“Wang Yan! Why won’t you accept my confession?!”
On the sickbed, the newly awakened secretary lady only hugged her slender arm with one hand, slightly turned her head away, and silently averted her gaze, saying nothing more.
“Damn it! Wang Yan, just you wait!”
The young lady in the red dress suddenly stood up, her fair cheeks flushed bright red. Her bright eyes were a mixture of embarrassment and faint anger, glistening with moisture, the corners slightly reddened.
“I will start pursuing you! I will keep chasing you! Until you agree to my confession!”
A delicate jade finger pointed straight at Secretary Wang’s nose, unmoving; tears welled in the shouting girl’s eyes, her gaze stubborn. Then, Tang Jin’er took long strides and turned to leave.
“Hey, Jin’er, wait!!”
“Lingling, stay here with Secretary Wang for a while. I’m going to check on Jin’er’s condition!”
Saying that, Ruan Zhixian hurried after her.
“Th-then, I, I’m going to the restroom!”
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Secretary Lin also slipped away quickly.
Only Su Ling and Secretary Wang remained in the ward.
“So, why won’t you accept Tang Jin’er’s confession? You must have some feelings for her, right?”
***
After a moment of silence, Su Ling sat down beside the bed, picked up an apple, peeled it while softly asking the secretary lying in bed.
“How did the young lady figure it out?”
Secretary Wang didn’t answer directly but instead asked Su Ling in return.
“That’s easy. If you had no feelings for her at all, how could you bear her young lady temper and still take the initiative to ask me to continue being the Tang family’s liaison? Not to mention you even helped her avoid that car accident.”
Su Ling took a bite of the apple, casually saying.
“The young lady is really perceptive…”
“Of course, don’t forget how many years we’ve known each other.”
“So, then, why exactly?”
After another silence, Su Ling tossed the bitten core into the trash, then picked out a new apple from the fruit basket on the table.
“I do have some feelings for Miss Tang, but I don’t think it’s love yet.”
“Putting aside whether this feeling is socially acceptable, and…”
“That’s not your real reason. You and I are both people who don’t really care about those things.”
Su Ling quickly interrupted the secretary’s words and handed over the peeled apple.
“Actually, I just feel that Miss Tang’s confession this time is more out of gratitude for saving her, not genuine love.”
Secretary Wang lowered her head, staring blankly at the apple in her hands.
“And as for the part about feelings not yet becoming love, that’s honestly my true feelings as well…”
“For the feelings I have that are still undeveloped, for the unclear emotions she has, trying to force the two together—I don’t think that’s right.”
“So you just flat-out rejected Tang Jin’er’s confession without giving her any chance?”
“Yes.”
“Well, judging by Miss Tang’s personality, saying she’ll chase after me and all, she probably won’t keep it up for long anyway…”
The secretary brought the apple to her slightly dry lips, taking a small bite.
“No, I actually think the opposite.”
Su Ling shook her head.
“I think, with Tang Jin’er’s somewhat proud character, once she decides she wants something, it’s very hard to change her mind.”
“Jin’er! Jin’er! Wait for me!”
***
At the end of the hospital corridor, Ruan Zhixian finally caught up to the briskly walking Tang Jin’er.
“Um, Jin’er, are you okay…?”
The blonde girl cautiously approached the trembling Tang Jin’er.
“No problem! It’s just that my confession failed… what’s the big deal! Besides, I’m still going to chase after her!”
“But, Jin’er, you’re crying…”
“Waaahhh… Ugh, Ruan Zhixian! Why do you keep saying such straightforward things at a time like this!”
The young lady finally couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, burying her face in Ruan Zhixian’s shoulder and sobbing loudly.
“Thank you, Zhixian, for coming out to comfort me…”
After a while, Tang Jin’er, with red eyes, stood up shyly and wiped away her tears.
“It’s okay, Jin’er. We’re good besties after all. You can always count on me whenever you need!”
The blonde girl’s smile was bright and gentle.
So dazzling! Damn it, she’s just a Ruan Zhixian…
Tang Jin’er was momentarily blinded by the girl’s radiant smile, then couldn’t help but smile through her tears.
“Hmm? Jin’er, are you feeling better now?”
Ruan Zhixian tilted her head, curious about the sudden smile on the young lady’s face.
“Heh heh, alright, anyway, thanks Zhixian. I really do feel better.”
“Sigh, when I’m in a bad mood, seeing your smile really heals me…”
“Good! That’s good!”
The blonde girl nodded firmly, then hesitated before speaking.
“Actually, um, Jin’er, before your confession, I wanted to say… you didn’t express anything to Secretary Wang before, but only confessed after the accident. Doesn’t that kind of make it seem like you don’t really like her, but are just grateful? Could that be why Secretary Wang rejected you?”
Damn! Ruan Zhixian, don’t bring that up now! I just got rejected and you’re stabbing me again! So much for you being comforting earlier!
Though inwardly grumbling at Ruan Zhixian’s blunt words, Tang Jin’er still thought seriously and answered:
“Well, actually, what you said makes some sense. Even I don’t quite know whether what I feel right now is more like love or gratitude…”
“But one thing is clear!”
A fierce fire ignited in the young lady’s eyes.
“That is—”
“Anything this lady wants, I absolutely must have!”
“I don’t care what mix of feelings I have now, I don’t care why Wang Yan rejected me.”
“I only know I want to be with her right now, and that’s enough!”
“Just you wait, I will definitely win her over!”
***
The young lady in red raised her hand, wiping away the tears still hanging at the corner of her eye, leaving a faint red mark on her cheek. Her chin lifted slightly, a defiant, proud smile blooming on her face.
“Oh right, Jin’er, I wasn’t actually asking what you’re going to do with Secretary Wang after she wakes up, I wanted to ask how you’re going to deal with Gu Huaishan running away.”
“Huh? So that’s what you meant?”
On the way back, Tang Jin’er stopped in her tracks, looking at Ruan Zhixian helplessly.
“Zhixian, that old Gu Huaishan may have lost his mind, but have you forgotten? Did you forget how our Tang family got started in the first place?”
“If you ask me, ever since Gu Huaishan spent money hiring thugs this time, there’s no way he can escape anymore!”