Lu Zhilan is a tennis prodigy and Lu Xia's older cousin. Zhilan was expected to become a professional athlete until a career threatening injury. With no other choice, she's forced to go to Germany for surgery and rehabilitation. She's been there for...
"Well, that's it for today." Anna wrapped up Zhilan's therapy for the week.
"Thanks, Anna. Have a good weekend."
"You too."
Zhilan waited outside the center for Siyang since he also had therapy at around the same time. A few minutes had passed when he finally walked out. He was bending and extending his arm.
"Exhausted?" She asked as they started walking back to the main building.
"A little. Therapy is getting harder since my arm is healing rather well."
"If you're lucky, you won't be here for so many months."
He just nodded. "Do you want to meet up in a bit? I want to wash up."
Zhilan hummed. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll be in my room anyway."
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Zhilan sighed in relief after her shower. She was drying her hair when she heard a knock on her door.
She went to go open it. "Hey, I was just about to-"
"Surprise! Have you missed me?" She was startled as she came face to face with her cousin, Yingjie. He was smiling and holding a bouquet of flowers.
She stared at him completely dumbfounded.
"Are you quiet because you missed me that much?"
She blinked and finally got herself together. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in England!"
"I was, but I have a short break. I decided I would come see you. So, here I am." Yingjie beamed and tackled her in a hug.
"Okay! I got it! Come in."
He settled himself down on the couch while she set the flowers down. "Tell me everything. How are you doing? Is your knee all right? When are you getting out?"
Zhilan held her hands up to get him to ease up. "Slow down, little cousin. I'm doing fine. My knee keeps getting better. I'm still not sure about when I'm getting out."
"Well, okay then." He said as he stretched out on the couch. Another knock came at the door.
She opened it up and this time it was Siyang. "Hey, come in. I have company."
He walked through and found another boy around their age. A frown made its way onto his face. Who was this? His eyes darted to a bouquet of flowers and his mind began to wander.
Yingjie sat up straight and slightly narrowed his eyes at Siyang. "Zhilan, are you aware you just invited a guy into your room?"
She fixed her cousin with a dirty look. "Yes, you idiot."
"Is this a bad time?" Siyang asked, feeling that he may have intruded on something.
"No, it's fine. Siyang, this is Su Yingjie. He's one of my cousins. Yingjie, this is Mu Siyang. He's a friend and a patient here too."
Her cousin stared blankly at the pair. "Seriously? You usually avoid guys."
She opened her mouth to argue, but she made a sound of agreement. "It's true, I do."
Siyang raised an eyebrow at her.
"It saves me trouble. Most guys I meet just want to flirt with me."
He nodded, but something about her words bothered him.
Yingjie stood up and threw an arm around her. "I'm still here, you know that, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "I know. Siyang and I were just going to hang out a bit. Do you mind if my cousin joins us?"
He shook his head and gave her a small smile. "Not at all. Family is important too."
Zhilan's eyes lit up. "Give me a minute to fix my hair."
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"You're so mean to me! Is this how you treat your favorite cousin?" Yingjie complained as Zhilan stole a dumpling from him at dinner.
Siyang couldn't help but be amused at the cousins as they bickered and joked.
"You are not my favorite cousin." She said as she bit the stolen dumpling.
"Is it my brother? What has Su Jian done to deserve that?"
"It's not Su Jian either."
"Then, that leaves- what? You mean the hat wearing, soda drinking, tennis brat is your favorite? Rude!"
Zhilan giggled. "He has a name, you know."
"I refuse to name him. Anyways, how is there a Chinese chef here?"
"A friend of Siyang's."
He looked over at him. "Who are you friends with?"
He chuckled. "He's a tennis rival of mine. He's the one that sent me here."
Realization dawned over Yingjie's face. "No wonder you two get along. Are you also here for a tennis injury?"
He nodded.
"What is it with tennis players injuring themselves?" He wondered out loud.
Zhilan looked at Siyang and smiled.
"Well, this has been interesting, but I got to go. Good night. It was nice meeting you, Siyang. Zhilan, I'll come back and see you again before I leave."
She shook her head as her cousin left. "He's so childish."
Siyang snickered softly. "I see he cares about you though."
"I hope so. I'm his only cousin." She giggled.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I'm tired."
They left the cafeteria and turned in for the night.
Author's Note
Another filler chapter here. By the time this chapter starts, it's been a little over two months or two months. Also, I made her cousin super dramatic for fun. I think I'm gonna do one more cute chapter before it's time for Siyang to leave. I haven't quite decided yet. Eventually, they gotta leave the hospital. Don't worry though, because they will reunite! Another thing, I keep actively avoiding Lu Xia coming up in their conversations. It's for later humor reasons, in case I didn't already mention that. Anyways, take care y'all. - Violet
