"Give me a glass of water," Gu Nuan said, trying to ease the excessive tension of the man before her.
"Is tap water okay?" Xiao Yebai asked.
"Tap water."
He turned and ran like a small whirlwind through the cramped apartment, from the living room to the kitchen.
Perhaps disdaining the heat of the water in the thermos, he boiled a new kettle.
Just then, the landline in the living room rang.
Gu Nuan's head buzzed as if the aftershock of an explosion hadn't subsided, hearing the sound of the phone. Without giving it much thought, she reached for the receiver and picked it up.
"May I ask who's speaking?"
Her voice had barely emerged when there was no response on the other end.
Gu Nuan narrowed her eyes and then, quietly, replaced the receiver without a sound.
Just in time, he walked up to her with a glass of water.
Without asking, he first delicately helped her grasp the cup he offered and steadied her hand, letting her take a sip before anything else.
