"Hm." Nian Shen responded again.
"Third, youâve got to coax. Donât be forcefulâwomenâs hearts are soft."
"Hm."
"Wait," Heather suddenly frowned. "If I teach you this way, doesnât that mean youâll end up helping Qu Leqi deal with me? Am I not just creating trouble for myself..."
Each of their thoughts focused on different things.
Nian Shen suddenly leaned closer to her and asked, "So, if I were to follow these three steps to pursue you, would it work?"
Heatherâs heart seemed to skip a beat, a sudden jolt.
He was suddenly so close...
Heather unconsciously inched back just a little, letting out a dry laugh. "Um... Mr. Nian, perhaps youâve misunderstood something. Iâm not like those other women."
"Oh?" Nian Shen showed no intention of teasing her as he straightened up. "Then what kind are you?"
Yi Yang was already setting food out for her, so she shifted her gaze to the dishes. "Though itâs quite light, it still looks very appetizing."
Nian Shen didnât comment on her change of topicâhe simply nodded and said, "Eat while itâs hot. Yi Yang mentioned this place has pretty good reviews; the congee tastes nice."
Yi Yang glanced at them and nodded slightly. "Iâll head out for now."
Heather looked up at him.
What does that mean?
His "head out for now"...
Does that mean Nian Shen isnât leaving?
She turned to look at Nian Shen. He was already seated on the edge of her hospital bed and had taken the plastic bowl and spoon sheâd just been handed.
"?" Heather stared at him in confusion.
"Itâs very hotâlet me do it."
"..." Her hand had already reached out but eventually froze midair. She reclined slightly and furrowed her brow, saying, "Mr. Nian... Iâd better do it myself."
"You donât need to feel burdened. After all, this situation came about because of my girlfriend. I ought to take responsibility."
"..." Heather felt a bit embarrassed.
She mulled it over for a while. This whole mess could be blamed on anyoneâexcept him. How could he even shoulder the main responsibility?
"Since itâs about Miss Quâs fan, it doesnât actually concern Miss Qu, and thus, it canât be blamed on Mr. Nian either. Mr. Nian seems... especially inclined to take all responsibility onto himself?"
Clearly...
Every time, it had nothing to do with him.
"If itâs the truth, I wonât avoid it."
"..."
But the problem is... it truly isnât his fault!
However, Heather had just woken up, her head was hurting, and he genuinely looked as though he was determined to take responsibility and feed her congee. After a momentâs hesitation, she finally opened her mouth and slowly swallowed down a spoonful.
The hospital room was very quiet, with only faint murmurs occasionally drifting in from the courtyard outside.
Spoonful by spoonful, neither of them said anything as the congee was soon finished.
Occasionally, Heather would lift her eyes to glimpse at Nian Shen, only to find him not watching her. Instead, he carefully blew on the congee to cool it slightly before feeding her.
At that moment, she didnât see Li Sinian.
Finally, in her eyes, he was Nian Shen.
So... he really wasnât him.
All those years theyâd been togetherâAh Nian had seldom, if ever, shown such a gentle expression. It would be fair to say he never had. He didnât laugh as easily as Nian Shen did, and he didnât have as much to say as Nian Shen.
He was the type to keep his thoughts hidden, sometimes leaving her unable to decipher what was on his mind.
Heatherâs thoughts seemed to drift off, until Nian Shenâs voice suddenly broke through beside her ear: "Whatâs the matter? Thinking about your Ah Nian again?"