She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Crying Together — Even Now.

At five o’clock two afternoons later, the recording finished. The two women handled the wrap-up tasks quickly and rushed back to City B.

Song Yi’s condition was reportedly stable. Min Wutong hadn’t gone into detail, only mentioning that she would be discharged after two more days of observation.

They followed the address to the hospital ward, but before they could enter, they heard voices coming from inside.

No—it was an argument.

Lu Shuyu’s hand, which was about to pull the door open, froze in mid-air. She grabbed Xia Leshuang and pulled her aside to hide.

Through the door of the private room, she heard Song Yi’s voice. The other voice, a male one, naturally belonged to her husband.

The argument didn’t last long. Before the two outside could decide to leave, a phone rang inside the room.

Then, the man’s voice followed: “I’m going downstairs for a smoke. Think it over yourself.”

Feeling a sudden warmth on her shoulder, Lu Shuyu was pulled into a half-embrace by Xia Leshuang, who led her quickly into the emergency stairwell across the hall. A moment later, they heard the man pick up his phone and walk toward the elevators.

Lu Shuyu let out a breath of relief. Turning her head, she saw Xia Leshuang wore the same expression. She couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. “I didn’t expect that bringing you to visit a patient would involve playing thief.”

The hand on her shoulder patted her twice, a gesture of comfort. “Just an accident.”

When they returned to the door of the ward, Xia Leshuang let go. “I won’t go in. This isn’t a good time for a formal greeting.”

She wasn’t close to Song Yi to begin with. If she went in now, the other woman would likely feel burdened.

Although the argument in the ward was brief, the information was clear. Lu Shuyu already had a guess as to why Song Yi hadn’t been doing well lately. Xia Leshuang, naturally, had guessed it too.

“Okay,” Lu Shuyu nodded. “There’s a café downstairs. Wait for me there.”

Xia Leshuang was about to leave when Shuyu pulled her back. “Don’t let people recognize you.”

“Don’t worry.” Xia Leshuang turned her hand to hold Shuyu’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry about me.”

…

The moment the ward door opened, Song Yi turned her head from the bed. Their eyes met—there was joy, nostalgia, and a hint of strangeness.

“You’re here?” Song Yi smiled, looking as gentle as ever.

But Lu Shuyu keenly sensed a difference. The light surrounding Song Yi had dimmed significantly; even that hidden edge she once possessed seemed to have vanished completely.

“Teacher,” Shuyu suppressed her heartache and forced a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Sit first.” Song Yi motioned for her to take a seat.

As Shuyu sat on the stool by the bed, the distance between them closed. Song Yi looked at her tenderly and nodded. “Fluctuations during pregnancy are normal. Don’t listen to President Min’s exaggerations.”

The implication was that if it hadn’t been for Min Wutong, Lu Shuyu wouldn’t even have known she was hospitalized.

For a moment, Shuyu felt a complex mix of emotions. She didn’t know how to describe her current state; she just suddenly felt that smiling was very exhausting.

“As long as you’re okay,” she said. “By the way,” she lifted the bag in her hand, “I prepared some small gifts for you and the baby.”

Having not seen each other for a while, showing up empty-handed would be impolite. Since she didn’t know Song Yi’s current dietary preferences, she had bought some safe, classic gifts.

Song Yi looked down. After a long silence, she took the gifts and placed them on the table, her smile fading slightly. “Thank you.”

With that “thank you,” the atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing point.

Lu Shuyu acted as if she didn’t notice. “They are two ‘long-life lock’ necklaces, a mother-daughter set. One for you and one for the baby.”

At the mention of the child, Song Yi’s expression softened. Her gaze fell on her baby bump with pure maternal love. “I’ll let her wear it when she’s born.”

Lu Shuyu looked away, finding it hard to breathe. “Good. Then—”

Just as she was about to leave, Song Yi pulled a stack of papers from under her pillow. Lu Shuyu instinctively took them and saw the familiar handwriting.

There were about a dozen pages. As she flipped through them one by one, she realized it was a proposal for an all-female outdoor racing survival reality show.

“The idea first came to me during the first recording in City L,” Song Yi explained. “But with my special situation later on, I never got to flesh it out. During these six months of pregnancy, I shouldn’t use electronic devices much, so I wrote this proposal by hand.”

Lu Shuyu stopped after a few pages. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Why are you giving this to me?”

Song Yi was startled, then smiled. “Because you are Director Lu. I only feel at ease leaving it to you.”

Irritation and gloom twisted in Shuyu’s chest. She never thought the day would come when she would want to lose her temper with Song Yi.

“So,” she said, suppressing her anger, “Why leave it to me?”

Pregnancy and maternity leave would last a year and a half at most. This project was complex; the preparation from start to implementation would take time. If she gave it to Min Wutong to push the early stages now, it might be ready for launch shortly after her return.

By giving it specifically to her—

“You don’t plan on coming back, do you?” Lu Shuyu couldn’t hold back the accusatory tone.

Song Yi laughed softly. “This is more like the you I know.”

Before Shuyu could understand what she meant, Song Yi’s expression turned somber. She looked out the window, then back at her belly. She looked as though she had made a final decision. It was just like the argument Shuyu had heard at the door.

— “Can’t you think for me, for the child, for the family?” — “I’ve waited ten years for this child, and I’ve supported your work for ten years. Isn’t it time you made some concessions?”

At the time, Song Yi had replied: “Are you asking me to make a concession? You are asking me to sacrifice my career.”

Her voice had been steady then, and Shuyu thought Song Yi was still firm in her heart. She didn’t expect that it was the heart itself that had changed.

“I want to be a good mother,” Song Yi said.

Lu Shuyu endured it as long as she could. Before she could say something hurtful, she gritted her teeth and left the ward without a word.

…

A massive sense of disappointment and betrayal enveloped her. She walked forward blindly like she’d lost her soul until a car horn blared behind her, jolting her out of the chaos.

Honk— “Watch out—”

A familiar embrace pulled her to the side.

“Leshuang?” Lu Shuyu asked blankly. “Why are you here?” Then she realized her surroundings—the underground garage. She was even more confused. “How did I get here…”

Xia Leshuang sighed. “Good thing I was in the car.”

They had rushed back from City Y and gone to the mall for gifts. Not long after Xia Leshuang got to the café, it was about to close. Since she had Shuyu’s car keys, she had simply gone down to the garage to wait in the car.

“Sorry,” Lu Shuyu said, finally seeing the messages on her phone. “I didn’t notice my phone.”

Xia Leshuang shook her head. She instinctively took Shuyu’s hand, only to find it ice-cold. “Get in the car first.”

She guided her into the passenger seat and then got into the driver’s side. As the door closed, Xia Leshuang went to fasten her seatbelt, only to notice Shuyu hadn’t done hers yet. She leaned over to do it for her.

Lu Shuyu was slightly startled and belatedly tried to do it herself. Their hands collided. The stark difference in temperature brought a momentary numbness.

“Hiss,” Shuyu retracted her hand. “Are my hands that cold?”

Xia Leshuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was the one who got “iced,” yet Shuyu looked like the victim. “A little.” She took Shuyu’s hands and squeezed them in hers to warm them up. “Let’s warm them.”

During the movement, the stack of papers in Shuyu’s lap slid down. Leshuang caught sight of the writing.

“It’s a proposal for a variety show written by my teacher,” Lu Shuyu explained. “It looks like…” Xia Leshuang peered at it, “there are over a dozen pages?” “Yeah, about seventeen or eighteen.”

Lu Shuyu sighed. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with sadness and disappointment. “Teacher gave it to me. She said she isn’t coming back.”

The sentence was short, but it tore open the floodgates of her emotions, causing her voice to tremble. Xia Leshuang had rarely seen Lu Shuyu look so aggrieved. Her heart ached, and her own eyes grew red.

Seeing this, Lu Shuyu laughed through her tears. “Teacher Xia, your empathy is a bit too strong. I don’t even dare to cry now.”

Xia Leshuang reached out to pull her in. Shuyu leaned against her shoulder. Beneath the thin T-shirt was a warm body and a reassuring scent.

“We are in a relationship. Crying together is something we are allowed to do.”

It was a familiar line. Lu Shuyu couldn’t help but let out a laugh, which was immediately followed by a surge of tears.

She cried quietly in Leshuang’s arms, not making a sound, but the tears falling on Leshuang’s back felt scalding and heavy. Xia Leshuang remained silent, rhythmically patting Shuyu’s back in comfort.

The back of the T-shirt was soon soaked. As if the moisture was being conducted, tears welled up in Leshuang’s eyes too and escaped from the corners. She blinked, not saying a word.

It wasn’t until the temperature in the car rose and the oxygen grew thin that Lu Shuyu finally finished her venting.

“Leshuang…” she said, her voice nasal. “Hmm?” The reply was also thick with a nasal tone.

Lu Shuyu wanted to laugh, but she didn’t want to let go. “Help me unbuckle the seatbelt.” She had been so busy crying that she had been fighting against the pull of the belt the whole time. Now that the crying was over, the constraint felt uncomfortable.

A soft laugh sounded in her ear, followed by a click. Her body relaxed.

“Don’t move,” Lu Shuyu said. Still in the embrace, she leaned toward the car door. She extended her long arm and cracked the driver’s window open.

Fresh air flowed in. She took a long, deep breath. “I’ve recovered…”

Xia Leshuang laughed again. “Let’s open both sides then.”

Before Shuyu could press the button, she was pulled back. The sound of a window opening echoed—Xia Leshuang had imitated her by opening the passenger window.

We’re like Siamese twins… Lu Shuyu thought, speechless. Then, she belatedly realized a fleeting, soft sensation from a moment ago. She thought about it silently; the fresh air blowing in seemed to carry some special molecules that made her feel even hotter than before.

“Did you,” she asked softly, “just kiss my shoulder?”

City Y had been too hot, so she was wearing an off-the-shoulder short T-shirt today. She could clearly feel the touch. She felt Xia Leshuang’s body stiffen. Then, Leshuang repeated the action—Shuyu’s shoulder felt a brief warmth as a damp, hot breath touched it and pulled away.

“It seems… yes…” She sounded innocent, yet a bit at a loss.

“Okay.”

Lu Shuyu blinked. Then she lowered her head slightly and planted a soft kiss on the neck in front of her. After the kiss, she sat up straight and looked into those wide eyes, chuckling.

“Now we’re even.”

Xia Leshuang turned completely red, from her neck to her ears. Even her eyes couldn’t be ignored. When she saw the dried tear tracks on Shuyu’s face, the romantic atmosphere vanished instantly.

“We look so pathetic,” Lu Shuyu couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. However, the heaviness was gone; she felt much lighter.

“True,” Xia Leshuang pulled out a tissue and wiped a stray tear hanging from Shuyu’s eyelashes. “Our faces are all dried out from crying.”

Lu Shuyu touched the side of Leshuang’s face and felt the same dryness.

“Let’s go home!” she said with renewed energy. “Okay!” Leshuang replied with equal spirit.