Chapter 61 I want you, you want...
When the nurse arrived, Jiang Nuanyu was still caught up in the aftermath of Liang Qi's departure, and her reaction to everything around her was slow.
The nurse put the chair that Liang Qi had sat in back in its original place, while she was still staring blankly at the empty space.
The nurse pushed the trolley to her bedside, smiled at her, and said, "Lie down, I need to check your wound."
Jiang Nuanyu turned her head after a second, then came to her senses and said, "Okay."
The nurse changed the dressing on her surgical wound and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort after eating?"
Jiang Nuanyu shook her head and said truthfully, "No."
Her surgical wound was healing well, with no abnormal redness or oozing. The nurse quickly finished treating her, straightened her clothes a little, and said, "Your friend is very handsome and a gentleman."
Jiang Nuanyu smiled slightly in agreement, but her eyes dimmed a little.
“Maybe he’s not your boyfriend,” the nurse said, putting away the gauze and raising an eyebrow at her with a smile, “but he cares about you a lot.”
Jiang Nuanyu's thoughts were focused on the first half of the nurse's sentence at the time, and she didn't know what the second half meant until the day she was discharged from the hospital.
*
Three days later, after an imaging examination, the doctor informed Jiang Nuanyu that her recovery was going well and she could be discharged the next day.
The next morning, after the last bag of medicine was finished, the nurse removed the IV needle from Jiang Nuanyu's hand, applied the tape, and smiled, "Congratulations on your discharge. Wishing you good health."
"Thanks."
Except for the first two days after surgery, Jiang Nuanyu did not hire a caregiver. During her hospitalization, she talked most with the two nurses who were in charge of her. Although it was part of their duties, she was still very grateful for their meticulous care.
Jiang Nuanyu originally planned to ask the nurse about the discharge procedures, but after thinking about it, she decided to pack her things first.
Actually, she didn't have much.
There was only a hospital bag I bought from the hospital, containing a hospital gown and a few basic daily necessities, which wasn't worth taking home.
After changing back into her own clothes, Jiang Nuanyu pulled back the curtain beside the hospital bed and was startled to see the person standing by the window.
Liang Qi leaned against the windowsill, one hand in his pocket, his back to the sunlight. He wore a casual suit, the fabric of which was thin, yet he still looked remarkably well-proportioned and stylish.
Hearing the noise, he looked up at her.
Jiang Nuanyu's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze flickering, her mouth moving repeatedly, but she couldn't utter a single word for a moment.
“Peng Ze went to complete the discharge procedures,” Liang Qi said.
“Oh…” Jiang Nuanyu responded subconsciously, “How… how did you know I was going to be discharged? Or…” She was really clueless and frowned.
Seeing that she stopped mid-sentence, Liang Qi asked her, "Or what?"
Jiang Nuanyu stared at him, unable to figure it out. Liang Qi continued for her, saying, "Or maybe I was just lucky to run into him?"
Although she found it unbelievable, Jiang Nuanyu instinctively wanted to believe in the fate between her and Liang Qi, raising her eyebrows in surprise and asking, "Really?"
Liang Qi didn't explain, seemingly unsurprised by her overly naive reaction. He curved his lips into a slight smile, a faint chuckle appearing in his eyes as he looked at her.
Meeting his smile, Jiang Nuanyu's heart pounded. The answer to the question suddenly seemed less important.
She lowered her eyes and raised her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear.
She was no longer wearing that hospital gown, and she had washed her hair the day before. Although she still looked unwell, her complexion was much better than the last time we met.
Liang Qi stared at her for a while, glanced down at his watch, straightened up, and said, "Let's go, the formalities should be almost done."
Jiang Nuanyu nodded, unsure of where they were going, but still followed him.
Halfway there, Liang Qi glanced sideways and said casually, "Think about what you want to eat later."
"Oh," Jiang Nuanyu agreed, but didn't think about it seriously. She was only thinking that Liang Qi would accompany her for her first meal after being discharged from the hospital.
Only then did she feel like she had truly recovered.
As Liang Qi passed the nurses' station, he made eye contact with a nurse and nodded to her, saying, "Thank you."
Jiang Nuanyu immediately turned to look at him suspiciously, and Liang Qi also looked down at her.
She winked at him twice, and Liang Qi, with a normal expression, looked back ahead: "What's wrong?"
He seemed to be thanking the nurse out of politeness, but Jiang Nuanyu shook her head: "It's nothing."
In the elevator going downstairs, Jiang Nuanyu still looked thoughtful. As the elevator approached the first floor, she suddenly remembered something, turned to Liang Qi, and abruptly asked, "Did the nurse tell you?"
Liang Qi raised his eyelids, pretending not to understand: "What?"
Jiang Nuanyu hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Did you ask the nurse to tell you my discharge date, which is why you came today, and why you thanked her?"
Liang Qi looked into her bright eyes, smiled slowly, glanced at the numbers on the elevator, nodded, and hummed in agreement.
Jiang Nuanyu felt that his "hmm" not only gave her an affirmation, but also seemed to express the meaning that "she wasn't stupid after all."
Her face flushed instantly.
I actually believed someone just now that they were "lucky to run into someone"...
As if he could read her mind, Liang Qi smiled slightly, his expression relaxed.
After seeing her lonely, tearful figure that day, he left his contact information at the nurses' station, asking them to let him know as soon as he heard she was being discharged. He couldn't confirm his plans for the next few days and wasn't sure if he could come, so he didn't tell her beforehand.
After getting in the car, Liang Qi asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Nuanyu thought for no more than a second before blurting out, "I want to eat everything." Realizing her mistake immediately, she quickly added, "...I mean, I'm fine with anything."
Liang Qi didn't expose her, and simply said, "Okay."
The car finally stopped in front of a small but exquisitely decorated restaurant.
Jiang Nuanyu was wondering how Liang Qi found such a niche restaurant when a man who seemed to be the owner came out to greet him warmly.
"So it's someone I know," she thought. "How did we meet?"
After sitting down, Liang Qi noticed that she was still staring longingly at the kitchen counter, so he explained, "He is the owner and head chef of this restaurant. His wife was my former rehabilitation nutritionist."
“Oh…” Jiang Nuanyu nodded in realization, then thought of Liang Qi’s past injury.
She still knew nothing about it, not where he was injured or what kind of injury he had. Her heart softened, and she looked at him.
Liang Qi noticed the confusion in her soft eyes, but didn't say anything more about it and changed the subject.
After the dishes were served, Jiang Nuanyu noticed that each dish was rather light, perhaps as Liang Qi had specifically instructed. The main course was a warm French tomato and potato soup, refreshing pan-fried white fish with lemon, and stewed vegetables with lentils and diced peaches and apples. The staple food was a soft bread with cheese and a small pinch of chopped pecans.
With each bite, Jiang Nuanyu would exclaim in her heart: Delicious! Eating is truly a blissful thing.
Especially when eating with someone you like.
Seeing that she had almost finished eating, Liang Qi asked, "Did you like the taste?"
Jiang Nuanyu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I like it."
During the past few days of illness, she couldn't eat anything for the first half of the time, and for the second half, she could only eat things like bland mashed potatoes, pumpkin puree, and unsweetened yogurt. This meal was a delicacy to her, a true culinary delight.
“This restaurant isn’t far from your company or where you live,” Liang Qi said. “You can come here for meals during this period after you are discharged from the hospital.”
Jiang Nuanyu was taken aback, then suddenly remembered the nutritionist. Looking at the plate in front of her that she had almost finished eating, she seemed to understand Liang Qi's intention.
His words contained neither greetings nor instructions, yet they gave her that long-lost feeling of being cared for, a feeling she had almost forgotten due to living alone for so long.
Feelings of being moved, touched, reassured, and instinctively wanting to rely on him mingled and surged, pressing heavily on her throat.
Jiang Nuanyu held a glass of lemonade, unable to lift her eyelids for a long time.
*
As Jiang Nuanyu stepped out of the restaurant, she noticed that the car waiting at the entrance seemed different from the one she had arrived in.
Sure enough, Peng Ze, whom we hadn't seen all morning, got out of the passenger seat.
Peng Ze smiled warmly at her: "Long time no see, Miss Jiang."
"Long time no see." Jiang Nuanyu still remembered how he helped with her discharge procedures and sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Mr. Peng."
"You're too kind," Peng Ze said, opening the back door for her.
Jiang Nuanyu turned her head, but Liang Qi, who had been beside her, had already gone around to the other side, so she had no choice but to get into the nearest car.
The restaurant was indeed very close to where she lived; it only took three or four minutes to drive there. Peng Ze got out of the car with the two of them, opened the trunk, and took out two large bags.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced at him curiously, and Liang Qi stretched out his hand to Peng Ze: "Give it to me."
Peng Ze hesitated for a moment, glanced at Jiang Nuanyu behind Liang Qi, and finally handed the bag to Liang Qi.
Liang Qi took the two large bags with one hand, turned to look at Jiang Nuanyu who seemed a little confused, tilted his head slightly, and said, "Let's go."
Jiang Nuanyu paused for two seconds before realizing that the two bags were probably for her.
She glanced at the bag in Liang Qi's hand, then at Liang Qi, then at Peng Ze, before finally saying "Oh," and walking home with Liang Qi.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Jiang Nuanyu was about to slow down when Liang Qi pointed to the building entrance with his chin and said, "I'll take you up."
“…Okay.” She took two quick steps and opened the unit door for him, but her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she didn’t dare to look at him.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs and the moment the door opened, Jiang Nuanyu gasped silently, frozen in place—
Oh no.
Her home was still in the state it was in before her surgery and hospitalization; she had completely forgotten about it. And during those days, she was busy finishing her project and had no time to organize anything…
The door had been pushed open, and in the dressing room on the right, clothes that had been changed over the past few days were piled up together, forming a small mountain around the laundry baskets against the wall; shoes hadn't been put back in the shoe cabinet yet, and were scattered in several rows.
She probably forgot to put the cap back on the bottle after drinking. It was hot, and the alcohol evaporated, so the heat mixed with the strong smell of alcohol hit the air.
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
She didn't dare look at Liang Qi's expression at all, and forced herself to invite him in while she quickly opened the window to ventilate the room.
As she stepped off the platform, she glanced at Liang Qi, who was opening a window on the other side for her.
On the dining table next to him, which she used as a desk, were scattered various materials she had prepared while writing. The baguette she used to eat was probably dried into a solid "stick," and there were four or five empty coffee cups piled up...
Liang Qi opened the window, glanced at the table when he turned around, lifted the bag in his hand, but finding nowhere to put it, he let it hang down again.
Jiang Nuanyu felt both embarrassed and ashamed. The house was already hot, and even with the wind blowing in from the window, she still felt unbearably stuffy.
There was no coffee table in her house, so Liang Qi put the bag he was carrying on the sofa and looked up at her.
Jiang Nuanyu tried to explain the mess at home: "I was quite busy recently, so... I didn't have time to tidy up..."
Liang Qi didn't focus on the second half of her sentence, but only asked, "Will you be taking a break for a while?"
"Yes, it will." Jiang Nuanyu laughed self-deprecatingly. "Fainting at the company startled everyone. My boss will probably give me a mandatory leave for a while."
Judging from her tone, it seemed like she was quite disappointed that she couldn't go to work. Liang Qi glanced at her, pursed his lips, and ultimately didn't offer any opinion.
His gaze fell, initially just a casual glance, but upon seeing the things on the bed, his eyes clearly returned to their own.
Jiang Nuanyu turned her head following his gaze. Her underwear was hanging by the bed, and her panties were draped over the other side of the blanket, gleaming brightly.
Almost instinctively, she took a large step to the side with her hands behind her back, trying to block the way in front of the bed.
Her movements were so exaggerated that Liang Qi looked up at her. She felt incredibly embarrassed, but still wanted to maintain a semblance of dignity, so she insisted on meeting his gaze: "Oh, I..."
She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Liang Qi tried not to look anywhere else, as it wouldn't be convenient for him to stay any longer. He nodded to her and said, "I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything."
Jiang Nuanyu suddenly froze, her embarrassment and awkwardness vanishing from her mind. He said he was leaving, and she panicked, though she didn't know why: "You..."
Liang Qi waited for her for a few seconds, but she didn't say anything. He nodded to her and walked away.
Jiang Nuanyu turned towards the direction he had left. Seeing that he had already reached the door, she seemed to be startled awake and said anxiously, "Liang Qi, do you... do you want some water?"
Liang Qi stopped, turned back to her, and smiled, "No, thank you."
He finished speaking and was about to leave again when Jiang Nuanyu hurriedly took a few steps over: "Liang Qi—"
Liang Qi's hand stopped on the doorknob, and he turned around again.
Jiang Nuanyu paused, walked up to him, lowered her head, and after a while, raised her hand and pinched his sleeve.
Liang Qi glanced down at her and let her do as she pleased.
"Why are you like this?" Her nose was red, and her voice was already trembling with tears. "This time, I haven't even told you to go first."
She looked up at him, her eyes already moist, and accused him with a hint of grievance, "You always let me choose. I haven't even chosen yet, why are you leaving?"
Liang Qi looked at her with a deep gaze, but didn't say anything.
She continued to gaze at him in his silence. She knew that with Liang Qi, hearing was useless.
She asked him, "Liang Qi, if you wanted me to choose, would I be willing to choose either?"
All the windows were open, and the rustling of leaves being blown by the wind drifted in, becoming the only sound in the entire room for a few seconds.
"What do you want?" Liang Qi asked.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Nuanyu took a step closer without hesitation, stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around Liang Qi's neck, and tilted her head back to kiss his lips.
She wanted him.
Only one thought remained in her heart: she loved him.
Perhaps at some point in the past, she had felt his love. But in the end, she was more bothered by his reservations.
She hoped she could love with self-respect, with restraint, and with reason. She once thought she had achieved that. She wisely chose to step back, leaving her feelings for him behind, and went to Paris alone.
At that time, she seemed to be holding back, just like him.
But after months of struggle, separation, and reunion, the moment she saw him in her hospital bed, whether his love remained, how much it remained, or even whether he loved her at all, no longer mattered to her. She loved him, and that was enough.
Perhaps she lost to her former self, but she did so willingly. All she knew was that choosing not to love him didn't bring her happiness.
She truly hated and felt ashamed of her departure, but she no longer wanted to run away from that selfish choice. And she was not only selfish, she was also greedy. But she accepted it all.
She wanted to love herself, and she also wanted to love him.
Jiang Nuanyu closed her eyes and pecked at his lips urgently and desperately.
After what seemed like the umpteenth kiss, Liang Qi lowered his head and returned her kiss. He pulled her close, his arm around her waist.
She felt weak from her chest to her toes in an instant, and a tingling, sore sensation came from her lower abdomen. She instinctively clung even tighter to his neck.
He held her waist with one hand and protected her behind her head with the other, pressing her against the door and entwining his lips and tongue with hers. His kisses grew deeper, stronger, and more forceful.
She wanted to drown in his kisses and embrace, yet she couldn't help but respond passionately, as if she wanted to express all her unspoken love through every entanglement of their lips.
His breath brushed against her face, echoing in her ear. His breathing was heavy, all because of her. For that alone, her mind went completely blank with pleasure. She felt weightless, even euphoric.
She gradually couldn't take it anymore, and finally, after a moment of not being able to catch her breath, she pulled her head away from his lips.
Their lips were still rubbing together, as if their hot breaths were still being exchanged.
Her breathing was rapid and shallow. Liang Qi took a couple of breaths to catch his breath and said, "You want this?"
Jiang Nuanyu felt so ashamed by his words that her heart tingled. While she was angry at herself for being so pathetic, he remained nonchalant. She lowered her face to him and murmured, "I hate you."
Liang Qi glanced at the ceiling, nodded, licked the lingering dampness on his lips—perhaps hers—and said in a low, husky voice, "Mmm."
Jiang Nuanyu thought she had misheard. She looked up and met his downcast eyes, then repeated weakly, "I said I hate you."
“You can hate me,” Liang Qi said.
Stimulated by his words and reaction, Jiang Nuanyu's eyes welled up with tears again. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, she reached out to push him away. Liang Qi tightened his grip on her waist, not letting go at all.
The more he did this, the more she struggled.
"Don't move." Liang Qi grabbed her wrist as she pushed him away, and wiped away her tears with the back of his hand. He said, "Don't move, I don't want to hurt you."
Jiang Nuanyu really stopped moving, but pouted and said insincerely, "Then let me go..."
Liang Qi ignored her, took her wrist off his hand, held it in his hand, rubbed his thumb against her damp palm, and asked her, "Do you want me to let you go?"
Jiang Nuanyu fell silent. She was afraid that if she persisted, even if Liang Qi knew she was being disingenuous, he would let her go.
So what if it's embarrassing? She really wanted him to hold her for a while longer.
She gradually lost her strength in his arms, her body softly pressed against him. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and soon, Jiang Nuanyu sensed something, slowly lifting her eyelids to look at him.
Liang Qi was clearly trying his best to restrain himself, and his breathing was a little unsteady, but his eyes were fixed on her, tracing her every expression, and he stared at her for a long time.
The door faced a window, and the sunlight from outside passed over Liang Qi's shoulder, falling directly on Jiang Nuanyu's face. Liang Qi slightly lowered his head to block the light for her.
He was completely backlit, which made his eyes appear even more profound and indescribable. Jiang Nuanyu felt so overwhelmed by his gaze that she couldn't lift her eyes, and her heart pounded wildly.
He freed one hand, brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to her forehead with his fingertips, gently wiped away the thin layer of sweat, and asked her, "Are you hot?"
His tone was soft and slow, but it did not conceal the desire hidden within.
Jiang Nuanyu's mind was wandering, her heart trembling. The air in the room was warm, and his body was even hotter. She nodded at his question, then shook her head, afraid she might have answered incorrectly.
Liang Qi looked at her, smiled, released his arms from her waist, bent down and picked her up in his arms, carrying her into the house.
Jiang Nuanyu's heart seemed to skip a beat. She hugged Liang Qi's neck, her mind hazy, yet she began to imagine what might happen next.
However, Liang Qi simply placed her steadily on the sofa.
She instantly blushed with embarrassment at her earlier thought.
Liang Qi sat down opposite him and took out a separately wrapped paper bag from the two bags Peng Ze had given him.
Seeing the packaging, Jiang Nuanyu suddenly remembered that the nurse had told her that morning that she would need to take oral medication for a few more days after being discharged from the hospital.
Following the instructions, Liang Qi removed the medicine from her hand and asked, "Where's the water?"
Jiang Nuanyu replied, "In the refrigerator."
Liang Qi paused for a moment: "Only ice?"
She nodded: "Mm."
Liang Qi glanced at her again, then turned to get some water. He frowned slightly as he opened the refrigerator door.
The refrigerator light shone coldly, revealing a few bottles of water, but mostly various kinds of alcohol. Besides that, there were several cartons of milk on the shelf next to it. He picked one up and glanced at it; sure enough, it was expired, two weeks past its expiration date.
In the end, he only took out a bottle of water.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it to her. She took it, put the pill in her mouth, and swallowed it with a small sip of water.
Liang Qi glanced at the wine bottles and glasses on the low table behind her. Jiang Nuanyu noticed his gaze and felt inexplicably guilty.
She was afraid he would find out about her drinking problem, so she added an extra explanation: "I drink occasionally."
The air was silent for a few seconds; it was the lie that caused the problem.
Liang Qi didn't mention the wine again, only saying, "The milk in the refrigerator has expired."
"Oh, it probably is expired." Jiang Nuanyu pursed her lips, looking as if she had everything under control.
Liang Qi was speechless for a moment, then suddenly remembered that Peng Ze seemed to have bought drinks in the bag earlier.
He checked the date on the label again and noted, "Two-week shelf life."
Jiang Nuanyu's heart sank slightly; it was as if he wanted to settle everything before leaving completely.
Yes, he would have to leave eventually. She knew Peng Ze was still waiting outside, and her kiss could only keep him there. She had no reason to keep him any longer.
"I understand," she said in a muffled, nasal voice.
Liang Qi walked to the sofa, reached out and rubbed the back of her head: "Take good care of yourself." He repeated the same thing.
"I can't take good care of him." Jiang Nuanyu subconsciously said something to spite him, then realized it was unreasonable and changed her words, "What if I can't take good care of him?"
Liang Qi looked at the top of her head, his lips pursed, seemingly hesitant. Jiang Nuanyu sniffed lightly and quickly wiped her chin with her hand.
Liang Qi touched her cheek with the back of his finger, sighed softly, and said, "Yun Jing Europe is expanding. After it's completed, I might spend more time in Europe. But I can't be sure how long it will take to complete."
Jiang Nuanyu raised her eyes, tears still welling up, but her gaze towards him was filled with anxious anticipation.
In the blink of an eye, two large tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Don't cry, take care of yourself." Liang Qi wiped her tears with his hand and said, "You can take good care of yourself."
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