The nurse was the first to reach the bedside and changed a bottle of medicine for Ye Xingmian.
“Have you caught a cold recently? You haven’t been eating properly. You’re young, you need to take care of yourself, okay?” said the older nurse as she changed the medication.
“Mm, thank you.”
After changing the medicine, the nurse gave a few more instructions, then picked up the tray and left.
Liu Yinuo was sitting beside Ye Xingmian, while Mother Liu stood against the wall without saying a word.
“Um… Aunt… it must have cost a lot to treat me, right?”
“Huh? Not much. Your health is the most important, you know?”
“Thank you…”
Having such concern was rare, but Ye Xingmian felt uncomfortable inside.
“I’ve caused you trouble again, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t think about that nonsense. After you finish the IV, Aunt will take you all home.”
“I heard you fainted because you wanted to cook dinner for Nuonuo, right? Such a clever hand, truly a kind-hearted child.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already scolded Nuonuo. From now on, when you cook, she has to help you by your side.”
“Huh?!”
After saying that, Mother Liu ran off like a gust of wind, closing the ward door behind her, leaving behind a playful smile.
The heater was on in the room, warm and comfortable. But her hand was still receiving an IV, so Ye Xingmian dared not move.
In her memory, this was one of the few times she had been to a hospital.
Her body wasn’t strong. Though she couldn’t be called frail, she caught colds and fevers more often than other children. But her foster parents rarely took her to the clinic.
Unless absolutely necessary, most of the time they would just rummage through the leftover medicine at home and get by, toughing it out until it passed.
If it ever got to the point where she was unconscious with a high fever, after being sent to get an IV, she would still be scolded or punished. Either way, it was a very painful memory.
Liu Yinuo’s parents… are really gentle…
Ye Xingmian quietly clenched the bedsheet with her other hand that wasn’t hooked up to the IV.
“Um… Yinuo…?”
“Hmm??”
Liu Yinuo looked up. She had been thinking about something.
During the time Ye Xingmian was unconscious, her mother had indeed called her out. But what she told her was a bit different from what she revealed to Ye Xingmian.
There was condemnation, but more of it was doubt.
Her mother seemed to have sensed her thoughts and feelings, but didn’t openly oppose her. However, when she saw her mother’s raised brows, she vaguely understood her mother’s stance.
So, she began to doubt herself.
Not to mention the difficulties her vision would face, but as for Ye Xingmian herself, would she really be willing to go with her?
She missed her mother so much. In her heart, there must be no one more important than her mother, right?
Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Liu Yinuo understood this fact.
Under such circumstances, was it really appropriate for her to push Ye Xingmian like this, even to the point of making her faint?
After all, she already had the life she wanted. She shouldn’t interfere too much.
After four years apart, would she still remember her?
Or by then, would they have become strangers?
But… four years of university… who knows what will happen?
And once she leaves, she probably won’t ever return to this city, right?
Liu Yinuo couldn’t accept that outcome.
Even though she had thought so much in her head, she still had to face Ye Xingmian’s question. The other girl had just called her, and she looked up at the girl on the hospital bed.
Ye Xingmian’s skin was very pale, white as paper, white like an illness, as if if it snowed outside, she would blend into the snow.
Her expression showed hesitation, and her breathing was weak, making her look exactly like a frail beauty.
Her pink eyes, like a fawn’s, looked at her uneasily.
“Yinuo… are you… blaming yourself?”
Liu Yinuo almost instinctively wanted to shake her head, but then she realized she really seemed to be blaming herself.
She couldn’t say for sure.
After a long pause, she shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
That’s all she could answer.
Seeing her like this, the girl on the bed didn’t look disappointed, but instead forced a smile.
She carefully turned on her side, careful not to press on the hand still receiving the IV. Her hand was very pale, with blue veins clearly visible under the skin.
“Yinuo, can you give me your hand?”
Her voice suddenly had a hint of coquettishness.
Liu Yinuo felt a trance, as if she had returned to the night she took a taxi and picked Ye Xingmian up from the alley.
Naturally, she didn’t refuse.
“Mm, okay.”
She offered her hand.
The other girl’s hand was a bit cold, even though the room had the heater on and was very warm…
A hint of disappointment appeared in the corner of Ye Xingmian’s eyes.
“Sorry, Class Monitor. My hand is very cold, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay.”
Liu Yinuo reached out her other hand, wanting to stroke her head.
But Ye Xingmian’s next action made her freeze.
The frail girl held her hand preciously, as if grasping a treasure.
Carefully, she placed her hand on her own warm cheek.
It still carried her smile.
Feeling the delicate texture transmitted to her palm, Liu Yinuo’s breath caught.
“Here, it shouldn’t be cold anymore, right?”
It was hard to describe how Ye Xingmian looked in her eyes at this moment.
The her from before had always been cautious and timid, and even her naturally outstanding features were subdued by that temperament.
But now…
She forgot whether this was the first time she felt her heart race because of this girl.
More importantly, Ye Xingmian seemed completely unaware, focused only on comforting her.
Even though the other girl’s actions were perfectly normal, she inexplicably felt an indescribable allure.
“Me fainting… it’s not Yinuo’s fault, it’s my own problem.”
“I used to get dizzy occasionally, and yesterday I was kicked out and had a fever.”
“Even if Yinuo hadn’t tutored me, this kind of thing is hard to avoid, you know.”
Ye Xingmian said with a smile.
“And…”
She lowered her head slightly, and her expression became a bit heavier.
“About the tutoring, actually it’s not a problem at all, right?”
“Especially for me.”
“Yinuo doing this is clearly for my own good, to help me improve my grades… It’s Yinuo who’s giving.”
“I’m the one who’s too useless; even if I can’t learn, how can I blame Yinuo?”
“Moreover…”
Liu Yinuo suddenly felt the palm of the hand that Ye Xingmian was holding become a bit hot.
She was certain it wasn’t her own doing.
“Moreover… actually, I myself really want to go to the same university as Yinuo…”
Ye Xingmian said this, and Liu Yinuo didn’t move at all.
Actually, she herself wasn’t confident when saying all this.
She didn’t know if saying these things counted as… a confession?
It’s very similar, right?
No matter how you look at it, it’s very similar, right?
She was definitely nervous.
And she both hoped Liu Yinuo could understand the hidden meaning, and feared she actually would.
In this deathly atmosphere, Ye Xingmian’s heartbeat grew faster and faster.
She couldn’t help but carefully look up at Liu Yinuo’s face.
“Heh… I see.”
Unfortunately, Liu Yinuo only let out a light laugh.
She understood her comfort, but seemed not to interpret the meaning behind her racing heart.
“From now on, you need to eat well and work hard.”
Liu Yinuo said with a deep gaze.
“Mm.”