Chapter 26 Wen Ling, I'm waiting for you

Wen Ling heard the sound but didn't turn around.

She thought it was Wen He's friend, wiped away her tears, not wanting others to see, turned her face towards Wen He, grabbed the hem of his clothes, seeking a sense of security.

The next second, she was suddenly lifted into the air and picked up by the waist. Wen Ling was startled and quickly turned around, only to meet... Shang Chen's emotionless face.

Her expression froze on her face.

Her previous struggles had faded, and she simply lay obediently in his arms.

Wen He: "..."

…

Shang Chen carried Wen Ling into the car.

The two sat in the back seat. He instructed the driver to go to the hospital closest to the school, then turned to look out the window without saying a word.

Wen Ling leaned against the window, still processing this sudden situation, fidgeting with her hands, trying to sort out her complex emotions.

Why did Shang Chen suddenly come back? Has everything been taken care of over there? He's not of legal marriage age yet, so did he get engaged beforehand?

My mind is full of questions, but I can't say a single word.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Shang Chen got out of the car first.

I walked around to the back of the car, opened the door on her side, climbed into the car, and was so close that I could feel her warm breath. I reached out my hands to pick her up.

The girl finally mustered the courage to speak to him.

Although she was rejecting his kindness, she said, "I... can walk by myself."

Shang Chen paused, but didn't listen, and still picked her up in a domineering manner.

Wen Ling gasped in surprise, instinctively hugging his neck and lowering her head, not daring to look at him.

She was in his arms, her body completely stiff.

Shang Chen felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Did she already hate him this much?

After registering, I waited in the outpatient corridor for my number to be called.

Wen Ling sat on the cold iron chair when a sudden sharp pain shot through her ankle. Her foot twitched involuntarily, and a faint frown appeared on her brow. She belatedly began to worry about her injury—could it really be a fracture?

He gripped the iron chair beneath him tightly with both hands.

She tried to shift her body a few times, and gasped for breath several times.

It wasn't that I felt pain, I was just scared of myself.

Shang Chen saw this and silently knelt down in front of her.

He took off her white shoes, revealing pale yellow kitten socks underneath. He paused, then looked up at her and asked politely, "Could you take off your socks so I can see?"

They only asked after they'd already taken off half their clothes!

Wen Ling didn't know if he did it on purpose or if he really forgot. It was a rather offensive gesture to her. Her feet were burning and she had a moment of tinnitus, but she still nodded.

Shang Chen then began the next step with his hand on her feet. Her socks were half off, revealing a patch of red and swollen skin. He gently pinched it, seemingly knowing what he was doing: "There shouldn't be any fractures, don't worry."

"...Hmm." It turned out it was to comfort her.

Seeing that he was about to put it on for her again, Wen Ling quickly bent down and said, "I can do it myself...it'll be fine."

"Wen Ling." Shang Chen suddenly called her name. Wen Ling paused, a strange sense of nervousness rising within her. Her voice was barely audible as she asked, "Wh...what's wrong?"

He sighed softly, and as he put her shoes on, he said, "How come you've taken such poor care of yourself while I was away?"

Wen Ling stared blankly at him, unconsciously biting her lip.

Shang Chen said, "You've lost weight and your complexion has worsened. Did something happen? Why are your eyes so red and swollen, and you even have dark circles? Didn't you sleep well?"

Wen Ling stared wide-eyed, her nostrils twitching uncontrollably.

Shang Chen lowered his head, his hand still resting on her ankle, feeling its warmth: "I thought you would be happy after I left."

…

I had the X-ray taken and got the results.

It's nothing serious, just a sprain. You can apply ice to reduce the swelling first, and then apply some liniment.

Shang Chen bought a bottle of ice water and a towel, and very naturally took off her shoes and socks, draping them over his own legs.

Then, he wrapped ice water in a towel and carefully touched her injured ankle. Wen Ling instinctively flinched, but Shang Chen's strong hand grabbed her calf: "I'll be gentle."

After a while: "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Wen Ling shook her head, her tense body gradually relaxing. She stopped focusing on her injured ankle, her mind unwinding. Belatedly realizing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, her heart pounded, and she remained silent.

"Who bullied you?"

He suddenly spoke, and Wen Ling took a moment to react, thinking it was someone next to her speaking. She pursed her lips, not wanting to sound like she had suffered some great injustice in front of him: "No, I just accidentally... fell."

Having already learned the whole story from Yan Qingli, Shang Chen merely chuckled upon hearing this: "Very good. Now that you can speak fluently, you've even learned to lie to me, huh?"

Wen Ling: "..."

His eyes held a smile, but it didn't reach his gaze.

Wen Ling instantly understood that Yan Qingli had told him everything.

She was somewhat annoyed, having forgotten that Shang Chen had an assistant.

The shame of having her lie exposed made her blush deeply.

She turned her face away, her lips pressed tightly together, not wanting to talk to him anymore.

Knowing the truth, why bother asking her again, "Wasn't it the night you kissed her and ran away?"

If you care so much about her situation, why haven't you given her an explanation after all this time?

As she thought about it, Wen Ling made herself angry again.

After a long silence, Shang Chen looked up at her, raising an eyebrow: "Ignoring me?"

Wen Ling turned her head away, really wanting to shout at him: Yes, I just don't want to talk to you!

In reality, even when she's angry, her voice is still gentle: "Hmm, I don't want to talk to you."

After saying that, he turned his head away again, in a very childish way of getting angry. His ears turned red, and his face and fair neck turned completely red. Shang Chen raised his hand and pressed down on the corners of his mouth that he couldn't stop turning up.

After a long pause, he rubbed his cheeks to relieve his aching jaw muscles, and said seriously, "Okay, let's not discuss that for now. Come on, tell me about it—"

Shang Chen originally wanted to pinch her chin, but seeing that it was a little red, he instead covered the back of her head and forcibly turned her head back to look at him: "Why did you delete me?"

"..."

Wen Ling slapped his hand away, lowered her head, and refused to meet his gaze: "There's no reason why, I just feel that there's no need to contact him anymore."

After much thought, everything changed because of that impulsive kiss that day. Shang Chen hadn't expected her to be so resolute, and so... decisive. Her question even carried a hint of disbelief: "Because I kissed you?"

Wen Ling was surprised that he would say it so bluntly, and with an expression of incomprehension that said, "You deleted me because of this little thing?" Wen Ling was both angry and aggrieved, and too lazy to explain anything to him. She felt as if she had mistaken him for someone else, and that this was not the Shang Chen she knew at all. She emphasized every word she spoke in anger: "Yes, that's right, it's because of this!"

Shang Chen was stunned; he rarely saw her so...angry.

It seems he really doesn't like him and has already started to hate him. His chest feels swollen, like a balloon that keeps expanding. When it explodes, he doesn't even know what absurd things he might do.

Still unwilling to give up, she asked, "Do you hate me that much that even having my WeChat there is an eyesore to you?"

Wen Ling looked away, her chest heaving, ignoring him.

Shang Chen, feeling awkward, silently applied the ice pack to her face. Wen Ling didn't bother arguing with him; it was his own choice, and she hadn't forced him to do it.

Once the ice water lost its effect, he got up, went to the bathroom to wash his face, calmed down, and came out with a very distant attitude.

He wouldn't just grab her and carry her without saying a word; he'd just extend one arm for her to hold, his face cold, and he wouldn't say a word.

Wen Ling now felt that Wen He's description of him was indeed accurate; Shang Chen was sometimes just pretentious.

Wen Ling was still angry.

She initially intended to ignore him, but after thinking about it, she pushed his arm away, snorted, and limped towards the elevator.

Shang Chen: "..."

He resigned himself to his fate and walked up to her, unable to keep up the pretense any longer. He stood behind her, protecting her, and said, "Don't take it to heart, walk slowly."

Wen Ling couldn't sing for a long time, thanks to him.

She pushed away his outstretched hand, indicating that she didn't want to talk to him.

This was the first time Shang Chen had been unable to do anything about someone.

Standing there with his hands on his hips, he stared at her stubborn back for a long time, then smacked his cheek in annoyance: "How did my lovely little jasmine grow into a little firecracker?"

Once inside the elevator, it was crowded, and she was worried someone might step on her feet.

Seeing that she was still hiding from him like an eel, completely disregarding her injuries, Shang Chen got a little angry. He grabbed her arm and half-carried, half-dragged her to a corner, placing his hands on either side of the elevator car to completely enclose her in his safe zone.

He remained silent, his expression serious as he watched the people pushing past him from behind.

Wen Ling calmed down and secretly looked up at him. Looking at that delicate face, she suddenly lost her temper and even felt a little frustrated. She knew she couldn't look at that face so openly anymore.

Is it pretty?

"..."

Wen Ling abruptly looked away, muttering under her breath, "Who...who was looking at you?"

Shang Chen suddenly tilted his head and leaned closer, his eyes full of laughter: "How long has it been since you've been this stuck? Wen Ling, are you nervous?"

The distance was so close that Wen Ling felt he could kiss the person behind him if they moved even slightly. He dug his toes into the ground and raised his hand to slap the person across the face.

His barely suppressed smile made Wen Ling's whole body start to burn.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Wen Ling eagerly slipped under his arm. Although she seemed to be in a hurry, she slowed down, giving off a rather flustered and fleeing air.

Shang Chen raised an eyebrow.

I feel like I have a glimmer of hope again.

The driver was still waiting at the hospital entrance. When he saw them coming, he immediately got out of the car and looked after the back door for Wen Ling. Wen Ling had just struggled to sit down when she saw Shang Chen put one hand on the door frame and say to the driver, "Take her back to school first."

Wen Ling paused in her tidying of her clothes: "Aren't you going back?"

Shang Chen scratched his brow and said he had some things to take care of.

She asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say.

Wen Ling couldn't help but wonder if it was related to the arranged marriage partner, which was why it was inconvenient to talk about it.

Wen Ling pursed her lips, glanced at the crumpled piece of paper she was still clutching in her hand, and, in a fit of embarrassment and anger, slammed it at Shang Chen.

Shang Chen, who was explaining things to the driver, was stunned by the blow. He turned to look at her, but before he could ask anything, Wen Ling glanced at the driver with some apprehension. Seeing that the driver had the sense to walk away, she angrily cursed him: "Scumbag."

"..."

Shang Chen seemed to laugh in anger or in shock, finding things starting to get interesting. Ignoring Wen Ling's struggles, he simply picked her up and carried her out.

"Put me down."

Shang Chen smiled, ignoring her, and carried her to a rest bench in the hospital garden. Wen Ling sat down and was about to rush out, but Shang Chen held her down with absolute force: "I'll let you go after we finish talking, otherwise we'll just stay here in this stalemate."

Wen Ling slumped her shoulders, her brow furrowed in worry.

I don't know what's wrong with me today, I just can't help but lose my temper. I've never been this emotionally unstable before.

Shang Chen put one hand on the back of her chair and asked her, "Why are you calling me a scumbag? What have I done to offend you?"

Wen Ling rarely swears, and when she does, she regrets it almost immediately.

Her spirits plummeted, her nostrils flared, and she blurted out her true feelings: "You...you have an arranged marriage partner, and yet...yet you still kissed me, you're such a scumbag..."

With just that one sentence, Wen Ling's eyes welled up with tears again.

She kept her head down, so Shang Chen didn't see her. He just thought her words sounded absurd: "How come I didn't know I had a marriage partner?"

Wen Ling suddenly raised her head, looked at him, and felt even more aggrieved: "Why are you still lying to me?"

Everyone says it like that, and they say it with great conviction.

Her tears fell down in an instant.

Shang Chen's breathing became heavy, as if he had been choked. He raised his hand and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb, seemingly helpless: "Wen Ling, you're such a crybaby, don't cry."

Wen Ling couldn't control it, and she kept losing more and more fluid.

Shang Chen pretended to be stern with her: "Don't cry."

Wen Lingzhen was startled, hiccuped, sniffed, and angrily turned her head away.

Shang Chen was both amused and exasperated. He got up and sat down on her other side. Wen Ling was about to turn her head when Shang Chen cupped her face and told her, "There is no marriage prospect. They are just spreading rumors. That person is my mother's good friend's daughter. The elders wanted to match us up, but we don't click. She already has a boyfriend."

Finally, Shang Chen deliberately added, "I've only ever loved one person."

Wen Ling: "..."

The possibility that had been suspected for a long time has been confirmed.

Wen Ling thought her first reaction would be happiness, but no, she was a little confused.

I blinked, momentarily at a loss for how to react.

Afraid she wouldn't believe him, Shang Chen disregarded the time difference and made a call. She hung up immediately. He clicked his tongue; it seemed she wasn't asleep yet.

I dialed again, and after two or three rings, the other end answered.

Shang Chen turned on the speakerphone, but before he could speak, Song Yinxue's resentful voice came through: "Big brother, I know you went back to China to chase after someone, and I know it's daytime there, but could you please consider the time difference? It's the middle of the night here, and I need to sleep!"

Shang Chen was about to open his mouth.

Then came a distinctly hoarse male voice: "Baby, you dare to answer other men's calls in my bed? Do you want to die?"

Immediately afterwards, the phone was probably snatched away and thrown under the bed.

All that could be vaguely heard was Song Yinxue's trembling voice: "No..."

Shang Chen didn't want to hear anything inappropriate for children, so he hung up immediately.

Wen Ling was completely bewildered, blinking her eyes and not reacting for a long time. Shang Chen found her reaction quite adorable and chuckled softly, "Scared silly?"

Although Wen Ling lacked knowledge in that area, she was not oblivious to such obvious words. She just didn't expect to hear such a provocative phone call.

She needs time to calm down.

Shang Chen was still nagging from the side: "Adults, you know, should have some nightlife, this—"

Wen Ling glanced around warily, afraid that someone might overhear them discussing this topic. Her face flushed red, and she interrupted him in embarrassment, "Stop talking."

"Okay." Shang Chen obediently replied, "I won't say anything more."

Then he took out his phone, opened his QR code business card, and leaned over: "So tell me, when are you going to add me back?"

Wen Ling paused for a moment, then asked him in a low voice, "Why don't you reply to my messages?"

Shang Chen looked puzzled: "When did you send it to me? What did you send it?"

Seeing that his expression didn't seem to be lying, Wen Ling was a little suspicious.

Shang Chen showed her the chat interface directly, and sure enough, it wasn't there, which was strange.

Shang Chen said that no one could get his phone.

Excluding human error, it is highly likely that the information was swallowed by the system.

Wen Ling gave an "oh" and inwardly cursed the system loophole, which almost caused her to lose a friend... well, she should say a friend.

Shang Chen asked curiously, "What did you send?"

Wen Ling shook her head, refusing to answer. Shang Chen chuckled and ruffled her hair. They successfully added each other back on WeChat, so he stopped pressing the question.

After running around for most of the day, I even slipped and fell.

Now that her worries were resolved and she relaxed, she felt sleepy, yawned, and said she wanted to go back to her dorm to rest.

Shang Chen said okay and was about to pick her up in his arms, but Wen Ling shook her head: "I want to be carried on my back."

"Okay." Shang Chen shamelessly faced her, intending to give her a koala hug. "Come on."

“No…” Wen Ling instructed him, “You… turn around.”

Shang Chen wanted to tease her some more, but fearing he might go too far, he turned around and walked for a while before gently bouncing the person on his back: "Are you still angry?"

After a long while, Wen Ling finally admitted that she hadn't.

Shang Chen smiled and asked again, "Then can I pursue you in the future?"

Wen Ling: "..."

Why is he speaking so bluntly now?

Wen Ling pretended to be clueless, and Shang Chen gently bounced her again: "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you asleep?"

Wen Ling buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled: "You can't do that kind of thing anymore."

Both of them knew exactly what was going on.

Without batting an eye, Shang Chen said, "If we're together, we can do *that* kind of thing."

"..." Wen Ling was speechless.

Shang Chen, as if he were going all out, pressed her for an answer: "When are you going to say yes?"

Wen Ling remained silent, wanting only to play dumb.

Shang Chen deliberately didn't go towards the car, but carried her in the opposite direction, saying that the scenery there was better and it would be nice to take a walk.

Wen Ling's face was flushed. She gently tightened her grip on his neck and said in a very official tone, "I've always considered you a friend."

"Well, actually I never wanted to be your friend." Shang Chen stopped pretending and said calmly, "From the very beginning, all I wanted to do was be your boyfriend."

Wen Ling couldn't handle his bluntness at all. She kicked her feet on his back, covered his mouth, and pitifully begged him, "Stop talking nonsense."

Shang Chen, desperate to survive: "I didn't...I'm not blind—"

Wen Ling hurriedly replied, "I need to think about it. Don't rush me."

Shang Chen fell silent again, and Wen Ling tentatively let go of his hand.

Shang Chen persisted in trying to secure a formal title for himself: "Fine, I won't rush you. Think it over carefully."

"Wen Ling, I'm waiting for you."