Take it off

The next day, at the hospital.

The Burning Meteor trio arrived as promised, dragging stools to surround Xu Fengluan without needing an invitation.

“My god, you scared us to death. You were like a zombie a few days ago, nodding at everything,” Chu Cheng exaggerated, as always.
@Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

Xu Fengluan rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, a spoonful of apple puree was shoved into her mouth. She looked down at the child in her lap, pleading, “Zhaozhao, Aunt A-Feng really can’t eat more.”

The kid was Ji Lunan’s daughter, surnamed Chu after her other mother—Chu Mingzhao, nicknamed Zhaozhao. Three years old, with messy braids and chubby limbs, her dimpled smile was irresistibly cute. Often tagging along with Ji Lunan, she was practically raised by the band. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

Last time she came, her eyes red, she’d hugged Xu Fengluan, crying that “Aunt A-Feng mustn’t become a dummy,” making the worried trio laugh for ages.

Last night, hearing Ji Lunan was visiting Xu Fengluan, Zhaozhao, fearing she’d be left behind, woke early, clutching a teddy bear and squatting by the door.

To avoid disappointing her, the trio, originally set to leave at 3 p.m., delayed until after 5 when Zhaozhao woke from her nap.

As soon as they entered, Zhaozhao brought an apple, insisting on scooping puree for Xu Fengluan, saying fruit would help her heal.

Xu Fengluan, indulgent as ever, scooped her up, feeling her dizziness and leg pain vanish.

But the kid’s strength was lacking—her scooping was a mess. Xu Fengluan had to close her eyes to swallow each bite.

The trio stifled laughs, reveling in her misery.

“Auntie’s full, thank you, Zhaozhao,” Xu Fengluan tried again, dodging another spoonful.

The little one, still wrestling with the spoon, looked up like a tiny adult. “No, Auntie needs to eat more to get better.”

Chu Cheng fanned the flames. “Yes, yes, go Zhaozhao! Our Zhaozhao’s the sweetest, cutest baby!”

As soon as she spoke, another spoonful of oxidized apple puree hit Xu Fengluan’s mouth—gritty, grainy, a complex texture.

Chu Cheng doubled over, laughing into Kuang Ye’s shoulder.

Finally, Ji Lunan took pity, scooping up Zhaozhao, cooing a few words before handing her to the nanny to play outside.

Once the door closed, the trio’s smiles faded.

Chu Cheng glanced around, lowering her voice. “Your girl’s not here, right?”

“What do you mean ‘my girl’?” Xu Fengluan shot back, then added, “She’s out on business.”

She denied it, but Chu Cheng hadn’t named names, and Xu Fengluan knew exactly who she meant. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

Chu Cheng grinned. “Sure, sure, not yours—she’s the one who owns you, right?”

Xu Fengluan, fuming, yanked the blanket and kicked, nearly straining her splinted leg.

Chu Cheng yelped, collapsing onto Kuang Ye, channeling a dramatic damsel. “Where’d you learn such bad habits? Ignoring the good, picking up kicking?”

Xu Fengluan couldn’t admit where the habit came from, so she kicked again, growling, “Keep talking, and I’ll kick you out.”

Chu Cheng, mouth faster than brain, quipped, “Oh, the kind of kicking that leaves a neck full of hickeys?”

Xu Fengluan froze. “What the hell?”

The trio smirked, ready to gossip.

Chu Cheng started, “Dunno who, but someone was fine before staying overnight, then woke up with a rainbow neck.”

Xu Fengluan’s face stiffened, memories of that night flooding back.

Kuang Ye piled on, “Not even covered, collar wide open. We thought you were showing off.”

Ji Lunan didn’t spare her. “We get wanting to flaunt, but in front of the kid?”

“Zhaozhao thought your neck was hurt, asking me if the bad guy you fought bit you, with all that red.”

If it was just the trio, fine—but a kid? Xu Fengluan’s ears burned, stammering, “It… it was an accident…”

She couldn’t form a full sentence.

The trio wouldn’t let up. When Xu Fengluan was groggy, teasing got no reaction, like poking a log. Now, finally responsive, they pounced.

“What kind of accident leaves a neck full of hickeys? Can I get one too?” Chu Cheng teased, emphasizing each word.

Kuang Ye, ever the finisher, added, “Not just kisses—bites, gnawing.”

“Oh, stop, don’t tease her,” Ji Lunan interjected, playing good cop. “A-Feng’s great. She didn’t let herself get bitten for nothing.”

Chu Cheng nodded eagerly. “Right, she chomped a huge bite on their throat. Man, that mouth must’ve opened wide.”

Kuang Ye added, “Lips torn too.”

“Yeah, intense biting,” Chu Cheng nodded wildly.

Xu Fengluan’s ears reddened, nearly bleeding.

She hadn’t thought much of it then, biting out of spite. Now, it backfired spectacularly.

Unable to argue, she let them laugh, inwardly cursing Liu Tingsong for picking now to be out, leaving her to face this alone.

They teased until Xu Fengluan was about to snap, then stopped.

Chu Cheng, cheeks sore from laughing, rubbed her face, trying to get serious but failing. “Your… uh…”

Xu Fengluan glared.

Chu Cheng corrected, “Tingsong bought me a motorcycle.”

Xu Fengluan blinked. “Your license still has points?”

After Chu Cheng’s reckless driving, Xu Fengluan thought her motorcycle license was toast, wondering how to make it up.

Chu Cheng’s face darkened. “Got… one or two left.”

That rural road had no cameras, sparing her a retest, but she wasn’t riding anytime soon to avoid losing the rest.

Xu Fengluan nodded, then registered her words. “Liu Tingsong bought you what?”

Chu Cheng rolled her eyes, emphasizing, “A Ducati!”

“Two mornings ago, she called me downstairs. There it was, right in front of me, a thank-you for helping with the photos.”

She knew the truth—she’d just blindly followed Xu Fengluan, unscathed. Liu Tingsong’s gift was likely for Xu Fengluan’s sake.

On the call, Liu Tingsong’s tone was gentle but firm, downplaying the incident and warning against such reckless stunts.

Xu Fengluan, picking up on it, lost her smile, eyes darkening.

Kuang Ye chimed in, “Your bike’s fixed. Tingsong sent the 150,000 from before plus repair costs.”

Despite their closeness, they kept finances clear to avoid disputes.

She added, “Those two paparazzi got run out of S City.”

Their wrecked van went to her shop, unfixable, so she’d contacted them, learning their fate.

Silence fell. The situation was messy—Liu Tingsong’s gratitude to Chu Cheng made sense, given her ties to Xu Fengluan, but Xu Fengluan and Chu Cheng acted on their own, without Liu’s prior knowledge.

Accepting or refusing her gifts was awkward, so they left it to Xu Fengluan.

She paused, then waved a hand, grumbling, “She’s got money to burn. Take it.”

The trio exchanged knowing looks.

It wasn’t about the money—it was Xu Fengluan’s attitude.

It seemed she and Liu Tingsong really had something going.

The topic dropped, and they shifted to last night’s show, unsurprised by its success.

Outsiders thought Liu Tingsong and Burning Meteor were first-time collaborators, setting low expectations and doubts.

But the band knew their deep bond. Liu Tingsong was there at Burning Meteor’s formation, through early struggles, her presence woven into their synergy despite years apart.

They’d also been clever, reviving an unreleased song from the band’s early days, tweaking it for the show, amplifying the effect.

Ji Lunan suddenly looked troubled. “You might not be able to go back to your place for a while.”

Xu Fengluan froze. She’d just asked the doctor, who said she could leave in a couple of days. Now she was homeless?

Ji Lunan explained, “Your building’s security is awful. The livestream showed too much. I checked with Zhaozhao earlier—paparazzi are camped out downstairs.”

Xu Fengluan’s face fell.

She could afford better, but her teenage years left her attached to that old building. After earning money, she’d bought it, spending heavily on soundproofing, reluctant to move. Now it was a liability.

Chu Cheng rolled her eyes. “Told you to move. That dump has no elevator—climbing forever. And that old guard lets anyone in for a pack of smokes. Useless.”

With the show’s buzz, Burning Meteor was a hot target. Xu Fengluan’s easily found address made her a prime paparazzi mark.

Her head, pain-free for a while, throbbed again.

The trio offered their places for her to crash, but Xu Fengluan, uncomfortable, didn’t agree.

Outside, the moon rose as the sun set, a cool breeze lifting the curtains.

After that stormy night, S City cooled, no longer oppressively hot.

By ten, the hospital quieted. Visitors were ushered out, most rooms dark, only a few still lit.

Xu Fengluan had been itching to shower for days. Dizzy and immobile with her splinted leg and small glass-cut wounds, Liu Tingsong wouldn’t allow it, only wiping her down with a damp cloth nightly.

Today, she couldn’t take it. No matter Liu Tingsong’s protests, Xu Fengluan insisted.

After a tug-of-war, Liu Tingsong relented, but only if she helped.

Xu Fengluan hesitated but, desperate and driven by her mild OCD, gritted her teeth and agreed.

Dim yellow light lit the cramped bathroom, steam seeping through the door’s cracks like mist.

Xu Fengluan sat on a plastic stool, still in her blue-and-white hospital gown, not thrilled but listless, staring ahead.

The water heater required draining cold water before adjusting to hot.

Liu Tingsong, still in her blouse from running errands, rolled up her sleeves, holding the showerhead in one hand, testing the water with the other until it was just right.

She looked up at Xu Fengluan, softly saying, “Take it off.”