The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Like a Kitten Leaping Up to Scratch Someone

The Rolls-Royce was stopped by the roadside when Song Xiangwan was still looking down at the ride-hailing app.

Xu Zhiyan, reluctantly, took an umbrella and went out to call for her: “Miss Song, it’s hard to get a taxi right now. I can take you home.”

Song Xiangwan looked up, her eyes freezing. Although she had only seen her once, she remembered this face—the girl who pushed Ming Jin’s wheelchair that day, and they looked conspicuously intimate.

“No need,” Song Xiangwan replied stiffly, refusing.

But just then, the back window of the Rolls-Royce lowered. A faint voice, not very clear through the rain, said: “Get in the car.”

Song Xiangwan’s heart sank. She looked up and saw the familiar yet unfamiliar face inside the car window.

The moment Ming Jin blurted out those two words, she regretted it a little. Song Xiangwan’s nature couldn’t stand being ordered around, and she especially loved to defy her. Her tone should have been softer.

Unexpectedly, just as Ming Jin was formulating what to say, Song Xiangwan quickly ran over, opened the car door, and got in.

Xu Zhiyan didn’t squeeze into the back but sat in the front passenger seat, gave the address of Clear Water Bay, and the car started.

The car was quiet. Ming Jin didn’t speak, and Song Xiangwan didn’t speak either.

Words were swirling in Song Xiangwan’s mind. She had planned that when she saw Ming Jin, she would absolutely maintain her pride and ask her if she was finally free from having to serve a sugar mommy.

But now, in the quiet environment of the car, she couldn’t utter a single word.

She wanted to ask her what she meant by calling her Miss Song last time, but the mere thought made her eyes sting. If she asked, she would definitely end up crying, which would be too humiliating. Song Xiangwan took two deep breaths, not daring to ask.

It was too quiet, so quiet that Song Xiangwan felt the car was slightly stuffy. She reached out and opened the window a crack. It was raining outside, so she opened it very slightly, just a tiny gap. The cold wind immediately squeezed in through the opening.

As the cold wind rushed in, Song Xiangwan heard a series of faint, suppressed coughs coming from Ming Jin’s side.

Song Xiangwan instinctively turned to look. Ming Jin was coughing uncontrollably, gently tilting her head, her back slightly trembling.

Song Xiangwan’s heart tightened. Why did this person look so frail and fragile?

The former President Ming could easily pick her up and stay up for three or four nights straight working on projects. Why did she now look like she would dissipate with a gust of wind?

Her fingers tightened slightly. She almost couldn’t help but lean over to ask if she was okay, wanting to pat her back. But she couldn’t abandon her strained pride, so she froze in place for a moment.

Hearing the coughing intensify, Xu Zhiyan became extremely anxious: “President Ming, how are you?”

She remembered that Ming Jin told her not to call her “Sis.”

Receiving no reply from Ming Jin, Xu Zhiyan said anxiously, “Uncle Tai, pull over up ahead.”

The car stopped by the roadside, putting on its hazard lights for temporary parking. Before the car even came to a complete stop, Xu Zhiyan hurriedly darted out into the rain from the passenger seat.

She quickly ran to the back door, opened it, and leaned in close to check Ming Jin’s face: “How is it? Are you feeling any better?”

Although Ming Jin’s face was pale, there were no signs of a heart attack. Xu Zhiyan relaxed, leaned over, and twisted open the thermos on the cup holder. The cup held warm water, which she handed to Ming Jin: “Drink a couple of sips to soothe your throat. I hear your voice is hoarse from coughing.”

“I’m fine.” Ming Jin took a sip of water, finally suppressing the itch in her throat. Seeing Xu Zhiyan’s current state, her tone was slightly urgent: “You didn’t even use an umbrella. What if you get soaked?”

Although Xu Zhiyan’s upper body was inside the car, half of her body was still in the rain and was already wet.

“It’s nothing, the rain is lighter now,” Xu Zhiyan said, still worried. “Are you really okay? Don’t hide it from me if you’re not well.”

During the three years of recuperation abroad, Xu Zhiyan was by her side almost constantly. She knew Ming Jin’s current health status too well. The weather had turned cold today, and with such heavy rain, it would be best for her to stay home and rest, yet she ran out for Song Xiangwan.

Thinking of Song Xiangwan’s indifference when Ming Jin coughed just now, Xu Zhiyan felt a surge of anger.

“Go back and sit down properly,” Ming Jin gently frowned and nudged her shoulder.

“Okay.” Xu Zhiyan adjusted the blanket on Ming Jin’s lap and said, “I won’t close the thermos lid. If you feel unwell, drink a couple more sips.” Her voice was gentle and full of patience. She was only reluctantly shooed back to her seat after Ming Jin urged her once more.

As soon as she settled down, she heard Ming Jin’s voice: “Wipe the water off your clothes.”

“I know.” Xu Zhiyan said, pulling out a tissue from the car to wipe the water off herself.

Song Xiangwan tightly pursed her lips. The scene just played back in her mind repeatedly. Xu Zhiyan’s anxiety over Ming Jin’s discomfort, and Ming Jin’s concern for Xu Zhiyan. When Xu Zhiyan grabbed the thermos, she was practically leaning into Ming Jin’s lap. Ming Jin, despite her own discomfort, even reached out to block the car door, afraid Xu Zhiyan might hit herself.

They were intimately and tacitly behaving like… a loving couple…

Song Xiangwan felt a dryness in her eyes. She turned her head to look out the window, clenching her fingers so hard her nails almost dug into her palm.

Ming Jin had coughed for a while and was now exhausted. Compounded by the rain, the old injury on her waist was aching dully, a nerve-wracking pain.

She closed her eyes and leaned gently against the seat, remaining silent. She felt a certain sadness in her heart. When Song Xiangwan remained indifferent just now, her heart felt like it had sunk to the bottom of the water.

She remembered five years ago, when she had a high fever. Song Xiangwan was constantly busy, staying by her bedside, finally falling asleep holding her hand from exhaustion. At that time, Song Xiangwan was genuinely worried about her. The person who was usually like a hedgehog looked docilely at her with wide, worried eyes when she was sick.

Times had changed, and she didn’t know how they had reached this situation.

Uncle Tai was Ming Jin’s dedicated driver and drove very smoothly. Even with the thermos lid off, not a single drop of water spilled.

The car stopped at the gate of Clear Water Bay. Before Uncle Tai could say anything, Ming Jin’s voice said: “Drive to the underground parking garage.”

There was still some distance from the community gate to the base of Building 3. With such heavy rain, Song Xiangwan would likely get soaked if she walked all the way back.

Song Xiangwan couldn’t help but be slightly stunned. This person had been resting with her eyes closed; she thought she was asleep. The lights in the underground parking garage were brighter. When Song Xiangwan looked in her peripheral vision, she noticed the fine beads of sweat on Ming Jin’s forehead.

Those light brown eyes quietly looked forward, still composed and calm, but her lips were distinctly bloodless. She seemed to be enduring something.

The car stopped by the elevator entrance of Building 3. Song Xiangwan hesitated, wanting to speak, but finally couldn’t help asking, “President Ming, should I pay the fare?”

She only intended to ask a simple question, but her voice already carried a slight nasal tone. Tears traced down her eyes. Fortunately, she was wearing a mask and the lighting was dim, so it shouldn’t be noticeable; otherwise, it would be utterly embarrassing.

She tightly pursed her lips, forcing her voice to remain steady. “It wasn’t easy for President Ming to drive me this far. We’re not close, so I should pay the fare.”

She was crying, yet her words were cold and prickly, carrying Song Xiangwan’s refusal to concede her pride.

“Song Xiangwan,” Xu Zhiyan in the passenger seat finally couldn’t stand it anymore. “Don’t be so excessive with your words.”

“Ayan,” Ming Jin said softly. Xu Zhiyan instantly stopped speaking, only pursing her lips and looking angrily at Song Xiangwan. She felt her sister was being unfairly treated.

In the three years of recuperation abroad, Ming Jin had held onto life by sheer willpower, repeatedly uttering Song Xiangwan’s name. Ming Jin insisted on returning to the country, claiming it was to teach her the family business, but in reality, it was mostly for Song Xiangwan.

Yet, this Song Xiangwan spoke with hostility, every word sarcastic and negative.

“There’s no need for the fare. It’s late. Miss Song, please head back,” Ming Jin said flatly.

She closed her eyes, leaning gently on the seat, her expression cold. Only the beads of sweat on her temples, soaking into her hairline, betrayed her pain.

It was “Miss Song” again. Song Xiangwan felt a chill in her heart.

Song Xiangwan took a deep breath, then got out of the car with a thud as her bag hit the door, and she strode away.

“Sis, look at her attitude…” Xu Zhiyan was extremely upset.

She looked back and her face turned pale: “Sis, are you okay?”

Perhaps it was the thud sound that startled her heart, or perhaps the conversation with Song Xiangwan had exhausted all her strength. Ming Jin’s body sagged slightly, slowly leaning toward the door and resting against the window, her face and lips as white as paper.

Xu Zhiyan fumbled to undo her seatbelt, but heard Ming Jin’s voice: “I’m fine. Don’t get out.”

“Uncle Tai… drive out…” Her voice was weak and slightly fractured, yet still carried an undeniable authority.

Only when the Rolls-Royce drove out of the underground parking garage did Song Xiangwan emerge from around the corner. She removed her mask, casually crumpled it up, and threw it into a trash can, wiping the tears from her face.

Ming Jin’s car left without the slightest hesitation. She was truly delusional. President Ming takes what she wants and discards what she doesn’t. What right did she have to say anything?

After getting into the elevator, Song Xiangwan regretted throwing away her mask too soon. It was so late, and there were actually several unfamiliar neighbors in the elevator. She kept her head down, pretending to play on her phone, afraid of being recognized.

She quickly wiped her face with her fingertips. When the elevator stopped on the twenty-third floor, she practically ran out in a hurry.

The Rolls-Royce drove out of the underground parking garage and stopped by the roadside.

Xu Zhiyan quickly got out and found medicine for Ming Jin to take, while frantically making a phone call with the other hand: “Yes, yes, she seems unwell right now. It might be a heart issue. Please, I’m taking her to the hospital now.”

“No hospital,” Ming Jin’s voice interrupted her.

“Sis,” Xu Zhiyan said anxiously.

“I know what I’m doing,” Ming Jin said calmly, sitting up straight. “Get in the car. Let’s go.”

Ming Jin closed her eyes. She was enduring the dull ache of her old waist injury due to the rainy weather, as well as the slight suffocating tightness in her chest, a feeling of not being able to catch her breath. Every second, she felt the weakness of her body.

Yet, amid the boundless pain, the corner of her lips couldn’t help but curve slightly. She seemed to have quietly laughed.

Xu Zhiyan thought she had misheard and checked the rearview mirror, seeing a faint curve on Ming Jin’s lips.

The car still held the lingering scent of Song Xiangwan’s perfume—a rich floral fragrance, the scent of a wild rose.

When she was angry just now, she was as thorny as ever, like a kitten itching to leap up and scratch someone.

She was still that bold and uninhibited, slowly overlapping with the bright summer in her memory, the brightest color in Ming Jin’s recollections.