late at night
When Bai Yi woke up, he felt sleepy all over, and his head was especially heavy.
She tried to sit up, supporting herself on the bed with her hand, but a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand.
Yu Shiyuan was sitting on the sofa at the foot of her bed. He vaguely sensed her movement and got up to come over: "Xiaoyi is awake?"
Bai Yi looked at Yu Shiyuan, stared blankly for a long time, took a breath, stretched her limbs slightly, and then used her elbows to support herself on the bed and slowly raised her shoulders.
Yu Shiyuan reached out and supported her, adjusted the hospital bed, took the honey water from the bedside table and held it to her lips, "Drink some water."
Bai Yi looked down, pursed her lips, and then looked up at Yu Shiyuan. "There's no straw."
She had slept for too long, and her voice was low and languid. Yu Shiyuan smiled and said, "I'll go downstairs to the supermarket to find it for you now."
After Yu Shiyuan left, Lu Xin came in, carrying a lunchbox. Zhong Yunxi had found a private chef to prepare some light dishes.
When Bai Yi saw the sheepdog doll at the foot of the bed and the roses on the balcony, his eyes felt as if they had encountered a bright light, and he squinted.
Lu Xin hurriedly put down the lunchbox, picked up the doll and rose: "Junior Sister, if you don't like it, I'll throw it out."
Bai Yi didn't say anything, but she knew that Zhong Yunxi had arrived.
When Zhong Yunxi caught the things that Lu Xin threw out, he knew that Bai Yi had woken up.
Lu Xin opened the lunchbox and asked her, "Are you hungry? It's almost one o'clock. You've been sleeping for more than ten hours."
Bai Yi raised her hand to run her fingers through her hair, sighed and muttered, "I'm all unkempt, I'm going to wash my face first."
Lu Xin didn't expect her to still have any sense of propriety at this moment, and smiled as she bent down to pick up her slippers.
Bai Yi dawdled as usual while eating. She drank two or three spoonfuls of porridge, then started thinking about other things. She put down her spoon after drinking half of it and said she didn't want to eat anymore.
Looking up, she saw Lu Xin and Yu Shiyuan staring at her, and asked, "Now you all know I'm heartbroken, right? You're not allowed to laugh at me."
Lu Xin: "How come you're the one who's heartbroken? You're the one who dumped the scumbag? I'm sorry, it's because your senior brother was blind to find you that kind of scumbag."
Yu Shiyuan couldn't help but laugh, and Bai Yi glared at him, "Go outside and laugh."
He forked a piece of fruit, fed it to him, and casually said, "Get a divorce quickly."
Lu Xin: ...
Bai Yi didn't want to mention Zhong Yunxi and the marriage, so she frowned and pushed Yu Shiyuan's hand away, saying, "Aren't you annoying?"
She just didn't want to mention it, but to the two of them, it sounded like she was still hung up on the scumbag and couldn't let go of her old feelings.
Lu Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief for Zhong Yunxi and said, "We'll talk about these things later. Is there anything else that's bothering you, Junior Sister? We can do a check-up this afternoon."
Bai Yi didn't want to stay in the hospital anymore, so she said, "I'm going home."
Lu Xin quickly replied, "Then I'll go to the doctor's office and ask to get you discharged."
Yu Shiyuan went in and out of her ward several times, and also watched Zhong Yunxi sitting in the corridor from morning until now.
Bai Yi probably also felt that his words were too harsh. He and Senior Brother He came to pick her up last night, and he was still there when she woke up today. Even if his words were a bit over the line, she shouldn't have lost her temper with him, both emotionally and rationally.
"Yu Shiyuan, what are you doing in Xiangcheng?" she asked softly.
He spoke to him in a much nicer tone than before, and Yu Shiyuan's lips unconsciously curled up again, "Runhe is going to shoot a promotional video, and the director they're working with is in Xiangcheng. Come and meet him."
"Thank you," she said softly, her head bowed.
Yu Shiyuan knew she was thanking him for spending time with her from yesterday to today. He really wanted to reach out and touch the top of her head, but he held back and just smiled and said, "Xiaoyi, do you often say thank you to other people? Why are you always so formal with me?"
But what else can I say if I don't say thank you?
“Because I’m polite.” She glanced at Yu Shiyuan.
Yu Shiyuan just chuckled and didn't bring up the awkward topic again.
Regardless, she went back to Xiangcheng, so the outcome of their long-distance marriage should be a foregone conclusion.
When the doctor came to conduct a pre-hospital assessment, he said there was nothing seriously wrong and advised her to pay attention to her diet and rest.
She put on her coat and changed her shoes, but sent Yu Shiyuan downstairs to handle the discharge procedures. She said to Lu Xin, "Senior brother, I know he's here."
Lu Xin understood what she meant. He picked up her small suitcase and placed it against the wall. "I'll tell him not to appear in front of you."
Zhong Yunxi stood outside the door, leaning against the wall. When Lu Xin came out, he asked, "Are you going to be discharged?"
"Yeah, he said he didn't want to see you." When Lu Xin said this, he felt a little uneasy. He knew that Zhong Yunxi had stayed up all night and had been dragged to the airport in the early morning. He had brought a bouquet of flowers but was still rejected. He hadn't even seen Zhong Yunxi yet.
Zhong Yunxi nodded and headed towards the stairwell, as if it were expected, without even frowning.
Lu Xin knew that Bai Yi had a bad temper, but she was usually gentle and not really unreasonable. However, she was nitpicking at Zhong Yunxi.
Zhong Yunxi, a cold and aloof man, would not compromise with anyone, but no matter how unpredictable or picky Bai Yi was, he accepted it all.
On the way back to Bai Yi, Lu Xin hesitated several times before finally asking her tentatively, "Junior Sister, Si Jian really didn't know about that project, but since there's a problem, he'll handle it."
Bai Yi frowned and threw the pillow in her arms at Lu Xin, "Say it again and you get out of the car."
Lu Xin covered his mouth, shook his head at her, indicating that he would not say anything more.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Yu Shiyuan glanced at Bai Yi, but then spoke with some dissatisfaction towards Lu Xin: "Lu Xin, you've known Wen Ying for a while now, haven't you?"
Lu Xin: ...
Bai Yi's face darkened, and she picked up a cushion and threw it at Yu Shiyuan's face, shouting, "Can you two shut up?"
Yu Shiyuan caught the cushion and held it in his hand, then turned his head away and quieted down. If Lu Xin hadn't insisted on seizing every opportunity to win Zhong Yunxi's favor, he wouldn't have had to remind Bai Yi how awful Zhong Yunxi was.
He couldn't possibly let Bai Yi keep thinking about Zhong Yunxi's good qualities while he was in Xiangcheng.
He accepted that his childhood sweetheart couldn't beat the newcomer, but could he really be no match for someone from another place while staying by his side?
When she arrived home, her grandmother and their pet poodle were already waiting at the door. As soon as she got out of the car, her grandmother asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back sooner? Xiao Yuan called just two hours ago to say that your flight back to Xiangcheng was today."
She bent down and picked up the puppy: "Bubble, do you miss me?"
She didn't know how to tell her grandmother about her recent trip to Vietnam and Hong Kong. She had taken it upon herself to get married and register her marriage in a flash, and she didn't dare tell the old woman.
"I just suddenly missed you all, so I came back to visit. Grandpa's at work, it's Thursday today, is he outpatient all day?"
Grandma nodded, then looked at Yu Shiyuan and Lu Xin, who had gotten off the bus with her. She recognized them both. "Lu Xin is back too?"
Lu Xin smiled and replied to her grandmother, "Yes, with my junior sister."
No one mentioned what happened to Bai Yi at the hospital last night.
Grandma waved them into the lobby and into the elevator: "Come on in, Xiao Sun has prepared a lot of ingredients. With so many people, it's perfect for hot pot."
Bai Yi lives with her maternal grandparents in a villa community on the Third Ring Road in Xiangcheng. They live on the third floor. The apartment is not particularly large, but the location and environment are excellent.
The Xiangcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Industrial Park is located in the suburbs, and there are shuttle buses to and from the city. Bai Yi used to take the shuttle bus to and from get off work, which took half an hour, making her life and work very comfortable.
Bai Yi went back to her room to change clothes and take a shower, while her grandmother chatted with Lu Xin and Yu Shiyuan.
A short while later, He Cheng also arrived.
She dressed neatly and came out to eat hot pot with them. Only then did she look comfortable.
Yu Shiyuan used a mushroom broth to blanch some seasonal vegetables and a small amount of thin noodles for her: "Is your stomach uncomfortable? Eat something light first, and I'll blanch some fish slices and beef for you later."
Bai Yi shook her head. She had just eaten half a bowl of porridge at the hospital. She knew that Zhong Yunxi had brought it to her, but she was a little hungry at the time and didn't want to make herself suffer.
Lu Xin sighed inwardly. Zhong Yunxi thought he had handled everything himself and that any problems between him and his junior sister could be easily resolved.
But sometimes, feelings can rise and fall in an instant, and there's no logic to it.
Yu Shiyuan had all the advantages in Xiangcheng, and he felt guilty even during a meal.
He Cheng doesn't think things through when he speaks, and sometimes even Yu Shiyuan and Lu Xin can't tell whether he's a friend or foe.
He asked, "When I came here, I saw Zhong Yunxi's car parked at the entrance of the community, and he was sitting in the car. I haven't seen him come up yet. Junior sister, don't let him in even if you knock on the door. What a scoundrel."
He Cheng genuinely had no idea what kind of aura a scumbag's act of "coming but doing nothing" was when trying to win someone back.
Yu Shiyuan: ...
Lu Xin: ...
Yu Shiyuan scooped all the remaining noodles from the pot into his hands: "You're an undercover agent, aren't you?"
What is the answer?
Lu Xin laughed and said, "You've already insulted him so badly, how could he dare to knock on the door when he sees you coming up?"
Bai Yi was unaware that He Cheng had insulted Zhong Yunxi. His face remained expressionless, but he glanced at Lu Xin.
Lu Xin was afraid her grandmother would hear, so she leaned over and whispered to her.
This group of people sometimes criticized Zhong Yunxi, sometimes praised him, and sometimes praised him openly but criticized him secretly.
Bai Yi was annoyed, feeling that his two senior brothers were simply there to stir up trouble.
She asked He Cheng, "Senior Brother He, I'll be going back to the research center next week. I'll deal with our project with Si Jian first."
He Cheng knew about Si Jian's situation and didn't want her to get involved anymore, lest she become upset again.
"I'll handle the communication with them. You can help your senior sister Yin with other things."
“You don’t know the people over there, but I know Sijian well.” Regardless of whether Wen Ying made this decision because of her, as the project researcher, she should at least properly separate the project from Sijian.
He Cheng stopped insisting and agreed.
In the afternoon, He Cheng and Lu Xin returned to the research center.
Before leaving, Lu Xin asked Yu Shiyuan, "Aren't you leaving?"
Yu Shiyuan smiled and said, "What's it to you?"
Lu Xin: ...
After seeing her senior brother downstairs, Bai Yi entered the house, and her grandmother asked her, "Who is Zhong Yunxi?"
Bai Yi: ...
Grandma glanced at Yu Shiyuan behind her and said, "Do you guys think I'm deaf?"
Bai Yi pulled her grandmother into the house and sat her down, unsure of what to say.
Grandma patted the back of her hand: "Say something, you're driving me crazy."
Bai Yi frowned and lowered his eyes, still remaining silent.
Yu Shiyuan sat on the other side of the old man and said, "He is the one who married Xiaoyi."
Grandma patted her chest: "You've got some nerve! You've always been like this since you were little, getting into trouble without a word. Anyway, you know that no matter how big the trouble you get, no one dares to hit or scold you."
Bai Yi still looked like she didn't want to say anything, so Yu Shiyuan explained for her: "Grandma, this time it's not Xiao Yi's fault. There's a leader's son at Uncle Bai's company who insists on marrying Xiao Yi, which is also very troublesome. It's better to be with Zhong Yunxi."
Grandma sighed.
"We got divorced two years later," Bai Yi muttered defiantly.
Her words made her grandmother even angrier. "You get married just like that, and you get divorced just like that. Don't you have any sense of responsibility?"
Yu Shiyuan added, "It wasn't Xiaoyi's fault; Zhong Yunxi cheated first."
Bai Yi: ...
Grandma raised her hand to her forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? You're going to drive me crazy!"
“Yu Shiyuan.” Bai Yi’s eyes turned cold as she stared at him.
Yu Shiyuan knew that his words were somewhat unfounded rumors, so he changed his tune: "It's suspected infidelity."
Bai Yi didn't want to talk to him, thinking he was even less intelligent than He Cheng, but she didn't want to explain her relationship with Zhong Yunxi to anyone.
She got up and went back to her bedroom.
Less than half an hour later, Grandma knocked on the door and came in.
She was playing games under the covers, making a lot of noise in the background. Her grandmother pulled the covers off her and said, "How many times have I told you not to cover yourself with the covers? And don't lie in bed playing on your phone."
After she finished the game, she put down her phone, took a small bowl of strawberries from her grandmother, and ate them.
"Tell me, what kind of person is he?"
She knew her grandmother was referring to Zhong Yunxi.
But she just shook her head; she didn't know what to say.
Does he say he's rich, handsome, and loves her deeply? Or does he say he'll lie to her and make her feel wronged and angry?
Grandma looked at her blankly; if she didn't have any feelings, she wouldn't be like that.
As I got up to leave, I asked her, "Xiaoyuan and I are going to the botanical garden to do a survey this afternoon. Would you like to come for a walk with us?"
Bai Yi shook his head again.
"Alright, then don't play video games all the time at home, it'll ruin your eyes." Grandma closed her bedroom door.
Bai Yi stayed at home for two days. On Saturday morning, her grandmother woke her up and said, "Come with me to the flower market. You're so young, yet you never leave the house. You're just getting rusty at home."
When she used to work in Xiangcheng, she would sleep in late on weekends, and her grandmother would go to the flower market early in the morning and then bring her beef noodle soup from a small shop next to the flower market.
Perhaps because she seemed increasingly depressed from staying home these past two days, I suggested she go out for a stroll.
She got up slowly and washed up, then picked out a misty blue coat and a ginger-yellow double-layered crochet tassel beanie.
Xiangcheng is located in the southwest hinterland. Winters are mild and humid. Although it is sometimes damp and cold, the humidity is not as high as that of Yuegang.
Shuimu Jinghua is a place with a rich variety of plants, with flowers in all four seasons, and people in Xiangcheng love to grow flowers.
Bai Yi went shopping with her grandmother and bought pansies, orchids, and camellias.
Passing by a rose shop, she habitually glanced around the store.
My feet stopped involuntarily. There was a familiar figure and the style and color of the coat, and the familiar Kayla Rose and Little Swallow.
She paused for a moment, as if time had slowed down, and then sped up again when she came to her senses.
She turned and walked away quickly.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Grandma pulled her from behind.
"Xiaoyi." Zhong Yunxi walked to her side in just a few steps. "I came to buy flowers. I was thinking of visiting you this morning."
She didn't turn around. Zhong Yunxi was too close to her; the roses in his arms were almost pressing against her arm. She turned her face away from him and said, "No need. No one will open the door for you anyway."
She grabbed her grandmother's hand to leave, but her grandmother didn't move. She looked at the man next to Bai Yi and asked directly, "Are you Zhong Yunxi?"
Zhong Yunxi bowed slightly: "It's me, Grandma. I'm sorry, I should have come to see you as soon as I arrived in Xiangcheng, but Xiaoyi has been arguing with me lately and doesn't really want to see me."
Grandma looked at the Kayla roses and swallows he was holding in his arms, and it seemed that he often gave them to her.
She knew that Xiaoyi often received flowers from others, but she had never received roses before. She used to buy them herself when she wanted some.
It's not that no one gives her roses, it's that she only accepts them if she's willing.
Not to mention Kayla, she herself buys roses but not Kayla.
Grandma looked at Zhong Yunxi for a few more seconds. His eyes were deep-set, his features noble, and his posture dignified. He didn't seem like the person the children had described—cold-hearted and aloof.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" his grandmother asked him.
Bai Yi: ...
Zhong Yunxi hurriedly replied, "Not yet. Haven't you eaten either? I'll arrange it."
Grandma laughed and said, "What's the need for arrangements? There's a breakfast shop right next door with delicious beef noodle soup. Xiaoyi really likes it."
Bai Yi: ...
"Grandma..." she stomped her feet in anger and grabbed the old woman, "I don't want to eat today."
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