covering his eyes. Her breath tickled his neck as her face hovered close.
"Still denying he's your boyfriend," Old Man Yu muttered under his breath. "Once the leg's fixed, you two will have plenty of time for happiness!"
As the word "happiness" left his lips, Old Man Yu applied force.
A searing pain radiated from Chen Ling's leg throughout his entire body. He clenched his jaw, the agony from the fractured bone sending waves of numbness through him. He raised his right hand instinctively, searching for something to hold onto. In his panic, he grasped a slender wrist—it was Yaxi's hand, the one covering his eyes.
"There, the leg's fine. No need to be so tense. Everyone's watching," Old Man Yu said dismissively, heading inside to fetch the plaster cast.
The small clinic fell silent. Auntie Zhang, Uncle Wang, and Sister Zhao, cradling her one-year-old child, all smiled knowingly at them.
"Young love!"
"One's handsome, the other beautiful—a perfect match!"
Chen Ling slowly released Yaxi's wrist and calmly addressed the crowd. "She's my aunt. My aunt."
The warmth of her embrace disappeared instantly.
Chen Ling's gaze followed Yaxi as she settled five seats away, no longer speaking to him.