Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 24.1

Lu Zhi opened her mouth but hadn’t yet spoken when she felt the bed beneath her slowly rising.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. He had even deliberately washed his hands.

At this point…

Lu Zhi turned her back to him: “It’s round, stick it on, and you can peel it off. It’s about ten centimeters.”

“You… don’t do anything else.”

He sounded curious: “What else could I do?”

“…”

She said irritably, “You know.”

He seemed to laugh, his fingertips carrying a slight chill, probably because he had just washed his hands with cold water. His hands weren’t usually this cold.

Caught off guard, she shivered at the cold touch, feeling his fingers trace along the edge, touching the thin layer, and then peeling it off.

The tape had a bit of stickiness, and peeling it off tugged slightly at the skin. Just as she was about to ask him to slow down, she felt his movements soften.

But slowing down had its drawbacks too. Time dragged on, and all her focus converged on that one spot. She could even feel his breath behind her ear.

“One’s off,” he said. “Where should I put it?”

“Place it upside down, just on the side.”

Like an inverted small bowl, it rested in the palm of his hand. His other hand wasn’t as cold, but the process of finding the edge to peel it off remained unhurried, tracing forward bit by bit. She gazed out the window at the rows of streetlights, flies circling, trees swaying gently.  It seemed like a light rain had started.

Two skin-toned patches lay in his palm. Though she hadn’t been involved, her conditioned reflexes seemed to still sense the warmth on them.  The body heat that had clung to her skin.

Lu Zhi cleared her throat lightly, trying to maintain her composure as if completely unaffected: “Um, you can wash them. Just rinse the adhesive side with water, then place them upside down on the counter. They’ll dry overnight, and we’ll need to use them again tomorrow.”

“Mm.”

Almost instinctively, she added, “You can use warm water. Don’t use cold water again.”

The atmosphere quieted for a moment. He raised an eyebrow in surprise: “How did you know I used cold water just now?”

She turned her head away, annoyed at her own slip of the tongue, suppressing the sudden warmth rising in her cheeks, and muttered softly, “…I’m not dead.”

Outside, the streetlights went out, and night finally fell.

He placed the two washed skin-toned patches on the counter. Lu Zhi looked out the window, unsure if she was speaking to him or not: “You really didn’t do anything else.”

“Of course,” he said casually. “I’m very obedient.”

“…”

She was aware that he must have accumulated a lot of work. His computer remained on until two or three in the morning.

The pain had drained her energy, and she didn’t wake until past ten. She saw him again, sitting in a new chair, flipping through documents.

Lu Zhi watched him for a while before he finally set down his pen: “Awake?”

“Mm,” she asked the most pressing question. “Is the hospital breakfast good?”

“There’s no breakfast here, and the doctor said you need to cut back on oil and salt.” He unscrewed a lid. “I had millet porridge and two pieces of pumpkin cake sent from home. If you want to eat, I can steam them for you.”

After finishing breakfast, she got out of bed. Once full, she felt like moving around.

Standing hesitantly in front of the cabinet, unsure whether to call a nurse again, she was lost in thought when she heard him speak: “Shall I help you put it on?”

“Huh?”

He glanced at the table: “Didn’t you say last night that after washing, you still needed to apply it this morning?”

Your memory is really good…

“Oh, right…” She tried to spread her arms apart to make room for him. “Just stick it on again, that’s all.”

Actually, for better adhesion, the skin should be wiped with a wet wipe before applying, then dried with a tissue to remove oils and dust.  That would make it stick better.

But considering it was him doing it, she vaguely skipped some steps.

He said okay, lowering his gaze to his phone, seemingly looking at something. After a long pause, he said:

“Why do I see others saying you need to clean it first?”

……

…………

When the nurse came in for rounds, the bedroom door was open.

The two of them were sitting by the bed, the table now empty, and the atmosphere felt thick and stuffy. Seeing her ears were red, the nurse thoughtfully asked, “Are you hot? Besides the central air conditioning, there’s also a separate AC unit here. Do you want me to turn it on for you?”

“No, no need,” she said. “Just check on me, and after that, I’ll go out for a walk. I’ll be fine then.”

The nurse nodded and didn’t press further.

In the trash bin, which had been cleaned just that morning, there were now two tissues. Lu Zhi didn’t look too closely, or else the image of him slowly wiping for several minutes would flood her mind. She rushed out into the hallway and paced back and forth for nearly ten minutes before finally calming down.

Hearing movement from the elevator, she turned and locked eyes with Li Siyi, who had just stepped out.

“Feeling better?” Li Siyi asked quickly. “Listen, I’ve brought you some good news…”

Lu Zhi: “Did you find the cat’s owner?”

“Yes, look,” she turned around, “she came with me.”

Behind Li Siyi, a long-haired woman jogged over, her eyes filled with gratitude as she clasped her hands together. “Hello, I’m Ginger’s owner. Thank you so much. If you hadn’t caught her in time, I can’t even imagine what would have happened to her.”

“Is she healthy now?”

“Yes, she had X-rays and a checkup.  Everything’s fine. But you…”

“It’s fine,” Lu Zhi said. “I just need to rest for a few days. It’s no big deal.”

Li Siyi chimed in, “Remember the day we went to find Teacher Xiong Qian for the modeling? She really isn’t taking on freelance work anymore. Lots of people have been going to her studio, and her schedule is fully booked this year.  She can’t take on more.”

Lu Zhi felt a pang of disappointment and was about to speak when Li Siyi suddenly changed her expression. “But you saved her cat, so she made an exception and took our urgent order, Lu Zhi, your good karma!”

She froze for a moment and looked to the side.

Xiong Qian extended her hand. “What a coincidence! That day, the cat somehow broke free from the safety net and jumped out. I had no idea. Thanks to you guys, I’ll prioritize this order and rush it. I’ll check and revise with you at every stage. Let’s discuss the specifics first.  Time is really tight.”

Fu Yanshang gave up the bedroom for them and went to the study to work on his own tasks. Xiong Qian nudged her and whispered, “Your husband is really handsome.”

Li Siyi said, “Of course,” and pointed, adding seriously, “The pinnacle of business marriages.”

Lu Zhi: “…”

–

At 2 p.m., three knocks sounded at the hospital room door.

Fu Yanshang: “Come in.”

The boy turned in from the doorway, muttering to himself how much this felt like a boss instructing an employee to report on their work…

“Um, hey, good afternoon,” he raised his hand slightly, “I’m Li Yao, I live downstairs from you. We met yesterday when I was working on my test papers.”

His gaze didn’t linger on him, and he gave a faint “Mm,” still typing on his computer.

Li Yao: “You solved that math problem really quickly yesterday, and it was correct too, so could you…”

Fu Yanshang: “I don’t help people with their homework.”

“Let me find that older sister?”

Fu Yanshang: ?

The man finally looked up from behind his laptop. The long hours of work had caused his glasses to slip slightly, the gleaming gold frames resting just above his eyelids. He stared for two seconds before averting his gaze. “What’s the logic between those two things?”

“There is no logic. I’m just awkwardly making conversation.” Sincerity was Li Yao’s ultimate weapon. “I thought if I praised you, you’d help put in a good word for me with that older sister.”

Fu Yanshang glanced at him, catching on quickly. “She’s married.”

“No way!” The boy was completely unconvinced. “How could she be married? She doesn’t look much older than me, maybe two years at most. Bro, you must be her uncle, right?”

Fu Yanshang: “…”

“If you really don’t know what to say, just don’t say anything.”

Li Yao didn’t take it in at all, lost in his own world. “I’ll be an adult soon, really. My family’s pretty well-off too. Let me go ask that older sister a couple more questions. What’s she doing right now?”

No answer.

“Bro, is she busy right now? Why do I hear some noise? Is she about to be discharged from the hospital? Once she’s discharged, won’t I get to see her anymore?” he said. “Where does she live?”

“Mm.”

What did “Mm” mean? Why was he answering out of order?

Li Yao: “Bro, I asked three questions.”

“Did you?” he said indifferently. “Can’t remember.”

“…”

Li Yao: “Bro, seriously, bro, don’t ignore me. Just let me see her, what if she likes someone like me? Don’t people these days prefer younger guys? Or, what kind of person is she into? Can you give me a hint? My dad told me that in this world, aside from things that can’t be changed, everything else is negotiable. Even if you’re married, you can get divorced! That’s not a problem for me at all!”

Fu Yanshang: “Get out.”

“You’re testing me, right, bro? Whatever type she likes, I can try to be that. I’m really good at taking care of people… all my ex-girlfriends said so. If she likes someone with good grades, I can hire a tutor. If she likes someone who doesn’t get into fights, I can stop fighting too, right? Why do you have to crush a potential relationship from the start? Everything can be negotiated, as long as it’s not a hard requirement like age…”

Fu Yanshang, thoroughly annoyed, lifted his head and spoke. “She likes older men.”

“Huh?” The boy froze on the spot, instinctively following up with, “How much older?”

Some people were born with faces that made even nonsense sound serious. Fu Yanshang’s expression remained composed as he gave the answer. “Seven years.”

“Seven years?”

“Seven years,” he said. “If they’re not seven years older, she’s not interested.”

“…”