Shanghai's winter sunlight filtered through the VIP private‑hospital room's large floor‑to‑ceiling window, passing gauze curtains, casting soft, warm light‑spots onto polished floor. Air's disinfectant scent diluted by faint lily fragrance; environment quiet—only extremely slight medical‑equipment operation sounds and that person on bed's steady breathing audible. Yue'er leaned against raised bed‑head, face still carrying post‑illness pallor, but eyes already restored former clarity, only depths added several traces of post‑exhaustion fatigue and stillness. She wore comfortable cotton hospital gown, covers reaching waist; one hand‑back still retained intravenous indwelling needle; other hand gently rested on an opened print‑out filled with complex mathematical symbols—that was part manuscript Mozi had people urgently fetch from her Princeton study, not for immediate work but as familiar spiritual comfort.
Mozi sat in single sofa beside bed, not as usual handling endless financial data, nor answering any work calls. He merely sat quietly there, holding cup warm water, occasionally bringing to Yue'er's lips, or when her gaze looked out window, following her line‑of‑sight, not speaking. His presence resembled a steady reef, silently sharing room's flowing silence and weakness. Several days' day‑night companionship also tinged his stern brow with faint‑detectable weariness, but those deep eyes, when looking at Yue'er, always carried ultimate patience and softness.
This tranquility only broken when hospital‑room door gently knocked.
Mozi stood opening door; outside stood travel‑worn Xiuxiu. Clearly just arrived from airport, still carrying outside chill, wearing dark long down‑jacket, scarf loosely draped neck, face carrying long‑journey fatigue and undisguised worry, urgency. Her hands also held seemingly very heavy insulated bag.
"Xiuxiu?" Mozi somewhat surprised, stepped aside letting her enter. "How come you're here?"
"I heard Sister Yue'er fell ill, came Shanghai…" Xiuxiu's voice somewhat hurried, gaze passing Mozi directly aiming at bed‑bound Yue'er, "I… I took leave, came see." Her sight lingered Yue'er's pale face and hand‑back's indwelling needle, brow tightly furrowed. "Sister Yue'er, how feeling? Serious or not?"
Yue'er seeing Xiuxiu, eyes flashed surprise, immediately transformed warm emotion. She slightly straightened, showing weak smile: "Xiuxiu? How you also came… I'm fine now, just earlier too tired, low‑blood‑sugar fainting only. Already much better, troubling you specially travel here."
"How 'only'?" Xiuxiu quickly stepped bedside, placed insulated bag on bedside table, tone carrying reproach but more heartache. "You definitely work till disregard life! Body is revolution's capital!" She spoke while opening insulated bag—inside several exquisite multi‑layer food‑boxes. "This is ginseng chicken soup my mom helped cook on‑route; also several light dishes and porridge. Being ill, need eat nutritious yet easily‑digestible."
She deftly opened food‑boxes; rich ginseng chicken‑soup aroma immediately permeated hospital room, dispersing final disinfectant smell, bringing home‑style, reassuring warmth. Xiuxiu ladled small bowl, carefully blew, prepared feed Yue'er.
Yue'er hurriedly waved hands: "Myself, myself fine." She took bowl, fingertips touched bowl‑wall's warm temperature, seeing Xiuxiu eyes' unfeigned concern, heart surged strong warm flow, eye‑corners slightly heated. "Thank you, Xiuxiu."
"With me still polite?" Xiuxiu relieved‑sighed, now had time remove heavy down‑jacket; inside simple cashmere sweater outlining her efficient figure. She pulled another chair, sat bedside.
Momentarily, hospital room sank into certain delicate silence.
Mozi closed door, returned sitting sofa, gaze lightly sweeping between Yue'er and Xiuxiu. First time—these three, in non‑virtual, non‑meeting environment, such close‑proximity sharing one room. Air seemingly invisible threads pulling, interweaving. Yue'er's fragility and wisdom, Xiuxiu's briskness and concern, and his own complex emotions within—constructed an indescribable atmosphere. Subtle, yet not awkward; instead a strange, slowly‑flowing warmth.
Xiuxiu watching Yue'er sipping chicken‑soup, then looking at Mozi silently guarding aside, understood inwardly. She could feel Mozi's unusual tenderness and tension toward Yue'er—that was sentiment not as outwardly revealed when interacting with her, though similarly supportive. A faint, even‑she‑herself‑unanticipated sourness quietly brushed heart‑depths, but quickly covered by concern for Yue'er's illness and broader, sister‑like affection.
She turned Yue'er, tone sincere: "Sister Yue'er, earlier document you sent about defect mathematical models helped us tremendously. Our team deeply studying application; already seeing some positive signs. You… must first recuperate body; those complex problems, wait body better then think."
Yue'er put down soup‑bowl, wiped mouth‑corner tissue, looked Xiuxiu eyes filled appreciation and softness: "Able help you good. Speaking which, need thank you earlier words about 'precision' and 'engineering perfection,' also let me have new reflections regarding own research obsessions."
Two women, because each other's wisdom and goodwill, at this moment, seemingly reached some deeper‑level understanding and alliance. They looked each other's eyes containing admiration, concern, understanding as exceptional women striving respective fields, also tacit mutual recognition regarding that special connection each with Mozi.
Mozi witnessed all this, heart waves rising‑falling. He couldn't deceive himself—toward Yue'er, it was intellectual extreme attraction, spiritual‑level deep resonance, involuntary protective instinct toward that purity‑fragility‑interwovendemeanor. Toward Xiuxiu, it was side‑by‑side comrade camaraderie, admiration for her resilience responsibility, protective instinct triggered when witnessing her occasionally‑revealed vulnerability, earthy‑grown solidintense emotion.
He couldn't, unwilling to forcibly rank these two completely‑different yet equally‑deep emotions, or make choices. That would disrespect them both, also betray his own inner genuine feelings.
Silent moments, Mozi deeply inhaled, gaze calm looking at Yue'er and Xiuxiu sitting side‑by‑side bedside, voice low yet clear, breaking hospital‑room tranquility:
"Yue'er, Xiuxiu." He called their names, tone solemn.
Both simultaneously looked at him, seemingly anticipating something.
"Some words, I think should here, facing you both, clarify." Mozi's eyes candid almost cruel, yet filled undeniable seriousness. "I know, my feelings toward you both, very deep, but… not identical."
He looked Yue'er, gaze soft: "Yue'er, your world, is starry sky I exhaust imagination hardly fully reach. Your wisdom, your purity, like lighthouse guiding my model evolution, also like… light illuminating deep‑heart certain longing. I want protect that starry sky, want it forever clear bright."
Yue'er's heart slightly trembled, meeting his gaze, not evading. She saw his eyes' admiration, fascination, also that increasingly‑clear tension and care due her collapse.
Then, Mozi turned Xiuxiu, eyes becoming firm warm: "Xiuxiu, your battlefield, is land breathing same real air with me. Your resilience, your responsibility, burdens and ideals you carry, make me admire, also make me want stand side‑by‑side, jointly face those storms. You are comrade can entrust back, also… existence making me feel solid andmoved."
Xiuxiu's lips slightly moved, no sound, but eyes' complex glimmer showed she fully understood his words' meaning.
"I'm greedy, also… conflicted." Mozi's voice carrying faint‑detectable hoarseness, he confessed his dilemma. "I cannot, unwilling, use conventional standards measure, cut my feelings toward either of you. Losing any of you, is unbearable for me. This perhaps selfish, not conforming any traditional rules, but this is my truest thoughts."
He finished; hospital‑room again sank silence. Only sunlight moving trajectory silently narrating time's passage.
Yue'er and Xiuxiu both silent, digesting this earth‑shattering frankness. No anger, no accusations; only deep, mixed understanding, helplessness, and certain strange relief‑like emotion flowing.
Both were extremely intelligent women, already from countless details felt Mozi's emotional complexity. Now his candidness, though shocking, instead relieved their hearts' final uncertainty and suspicion. He chose facing, not escaping or deceiving.
Long while, Yue'er softly sighed—that sigh contained no resentment, instead transcendent‑like tranquility. She looked Mozi, then Xiuxiu, softly said: "Feelings… originally not black‑white mathematical propositions. It… perhaps like that 'lifting' structure I encountered—complex, difficult describe with simple elegance, but… it truly exists, moreover, powerful."
Xiuxiu also raised head; her eyes restored usual clarity sharpness, but depths added trace softness. She looked Mozi, tone straightforward: "Mozi, I Xiuxiu acting, always clear want what. I admire your capability, grateful your support, also… not deny feelings toward you. But Sister Yue'er and I, are not anyone's appendages. We have own careers, own pursuits." She paused, gaze sweeping Yue'er—both exchanged tacit‑understanding look. "How define relationship among us, perhaps itself false proposition. Important is—we mutually respect, mutually support, able this not‑easy road, mutually illuminate."
She neither explicitly accepted nor rejected, but proposed a new possibility—beyond traditional relationship patterns, based on strong individuals' mutual appreciation and support.
Mozi looked them; looked Yue'er eyes' understanding and tolerance; looked Xiuxiu eyes' firmness andunrestrained; heart's heavy boulder seemingly instantly removed. He obtained understanding he hadn't dared hope for. They accepted his "greediness," not due weakness but originating their own strength and independence.
He stood up, walked bedside, made no intimate gestures, only deeply looked them both, eyes filled ineffable gratitude and even‑deeper emotion.
"Thank you." Thousands of words, ultimately condensed these two. Thank you for your understanding; thank you for your strength; thank you, willing such unprecedented way, exist within his life.
Sunlight quietly spilled filling hospital room, enveloping these three breaking conventions, exceptional souls. Future's road how, none knows. External incomprehension, criticism, even severer challenges, may follow consecutively. But now, within this lily‑scented, ginseng‑chicken‑soup‑warm hospital room, a relationship based on highest‑level understanding and respect—stable, peculiar triangular relationship—quietly established. It's not perfect; it's full of challenges; but it's real, and filled warmth and strength. For them, this perhaps is only, also best answer toward future.