Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
“Could you please hold me?”
He requested softly, his posture very humble.
Combined with his current sickly pallor, it easily stirred Song Zhi’s compassion.
She walked over, compromising, “Just for a moment, okay?”
Jiang Yanzhou nodded.
She put her hand over his shoulder, embracing him. One was lying on the bed, the other standing. Jiang Yanzhou’s head rested on her lower abdomen.
It was flat, without an ounce of excess flesh.
“You’ve been...” His voice was a little hoarse, “...not eating well again, have you?”
“No, not really. Just normal portions, and occasional exercise.”
Although a new drama was being discussed, there was still a long time until filming started, so she didn’t need to deliberately control her diet.
Jiang Yanzhou’s hands gradually tightened. A woman’s slender, delicate waist was too fragile to grip. The familiar touch made him not want to let go.
“You’ve lost weight.”
Noticing the increased pressure from him, Song Zhi reached out to push him. “You... how could you...”
“How could I what?”
He knowingly asked, rubbing against her lower abdomen, “Does it feel good?”
Song Zhi’s face flushed. “Let go first.”
He patiently repeated, “Does it feel good?”
Song Zhi blushed and didn’t speak, seemingly lacking the confidence to even refute.
Jiang Yanzhou understood her body well enough to know where her sensitive spots were.
“Zhizhi, your body doesn’t reject me.”
That’s too much, it’s not allowed.
Song Zhi’s whole body felt soft, and the strength in her hands weakened by more than half. Even when she pushed him, the slight force felt like an intimate caress.
In Jiang Yanzhou’s eyes, this wasn’t a rejection; it was almost like tacit consent.
Tacit consent to his indulgence.
“Let’s get back together, okay? I’ll be good from now on.”
He lowered his stance, like a child begging for candy.
“It was my fault before. I shouldn’t have intentionally been hot and cold towards you because of my insecurity.”
“I like you, Zhizhi. I like you even more than you can imagine.”
“I liked you from the first moment I saw you.”
This was probably the first time he had fully laid bare his heart for her to see.
Jiang Yanzhou understood better than anyone how difficult it was for someone not good with words to utter such moving pleas.
He wasn’t used to acting cute, nor was he used to showing weakness in front of others.
He had always been alone.
His elders had admonished him since childhood that a son of the Jiang family was not allowed to show any weakness.
He represented the face of the entire Jiang family; he didn’t even have the right to cry.
When he was sad, he could only hide away secretly.
He was discovered once, when he witnessed his parents arguing.
His grandfather hit him with a ruler, asking repeatedly as he struck him, “Will you cry again later?”
He held back his tears and shook his head, “No more crying.”
The ruler hurt terribly. He lay at home for a week before he could get out of bed.
No one cared about his injuries; they only felt that he deserved to be punished.
From then on, Jiang Yanzhou always hid himself behind a facade.
Even in matters of the heart, he couldn’t allow himself any weakness.
He always thought that this was the right way.
“Will you give me another chance, please?”
“I can’t live without you.”
He pleaded, his voice very soft.
His hands trembled subconsciously, fearing that Song Zhi would refuse.
He was no longer sure of her feelings for him.
She had too many admirers; she could meet someone better than him at any time and then abandon him.
The mere thought of this possibility filled Jiang Yanzhou with fear.
He was strong enough and resilient enough not to cry out in pain even when he was slashed.
But facing Song Zhi, he was still afraid.
His hard armor had also become decayed, shattering with a light touch.
Feeling his emotions, Song Zhi hesitantly lowered her gaze.
At least before that incident, her stance was very firm: there was no possibility between her and Jiang Yanzhou anymore.
She wouldn’t fall into the same trap twice.
But watching him being sent into the operating room, she realized she still liked him.
Very much, very much, super much.
The young girl’s thoughts were all over her face. Jiang Yanzhou sensed her wavering and coaxed her gently, “Zhizhi, will you give me another chance?”
“I’ll only be good to you.”
The window was half-open for ventilation, and the wind swept the curtains inward.
Song Zhi was momentarily dazed, and it seemed as if some words slipped out involuntarily.
Then, Jiang Yanzhou happily embraced her, disregarding the wounds on his arm.
When he stood up, Song Zhi was only on his shoulder.
He held her, asking again with uncertainty, “What did you just say?”
Song Zhi was about to speak when he hastily interrupted, “No regrets. Words spoken cannot be taken back.”
________________________________________
The weather forecast said it would rain in the afternoon, but it was still sunny at noon. Now, the sky had turned gloomy.
Song Zhi suddenly began to regret agreeing so quickly.
“...Can you let go of me first?”
Jiang Yanzhou held her even tighter, playfully insisting, “I haven’t held you for so long, I want to hold you a bit longer.”
Song Zhi was speechless, “Didn’t you just hold me the whole time?”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“That was just me taking advantage of you. This is me actually holding you.”
“...”
The nurse who had just changed his dressing pushed the door open again, holding an IV bag.
Jiang Yanzhou needed an anti-inflammatory injection to prevent his wound from becoming inflamed.
As soon as she entered, she saw the two of them embracing lovingly.
These young people nowadays, they just love to cause trouble. Just a moment ago, they were having a domestic dispute, and now they’re all lovey-dovey.
She frowned and reprimanded Song Zhi, “The patient needs to lie down and rest properly! Be careful not to pull the wound!”
Song Zhi felt wronged. It was clearly Jiang Yanzhou who was holding her and refused to let go, yet she was the only one being scolded.
Jiang Yanzhou sat down by the bed, saw her wronged little expression, and subtly hid the smile at the corner of his lips. “It’s my fault.”
The nurse tied the tourniquet on him, patted the back of his hand to find a vein, and looked up when she heard him speak. “What?”
She always had a soft spot for handsome young men, and her tone was noticeably gentler.
Jiang Yanzhou looked at Song Zhi, who was standing obediently to the side, and smiled dotingly, “I like her too much, so I want to hold her all the time. I’ll be careful next time.”
Nurse: “...”
She was unexpectedly fed a mouthful of PDA.
After the infusion, she gave her usual instructions, then packed up her things and left.
Song Zhi sat in the chair, a little annoyed, “Why do they always scold me?”
The key was, she couldn’t find a reason to refute.
Jiang Yanzhou pulled her hand, then touched her face. “Are you hungry?”
“I ate when I arrived.”
She took out her phone and logged into WeChat. As soon as she went online, she saw a barrage of messages.
Although she wasn’t particularly well-liked in the entertainment industry, she still had a few friends with whom she maintained superficial relationships.
Now, they were all asking about her condition.
She replied to them one by one.
Finally, in her missed calls, she saw fifty-something calls from the same number.
He Hanyang.
She hesitated for a moment; she had apparently forgotten to block his phone number when she blocked him on WeChat.
She didn’t have a bad impression of He Hanyang; he was quiet, laid-back, yet more fiercely protective than anyone.
Before, she just thought of him as a quiet younger brother, so she naturally rarely thought of him in that way.
In fact, if she had paid more attention, she would have noticed something.
The way he looked at her, his unconditional support without asking for reasons, and his confessions.
Once feelings overflowed, they couldn’t be hidden.
Song Zhi didn’t want to hurt him, but some things had to be said.
It was better for everyone this way.
She tucked the blanket around Jiang Yanzhou. “You lie down properly. I’m going out to make a call.”
Jiang Yanzhou was good at reading expressions. He had already seen from her eyebrows and demeanor who this call was for.
He lowered his eyelashes slightly, then nodded. “Okay.”
________________________________________
The corridor outside was quiet. Occasionally, patients would pass by, being helped by others.
Song Zhi pressed redial, and the call was quickly answered.
The voice she heard didn’t belong to He Hanyang. “Yang-ge, your call.”
From a distance, a somewhat impatient voice rang out, “Hang up, not answering.”
That person yelled admiringly, “Yang-ge is cool! He hangs up on Song Zhi’s call just like that! My idol!”
Almost at the same time, the sound of a chair being knocked over came from that end.
Two seconds later, a man’s panting voice appeared in her ear, “Hello.”
“Damn, you almost knocked over the computer! Doesn’t your leg hurt like hell from hitting it?”
“Yang-ge, you’re amazing! Why didn’t I know you had the potential for short-distance running before?”
“You heard Song Zhi’s name and instantly changed your attitude. Is there really something going on between you two?”
“Hahahahaha, maybe we’ll have a celebrity sister-in-law soon.”
Intermittent teasing voices came from the other end. He Hanyang seemed to have walked further away, and the surroundings gradually quieted down.
His breathing also became steady. After a long time, he finally asked in a hoarse voice, “Are you... okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good.”
A long silence.
Song Zhi bypassed all the roundabout ways and asked him directly, “He Hanyang, do you like me?”
Rarely, she heard a hint of panic in his voice. “I... I just...”
Song Zhi hesitated for a moment, weighing which tone would cause him the least amount of hurt.
She could tell that he had little experience with relationships; he was a blank slate in that regard.
Never being hurt was the biggest hurt.
She tried to make her voice sound as gentle as possible. “I’m sorry, I’ve always thought of you as a younger brother.”
Silence on the other end.
“You’re very good and well-behaved. I like you a lot, but not in a romantic way. Can you understand what I mean?”
After a long silence, he nodded, “I understand.”
His voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed a handful of freshly roasted sand, his vocal cords scalded.
“You’re still young. You might be briefly attracted, but you’ll always meet girls more suitable for you later.”
The rain grew heavier, drumming loudly against the window, creating a bit of noise.
He suddenly called her by her full name, “Song Zhi.”
“Hmm?”
“You don’t have to like me, but you can’t... you can’t deny my feelings.”
His voice choked; he must have been crying.
Song Zhi panicked. She hated it when people cried in front of her; she was completely at a loss.
She only meant to comfort him, but she accidentally made things worse. “I’m sorry, I said the wrong thing. I apologize to you, I...”
He Hanyang was indeed very sad. Although he already knew the answer, hearing her say it in person still hurt.
He wasn’t crying because she rejected him; he just suddenly felt that his years of liking her seemed like a ridiculous thing.
He had put in a lot of effort to get closer to her.
But not only did she not give him a chance to say “I like you,” she even only saw him as a temporary infatuation.
“You don’t need to apologize; I don’t blame you.”
After saying that, he hastily hung up the phone.
The JIS team members later recalled the scene of that day and were still shocked: He Hanyang, who shed blood and sweat but no tears, who didn’t even bat an eye when responding to haters, squatted outside the club entrance and cried for over an hour.
________________________________________
After hanging up the phone, Song Zhi rubbed her temples helplessly.
She didn’t want to hurt him, but it seemed she still did.
She put away her phone, ready to return to the ward. As soon as she turned around, she saw Jiang Yanzhou leaning against the wall.
He held up his IV bag with one hand, quietly watching her.
Song Zhi went over to support him. “Why are you out here?”
He took her hand naturally. “Did you make it clear?”
“You heard everything?”
He chuckled, “Yeah, I was worried. Worried that the girlfriend I worked so hard to win back would be snatched away by someone else.”
Song Zhi’s mind was a little muddled, with a touch of guilt.
If it were anyone else, she could easily refuse them, but it had to be He Hanyang.
The young man was different from her previous admirers; he had no greasy tactics, nor would he explicitly express his crude thoughts.
He was young, still in college, and a homebody, so he didn’t interact with many people.
His way of expressing affection was the most primitive: being good to her.
“Worried about him?”
Song Zhi sighed, “If I had known he liked me earlier, I would have kept my distance from him.”
No matter how Song Zhi called herself a “friend to young men,” men understood men best.
From the first glance, Jiang Yanzhou could tell his feelings for Song Zhi.
That’s why he was hostile towards him.
“It’s okay,” he comforted her softly. “It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”
After returning to the ward, Song Zhi poured Jiang Yanzhou a cup of hot water.
Outside the door, it became a bit noisy, as if an argument was taking place.
After a while, Zhang Fanfan pushed open the ward door and mumbled as she entered, “Why is this nurse so bad-tempered?”
Song Zhi: “...”
She temporarily forgot her guilt, crossed her arms, and leaned back on the sofa. “Why are you here?”
Zhang Fanfan carried flowers in one hand and a fruit basket in the other. “To visit the patient, what else? A picnic?”
She sounded quite righteous.
Song Zhi crossed her long legs and smiled, “Are you here to see my boyfriend?”
Zhang Fanfan froze for a moment, apparently not expecting them to actually be together.
“I’m here to see you.”
She put down the flowers and the fruit basket, a bright smile on her face, “To visit my future sister-in-law.”
Song Zhi: “...What?”
The ward door was roughly pushed open. The person who entered didn’t even bother to knock.
Song Luo was worried that Song Zhi hadn’t had lunch, so he made some himself and brought it over.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the room full of people.
Zhang Fanfan quickly turned her back, quickly touched up her makeup in the mirror, then stood up, her face flushed, and greeted him, “Um... long time no see.”
Song Luo frowned, “Who are you?”
Google Sites
Report abuse