Not expecting this question from her, Lin Xuzheng was silenced by it and did not respond to her. The caring look on his face had completely vanished, leaving only indifference and coldness. So did the warmth in the air in the ward. Realizing that she might have misspoken, Xu Yanwan panicked. “I’m sorry, Xuzheng. I haven’t been in a good mood, so I’ve been speaking nonsense. You should go,” she continued. “Again, I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have used any inappropriate examples, much less use you as the subject of my example. You’ve truly taken good care of me back in the days. I went overboard.”
Lin Xuzheng felt bad after seeing how Xu Yanwan could not stop blaming herself. This girl had just witnessed the love of her life with another woman, which had broken her heart. Besides, her parents had both passed; she had lost everything. It was fortunate that she was strong enough to not have collapsed after going through all these and could still conduct herself with such circumspection. After all, they grew up together, so Lin Xuzheng decided to not be too harsh on her. He exhaled. “I can forgive you for what happened earlier, but don’t ever use my wife as an example again; do you understand? You should know well how much she meant to me.”
“Okay. I won’t do it again; I was just being a jerk. Please, Xuzheng, just go home now and leave me by myself. I’ll be okay after this.”
“Look at yourself; I’m worried to leave you alone. Since I have some spare time, I thought I should just stick around in the hospital for a few days to be with you.”
Since Lin Xuzheng insisted on staying, Xu Yanwan decided to allow him to be with her. She silently sat on the bed while he silently sat on the chair next to her. When evening came, Lin Xuzheng asked his maid to deliver some food to them. As the food was light and bland, it was not to Xu Yanwan’s taste. But, for the sake of her health, she had to force herself to take some.
Whilst eating, Xu Yanwan had, on numerous occasions, tried to say something but decided to retract her words after seeing the look on Lin Xuzheng’s face. After a couple of attempts, Lin Xuzheng pointed out, “If you want to say something, just say it; don’t hesitate while you’re looking at me. As long as it has nothing to do with my wife, I’ll be okay.”
This put Xu Yanwan at ease. However, since what she wanted to say was related to Han Qing, she had to be particularly cautious. “Xuzheng, do you know how long they’ve been together?”
Lin Xuzheng squinted reflexively. “Why are you asking about this?”
Gently, Xu Yanwan replied, “Didn’t you say that as long as it’s nothing to do with your wife, you won’t get upset? If so, why do you want to know why I asked this question? Don’t I have the right to ask questions?”
“Of course, you do.” Lin Xuzheng lowered his head and took a bite of his food, looking pensive. After a moment, he responded, “You can definitely ask questions, but doesn’t asking this question put you through unnecessary suffering? The length of time they’ve been together has no bearing on their relationship. When Yan was here earlier, didn’t you see the diamond ring on her finger?”
Of course, she did. That was precisely why she asked. But, of course, Xu Yanwan did not say this to him. “I’m just curious as I’ve never received a response from him after falling for him for such a long time. So, how did she end up with Han Qing? I don’t mean anything else.”
“What do you like about Han Qing?” Lin Xuzheng asked in response to her question.
Xu Yanwan was stunned.
“This is what we call fate—you like him, but he doesn’t like you. But, have you thought about those who are pursuing you? Who are they supposed to ask as to why you don’t like them and why you’ve never responded after such a long time? Oh, Yanwan.” Lin Xuzheng looked understanding. “If it weren’t because we grew up together, I’d never be bothered to speak to you about these things. You’re splitting hairs; he’s just a man, and although it’ll be wonderful if he’s also into you, he’s now with another woman. So, being so fixated on him does you no good.”
Being fixated on him. These few words annoyed Xu Yanwan. “Xuzheng, how could you say that? I was just asking.”
“We grew up together. Don’t you think I know what’s behind that question?”
Xu Yanwan was embarrassed and did not respond.
“You’re well-educated and not someone from a conservative society. Why can’t you get over this? He’s just a man, and you have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t you think you have all the time in the world to meet the man of your life?”
“But there’s only one Han Qing.” Xu Yanwan’s eyes turned red and teary. “I’ve liked him since I was little. If I were to fall for someone else, I would’ve been with that person already. There’s no way I’ll still be waiting for Han Qing today.”
“I guess you just don’t understand what I’m getting at.”
“Xuzheng, it’s not that I don’t get what you said, but I need some time to think things through. Would you give me some time?”
“Take all the time you need. You’re an adult and a smart person; you don’t need people nagging at you all the time for you to think things through.”
It’s these words again. I’m on my own again. Why must every smart person figure things out by themselves? Do I always have to follow the norm? Xu Yanwan closed her eyes and spoke no more.
…
Fast forward to the wedding of Xiao Su’s cousin. Initially, Jiang Xiaobai had no intention of dressing nicely, but after some thought, she decided to dress up as she would be attending the wedding as Xiao Su’s girlfriend; Xiao Su’s mother would not let this opportunity slip to introduce her to everyone else. Since they would be separated soon, this could be a gift in return for all the help he had rendered her all this while.
This time around, Jiang Xiaobai decided to drive there, so Liang Yahe came over to her place early in the morning, and she had been reminding Jiang Xiaobai to dress up since the night before. As she was afraid that Jiang Xiaobai would overthink it, she added, “Xiaobai, you look pretty even without make-up. However, this is a wedding, and everyone will dress up. You can’t let anyone beat you.” From her words, one could tell that she was already treating Jiang Xiaobai as her daughter-in-law.
To Jiang Xiaobai, Liang Yahe was an easy-going person, and she thought it would be nice to have someone like her as her mother-in-law. Just that… At this juncture, Jiang Xiaobai became slightly perturbed and ceased her thoughts.
After dressing up, Liang Yahe was pleased by how amazing Jiang Xiaobai looked. “Xiaobai, you look amazing. You’ll surely be the belle of the ball.”
Jiang Xiaobai retorted, “Oh, Mrs. Xiao, it’s someone else’s wedding today. Isn’t it bad for me to be the belle of the ball?”
