The taxi pulled up to the curb and stopped.
Lin Feng paid the driver and stepped out. He walked around to the other side and opened the door, helping Liu Mei out carefully.
She swayed on her feet, barely able to stand.
He sighed.
"Get on," he said, crouching down with his back facing her.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly draped herself over his back. He hooked his arms under her legs and stood up, adjusting her weight.
They made their way toward the apartment building.
"Which room is it?" he asked.
"108," she murmured against his shoulder.
Lin Feng nodded and pushed through the entrance. He spotted the elevator and walked over, pressing the button.
Nothing happened.
He pressed it again.
Still nothing.
He glanced at the display panel. It was completely dark.
Out of service?
He looked toward the stairwell, then back at the unresponsive elevator.
It's just the first floor anyway.
He adjusted Liu Mei on his back and headed for the stairs.
By the time he reached the first floor landing, his breathing had grown heavy. His legs felt like they were filled with lead.
I really overestimated myself.
He paused to catch his breath, sweat forming on his forehead.
I need to work on my body.
He pushed forward, following the room numbers until he finally stood before door 108.
"We're here," he said.
Liu Mei shifted slightly. After a moment of fumbling, she produced a keycard from somewhere and held it out weakly.
Lin Feng took it and tapped it against the sensor. The lock clicked open.
He pushed the door with his shoulder and stepped inside.
The apartment was modest but clean. A small living room with a couch, a kitchen off to one side, a closed door that probably led to the bedroom.
He made his way to the couch and carefully lowered her onto it.
She sank into the cushions, eyes half-closed.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"No worries." He straightened up and stretched his back. "Should I get you some water?"
"Yes," she said with a soft nod.
Lin Feng looked around the room.
She raised a weak hand and pointed toward the kitchen.
He followed her direction and found himself in a small but tidy kitchen. A water dispenser sat in the corner. He grabbed a glass from the drying rack and filled it.
When he returned to the living room, he found her already passed out on the couch.
He sighed.
She can't sleep here.
He set the glass down on the coffee table and crouched beside her. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar. He nudged it open with his foot and stepped inside.
He laid her gently onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her.
As he was about to leave, he felt a tug.
He looked down.
Her fingers were wrapped around the hem of his shirt, holding on tightly.
He smiled.
Slowly, gently, he detached her hands from his clothes.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly. "I just want to get you the water."
Her grip loosened, and her hands fell back onto the bed.
Lin Feng walked back to the living room, retrieved the glass of water, and returned to the bedroom. He placed it on the bedside table where she could easily reach it.
He glanced at her one more time.
She was sleeping peacefully now.
He turned and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
He made his way to the entrance and stepped out of the apartment, making sure the door locked behind him.
Lin Feng exhaled as he descended the stairs.
The night air was cool against his face.
He pulled out his phone and began drafting a message.
…
Thursday, October 1st.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Lin Feng groaned.
His arm extended outward, searching for the source of the noise. His hand patted around blindly but found nothing.
He cracked his eyes open, a confused expression on his face.
He looked around slowly.
Where am I?
Then it started coming back to him.
He was in his office.
That's right. By the time he had finished helping Liu Mei, it was already past the campus gate closing time. He couldn't stay at his teacher's place either - that could cause problems for her if anyone found out.
So he had come here instead.
He had planned to pull an all-nighter and get some work done. But it seemed exhaustion had caught up with him. At some point, he had simply passed out.
The phone was still ringing.
He reached for it and glanced at the screen.
Li Jun.
He answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?" Li Jun's voice came through. "You never came back last night."
"Ah." Lin Feng rubbed his eyes. "I was out too late. Ended up sleeping outside campus."
"I see."
"Did you guys get back safely?"
"Yeah, no problems. Zhang Wei and Chen Ming were completely out of it, but I managed."
"Good." Lin Feng nodded to himself. "Alright, I'll be there in half an hour."
"Got it."
The line went dead.
Lin Feng pushed himself up from the chair and stretched his arms above his head. His neck was stiff, his back ached, and his shoulders felt like they had been twisted into knots.
Sleeping in a chair was a terrible idea.
He slapped his laptop shut and stuffed it into his bag.
As he was about to leave, he glanced at his phone again. A notification sat on the screen.
He tapped it.
Teacher Liu: Thank you for last night. I'll do as you said.
He looked at the message for a moment.
Then he smiled.
He pocketed his phone and walked out of the office.
...
A while later, Lin Feng pushed open the door to his dorm room.
Chen Ming looked up from his bed and immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Did something happen? You're a mess."
Lin Feng just sighed.
"Nothing much, really," he said.
He walked over to his wardrobe, grabbed a fresh set of clothes and his toiletries, then headed for the showers without another word.
...
A while later, Lin Feng emerged wearing clean clothes, his hair still slightly damp.
He made his way over and sat down next to his roommates.