Outside the train station.

　　Ling Hanlu looked more worn out than Gu Pan had imagined.

　　Xu Shuping pulled up from the lot. They jumped in the back seat right away. Returning from their trip down south, Ling Hanlu wasn't feeling her best.

　　"Gu Pan, check her forehead for me, is she burning up?"

　　Gu Pan rubbed his hands together, leaned in. "Nah, she's good. What happened?"

　　With Teacher Xu focused on driving, the kid slid his hand from Ling Hanlu's forehead to her cheek. He gently stroked it twice with his thumb.

　　"Ah, last night, halfway through my shower, the hot water ran out. My bad, should've let her go first. Then she wouldn't have had to endure the cold rinse."

　　"Not your fault. Just bad luck. And I thought the south..."

　　Ling Hanlu glanced at Xu Shuping behind the wheel, making sure she was too occupied to hear their conversation in the back, before responding to Gu Pan with a grin. "Yeah, southern living, right?"

　　"Down south's got its rhythms and seasons, you know? My bad. Should've told you to skip the body wash and just rinse quick."

　　Xu Shuping immersed herself in self-blame. "It's my fault."

　　"Nah, mine. I was careless, thought I could tough it out."

　　"Nah, me..."

　　Two women were going back and forth in the car, leaving Gu Pan unable to get a word in. He glanced at Ling Hanlu, her head drooping, her neck shrunk like she was freezing.

　　"Are you cold? I'm sweating bullets here," Gu Pan blurted out, not keeping his voice down this time.

　　In the driver's seat, Xu Shuping quickly checked the rearview mirror. With her worldly experience, she sensed what the young man's concern really meant. Heat rushed to her cheeks, even though she didn't hear the words directly.

　　She refocused, clearing her throat lightly. "Hanlu, I'll drop you off outside the neighborhood. Oh, Gu Pan, thanks for looking after her!" With that, she focused hard on the road ahead, silently praying for a smooth ride. She wanted to get Ling Hanlu settled quickly, hoping to ease her own nerves.

　　About fifteen minutes later, outside Green Meadows Estate, Xu Shuping waved goodbye to them and turned the car around.

　　As she closed her window, watching them walk away together seemed to place them in a different world. A faint smile crossed her lips, eyebrows lifting before she pressed down on the gas.

　　Room 502.

　　Ling Hanlu leaned against the head of the bed, waiting for Gu Pan to bring in the cure-all hot ginger soup from the kitchen.

　　"You're not running a fever now, so hold off on the meds. Have some ginger soup to ward off the chill," Gu Pan said, deliberately using a beautifully carved glass cup to serve the soup.

　　"Heh, silly child, worried I won't drink it? Using a fancy cup to lure me?" Ling Hanlu remarked, eyeing the exquisite container in Gu Pan's hand.

　　It used to be a pair, but one was accidentally broken before. It had been sitting deep in the kitchen cupboard, until the kid somehow dug it out, now filled with ginger soup. Oddly enough, in his hands, the lifeless glassware transformed into a magical crystal cup.

　　"What are you looking at, Teacher?" Gu Pan noticed Ling Hanlu was a bit distracted.

　　"Oh, the cup. You purposely got a fancy vessel, thinking I'm younger than you?" Ling Hanlu teased.

　　"Right now, I'm taking care of you, so you're younger than me. When I was a kid and sick, my dad would give me water in cartoon character cups. Figured if you had something pleasing to look at, maybe you'd feel better quicker," Gu Pan explained.

　　"Fair point." Ling Hanlu took the cup from Gu Pan, but her fingers brushed against something icy on his wrist. She squinted to get a closer look. "What's that?"

　　Gu Pan hesitated for a sec, then caught on quick. He flicked his wrist, putting a small, coin-sized metal pendant under the light. "Check it out!"

　　"Another bird?" Ling Hanlu lifted the bronze pendant, hanging from a bracelet woven with blue-dyed fabric.

　　"Yep, another bird."

　　"They look a bit different. Are they..."

　　"Yeah, they're a pair. Like what folks call a couple's set."

　　"Female and male birds?" Ling Hanlu asked, a bit unnecessarily, but she couldn't resist dropping her smarts and acting more like a kid in front of this guy. "Are they, huh? Female and male birds?"

　　"Probably."

　　"You got 'em together?"

　　"Yep. If you miss one, you can't complete the pair."

　　"Wearing 'em special today?"

　　"Kinda."

　　"Why suddenly decide to wear 'em?"

　　"My teacher reminded me!"

　　"Me?"

　　"Look!" Gu Pan exclaimed, pulling up a photo on his phone showing Ling Hanlu and Xu Shuping in a small southern town. "The photo you sent me..."

　　Ling Hanlu examined the details of the photo. Finally, she found the answer on the scarf fluttering around her chest.

　　It was an old scarf with a deep blue striped cashew flower pattern. Years of washing and wearing had made its fabric soft, thin, almost imperceptible. It was her most discreet item for warmth in spring and autumn, often casually grabbed. Of course, it was also the large floral fabric folded on the waiting hall floor of the main station, bearing witness to her kindness and gentleness.

　　She didn't remember, but someone did.

　　"Is the teacher's bracelet still there?" Gu Pan asked, recalling vividly the 'sofa incident' that occurred on the day the bracelet was given. Ling Hanlu's struggle and subsequent surrender, followed by a calm look, led him to believe the bracelet would become an outlet for the woman's shock and disappointment.

　　"Why would you ask that?"

　　"I thought you might have thrown it away."

　　"Do you hold grudges against things, or against people? I think when someone is sorting out their emotions, they should avoid acting impulsively. When I was young, I did something I regretted. In second grade, I had a falling out with a close friend over something trivial. I came home furious and stomped on the birthday gift she had given me, tore up our photo together. It felt satisfying at the time, but years later, I realized it was a permanent regret."

　　"Teacher, have you ever been impulsive like that? I thought you wouldn't."

　　Here's the translation into standard American English, maintaining the original meaning, emotional tone, and context:

　　"People aren't saints. But I'm fortunate that my impulsiveness happened early. It gave me the chance, while my emotional impact wasn't so great, to experience firsthand the turmoil and tug of emotions that impulsiveness brings, thus fostering a distaste for it. This way, as an adult, I have a better chance at maintaining dignity in my character."

　　"I understand."

　　"What do you understand?"

　　"I like you!" Gu Pan embraced her. Smiling where Ling Hanlu couldn't see, he felt joyous to be so close to such a priceless treasure. "I really like you!"

　　"Don't talk nonsense!"

　　"It's not nonsense... So, where's that bracelet of yours?"

　　"Here!" Ling Hanlu pointed to the bottom drawer of her desk. "Look for it and bring it out for me."

　　"Got it!" Gu Pan crouched down to search for the other half of the couple's bracelet.

　　The "female bird" version of the bracelet was nestled in a simple, neat box. Alongside it were a few of Ling Hanlu's rare accessories, including the small hairpin her father, Ling Kangwen, had given her years ago. Gu Pan lightly touched it, and the hairpin seemed to leap out from a photo album, landing right in front of him. Its owner smiled nearby, within reach. It felt like all the kindness in the world was rushing towards him. He was so happy he could only grin foolishly.

　　"Didn't find it yet?" Ling Hanlu asked, seeing Gu Pan had been crouched for a while.

　　"Oh, uh, found it!"

　　"Give it to me!" Ling Hanlu held out her palm.

　　"Let me help you put it on!"

　　3

　　Before late night settled in, Gu Pan finished telling his childhood anecdotes in great detail. He pieced them together almost as if he had dug deep into his memories, because childhood for him was mostly confusing. But tonight, his duty was to lull someone he cherished, like a treasure, to sleep. Therefore, his words couldn't betray any confusion or sadness.

　　"Finished telling them all?" Ling Hanlu looked at Gu Pan, who was propping his chin with one hand.

　　"Yeah, was it fun?"

　　"Very fun. I didn't expect you to steal mulberries, climb over walls, and even climb trees..."

　　"Well, when Ms. Xu mentioned Liang Chen climbing trees to pick kumquats, I impulsively thought about promising to help her pick one someday."

　　"Why didn't you mention it then?"

　　"I thought maybe she was just sharing those stories for the sake of sharing. Our job was just to listen. Forcing a perfect response isn't kind. Professor Ling, do you think that's what I've learned from being around you for so long?"

　　"Heh, do you like who you are now?"

　　"Of course."

　　"Good, then I'll consider it a gain!"

　　"Mm-hmm," Gu Pan nodded.

　　Perhaps piecing together stories was quite draining, as Gu Pan felt low on energy as the night deepened. Ling Hanlu noticed his fatigue and urged him to go home. He shook his head.

　　"Aren't you tired?"

　　"I am. But I don't want to leave. I promised Ms. Xu I'd stay with you."

　　"But you need rest too, and proper rest at that. Don't think just because you're young..."

　　"Nope." Gu Pan plopped down on the edge of the bed, being stubborn.

　　"Alright then! How about sleeping on the sofa tonight? The blankets are in the closet."

　　"Mm-hmm! Since you seem energetic still, how about I show you something?" Gu Pan took out his phone and scrolled through a video website.

　　"What is it?"

　　"A hypnotic tool! Look," Gu Pan displayed various short videos, "these are white noise videos. People use them occasionally when they have trouble sleeping. Feel free to browse."

　　"The author is 'Xin Yuan'? How did you know about this content creator? They don't seem very active, and their fan base isn't particularly large." Ling Hanlu swiped up and down on the screen.

　　"It was a coincidence! I think a keyword I searched for led me to discover her work. I believe this author has a strong connection to the School of Management, although she hasn't explicitly confirmed it."

　　"I see. Since it's a coincidence, let's not dig too deep. Can't you just appreciate the work?"

　　"Mm, got it." Gu Pan rubbed his eyes, feeling the overwhelming pull of sleepiness taking over.

　　"Time for bed!"

　　"Sure thing. You checking it out?"

　　Gu Pan softly shut the bedroom door. Meanwhile, Ling Hanlu, still wide awake, immersed herself in the world of "Xin Yuan."

　　She glimpsed the School of Management's rock garden walkways, the faint strains of a guqin in a blue-print studio, and a girl by the museum pond lighting river lanterns... Just as she was about to google the scientific meaning of "white noise," she noticed "Xin Yuan" had posted a new piece and replied to her private message.

　　Expecting a discussion about the artwork, Ling Hanlu didn't hesitate to click and read.

　　Two lines of text. One question, one answer.

　　PP asked why he failed to protect the woman he cared for, nearly causing her harm. Yet, she forgave him; was it because he didn't matter enough?

　　This instantly brought to mind the incidents of chronic toxicity and the KTV ordeal. "Oh, this kid, carrying such a heavy burden! Actually reaching out for advice."

　　She felt a pang of guilt for prying into others' secrets.

　　But she was more curious about "Xin Yuan's" response. So, she whispered an apology to Gu Pan through the wall and delved into the text.

　　"Xin Yuan" replied: Maybe she just didn't like him enough. Or maybe she's someone who knows how to balance her desires, cherishing him all the more.

　　"Heh..." Ling Hanlu chuckled, sinking back into her pillow. Some people really have a knack for unraveling others' thoughts, fascinating...

　　She stared at the ceiling, unmoving. In the soft glow of the orange-yellow light, the room felt comfortably warm. She attributed this warmth partly to the young man who had kept her company all evening.

　　She let out a long sigh. The exhaustion from the day's hustle and bustle finally dissipated.

　　The night settled into complete silence. So quiet, she could hear the faint sound of snoring from the next room.