Chapter 29 Orange Sea "You will never be a nuisance to me..."
“Mr. Jiang, Miss Shen’s fever has subsided. She just caught a chill while the air conditioner was on last night. She’s fine.”
"Okay, I understand, thank you."
Hearing a conversation between a man and a woman, Shen Cen frowned slightly and slowly opened his eyes.
The blinding sunlight streamed in through the window, and Chen Cen instinctively closed his eyes and rubbed them. It took him a while to adjust to the light when he opened them again.
She glanced around and realized she was already in the hospital, with Jiang Shiyu sitting by her bedside.
The man looked like he hadn't slept well all night; there were faint dark circles under his eyes, and his eyelids drooped. However, his two hands were still tightly holding Shen Cen's left hand, which was receiving an IV drip.
"Awake?" Jiang Shiyu got up, poured a glass of hot water and handed it to Shen Cen, then helped her raise the bed. "Does your throat hurt? Drink some water first."
Shen Cen took the cup and took a small sip. The water temperature was just right, and his dry and itchy throat felt much better.
Jiang Shiyu peeled two more pills and gestured for Shen Cen to drink them with water. Shen Cen obediently took them, but as soon as the pills were in her mouth, she almost spat them all out because they tasted so bitter.
"It's so bitter..." she couldn't help but complain.
The man pulled something out of his pocket: "Open your mouth."
"ah?"
Just as he was wondering, a cool, refreshing thing was put into Chen Cen's mouth. Instantly, a sweet taste melted in his mouth, completely suppressing the bitterness of the pill.
"Do you know you have a fever?" Jiang Shiyu sat back down on the stool next to the hospital bed and picked up an orange to peel.
His face was expressionless, but his tone was very serious.
"Yes, I know."
"Then why didn't you call me?" His voice was even lower.
“I…” Shen Cen paused, “I was afraid of disturbing your sleep.”
“Chen Cen,” Jiang Shiyu stopped what he was doing, looked up into the woman’s eyes, “Don’t be afraid of troubling me, okay?”
Every word was sincere. Shen Cen had never seen Jiang Shiyu so serious before, so she knew he wasn't joking.
"Okay." She lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers helplessly. For some reason, she felt that Jiang Shiyu was a little angry, but she vaguely sensed that the reason for his anger was not because she had woken him up last night, but because she hadn't relied on him even when she was sick and about to faint.
"Shen Cen, you really dislike troubling others?" Jiang Shiyu asked, while stuffing a segment of orange to Shen Cen's mouth. Shen Cen hesitated for a moment, then took a bite.
After finishing his meal, he nodded and said, "Yes, someone once told me that I'm just a nuisance."
That was when Fu Meihua had just divorced Shen Cen, and she was always in a bad mood. Sometimes, when Shen Cen did something wrong, she couldn't control her emotions and would say that Shen Cen was just causing her trouble.
Although life gradually improved afterward, the shadow in her heart remained, which is a major reason why she has never been able to get close to Fu Meihua over the years.
After hearing these words, Jiang Shiyu remained silent for a long time. After a while, he finally spoke: "Chen Cen, you will never be a problem for me."
These words caught Shen Cen off guard, and she wondered if she had misheard: "Huh?"
“I said,” Jiang Shiyu paused deliberately, enunciating each word clearly:
"You will never be a problem with me."
"Did you hear me clearly, Shen Cen? I hope you can rely on me more."
-
At noon, Wen Jie learned that Shen Cen was sick and hospitalized, and left the magazine office without even having lunch.
She hurriedly bought some food at a supermarket along the way and rushed to the hospital.
"Honey, what's wrong? Do you still have a fever?"
"I'm fine, I just caught a cold from the air conditioning."
Wen Jie reached out and touched Chen Cen's forehead. She was relieved to find that it was no longer hot.
"Does your mouth taste bitter now? I specially bought you canned yellow peaches, have a couple of pieces." She opened the jar, scooped out a piece of yellow peach and fed it to Chen Cen.
When she was sick before, Wenjie would always buy her canned yellow peaches to eat.
After eating two pieces, Shen Cen suddenly hugged Wen Jie's arm and said, "Xiao Jie, you're so good to me."
"Oh dear, why is our darling Shen Cen so clingy today?" Wen Jie patted Shen Cen's head and then looked around the ward. "Where's your boss Jiang?"
"He made chicken soup and went home to get it."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I was wondering why you only messaged me now. So you don't need me anymore since you have your boss, Mr. Jiang."
"No, not at all!" Shen Cen suddenly remembered what Jiang Shiyu had said that morning. After hesitating for a few seconds, she still spoke up, "However, I feel that Jiang Shiyu has been acting a bit strange lately."
"Hmm?" Wen Jie looked at her with curiosity. "Tell me quickly."
Shen Cen started by talking about the day Jiang Shiyu bought flowers at the airport on the day she went on a business trip, and continued until she heard Jiang Shiyu say something that morning.
“He said,” Jiang Shiyu was still a little embarrassed to say it, and Shen Cen paused for a few seconds, as if he had mentally prepared himself before speaking, “I am never a problem for him.”
After thinking for a moment, Wen Jie could only think of one possibility: "Honey, do you think Boss Jiang has fallen for you?"
“But…” Shen Cen opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
"Honey, think about it, if you liked someone, what would you do?"
"I don't have anyone I like."
"Imagine the male lead you like in 'Summer Echoes'."
Shen Cen drew circles on the quilt as he pondered.
"So I might always want to see him? I might find myself smiling when I talk to him? I might pay attention to everything related to him?"
“Isn’t Jiang Shiyu’s reaction a sign that he likes you?” Wen Jie couldn’t help but tap Chen Cen on the head. “It’s so obvious, baby, why can’t you get it?”
Shen Cen has always been rather oblivious to matters of the heart, but Jiang Shiyu's recent behavior has given her a vague feeling that he might like her a little.
"And what about you, darling? What are your feelings for Jiang Shiyu?" Wen Jie asked again.
Shen Cen couldn't answer; the feeling was strange. She didn't see him all the time, as she had just said, and she didn't find it hard to suppress a smile when talking to him.
However, sometimes she would unconsciously look at him, and her heart would race when she was in close contact with him. Instead of being resistant, she would even like it.
She couldn't explain what kind of feeling it was.
"So you have a good impression of him, but it can't be called liking him yet?" Wen Jie could see the struggle in Shen Cen's heart.
Shen Cen felt that the word "having a good feeling" was quite fitting for her current state, and nodded.
-
When Jiang Shiyu brought the chicken soup, Wen Jie was just about to leave. The two met at the door of the ward, and Jiang Shiyu stopped and politely greeted her, "Miss Wen."
Wen Jie also stopped and glanced at the thermos in Jiang Shiyu's hand, then looked at Jiang Shiyu and said, "Treat Xiao Cen well."
"Don't worry." Jiang Shiyu nodded, his eyes sincere. "I will treat Xiao Cen well."
He entered the ward, where Shen Cen was staring blankly out the window. Hearing his footsteps, Shen Cen turned around: "You're here."
"Eat it while it's hot." Jiang Shiyu unscrewed the lid of the thermos. Shen Cen reached out to take it, but saw that Jiang Shiyu didn't intend to give it to her.
Jiang Shiyu scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it to her lips: "The patient shouldn't move around, I'll feed her."
Shen Cen withdrew his hand and obediently opened his mouth.
The two of them fed each other, one opening their mouths, and although they didn't say a word, the atmosphere in the room was not awkward at all; on the contrary, it made people feel very relaxed.
Before they knew it, the pot of chicken soup was empty. Jiang Shiyu took out a tissue and wiped Shen Cen's mouth. Shen Cen didn't move, letting Jiang Shiyu wipe it for her.
After finishing her IV drip, Shen Cen's condition improved significantly. In the afternoon, she turned on the TV in her hospital room and randomly picked a variety show to watch. However, the show was unexpectedly entertaining, and Shen Cen couldn't help but laugh out loud several times.
She inadvertently noticed Jiang Shiyu sitting next to her, not busy with work or looking at his phone, but staring at her. Shen Cen felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Shiyu kept thinking back to what happened last night.
He had originally intended to suppress his emotions and not let them show so quickly, but what happened yesterday truly frightened him. If he hadn't heard the commotion and gone outside, Chen Cen would have almost fallen down the stairs, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.
While she was unconscious that morning, Jiang Shiyu kept reflecting on himself, wondering why Shen Cen, despite having such a high fever, wouldn't ask for his help. So after she woke up, he earnestly told her that he hoped she could rely on herself more.
I don't know if this fool understood.
Seeing that Shen Cen had noticed him, Jiang Shiyu looked away: "I was thinking, how come some people are so omnipotent? They have a fever of almost 40 degrees Celsius, but they still force themselves to go find medicine."
Jiang Shiyu seemed to care about this matter more than she had imagined. Shen Cen's eyes flickered, a sour and swollen feeling welling up inside her. After a long while, she slowly said, "I understand. I'll ask you for help next time I'm sick."
Jiang Shiyu tapped Shen Cen's head with his finger: "I still hope that Teacher Shen is healthy."
"Ding ding ding—"
The ringing phone interrupted their conversation. Jiang Shiyu picked up the ringing phone from the bedside table, and glanced at the contact name on it:
[Brother~]
His eyes narrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking. His hand remained suspended in mid-air.
Seeing that Jiang Shiyu had noticed the nickname he had given to Lu Baichuan, Shen Cen hurriedly grabbed the phone.
She remembered that the reason she saved Lu Baichuan's contact was during the winter break after her freshman year when Lu Baichuan asked her what she had saved his contact as.
“Brother.” Shen Cen blinked her eyes, feeling puzzled. Should she not save him by his full name instead of his name? But Lu Baichuan was just like a real brother to her, and she felt a little awkward using his full name.
Unexpectedly, Lu Baichuan thought the nickname "brother" was too ordinary and asked her to change it to something more affectionate.
She racked her brains but couldn't think of anything more affectionate than "brother," so she asked Wen Jie what her contact name for her was.
Wen Jie sent me a picture that read, "Little Cen Baby~".
Shen Cen felt that adding "~" made it seem more intimate, so he asked Lu Baichuan if it was okay to say "brother~", and Lu Baichuan agreed.
Over the years, Shen Cen has gotten used to this nickname and hasn't changed it.
But Jiang Shiyu's gaze just now was quite intriguing, and she felt inexplicably ashamed.
After all, I'm already twenty-eight years old, not eighteen anymore, so this kind of seemingly coquettish address is a bit inappropriate.
The phone was still ringing when Chen Cen pressed the answer button: "Brother?"
Jiang Shiyu silently picked up the thermos container next to him, walked out of the ward, and saw Cheng Jingyan rushing over as soon as the door closed.
"Brother Yu!"
What brings you here?
Cheng Jingyan threw all the things she brought into Jiang Shiyu's hands, "What, you're not welcoming me? I came to visit you because you said your sister-in-law was sick. I never expected your air conditioner to be so effective that it made her catch a cold."
Jiang Shiyu: "I'll get someone to dismantle and renovate your house right away?"
"Thank you, Mr. Yu, but it's no trouble at all." Cheng Jingyan pointed to the closed door behind him. "What's wrong? Did your wife kick you out?"
Jiang Shiyu rolled his eyes at Cheng Jingyan: "Let's hope for something good. Her brother is on the phone, so I came out first."
The two sat down on the chairs near the ward entrance. Cheng Jingyan asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law has a brother?"
"Yes, I'm studying in Germany."
“Germany,” Cheng Jingyan clicked his tongue twice, “I respect anyone who dares to study in Germany. I have a friend who is studying medicine in Germany, and oh my, you have no idea how much pressure there is.”
Upon hearing the words "studying medicine in Germany," Jiang Shiyu paused, then suddenly turned to Cheng Jingyan and asked, "Who?"
"Brother Yu, we're not in the same circle, so you probably don't know him. He's the son of Ruichuang Medical, named Lu Baichuan."
Seeing that Jiang Shiyu's expression did not change, Cheng Jingyan continued, "Don't you know him? But he's going back to China next month, and I can introduce you to him then. He's very handsome and has a great presence."
“Oh right,” Cheng Jingyan paused, then continued, “He’s also a total siscon, he treats his little sister like she’s the most precious thing in the world. You’d better not cross his line.”
-----------------------
Author's Note: Bro's coming back! [doge emoji] General Jiang's alarm bells are ringing!
Oh, right, I posted a new pre-order for a novel in my column called "100% Favoritism," a sweet story of arranged marriage followed by love, similar to Xiao Si Ji's. It's about a girl with a bright yellow hair who tries to seduce a conservative older man into breaking his vows, only to get... *cough*... *sniff*... *cough*... *sniff*... *cough*... *sniff*... *sniff*... *sniff*...
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