Chapter 14. I like you.
The day after He Yan saw Wen Xue sitting blankly on the sofa with the lights on at 5 a.m., he asked for her opinion and asked someone to make an appointment for her at a well-regarded traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Xicheng. The next morning, he drove her there. The hospital was crowded that day, and it took them a long time to find a parking space.
In the past, He Yan was impatient with many things and had a bad temper. When he encountered someone cutting in line or someone with even lower manners than him, he would sometimes get angry and have to fight with them.
His temper was still rising rapidly, but with Wen Xue sitting in the passenger seat, and him glancing at her, seeing her sitting calmly and obediently holding her scarf, it made him calm down as well.
He Yan has been to the hospital a handful of times in his two lifetimes combined.
Previously, I brought He Heng to see a pediatrician; now I bring Wen Xue to have her pulse taken.
Both of these events happened to him in a very strange way. He walked ahead to clear the way, while Wen Xue followed slowly behind. An uninformed person would think they were strangers. They had booked an appointment with a specialist, and it would take a long time for their number to be called.
He Yan glanced around, found a seat, and led her to sit down without saying a word.
Wen Xue sat for a while, feeling restless, and finally got up to give her seat to an elderly woman.
The certificates she received during her student days could cover an entire wall.
In short, no matter what she learned from her family, teachers, or textbooks, no matter how tired she was, she could not ignore the elderly, children, the sick, and the disabled. Even though she herself was so frail that she could be blown away by the wind, she would still insist on doing so.
He Yan assumed she was sitting still, so he went to the stairwell to get some fresh air and answered a phone call.
At this critical juncture, there's not even enough time to go through all the call logs in a day.
After ending a phone call, he sensed something was wrong. He turned his head and saw a person standing a little over a meter away from him. This person, who should have been sitting and resting, was looking at him innocently with clear eyes.
"..." he asked, "Have they called our numbers yet?"
"No," Wen Xue said softly. "There was an old lady standing there, and I felt embarrassed to sit down."
That grandmother was probably in her sixties or seventies, but she was only twenty.
He Yan's lips twitched. He looked back and thought to himself, "That grandma looks much healthier than her."
After waiting for another ten minutes or so, it was finally their turn. He Yan knew that when young men and women came to see a doctor together, people who didn't know the inside story would more or less suspect what their relationship was. So he took the initiative to say, "Doctor, I'm here with my sister. If there's anything inconvenient, I can go outside and wait."
The doctor smiled and nodded.
After taking her pulse, she asked, "Have you been sleeping poorly? How long has it been?"
Wen Xue slowly withdrew her hand. "It's been half a year. I wake up from my dreams, and then I can't fall back asleep."
He Yan didn't get too close, and upon hearing this, he looked at the top of her head with a complicated expression.
She sat very upright, wearing a thick down jacket, but she still seemed to be swaying.
The doctor was meticulous and patient, and prescribed the right medicine. He Yan took the prescription to get the medicine, which came in a large bag full of traditional Chinese medicine liquids to regulate the body. Back in the apartment building, under his gaze, Wen Xue opened a bag, carefully took a sip, and her face contorted in pain. "So bitter!"
If he hadn't been there, she would have thrown up immediately.
He Yan: "Is it that hard?"
His tone was the same as before, but Wen Xue always felt there was some doubt in it. It was undeniable that her relationship with him had grown much closer recently, especially after watching the sunrise yesterday. To her, he was no longer just He Heng's brother; he had his own name now. She was silent for a few seconds, her mouth bitter, and after thinking for a few seconds with her eyes down, she took out a package and handed it to him, looking at him silently. The meaning was clear: If you don't believe me, try it.
He Yan was slightly taken aback, but after understanding her meaning, he chuckled softly. He still took it, opened it, and took a sip, half a bag in one go.
He froze for a moment, then calmly finished the rest of the drink.
Wen Xue's almond-shaped eyes widened. Did he have no sense of taste?
He Yan threw the empty bag into the trash can with a calm expression. "Listen to the doctor. If it's really bitter, eat something sweet after you finish drinking it."
Wen Xue was still in shock, carefully searching for any clues on his face, but unfortunately, he showed no reaction whatsoever, as if he had just drunk a glass of water.
"I have other things to do." He Yan stared at the half-finished Chinese medicine in her hand and reminded her, "Remember to finish it."
Wen Xue: "..."
no.
Does he really not feel bitter?
Under her questioning gaze, He Yan turned and strode downstairs. He returned to his room, the door ajar. Wu Yuejiang came back to get something, heard the noise next door, and walked over while playing with his car keys. He pushed open the door and saw He Yan standing in front of the sink brushing his teeth.
Wu Yuejiang glanced suspiciously at the sun outside.
It's neither morning nor night, time to brush your teeth?
Are you brushing your teeth now?
He Yan didn't answer immediately. He tilted his head back and rinsed his mouth, his tongue still bitter. "Can I be hygienic?"
Wu Yuejiang: "?"
OK.
…
Wen Xue takes her medicine on time every day, but she can't say whether it's effective or not. She just finds it bitter. She wakes up early in the morning, and on days when it doesn't rain, she tiptoes to the rooftop to wait for the sun to break through the darkness. In just a few days, she has collected all the beer bottles from the rooftop.
She was pestered by Nana all afternoon and had no choice but to agree to go shopping after get off work.
She knocked on He Yan's office door and asked him for leave.
She couldn't have dinner with him that night.
After hearing her purpose, he took out his wallet from his pocket. She took a step back, pursed her lips, and said, "No."
She has money, and besides, she only spent two hundred of the cash he recently slipped into her wallet.
He Yan opened his wallet, his fingers touching a card. He was about to pull it out and give it to her when he saw the resistance written on her face. He really didn't understand what young people were thinking these days. He Heng was like this, and she was like this too. It was as if every time he gave her something, it wasn't money, but a bomb.
"You always have to buy something when you go shopping," he said.
Wen Xue shook her head. "I have money."
He Yan reluctantly closed his wallet. "Buy more."
"Do you want me to bring you something?" she asked after thinking for a moment.
"Need not."
He Yan wasn't interested in these things, nor did he care about the clothes he was wearing. Several of them were things Wu Yuejiang had casually bought for him when she went shopping. But seeing her somewhat disappointed expression, he paused and then changed his mind, saying, "Why don't you bring me a toothbrush instead?"
Wen Xue's eyes lit up: "Okay."
She walked briskly out of the office, and at six o'clock sharp, she and Nana headed straight for the bus stop to Xingguang Plaza, which was closer. They arrived in just a few stops. Nana, who was tall and had long legs, pulled her inside. After all, they had just received their salaries and it was Chinese New Year.
"The coat looks so good!"
Nana touched the fabric, then looked at the price tag, and muttered, "But it seems like it'll be raining and snowing in Xicheng during the Lunar New Year, so I definitely won't be able to wear it. I'll wait for the seasonal sale before buying it."
Wen Xue asked in surprise, "Didn't you buy a ticket to go back to your hometown?"
"I'm not going back."
Nana shrugged and smiled easily, "I haven't even gone back yet, and my parents have already called me, asking me to get money from Wannian, saying that my brother is getting engaged this year. What does that have to do with me? If I have to pay for just one New Year's Eve dinner, then I'm not going back."
"I see."
Wen Xue rarely pries into other people's lives, and this time was no exception. The expression on her face was as natural as if she had just listened to the weather forecast.
The topic was glossed over, but while Nana was trying on clothes, she received a call from her aunt, urging her to buy a ticket back to Haicheng for the New Year as soon as possible. She hesitated for a moment, then covered the phone and whispered, "Aunt, I won't be going back for the New Year this year."
She explained in a gentle voice.
My aunt paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, remember to accept the New Year's money I give you."
Before hanging up, she added with relief, "You sound like you're having a great time, that's good."
Wen Xue originally didn't care where she spent the New Year, but she couldn't help thinking that while other people in the company were buying tickets to go back to their hometowns one after another, He Yan hadn't made any moves and hadn't asked her either. Since Nana and Wan Nian were both there, she might as well stay.
That seems to make it more lively.
Nana had great stamina and wanted to shop until the mall closed, but Wenxue was a bit exhausted. At nine o'clock, they took a taxi back to the tenement building. They parted ways on the second floor. Nana went up to the third floor to go back to her room, while Wenxue went up to the second floor to deliver a toothbrush to He Yan.
The light in his room was on.
She knocked on the door. He must have just finished showering; his hair was still damp, and he smelled strongly of soap. He was only wearing a dark sweater. He asked her, "Finished shopping?"
"Um."
She handed over the paper bag with both hands, "Toothbrush."
He Yan glanced at it, completely baffled. When did toothbrushes start being packaged in such a large box? Aren't they usually sold in bundles?
Wen Xue was amused by his confused expression. "An electric toothbrush has two replacement brush heads, and one charge can last a long time."
She wanted to buy him a good toothbrush.
I happened to see the counter in the mall, and without thinking much, I asked the clerk to wrap it up.
He Yan was even more confused.
Wen Xue was in a hurry to take a shower, and the water from the water heater wouldn't be as hot after 10 o'clock, so she shoved the paper bag into his hand, turned around and ran upstairs, leaving He Yan holding the box high, frowning as he measured it.
He opened the packaging and saw a variety of colorful items inside, including toothbrush heads and chargers.
It costs more than buying a mobile phone part.
But as he looked at her, a smile appeared in his eyes. His sister was much more conscientious than her brother. He Heng had been his brother for twenty years, and the only thing he had ever received was a pair of gloves that had peeled after only a few days of wear, and now this wallet that was also starting to peel.
They just buy cheap counterfeit goods.
-
The next day was the last day of work this year.
Their company is small, with few employees, so they don't bother with anything fancy. The budget for the annual meeting is used to give out bonuses. They only get together for a meal and a karaoke session at the end of the year, which is considered their annual meeting.
The large private room, which could seat twenty people, was completely full. He Yan always felt that he wasn't very cultured, so he left the motivational speeches to the high-achieving Wu Yuejiang. The drivers didn't really understand what Wu Yuejiang was saying, but that didn't stop them from being the atmosphere-maker, shouting loudly, "Good! Good!!"
"Finally, let's raise our glasses to a toast to General Manager He," Wu Yuejiang said. "Without him, there would be no Changya."
He Yan: "..."
Wang Yuan opened a bottle of wine and poured wine for everyone with great enthusiasm. Before he could get close to Wen Xue, He Yan said, "Don't pour for her, she's drinking Chinese medicine."
"I'll pour her some orange juice!"
He Yan remained noncommittal.
Wenxue's glass was half full of orange juice.
Wang Yuan rushed over to He Yan's side and was about to pour him a drink, but He Yan covered the rim of the glass with his hand and said, "No need to pour me any, I'm not drinking today."
"What, brother, you're taking medicine too?"
“Yes, I’m taking blood pressure medication,” He Yan said. “It’s because of you guys.”
Wen Xue couldn't help but chuckle. In recent days, under He Yan's supervision, she had been eating regularly, and her originally pale complexion had become rosier.
The meal was filled with laughter and conversation, and everyone's spirits were high. The group walked out of the restaurant in a grand manner, and in twos and threes, they took cars to the karaoke room that Nana had booked. Wen Xue had a feeling of being in another world. She couldn't even remember the last time she had participated in such an entertainment activity. Li Jingru led her into a large private room, where beer, fruit drinks, fruit platters, and various snacks were laid out on the table.
Several microphones were snatched away in a matter of minutes.
Wen Xue was the youngest among them. Everyone, from Sister Zhou to Nana, took good care of her. After a few songs, a quiet driver handed her the microphone. She took it and tried to push it away, but they egged her on to request a song.
She instinctively looked for He Yan, but he had gone out to answer a phone call.
Wu Yuejiang leaned back in his booth and chuckled, "Give it a try, it'll definitely be better than their wailing and howling just now."
The others quit.
The atmosphere was so good that Wen Xue didn't want to spoil the fun. She went to the song selection table, picked an old song that had been covered by someone, sat on a high stool, and as the melody started, she sang a line. The people in the private room fell silent in tacit agreement.
To say that Wen Xue sings very well is not accurate.
Her lung capacity wasn't large enough, so she couldn't quite get into the climax and had to pause for a second before continuing. Her slightly trembling breaths carried through the microphone to every corner of the box, but that didn't stop everyone from listening intently, because she was very serious and focused.
After hanging up the phone, He Yan pushed open the door and came in. He paused, and the ambient lighting in the private room was shining on her. He raised his eyes and stared at her intently. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he saw a fleeting glimpse of tears in her bright eyes.
He didn't barge in abruptly, but stood at the door and listened to her finish singing the song.
Wen Xue's cheeks flushed. She handed the microphone to Sister Zhou, who was closest to her, and then went out under the pretext of going to the restroom. When she passed by He Yan, he called out to her. The two were quite close, and because the music was too loud, he had to lean down slightly to speak so that she could hear him clearly.
Do you know how to get to the restroom?
“I know…” she added, “and there are signs.”
"Go."
He Yan looked around and sat down next to Wu Yuejiang. The two whispered to each other about business, completely unaware that Wang Yuan rubbed his face and quietly left the private room. After two or three songs, He Yan realized that Wen Xue hadn't returned yet. Thinking she couldn't find her way, he told Wu Yuejiang and then got up to go look for her.
He walked slowly, stopping frequently, and as he turned the corner, he was caught off guard when he overheard Wang Yuan stammering, "I know I'm delusional, a toad, but Wen Xue, I really like you. The first time I saw you, I... I liked you so much..."
If he had known that the heating products he bought were for Wen Xue, he would have gone out much earlier and chosen them more carefully.
He Yan withdrew his leg and took a few steps to the side. The two men didn't notice him. He couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. He hadn't been drinking, so why did he have a headache? He had explained everything to Wang Yuan so clearly, but the kid hadn't listened to a word.
Soon, Wang Yuan also fell silent.
Just as He Yan was about to pretend to be passing by and help out, he heard Wen Xue speak.
She whispered, "I'm sorry, I already have a boyfriend."
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