Always By Your Side

Chapter 1.1

On a holiday, going to a train station is the most impressive experience of China's population. Especially in this famous tourist city of Jinghai, there are always a large number of people coming and going during the holidays.

When Cheng Yuan Yuan was sweating and dragging her suitcase, a small purse was hung around her neck. As mosses divide the red sea, she made an outbound way through the impenetrable train station. After a thousand hard times, she finally breathed. When finally, she breathed in fresh air, a ringing tone came from the small bag.

At first glance, she saw it was Cheng Sheng Hua. Cheng Yuanyuan quickly picked up, and involuntarily raised her volume in the noisy atmosphere: "Hey, hello, uncle."

"Yuan Yuan, are you here?"

"Well, I just arrived."

"Okay, my car is parked at the KFC gate in the East Square. Where are you now, I am coming to pick you up?"

"No, uncle. You don't have to come over.”

Next, Cheng Sheng Hua said something, but there were too many interfering sounds around Yuanyuan, so she couldn’t hear it. Anyway, she just had to cross the road and in front of it was KFC, so she hurriedly said "I am coming right away" and took the line. When the mobile phone was collected, Cheng Yuanyuan went straight to KFC.

At this time, a white off-road vehicle slowly stopped at the right front of her because of traffic jam. Cheng Yuanyuan just looked at it and saw that there was a palm-sized hibiscus stone lotus under the windshield inside the car. She could only see a little silhouette of the person sitting in the car - the man was wearing a white shirt and holding a mobile phone. On the phone, the fingers were long and white, and the texture was as good as jade. This was really the most beautiful hand she had ever seen in her life! Cheng Yuan Yuan’s gaze stayed on the hands for a long time until the car drove her sight.

"The breeze cares for the late bamboo, and the love is reflected in the moon, obsessed with the red dust and bitterness..." She didn’t know who composed the song. But her gentle singing voice was not in line with the current situation. Cheng Yuan Yuan couldn't help but laugh out and dragged the suitcase to continue.

At that moment, the man in the white car also saw her back from the rear-view mirror. He was a little embarrassed, and his eyebrows were slightly stunned, as if he was moving.

"Dudu!" The car in front of him had been driven far away, and he stepped on the throttle in response to the horn of the car behind him.

When Cheng Yuan Yuan arrived at the intersection, she saw KFC on the opposite side. She was about to take a step to prepare to pass through, when there came a sudden hand reaching out to grab her arm. She was shocked, and turned to see the person behind her. It was even more scary and unclear then, the person in front of her was the person she least wanted to see - Uncle Sheng Hua's only son, Cheng Bai.

Cheng Bai is two years older than her, with clear facial features, he looked handsome. Cheng Yuan Yuan still rememberd that when she had just arrived in the city for the first time, she was in middle school. When she was living in his home, he described her in the composition, ‘My (Cheng Bai’s) sister is like an ink landscape, especially when she is living in someone else’s house, it seems to be a slip. There is a national treasure in the stalls. I only blame the young who see the world less, and will only be deceived by the appearance.’

"You have studied in the university for four years, and you can't even see the traffic lights?" Cheng Bai's voice was not hoarse but like of a martial artist’s voice. This line directly impacted Cheng Yuan Yuan’s eardrums.

When he was saying this, the red light across the road jumped to green. At that moment only, Cheng Bai released her arm and took over the suitcase from her. When he stretched out his hand to take the small purse hanging around her neck, Cheng Yuan Yuan finally came back from her old memories and stepping back reflexly, she blurted out: "No need." Looking at Cheng Bai's hand hanging in the air, she at once took the small bag from her neck and held it tightly in her hands.

Cheng Bai glanced at her and said nothing. At that moment, Cheng Yuan Yuan thought that the "tension" between his eyebrows was stronger. Fortunately, now the light was green and she quickly crossed the road with her head bent low. Cheng Bai followed her on the road while her heart kept breaking: "This time I have to live in your house for a while, I don’t want it! Also, my mother said on the phone that you have already gone to a health major affiliated hospital for internship, the hospital is not full of people every day, how come there is still a small person to pick me up..."

Cheng Yuan Yuan was thinking of yesterday. Just after the graduation ceremony, she received a phone call from her mother and learned that her grandmother had a sudden cerebral haemorrhage and was admitted in the city hospital.  So, she bought a train ticket and rushed back here. Fortunately, most of the things in her bedroom have been moved home in the first half of the year.

The two passed the road in tandem. When she met Cheng Sheng Hua, he still treated her kindly and embraced her as always, as if they were really a family. She thought, even if uncle Sheng Hua said that her father had been a life-saving man for him when he was a soldier, and he regarded her as his biological daughter. But she is not.

After the three people got on the car, Cheng Sheng Hua talked to Cheng Yuan Yuan. Cheng Bai sat in the passenger seat and never participated in the conversation. He was always playing with the mobile phone, and was wearing an appearance that showed indifference. Cheng Yuan Yuan really didn’t understand what he was doing today. Well, she tried not to look at him, but she and her years of "bits and bits" are like a rush of water. This person, really does not like her, but always scared her with a cold face. And because her mother has told her to be obedient when she is staying at someone else’s house so, even if he has a bad attitude towards her, she dare not tell her parents. She can only humble herself.

She recalls the past, and can’t help but mutter: "That is really a period of indigestion." When she spoke “indigestion”, her volume subconsciously increased.

Which attracted Sheng Hua’s attention, "Hmm? Dear, what did you say?”

"No, nothing."

Finally, they arrived at the Cheng house. Cheng Bai first got out of the car and took the suitcase and other luggage back into the house. When Cheng Yuan Yuan and Cheng Sheng Hua entered, they saw her mother Dai Shu Fen standing in the living room. Cheng house’s living room is very large, the decoration style is simple, there is not too much colour, the walls are white and brown, and the furniture is mostly wood or leather goods.

Dai Shu Fen repeatedly thanked Cheng Sheng Hua: "I am bothering you, big brother."

"Sister, don't be polite to me anymore, we are all family."

Yuan Yuan went to her mother, and said, "I will go to the room.”

She was familiar with the house and went upstairs. She arrived in front of the room that she had not entered for almost four years. Her suitcase was leaning against the door of the room, and the door next to her room was closed. Through the narrow space, only a little could be seen. In the room, she couldn't see Cheng Bai, but she knew that he was inside... She deliberately took heavy steps, opened her room’s door, dragged the suitcase in, and carefully closed the door.

Chapter 1.2

The room was about 20 square meters in size, simple and warm decoration, bed, wardrobe, desk, and a beige single sofa, a few pots of spider orchids on the small balcony, may be because of the hot weather or because no one cared for them, their leaves had turned awkward. Everything was the same, exactly as she had left it four years ago… Although she studied in the university for four years, every winter and summer vacation, she will come and talk with her uncle Sheng Hua. But this room… she really didn’t enter it in the past four years.

Cheng Yuan Yuan lied on the bed - and said to herself: "Coming back here…I really can't afford it. Hey, I must work hard to make money and reduce the pressure on my mother. And I won't be a burden to Uncle Sheng Hua. It’s troublesome. As for Cheng Bai...” At that time, someone knocked three times in rhythm on her door. She asked without opening the door, “Who?”

"I." The young voice with a low tone. It’s Cheng Bai.

Cheng Yuan Yuan was in a bit of a rush: "What?"

As a result, the other party opened the door directly, and Yuan Yuan sprang up in amazement: "You, what are you doing?"

He handed her a box of medicine. When she looked at them, she found they were tablets to cure indigestion.

Looking at the person who had just handed her the medicines and left, Cheng Yuan Yuan was speechless.

During dinner, Aunt Zhu, who took care of the Cheng family, made six dishes and one soup. At the dinner table, Cheng Sheng Hua comforted Da Shu Fen with a sorrowful face: "Dear sister, during the time Yuan Yuan’s grandmother is in the hospital, you can rest assured and stay here. The hospital is on my office’s way. When I will go to the company, I’ll drop you at the hospital every day. There are nurses in the hospital to take care of granny. Don't worry too much."

"Thank you, big brother."

Cheng Yuan Yuan looked at her mother and felt that although she was not embarrassed, she was slightly cramped. She knew in her heart that her mother has always been a person who does not like to bother others. This time, if grandmother didn’t have to go to the big hospital in the city for treatment, and their family wouldn’t have been unaccompanied in the city, and the economic situation wouldn’t have been stretched, she would’ve never agreed to stay at Uncle Sheng Hua’s house. Back in those years, her mother had agreed that she would live with uncle Sheng Hua and attend the middle school in the city.

As Cheng Yuan Yuan was thinking about it, she didn’t pay attention to what she was eating and a fishbone got stuck in her throat.

"You! This child! Can’t you be careful while eating fish? Try to swallow the rice quickly." Dai Shu Fen anxiously said.

When Cheng Yuan Yuan was just about to move the chopsticks to have some rice, Cheng Bai got up and grabbed her wrist: "It is not advisable to swallow rice. You may accidentally pierce the oesophagus."

As soon as she heard this, she became scared.

Cheng Sheng Hua became worried: "Would you like to go to the hospital?"

Aunt Zhu who was in the kitchen heard the child being stuck on the fishbone, and quickly poured a small bowl of vinegar. Dai Shu Fen took it and handed it to Cheng Yuan Yuan and said, "Take this vinegar and see if it works."

Even before Cheng Bai could say anything, Yuan Yuan took the bowl from Dai Shu Fen and drank a large amount of vinegar. Even still, she cried after drinking it, the fishbone was still stuck in her throat.

Cheng Sheng Hua got up and said, "I will take her to the hospital. I am going in the garage to drive the car out. Cheng Bai, take care of your sister. And dear sister go get the health insurance card."

Cheng Yuan Yuan shook her head reflectively, but Cheng Sheng Hua had already left. She saw that her mother had also walked away, she was helpless, and as for her helplessness the fishbone and Cheng Bai each accounted for half.

Cheng Bai walked to her side, she was sitting and looked up at him with a slight alert. When Cheng Bai's cold fingers gently buckled her chin, she shivered.

"If you don’t want to go to the hospital, then let me see."

Yuan Yuan really did not want to go to the hospital, but...

Cheng Bai lifted her chin: "Open your mouth."

She opened her mouth.

Cheng Bai squinted and said: "I can see the fishbone. You’ll have to endure it." Looking at him holding a pair of chopsticks in his hand, Yuan Yuan closed her eyes immediately. At this moment, Cheng Bai was so close to her that she could clearly smell the sweet aroma of his body, which felt like the smell of a beautiful flower after rain.

 She thought of the old house in her hometown. Her father had planted a small leaf scorpion in the yard that year. When the late spring and early summer came, the blossom with white petals was overflowing with beauty, and when the rain hit it, it seemed even more refreshing. Suddenly a tingling made her frown, and she felt Cheng Bai’s hand.

"All right."

When she opened her eyes, she saw that the chopsticks that he had used to take out the fishbone, were his. He is like a master of medicine, a high-quality student, but does he not understand health and hygiene? She felt awkward and immediately got up and ran to the bathroom at the entrance.

Cheng Bai turned and saw Dai Shu Fen holding a bag on the side of the stairs. After a minute, he said to Dai Shu Fen casually: "She is fine. I will call my dad back."

When Dai Shu Fen heard it, she nodded and said, "Okay."

In the evening, Cheng Yuan Yuan with her mobile was sitting on the sofa in her room. The door of the balcony was open, and the evening breeze came in, bringing the soul coolness.

On WeChat she sent a message to friends in her circle that she was tortured by a fishbone today. In just ten minutes, she got a large piece of "likes".

“Hey, this year, I really can't share my unhappiness with people, because it will only make others sad, and add to their unhappiness.”

She recalled Cheng Bai, who had taken out her fishbone, and gave a deep sigh: "I will never touch fish again."

At this time, the sound of a cat came from downstairs, Cheng Bai raised a cat? Cheng Yuan Yuan curiously ran to the balcony and looked at it tentatively: "Fish, fish..."

As a result, the cat who did not know where it should hide that fish became squeaky. This was fun, but when she wanted to say "fish" with interest, the corner of her eyes turned to the balcony next to her’s. There was a familiar figure standing there, and she became dumbfounded. She almost bit her tongue in an emergency: "You, haven't you slept yet?"

Cheng Bai faintly said, “I’ve not lost sight of you, I am willing to go to sleep”.

Cheng Yuan Yuan knew that his previous “help” in the fishbone matter was all fake and he was pretending. The word "careful" is really not suitable for Cheng Bai. Cheng Bai, this person, in the eyes of outsiders, he is polite, but for her, he is completely ruthless, and his words are poisonous. Going back into her room Cheng Yuan Yuan became very perplexed, thinking: ‘In those days when you can't see me, can't you sleep well every day?’