Chapter 34 34 "Are you peeking at me?"
She carried this rabbit doll with her. Occasionally, when she felt tired of drawing, she would press the button and listen to their completely illogical conversation.
——"Don't take what I just said to heart."
——"What?"
——"He Jingsui, I like you."
It's a bit like a true word said in a joke.
Chen Zan even imagined this scene in his mind. If she really had the ability to say this in front of him, he would be surprised at first, then laugh softly, and then... maybe reject her tactfully.
After all, she couldn't imagine He Jingsui accepting it in her mind.
Time slips away like a gear without stopping, and summer is here in a blink of an eye. Under the scorching sun, the heat is steaming, and the bright sunlight penetrates the green leaves and falls on the ground. The bright spots are the traces of summer.
"It's so hot this summer. It looks like freshman brothers and sisters will have a hard time." Ji Miaomiao ate ice and fanned herself. Despite this, the dense beads of sweat on her forehead did not decrease at all.
"Isn't it still two months before we can see them? Why are you in such a hurry?" He Shiyi replied subconsciously. She had eaten most of the ice cream in her hand, leaving only a small tail.
"Hey, do you think those athletes will come to serve as instructors during their military training?" Tao Yiran asked, "Will He Jingsui come to our school to serve as an instructor again?"
As she spoke, she looked in the direction of He Shiyi.
He Shiyi paused and shook his head, "I don't know yet. My brother didn't tell me."
Tao Yiran curled his lips and dropped the subject.
"Let's not talk about them for now. Summer vacation is about to start. Have you thought about how to spend it?" Ji Miaomiao changed the subject and talked about themselves.
"I might go abroad," He Shiyi said uncertainly, "I plan to visit my parents."
"I want to go home." Tao Yiran said, "My mom has found me a summer job. She said I should experience life outside during these two months."
"What about you, Zhanzhan?" Ji Miaomiao turned her head to look at Chen Zan on the far right.
Chen Zhan took a small bite of his ice cream and said uncertainly, "I don't know yet."
She might be forced by Lou Yan to read some books that she has no interest in, or she might be forced by Lou Yan to learn some things that she just can't learn.
Anyway, she wouldn't be happy with her painting under her nose.
There was still some time before summer vacation, so Chen Zhan was neither anxious nor impatient. She went to the studio to paint whenever she had free time. She enjoyed the slight rustling sound of the sketch pencil rubbing against the drawing paper when she was alone in the studio. It was so quiet yet beautiful.
"Buzz—"
Suddenly, a call came in on her phone. Chen Zhan saw that it was Lou Yan. She put down her paintbrush and picked up the phone to answer it. "Hello? Mom?"
The voice coming from the phone was not Lou Yan's. The moment the strange female voice spoke, her expression changed instantly.
Beijing People's Hospital.
Chen Zan hurried to the hospital and learned from the female nurse at the consultation desk that Lou Yan was in the emergency operating room.
Half an hour ago, she received a call saying that Lou Yan suddenly fainted on the roadside and was sent to the hospital. She rushed here in a hurry, but when she arrived at the hospital, Lou Yan was still in the operating room for rescue.
The strange woman who called her had not left yet. Seeing her running in, exhausted, disheveled, and with a red face and thick neck, she quickly walked up to Chen Zan and explained the situation.
Chen Zan took Lou Yan's phone and thanked the woman.
The lights in the operating room were still on when the woman left.
Chen Zan sat alone on the waiting chair outside. She remembered that the last time she came here was when He Shiyi suddenly suffered from acute appendicitis. He Jingsui was with her at that time, so she didn't feel scared.
But now she is the only one waiting here, and the life or death of Lou Yan inside is uncertain.
She felt a little scared.
There was cold air floating in the quiet corridor, and the pale light fell on her. Chen Zhan clasped her arms, bent slightly, and rolled herself up carefully.
After waiting for a long time, the operation was finally over.
Chen Zhan consulted the attending physician, who said, "Your mother fainted due to transient ischemia in the brain, resulting in insufficient blood supply. Fortunately, she was brought to the hospital in time and the treatment went smoothly. However, this disease requires long-term care. Remember not to let the patient get emotionally agitated. When she wakes up, take her for a quick checkup..."
"Okay, thank you, doctor."
Chen Zan felt weak all over, and she only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the doctor's words.
Arriving in the ward, Chen Zhan dragged a small chair to the bedside and sat down. The anesthetic had not worn off yet and Lou Yan was still asleep. She lay pale on the bed with her eyes closed quietly.
The "beeping" sound in her ears was the sound of medical equipment. The rhythm was slow, but it disturbed Chen Zan's thoughts at the moment. She looked at Lou Yan on the hospital bed with heartache, raised her hand and held her slightly cold hand.
It was not until he felt the dryness around his eyes that Chen Zan realized that his eyes were red.
Chen Zan did not return to school. She sent a message to He Shiyi on her mobile phone. He Shiyi expressed his concern to her on the phone and finally asked her to take good care of herself.
Chen Zan replied "OK".
Lou Yan woke up in the middle of the night. Her vision was blurry when she first opened her eyes. She trembled her eyelashes weakly. It was not until her body regained consciousness that she gradually realized that she was in the hospital.
Memories of the time before he fainted flooded into his mind, fragmented and disorganized. Lou Yan frowned and felt someone holding one of his hands.
Turning her head, she saw Chen Zan sleeping beside her bed.
She held her hand and tilted her cheek towards the head of her bed, her brows quiet and gentle. Perhaps she was a little uncomfortable sleeping with her body hunched over, Chen Zan frowned slightly and rubbed his head lightly.
Well-behaved, yet pitiful.
Lou Yan watched her quietly without interrupting her, only slightly curling his lips, his eyes revealing a love he rarely expressed for her. Her eyes reddened slightly, remembering the time before she fainted when she called Chen Jinnian only to be ruthlessly rebuked and hung up on him. The traces of emotional tearing were obvious, and she suddenly found it difficult to accept.
She closed her eyes, her mind reeling from his scolding.
"Why are you calling me?!"
"I told you I'm not available to come back during this period, why don't you believe me?"
"I really don't have time to talk to you about this right now. I'm really busy. Can you please stop making trouble?"
“…”
Tears rolled down the corners of her eyes. In the quiet night, sadness magnified all her pain.
The next morning, when Chen Zhan woke up, she felt her arms were numb as if she had lost consciousness. She frowned and gritted her teeth, and whispered "hiss--"
"Does it hurt?"
Before she could recover, she heard Lou Yan's hoarse voice. Chen Zhan subconsciously turned his head and saw that she had woken up.
"mom--"
He didn't even care about the numbness in his arms.
She stood up and asked, "How are you? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Lou Yan shook his head.
Chen Zan went to call a doctor. After checking Lou Yan again and finding that there was nothing serious, Chen Zan finally breathed a sigh of relief and his heart finally settled down.
Sitting by the bed and taking care of her, Chen Zhan asked her why she fainted.
Lou Yan thought of Chen Jinnian and subconsciously changed the subject, "Does your arm still hurt?"
Chen Zhan rubbed his palms and said, "It doesn't hurt, but it's still a little numb."
"Why didn't you go back to school last night?"
"You just had surgery. How can I leave you here alone?" Chen Zhan held Lou Yan's hand, concern hidden between his brows. "Mom, the doctor said you fainted because of insufficient blood supply to your brain. Have you been under too much pressure recently?"
Lou Yan was teaching senior high school students this semester. The time was tight and the workload was heavy. She had almost no chance to rest and breathe. And she happened to meet Chen Jinnian. The moment she fainted, she really felt very angry, her head was dizzy, and she couldn't breathe.
Afraid that Chen Zhan would overthink it, she didn't tell him the real reason, but just nodded, "Maybe."
Chen Zan naturally thought that it was because she was overworked, so he asked her to stay in the hospital and have a good rest for a while.
During this period, Chen Zan was running back and forth almost all the time. She went to school during the day and ran to the hospital after class. Even He Shiyi could understand her hard work.
But Chen Zan didn't feel it was hard, because she hadn't been so close to Lou Yan for a long time, and she was even addicted to it.
From childhood to adulthood, Lou Yan always liked to face her with a serious face and restrained her with those high standards, so that she rarely felt what maternal love was. But on the contrary, although Chen Jinnian seldom came back, he would hold her in his arms every time he came back, or bring her small gifts from outside. So from childhood to adulthood, she liked her father more than her mother.
But when she grew up and understood, she found that her father was not as good as she imagined. He always said that he was busy and would come back to spend time with her after he was done with his work. But they waited at home for year after year, and Chen Jinnian never came back.
At some point later, she suddenly realized that she was more accustomed to Lou Yan's strictness, and she felt a little awkward and uncomfortable with the concern and tenderness he showed to Chen Jinnian when he occasionally came home.
Taking advantage of Lou Yan's sleep and rest, Chen Zhan returned to school. The three girls in the dormitory were particularly concerned about her.
He Shiyi: "Zhanzhan, how is your mother?"
"It's okay, don't worry, the doctor said I can be discharged after two more days of observation."
Ji Miaomiao: "Auntie, why did you suddenly faint? Did you get a heat stroke in the hot summer?"
Chen Zhan shook his head and told her no, "The doctor said it's due to insufficient blood supply to the brain. Maybe she's been under too much pressure recently."
The other three girls in the dormitory all knew that Chen Zan’s mother was a senior high school teacher. As former senior high school students themselves, they had personally experienced the pain of senior high school.
Without staying in school for long, Chen Zhan took a shower and went to the hospital again. It was almost evening, so Chen Zhan bought dinner for Lou Yan and brought it up.
After serving her the meal, Chen Zan cleaned up the leftovers and threw all the garbage into the trash can, then she returned to the ward.
Lou Yan asked her to leave, but Chen Zan said, "The doctor said it's not possible, and family members must accompany you."
"I don't need you to accompany me." Lou Yan urged her, "Go away."
Despite repeated urgings to leave, Chen Zhan refused to go until Lou Yan's face darkened and her usual indifference reappeared on her face. Chen Zhan was afraid that she would get emotional, so he had to agree to let her leave.
It was dusk, and night had not yet fallen completely.
Chen Zan walked out of the hospital alone, looking a little tired.
She hadn't had a drop of water and had eaten a small amount of food, but was chased out by Lou Yan. She sighed helplessly, pressed her palms against her belly, and planned to go to a nearby light meal shop to satisfy her hunger.
But when she raised her eyes and her gaze fell on a figure not far away, she froze in place.
He Jingsui also saw her. He was leaning lazily against a stone pillar at the hospital gate, an unlit cigarette between his bony fingertips, his face expressionless.
Her figure appeared in his eyes. He put the cigarette in his pocket, stood up and walked towards her.
The setting sun outlined his figure, which became clearer and clearer in her eyes.
Only then did Chen Zan realize that he had not mistaken the person.
He was so tall that when he stood in front of her he almost blocked out the twilight.
A shadow fell in her eyes.
Looking up, she met those eyes as dark as rocks, her heart pounding, "Why are you here..."
"Shi Yi told me."
Chen Zan naturally took his reply as a concern between friends, probably because she had taken care of He Shiyi when she was sick last time, and this time she was repaying her.
"How is Auntie?"
"It's nothing serious now," Chen Zan said. "You can be discharged in two days."
"Um."
He Jingsui looked at her and said, "Send you home?"
Just when I was about to say "OK".
Chen Zan's stomach growled a few times in a very uncooperative manner.
She subconsciously pressed her belly, but He Jingsui still heard it.
Chen Zhan looked embarrassed and awkward, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it right now.
Her ears were a little red, probably because she was shy.
He Jing calmly withdrew his gaze from her ears, chuckled softly, and curled his lips, "Let's go eat first?"
The two of them found a random shop on the side of the road.
Two bowls of Yangchun noodles were served, and Chen Zan couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks and start eating.
She lowered her eyes and took small bites, her cheeks puffed up, a bit like a hamster eating.
He Jingsui was sitting opposite her, and when he looked up, he saw her like this.
He curled the corners of his lips and did not disturb Miss Hamster in front of him.
The satisfaction of having his stomach filled with food reached its peak at this moment. Chen Zan wiped his mouth with a tissue, feeling his belly being filled with hot food.
"Are you full?"
Chen Zan nodded, "Yeah."
"Wait," He Jing stood up and walked out, "I'll go pay the bill."
"Hey..." She called out to him.
He Jing then turned his head.
Chen Zhan said, "Let me do it. I'll treat you to this meal."
He Jingsui didn't give her a chance, "I don't have the habit of letting girls pay the bill."
After saying that, without waiting for Chen Zan to answer, he walked to the front desk to pay the bill.
His figure was reflected brightly in Chen Zan's eyes. It was not just a simple sense of satisfaction, but a kind of joy as if he was hit by a bolt from the sky.
After packing her things, she stood up and walked towards him.
They took the bus back to school.
It was the last bus, and there were only a few people sitting on it.
Chen Zan sat by the window, and He Jing naturally sat next to her.
The neon lights at night are shining brightly, and the dazzling light falls on every corner of the city.
The gentle and cool night breeze blew slowly, lifting the loose hair by Chen Zhan's ears.
She turned her head to look out the window, but saw He Jingsui's shadow in the reflective glass window.
He leaned lazily against the back of the chair, looking at his phone with his eyes slightly lowered. The loose hair on his forehead slightly covered his eyebrows and his thin lips were pursed without a trace of curve.
Chen Zan couldn't tell the emotion in his eyes at the moment, but he couldn't help but look at him twice through the window.
Unexpectedly, the next second, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked through the glass window, and their eyes met.
Chen Zan's heart skipped a beat.
He Jingsui's voice came over lazily and with a hint of malice, "Are you peeking at me?"
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The author has something to say: He Jingsui: Are you peeking at me?
Chen Zan: No.
He Jingsui (with a proud face): You still don’t admit it.
Chen Zhan: ...
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