"Ying Qian?"
"Knock knock knock"
Meng Beiyan bent his knuckles and gently knocked on the door.
Dim light, and a squeaking sound from an unidentified object.
In a second, the door opened, and the girl stood obediently in front of him, as if she knew he would come and was waiting at the door on purpose, her eyes never blinking.
Ying Qian pursed her lips, looked up at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, so subtle it was hard to see clearly, her face still flushed. "What's wrong... Brother?"
Her voice was very soft, just like when she was a timid child in Qincheng.
"..." His eyes were deep, his emotions swirling in them. A sentence caught in his throat, and after a while, he slowly uttered a few words: "Ying Qian, do you like me?"
The air froze in that instant; caught off guard, the invisible wall was breached.
"Did you ever like me?" he asked again. "You should know what I mean by 'like'."
This statement seems somewhat redundant.
He regretted it as soon as he said it; he hadn't left himself a way out.
Ying Qian's smile gradually froze, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"I don't like it." She shook her head, then smiled and asked softly, "And you? Do you like me? Meng Beiyan, have you ever liked me?"
If only it had happened a few years ago...
The two of them thought the same thing without prior arrangement.
A few years ago, her answer might have been "I like it," but now she stammers and can't say anything.
It only takes a moment to feel relieved.
Perhaps when Tang Yawen slapped her, she saw Meng Beiyan's angry yet helpless expression and had already given up on the past.
"Brother, I will repay you everything I can." She promised expressionlessly, her hands trembling slightly, already numb.
Meng Beiyan lowered his gaze, raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek. She didn't pull away, her bright eyes meeting his. He said, "Ying Qian, you must know, there are many things that you can never repay in your entire life..."
"Yes." Ying Qian raised her hand to wipe away her tears, her tone neither humble nor arrogant, "Many things, throughout one's life..."
Tears silently streamed down the man's face, and his dark stubble made him look haggard. Suddenly, he was afraid and cautiously interrupted, "Ying Qian, let's just forget what we said today, as if it were a dream."
Ying Qian lowered her eyes and remained silent.
The man turned and left.
The door slammed shut, and Ying Qian collapsed at the doorway of the study.
The lights in the house were dim, and the snow outside reflected in through the window, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
Ying Qian didn't know whether she should go out and chase after Meng Beiyan. She found that she couldn't stand up, no matter what she did. The heavy pain all over her body pressed her firmly to the ground.
She couldn't hear anything for a moment when she experienced tinnitus.
Large tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor with a deafening patter.
She looked up at the snow falling all around her, and she didn't know why she was crying.
Meng Beiyan spent the whole day in a daze in his study and didn't come back. The snow on the car outside was very thick, and the weeds in the small courtyard downstairs were about to be covered.
A cell phone ring broke the silence.
Ying Qian answered the phone casually, and a woman's shrill scream rang out: "Ying Qian—come to the Second Hospital quickly! Meng Beiyan has fainted—he keeps calling your name!"
I was stunned again, and the taut string in my mind finally snapped.
She calmly replied "okay," hung up the phone, and changed her clothes.
I forgot to turn off the lights before leaving and also forgot to bring an umbrella.
It's likely that Meng Beiyan didn't bring an umbrella when he went out in the morning.
Will it be cold?
In short, as soon as Ying Qian stepped out the door, a blast of cold air rushed into her collar, and she shivered so much that she couldn't speak. Snowflakes fell on her temples and quickly turned into water droplets, in a continuous cycle.
A strong embrace came from behind her. Turning around, she saw the boy's bright eyes sparkling like stars, and a familiar voice sounded in her ear: "With such heavy snow, why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
"I was in a rush to leave." She instinctively snuggled closer to the boy.
He was wearing a long black trench coat today, and his glasses gave him a refined and scholarly appearance. The light-colored mole at the corner of his eye stood out even more against the backdrop of heavy snow, making it impossible to look away.
The boy tilted the umbrella towards Ying Qian and asked casually, "Where are you going?"
"The Second Hospital," she instructed, "Meng Beiyan has fainted, I need to go check on him..."
Chen Wenzhi lowered his head and chuckled softly, then looked up with disdain and said, "Then it wouldn't necessarily be of any use for you to go."
"Yes..." She had to admit it, lowering her eyes, tears welling up again.
"What did he say to you?" Chen Wenzhi's expression changed, as if he had seen through something, and he casually said, "You're in a bad mood today."
"I know it's not good." She didn't say anything more.
Get into a taxi.
Ying Qian noticed that half of Chen Wenzhi's shoulder was covered in water stains.
"Next time, get a bigger umbrella that can cover both of us." Chen Wenzhi turned his head and noticed the gaze lingering on his shoulder. "That way, you won't feel bad about it."
She pinched the soft flesh of Chen Wenzhi's cheek, knowing that he really wanted to make her happy, so she forced a smile to comfort him.
Chen Wenzhi wasn't stupid; he didn't smile much, but instead frowned, and with a sigh, he wrapped his warm palm around her cold hand.
A warm feeling washed over me.
Ying Qian silently leaned her face against his shoulder, and he followed suit.
They remained silent, as if in tacit agreement.
Chen Wenzhi pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped her tears with practiced ease.
He wasn't good at offering words of comfort, and Ying Qian didn't need him to say anything.
As long as we can keep each other company, that's enough.
The entrance to the Second Hospital was blocked by cars, with ambulances blocking the entrance to the emergency room one after another.
As soon as Ying Qian got out of the taxi, her nose turned red from the cold again, and her hands were cold again.
Chen Wenzhi glanced at her, gritted his teeth, and simply grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go, stuffing both hands into one pocket, just to keep her warm.
Do you know where he is?
Ying Qian took out her other hand to make a phone call, and Chen Wenzhi pulled his arm back so that she could lean completely against him.
"Why be so dramatic?" She glanced at Chen Wenzhi, who had a serious expression on his face.
He smiled helplessly.
Upon entering the Second Hospital, the strong smell of disinfectant stung my nose.
At the door of the ward, Li Qinqin waved to her.
Ying Qian didn't have a deep impression of Li Qinqin, but seeing her here, she could probably guess who she was.
"Meng Beiyan is inside. Come in. Aunt Tang didn't come over."
Hearing the noise outside, the people in the ward also ran out.
Meng Xuhe had lost a lot of weight; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was skin and bones, and his face was deathly pale.
"..."
The two couldn't become intimate immediately upon meeting.
Chen Wenzhi put his arm around Ying Qian and walked into the ward, coughing incessantly.
The man lay on the hospital bed, an IV drip in his hand, muttering something incoherently.
Chen Wenzhi listened intently from the side.
He called out Ying Qian's name.
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