Morning Longing for Warmth – Chapter 55
by Little PandaA Wish
I have a birthday wish
Shiyi stayed with Wei Hui in the hospital all night, barely getting any rest. After coming out of the examination room, Wei Hui was put on an IV drip and fell into a deep sleep. Shiyi sat by the bed, holding her left hand against her cheek, feeling the cool fingertips against her skin, making everything feel more real. Wei Hui slept soundly without waking once during the night, only opening her eyes slowly at dawn when piercing sunlight streamed through the window on a clear day.
“Shiyi,” she called out naturally, reaching her hand to the side of the bed but finding nothing. She opened her eyes to see Shiyi lying beside the bed, her head resting on her arm, one hand still holding hers.
The room was well-heated, and warmth radiated from Shiyi’s palm. Wei Hui gazed down at Shiyi deeply, observing how completely transformed this girl was from when they first met.
When she first entered the Wei family, she had timidly followed behind her, careful with everything she did, addressing her as Third Miss while nervously watching her from the corner of her eye, afraid of displeasing her. That first night, she had fearfully clutched at her hem – it felt like yesterday, but everything was different now.
The girl lying by the bed now had matured and become steady, the childishness gradually fading from her features. No trace remained of the girl who once followed behind her with lowered head, lost and helpless. Now she was like an eagle with growing wings, ready to soar at any moment.
She wanted to see her take flight.
Wei Hui turned to her side, using her other hand to brush Shiyi’s stray hair behind her ears, revealing her clear, beautiful face and mature features. Her skin was fair and delicate, with long eyelashes and a shadow under her eyes. Perhaps from crying for so long, the corners of her eyes were still tinged with red, standing out starkly against her fair skin. Wei Hui couldn’t help but gently stroke that redness with her fingertips, her gaze tender.
Shiyi had a dream. In it, she had convinced Wei Hui to agree to surgery. Outside the operating room, she sat waiting. One minute passed, and she suddenly realized she hadn’t properly talked with Wei Hui – what if she didn’t make it out? Two minutes passed, and she grew more distressed. Three minutes passed, and she couldn’t help but pace back and forth. Four minutes passed, and she walked to the door, pressing her head against it, her heart full of prayers. Five minutes, six minutes – each minute felt like torture in hell. Unable to bear it, she paced back and forth, unable to resist pressing herself against the door. Finally, the door opened, and Dr. Bai emerged in his white coat, his expression as grim as his assistant’s behind him.
“I’m sorry, the surgery failed.”
“I’m sorry, the surgery failed” – these words rang in her ears like a great bell, jolting her awake!
“Huihui!” Shiyi suddenly sat up, gripping Wei Hui’s hand tightly, her forehead covered in fine sweat. When she opened her eyes, they were still filled with panic and fear. Wei Hui put down her tablet and called out, “Shiyi?”
Hearing that familiar voice, Shiyi looked up at Wei Hui as fear swept through her entire body. She immediately rose to embrace Wei Hui, holding her tight while repeatedly muttering, “Let’s not do the surgery, let’s not do it.”
“Let’s go home, Huihui, I want to go home with you.”
“Can we go home?”
Wei Hui guessed she had had a nightmare and patted her back, softly comforting her: “It’s alright, Shiyi, it was just a dream.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” Shiyi stubbornly shook her head. “It wasn’t a dream.”
She had a strong premonition.
She would lose Wei Hui.
Shiyi bit her lip, repeatedly saying they should go back and forget about the surgery. Wei Hui was originally supposed to return after one night of observation, but seeing Shiyi so distressed, they both went back to the hotel together. Shiyi had no vacation days, so she went to class with an uneasy heart, messaging and calling Wei Hui during every break. Only when she heard Wei Hui’s normal voice on the other end did her anxiety slowly begin to subside.
Dr. Bai prescribed new medicine for Wei Hui. It was very bitter, and at noon Wei Hui barely ate anything, throwing it all up again. She asked Su Ziyan if she really had to take it. Su Ziyan replied that she must, saying that although the medicine was bitter, it was potent. After speaking, he hesitated, not telling Wei Hui that this medicine was usually only used in the late stages – for prolonging life.
Su Ziyan’s brief silence made everything clear to Wei Hui. She said nothing more and hung up. After taking her medicine at noon, she took a nap. When she woke up, Shiyi had finished classes. They had dinner at the hotel, with Shiyi cooking herself. Wei Hui hadn’t eaten Shiyi’s cooking for several months and missed it, indulging herself by eating a bit more. After taking her medicine in the evening, her stomach became unsettled. While Shiyi was out buying fruit, she emptied her stomach contents into the toilet, her face pale.
When Shiyi returned, she had already gone to bed. Only a dim bedside lamp lit the room. Shiyi brought the peeled fruit into the room and saw Wei Hui in bed, saying, “You’re sleeping?”
Wei Hui rubbed her temples, pretending to have been woken up: “You’re back.”
“I was so tired, wanted to rest for a bit, but ended up falling asleep.”
Seeing Wei Hui trying to get up, Shiyi quickly took two steps forward and sat on her bed: “Sleep. The fruit can wait until tomorrow. I’ll go make you some milk.”
Wei Hui smiled: “Okay.”
In the dim room light, Shiyi didn’t notice Wei Hui’s pallor. When she brought the milk in, Wei Hui was leaning against the headboard looking at her tablet. Seeing Shiyi enter, she said, “I need to go back tomorrow afternoon.”
“So soon?” Shiyi was startled. “But your birthday is the day after tomorrow.”
She hadn’t even brought her birthday gift.
Wei Hui saw her frustrated expression and smiled: “It’s alright, keep the gift. You can give it to me next year together with next year’s.”
Shiyi was gloomy and somewhat unhappy: “Did something happen at the company? Why such a rush to leave?”
Wei Hui didn’t hide it: “There’s an issue with Luo Zhouping.”
Luo Zhouping had tampered with the new project while she was abroad. Pei Tian had come with her, leaving no one to watch over the company, which allowed him to succeed. Shiyi gritted her teeth at hearing Luo Zhouping’s name – it was him again!
After drinking the milk, Wei Hui said to Shiyi: “You have class tomorrow, so don’t see me off. I’ll call you when I get back to Jiangcheng.” [LP: Jiangcheng, Jiang City, they’re the same… Sorry for interchangeably using them!]
Shiyi, knowing the importance of Wei Tian to Wei Hui, nodded without objection: “Okay.”
On their last night together, they didn’t do anything special. Shiyi just held Wei Hui, her ear pressed against her chest, listening through half the night. When Wei Hui stirred in the night, she immediately woke up, only relaxing after lifting her head to see Wei Hui still sleeping peacefully. After a night of restlessness, she woke up the next day with dark circles under her eyes. Afraid of making Wei Hui worry, she got up early to put on makeup in the bathroom. Wei Hui kept her eyes closed, listening to the running water in the bathroom as moisture gathered in her tightly shut eyes.
After eight, Shiyi woke Wei Hui and accompanied her for breakfast. Afterward, she didn’t leave, lingering in the hotel room. Wei Hui smiled: “Don’t you have class?”
Shiyi looked up at her: “I asked the professor for leave.”
“You’re not leaving until afternoon, so I’ll stay with you until then.”
Wei Hui saw her reddened eye corners and slightly swollen eyes, feeling pain in her heart. She took her hand: “Alright, what do you want to do today?”
Shiyi thought for a moment: “Let’s go see a movie first.”
They had watched many movies at home, but had never been to a movie theater together. Shiyi knew there was a large theater near Weiss, which her classmates often mentioned as having a nice environment. Wei Hui didn’t like crowded places, but seeing Shiyi’s bright, expectant eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she simply said: “Alright, I’ll change my clothes.”
Wei Hui and Shiyi changed into casual wear. Wei Hui, with her tall figure and ethereal bearing, couldn’t hide her noble aura even in simple casual clothes. She was like a bright star, naturally luminous wherever she went, impossible to ignore. She alone was enough to make everyone turn their heads, not to mention the beautiful Shiyi beside her. Shiyi was young and energetic, wearing casual clothes in the same color scheme as Wei Hui, her long ponytail casually tied behind her ears, wearing light makeup, looking both gorgeous and vibrant. The two walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing, drawing countless glances along the way. However, neither of them cared about these looks, their natural behavior adding to their elegance.
At the theater, Shiyi asked Wei Hui’s opinion, but she said anything was fine. After carefully choosing, Shiyi picked a romance movie. Since it wasn’t the weekend, the theater was nearly empty. Shiyi bought seats toward the back and some popcorn. The movie wasn’t very interesting – just old clichés: the leads going through “I love you but you don’t love me,” then “I don’t love you anymore but now you love me,” and just when they could finally be together, supporting characters appear saying they’re not suitable, before finally breaking through societal norms for a happy ending. This kind of plot dragged on for a full hundred and twenty minutes. Shiyi couldn’t help yawning toward the end and asked Wei Hui: “Why can’t they just be honest?”
Wei Hui took a bite of popcorn and discussed seriously: “That’s what creates the drama.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t want drama.” She wished she could spend every minute with Wei Hui, wanting the kind of love that could merge into her being – she didn’t want this kind of drama at all. Wei Hui heard her voice and chuckled softly: “The movie’s over, let’s go.”
They sat in the very back, and after the movie ended, the people in front left in small groups until only the two of them remained in the theater. The huge screen was playing the ending credits and wedding outtakes of the leads. Shiyi didn’t move, but held Wei Hui’s hand, keeping her seated. After a few seconds, she said: “Before, when Grandma celebrated my birthday, it was always on the eleventh. I don’t even know my real birthday.”
Wei Hui thought of the date she had seen in the documents and pressed her lips together, calling out: “Shiyi.”
Shiyi smiled: “After Grandma passed away, I never celebrated my birthday again, but this year, I want to celebrate once.”
“Tomorrow is your birthday, so I’ll celebrate mine today.”
“Is that okay?”
Wei Hui felt a sharp pain in her heart, her voice slightly hoarse. She coughed twice, her phoenix eyes reddening as she said: “Alright, how do you want to celebrate?”
Shiyi held her hand and smiled: “I don’t want to celebrate in any special way, I just want to make a birthday wish.”
Wei Hui lowered her eyes and stroked Shiyi’s hair: “Is it about me?”
Shiyi nodded earnestly and solemnly: “Yes.”
Wei Hui remained silent as Shiyi continued: “My birthday wish is for you to promise me that even if I do something wrong in the future, you won’t get angry.”
She held Wei Hui’s arm, her eyes glistening with tears as she said in a coaxing tone: “Okay?”
The smile faded from Wei Hui’s face, her lips tightly pressed together.
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