That night, Luo Chi didn’t have a single dream.

He hadn’t slept so comfortably in a long time. It was as if the moment he closed his eyes, his consciousness immediately slipped into the gentlest of tides.

The renovated bedroom was just as good as it used to be.

The terrace was filled with flowers and plants, so when the sea breeze blew in, it carried an especially fresh scent of greenery.

In the middle of the night, Luo Chi smelled the cool, damp scent of rain in the wind. Unsurprisingly, when he woke up the next morning, dark clouds were rolling low, and the world outside was covered by a sky-to-earth curtain of rain.

The curtains in the room were half-drawn, and the lights were off.

The rain outside was so heavy that the daylight filtering through the windowpanes was dim, giving every furnishing in the room a quiet, soft appearance, as if sealed off from the world.

Raindrops pattered against the large panes of glass. Through the window, the distant sounds of thunder and wind could be heard.

…

It was the kind of weather that made not sleeping in feel like a crime against the atmosphere.

Regardless of others, Luo Chi, at least, did right by the weather.

He actually tried hard to open his eyes and say good morning to Mr. Shadow, but he was simply too exhausted.

Last night, he had been preoccupied with being a captain, so he could still wake up from the gaps in his sleepiness. Later, after his heart was settled, the moment he lay back down, he was completely drained of the energy to think about anything.

He vaguely sensed someone coming to check on him, people walking around him and speaking in low voices… and someone tempting him with a peach-flavored candy.

Luo Chi opened his eyes bit by bit, and sure enough, he saw the familiar figure by his bed.

Ming Weiting seemed not to have expected him to actually wake up. The hand holding the candy paused for a moment, then he calmly touched it to Luo Chi’s lips before pulling it away.

Luo Chi was incredulous, his eyes opening even wider.

“Good morning,” Ming Weiting’s voice sounded relieved. “Huo Miao.”

Luo Chi regretted the candy that had flown to his lips and then away for half a second. He opened his mouth to say good morning but was suddenly seized by a fit of coughing, and his throat began to ache.

Only then did he realize his body was weak and limp, his forehead and throat felt hot, while his body felt somewhat cold, and his limbs had no strength at all.

“You had a low-grade fever this morning. I had Xun Zhen send someone to take a look.”

Ming Weiting stroked Luo Chi’s hair and explained, “It’s due to emotional fluctuations. It’s fine now that you’re awake.”

Luo Chi blinked, nodded lightly, and insisted on mouthing “Good morning.”

Ming Weiting looked into his eyes, confirmed the focus in them was relatively clear, and seriously replied once more.

Intracranial tumors are always harder to bear in the early morning than at other times. In the preceding days, Luo Chi had often woken up in pain in the wee hours. The treatment plan had been adjusted several times before the situation improved slightly, but it couldn’t cure the root cause.

The follow-up check showed that the medication was controlling it well, and the lesion hadn’t changed significantly. However, due to the intracranial pressure, Luo Chi’s vision was usually extremely blurry when he woke up, and he could only vaguely make out some outlines.

Xun Zhen had adjusted and re-prescribed the medication, and it seemed to be effective for now. Considering the rapid progress of Luo Chi’s physical recovery, he also began to make preparations for the surgery.

Ming Weiting changed the cooling patch on Luo Chi’s forehead and found a moment to sit on the edge of the bed.

He had been personally taking care of Luo Chi these past few days and had become skilled through practice. While removing the pillow, he supported the back of Luo Chi’s head and neck with one hand, gently and slowly lifting him up, letting Luo Chi lean against him.

Luo Chi didn’t feel dizzy at all from the change in position. His expectations for his physical condition were not high at all; not feeling dizzy was enough to make him feel completely satisfied, and his eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.

Ming Weiting helped Luo Chi lean steadily, picked up the glass of lukewarm water, and held it to his lips. “What are you so happy about?”

Luo Chi drank the water in small sips. His moistened throat felt better, and even though he was a bit flustered and short of breath, he didn’t cough just from saying a few words.

Before this, Luo Chi had only been fully conscious a few times and had thought he was recovering from a broken leg at the Sea-view Villa.

Now that he roughly remembered the cause and effect, Luo Chi thought back to his condition at the hotel that day, and comparing it to his current physical state, it was clear he was much stronger than before.

Luo Chi was almost getting carried away. He collected himself and inquired in a small voice, “How did I get so much better?”

Ming Weiting looked at his pale eyebrows and lashes, beaded with cold sweat, and didn’t speak. He waited until Luo Chi had drunk enough water and didn’t want any more, then touched the side of the glass to the space between Luo Chi’s eyebrows.

The glass felt cool to the touch. Luo Chi, who was running a low fever, shivered involuntarily.

“Not that much better,” Ming Weiting said. “You still need to work hard.”

Luo Chi nodded cooperatively. “Work hard, work hard.”

Ming Weiting wanted to offer more suggestions, but seeing Luo Chi in such a good mood, he couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile despite his helplessness, and he raised his hand to ruffle his hair again.

Because he would have to explain about Auntie Ren to Luo Chi sooner or later, Ming Weiting had specifically consulted Xun Zhen to confirm Luo Chi’s physical condition. Although Luo Chi’s emotional fluctuations were intense last night, he had taken the corresponding medication in advance, so there was no danger.

Ming Weiting had stayed with him until midnight. When he noticed it had started to rain, he got up to close the window. No matter how weak Luo Chi’s body was, it was unlikely he would have caught a cold in those few minutes.

This morning, Ming Weiting got up on time. He habitually checked Luo Chi’s temperature and realized something was wrong. He then tried to gently pat Luo Chi’s shoulder and found that he couldn’t wake him up no matter what.

Xun Zhen rushed over with his team. Fortunately, the problem wasn’t serious, just a common fever. He couldn’t be woken up because Luo Chi was simply too tired. Once he relaxed, he fell into a deep sleep.

…

Ming Weiting put down the water glass and looked at Luo Chi, who was leaning against his shoulder, barely managing to sit up.

Luo Chi had been in high spirits last night. When he woke up this morning, although he still had a fever and felt unwell, he still seemed to be in high spirits.

It was hard to connect these two states with the Luo Chi in between, who would be so tired he would lie motionless in his quilt in a deep, quiet sleep.

When he was held, Luo Chi had only broken out in a cold sweat silently during the intense, recurring headache that struck at dawn. Other than that, there was no other reaction.

…

Just how tired does a person have to be, that after finally letting out a breath of relief and falling asleep, not even pain can wake them up.

Ming Weiting lowered his head and carefully studied Luo Chi’s expression.

Luo Chi leaned against his shoulder, supporting his body with one hand to sit up as steadily as possible, and was seriously examining the entire room.

Luo Chi looked with exceptional focus.

So much had happened last night that only now did Luo Chi finally have the time to carefully look at the room’s furnishings.

His gaze would linger on every detail for a long moment, his lips would press together slightly, and a particularly gentle light would appear in his eyes.

Back when he was at the Sea-view Villa, Luo Chi actually didn’t live here often.

Luo Chi was more used to living in the small cottage in front of the garden.

When Auntie Ren was around, Luo Chi would often be dragged to the main house by her without question, tucked into the bedroom to sleep on the especially comfortable large bed, and sent to the terrace to paint when the sunlight was just right.

After Auntie Ren was gone, it became somewhat improper for Luo Chi to continue living at Sea-view. It was fine in winter, as the Ren family members were unlikely to come to the cold seaside. But when summer came and it was suitable for vacation, many people would come.

The room Ren Shuangmei had left for Luo Chi was the best one. The Ren family’s children were insensible and would always fight to stay in it… Later, Luo Chi gradually moved all his things to the small cottage. And later still, he moved them all into his own car.

Luo Chi didn’t dwell on these things. He just looked at every corner of this room with complete seriousness and focus, unearthing the corresponding memory for each one.

Luo Chi enthusiastically told Ming Weiting that he had painted many seascapes on the terrace, sunrises and sunsets, clear skies and overcast, rainy days.

Occasionally, there would be concerts by the sea, and the view from this terrace was perfect. You could watch a lively crowd without buying a ticket.

The carpet in the room was very thick. It was originally to make it easier for him to recuperate his leg. After his leg healed, he still liked to lie on the carpet to read or just be in a daze.

“My favorite is still this kind of rainy day.”

Luo Chi explained to him in detail, “Doing something in the room, or doing nothing at all… just watching the rain, I can watch for a whole day.”

Ming Weiting listened intently the whole time. Hearing this, he suddenly asked, “Why can you watch the rain for a whole day?”

This question was a bit unexpected. Luo Chi blinked lightly and looked out the window.

…He actually didn’t know either. He just felt that it was very peaceful.

A sense of peace and comfort without any reason.

Leaning against the window, watching the rain outside stir up a mist on the sea surface. The window blocked all the rain, and you had to get close to the glass to even feel the chill.

The wind and rain were blocked by the doors and windows, leaving only a warmth so peaceful it made one sleepy inside the room.

That peace alone was so much like a home.

Ming Weiting raised his hand and gently stroked Luo Chi’s hair.

Luo Chi liked this touch very much and his eyes curved into a smile. He was still running a low fever and his energy was low. After talking for a while, he felt tired again and stopped to catch his breath.

Due to his medication, Luo Chi’s appetite was very poor in the morning. Forcing himself to eat would only make him throw up whatever he ate. He needed to rest for at least an hour or two before he could have breakfast.

Ming Weiting waited until his complexion improved slightly, then took the candy he had put away earlier and touched it to his lips.

Luo Chi immediately opened his eyes and swiftly snatched the peach-flavored hard candy from between his fingers.

Ming Weiting didn’t expect his reaction to be so quick. Seeing Luo Chi’s cheek immediately puff out slightly with the candy, he bent a finger and tapped it. “Squirrel.”

With a peach-flavored candy, Luo Chi didn’t mind being a squirrel at all. He held the candy in his mouth with satisfaction, letting the peach aroma spread, and adjusted the candy’s position to suppress the bitterness left by the medicine in every corner.

“Mr. Shadow,” Luo Chi, having gotten his candy, suddenly remembered something else. “Are you not in good spirits because it’s raining today?”

Ming Weiting was taken aback. “I’m not in good spirits?”

He didn’t care about the change in weather and didn’t feel any different from usual. He was about to shake his head but then realized he did indeed feel somewhat unhappy.

…

If it were a normal day, seeing Luo Chi so happy about getting a candy, he would probably be unable to resist finding more of Luo Chi’s favorite candies and deliberately holding them far away to make Luo Chi reach for them.

This was originally rehabilitation for his hand strength and accuracy, but after both participants discovered the fun in it, it, like the hammock, became a regular game.

Once he identified the difference and traced it back to its source, it wasn’t hard to find the crux of the problem.

It had little to do with the weather. His mood was somewhat irritable because when Xun Zhen came, he had briefly mentioned things about that family.

Luo Chengxiu had fallen ill again. His physical condition was worse than before. He refused to see anyone and just hired a caregiver to look after his daily needs. However, he had nightmares night after night, and he became more and more irritable, either shouting and screaming or smashing things, sometimes even hurting people.

The caregivers were just doing a job for money. They couldn’t stand this torment. One would run away every three to five days, and the longest one couldn’t last more than a week. By the time Xun Zhen came, no one was willing to be in charge of that ward anymore.

As for that Mrs. Luo… the difficulty of curing her was even lower than Xun Zhen had thought.

It was just because Mrs. Luo had a record of hurting people when she got agitated that Xun Zhen sent her to a special care ward to live with those patients for a week, and Mrs. Luo was cured.

She was very clear-headed now, and the hospital was not a suitable place to keep her. Mrs. Luo wanted to find Jian Huaiyi, but Jian Huaiyi was under investigation for suspected commercial crimes. Luo Chengxiu and Luo Jun were too preoccupied to care for themselves. It was unknown who gave her the information, but Mother Luo actually went all the way to Gong Hanrou’s film set and found Luo Cheng.

As for how many more absurd things this mother and daughter pair stirred up later, how they ended up in a life-or-death feud… Ming Weiting didn’t listen in detail.

The reason he didn’t like rainy days was because he had learned from Xun Zhen that every time Luo Chengxiu woke up from a nightmare, he would repeat one thing over and over.

That night, Luo Chengxiu had seen Luo Zhi at the Sea-view Villa.

Luo Zhi was standing at the window of that small cottage.

Having not been repaired or maintained for too long, that corner that finally belonged to Luo Zhi, everything under the dust had long been occupied by large patches of mold and termite nests. The paint on the railing had peeled off, and it was covered in rust from the rain.

Luo Chengxiu said that on that day, Luo Zhi stood at the window, drenched by the rain, and no one cared.

…

It turned out Luo Chi liked rainy days so much, liked to lean against the window and watch the rain.

Luo Chi liked the rain, liked the window firmly keeping the rain and cold outside, liked the wind and rain being blocked by the sturdy doors and windows.

When it rained, Luo Chi liked to be alone, pretending to be a home, keeping all the peace in the warm room.

Ming Weiting didn’t want to tell Luo Chi about these things.

He just couldn’t help but think… if he had been lucky enough back then, he could have intercepted him before Luo Chi left the hotel.

If he had been lucky enough, he could have prevented Luo Chi from being taken away at that time, from being taken to the ruined Sea-view Villa.

Before Luo Chi woke up, Ming Weiting had been thinking about this constantly.

After Luo Chi woke up, Ming Weiting found that his thoughts had changed again.

Luo Chi no longer wanted to think about the unhappy things of the past, so he shouldn’t either.

…

He just couldn’t help but want to reach out, to hold Luo Chi, to let Luo Chi lean on him whenever he felt tired.

Luo Chi was leaning against him, still seriously studying his eyes.

Luo Chi had thought it over carefully and found the most likely guess. “Is it because it’s raining today, so we can’t go to the beach in the afternoon?”

Ming Weiting’s raised arm paused.

Luo Chi touched his eyes. “Lucky fan?”

“Lucky fan,” Ming Weiting said in a low voice. “Now has two unlucky things.”

Luo Chi was intrigued by this sentence. His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned forward, supporting himself with one hand, meeting his gaze from below.

Ming Weiting met those eyes. He collected his thoughts and was about to speak when Luo Chi suddenly tugged his shirt twice.

Ming Weiting followed Luo Chi’s gaze and saw the repaired guitar.

There was a smile in Luo Chi’s eyes.

This was no longer the carefree Luo Chi. Luo Chi had walked a very long road alone. He carried the fresh bloodstains from having just carved out his old wounds, one by one, yet his eyes were still clean, revealing a sparkling smile.

Luo Chi tugged at his shirt slowly, again and again, asking for his guitar.

“Being at home is great too.”

Luo Chi said, “On rainy days, you should just sleep at home.”

Luo Chi took the guitar from his hands and held it. “Does the lucky fan want to sleep?”

Ming Weiting wanted to shake his head, but for some reason, he just looked at Luo Chi.

Luo Chi’s left hand wasn’t much affected. His right hand, through the exercises of the past few days, although unable to hold on for long, could rely on technique to find the right spots.

Those notes, of course, couldn’t be called a melody at all.

Luo Chi wasn’t in a hurry. He just held the guitar, leaning against Ming Weiting.

He kept his head down, practicing with concentration, not at all in a hurry. After an unknown amount of time, two notes could gradually be connected smoothly, and then another was added.

Ming Weiting watched him play “Two Tigers” intermittently, and suddenly felt his own heart become open and clear.

He looked at Luo Chi, who had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and was looking at him with pursed lips. He couldn’t help but smile too and reached out to touch his earlobe. “Huo Miao—”

“Now,” Luo Chi suddenly said with a straight face, “please enjoy.”

Ming Weiting was slightly taken aback.

He watched Luo Chi prop himself up, watched him hold the guitar, and with the technique he had just practiced, he played with focused, downcast eyes.

It was a very gentle tune… widely known, so many people had fallen asleep listening to it, becoming peaceful in its gentle melody.

The moon is bright, the wind is quiet.

Luo Chi’s current technique was certainly not skillful, but the notes flowed together smoothly, like a breeze carrying the moon, suddenly jumping in from the window.

The lucky fan looked at Luo Chi. He suddenly remembered asking Luo Chi earlier why he could watch the rain for a whole day.

Luo Chi didn’t know either. Luo Chi had said, he just felt that it was very peaceful.

A sense of peace and comfort without any reason.

…

Ming Weiting thought.

He could watch Luo Chi for a whole day.