Chapter 44
In the afternoon, the shop received a large order from Hongxiang for afternoon tea, including pastries, cakes, and coffee. The order noted, “Hope the beautiful boss delivers it.”
Xiao Wan tore off the order and handed it to Ji Ting.
“Sister Ting, does this mean you need to deliver it?”
There was a batch of coffee beans expected to arrive soon, so Ji Ting couldn’t leave the shop. Hongxiang had ordered coffee before, but this was the first time for such a large quantity of pastries and cakes. It might have been arranged by Fang Yu, but there was no message from him, so Ji Ting didn’t want to guess.
However, she really couldn’t go deliver it.
She told Xiao Wan, “Add two more mousse desserts and say the boss is very busy today.”
Xiao Wan put down the order with a smile and said, “Got it.”
She turned to make the coffee and added, “I told you, with the coffee beans coming in, there’s no way Sister Ting has time to go out. I’ll have to go with Xiao Mu. I’m sort of a beauty too.”
Ji Ting smiled and helped package the cakes and tie the ribbons, chuckling, “Xiao Wan, you’re already a great beauty.”
“Really? Sister Ting, don’t flatter me,” Xiao Wan said, turning to look at Ji Ting. Ji Ting looked at Xiao Wan’s delicate but slightly rounded face and nodded. Xiao Wan blushed instantly and turned back to her work.
“My mom says being a bit chubby is good luck. If being chubby still looks good, then you’re indeed a beauty.”
Xiao Mu, who was also working part-time, laughed.
After half an hour, Xiao Wan and Xiao Mu left to deliver the order to Hongxiang. The coffee beans arrived, and Ji Ting opened the door to let the coffee supplier, Lao Yan, bring in a cart full of coffee beans.
Ji Ting handed over the shop to Zhang Yang and took Lao Yan into the warehouse.
With the stock and sales, inventory checks, and other follow-up tasks, Ji Ting and Lao Yan, who had been friends for many years, spent the entire afternoon working and chatting.
By the time Ji Ting came out of the warehouse, Xiao Wan had ordered some ramen and heated it up for her.
After standing all afternoon, Ji Ting’s legs were sore. She sat down, ate the noodles while checking her phone. The phone rang; the caller ID showed the WH Hotel front desk.
Ji Ting answered, “Hello?”
The front desk staff at WH Hotel was a former colleague of Yu Xi, and she recognized Ji Ting. She had been on duty the night before when Ji Ting had brought Shu Xiao to stay at the hotel. On the phone, she said, “Ji Ting, Miss Shu in room 2003 is your friend, right?”
Ji Ting replied, “Yes, what’s the matter?”
“Well, Miss Shu seems to have a fever. She bought medicine twice today. I took it up to her. I asked if she wanted dinner, but she said she had no appetite. I thought she looked quite pitiful, and since you brought her here, I wanted to let you know. If she doesn’t get better, it would be better to take her to the hospital.”
Ji Ting was taken aback and asked, “What kind of medicine did she buy?”
“I checked, and it was mainly ibuprofen and some cold medicine.”
Ji Ting sighed with slight relief and said, “Okay, I understand. I’ll go check on her once I finish up here. Thanks for keeping an eye on her.”
“No problem. I’ll hang up now.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Ji Ting sat in a daze for a moment. A few seconds later, she finished the soup and coffee. She looked outside at the darkening sky, and saw the lights turning on in the Zhouyue Building across the street, with many companies still working late. She threw away the takeout container and went to the break room to wash her face.
The weather was getting colder, so she applied some moisturizer.
The shop wasn’t too busy in the evening. Ji Ting put on a coat, said goodbye to Zhang Yang, and went out. She headed to a nearby restaurant and ordered a bowl of congee.
While waiting, Ji Ting opened WeChat and looked at the black profile picture, hesitating whether to send a message about Shu Xiao being ill.
But what would that achieve?
Would it be seen as trying to force a match?
Ji Ting felt she wasn’t ready for that yet. She put down her phone and accepted the congee from the waiter.
Then, she went to the garage to get her car and drove to WH Hotel.
She went upstairs and arrived at the door of room 2003. After knocking, the door opened a minute later. Shu Xiao, draped in a coat, with messy hair and a sleepy expression, looked surprised to see Ji Ting. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were still red. She said in a soft voice, “Tingting…”
“You have a fever?” Ji Ting asked.
Shu Xiao stepped back and nodded, “Yes, it seems I have a fever. I took some fever-reducing medicine.”
Ji Ting closed the door behind her and followed Shu Xiao into the living room. She noticed a medicine bag and an electronic thermometer on the table. Ji Ting set down the congee and asked, “Have you had dinner?”
Shu Xiao shook her head while leaning against the back of the chair, appearing very cold despite her coat.
“No appetite, so I thought I’d skip it. The front desk called to ask if I wanted room service, but I declined.”
Ji Ting opened the food container and pushed it toward her, saying, “You should eat a little. It will warm you up and help you take your medicine.”
Shu Xiao initially hesitated but felt bad refusing since Ji Ting had brought it. She picked up the congee with a spoon and started eating.
Ji Ting used the thermometer to check her forehead.
37.8°C
A low-grade fever.
Shu Xiao looked at the thermometer and said, “It was over 38°C at first, so the medicine must be working.”
Ji Ting put down the thermometer and said, “Finish the congee and then take some more medicine. Try to rest early.”
Shu Xiao put the spoon in her mouth and glanced at Ji Ting, “Tingting, thank you.”
Her eyes seemed like they were about to tear up again.
Ji Ting sat on the single sofa and said, “Resting well is the most important thing.”
Shu Xiao nodded.
She carefully ate the congee.
Ji Ting leaned back in the chair and focused on her phone.
After a while, Shu Xiao finished eating. She threw away the food container and bag, and had some congee on her hands. She got up to wash her hands and, as she walked past the floor-to-ceiling window, glanced down. Due to the high floor, she couldn’t see anything. Ji Ting happened to look up and saw her looking at the window. Ji Ting was momentarily surprised and leaned against the armrest, saying, “Shu Xiao.”
Shu Xiao, caught off guard, snapped out of her daze and looked at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting asked, “What are you looking at?”
Shu Xiao, with a dazed expression, was pulling at the curtain.
A thought crossed Ji Ting’s mind. She paused for a moment and asked, “Are you expecting Tan Yucheng to come?”
Shu Xiao’s face turned pale, and she gripped the curtain even tighter.
Ji Ting bit her lip and picked up her phone, saying, “Shall I send him a message…?”
“No… don’t.”
Shu Xiao quickly walked over but hesitated to touch Ji Ting’s phone. She lowered her head and saw the chat window with the black profile picture, where there were quite a few messages exchanged between him and Ji Ting.
Ji Ting didn’t want her to see the chat window, which contained many videos he had sent her, along with some playful and teasing messages. So, Ji Ting turned off the phone screen.
When the screen went black, Shu Xiao looked up.
Ji Ting also looked up.
Shu Xiao said, “Tingting, I envy you. For all these years, you’ve always been with him.”
Ji Ting paused and replied, “That’s not quite accurate. We’re friends, so we’ve always stayed in touch, but we haven’t been together.”
Except for that brief three-month entanglement, they had always been just friends.
Shu Xiao nodded, “I know, but even so, I envy you.”
She walked around to sit on the sofa and whispered, “Those two years in high school were the happiest for me…”
“With Zhong Yu, with you, and with him. Our class atmosphere was great, Long Kong was interesting, and the other classmates were also fun. I thought I would need a long time to adjust when I transferred, but I didn’t. I really didn’t.”
Ji Ting watched Shu Xiao silently.
Not needing to adjust was because Tan Yucheng protected her and paved the way for her. Many people, influenced by his reputation, made a fuss over her, gave her priority, and made her the darling of the class.
This made her unstoppable.
Shu Xiao looked up, “But after I left, I’ve never been that happy again.”
Ji Ting leaned against the armrest, tightened her fingers, and asked softly, “Why did you have to break up back then?”
Shu Xiao bit her lip, her eyes reddening.
“My parents divorced, and it was very messy. My mother hated my father deeply—hated his infidelity, hated all the women he kept. My mother cared a lot about face and had strong self-esteem. After the divorce, she wanted to stay far away from Nan’an, from all the places he might go. So she insisted on taking me with her and absolutely forbade me from lingering.”
“I didn’t even go on the day of the college entrance exam. My mother locked me in the house and demanded I go with her and never come back.”
“I didn’t want to go to New York at all, but I had no choice. I had to go.”
“But at that time, I had promised him we’d go to Beijing University together. So I lied to him. I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t going. I didn’t have the courage to say it, so I could only wait until the end and let him make his own judgment.”
Ji Ting gritted her teeth.
She leaned back in her chair and remained silent.
Shu Xiao wiped her tears and looked at Ji Ting, “What happened to him later?”
Ji Ting looked up at Shu Xiao, her voice very soft, “I didn’t attend the same university as him, so I don’t know.”
Shu Xiao said softly, “I’m sorry.”
Ji Ting wasn’t sure if those two words were meant for her or for Tan Yucheng, or perhaps both. Just then, Ji Ting’s phone rang and prominently displayed “Tan Yucheng.”
Ji Ting was startled.
Shu Xiao, however, stared intently at the name “Tan Yucheng.”
Ji Ting answered the call, holding the phone to her ear, “Hello.”
Tan Yucheng’s voice was low and lazy, “I’m going to drive. Aren’t you at the store?”
Ji Ting looked up at Shu Xiao, who was also staring at her phone. This time, Ji Ting didn’t use the speakerphone, but the man’s faint, pleasant voice could still be heard due to the close proximity.
Ji Ting felt conflicted for a moment.
She said, “I’m at Shu Xiao’s place.”
On the other end, Tan Yucheng lit a cigarette and said, “Oh, when will you be back?”
Ji Ting pressed her lips together, glancing at Shu Xiao’s reddened eyes. She bit her lip and added, “Shu Xiao has a fever.”
Tan Yucheng, on the other end, took a drag from his cigarette and replied, “So, you went to give her medicine?”
Ji Ting: “…..”
She could only respond with a muted, “Mm.”
Shu Xiao only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. The last sentence from Tan Yucheng was clear to her. She leaned back in her chair, not knowing what to think, and wiped her eyes.
Ji Ting glanced at Shu Xiao.
Her emotions were quite messy and complex.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. The familiar ache signaled that her period had started, and she felt some flow. Ji Ting immediately stood up.
Seeing the situation, Shu Xiao quickly came over to support her.
Ji Ting quietly asked her to get a sanitary pad.
Shu Xiao was stunned, then realized and went to find one. She handed it to Ji Ting, who went into the bathroom. Although there were supplies in the hotel bathroom, Ji Ting changed quickly. Fortunately, the stain was minimal, but the pain intensified. She leaned against the sink and noticed the phone hadn’t been hung up yet, so she picked it up.
Tan Yucheng, on the other end, frowned, “Where are you?”
Ji Ting paused and quietly said, “My period started.”
Tan Yucheng was silent for a few seconds.
Then he said, “I’ll come to get you.”
He had seen Ji Ting’s level of pain during her period before. During their sophomore year’s National Day holiday, the school hosted a basketball tournament with several college teams competing. The games were held at their school, with Long Kong and Fu Yan participating. Tan Yucheng didn’t attend the training or the matches due to a project, so he was just there as a spectator. Ji Ting had been tagged by Long Kong in the group chat the day before, saying she would come to watch.
But when the game actually started, Ji Ting didn’t show up.
Tan Yucheng was watching the game and playing on his phone. When he looked up, he noticed someone was missing. Later, he saw Ji Ting’s dorm roommates and realized she hadn’t come.
He asked her roommates, “Where is Ji Ting?”
They told him Ji Ting was in the dorm, apparently because her period had started.
Tan Yucheng went to a convenience store and bought some things, then smoothly arrived at the girls’ dormitory. However, Ji Ting didn’t answer her phone, and the dorm was empty for the National Day holiday.
Tan Yucheng decided to go upstairs. When he opened the door, he found Ji Ting curled up, sweating profusely, and clutching her blanket. He stood there for a moment, then put down his things.
He made her some hot brown sugar water.
Ji Ting was in pain and dazedly opened her eyes to see him sitting in her chair, using her cup to make the brown sugar water. He was dressed in all black that day, including black boots.
His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his well-defined arms.
At that moment, she felt as if she were dreaming, only to later realize it was real.
During the three months of entanglement, Ji Ting had spent two months in pain, curled up in his arms. At that time, he would tease her, asking if having a child would stop the pain.
He wanted to take her to the hospital, but she had been there before with little effect; it was just a matter of enduring it.
After coming out of the bathroom, Shu Xiao poured a cup of hot water for Ji Ting. Ji Ting took it and drank a large sip. Shu Xiao looked very worried and asked, “Does it still hurt a lot? I have some painkillers here; do you want to take them?”
Ji Ting shook her head, enduring the pain, and said, “It will ease up eventually, in a few hours or so.”
Shu Xiao remained concerned, “How will you get back later? Can you drive?”
Ji Ting hesitated for a moment and said, “I can get back.”
Tan Yucheng had arrived.
For some reason, she didn’t dare tell Shu Xiao about him.
She asked Shu Xiao, “Have you taken your medicine?”
Shu Xiao was startled and replied, “Not yet. I’ll go take it now.”
She also wanted to feel better quickly. She went over, took the fever-reducing medicine, and swallowed it with water from the thermos. Seeing that she had taken the medicine, Ji Ting felt reassured and slowly walked over, saying, “I’ll leave first. Get some rest.”
Shu Xiao nodded, adjusting her coat. “I’ll see you off.”
Ji Ting walked towards the door. She was in a lot of pain, her palms were cold, and she was sweating. She turned back and smiled, “There’s no need. I can go down by myself. You should get some sleep.”
Shu Xiao blinked but still insisted on seeing Ji Ting to the elevator.
Ji Ting got into the elevator, looked at Shu Xiao standing outside with a soft expression, and sighed. As the elevator doors slowly closed, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
Soon, she reached the first floor.
It was a windy night, with a strong and chilly breeze.
Ji Ting walked out the door.
The black car was already parked at the hotel entrance. The window rolled down, and Tan Yucheng looked up from his phone to see her. The hotel doorman opened the car door for Ji Ting, and she got in.
Tan Yucheng handed her a hand warmer from the center console.
Ji Ting buckled her seatbelt, took the hand warmer, and didn’t want to talk due to the pain.
Tan Yucheng glanced at her and started the car.
“Home? Or to the hospital?”
“No hospital.”
She shook her head.
Tan Yucheng didn’t say anything more. He drove to the underground parking of the Zhuoyue Apartments. The car stopped, and Tan Yucheng got out of the driver’s seat, took a coat, and draped it over the passenger seat before bending down to unbuckle her seatbelt. Ji Ting looked at him, surprised, as Tan Yucheng lifted her into his arms.
He then turned to the door with his long legs and walked to the elevator, muttering lightly, “Don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
“Refuse to go to the hospital even if it hurts.”
Ji Ting clung to his neck, tightened her grip, and gritted her teeth. “I’m not going.”
Tan Yucheng glanced down at her.
They exchanged looks.
Tan Yucheng’s eyes narrowed. “Fine, suffer then.”
Then they entered the elevator.