Chapter 22: Brown Sugar Water

Maybe she was too exhausted from work as of late, in addition to uneasy about her private issues each day, for Ruan Zhizhi felt dizzy when she awoke early that morning. She couldn’t even stand steadily. 

Conscious that she was severely anaemic, Ruan Zhizhi pressed her temple with one hand and slowly acquired up and about to stroll into the lounge. She wished to take just a few pink dates from the espresso desk and eat them first.

She didn’t count on that, attributable to her dizziness, she would by accident knock into the nook of the espresso desk after taking just a few steps. With out pondering, she reached out to dam it, just for a piercing ache to reach within the subsequent second. 

This time, Ruan Zhizhi was completely awake. She shook her head then regarded down. Certain sufficient, a deep reduce had been slashed within the palm of her hand by the glass desk’s sharp nook. Blood seeped out of it regularly. Ruan Zhizhi frowned, attempting onerous to endure the urge to cry out in ache. Taking a deep breath, she started to try to deal with the reduce.

She was used to dwelling alone. Usually, she might cope with some small bumps on her personal. It’s simply…Ruan Zhizhi used tincture of iodine to disinfect the wound whereas bandaging her palm with a shaking hand to staunch the bleeding. After attempting for fairly some time, she gave up.

This time the wound was slightly deep. It appeared she must make a visit to the hospital. 

Placing on any coat, Ruan Zhizhi didn’t even have time to use lipstick. On this manner, simply as she was, she left the door.

When Ruan Zhizhi reached Metropolis A’s most well-known navy hospital, the deep ache was already insufferable. She grit her enamel and exhausted all her power with each step she took. Similar to this, she used all her willpower to register on the hospital and lined up by herself. When she lastly managed to see a physician, her lips had been utterly cold.

The physician within the consulting room, who was wearing a white coat and writing one thing together with his head down, was clearly shocked when he noticed her. He instantly acquired up and let her sit down: “What’s the matter, your complexion is so unhealthy?”

“Physician, nothing’s the matter. I simply by accident reduce a gash in my hand this morning and there’s some blood popping out. I often have slightly anaemia, which is why my complexion appears so unhealthy now.” Ruan Zhizhi sat throughout from the physician solemnly, weakly elaborating on her situation.

The physician rapidly organized for employees to bind her wound to cease the bleeding. After the wound was handled correctly, Ruan Zhizhi left the consulting room. Nevertheless, she nonetheless felt her imaginative and prescient was slightly fuzzy. Helpless, she might solely go to the remainder space exterior the consulting room door to relaxation for slightly first. 

This was certainly an unfortunate 12 months.

Ruan Zhizhi shrank her neck into her turtleneck sweater. The piercing ache in her palm was regularly dulling, however since she hadn’t replenished sufficient sugar, her mind was nonetheless dizzy.

Leaning in opposition to the chilly hospital seat, Ruan Zhizhi bit her decrease lip and commenced to consider whether or not or to not name Gu Nian for assist. Her cellular phone was already in her palms, however she had second ideas after occupied with the way it was at the moment Gu Nian’s honeymoon interval. In the long run, she determined to not disturb her. 

“It’s alright, simply sleep for a second.”

Doing her personal factor, she lowered her head and comforted herself. Her emotional state turned heavier and heavier. In the long run, Ruan Zhizhi buried her head in her collar, unable to regulate her muddle-headed drowsiness. 

It was unknown how a lot time handed—

“Zhizhi, get up.”

It was as if somebody was calling her time and again. The voice was low with a tinge of huskiness. The tone was initially calm, however turned an increasing number of anxious at her unresponsiveness. 

Ruan Zhizhi creased her eyebrows. Inside that individual’s voice, she shifted her physique considerably unwillingly. After that, she regularly opened her eyes.

Her line of sight was nonetheless imprecise. Earlier than she might elevate her head, she noticed somebody placing a glass of brown sugar water in entrance of her. Licking her dry lips, Ruan Zhizhi reached out to carry the glass. She drained the cup of heat brown sugar water with out a second thought.

“Feeling higher?”

It was nonetheless that very same voice, solely this time it was extra clear.

Ruan Zhizhi put down the glass. Her imaginative and prescient prolonged slightly upward, meandering all the way in which from the person’s darkish blue denims till they lastly settled on the pair of pitch-black pupils she knew effectively.

These eyes had all the time been detached, however once they gazed at her now, there was a faint hint of concern.

Ruan Zhizhi regarded on the acquainted look of this man. In a trance, she couldn’t inform whether or not she was truly in a dream or actuality. 

After a very long time, she opened her mouth to talk. Her voice was nonetheless very weak: “Shi Yan, why are you right here?”

The person earlier than her eyes had darkish hair and wore a white sweater and denims. He didn’t have a look at all like a twenty-eight-year-old college professor. Anybody who noticed him would suppose that he was a college pupil with a refined look.

Shi Yan stared at her complexion for some time, then bent down. Half-crouching in entrance of her, he took out a tangerine-flavoured fruit sweet from his pocket, peeled off the wrapping paper, and put it to her mouth: “Eat sweet.”

His actions of tearing the sweet wrapper had been mild, and his voice was much more mild when going through her. He was so mild that the edges of her eyes had been virtually bitter.

“Thanks.” There wasn’t a soul in sight in the remainder space. Ruan Zhizhi bowed her head as she expressed her thanks, attempting her finest to regulate the choked sobs in her voice.

Shi Yan didn’t reply. He merely stretched out his hand and stroked her hair very softly. After a very long time, he whispered, “After you end, I’ll take you house.”

A faint trace of tobacco that was inconceivable to eliminate remained on his fingers. His palm dropped to the highest of her head. It was heat.

Ruan Zhizhi thought that at sure moments, having the ability to have somebody by her aspect actually made her depending on them.

She hadn’t relied on anybody for a very long time.

After downing an entire cup of brown sugar water, in addition to ending the fruit sweet in her mouth, Ruan Zhizhi lifted a hand and pressed her temple. She lastly felt slightly extra acutely aware and clear-headed.

Shi Yan’s line of sight fell on the bandaged wound on her left hand. Then he reached out and took her medical document: “I’m going that will help you get the drugs now, you await me right here.” After a pause, he added a warning in a really gentle tone: “Be good, don’t run round.”

“Okay.” She nodded subconsciously till Shi Yan’s determine walked into the space. Ruan Zhizhi stayed in place, reaching out to the touch the remaining heat of the ingesting glass. She felt that all the pieces was all too surreal. 

He nonetheless appeared when she was in want.

As if it was destiny.

Shi Yan drove her house. The 2 didn’t communicate your complete manner.

He regarded straight forward and severely targeting driving. Ruan Zhizhi sat quietly within the passenger seat, her thoughts in chaos.

Presently, she puzzled whether or not she had folded the quilt in her bed room earlier than going out this morning, and whether or not the tabletop in the lounge had been tidied.

Nevertheless, by the point the door was opened and Shi Yan was introduced in, Ruan Zhizhi found to her despair that the lounge was in an entire mess. There was even a white bra on the couch that she had introduced in from the balcony that morning, however had no time to place away.

Ruan Zhizhi: “…My house is slightly messy, don’t thoughts it.”

Shi Yan’s eyes gazed on the conspicuous bra that appeared flimsy and petite. He retracted his line of sight, glancing meaningfully on the space of her chest.

Ruan Zhizhi: “……”

Consciously becoming a pair of slippers on the entrance, Shi Yan walked into the lounge. Clearly it was his first time coming to her house, however every transfer appeared extra acquainted than hers. He walked all the way in which to the water dispenser exterior the kitchen and poured a glass of heat water, then took out the drugs prescribed by the physician from the drugs bag. He handed them to Ruan Zhizhi collectively: “That is an anti-inflammatory drug and painkiller. Thrice a day, one pill at a time. Keep in mind to take them on schedule.”

Unable to search for at him, Ruan Zhizhi prolonged her hand to take the drugs and heat water. On the similar time, she silently contemplated over whether or not Shi Yan’s present behaviour meant that he had already forgiven her for lacking their appointment final time.

“Additionally, the physician instructed me simply now that your dressing must be modified at this time.” Shi Yan regarded across the room, then raised his eyebrows at her and mentioned, “Sit down on the couch.”

“Ah? Now?” Ruan Zhizhi was slightly confused.

“Sure, now.” As soon as the person completed responding, he noticed the drugs field that was positioned on the espresso desk earlier than going out that morning. He walked over and commenced getting ready for the dressing change.

Sitting passively on the couch, Ruan Zhizhi watched him put together gauze in a collection of skillful actions. She inexplicably felt that this place appeared extra like his house. 

Shi Yan made preparations for the dressing change, then rotated. He knelt on one knee on the chilly flooring and softly positioned her injured left hand on his knee. 

“In a second when the reduce is touched, it’d damage slightly. Bear with it.”

Ruan Zhizhi bowed her head to take a look at him. Shi Yan’s eyelashes had been very lengthy, drooping down meekly. They lined most of his eyes, making his gaze appear much more unfathomable. him this fashion, via the daylight pouring in from the balcony, his pores and skin regarded very vibrant. It made the entire individual appear much more unreal.

Time appeared to face nonetheless at this second. Ruan Zhizhi regarded down at him, and for a second she forgot the ache from her reduce.

Maybe, at the moment, Shi Yan was the perfect painkiller. 

The person rigorously disinfected the wound with tincture of iodine, then wrapped the gauze round her palm with gentle, unhurried motions. Lastly, he tied a stupendous knot on the wrist. “Tomorrow night, keep in mind to vary the dressing to keep away from your reduce getting contaminated.”

As quickly as his voice fell, Ruan Zhizhi was about to say one thing when she heard the telephone in her jacket pocket ring urgently.

Her coronary heart thudded. Ruan Zhizhi slowly took the telephone out of her pocket along with her different hand. As anticipated, the title from the caller ID was Li Sichen.

Shi Yan stood up straight, as if he hadn’t seen something. Then, he walked on to the balcony.

Was this giving her personal house to reply the telephone?

Ruan Zhizhi pursed her lips and put the decision via.

“Zhizhi, I can come again the day after tomorrow. Have you ever had any issues by your self these previous few days?”

Li Sichen’s voice was nonetheless as lukewarm as all the time. Ruan Zhizhi glanced down at her tightly bandaged left hand. She hesitated for just a few seconds, however nonetheless answered. “There’s nothing, all the pieces is okay.”

“Then I can really feel comfortable. Anticipate me to come back again, I’ll take you to eat scrumptious meals. You’re actually too skinny proper now, you must rapidly eat till you’re slightly plump. In any other case, after we’re strolling on the highway, I’ll all the time fear that you just’ll be blown away by the wind within the subsequent second.”

On the opposite finish of the telephone, Li Sichen was nonetheless chattering. Each sentence contained concern for her, however in Ruan Zhizhi’s ears, there was no manner he might be as wholehearted as she was three years in the past.

“Li Sichen, you…you higher not be too good to me.” She paused, then continued. “I’m afraid I can’t provide the reply you need.”

The voice on the opposite finish of the telephone was barely startled, however he rapidly replied with a smile: “What nonsense are you saying, I’m utterly prepared to deal with you effectively. Zhizhi, you waited for me for 4 years, and now it’s my flip to attend for you. That is particularly reasonable, there’s nothing to really feel responsible about.”

……

After hanging up the telephone, the relaxed temper that Ruan Zhizhi had attained with nice problem turned heavy once more. 

If she couldn’t reply to him with the identical emotions, then maybe this predestined relationship ought to have been reduce off earlier. 

In any case, it ought to have been reduce off three years in the past.

Ruan Zhizhi acquired up from the couch and walked to the balcony step-by-step. She wasn’t stunned to see Shi Yan going through her, leaning on the wall to smoke. 

His aspect profile outlined delicate contours within the solar, and the scattered hair on his brow fell down casually. Smoke curled up earlier than his eyes, which had been as dejected and dreary as all the time, as if remoted from the remainder of the world.

For some purpose, Ruan Zhizhi instantly actually wished to influence him to give up smoking. However she rapidly resisted this impulse. She knew very clearly in her coronary heart that for Shi Yan, smoking was like a painkiller that might quickly relieve the ache. Till a greater various was discovered, there was no manner to surrender.

She didn’t know what she ought to say, so she might solely stand beside him like this. The environment was awfully nonetheless, and it appeared that even the air circulation slowed down for a break up second.

After a very long time, Shi Yan lastly spoke: “Is he not treating you effectively?”

Who was ‘he’? Was it…Li Sichen?

Not figuring out reply, Ruan Zhizhi raised her head to take a look at him, solely to see the person extinguish his cigarette butt indifferently. He threw it into the rubbish bin on the balcony with accuracy. “You went to the hospital, why didn’t he accompany you?”

Her mind crashed. Ruan Zhizhi was shocked for a second earlier than realizing that Shi Yan may need misunderstood her relationship with Li Sichen. She didn’t know why, however her coronary heart felt considerably irritable. With out pondering, she instantly opened her mouth to elucidate: “Between Li Sichen and I—”

However the subsequent half of her sentence was damaged off by the opposite occasion earlier than she might end. Shi Yan turned his physique to take a look at her. Each phrase and each sentence was extremely clear: “Ruan Zhizhi, if he handled you badly three years in the past and treats you badly three years later, why can’t your eyes simply have a look at different folks?”

Translator’s Observe: I’m ceaselessly laughing every time I’ve to translate that Shi Yan precisely threw his cigarette into the rubbish. Each time there’s a scene the place he’s smoking, he all the time ‘throws the cigarette into the trash can precisely’. Like how handy that there’s all the time a rubbish when he desires to throw it away!! But additionally I respect the creator for lowkey demonstrating to not litter…