STT – Chapter 49

Ten miles of spring breeze cannot compare to you.

On that day, Xu Baihan fled awkwardly from the hospital, unable to stop or look back, as Jiang Wang and Li Liwen appeared as a perfect couple. She got into the car that had been waiting for her at the hospital entrance.

The old driver, who had been with her for many years, sensed Xu Baihan’s emotional distress. Xu Baihan remained silent, and the driver, respecting her mood, said nothing and asked nothing.

Stubbornly silent, Xu Baihan sat in the car, staring at the hospital entrance through the window for a long time. Her nails, from gripping her palm too tightly, had deeply embedded into her flesh, drawing slight traces of blood, yet she was oblivious.

She knew she was still hoping for something, or perhaps, longing for something unattainable. It wasn’t until she saw Jiang Wang and Li Liwen, chatting and laughing, walk out of the hospital gates towards the parking lot that she seemed to finally understand the saying “not giving up until reaching the Yellow River.”

Finally, she bit her lower lip hard, striving to steady her voice, which was trembling and hoarse from holding back tears, and instructed the driver, word by word, “Let’s go home.”

Along the way, the rain grew heavier, pounding relentlessly against the car windows. The sound was so loud and forceful that it seemed to pierce through to Xu Baihan’s heart, causing her pain. Eventually, she could no longer control herself, her eyes blurred with tears.

Once, she and Jiang Wang had experienced such a heavy rain together.

Back then, she and Jiang Wang had already developed feelings for each other, and their relationship was filled with intense ambiguity. It was late spring, coinciding with Jiang Wang’s birthday. Earlier, Xu Baihan had written to ask Jiang Wang what kind of gift she wanted. Jiang Wang’s reply was brief but filled with deep affection: ” I only want you.” At that moment, Xu Baihan looked at those four simple, sharp words, and couldn’t help but blush, her heart racing like thunder.

It was still early, and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to find the time to celebrate Jiang Wang’s birthday with her, so she replied cautiously: “If possible, I’ll try, but you better not expect too much.”

However, Jiang Wang confidently replied, “I’ll wait for you.”

On Jiang Wang’s birthday, which was a Monday, Xu Baihan hesitated until Thursday. She finally couldn’t resist the desire to see Yun Bo, the yearning to witness Yun Bo’s joyful and happy demeanor. She lied to her parents, saying she was going on a weekend trip with classmates and wouldn’t be home. Secretly, she asked her teacher for a day off and traveled a long distance to find Yun Bo.

In all honesty, it was her first time lying to her parents. Her voice trembled as she spoke, filled with guilt, and she was sweating profusely. Fortunately, her record had always been good, so her parents didn’t suspect anything and agreed, even asking if they should help prepare anything. At that moment, looking into her parents’ loving and concerned eyes, she felt intense shame but couldn’t help feeling overjoyed.

At that time, she began to vaguely realize that Yun Bo was becoming as important in her heart as her parents.

She didn’t tell Yun Bo because she wanted to give her a surprise.

As she arrived at the station, sitting on the bus and watching the pouring rain outside the window, she couldn’t help worrying about whether she could buy an umbrella or find Yun Bo’s residence. She started to somewhat regret not informing Yun Bo to pick her up.

But at the moment she exited the station, she heard Yun Bo’s familiar voice, always cool yet with a hidden gentleness: “Baihan, over here.” A black umbrella was steadily held up, creating a clear sky just for her.

She was surprised by Yun Bo’s foresight, but Yun Bo shook her head and explained: “Heaven helps those who are willing.” She said she had taken leave from school two days prior and had been waiting at the station from the first bus to the last.

In that moment, Xu Baihan was both moved and distressed, scolding Jiang Wang for being silly, wondering what she would have done if she hadn’t come.

However, Jiang Wang gently hugged her and calmly whispered in her ear with determination: “Baihan, you said you would come, so I believe. If you don’t come, I’ll wait, I’ll always wait for you, you won’t let me wait in vain, will you?”

As they left the station, they passed an endless green rice field, swaying with the wind. For the first time, Xu Baihan saw such rural scenery and couldn’t help but exclaim: “So beautiful…”

Yun Bo turned her head, shaking it with a smile: “Baihan, ten miles of spring breeze cannot compare to you.”

Everything was still vivid, Yun Bo’s gentle words still echoed in her ears. Over the years, Xu Baihan had almost relied on these memories to sustain herself.

In that moment, Xu Baihan found great courage and determination in those memories. She wiped her tears away, stopped the driver, and instructed him to turn back to the hospital.

Jiang Wang sat quietly in the passenger seat of Li Liwen’s car, the streetlights, whether bright or dim, casting shadows on her face, making her expression even more hazy and blurred.

Li Liwen had a lively nature, chatting continuously with Jiang Wang about various topics, trying hard to lighten the mood. However, Jiang Wang only occasionally responded with a word or two, neither warmly nor coldly.

Li Liwen once again performed a one-man show, finishing his tales about the funny stories of his colleagues from the public hospital where he once worked, and said to Jiang Wang: “Dr. Jiang, don’t you think they’re quite a pair of characters?”

But Jiang Wang did not respond to him for a long time.

After the car traveled a bit further, Li Liwen couldn’t help but ask Jiang Wang again: “Dr. Jiang, what do you think?”

Jiang Wang finally pulled her gaze back from the car window, as if waking from a dream, slightly surprised, “Hmm?” she questioned back. After a moment, with a slight apology, she said to Li Liwen: “Dr. Li, I’m sorry, I just remembered there are some unfinished things at the hospital, I need to go back, I can’t go to eat with you, you can drop me off here.”

Li Liwen was instantly left speechless and disheartened, staring in shock…

Despite Li Liwen’s repeated pleas to drive Jiang Wang back to the hospital, Jiang Wang resolutely refused him in an indisputable tone.

In the night, Li Liwen could only see Jiang Wang’s eyes, heavy with melancholy and gloom. Without hesitation, she got out of the car, holding an umbrella. Her solitary and graceful figure gradually disappeared into the rain, blending seamlessly with the surrounding world.

In a daze, an image of the gentle woman at the hospital, who seemed to want to speak but held back, forcing a smile, flashed through Li Liwen’s mind. In an instant, he seemed to understand something.

Dejectedly, he leaned over the steering wheel, unable to resist a bitter smile, feeling as though he had just experienced a breakup.

Jiang Huaixi was woken by a tingling and itchy sensation on her chest. She frowned slightly, not yet opening her eyes, but accurately caught the mischievous hand disturbing her sweet dream. Her voice, slightly hoarse, carried a kind of sexiness and laziness that Lu Zizheng had never heard: “What bad thing are you doing?”

Lu Zizheng was absorbed in the distinctive and alluring guzheng tattoo on Jiang Huaixi’s chest, not expecting her small action to be caught by Jiang Huaixi. Instinctively, she wanted to withdraw her hand, but Jiang Huaixi held it tightly, making it impossible to pull away, causing Lu Zizheng’s ears to blush with embarrassment as she softly asked: “Did I wake you?”

Jiang Huaixi was still feeling somewhat tired, her body unusually sore, so she lazily responded: “Mm.”

Opening her eyes, she saw Lu Zizheng looking at her with a mix of joy and shyness, which made her heart soften. She couldn’t resist teasing Lu Zizheng: “Zizheng, I didn’t expect you to have such an appetite. Just woke up and already hungry again?” As she spoke, her beautiful eyebrows slightly raised, the corners of her lips curving lightly in a half-smile, her features were exquisite and cool, yet charming and sexy, which mesmerized Lu Zizheng.

Lu Zizheng’s face turned even redder, stammering as she explained: “No, not at all… I, I was afraid you’d be tired…”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaixi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: “Mm?”

Lu Zizheng bit her lip, gave a light hum, calmed herself, regained some composure, and earnestly explained: “I just saw the guzheng on your chest and couldn’t help but touch it…”

Jiang Huaixi played with Lu Zizheng’s hand, brought it to her lips, gently bit it, and asked with a smile: “Is it nice?”

Lu Zizheng blushed again, gazing directly at Jiang Huaixi. After a while, she said: “It’s beautiful.” Pausing, she asked in confusion: “Why did you decide to tattoo a guzheng there?”

Lu Zizheng admitted that the moment she saw the guzheng, she couldn’t help but feel a faint expectation, something stirring restlessly within her.

Jiang Huaixi slightly closed her eyes, gently stroked Lu Zizheng’s hair, and looked at Lu Zizheng’s eyes, which were filled with a hint of hopeful anticipation. With a smile, she asked: “Zizheng, what kind of answer are you hoping to hear from me? What are you expecting? Hmm?” Her words were filled with a knowing tease.

Lu Zizheng was startled, seeing Jiang Huaixi’s knowingly playful look, aware that she was deliberately teasing her, yet precisely hitting her thoughts, she felt both shy and annoyed. She lightly hummed, burying her face into the pillow, her voice muffled: “I’m not expecting anything, don’t overthink it, just asking.”

Jiang Huaixi couldn’t help but smile gently at Lu Zizheng’s obvious attempt to cover up.

She reached out to gently embrace Lu Zizheng’s slender waist, lightly rubbed her chin against Lu Zizheng’s fringe, and softly confessed with rare tenderness: “I confess, having you tattooed on my chest is because I want to carry my love for you everywhere, through heaven and earth, always, always together…” Her tone was gentle, yet all Lu Zizheng heard was deep affection.

It was the first time Lu Zizheng heard Jiang Huaixi say she loved her, and she was both surprised and delighted. She suddenly lifted her face from the pillow, her eyes misty with emotion, gazing at Jiang Huaixi with tenderness as deep as water, as if she had a thousand words to say.

Jiang Huaixi lowered her head, her brows and eyes curving softly, gently pecked Lu Zizheng’s lips, looked straight into Lu Zizheng’s eyes, and tenderly and sincerely said: “Zizheng, I love you.”

For many years, this secret hidden in her heart and held back at her lips, she finally spoke out. She saw, in an instant, Lu Zizheng’s eyes filled with bright joy, and in the next moment, tears overflowed from her eyes.

Jiang Huaixi gently kissed the corner of Lu Zizheng’s eyes, absorbing her salty, sweet tears of happiness, feeling both heartache and indulgence: “Zizheng, I never knew before that you cry so easily.”

Hearing Jiang Huaixi’s teasing, Lu Zizheng was both happy and annoyed, crying and laughing at the same time, experiencing a myriad of emotions, but in the end, it all turned into a gentle look.

She gently lowered her head, kissed the guzheng on Jiang Huaixi’s heart, and said with a sincere and tender tone: “Huaixi, should I also tattoo a little stream here, would that be good?”

Immediately, Jiang Huaixi’s firm refusal came to her ears: “No.”

Lu Zizheng asked, puzzled: “Why?”

Jiang Huaixi calmly replied: “Because it will hurt.” After speaking, her fingertips gently traced down Lu Zizheng’s smooth, bare shoulder, lightly laughing as she added, discontentedly: “And how can your body be shown to others?”

Lu Zizheng couldn’t help but laugh, gently biting Jiang Huaixi’s collarbone, and teasingly said: “I never knew that the wealthy Miss Jiang could be so stingy.”

Jiang Huaixi’s lips curved into a slight smile, but she said nothing.

Zizheng, that’s because no amount of wealth can compare to you, and my generosity is reserved only for you.

Of all my treasures, you are the only one. How could I be generous with you?

LP: Re-translated on September 09, 2024