The door opens again; a hand pushes two bottles into the bathroom, before disappearing again. I drink those too, and the tiny flame inside me grows a little stronger.
Condensation drips from the bathroom mirror. Gigi sits on the toilet, watching me. The hot water melts away the ice in my veins, but isn’t enough to warm my skin. My teeth are still chattering. My hair sticks to my face, limp and sodden. Gigi’s marcelles are gone too, pulled out by the steam.
‘Rain does this to you?’ she says.
I sigh, sink deeper, try to pull in the comforting heat. ‘I’m not good with water.’
‘But—’ She gestures at the bath.
‘I don’t love baths, but I can handle them. I can see and feel the bottom of the tub, I can stop the water any time I want, drain it if there is too much. But rain, rivers, lakes – I can’t control how much or how deep.’
‘Is this because of what those bitches did to you?’ Her eyes blaze.
‘I can’t remember.’
She rests her chin on her hand. ‘I always wondered why it never rained in yin Shanghai. Never knew it was because of you.’
I jerk at her claim; water sloshes onto the black-and-white tiled floor. ‘What? That’s ridiculous. It never rains in Hell.’ Well apart from that one time, but it was so long ago.
‘It used to. Before you came. It rains in the other cities of Hell. Just not Shanghai.’ She grabs a towel. ‘Your colour is better. Get into bed. I’ll tell Mr Lee how to make sure you don’t freeze.’ She hesitates, then says with a small voice, ‘You scared me.’
I wrap the warm towel around me, touched that she cares. ‘Thank you, Gigi.’
‘Pish. I didn’t want you to rip my dress. That’s all.’ She winks at me. ‘I’ll leave you in Mr Lee’s capable hands.’
When I finally crawl into bed, in a fresh dudou and tap pants, I’m shivering but no longer violently. As if handling eggshell porcelain, Mr Lee gently pulls the covers over both my shoulders, securely swaddling me. He blows out a long breath, and the weight of his hand rests lightly on my back, holding the thick quilts in place.
I reach out from under my cocoon of blankets and rest my hand on his forearm. ‘You’re so warm.’ I snuggle closer, teeth chattering.
He gazes at me, concern etching lines into his forehead, around his mouth. ‘Your lips are still blue.’ He clears his throat. Clears it again. His ears shine pink, as does his face. Not looking at me he says, ‘Lady Gi said the best way to... to warm you is to...’ he clears his throat, ‘use my body heat.’
‘Oh, that’s a good idea. You’re like a furnace. Get under the covers with me.’
He grimaces, that bao face returning. ‘She says I have to undress.’
‘Sure,’ I say, thinking how warm he will be. The covers are cold except where Mr Lee touches them. I flip open the blanket, gesture for him to get in.
He jerks away, staring upwards.
‘What are you doing? It’s cold! I thought you were going to warm me up?’
He runs his hand over the back of his neck, not looking at me. ‘Okay, but you have to close your eyes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m going to undress. Lady Gi said it has to be skin to skin to be effective.’
‘We’re all naked under our clothes. Stop being such a prude.’
‘Do you want me to warm you or not?’
I huff, close my eyes. The bed shifts under his weight, and after a moment, he slides under the cover with me. His body radiates heat, though he’s kept on his underpants. I snuggle close and wrap my arms around him, pressing my cold cheek to his chest. He gasps, but doesn’t pull away. He lies very still, his breathing uneven.
Bit by bit, the shivering abates.
‘Try not to die, okay? I’ve become rather fond of you.’
‘I’m very hard to kill,’ I murmur.
