The weather suddenly turned hot, and staying indoors one could hear the bustling sound of cicadas outside.
Dai Shiyuan lay in bed, staring blankly at the four words "June 5th" on her phone.
It had been twenty-three days since Shan Yaxin left, and it would be another week before she returned.
During these days, she tried not to think about anything related to Shan Yaxin.
But whenever she saw Shan Yaxin calling to ask about Shan Xiaoqing, she couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart, wanting to say a few words to the person on the other end of the phone.
However, Shan Yaxin didn't intend to talk to her and often just quickly told Shan Xiaoqing a few things before hanging up.
Each call lasted no more than thirty seconds.
Dai Shiyuan felt sad and uncomfortable, but she couldn't show it in front of Shan Xiaoqing's innocent and pure eyes, so she could only pretend to pass by casually.
Late at night, she would also regret her decision that day.
But if she were given another chance, she would still choose to refuse.
Dai Shiyuan sighed uncomfortably, pouring out the frustration that had been accumulating in her chest.
Today was Saturday, and Shan Xiaoqing had gone to the doctor, leaving her alone in the house.
From morning until noon, she had been lying in bed, feeling lazy and powerless.
The housekeeper aunt Shan Yaxin had hired to prepare lunch had already left, and she could smell the aroma of the food from her room, but she still had no appetite.
During this time without Shan Yaxin, she was listless every day, as if she had lost her vitality, and even her smile had become rare.
In the past, she couldn't understand the feeling of crying uncontrollably after a breakup, but now she experienced it.
Although she didn't feel as bad as that, her heart always ached a bit, sometimes even making it difficult for her to breathe.
Dai Shiyuan forced a bitter smile and covered her already moist eyes with her hand.
She had to admit that the person she couldn't let go of was herself.
The best thing to do now was to stay away from Shan Yaxin, cut off thoughts of her, and cut off the thread of attachment in her heart.
But she couldn't do it, she still wanted to indulge in Shan Yaxin's tenderness and love.
The sound of suppressed crying came intermittently from the quiet room, and suddenly a loud ringtone broke everything. Dai Shiyuan sobbed twice, quickly sat up from the bed when she saw the unfamiliar number on the caller ID, cleared her throat, and pressed the answer button.
Before she could say anything, a loud and anxious voice came from the other end, "Shan Yaxin has acute appendicitis and is hospitalized. Come over quickly."
"What? I'm on my way." Dai Shiyuan recognized the voice as Hua Jin's, quickly wrote down the address, and got out of bed, her heart in turmoil.
She moved too quickly, and one foot didn't stabilize, causing her to fall to the ground.
Dai Shiyuan didn't have time to care about the pain in her knee. She grabbed her phone anxiously and went out.
Fortunately, she quickly got a taxi, which eased Dai Shiyuan's anxiety.
After getting into the car, Dai Shiyuan noticed the strange look from the driver and then realized that she was still wearing her pajamas and slippers.
She had just heard the news that Shan Yaxin was hospitalized, and her mind was full of fear and worry, with no attention paid to anything else. Even if she noticed it now, she didn't want to go back and change.
At this moment, the most important thing was to see Shan Yaxin.
Dai Shiyuan anxiously reported the address of the hospital, her face full of tension and unease. "Could you please hurry up?"
"Little girl, what happened? Why are you so anxious?" The driver nodded and kindly asked.
"A friend of mine was hospitalized with acute appendicitis, and the situation seems very serious..." Dai Shiyuan worriedly said, with obvious panic in her eyes.
"Don't worry too much. Acute appendicitis is a minor surgery. I had it before, and it can be over in just over 20 minutes if it goes smoothly." The driver smiled and comforted her.
Hearing this, Dai Shiyuan felt a little relieved.
When they arrived at the hospital, she quickly got out of the car.
After asking the nurse at the front desk, she went straight to Shan Yaxin's ward.
Looking at the half-open door, Dai Shiyuan pushed it open without hesitation and saw the weak person lying on the hospital bed.
Not having seen her for more than half a month, the familiar face had lost a lot of weight, and the once bright eyes became cold and no longer filled with tenderness.
"Sister Yaxin..." Dai Shiyuan felt a moment of timidity, standing at the door and calling out softly.
She looked around uncomfortably and met the smiling eyes of Hua Jin, feeling a sense of guilt as if she had been seen through. She quickly lowered her head.
Shan Yaxin turned her head, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes as her fingers under the covers suddenly tightened.
"I'll go out first, you can talk slowly." Hua Jin smiled and said. As she passed by Dai Shiyuan, she deliberately paused and whispered, "She didn't want me to call you."
Dai Shiyuan's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she wanted to ask for the reason, but she heard the sound of the door closing behind her.
She was startled, clutching the edge of her pajamas with both hands, and it took a long time for her to speak with a trembling voice, "Why didn't you want to tell me about such an important matter? Are you planning to keep avoiding me like this?"
"You shouldn't have come..." Shan Yaxin closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
Hearing this, Dai Shiyuan's heart felt like it was being twisted with a knife, but she still forced a smile on her face and walked over, whispering, "At the very least, we're friends. I should have come to see you after your surgery."
Shan Yaxin remained motionless, lying down. It was a while before she spoke softly, "If you go out, I'll pretend you never came."
"I'm not leaving..." Dai Shiyuan raised her voice and shouted, her eyes turning red.
She stubbornly sat down, as if she were angry, her teary eyes fixed on the person on the bed, her lips pursed, refusing to let her tears fall.
Even with her eyes closed, Shan Yaxin could hear the sobbing tone in her words.
She held back all the words of concern, keeping them stuck in her throat, not opening her eyes. The silence in the room was like an invisible stone weighing heavily on everyone's chest.
Looking at Shan Yaxin's cold attitude, Dai Shiyuan felt choked up inside, and her eyes gradually grew redder, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"Sister Yaxin, can't we be like we used to be...best friends?" Dai Shiyuan pleaded tearfully, allowing tears to fall down her cheeks and onto the bed.
Shan Yaxin opened her eyes, a faint smile on her cold face. "We can't go back."
She spoke gently, but there was a kind of cruel finality that couldn't be refuted.
Dai Shiyuan was taken aback, her last hope shattered. She forced a bitter smile and asked, "Are you planning to have no further relationship with me?"
Her voice was very hoarse, as if she were holding back tears.
Shan Yaxin chuckled softly, her indifferent expression turning gentle. She closed her eyes without answering the question.
For the past few days, she hadn't gone on a business trip. Instead, she had been living at the company, working tirelessly every day until her body could no longer bear it, and then taking a break.
The people at the company were afraid of her intense work ethic and didn't dare to joke around during working hours.
With this determination, they had secured several large projects this month.
As for the project she promised to Dai mother, it would soon become a talisman for Dai Shiyuan.
By then, she would have enough capital and ability to reject this person who rejected her.
If Dai Shiyuan hadn't come, she could have tried to give up on this relationship and put all her thoughts into work.
She worked hard to restrain her impulses, but unfortunately Dai Shiyuan came and broke all her persistence.
Since that was the case, she had no reason to let go.
Even if it meant using despicable means, she would firmly grasp this person in her hands.
Dai Shiyuan sat quietly, even if her heart was hurting so much that it was spasming, she didn't want to leave.
"Xiaoyuan, why did you come in your pajamas?" Shan Yaxin opened her eyes, reached out and held Dai Shiyuan's fingers, which were wet with tears.
That cold face was as gentle as if it had never shown a cold expression.
Dai Shiyuan was taken aback, and an indescribable ecstasy surged in her heart. She wanted to explain, but tears flowed out uncontrollably.
"Don't cry..." Shan Yaxin smiled and comforted her, wiping away the tears from Dai Shiyuan's face with her hand.
"I'm not crying..." Dai Shiyuan stubbornly pursed her lips, but her nose couldn't help but twitch twice.
Shan Yaxin laughed, and her pale face gradually gained a hint of color. She whispered softly, "I must have been mistaken. It was raining, not Xiaoyuan crying."
Hearing this comforting lie, Dai Shiyuan's face turned red. She wanted to continue to argue, but opened her mouth and didn't know what to say, so she could only awkwardly lower her head.
After calming down for a while, she suddenly realized that their hands were clasped together.
That hand holding hers was tight, as if not allowing her to escape.
Dai Shiyuan's heart skipped a beat, and she cautiously raised her head and met a pair of smiling and doting eyes.
She was very familiar with this gentle smile, but she also felt a strange feeling that she couldn't describe.
"Sister Yaxin, are you okay?" Dai Shiyuan put aside her doubts and asked softly with her eyes lowered.
"It's just a minor surgery. The doctor said I could be discharged in two or three days." Shan Yaxin answered with a soft smile, her index finger unconsciously rubbing back and forth on the back of Dai Shiyuan's hand.
A itching sensation spread from her hand to her heart, and Dai Shiyuan's heart skipped a beat. Her face blushed visibly.
She didn't dare to raise her head or speak out to stop her.
She was afraid that if she refused again, Shan Yaxin would become distant and cold to her.
She didn't want to experience that suffocating feeling again.
"After you're discharged...will you still go on business trips?" Dai Shiyuan raised her head and asked softly, her sparkling eyes unconsciously showing a hint of anticipation.
When she said the word "business trip," her tone became cautious.
At this point, she already understood that Shan Yaxin had not gone on a business trip at all, and was just using it as an excuse to avoid her.
"It's time to go back." Shan Yaxin laughed lightly, with a relaxed expression that hadn't been seen in a long time.
Dai Shiyuan couldn't help but relax along with her, and a long-lost smile appeared on her lips. She happily said, "Sister Yaxin, we've been waiting for you to come back."
Upon hearing this, Shan Yaxin's face froze for a moment, but quickly softened into a gentle expression. She just held Dai Shiyuan's hand tighter.
Dai Shiyuan didn't know how great a temptation this sentence was for her, enough to make her abandon all reason and calm.
"Xiaoyuan, thank you for coming to see me. After I go back, I may need you to take care of me." Shan Yaxin chuckled, her eyebrows and eyes curved with pleasure.
Dai Shiyuan quickly shook her head, showing obvious joy on her face. She sincerely said, "Sister Yaxin, don't say that. You've always been taking care of me, so it's only right that I take care of you this time."
Shan Yaxin's satisfied eyes narrowed, and her expression became intriguing. Those half-concealed eyes seemed to hide an unspeakable secret.
Dai Shiyuan keenly noticed that something was off, and also sensed the danger, but she didn't want to run away.
Or rather, she had already prepared herself for the possibility of something happening.
Shan Yaxin was informed that she could be discharged from the hospital after two days of staying there.
Dai Shiyuan busily prepared for her discharge operation, and finally finished everything in the morning.
"Sister Yaxin, I've packed everything up. We can leave the hospital now." Dai Shiyuan said happily, holding a light bag.
This time, Shan Yaxin only brought two sets of clothes for changing, and all the other toiletries were disposable and didn't need to be sorted out.
"Thank you, Xiaoyuan." Shan Yaxin hooked her lips and laughed lightly, leaning her body half against Dai Shiyuan and deliberately speaking close to her white and tender earlobe.
"No...no need to be polite." Dai Shiyuan secretly turned her head and moved away, but her ear roots slowly turned crimson.
Shan Yaxin leaned in close and saw this scene, her smile even wider on her face.
Listening to the unabashed laughter in her ear, Dai Shiyuan's face turned even redder and her ears were burning.
"Sister Yaxin, I called a car. It should be at the entrance now." Dai Shiyuan tried to appear calm and said.
"Okay." Shan Yaxin nodded, still with a smile in her eyes.
Dai Shiyuan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
If she knew how to drive, she could have driven Shan Yaxin back instead of having to take a taxi. Fortunately, Shan Yaxin didn't mind.
After a bit of a struggle, they finally arrived at the entrance of the community.
Dai Shiyuan quickly got out of the car and ran to Shan Yaxin's side, quietly reminding her, "Be careful, don't touch the wound."
"Okay." Shan Yaxin got out of the car slowly, naturally hugging Dai Shiyuan and putting half of her weight on her.
Now she was the patient, and even if Dai Shiyuan felt stiff because of this intimate contact, she wouldn't refuse her like last time.
Supporting Shan Yaxin back to the house, Dai Shiyuan felt very hot all over, especially her heart, which was pounding.
Seeing the two of them come back, Shan Xiaoqing ran over happily, carefully surrounding Shan Yaxin and asked worriedly, "Sister, does your wound still hurt?"
"It's already healed, you don't have to worry." Shan Yaxin comforted her softly with a gentle smile, her fingers accidentally brushing over her heart.
Dai Shiyuan saw this small movement and her heart skipped a beat. She was not sure if Shan Yaxin was deliberately or unintentionally referring to her heartache, so she pretended not to understand.
"Xiaoqing, your Sister needs to rest, you can't make noise in the house." Dai Shiyuan bent down and whispered, "The TV volume should be low, and you can't laugh too loudly."
"Okay, I'll do it." Shan Xiaoqing obediently nodded, her big eyes fixed on Shan Yaxin, and she said happily, "Sister, you need to get better soon so that me and Big sister don't have to worry anymore."
"You guys worried too much." Shan Yaxin smiled softly and held the hands of the two, one big and one small.
Shan Xiaoqing showed a joyful smile, and the other small hand also reached out. Dai Shiyuan couldn't help blushing, hesitated for a moment, and then stretched out her other hand, which was quickly grabbed by someone with a force that seemed to prevent her from changing her mind.
"Xiaoyuan, you've been busy all morning, sit down and rest for a while." Shan Yaxin pulled her over and naturally put her arm around her slender waist. She turned her head and said to Shan Xiaoqing, "You go to your room and read a storybook."
Shan Xiaoqing obediently nodded, went into the room, and closed the door.
Only two people were left in the living room, Dai Shiyuan suddenly felt a burst of anxiety.
The hand placed on her waist was long and powerful, making her feel a little itchy.
Dai Shiyuan twisted left and right, and suddenly heard a painful low moan in her ear.
She turned her head to look, and saw Shan Yaxin holding her wound with one hand, with a painful expression on her face.
"Sister Yaxin, are you okay?" Dai Shiyuan panicked, leaned over to check the wound.
As soon as her head stretched out, she was quickly held by a hand and pressed on a soft part.
"Xiaoyuan, what really hurts is here." Shan Yaxin laughed lightly, pointing to her heart with her finger, her elegant face showing no signs of pain.
Dai Shiyuan realized she had been tricked this time, wanting to break free but feeling a force pushing her onto the sofa.
Before she could react, there was an extra person on her body.
Those smiling eyes were close at hand, hiding a fierce and intense emotion under the gentleness.
Dai Shiyuan's heart trembled, wanting to push away but afraid of touching Shan Yaxin's wound, so she could only stand in front of her emptily, lacking confidence, and said, "Sister Yaxin, be careful of your injury..."
"At this time, you should care more about yourself." Shan Yaxin lowered her head slowly, each word spraying a warm breath onto the soft red lips.
"We shouldn't... shouldn't do this..." Dai Shiyuan said, looking away, her long eyelashes drooping anxiously.
Shan Yaxin chuckled lightly in her throat, and in the instant when their lips were about to touch, leaned against Dai Shiyuan's shoulder. "Xiaoyuan, don't move, let me sleep for a while."
Hearing the fatigue in her words, Dai Shiyuan couldn't help but feel heartache, instantly forgetting the teasing from earlier and obediently let her lean on her.
Shan Yaxin did not sleep well these past few days in the hospital.
Although the postoperative pain was within a tolerable range, it was still painful to endure.
Although Shan Yaxin never showed any pain on her face, she knew that the wound would not heal quickly.
Both mentally and physically.
Dai Shiyuan stared at the ceiling, her hands slowly embracing the person on her body.
She no longer wanted to think about the consequences of her actions, she just wanted to express her concern in her own way.
"Xiaoyuan, are you regretting that I didn't continue earlier?" Shan Yaxin opened her eyes, raised her lips and let out a low laugh.
Dai Shiyuan blushed, hurriedly denying, "I just hope you can sleep better, don't think too much."
"So Xiaoyuan knew what I was thinking? I thought Xiaoyuan didn't know anything." Shan Yaxin's laughter became more pleasant, and she put one hand inside her shirt and rubbed her fingers finely at the position just below her belly button.
She didn't continue upward but stopped at the location of the appendix.
Dai Shiyuan's body stiffened, her face becoming even redder, but fortunately no one saw her.
After a while, the fingers moving between her waist and abdomen showed no signs of stopping. Dai Shiyuan blushing reached out and grabbed her hand and whispered, "Sister Yaxin, please don't do this. It's not good if Xiaoqing comes out and sees."
"This is inside the sofa, and our bodies are blocking it. Xiaoqing can't see it." Shan Yaxin calmly retorted, intentionally exhaling hot breath on that white and tender neck.
Dai Shiyuan couldn't help but shrink, her eyes turning red at the corners.
She dared not move, and could only turn her head slightly, but even so, it couldn't prevent the warm breath from spraying onto her neck.
"Sister Yaxin, please rest well and don't speak anymore." Dai Shiyuan deliberately put on a tough appearance, reaching out to gently pat Shan Yaxin's back as if coaxing someone to sleep.
Shan Yaxin couldn't stop laughing, and she really behaved well, not continuing to tease her, closing her eyes and falling asleep.
This half month of intense work had really tired her out. Otherwise, she wouldn't have developed acute appendicitis due to overwork.
She didn't want to tell Dai Shiyuan about this, but Hua Jin insisted on making that call, breaking her days of endurance.
Hearing Dai Shiyuan's anxious voice, she was both happy and conflicted.
She both wanted Dai Shiyuan to come and didn't want her to come.
But when she saw Dai Shiyuan, she was genuinely happy.
Being able to hold this person and sleep peacefully like this was the greatest happiness for her.
The person in her arms gradually breathed evenly, and Dai Shiyuan's back patting gradually stopped.
One second ago, she still felt like she and Shan Yaxin were the most familiar strangers, but now they clung together like the closest of people.
Being able to feel this person's warmth and smile again, even if they would face other things later, she was no longer afraid.
She really coveted this moment of tenderness and didn't want to let go.
Although she knew that giving hope to the other person under the guise of being a friend was not the right thing to do.
But she couldn't bear to ignore Shan Yaxin.
Especially when she saw that wound, she even wished it was her lying on the operating table.
If...if she was the person in this world, how good would it be, and she could always have this tenderness.
Dai Shiyuan hooked her lips, and a hint of loneliness appeared in her eyes.
As the outside sky gradually darkened and the last bit of light disappeared, a white light suddenly lit up inside the room.
Dai Shiyuan turned her head and saw Shan Xiaoqing turning on the light and walking towards them.
Although Shan Yaxin had said that Shan Xiaoqing wouldn't notice that small movement, Dai Shiyuan still couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Big sister, why is my Sister sleeping on you?" Shan Xiaoqing squatted down and innocently asked in a soft voice.
Dai Shiyuan's face instantly turned red, stammering and not knowing how to answer.
"Because your Sister likes Big sister very much," Shan Yaxin replied seriously, looking up.
Dai Shiyuan was taken aback, her heart skipping a beat, and her face became even redder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 22:51:37 on July 20, 2021, and 23:53:39 on July 21, 2021.
Translator's note: The award for Best Schemer goes to Shan Yaxin. Hehehe~~~ But I love her and I also wish I had someone like her! Dai Shiyuan is lucky to have the opportunity to travel in her world and meet her.
TO BE CONTINUE...