Lin Xiaoxiao looked up at Zhou Huaian's flustered expression with satisfaction, stood on her toes, and gave him a firm kiss. Her eyes smiled, reflecting the light like scattered starlight.

Zhou Huaian unconsciously held her gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing. Driven by instinct, he lowered his head and kissed her.

It was a little rough, a little unpracticed—beginning with firm pressure, then turning into a messy, eager exploration.

Although Lin Xiaoxiao had plenty of theoretical knowledge from movies, she had zero real-life experience. She was completely caught off guard by Zhou Huaian's sudden transformation into a ravenous wolf.

Her lips were starting to feel sore. She pushed against his chest, finally managing to create some space between them. "You need to calm down. Your injury hasn't healed yet."

But Zhou Huaian had already tasted something sweet. His eyes darkened with a wolf-like intensity as he leaned in again. Lin Xiaoxiao quickly covered his mouth. "No, no, not now. We don't have... protection. I don't want to get pregnant."

She could barely support herself right now. A baby at this point? How could they possibly raise one?

She wanted to be a responsible mother. It would be better to wait until their situation improved.

But to Zhou Huaian, her words sounded like a rejection—a refusal to have his child. He pressed his lips together, the fire in his eyes fading bit by bit. He gently smoothed Lin Xiaoxiao's messy short hair. "Alright. Let's get some rest."

Zhou Huaian hid his feelings well. Lin Xiaoxiao didn't notice anything wrong. She hugged him and planted another kiss on his cheek. "I have class early tomorrow—don't forget to wake me up."

After teasing him and feeling his very obvious physical reaction, she felt a secret thrill. So he wasn't completely made of wood after all.

And now that he'd had a taste of sweetness, she was sure he wouldn't forget it.

Feeling pleased, Lin Xiaoxiao wrapped herself in the blanket, rolled into Zhou Huaian's arms, and openly circled his waist. "Time to sleep," she announced.

She nuzzled against him and drifted off without a care in the world.

Zhou Huaian, however, couldn't sleep. He held Lin Xiaoxiao with one arm and draped the other over his forehead, staring into the dark above. The fire inside him kept burning, hotter and hotter.

All he could do was clench his jaw and endure it.

And then there was Lin Xiaoxiao's unwillingness to have a child. His eyes turned gloomy.

He felt Lin Xiaoxiao was like a gust of wind—impossible to hold onto, impossible to understand. He didn't know what she was thinking or what she truly wanted.

She did everything on a whim. Was she only with him on a impulse, too?

Exhaustion quickly pulled Lin Xiaoxiao into deep sleep. She'd been constantly worrying about survival lately, and on top of that, An Xiuyun's baby cried every night—loud, wailing cries that made rest impossible.

So nestled against Zhou Huaian, warm and secure, she slept soundly.

It wasn't until the next morning when Zhou Huaian shook her awake. "It's seven. Get up, have breakfast, then head to class."

Lin Xiaoxiao sat up dizzily, turning to look at him with eyes still heavy with sleep. "So soon? Didn't we just go to bed?"

Zhou Huaian thought for a moment, then unfastened his wristwatch and handed it to her. "You'll need to keep track of time in class. Wear this for now. I'll buy you a new one after I get paid."

She really did need a watch. She hadn't expected him to give her his—especially one engraved with a five-pointed star on the back. It was clearly something special to him.

So last night's kiss had actually made him more attentive?

Thrilled, she took it. It slid loosely around her slender wrist. She played with it happily, though her heart also ached a little. They were so poor they couldn't even afford a watch—they had to wait for his next paycheck.

She looked up at him suddenly. "But what will you use?"

Zhou Huaian watched her delight quietly. "It's fine. I'm used to estimating the time."

Lin Xiaoxiao figured that with his special forces background, he could tell time by the sun's position or something similar. She smiled and nodded. "Then I'll keep this one. You don't need to buy me a new one."

Short on time, Lin Xiaoxiao didn't linger. After washing up, she grabbed her basin and hurried back to the dorm.

Zhou Huaian walked her to the hospital entrance. He wanted to tell her to be careful, but he worried about annoying her. In the end, he could only watch as she waved a quick "goodbye" and ran through the gates without looking back.

Then, almost immediately, she ran into the man in the white shirt from yesterday. Shoulder to shoulder, they turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Zhou Huaian stood silently for a moment before turning toward the bus station....Lin Xiaoxiao hadn't looked back because she wanted Zhou Huaian to think things over—to let him feel a little uncertainty, a little anxiety.

She just didn't realize that sometimes, you shouldn't play games with a serious older man.

She happened to run into Dai Xueming, who very sincerely asked her a question: "Comrade Lin, about those blood pressure parameters from yesterday—I'm not entirely clear. Could you explain them to me?"

Lin Xiaoxiao found it strange. Blood pressure was a basic concept. What wasn't to understand?

And the sphygmomanometers they used were simple enough—squeeze the bulb a few times, release, and read the number.

If he couldn't understand something that simple, he was either pretending to be dumb or just plain slow.

If he was slow, what was he doing studying medicine? He'd only become a quack.

If he was pretending... couldn't he see she was already with someone? Why was he trying to get close?

So, as they reached the corner, Lin Xiaoxiao shot him a glance. "I don't know either."

Without another look, she clutched her basin and ran toward the dorm. She needed to drop off her things and get to class.

Inside the dorm, Li Guiling and Zhang Jing were still there. An Xiuyu and her baby were nowhere to be seen.

Li Guiling looked anxious when she saw Lin Xiaoxiao. "You're back! Sister Xiuyu took the baby out somewhere, and she didn't even take her books. Class is about to start."

Zhang Jing immediately got defensive. "Li Guiling, what are you implying? That I drove An Xiuyu away? She has that baby crying half the day and all night long. How is anyone supposed to sleep?"

Li Guiling sighed. "But you didn't have to be so harsh. No one wants their baby to cry all night."

Zhang Jing wasn't having it. "How was I harsh? If she can't take care of a child properly, she shouldn't have one. It's affecting everyone's rest. We're not the child's mother—we didn't sign up for this."

For once, Lin Xiaoxiao agreed with Zhang Jing. The constant crying really was disrupting their sleep.

She stayed quiet, watching the two argue.

Li Guiling felt Zhang Jing was being unreasonable and intolerant. "We could just be patient for a while. Babies that age are all like that."

Lin Xiaoxiao frowned. She rarely heard of modern babies crying so much through the night. Maybe there was a health issue—some deficiency causing the discomfort?

She stepped between them. "Enough. Right now, we need to find her. Bring her back and have a doctor check the baby. If something really is wrong, none of you will want to be responsible."