Chapter 11 Torment
Su Nian was stunned for a moment, then belatedly unlocked his phone and handed it over.
Si Yan simply entered a number, dialed it, and after hearing his phone ring, he saved his name and then added her WeChat.
This series of movements flowed smoothly, as if they had been rehearsed in their minds thousands of times.
"Before you make a choice, it's better to be careful." Si Yan handed the phone back, his fingertips accidentally brushing against her palm, causing a slight shudder. "If you feel uncomfortable at any time, you can call me anytime."
"Yeah." Su Nian responded with her head down. This simple syllable contained too many complex emotions that could not be expressed.
Si Yan got out of the car and walked around to the passenger seat, opening the door for Su Nian and watching her walk into the residential complex. His eyes followed the slender figure until she completely disappeared from his sight before he drove away.
Su Nian collapsed on the sofa. Finally home, what a bloody day!
The experiences of that day flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope.
She opened her phone and saw the name "Si Yan" in the address book. Then she opened WeChat, and the WeChat name was also Si Yan. The dialog box lay quietly in the list, like a door that had just been opened.
What surprised her was that a sum of money, 10,000 yuan in total, was transferred to her in the dialog box and the money had been collected.
Su Nian's finger hovered above the screen, and after hesitating for a long time, he typed in the text: Why transfer money to me?
The dialog box prompts that the other party is typing information, and after a while a text message is sent: I’m afraid you may need it urgently.
These five short words are like a piece of warm ginger candy, which not only dispels the coldness but also brings a slight spiciness.
Su Nian stared at the screen in a daze. This man named Si Yan was like a complicated Chinese medicine. She still couldn't taste all of its flavors.
He can be unquestionable in the clinic, yet considerate when transferring money.
What kind of man is this?
Su Nian gently stroked her lower abdomen. She probably didn't have the chance to understand this thick "medical book"!
When Ms. Su Hong pushed open the door, the room was filled with a faint medicinal aroma. She frowned and placed the key on the porcelain tray in the entrance hall, making a crisp sound.
"Nian Nian?" She looked into the inner room while changing her shoes. "What did the doctor say?"
Su Nian was curled up on the sofa watching TV. Upon hearing this, she immediately sat up straight: "It's just... a cold stomach, and I prescribed some medicine." She subconsciously put the phone screen face down on her legs, and her voice unconsciously lowered a few notes.
Su Hong walked quickly to her daughter's side and placed the back of her calloused hand against her forehead. "I knew something wasn't right with you lately." She picked up the medicine bag on the coffee table and sniffed it. "This medicine..."
"It's for regulating the stomach and intestines." Su Nian answered nonchalantly.
Su Hongruo didn't suspect anything and didn't ask any more questions. She turned and walked to the kitchen, skillfully taking out a clay pot and said, "You need to take care of your stomach problems slowly. Mom will boil some medicine for you."
Soon, the sound of water splashing and the clinking of porcelain spoons could be heard from the kitchen. Su Nian looked at her mother's busy back, and her throat suddenly tightened.
On Su Hong's arms, which were exposed when she rolled up her sleeves, there were still a few scars from burns caused by an iron when she was young.
"Mom..." Su Nian walked to the kitchen door and watched her mother pour the herbs into the casserole. "I'll do it myself."
"Go away, what do you know about heat?" Su Hong waved her hand without looking back. "If the fire is too high, the medicine will burn. If the fire is too low, it will lose its flavor." She suddenly paused. "By the way, the doctor who treated you today..."
"He's an old Chinese doctor!" Su Nian said hurriedly, "He's very professional. If you don't believe me, ask Fei'er."
In the study, Si Yan was sorting through medical records on his computer. As soon as his pen touched the page, he sneezed loudly for no apparent reason. Who was targeting him?
The water in the casserole gradually boiled. Su Hong gently stirred the medicinal soup, her voice mixed with the gurgling sound: "People with stomach problems should avoid eating raw and cold food. Tomorrow, Mom will stew you a yam and pork rib soup."
Su Nian stood at the kitchen door, looking at her mother leaning against the stove and guarding the fire. Suddenly, she felt that the boiling pot of medicine seemed to be burning in her heart.
"Mom..." She opened her mouth, but ultimately said, "The medicine smells so strong. I'll go open a window."
Su Hong didn't notice her daughter's hurried back. She tapped the edge of the casserole twice with the wooden spoon in her hand and looked down at the medicinal herbs tumbling in the pot.
The medicinal soup gradually dried up, emitting a strong bitter taste. Su Hong turned down the heat and carefully filtered the medicinal residue through gauze.
"Nian Nian," she said, carrying the medicine bowl out of the kitchen. "Drink it while it's hot."
Su Nian took the bowl, her eyes glinting in the dark brown liquid. She took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and drank the whole thing in one gulp. The bitterness instantly exploded in her mouth, choking her and making her eyes redden.
Su Hong took the empty bowl and wiped the medicine stains from the corner of her daughter's mouth: "Drink slowly..."
Just as they were halfway through dinner, Lin Fei'er's phone rang non-stop, like a death warrant. Su Nian said she was eating and would call back after she finished, then hung up. She knew exactly what Fei'er was looking for her.
Just after seven o'clock, when her mother went out for a walk, Su Nian immediately went into the bedroom, locked the door, and called Fei'er like a thief: "Hello?"
"Niannian! What exactly did Professor Si diagnose you for? Is it serious?" As soon as the call was connected, my bestie's anxious voice came through the receiver. "I've been looking through medical books all afternoon, and the more I read, the more anxious I get!"
Su Nian's fingers unconsciously tightened the hem of her pajamas: "He just said it didn't matter and didn't tell me anything else." She herself felt that these words were false. Lies are like low-quality fabrics, the rough stitches can be seen with a slight pull.
"Really?" Lin Fei'er, a rough-hewn girl, didn't even notice anything was wrong. "But Professor Si clearly..."
"It's really nothing, don't overthink it!" Su Nian interrupted hastily, the panic in her voice like scattered buttons, endlessly picking up. "Maybe it's just... lack of energy or something like that."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. "Alright then," Lin Fei'er finally gave in. "If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me. At worst, I can go and block Professor Si again, or go to Professor Zhang."
Su Nian was so scared that she almost threw her phone away.
"Don't!" she said hurriedly. "It's really okay. I'll tell you in detail this weekend."
Her palms were already sweating, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.
"Thank you, Fei'er!" This thank you was sincere. At this critical juncture, any concern was like the warm sun in winter, making her both greedy and guilty.
"Why are you being so polite to me?" Lin Fei'er's voice became cheerful again. "By the way, I'll transfer today's salary to you when I get it."
The two made an appointment to go shopping together on the weekend and then hung up the phone.
Su Nian collapsed on the bed like a deflated ball. She stared at the cracks in the ceiling. Those winding lines resembled the tangled thoughts in her mind, which she couldn't sort out no matter how hard she tried. The human heart is the most complex maze, sometimes even you can't find the exit.
Just confess to your bestie while you're shopping on the weekend, she just can't handle it anymore.
Days like this are like walking on thin ice, not knowing whether I will fall into a freezing cold pond next.
These past few days have been even more difficult than working through the design drafts all night long. The physical fatigue is far less than the mental torment.
Su Nian was born in a single-parent family, and her mother always kept silent about her father.
As a child, she was often bullied for being labeled a "fatherless child." The ridicule was like sharp scissors, shattering her childhood joy. Her mother raised her, stitch by stitch, with a sewing machine.
She and her mother had lived through so much over the years, and she didn't want to make her mother sad. She'd rather keep some wounds to herself than let those who loved her see them.
She really regretted it, she knew she was wrong!
But it's all useless. She has to make a choice and bear the consequences.
She hasn't even graduated from college yet, and she knows she can't have this child.
She wanted to go to the hospital secretly for an abortion? Not to mention the cost of the operation and who would sign the document, but she needed to recuperate afterward. How could she explain this to her mother?
Or... marry Si Yan? The thought was extinguished as soon as it came to her mind. Marriage is not a fig leaf. You can't tie two people who don't love each other together because of an accident.
For the first time in her life, she felt fear and panic so deeply. Not only that, she had to bury these emotions in her heart and pretend that nothing had happened.
Oddly enough, the medicine Si Yan prescribed is indeed effective. I haven't had acid reflux in the past few days, and even the nausea in the morning has eased. My appetite is better than before.
This medicine is like Si Yan himself: bitter and hard to swallow on the surface, yet unexpectedly gentle within. No wonder he became a professor at such a young age; he's certainly got some serious skills.
Seeing that her daughter's complexion was getting better, Ms. Su Hong felt relieved and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were much smoother.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
