Cold Treatment
Was given the cold treatment
In one sentence, Jian Qing tactfully refused Fu Jianshu’s invitation to have lunch together, and also explained to Lu Yinxi that the other was a patient.
The woman named “Jianshu” smiled, disregarded Jian Qing’s tactful refusal, reached out, and greeted Lu Yinxi: “Hello, I am Fu Jianshu, a high school classmate of Jian Qing.”
She is a gentle and intellectual woman by nature, with a scholarly elegance, a slender figure, and a delicate face.
Patients visiting the oncology department mostly come with bare faces, rarely wearing makeup.
Firstly because they don’t have the mind for it, secondly because it affects the doctor’s diagnosis.
However, she wears delicate light makeup, making it hard to discern her original complexion.
Lu Yinxi reached out and shook hands with her, introducing herself: “Hello, I am Teacher Jian’s… roommate, Lu Yinxi.”
Fu Jianshu smiled gently, nodded, and evaluated, saying: “Yinxi… you look quite young, it’s rare to meet such a pretty little beauty. May I invite you to lunch, and would Ah Qing join too?”
With a few words, she reversed the roles.
Jian Qing neither agreed nor disagreed, looking at Lu Yinxi.
Lu Yinxi observed Jian Qing’s expression.
On the surface, Jian Qing seemed calm and composed, but her eyes were much warmer.
Sometimes, when a doctor’s attitude is indifferent, it often means you don’t have a big problem; their cold words and actions are just because they feel you’re wasting their time and medical resources. But if their attitude suddenly becomes warm, it might mean pity.
The three of them chose a simple Western restaurant near the hospital for a meal. During the wait for the dishes, Fu Jianshu boldly scrutinized Jian Qing with her gaze, smiling and saying: “Ah Qing hasn’t changed much, still the same as before, not fond of talking.”
With Jian Qing being reticent, Lu Yinxi engaged in conversation with Fu Jianshu, where they introduced each other’s professions.
After a few exchanges, Lu Yinxi asked: “What was Teacher Jian like in high school?”
Fu Jianshu looked out the window, reminisced for a moment, and said: “Very beautiful, with excellent grades, solitary, not fond of talking. Many people liked her, but none dared to pursue her, including myself.”
They were desk mates for a week, and she secretly loved Jian Qing for three whole years.
In adolescent secret love, saying one more sentence or giving one more glance could bring happiness for half a day. She never dared to hope to confess or actually confess.
“My home still keeps your notebook; after graduation, you threw away your notebook, and I picked them all up. Also, your school uniform jacket—it got splashed with ink by the boy sitting behind me, and you lent me your jacket. I washed it and returned it to you, but you didn’t want it, so I kept it until now. At the graduation banquet, I wanted to share one last hug with you, but you didn’t come at all…”
Lu Yinxi dug a pit in her heart, temporarily burying the sour and dull pain of her emotions, and quietly listened as Fu Jianshu narrated the past Jian Qing from the perspective of an admirer.
After Fu Jianshu finished speaking, Jian Qing took a sip of lemon water, glanced at Lu Yinxi, and retracted her gaze, calmly saying: “Jianshu, you have changed a lot.”
She pieced together her impression of this old classmate from her memories.
In high school, Fu Jianshu was delicate, quiet, somewhat introverted, easily blushed, had some talent, loved poetry, and often scored high in essays.
Fu Jianshu laughed: “Perhaps I’ve figured it out, with not many days left to live, I’ll live more freely, doing whatever I want, saying whatever I want. Thinking back, why live so repressed, like living in a shell? During school, parents and teachers wanted me to be obedient, sensible, and have good grades, so I was a good girl; at work, if the boss asked for overtime, I did overtime; when I reached a certain age, everyone urged me to marry, so I married. I was pushed forward, walking half a life, not knowing what I truly wanted or what I wanted to do.”
Jian Qing didn’t give up persuading: “Accept treatment, your current physical condition is still very good. Treatment isn’t as scary as you imagine, even if it can’t fully cure you, it can extend your life and alleviate pain.”
Now, she can still talk and laugh, can still walk around and shop, but if the illness comes like a mountain falling, without accepting treatment, in a few months, she will collapse.
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Fu Jianshu shook her head, smiling, saying: “Having is not as good as not having. During these last days, I will finish the things I want to do and say the words I want to say, not wasting time in the hospital, nor do I want…” she pointed to her face, “to become ugly.”
This kind of thought Jian Qing couldn’t understand, and she didn’t speak for a moment.
Lu Yinxi asked: “When did you discover it?”
Fu Jianshu said: “At the beginning of this year, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, Stage III, which several very famous female stars in your entertainment circle have also had.”
Among breast cancers, it is the most malignant type, grows rapidly, and often occurs in young women.
Even those rich and powerful stars withered like flowers, beyond salvation, let alone someone ordinary like her.
Jian Qing heard her underlying meaning and continued to persuade: “Everyone’s constitution is different, you can’t generalize. Accepting treatment and not accepting treatment at all have two different outcomes.”
Lu Yinxi also persuaded: “Speaking of stars, there is a very famous actress from ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ who was also an actress I really liked. After discovering her breast cancer, she was unwilling to accept treatment and chose to enter a monastery. She passed away in about a year, which was very unfortunate.”
Jian Qing added an example: “I have a patient here who, after accepting treatment, has had a progression-free survival period of up to three years.”
Both of them, in harmony, hoped Fu Jianshu would accept treatment and not give up.
Lu Yinxi was mindful of Fu Jianshu’s admiration for Jian Qing, but compared to the matters of life and death and illness, personal affairs of love seemed very small, so small as to be not worth mentioning.
As the dishes were served on the table, Fu Jianshu’s gaze fell on the exquisite dishes: “One should eat and drink as they please; there are millions of ways to live, being happy is what matters.”
The implication was that she was living happily now and tactfully refused their persuasion.
Rather than living painfully, strugglingly, and uglily for a few years, she would rather live happily for half a year, and in the end, it wouldn’t matter on which road or at which scenic spot she dies.
Jian Qing looked at her and didn’t speak further.
After lunch, Fu Jianshu ordered a bouquet of roses still wet with dew and handed them to Jian Qing with a smile: “Fresh flowers for a beauty, you are more beautiful than before.”
The scene was somewhat dazzling, and Lu Yinxi chose not to look, gently bidding farewell to the two: “You rarely gather, I won’t disturb you, I’ll return to the film set first, see you next time.”
After speaking, she turned and left, leaving the two of them to catch up.
Jian Qing watched her leave and returned the flowers to Fu Jianshu, politely refusing: “Thank you, but I cannot accept. I can only offer help with your treatment.”
Fu Jianshu laughed: “You think I would use my illness to morally coerce you into accepting my admiration? No need, I don’t care for such love. I won’t be with you, I don’t need your feedback, I just wanted to give you flowers. If you accept them, you can give them to others or throw them in the trash. If you don’t accept, I won’t force you, and I won’t give them again after today. I just, really wanted to do this one thing. A bit willful, sorry.”
After the meal, with her lipstick wiped off, she returned to her original pale lip color, appearing somewhat weak, and her smile was also forced.
“Ah Qing, during this time, I’ve done many things I didn’t dare do before: divorced, quit my job, had a big fight with my parents, traveled to many places, and finished many things. I didn’t know what to do next, so I came to Jiangzhou City to see you, to tell you that I liked you. Because of your sister’s and your mother’s matters, you’ve always been not too happy. I wanted to confess to you, so that when you encounter unhappy things in the future, you can also think of me, and remember that in this world, someone once really liked you.”
Liked enough to be willing to use her own life to spare you from life’s suffering, to exchange for your lifetime peace and joy.
Jian Qing received the flowers and, in the evening, arranged to meet Fu Jianshu’s sister, Fu Yuan, giving the flowers to Fu Yuan: “Persuade your sister to quickly accept treatment, don’t delay any longer.”
“Someone might think you’re trying to pursue me,” Fu Yuan said, holding the roses and sighing. “I’ve tried to persuade her, but she won’t listen. She fell out with our parents and argued with me too, telling us not to interfere and saying she wants to live for herself now.”
Jian Qing’s mother has been under Fu Yuan’s care, and because of this relationship, she showed more concern for Fu Jianshu: “Gather all her medical records for me; I’ll see if there’s anything we can do, just to be prepared in case she changes her mind and wants treatment one day.”
Fu Yuan said: “She’s not willing to give them to me. I’ll find time to go to her house and look.”
Jian Qing acknowledged with a simple “um.”
Fu Yuan also talked about her mother’s recent condition: “Aunt Ruan has been remembering more things lately. If you have time, visit her more often, chat with her, maybe she can recognize you.”
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Jian Qing responded again with an “um,” neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
She usually visits once a month and doesn’t stay long, just for half a day, accompanying her for a while before leaving.
Even if she is recognized, there’s nothing worth rejoicing about; perhaps only resentment remains. It’s better not to be recognized, to be a stranger, and at least coexist peacefully.
Lu Yinxi no longer uses the breaks during filming to visit Jian Qing, afraid of accidentally encountering a passionate, sincere confession or witnessing Jian Qing hand in hand with someone else.
She searched her memory again, recording the plots and endings she still remembered into her phone’s memo. She also chose to upload them to cloud storage to prevent accidental information loss.
If they take next January as the deadline, she and Fu Jianshu are both people with not much time left.
She envies Fu Jianshu’s courage, envies that Fu Jianshu and Jian Qing shared their youthful years, and also envies that they belong to the same world.
Fu Jianshu comes to the hospital once a week to get some painkillers and incidentally invites Jian Qing to have a meal.
Jian Qing politely refused and instead contacted Lu Yinxi to eat together, but Lu Yinxi said she had eaten a boxed meal with the film crew.
After that day, Lu Yinxi left early and returned late, trying to avoid meeting Jian Qing.
On the last day of filming at Annex One, she didn’t finish work and return home until one in the morning. Jian Qing was on the sofa, holding a computer and preparing lecture materials.
Seeing Lu Yinxi return, she went to pour a cup of warm water and placed it on the table.
Lu Yinxi, dragging her tired body, sat down, holding the cup, and softly said: “Tomorrow I will return to the film set in the suburbs.”
Jian Qing responded with an “um,” saying no more.
Lu Yinxi lowered her head and handed over a bank card: “This is the card you gave me before. The second batch of money from the film crew has already been transferred, which is enough for my future expenses. By the end of May, when filming ends, the third payment will also be transferred. Thank you for taking care of me these past few months.”
They hadn’t communicated much in the past few days, so her words sounded somewhat distant and formal.
“Thank you?” Jian Qing heard these two words, slightly curling the corner of her lips, her tone cold, revealing some sarcasm, “Then should I say, welcome next time you visit?”
The tension was too strong. Lu Yinxi didn’t want to argue with her and silently took a sip of warm water, her long eyelashes fluttering.
Jian Qing looked at her, wanting to ask, what do you actually take me for, and what do you take this place for?
She endured a moment, did not ask out loud, and softened her voice, lightly saying: “I’ve helped you pack your luggage. Go freshen up and rest early.”
Lu Yinxi said thank you again.
Jian Qing didn’t respond further and returned to her room with her computer.
The second time parting was not as difficult as the first.
Because there was no farewell.
Jian Qing went to work as usual, without a word of greeting, while Lu Yinxi returned to the suburban film set with the film crew’s bus.
She was given the cold shoulder again.
Of course, this time she was the one who initiated the cold shoulder.
She couldn’t blame or resent Fu Jianshu for her passionate and straightforward confession, ignoring everyone else, nor could she stop it, but she also didn’t have the courage to hear it again or see it again.
So she resorted to cold treatment, avoiding both of them, filming day after day at the set, immersing herself in work, trying to forget their existence.
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Feelings were stagnant, but life still needed to continue.
While working, feelings could only be a small part of life.
Jian Qing, for most of the time, also focused on work, with medical and research occupying most of her energy. Only in leisurely moments would she think about being treated coldly.
Facing Fu Jianshu’s occasional expressions of love, she treated them as passing wind, not accepting any gifts, and not attending any invitations. Whatever romantic gestures Fu Jianshu used, she would only spoil them by explaining breast cancer treatment methods.
Fu Jianshu, seeing through Jian Qing’s favored object, smiled and said: “The young girl is timid; when I was her age, I also didn’t dare to express myself. Do you want to use me? Take a picture of us kissing or holding hands, pretend to let her see it unintentionally, and test her emotions. Maybe she’ll get emotional enough to face you.”
Even though her thoughts were seen through, Jian Qing remained expressionless, simply shaking her head and refusing, saying: “Thank you for the suggestion, but it’s unnecessary. It would be disrespectful to you and to her.”
If the other party has feelings for her, doing so would be intentional harm; if the other party has no feelings for her, doing so would be futile.
Fu Jianshu smiled and said: “I really envy her.”
The next day, Fu Jianshu found the film crew at the suburban film city and appeared in front of Lu Yinxi.
The author has something to say:
I’m on duty again, got excited while writing, and will post another chapter later. Of course, to prevent any mishaps, it’s better not to wait and to check back tomorrow morning~~~