"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 58

He Wei was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t seen Shen Jinrong for a long time, so when she saw her in the hospital, all that remained was astonishment. Carefully calculating, the last time she saw her was several years ago; she vaguely recalled Tan Ning bringing Shen Jinrong for a follow-up. However, Shen Jinrong’s condition back then was completely different from now.

“Are you sick?” He Wei walked over to Shen Jinrong with her hands in her pockets. Seeing that her complexion was quite good, she smiled: “You look great.”

“It’s not me,” Shen Jinrong smiled slightly, “Thank you.”

He Wei glanced behind her: “Are you here for a follow-up? Did Tan Ning not come with you?”

Shen Jinrong’s smile diminished slightly, so much so that she didn’t answer He Wei’s previous question: “Why would she come?”

He Wei shook her head, smiling without speaking. The two fell into a brief silence. Shen Jinrong was contemplating how to avoid He Wei. She remembered He Wei shouldn’t be in the area next to the infusion hall on the first floor.

When Yan He walked out, holding the IV pole, He Wei, who was about to leave, caught sight of her from the corner of her eye and abruptly stopped the steps she had already taken. She widened her eyes, looked at Shen Jinrong, and then looked at Yan He: “Yan He?”

“Auntie?” Yan He hadn’t expected to run into her here either. He Wei was Ms. He’s cousin; loosely speaking, Yan He should call her Auntie (Xiao Yi). She knew He Wei was a doctor at the First People’s Hospital but didn’t expect to meet her here.

—Especially when she was with the Older Woman.

Yan He became nervous, and even the hand holding the IV pole felt a bit uneasy. Shen Jinrong, however, seemed not to have heard Yan He call her “Auntie.” She walked to Yan He’s side and very casually took the IV pole from her hand.

“You two… know each other?” He Wei hesitated.

Yan He nodded, pretending to be calm as she introduced her: “This is a professor from my university. We just happened to run into each other.”

He Wei merely nodded slightly, maintaining reservations about the truthfulness of Yan He’s words. Her gaze subtly shifted away from the IV pole Shen Jinrong was holding. She said to Yan He, “Your mom just called me. It just so happens I’m on duty today, so I came to check on you.” Her words involuntarily carried a trace of an elder’s exasperation: “And you, why were you playing in the water in this kind of weather!”

Yan He subconsciously glanced at Shen Jinrong, then quickly looked away: “I’m fine, you don’t need to check on me.”

He Wei smiled: “Alright, I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.” After saying goodbye to Yan He, she looked at Shen Jinrong, the smile in her eyes receding slightly: “Well then, goodbye, Professor Shen.”

She deliberately emphasized the two characters “Professor” when she pronounced them. Shen Jinrong’s face remained expressionless. She nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting.

After He Wei left, Yan He let out a sigh of relief: “Why did my auntie come…” She replayed her actions with the Older Woman just now in her mind, thinking, Auntie shouldn’t have… figured it out, right?

“Your auntie?” Shen Jinrong asked lightly.

“Yes, my mother’s younger cousin,” Yan He didn’t elaborate much.

Shen Jinrong gave her a smile. The two stopped talking and slowly walked toward the infusion hall along the hospital corridor. The sun was just right. Being morning, the number of people in the hospital also began to increase. On the way back, people occasionally rushed past them, lightly stirring up a breeze as they brushed by.

They were not pressed for time, nor were they in a hurry, so they walked very slowly. Sometimes, people would overtake them from behind, their steps hurried. This path seemed long and endless, even though they could see the four red characters “Infusion Hall” on the glass door not far away just by looking up, and even though Yan He could almost gauge the distance to the destination with her eyes.

Yan He realized that Shen Jinrong and He Wei seemed to know each other, but their relationship appeared casual. She didn’t think about asking Shen Jinrong, nor did she have much inclination to pry into the past. The person she loved had emerged from the mists of the past, so let her be.

“Do you want to hear a story?” Sitting down in her seat, Shen Jinrong suddenly asked this. She lowered her gaze to the fairy tale book resting beside her. The colorful cover was predominantly blue. The little mermaid, half her body already turned into foam, stared tearfully at the prince standing on the ship.

“No, I’ll get sleepy,” Yan He shook her head: “I don’t want to sleep; I want to keep you company.”

Even though Yan He knew that it was Shen Jinrong who was keeping her company now.

Shen Jinrong pursed her lips. Yan He noticed that her gaze toward the fairy tale book was somewhat fervent, even carrying a childlike expectation when she looked at Yan He: “Then, can I read it?”

Yan He was a little surprised but nodded: “Of course.”

Shen Jinrong lowered her eyes. Before opening the book, she placed one hand on the cover and hesitated for a long time.

A fairy tale. A beautiful fairy tale can only be a fairy tale in the end. People weave a beautiful tapestry of childhood for children, attempting to make them believe that everything is as wonderful as a fairy tale. But what happens when they grow up and realize that those so-called happy endings only appear in fairy tales?

Perhaps it is a form of cruelty.

She still opened the book.

The IV bottle overhead was the last one, with only a thin layer remaining at the neck. Yan He looked up, her gaze finally fixed on the slow descent of the drops.

Do I feel a slight sensation when these drops slowly fall? Yan He tried to feel it, but no. So she turned her head to look at Shen Jinrong beside her. Shen Jinrong had already flipped through the book several times. Seeing Yan He look over, she gave her a smile and also looked up at the fluid bottle.

“There’s still a little bit left,” she said.

Yan He didn’t speak, just quietly watching her.

Shen Jinrong seemed a little uncomfortable under Yan He’s gaze. She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, smiled apologetically, and started a conversation: “When I went on a business trip two years ago, I visited Copenhagen and saw her.”

“She’s near a harbor, a bronze statue, sitting quietly on top of several stacked large rocks.” Shen Jinrong smiled. When she was lost in a memory, her eyes were always slightly hazy: “It was very cold in Denmark that day, and the wind was strong.”

She blinked at Yan He, as if emphasizing: “The wind was really strong.”

Yan He also smiled. She merely followed Shen Jinrong’s smile, with no other meaning. She had never been to Denmark and had never seen the little mermaid in Copenhagen, but she vaguely remembered seeing the statue in the Danish Pavilion at the World Expo.

“Do bronze statues get cold?” Yan He heard herself ask.

Shen Jinrong recalled seriously: “I don’t think so.”

They both laughed again.

“Yan He, you’re done.” The nurse walked over and glanced at Yan He’s fluid: “I’ll remove the needle now.”

Shen Jinrong’s gaze fell on the back of Yan He’s left hand.

Yan He blocked her view: “Don’t look.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Press down.” The nurse quickly removed the needle and motioned for Yan He to press down with her right hand, “Press it for a while, or you’ll bleed heavily.”

Yan He nodded, pressing down tightly with her thumb.

“Sometimes I really feel like you treat me like a child.” Shen Jinrong crossed her legs and smiled helplessly at Yan He. She unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle and gestured with it: “Want a drink?”

Yan He shrugged: “No hands.”

Shen Jinrong then held the water bottle to her. Yan He carefully took a sip with the bottle held by the Older Woman, looked up, and smiled at her: “See, you take care of me more.”

“Yes, my little one.” Shen Jinrong rubbed her hair.

The Older Woman just sat there, quiet. She made no big movements and spoke no profound words, yet Yan He felt that just by looking into her eyes, she could already understand the unspoken words.

“If there’s a chance in the future, we could… go see it together,” Yan He said tentatively. She hoped the words “we” and “together” in her sentence didn’t make her little thoughts too obvious.

Shen Jinrong, however, shook her head: “You don’t need to specifically go see her.” She raised her hand, as if to touch Yan He’s hair, but her hand finally rested on Yan He’s ear. She gently pinched Yan He’s earlobe and then released it: “If you want, you can go see other sights in the future.” Shen Jinrong said: “Maybe we can go to the Trevi Fountain, the one in Rome. If it’s winter, we could also go to the Alps.”

As if infected by Yan He, her words also involuntarily included phrases like “in the future” and “we.”

It’s just an empty promise made casually.

Yan He felt it best to end the topic here, not needing to continue. The Older Woman didn’t need to go against her true feelings, and Yan He didn’t need to entertain needless fantasies: “Alright, I’ll take that seriously.”

Shen Jinrong smiled at her: “I am being serious, if there’s a chance in the future.”

Then, Yan He heard her slowly say: “I made a wish at the Trevi Fountain to return to that Eternal City again.”

“But a lifetime is very long; we can go back anytime,” her tone was slow and precious: “However, who to go back with, that is the question the Trevi Fountain left me.”

Yan He looked at her, thinking, A lifetime can be as long as it wants. If my luck is bad, it doesn’t have to be that long. As long as it’s with you, only with you, that’s enough.

Yan He heard her heart pounding wildly, heard a voice raging frantically in her heart—Can that person be me? Can I be with you? Can I be with you always?

But looking at Shen Jinrong’s smile, she said nothing, using a calm smile to suppress the inner roar. She thought, Which one lasts longer, a friend or a lover?

“But I don’t have a fairy tale book about Rome,” she said, feigning distress.

Shen Jinrong didn’t answer. She took Yan He’s left hand, gently pressing her thumb on the needle puncture site, and softly said, “Don’t let go too quickly, it’s bleeding.”

In this one instant, this sudden moment, this piece of time and space was briefly frozen by Yan He and forever treasured in her heart. She knew that she would always remember Shen Jinrong, always remember her eyes, her smile.

“Older Woman, actually, I’m not afraid of pain,” Yan He looked at Shen Jinrong and said softly.

Shen Jinrong looked at her with a gentle reproof: “But I’m afraid of you hurting.”

Older Woman, if I had a small piece of coastline, when I sat by the shore and the sea breeze blew, would the waves bring you to my side?