Solitary Toss of Tenderness

Loving you is the best thing I have ever done

In Linzhou, heavy rain started pouring down since the afternoon, with the sky gloomy, mirroring people’s heavy emotions.

In the operating room, a surgery had just been successfully completed. Li Liwen stood beside Jiang Wang, secretly observing this beautiful and aloof woman.

He had been colleagues with Jiang Wang for over two years, yet it seemed he had never seen her truly smile with her eyes and heart. People in the hospital would gossip behind her back, calling her a cold beauty. When women said it, there was a hint of envy and bitterness, but when men said it, it carried yearning and fascination. Jiang Wang’s aloofness and indifference did not hinder her charm to men. In the hospital, many liked Jiang Wang, overtly or secretly, but she never gave them the slightest hope. Li Liwen was one of them.

Jiang Wang gently nodded to her colleague by her side, expressing appreciation for their hard work. Then, she took off her surgical gloves and, with steady and calm steps, walked out of the operating room.

Li Liwen hesitated for a moment, then followed her. In the instant Jiang Wang stepped out of the operating room’s door, Li Liwen invited her, ‘Dr. Jiang, I heard that there’s a nice Japanese restaurant in Xinjie Street. Would you like to go there together and give it a try?’ While speaking, he half-smirked, revealing a slightly mischievous smile, as if making a casual joke.

Jiang Wang didn’t hesitate for a moment upon hearing her words and was about to refuse. However, with an inadvertent raise of her eyes, she saw Xu Baihan’s pair of brimming eyes locked onto her, unwaveringly. In that instant of meeting her gaze, she could see joy in her eyes.

On Xu Baihan’s legs lay a large red bag, and Jiang Wang dared not look at it too much. She couldn’t deceive herself, saying she didn’t care. The fact that Xu Baihan couldn’t stand had been like a needle stuck deep in her heart since she found out. It pricked her, making her bleed uncontrollably and causing her immense pain at unexpected moments.

Jiang Wang’s figure trembled slightly, her brows furrowed. She lowered her gaze for a moment, stayed silent, then resumed walking while giving a faint reply to Li Liwen’s invitation, “Okay, just wait for a moment. I’ll go back to my office and change clothes.”

Li Liwen couldn’t help but be taken aback. Did her ears deceive him? Jiang Wang just accepted his invitation? As soon as he realized it, he quickly caught up and eagerly responded to Jiang Wang, “No problem, take your time. I’ll go to my office and wait for you there.”

He was overwhelmed with excitement and joy, completely oblivious to the somewhat muffled sound of a wheelchair being pushed from behind him. After he entered his office, the sound continued, following Jiang Wang’s footsteps, creating a rhythmic symphony, one after another…

Xu Baihan arrived at the hospital a little after three in the afternoon. Knowing that Jiang Wang had an emergency surgery, she waited outside the operating room for more than four hours. The solemn and chilly atmosphere inside the hospital, coupled with the gloomy weather outside and the patter of rain, made Xu Baihan’s heart gradually damp and cold, and her expression turned melancholic.

In the moment she saw Jiang Wang, Xu Baihan felt as if her heart came alive, beating vividly and intensely. She didn’t overlook the slight frown on Jiang Wang’s face upon seeing her, but she gathered her courage and pretended not to notice the indifference and disregard Jiang Wang showed her, silently following her.

Jiang Wang was aware that Xu Baihan was silently trailing behind her. She walked ahead, furrowing her brows, maintaining silence together with Xu Baihan. Upon entering her office, she left the door open, composedly washed her hands at the sink, took off her white coat, locked it in the cabinet, and then turned around to face Xu Baihan, who had been watching her intently. In a calm and measured tone, Jiang Wang asked, “Is there something you need?”

Seeing Jiang Wang’s apparent impatience and the subtle pain in her heart, Xu Baihan couldn’t quite put it into words, but she still curved her lips into a gentle smile and spoke tenderly, “I just wanted to know if you have time to have a meal together. Um, I actually made your favorite dish, hoping you could enjoy it while it’s still hot after work. I didn’t expect you to have a surgery suddenly, and now it’s probably cold.”

Jiang Wang’s gaze lingered on Xu Baihan’s smiling face, and she felt the pain of that needle in her heart once again, stabbing at her with each beat. She shifted her eyes and noticed that Li Liwen had already stood at the door, smiling and waiting for her. Jiang Wang lightly closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them, her aloofness even more pronounced. She took a few steps outside, looked at Li Liwen, and asked Xu Baihan, “What should we do? I already made plans with Li Liwen.” Although it should have been a question, Jiang Wang’s tone was exceptionally detached, making her refusal abundantly clear.

Xu Baihan slightly paused upon hearing the words, turned her wheelchair in a different direction, and then saw a tall and handsome young man standing at the door, looking at them with a smile.

Jiang Wang took a few more steps outside and stood beside Li Liwen, reaching out to gently hold his arm, expressing affectionate intimacy.

Li Liwen, with a smile, glanced sideways at Jiang Wang, and with a playful tone, playfully implored Xu Baihan, “Friend, you don’t know how difficult it is to make plans with Little Wang. Just help me out here. If I succeed in winning the beauty’s heart, I’ll owe you a big favor.”

Jiang Wang appeared somewhat displeased and shyly cast a glance at Li Liwen. He immediately surrendered with a laugh, saying, “Oh, I didn’t say anything…”

In that moment, Xu Baihan watched them harmonize and interact with extraordinary understanding, appearing like a perfectly matched couple. The color drained from her face, and even a forced smile was impossible. She tightly gripped the wheelchair’s handles, her fingertips turning pale. She opened her mouth, made several attempts, and then stuttered, “Th-that’s… that’s okay, I-I’ll leave first, you can go on…” Afterward, she fled in haste.

She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, unable to hold them back any longer. She didn’t dare to raise her head for Jiang Wang to see, so she kept her head down, rapidly spinning her wheelchair, stumbling and rushing out in a fluster.

Jiang Wang’s eyes were fixed on Xu Baihan, watching her distressed figure hurriedly leaving, and a hint of undisguised sorrow appeared in her expression. She remained motionless…

Li Liwen suddenly felt a bit awkward and softly reminded, “That…”

Jiang Wang closed her eyes, concealing all emotions, released her grip on Li Liwen’s arm, took a few steps forward, creating distance between them, and calmly said, “Let’s go…”

However, Li Liwen keenly noticed that her steps had a barely noticeable stagger…

Since the afternoon, Ji’an had been experiencing a drizzling rain, which made the temperature drop suddenly.

After having dinner in the evening, Lu Zizheng and Jiang Huaixi crawled into bed early, leaning against the same pillow, casually flipping through TV channels, watching either the news or advertisements…

When the news segment ended, Jiang Huaixi picked up the remote and absentmindedly switched channels. Suddenly, in an instant, the TV screen went black, and the ceiling light went out, plunging the room into darkness…

Lu Zizheng couldn’t react immediately and let out a slightly panicked exclamation, “Ah…”

Jiang Huaixi quickly reached out and gently grabbed her arm, reassuringly saying, “It’s okay, probably just another burnt power line outside. It’ll be back to normal in a while.” Ji’an was a small village, and its power lines were prone to damage due to aging, despite periodic renovations. The lines often burned out because of voltage surges, but having lived there for many years, she was used to it.

Jiang Huaixi hopped off the bed, unable to find her slippers in the darkness. Barefoot, she groped in front of the drawer and found the candles she always kept. One by one, she lit them, offering specks of light to Lu Zizheng.

In the flickering candlelight, she saw Lu Zizheng’s eyes shimmering as if holding water, glistening with a radiant glow. Her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Huaixi, and in the hazy light and shadows, her blurred silhouette, long dark hair, all made her look even more charming and captivating, stirring one’s heart and soul.

Outside the window, the rain pitter-pattered continuously, tapping against the glass with the slanting wind, producing a sound as crisp and pleasant as pearls falling on a jade plate. Jiang Huaixi’s thoughts drifted away for a moment, seemingly lost in time.

Many years ago, on a rainy night much like this, she sat in the audience, in utter darkness, eyes fixed on Lu Zizheng’s slightly indistinct figure under the spotlight. She listened to her melodious singing and watched her graceful and alluring dance. At the moment the lights illuminated her, she saw Lu Zizheng raise her eyes and sweep them over the audience. Despite the applause and excitement, her expression conveyed a sense of loneliness and detachment, like a proud and solitary blooming lotus, captivating Jiang Huaixi’s eyes unwittingly…

Little did she know that a lingering gaze would make her unable to forget her from that moment on…

Jiang Huaixi bent down to pick up her phone, and with a light touch of her fingers, a gentle melody flowed, “I never forgot…” It was the song “Equator and North Pole” by Lu Zizheng from that year.

She extended her hand, her voice slightly husky and mysterious, “Zizheng, will you dance?”

Lu Zizheng stared at the fair and beautiful hand before her, listening to her own slightly sorrowful singing flowing slowly into her ears. For a moment, she felt a sense of trance.

“Huaixi…” she murmured.

In the faint light, Jiang Huaixi’s gaze became even gentler, brimming with tenderness.

Lu Zizheng’s lips curved into a faint smile, and at last, she reached out her hand and placed it gently on Jiang Huaixi’s slightly cool palm, grasping it bit by bit…

In the darkness, amidst the faint light, they stood barefoot, holding each other’s hands, and started dancing gracefully in front of the window. Every step, every retreat, seemed to be perfectly timed, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times, their harmony unprecedented.

On the wall, the indistinct shadows could only reveal two figures moving back and forth, sidestepping, leaning, approaching, parting, intertwining repeatedly…

“But the boundless sea, can I still return to your embrace…” As the song neared its end, Lu Zizheng’s steps intertwined, spinning to the music, circling and falling into Jiang Huaixi’s arms. One tilting of the head, one lowering of the gaze, their eyes met…

At some point, the rain had stopped, and only the sound of water droplets gently falling from the eaves outside the window filled the silence, creating a crisp “drip-drip” sound, slowly, slowly, blossoming in the tranquility…

Their interlocked hands, at some point, had loosened. Lu Zizheng gently wrapped her arm around Jiang Huaixi’s waist, tilting her head up, and with unwavering intensity, she gazed at Jiang Huaixi. Her intense gaze swept over her delicate eyebrows, her beautiful star-like eyes, her well-defined nose, and finally, landed on her moistened lips…

Jiang Huaixi felt as if she was instantly burned by the heat hidden in Lu Zizheng’s eyes, and in a panic, she averted her gaze and tried to break free from her embrace…

But in the next moment, Lu Zizheng extended her arms and tightly encircled Jiang Huaixi’s waist from behind, burying her face in her neck and softly murmuring, pleading, “Huaixi, don’t hide from me anymore.”

“I love you…”

At that moment, Jiang Huaixi couldn’t suppress the slight trembling of her heart. She heard Lu Zizheng’s soft and gentle breath in her ears and felt that warmth, little by little, flowing into her body and into her heart, making her tremble uncontrollably…

She turned around, lowered her head, and gazed intensely at Lu Zizheng, who was full of sincere affection. In her expression, there was both sweetness that couldn’t be restrained from rising to her brows and a hint of hesitancy and sorrow…

But Lu Zizheng held her tightly, gradually tightening her embrace. Perhaps the night was too entwining in this way, she tilted her head, her gaze watery, and finally unable to resist her longing, she gently tiptoed and drew closer to Jiang Huaixi’s lips, planting a slow and tender kiss…

In the instant when Lu Zizheng’s lips touched hers, Jiang Huaixi covered her own lips with her hand, allowing the kiss to land on the back of her hand. Under Lu Zizheng’s slightly puzzled gaze, she heard her own hoarse and almost incoherent voice say, “Zizheng, I’m afraid you’ll regret it…”

Yet Lu Zizheng looked at her and curved her lips into a radiant smile. She tiptoed, gently kissing Jiang Huaixi’s forehead, then her eyebrows, her eyes, her nose, and said, “Huaixi, I don’t know if I’ll regret loving you in the future, but I know, if I don’t love you, I will definitely regret it…” Her voice was so devout and resolute, yet tender and affectionate…

Jiang Huaixi closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes trembled softly. In Lu Zizheng’s gentle kisses, her hand covering her lips finally, little by little, fell down weakly…

Jiang Huaixi felt the gentle and delicate touch of Lu Zizheng’s lips and tongue, slowly caressing her own lips, parting her teeth bit by bit, conquering the territory inch by inch. Finally, unable to resist, she softly closed her lips, lightly biting onto Lu Zizheng’s warm and delicate tongue, using her own tongue to gently sweep over it, savoring and feeling the genuine warmth and excitement from Lu Zizheng…

As Lu Zizheng leaned over her, tremblingly undoing her nightgown, unfastening her clothes, and gently nibbling on her shoulders, collarbone… Jiang Huaixi closed her eyes, listening to the soft and lingering gasps coming from their entangled bodies, as well as the sigh of satisfaction from the depths of their hearts.

Outside the window, the wind blew and the rain fell, drop by drop until dawn.

The red candle flickered, and in the throes of passion, Jiang Huaixi couldn’t help but tense her body, slightly tilting her head to reveal a captivating neckline, while tightly embracing Lu Zizheng. A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye, but a beautiful and enchanting smile bloomed on her lips…

“Zizheng, I surrender.

Let’s sink together…”