Chapter 11
Xiao Ming stood under the shade of a tree at the entrance of the residential area, looking dejected, waiting for Jiang Lan. The two security guards at the entrance kept glancing at him.
Just now, when she and Jiang Lan left the community gate, she was completely covered up and wearing a mask. Jiang Lan carried her handbag and followed closely behind, almost supporting her as they walked. The two security guards' eyes scanned them like searchlights, and they asked them with smiles, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Lan was honest and answered them, "She's not feeling well, she's going to the hospital to get checked out."
As soon as he said it, Xiaoming knew he was in trouble. He immediately tried to turn back and say something, but his voice was so hoarse that he couldn't make a sound. He could only watch as the two security guards, with their aunt-like smiles, watched them leave the community.
Seeing Jiang Lan get out of the sports car that had stopped in front of him, Xiao Ming felt a wave of dizziness. She was probably going to be the subject of gossip for the neighborhood security guards, cleaners, and aunties for the next few days.
The community she lives in is a small, old community with an older population. These people love to gossip and chat, and if they're not satisfied with just chatting in the residents' group, they'll go downstairs to gather and chat.
Xiao Ming usually tries to be as inconspicuous as possible, avoiding their attention. But Jiang Lan's actions today have really put her in a difficult position. This guy, coupled with that flashy car, and his reply to the security guard—she's already got the gossip headline ready: "The woman in apartment A, room ****, hooked up with a rich and handsome guy, got pregnant, and today he took her to have an abortion."
If... never mind, there are no ifs. I'll just walk my own path and let others talk. Consider it retribution for all the gossip she's been getting.
Jiang Lan was driving when she saw Xiao Ming get in the car, fasten her seatbelt, and bend over with her knees. She could tell Xiao Ming was in a lot of pain and wanted to reach out and stroke her hair to comfort her, but her hand hovered in mid-air, and she just didn't have the courage to touch her.
He withdrew his hand and said softly, "We'll be there soon, just bear with it."
Xiaoming hummed in agreement. She was indeed feeling very unwell. Her head was already aching, and the motion sickness made her feel nauseous.
Upon arriving at the hospital, after Jiang Lan parked the car, Xiao Ming rushed out, took off his mask, squatted on the ground, and dry heaved several times.
Jiang Lan hurriedly took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to her. This time, she didn't care about anything else and gently patted her back.
"Are you feeling better? Let me help you up; your legs are going to go numb if you squat for too long."
Xiao Ming nodded, put on his mask, and stood up with Jiang Lan's help. After a short while, the two walked towards the fever clinic.
Jiang Lan held onto Xiao Ming's hand and refused to let go. No matter how Xiao Ming struggled in his palm, or how his tear-streaked, red eyes glared at him, he wouldn't let go. He just kept his eyes straight ahead and led Xiao Ming forward.
After a flurry of activity—getting a number, seeing the doctor, paying, and picking up the medication—Xiaoming finally sat down in the IV chair to begin her infusion. Jiang Lan opened the water bottle, fed her a few sips of water, and then began organizing the pile of receipts in her bag before reading the medication instructions.
Not long after, Xiaoming started to feel sleepy. She swayed back and forth in her chair, unable to sit still. Jiang Lan put her arm around her shoulder and made her lie down on his lap: "Lie down, I'll massage your head, you can take a nap, and the IV drip will be finished."
Xiao Ming couldn't resist the temptation of the human pillow in front of him, so he obediently rested his head on his lap and fell asleep.
Looking at the girl's peaceful sleeping face, Jiang Lan felt a pang of tenderness. She gently brushed away the hair stuck to the girl's face, took out a tissue to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead, and tucked the thin blanket around her.
I asked the nurse to change the IV fluids several times, and now they're administering the last bottle. I touched her forehead, and her fever has finally subsided.
"Xiao Ming, wake up."
Xiao Ming couldn't open his eyes because of the bright white light. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, looked at the cotton ball in his hand that was held down by medical tape, and touched his neck: "Hey, my throat doesn't hurt anymore." He then asked Jiang Lan, "Are you done?"
"It's good that it doesn't hurt anymore. Now that the injection is done, let's go home."
Jiang Lan packed her things, picked up her bag, and naturally led the person outside.
Looking at his hand being held, Xiaoming had a "what's the use" attitude; he figured twisting his hand would only make him look pretentious.
As they approached the residential area, Xiaoming said to Jiang Lan, "Let's park inside the residential area. There are public paid parking spaces."
Jiang Lan's driving in also shielded her from those curious and unsettling probing gazes.
As they got into the elevator, Xiaoming shook their clasped hands and asked Jiang Lan, "Does it feel good to hold hands whenever we can?"
Jiang Lan nodded: "Without a doubt."
Xiao Ming pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Back home, the two changed their clothes, and Jiang Lan took the dirty clothes that Xiao Ming was about to put into the washing machine: "I'll do it."
Seeing him tidying up the dirty clothes, Xiaoming packed his things in his bag and went to the kitchen to see what to have for dinner.
I ladled out the porridge, cooked rice, soaked glass noodles, and planned to stir-fry another dish. With the dishes from lunch, I could just reheat them and have a meal.
Nowadays, most takeout meals are pre-cooked and don't taste very good, so Xiaoming rarely orders takeout and usually cooks for himself when he has free time.
Jiang Lan finished hanging up the clothes and went into the kitchen to see Xiao Ming preparing to chop vegetables. Without saying a word, she took the knife from him and said, "You're not fully recovered yet. The water is so cold, and you're already starting to chop? What are you cooking? I'll do it."
Can you tell me how to climb an ant tree?
Jiang Lan looked disdainful: "Stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat, who doesn't know how to do that? You wait. Take off your apron and give it to me."
Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow, took off his apron and watched him tie it on, then crossed his arms and leaned to the side to watch him chop vegetables.
Jiang Lan's movements became clumsy from watching her, and she said helplessly, "I really can do it. You don't need to stand here and supervise. Can you go out and play on your phone for a while?"
"No, I have to stay here and lend you a hand. It would be impolite to let the guests do all the work. Don't be nervous, just do your best."
Xiao Ming stood there with a smile, refusing to move.
Jiang Lan had no choice but to wipe her hands clean, and then, holding Xiao Ming's shoulder, pushed her outside: "I'll be done in a bit. Just listen to me and sit outside and wait for your meal."
Xiao Ming sat on the sofa and replied to the messages in the work group. He leaned over to see that Jiang Lan was almost done, so he cleared the table and set out the bowls and chopsticks to prepare for dinner.
Looking at the dishes that were served, he gave Jiang Lan a thumbs up: "Your cooking skills are top-notch, they look delicious."
Jiang Lan said proudly, "My parents are both excellent cooks; it's a family tradition." She then said to Xiao Ming, "If you like it, I can cook it for you often."
Xiao Ming readily agreed, smiling as he said, "I usually cook for myself, and I like to learn a couple of new dishes in my spare time. Could you teach me your specialty?"
Jiang Lan frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed it out: "Of course."
Today's progress has exceeded my expectations. I can't be too impatient or deliberate; I still need to wait for the right opportunity.
After finishing their meal and cleaning up the mess, Xiaoming asked Jiang Lan, "Want to see a movie?"
"look."
"What kind of movie do you want to watch?" Xiaoming asked, turning off the lights and turning on the projector.
Jiang Lan thought for a moment: "How about a romance story?"
Xiaoming nodded, chose a romance movie, and when the movie started, she washed some fruit and snacks and put them on the portable coffee table.
The two sat side by side on the sofa and began to watch the movie quietly.
Xiaoming: This is a romance film from an East Asian country. It tells the story of a forbidden love against the backdrop of war. She had seen some clips on her phone before, but had never watched the whole thing.
"Have you seen this movie? If you have, I'll watch another one." Xiaoming asked Jiang Lan.
"No, this one will do, it looks good."
The film begins with a delicate unfolding of the protagonist's emotions, progressing layer by layer.
Halfway through the movie, the camera suddenly zoomed in, revealing explicit scenes. Jiang Lan then reached out and took Xiao Ming's hand. Startled by her action, Xiao Ming struggled for a moment before stopping.
Passionate scenes appeared from time to time. What Xiaoming initially thought was a good movie became increasingly agonizing. She knew there were explicit scenes, but she didn't expect them to be this explicit. Fortunately, Jiang Lan watched quietly and didn't do anything other than hold hands.
At the end of the film, the male protagonist, suffering from the double blow of war trauma and separation from his lover, shoots himself, and the female protagonist looks at the male protagonist's photo and cries bitterly.
Xiao Ming felt a little wistful. Some love can be so intense that it makes people feel like they're dying, but such love is a rare treasure. Everyone knows it exists, but no one has ever actually seen it.
After the movie ended, the two sat silently on the sofa for a long time.
Xiao Ming checked the time, got up, turned on the light, and said to Jiang Lan, "I'm fine now. You can pack your things and go home."
Jiang Lan nodded: "If anything else happens, just call me. I've sent you my phone number; call it now."
The two saved the phone numbers. Jiang Lan reached out and pulled Xiao Ming over, supporting her shoulders and pressing her down to sit on the sofa. She leaned over and said to her seriously, "I need to confirm some things with you."
Xiao Ming blinked and nodded.
"I really like you, and now I need to confirm with you, will you... be my girlfriend?"
Looking at the girl's thoughtful face, Jiang Lan felt a surge of unease, awaiting the girl's judgment.
"We... can give it a try first. I have no experience in close relationships with boys, so if you do anything wrong, just tell me. Of course, I'll also tell you if I think you do anything wrong. And while we're dating, neither of us is allowed to cheat. We both have to keep our distance from other people of the opposite sex. If one day the feelings fade or someone comes along that we like more, we'll break up properly. Our main goal is to part amicably."
When Jiang Lan heard her agree, his eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded repeatedly at her requests. After hearing the last sentence, he paused before seriously saying to Xiao Ming, "I had a relationship before, we dated for two months and progressed to the point of holding hands, but we broke up because I left my previous company."
"We're both novices, so let's explore our relationship more in the future. We'd appreciate any guidance from Teacher Xiaoming!"
Xiao Ming smiled, straightened his expression, and said to Jiang Lan, "Please give me your guidance, Teacher Jiang Lan."
Seeing Jiang Lan staring intently at him, Xiao Ming looked at his reflection in Jiang Lan's eyes, couldn't help but swallow hard, and then closed his eyes as if possessed.
Feeling the boy's soft lips pressing and touching his own, carrying a burning breath, Xiaoming couldn't help but open his eyes.
He saw Jiang Lan with her eyes half-open, a slightly intoxicated expression on her face. He suddenly bit her lip, then covered her eyes with one hand and clamped her neck with the other, sucking hard.
He didn't know how long they kissed, but Xiaoming felt like his tongue was going to go numb from being sucked so much that he finally let go of her, panting as he stood up, his back bent.
Xiaoming sat on the sofa watching him haphazardly stuff his things into his bag, then leaned over and gave her a hard kiss before hurriedly opening the door and leaving.
The sight of Xiao Ming frantically fleeing like a man on fire, so swift and chaotic, was so captivating that he couldn't help but chuckle.
As Jiang Lan drove home, he savored the kiss all the way. He had often fantasized about the taste of Xiao Ming's pale pink lips, and today he tasted them. Sure enough, not only the lips, but even the tongue was soft and sweet. He was so aroused afterward that he originally wanted to stay a little longer.
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