TVSFPAG -Chapter 126 Is He… Smiling?

After Song Yunfei returned from buying medicine, he seemed to have fallen asleep, leaning against the headboard.

She slowed her steps, but before she had even taken two steps, he opened his eyes.

Song Yunfei bent slightly at the waist, looking a bit like a thief caught in the act. She awkwardly smiled. “You weren’t asleep?”

Chu Jinhan didn’t respond.

She walked over on her own, took out the medicine, divided the doses, and placed them on a piece of tissue on the table.

“The water’s cold. I’ll go get you a fresh glass.”

She quickly brought back a new glass of water, placed it in his hand, and said, “Hurry up and take the medicine. Sleep for a while. If the fever still doesn’t go down, you’ll have to go to the hospital.”

After a moment of silence, Chu Jinhan picked up the medicine and took it.

Song Yunfei pushed him back to lie down.

He did lie down—but with his eyes open, staring straight at Song Yunfei without blinking.

Song Yunfei pulled the blanket over him. Seeing his expression, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Why did he look like a child?

“Why are you looking at me? Go to sleep. Do you want me to tell you a story?”

“Alright.”

Song Yunfei froze. He really wanted to hear one?

Looking into his dark eyes, she bit her lip and racked her brain.

After a moment of thought, she slowly began, “There was a person cooking. The first time, the fire wouldn’t ignite. Then the second time, the fire still wouldn’t ignite—but the food was still cooked. Why is that?”

Chu Jinhan paused, then replied, “He used electricity.”

“Nope.” Song Yunfei smiled mysteriously. “Because practice makes perfect—haha…”

“……”

Song Yunfei laughed a couple of times, then noticed his expression of silent exasperation and gradually stopped.

She coughed lightly. “Alright, I’ll try another one.”

“What do I have that you don’t have?”

Chu Jinhan remained silent for a long time. His gaze slowly moved downward from her face.

Song Yunfei immediately hugged herself and glared at him. “Where are you looking?!”

Chu Jinhan shifted his gaze back up. “What is it?”

Song Yunfei said, “I have everything you don’t have, because we’re two different people!”

“Is that a cold joke, or a story?”

Song Yunfei replied awkwardly, “I haven’t really read many stories either… let me think…”

She racked her brain so hard that her face nearly scrunched up like a bun, but still couldn’t come up with anything proper.

After a moment, she cleared her throat and said seriously, “Ahem… then I’ll tell you a story about… um, Quanquan fighting an alien dog.”

“One day, on a dark and windy night, Quanquan was chewing on its favorite chew stick. Suddenly, a streak of green light whooshed past! A strangely shaped alien dog—with three heads, able to breathe fire and speak dog language—landed on our balcony in a flying dog bowl!”

As she spoke, she waved her arms, mimicking a flying saucer landing. Her eyes widened dramatically, and she deliberately lowered her voice to create a sense of mystery.

“The alien dog said it came from ‘Woof Woof Planet.’ Their chew sticks had been stolen, and they suspected Quanquan did it. They came to take Quanquan back to Woof Woof Planet for judgment…”

As she continued, she stood up and began gesturing animatedly.

“Just then, Quanquan made a swift tail flick—no, a divine dog tail flick! It leapt onto the top of the refrigerator, and then…”

The window didn’t seem fully closed, and a faint breeze drifted in, causing the curtains to sway slightly.

Light filtered through the room, flickering across her body, illuminating and dimming in turns, lifting a few strands of hair at her forehead.

When she reached the part where the alien dog was defeated, she lifted her chin with a proud expression, as if she herself had won the battle.

“In the end, Quanquan drove away the alien dog, defended the Earth, and became a legend in the neighborhood—”

As Song Yunfei was speaking, she casually met Chu Jinhan’s eyes.

And then, she froze completely.

Chu Jinhan was still looking at her, but within his calm eyes, faint ripples seemed to shimmer. The corners of his tightly pressed lips had, at some point, lifted slightly.

Was he… smiling?

The curve was very subtle, yet completely natural, as if he himself hadn’t even noticed it.

It was like a crack appearing on a frozen lake—breaking through his usual indifference and distance, revealing a softness beneath.

Song Yunfei, who had been about to imitate Quanquan receiving an award, slowly lowered her arms and couldn’t help but smile as well. “Was the story good?”

The curve at Chu Jinhan’s lips vanished like a fleeting bloom, but a hint of that smile still lingered in his eyes. He gave a slight nod. “Quanquan is impressive.”

In truth, Song Yunfei had already forgotten what she was even saying. She improvised as she went, with no real connection between her sentences.

It was even quite childish—so much so that even a child might have found it unimpressive—yet he listened so seriously and cooperated so earnestly.

The two of them looked at each other in silence. The air fell into a brief stillness, like the quiet after a lively scene fades away.

After a moment, Song Yunfei walked over and sat beside him. “Do you like Quanquan?”

Chu Jinhan pondered for two seconds. “Yes.”

Song Yunfei felt a sense of relief and smiled. “That’s good. When it grows into a big dog, it should be as majestic as in my story. Don’t bully it.”

She felt that she probably wouldn’t be around to see that day.

Chu Jinhan liked it, so he would surely take good care of it. In the future, it would live comfortably with him—she felt a bit envious.

Chu Jinhan stared straight at her, his gaze gradually becoming intense.

“What if I do bully it?”

Song Yunfei suddenly had no answer. Her eyes inexplicably grew warm.

She turned her body sideways to avoid his gaze, biting her lip. Several times she tried to speak, but felt her voice might betray her trembling emotions.

After taking several deep breaths and swallowing the lump in her throat, she finally forced a smile and said, “If you bully it… it… it won’t like you anymore.”

“Go to sleep. I’ll take it out for a walk and let it relieve itself first.”

Song Yunfei stood up, not daring to look at him even once, and quickly walked out.

Watching her hurried retreating figure, Chu Jinhan slowly sat up.

Leaning against the headboard, he stared blankly at the ceiling. After a long while, he closed his eyes in exhaustion.

Song Yunfei led Quanquan out of the residential area and continued walking beyond it.

She was distracted the entire time. Every time Quanquan found a good spot and lifted its leg, the leash on its back would pull it away.

It wasn’t rush hour yet, so there were very few pedestrians on the road.

Leaves occasionally fell from the trees, and with a gust of wind, they drifted down in clusters.

Song Yunfei eventually sat down on a bench. Quanquan stuck out its tongue and stared at her for a long while. Only after confirming that she wouldn’t move again did it walk to a nearby tree and lift its leg to relieve itself.

“Isn’t that Cuihua? Walking the dog here all alone?”

As soon as the voice rang out, the first to react wasn’t Song Yunfei—but Quanquan beside her.

The moment Quanquan saw Bai Yu, it reacted as if facing a mortal enemy, baring its teeth and charging at him.

Song Yunfei snapped back to her senses and quickly pulled Quanquan back.

Turning around, she saw Bai Yu standing there in a brown trench coat, hands in his pockets, smiling as he looked at her.

Next to him was a parked car—clearly, he had stopped after spotting her while passing by.

But upon noticing the downcast expression on Song Yunfei’s face, the smile on his face faded.