Solitary Toss of Tenderness

Ten miles of spring breeze, not as lovely as you

That day, Xu Baihan fled in embarrassment from the perfect match of Jiang Wang and Li Liwen, not daring to stop or look back. She walked out of the hospital, and there was a car waiting for her at the hospital entrance.

Her longtime chauffeur, perceiving Xu Baihan’s unusual emotions, remained silent, waiting patiently without saying a word or asking anything.

Xu Baihan stubbornly remained silent, sitting in the car, gazing out of the window at the hospital gate for a long time. Due to her tightly clenched fists, her nails had deeply dug into the flesh of her palms, and faint traces of blood emerged, yet she was oblivious to the pain.

She knew that she was still expecting something, or perhaps yearning for something. However, it was only when she saw Jiang Wang and Li Liwen walking out of the hospital gate together, laughing and talking, heading towards the parking lot, that she seemed to finally understand what it meant to feel like “a heart not dying even after crossing the Yellow River.”

Finally, she fiercely bit her lower lip, trying to steady her trembling and hoarse voice, which was suppressed from crying. She ordered the driver in a slow and steady tone, “Let’s go home.”

Along the way, the rain grew heavier and heavier, the pouring rain tapping on the car window incessantly, one after another, so loud, so forceful that it seemed to penetrate Xu Baihan’s heart, making her feel a sharp pain. Unable to control it any longer, her eyes became blurred, and tears fell.

There was a time when she and Jiang Wang also experienced such heavy rain.

Back then, they had feelings for each other, and their ambiguous relationship was blooming. It was late spring, around Jiang Wang’s birthday. Earlier, she had written to Jiang Wang, asking what kind of gift she wanted. Jiang Wang’s reply was concise yet full of deep affection. In response, she told her, “I only want you.” As Xu Baihan looked at those four simple but powerful words, her face turned red, her ears burned, and her heart pounded like thunder.

It was still early, and she couldn’t be sure whether she could free herself to celebrate Jiang Wang’s birthday with her. So, she replied, “I’ll try my best if possible, but you’d better not set your expectations too high.”

However, Jiang Wang responded firmly, “I’ll wait for you.”

On Jiang Wang’s birthday, which fell on a Monday, Xu Baihan hesitated until Thursday. Finally, she couldn’t resist the longing in her heart to see Yun Bo, couldn’t resist the desire to witness Yun Bo’s joyful and carefree expression. She lied to her parents, saying she would be out with her classmates for the weekend and wouldn’t come home. Then, she secretly took a day off from school and traveled a long distance to find Yun Bo.

As God is her witness, it was the first time she had lied to her parents. Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she was drenched in sweat due to her guilt. Fortunately, her track record was excellent, and her parents didn’t suspect anything; they readily agreed to her request, even offering to help with any preparations. At that moment, as she looked into her parents’ loving and caring eyes, she felt both shame and overwhelming joy.

At that time, she faintly began to understand that Yun Bo had started becoming as important to her as her parents.

She didn’t tell Yun Bo; she wanted to surprise her.

As she approached her destination on the bus, she looked at the pouring rain outside the window, unable to help but worry about whether she would be able to buy an umbrella and whether she could find Yun Bo’s place. She started to regret not informing Yun Bo to come and pick her up.

At the moment she stepped out of the station, she heard Yun Bo’s familiar voice, usually cold but carrying a hint of tenderness: “Baihan, over here.” A black umbrella was steadily held up, creating a patch of clear sky for her.

She was astonished by Yun Bo’s prescience, but Yun Bo shook her head and explained, “It must be that heaven rewards the devoted.” She said that she had taken a leave of absence from school a couple of days ago and had been waiting at the station from the first train until the last one.

At that moment, Xu Baihan was moved and touched. She scolded Jiang Wang for being silly and wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t shown up.

But Jiang Wang gently embraced her and calmly said in her ear, “Baihan, you said you would come, and I believed you. If you didn’t come, I would have kept waiting. I knew you wouldn’t let me wait in vain, right?”

As they left the station, passing by a vast expanse of lush green rice fields swaying in the wind, Xu Baihan saw this countryside scenery for the first time and couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so beautiful…”

But Yun Bo turned her head slightly, shaking it with a smile. “Baihan, ten miles of spring breeze, not as lovely as you.”

Everything was still vivid in her mind, Yun Bo’s tender words still resonating in her ears. Over the years, Xu Baihan had relied on these memories to get by.

In the midst of such memories, Xu Baihan suddenly gained immense courage and certainty. She wiped away her tears, called the driver, and instructed him to turn around and go back to the hospital.

Jiang Wang sat quietly in the passenger seat of Li Liwen’s car, with the streetlights casting their glow on her face, making her expression even more mysterious and hazy.

Li Liwen had a lively personality. Throughout the journey, he kept talking to Jiang Wang, trying to find topics and do his best to lighten the atmosphere. However, Jiang Wang only occasionally responded with a few indifferent words.

Li Liwen once again entertained himself by sharing amusing stories about his colleagues from the public hospital he used to work at. He turned to Jiang Wang and said, “Dr. Jiang, don’t you think they are a pair of jokers?”

But Jiang Wang remained silent for a long time, not responding to him.

The car continued for a while, and Li Liwen couldn’t help but speak up again, asking Jiang Wang, “Dr. Jiang, what do you think?”

Finally, Jiang Wang withdrew her gaze from outside the car, as if awakening from a dream, and she responded with a slightly surprised “Hmm?” After a moment, she expressed some apology and said to Li Liwen, “Dr. Li, I’m sorry. I suddenly remembered there are some unfinished matters at the hospital, and I need to go back there. I won’t be able to have dinner with you. You can drop me off here.”

Li Liwen was taken aback, speechless and disappointed…

Despite Li Liwen’s repeated pleas to drive Jiang Wang back to the hospital, she firmly refused him with an unwavering tone, leaving no room for discussion.

In the darkness of the night, Li Liwen could only see Jiang Wang’s eyes deep and filled with melancholy. Without hesitation, she got out of the car, holding an umbrella, her proud and graceful figure gradually disappearing into the curtain of rain, blending with the surroundings.

In a daze, images of the gentle woman in the hospital, her hesitant smiles, flashed through Li Liwen’s mind, and for a moment, he seemed to grasp something.

He slumped over the steering wheel, unable to help but force a bitter smile. It seemed like he was heartbroken.

Jiang Huaixi was awakened by a tingling sensation on her chest. She frowned and, without opening her eyes, quickly caught the mischievous hand that was disturbing her sweet dream. Her voice sounded husky and carried a sensuality and laziness that Lu Zizheng had never heard before: “What naughty thing are you up to?”

Lu Zizheng was completely engrossed in the intricate and alluring guzheng pattern on Jiang Huaixi’s chest. Clearly, she didn’t expect her little move to be caught by Jiang Huaixi. In a reflex, she wanted to pull her hand back, but Jiang Huaixi firmly held onto it, making it impossible to escape. Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and she whispered sheepishly, “Did I wake you up?”

Jiang Huaixi was still feeling a bit tired, her body unusually sore. She lazily responded, “Mmm.”

Opening her eyes, she saw Lu Zizheng looking at her with a mix of joy and shyness. Her heart couldn’t help but soften, and she playfully teased Lu Zizheng, “Zizheng, I never knew you had such a hearty appetite. Waking up hungry in the morning, huh?” As she spoke, her beautiful eyebrows lifted slightly, the corners of her lips curved in a faint smile, and her delicate features appeared cold and elegant yet alluring and sensual, captivating Lu Zizheng’s eyes.

Lu Zizheng’s face turned even redder, and she stuttered while trying to explain, “No, it’s not like that… I, I was just worried you might be tired…”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaixi raised an eyebrow, unable to contain her amusement, and asked, “Oh?”

Lu Zizheng bit her lip, let out a soft hum, calmed herself down, and regained some composure. She explained earnestly, “I just saw the guzheng pattern on your chest, and I couldn’t help but touch it…”

Jiang Huaixi took Lu Zizheng’s hand and placed it near her lips, lightly biting it, and playfully asked, “Do you like it?”

Lu Zizheng couldn’t help blushing again, gazing directly at Jiang Huaixi, and after a moment, she replied, “Yes, it’s beautiful.” Pausing for a moment, she asked with curiosity, “Why did you decide to have a guzheng pattern here?”

Lu Zizheng admitted that at the moment she saw the guzheng, she couldn’t help but have some faint expectations and impulses.

Jiang Huaixi half-closed her eyes, reaching out to gently rub Lu Zizheng’s hair, looking at her with a hint of hope in her watery eyes, and playfully asked, “Zizheng, what kind of answer do you want to hear from me? What are you expecting? Hmm?” Her words were full of teasing understanding.

Lu Zizheng was taken aback, looking at Jiang Huaixi’s deliberately teasing expression, knowing she was purposely messing with her and yet managing to hit the mark of her thoughts, making her feel embarrassed. She let out a soft hum, burying her face in the pillow, her voice muffled, “I’m not expecting anything. Don’t overthink it; it’s just a casual question.”

Jiang Huaixi gazed at Lu Zizheng’s attempt to conceal her true feelings and couldn’t help but smile gently.

She reached out and gently embraced Lu Zizheng’s slender waist, using her chin to nudge the stray hair on Lu Zizheng’s forehead, and in a rare moment of honesty and tenderness, she said softly, “I’ll confess to you. Having you tattooed on my chest is because I want to carry my love for you everywhere, from the highest heavens to the deepest realms, always together…” Her tone was gentle, and even though the words were few, Lu Zizheng could feel the depth of her emotions.

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

Jiang Huaixi lowered her head, raising her eyebrows gently, and lightly pecked Lu Zizheng’s lips. She looked into Lu Zizheng’s eyes with warmth and sincerity, saying softly, “Zizheng, I love you.”

Over the years, this secret that had been hidden in their hearts, locked behind their lips, was finally spoken. In that moment, when Lu Zizheng saw Jiang Huaixi, her eyes were filled with bright joy, and in the next moment, tears welled up in her eyes.

Jiang Huaixi gently kissed the corner of Lu Zizheng’s eye, capturing her salty yet blissful tears, feeling both heartache and indulgence. “Zizheng, I never knew before that you cry so much.”

Upon hearing Jiang Huaixi’s teasing, Lu Zizheng found herself experiencing a mix of happiness and annoyance, laughing and crying at the same time. Amidst all these emotions, a tender affection lingered in her gaze.

She lowered her head gently and kissed the guzheng pattern on Jiang Huaixi’s chest, speaking earnestly and tenderly, “Huaixi, how about I get a little stream tattooed here too?”

However, Jiang Huaixi’s response was firm and unwavering: “No.”

Lu Zizheng asked in confusion, “Why?”

Jiang Huaixi replied calmly, “Because it will hurt.” As she spoke, her fingertips gently traced down the smooth and rounded shoulder of Lu Zizheng, and she chuckled softly, a bit displeased. “Besides, how can your body be shown to others?”

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

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Jiang Huaixi’s lips, but she didn’t say anything.

Zizheng, it’s because no wealth can compare to you. Being generous is easy when it comes to you.

Among all my treasures, there’s only one of you. How can I be generous with that?