Chapter 83 Wang Kan stayed in the hospital for another two days…

Wang Kan stayed in the hospital for two more days, and unfortunately, she also spent her birthday in the hospital.

Fang Minzhou has indeed kept his word these past two days, but... before, he argued with his parents, saying that his behavior was commendable, but somehow the news leaked out, and reporters actually came to interview him.

He can refuse interviews, but he cannot refuse other people who come to visit him in the hospital.

He was staying at a hospital in Zhangcheng. He Wenlun brought people from Jiangcheng to visit him, but the interviews that he had refused all came to him. He Wenlun accepted them without hesitation, saying that it was a rare opportunity for publicity and exposure, so he might as well take advantage of it.

People from Shuangxi Town also came. Li Wenshu only fell, and although it was a pretty hard fall, he was basically fine. They cried by his bedside, making Wang Kan feel embarrassed to continue sitting on the bed.

Once Li Wenshu had calmed down, he asked about Uncle Lin's condition. The village chief said that the rescue was timely and he was fine, "but if it had been any later, it would have been hard to say, and he might have had to have his leg amputated." Hearing this, the people around him gasped and then praised his bravery even more.

Wang Kan had no choice but to accept it.

With so many people coming and going, he barely had any time to be alone with Fang Minzhou. Everyone knew about their relationship, and they received many blessings like a newlywed couple. This made Wang Kan think that having more people around wouldn't be a bad thing.

However, he didn't know what the private version was like. Zheng Yanhang teased him for "going all out," and he offered an explanation, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

The last time he could be alone was when the market in Shuangxi Town was being set up. Fang Minzhou drove him there, a journey of about an hour and a half.

The car wasn't as relaxed and cheerful as Wang Kan had imagined. Perhaps it was because Fang Minzhou was driving too cautiously and rarely laughed, or perhaps it was because the sky outside the window was gray and it was about to rain, or perhaps the two of them were still in the adjustment period.

Wang Kan initially admired the scenery, but couldn't help glancing at Fang Minzhou a few times because she appeared too calm. He went from glancing at her sideways to eventually leaning to the side and staring at her intently.

Fang Minzhou kept her hands on the steering wheel and looking ahead. Wang Kan was often deceived by her seemingly nonchalant demeanor, but because she was repeatedly fooled, she became increasingly obsessed with guessing, suffering indignities, yet also finding it amusing at times.

It was hard to say whether it was the former or the latter at this moment. He looked at her maliciously with a blatant gaze, placing Fang Minzhou under his full gaze: her hair had grown long, the dull green ends had been cut off, and her shoulder-length black hair hung down on both sides of her face, revealing the contours from her forehead to the tip of her nose and then to her chin.

When they sat at the same table, he often looked at her profile. At that time, Fang Minzhou usually tied her hair up, revealing her ears and a small section of her neck that extended to her collar. Her skin was fair and her black hair fell behind her ears, like a quiet person in a painting.

He had always secretly found this scene beautiful, probably because, aside from the element of appreciation, he also felt a certain unspeakable allure.

"Can we turn on the radio?" he asked.

"Can."

"You don't listen to music while driving anymore?"

Fang Minzhou paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not used to it."

She has always had difficulty multitasking. When she was in school, she would get distracted while listening to music and doing homework. Later, she also felt it was dangerous to listen to music while driving. But at the time, she didn't mind if Wang Kan wanted to listen. However, after they broke up, she stopped listening to music much because she had already listened to too many of the songs on Wang Kan's playlist.

Noticing that Wang Kan hesitated slightly, she said, "Go ahead and put it down, it's okay."

Wang Kan randomly selected a radio station, turning the volume down so low it was almost nonexistent; she couldn't even tell if the host was male or female. The sky outside the window grew increasingly dark, and the rain, initially just a light drizzle, gradually intensified.

The sound of rain gradually grew louder than the radio host's voice, making a soft "thump-thump" sound as it fell on the car roof.

"The rain is getting heavier," Wang Kan said.

Fang Minzhou responded.

"I need to confirm with you, are we back together now?"

Fang Minzhou gave him a strange look.

"So what's going on now?"

"What's going on? I'm driving."

Okay, but I'm bored like this.

Fang Minzhou couldn't help but laugh. "Then what should we do? You drive?"

Wang Kan: "..."

He playfully stretched out his right hand and poked Fang Minzhou's face. Fang Minzhou remained unmoved, so he poked her again.

Fang Minzhou still didn't react, but what she said was terrifying: "If you're not afraid of getting into a car accident."

"I feel completely at ease riding in your car."

Fang Minzhou glanced at him and said, "Sit still."

Wang Kan turned his shoulder and sat up straight.

Looking at the road ahead, Wang Kan tilted her head again and asked seriously, "When we get to the guesthouse, which room will I sleep in?"

Fang Minzhou was startled, but her hand remained steady. She thought to herself, "Wang Kan really isn't afraid of death. Does he really want to get into a car accident?"

"Your previous room."

Wang Kan raised an eyebrow but did not protest.

He suddenly stopped making a fuss. Fang Minzhou wasn't sure if he was angry, so she hesitated and asked something she hadn't asked before: "When I took my graduation photos at university, did you come to my school?"

"Who told you that?" Wang Kan finished speaking, then realized what she meant, clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, and looked out the window. "I never thought Xu Ran was such a liar before."

Fang Minzhou didn't join him in criticizing Xu Ran. "Why didn't you come to me back then?"

"It makes me angry to see you laughing and joking with that senior."

Fang Minzhou paused for a moment, then said, "I wasn't laughing or joking."

"If you think it's not there, then it's not there."

Fang Minzhou wondered if she shouldn't have brought up the topic. Wang Kan had said it in anger, but she didn't seem very angry.

Wang Kan looked over and said, "So my intuition at the time was right, and you still say I'm just jealous."

Fang Minzhou responded in agreement.

Wang Kan recalled some old grievances, "You went to a class reunion with him, and then you avoided me."

Fang Minzhou didn't want to take the blame for this. "Aren't you the same?"

Wang Kan opened her mouth but didn't speak, then looked out the window again.

Did you contact me again after that?

"No."

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Fang Minzhou to say anything more. The window was covered in rainwater, and he couldn't see her face clearly. Wang Kan could only turn his head again. Fang Minzhou glanced at him as well. He didn't say anything in the end, but instead asked, "Is there anything we haven't figured out yet?"

Yes, but Fang Minzhou shook her head. "It's your birthday. Is there anything you want as a gift?"

"Did you make up for the previous ones?"

"Sure, what do you want?"

Wang Kan swallowed the answer that almost slipped out, "...Let me think about it."

"OK."

The rain grew heavier and heavier, to the point that it obstructed visibility. By then, the car had already entered Shuangxi Town. Fang Minzhou parked the car in a small open space between bamboo groves and rice paddies.

The wipers stopped swishing, and with the leaves blocking the view, the flow of water on the windowpane slowed down, reflecting the rippling green shadows.

Fang Minzhou took his hands off the steering wheel, unbuckled his seatbelt, and checked his phone. The weather forecast showed that the rain would lessen in half an hour.

She asked Wang Kan if she wanted some water, and before Wang Kan could answer, she reached into the glove compartment in the passenger seat. There were two bottles of water; she unscrewed the cap of one of them and handed it to Wang Kan.

Wang Kan gripped the mineral water bottle in her hand and took a sip.

For a moment, the only sound in the unlit carriage was the sound of rain pattering against the roof.

Fang Minzhou turned up the volume on the radio.

Wang Kan listened for a while, found it uninteresting, and then connected to her Bluetooth.

The first song was one that Fang Minzhou was familiar with, so it seemed that his taste in music hadn't changed much over the years. As she listened, she looked down at Wang Kan's left arm, which was in a cast, and then looked up to meet his eyes in the dim light.

Wang Kan's heart was pounding faster than the raindrops outside the car. He was about to ask Fang Minzhou if he could kiss her when her breath came closer. Then his vision darkened slightly, and his lips felt a soft, trembling touch.

As if the rain were flowing backwards, the world fell silent instantly, like the second before fireworks exploded in the sky.

Fang Minzhou wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently, again and again.

The rain poured down again, and amidst the dense sound of the rain, her mistaken kiss brought Wang Kan back to his senses, causing him to lose his composure. He instinctively bit back as if he were starving, and only when their lips and tongues intertwined did they gradually begin to taste the flavor in the wetness.

Frustrated that he only had one hand, Wang Kan grabbed Fang Minzhou's waist and pulled her onto his lap, straddling her. The long-dormant warmth and touch overwhelmed his senses in the cramped space, and his rapid breathing drowned out the sound of the rain.

Desire awakened memories, memories that brought happiness and pain. Wang Kan's eyes welled up with tears, and his right hand slipped under Fang Minzhou's shirt to touch her breath, feeling the rushing water in his palm.

He was out of his mind, but still retained a sliver of reason. His fingers lingered on the back clasp of his bra, hesitating to undo it. But he didn't expect Fang Minzhou to be even bolder. When his belt was finally unbuckled, Wang Kan froze, his Adam's apple bobbing: "...You want to do this?"

Fang Minzhou didn't speak, just nodded and continued kissing him. Her hands were more agile than his, and she slipped them in as well. Wang Kan, panting, grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

Fang Minzhou struggled but couldn't break free. Wang Kan licked her face with the tip of his tongue and tasted her tears.

Wang Kan had heard a saying: tears of sorrow are salty, and tears of joy are sweet. He believed it to be true, only to later discover that all tears are salty.

He increasingly felt like he was dreaming, a dream more fragile than tears. He dared not look at whose tears they were, and awkwardly held Fang Minzhou and kissed her, truly feeling her in his arms, until the tears seemed to have been licked clean. She stopped trembling and relaxed, lying on his body. Their breaths mingled, rising and falling in unison, like two overlapping waves.

She buried her head in his neck and refused to get up, her voice muffled, brushing against him like a feather, "Wang Kan."

"Um?"

She fell silent again, then called out after a while, "Wang Kan."

"Um."

She fell silent again.

This time the silence lasted even longer, so long that Wang Kan thought she wouldn't speak again, when her breath brushed against his neck once more: "You have no idea how much I like you."

Wang Kan's heart skipped a beat.

He should have jumped for joy, but strangely, he tasted tears again.

"I want to tell you this seriously: my feelings for you are no less than yours," Fang Minzhou murmured, but every word was clear and distinct, "Really."

"I know."

Fang Minzhou shook his head.

He had no idea.

Wang Kan searched for Fang Minzhou's lips again. In the gentle rain, he heard the sound of waves coming from afar. The seawater was salty, and his tears were a small sea. The world was dark, just like that night at the beach when he was eighteen.