chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shi Xian is a very sensitive girl.

Many years later, Wu Ai finally understood that perhaps for girls, what they want more than wild promises is simply to meet face to face.

At this moment, Wu Ai had no mind to ponder these things deeply.

The matter before him was still unresolved, so he could only carry the food and snacks he had bought and stride into the hospital.

The sky was growing dark, but it wasn’t late yet; perhaps because it was early spring, night fell quickly.

Inside the ward, only a desk lamp was lit. The dim light fell on the girl’s haggard face, her beautiful eyes showing a faint sense of distance.

“You’re awake, right? Hungry?”

Wu Ai stood by the bed, speaking as he took out the meal box, unwrapped the disposable utensils, and handed them over.

“I bought you something to eat. Including the registration fee, it’s 527 in total. Remember to pay me back.”

His hand hovered in the air for over ten seconds, but he realized the girl had no intention of taking it.

She first sized him up, her gaze full of caution and indifference, and spoke coolly.

“Who are you?”

After speaking, she pulled the quilt up a bit higher.

Hearing this, Wu Ai couldn’t help but get annoyed.

“Who am I? I’m your damn savior!”

The girl’s face remained expressionless, but the coldness in her eyes faded a little.

“Shouldn’t I be at home now? I remember I took a taxi.”

“That was my damn taxi. Luckily you ran into me, and I brought you to the hospital.”

“Oh… thank you.”

After saying that, she reached for the plastic bag on the bedside table, rummaged through it, and finally picked out a Pineapple Cake, tore open the packaging, and started eating.

She was like a kitten, putting on a ‘keep away from strangers’ look in front of someone unfamiliar, probably thinking she was being fierce.

But strangely enough, her clothes weren’t dirty at all, and they were all name brands, looking quite expensive.

She was about 170 cm tall, and judging by her appearance, she was probably still in school. No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem like someone so poor she’d have to sleep on the streets.

“Why are you staring at me?” the girl suddenly asked.

While Wu Ai was lost in thought, the girl had already finished a box of Pineapple Cake and was drinking milk, looking at him curiously.

“You’re about my age. How did you end up in such a predicament?” Wu Ai asked bluntly.

Hearing this, the girl paused, biting the straw.

She took another big sip of milk and put the carton on the nightstand.

“A couple of days ago, I had a fight with my parents at home. They’re against me dancing and want me to give it up.

So I went on a hunger strike, and finally snuck out when they weren’t paying attention.”

After saying this, she took another angry sip of milk, as if running away from home was no big deal to her.

“You’re pretty gutsy, aren’t you? Not afraid of dying out there?” Wu Ai teased.

The girl ignored his joke, but Wu Ai felt a bit of resonance in his heart.

Dancing? Could she be into the arts too?

The main reason Wu Ai didn’t care about scoring less than 400 on the First Mock Exam was because he was an Art College Entrance Exam music student.

A national first-place certificate from Media University’s entrance exam was basically half a foot already in the door.

As for the academic score, he only needed to pass the Undergraduate Admission Score Line.

For an ordinary family, the Art College Entrance Exam not only burns money, but in the end, it might all be for nothing.

In other words, the effort and the reward are often disproportionate.

Madam Zhang was brave and fearless, but her support was mostly because she herself graduated from Media University.

At this moment, Wu Ai felt a wave of sympathy for the girl in front of him.

“Is it… because of money?” Wu Ai asked.

The girl looked up at him as if he were a strange person.

“Money isn’t the problem. Mainly, they want me to inherit the family business. It’s too boring, and I’m not interested.”
Wu Ai spat inwardly and took back what he’d just said-she wasn’t worth any sympathy at all.

This was no fellow traveler; this was a young lady born with a silver spoon in her mouth!

He turned his head to look out the window, too lazy to bother with her any further.

The girl saw Wu Ai turn away and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Wu Ai pointed to his heart: “Here.”

“Do you need me to call a doctor for you?”

Wu Ai almost laughed out of anger, then shook his head. “A doctor can’t cure my poverty.”

Seeing Wu Ai fall silent, the girl continued sipping her milk. When she finished, she took the straw out of her mouth.

She straightened up and began to tidy her hair.

The ends of her hair brushed her cheek, revealing a delicate jawline.

“I should go home. I’ve probably caused my family a lot of trouble this time, and dragged you into it too.”

“Talking about this is useless. Pay back the money,” Wu Ai said stiffly.

“By the way, where’s my phone?”

After saying this, the girl looked at Wu Ai, meeting his brown eyes.

The two stared at each other, eye to eye, neither speaking.

Wu Ai groaned inwardly. Could the phone have fallen out of the car along with the guitar? How was he supposed to get his money back now?

He sighed helplessly. “Looks like we’ll have to go to the police station first, or there’ll be even more trouble later.”

He glanced out the window. It was almost completely dark outside. A clap of thunder flashed, and the sound of sparse rain came from outside.

“Strange, why did it suddenly start raining?”

…

Shi Xian gently pushed open the door, but didn’t return to her bedroom right away. Instead, she went straight to the bathroom.

She took a towel from the rack and began to dry her rain-soaked hair.

As she dried her hair, she pulled out the half-box of homemade pastries from her coat.

The rain had come down hard, and she had no umbrella. She’d tucked the pastries inside her clothes so they wouldn’t get wet.

Thinking of this, Shi Xian felt a bit aggrieved. Her lips pouted, and her eyes seemed to glisten with tears.

“Wu Ai is such a liar…” she muttered softly.

At that moment, urgent knocking sounded from outside the bathroom.

“Daughter, you didn’t get caught in the rain, did you?” came Shi Mother’s voice.

When the door opened, Shi Xian instinctively hid the box of pastries behind her back.

“Mom…”

She called out softly, her voice tinged with a bit of a nasal tone.

Droplets from her hair slid down her neck, soaking into her collar and leaving a dark stain.

Her mother stood at the door, her brow already furrowed.

“How did you get so drenched?”

Shi Mother reached out to take the towel from her hand, but Shi Xian instinctively shrank back.

That tiny movement made the air between them freeze for a moment.

“I can do it myself.”

Shi Xian said softly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the towel.

She could feel the box of pastries pressing painfully against her chest, but didn’t dare take it out.

“You went to see that rascal again, didn’t you? Who knows what kind of nonsense he’s been feeding you.”

Shi Mother spoke, her words sharp, her breath heavy. No one wants to see their daughter suffer, after all.

“Don’t say that about Wu Ai. He saved someone today!”

“Hmph, that kind of talk only fools young people like you. You can’t let childhood feelings cloud your judgment now.” Shi Mother said dismissively.

Shi Xian might be a bit naive, but she wasn’t truly foolish.

But since Wu Ai said it, she’d believe him unconditionally.

“You’ve failed the IELTS twice in a row. If this keeps up, you might not even make it to Malaysia. Don’t you have any plans?”