Solitary Toss of Tenderness

You look beautiful when you smile

After uttering the words, “Huaixi, for you, a thousand, a million times”, Lu Zizheng never moved her gaze away from Jiang Huaixi. They quietly locked eyes for a long time. However, Jiang Huaixi seemed to be overwhelmed by Lu Zizheng’s intense gaze, and her ears slowly turned red. She hurriedly averted her eyes in a slightly flustered manner, pretending to casually look into the distance.

Lu Zizheng silently observed Jiang Huaixi’s reaction, and her eyes dimmed slightly. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and let out a sigh of relief, smiling quietly.

She gently freed her hand from Jiang Huaixi’s loose grip and softly held her hand, spreading her five fingers and gradually intertwining them with Jiang Huaixi’s, connecting their ten fingers.

At the moment their fingers interlocked, Jiang Huaixi’s body trembled slightly, and her fingers stiffened, not moving at all. Finally, she turned to look at Lu Zizheng, her ink-like eyes filled with mist, as if there were a thousand words she wanted to say, yet hesitated to speak.

However, Lu Zizheng just looked back at Jiang Huaixi with understanding and tenderness, smiling brightly with clear eyes and white teeth—a smile that Jiang Huaixi had never seen before. In an instant, it made Jiang Huaixi lose her composure, unable to look away.

In the middle of the night, Lu Zizheng was awakened once by a dream of her mother. At that moment, Jiang Huaixi was sleeping deeply. Lu Zizheng gazed at Jiang Huaixi for a long time in the darkness, gently encircling her, before falling asleep again. However, she couldn’t find deep slumber anymore. Early in the morning, even before Jiang Huaixi woke up, Lu Zizheng was already somewhat lucid. Jiang Huaixi’s gentle and soft kiss on her nose brought her back to consciousness, feeling both surprised and delighted. In that moment of the kiss, Jiang Huaixi’s tenderness and affection smoothed away the wrinkles between her brows and the worries in her heart.

Huaixi, how can you make me deceive myself again, believing this is just a close friendship?

Just now, after confirming once again Jiang Huaixi’s resolute and gentle gaze, Lu Zizheng finally understood, finally became certain, and finally let go of her worries. If this isn’t love, then what else could cause her such sorrow?

This love shouldn’t be a solo performance for her alone. Instead, it should be a waltz for two, with abnormal harmony and sadness, taking one step forward and one step back. When Jiang Huaixi moved forward, she retreated too far, and when she moved forward, Jiang Huaixi unexpectedly chose to turn away. She didn’t know what Jiang Huaixi was afraid of hesitating about, or perhaps she herself missed the opportunities and fate she should have grasped. But if this love is destined to be a chase, then she is willing to offer her remaining courage, dedicating the rest of her life to Jiang Huaixi, keeping pace with her until the end.

The morning sun had risen high in the sky, radiating a dazzling golden light that was almost impossible to look up to.

Lu Zizheng firmly held Jiang Huaixi’s hand, under her gaze. She stood up calmly, slightly bending her waist, with a smile full of charm, and asked Jiang Huaixi, “Huaixi, shall we go home? I want to prepare lunch for you. Will you teach me?”

In the golden light of the morning sun, Jiang Huaixi’s expression appeared somewhat hazy and unreal. Lu Zizheng felt her turning her face slightly, her scorching gaze fixated on her. Then, she heard Jiang Huaixi softly respond, “Okay.” The intertwined fingers sensed Jiang Huaixi’s gradually tightening grip—so warm, so tender, so sweet…

Lu Zizheng’s smile deepened gradually…

When they arrived home, just as Lu Zizheng entered the kitchen to check the ingredients in the fridge and prepare to ask Jiang Huaixi what she’d like to eat, she heard Jiang Huaixi’s phone suddenly ring.

Jiang Huaixi glanced down at the caller ID, slightly furrowing her brows. She answered the call and said a few words in a subdued tone, “Hmm, okay, wait for a moment…” and then hung up the phone.

The call was from Xu Baihan, asking Jiang Huaixi about Jiang Wang’s specific work schedule, home address, phone number, as well as the contact information of her superiors and other details.

Jiang Huaixi blinked apologetically at Lu Zizheng and softly said, “Zizheng, I have something urgent to deal with. Can you wait for me for a while?”

Lu Zizheng nodded and smiled, considerately replying, “Of course, it’s alright. We still have time. Take your time.”

Jiang Huaixi then composed herself, gave a faint smile, and turned to enter the study.

While Lu Zizheng was busy in the kitchen for a while, her curiosity got the better of her. She tiptoed lightly and peeked into the study. There, she saw Jiang Huaixi sitting at the computer, her head lowered, and her long hair cascading like a waterfall, concealing her expression. All Lu Zizheng could see were Jiang Huaixi’s slender and fair fingers, holding a slim, platinum-colored pen, rapidly gliding across a black notebook.

Lu Zizheng was taken aback, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, a strange desire emerged in her—she wanted to gently bite Jiang Huaixi’s slender and beautiful fingers…

As soon as she realized the shocking thought, Lu Zizheng’s cheeks turned bright red, feeling her face burning with embarrassment. She didn’t dare to look at Jiang Huaixi anymore and hastily turned around and left.

After a while, Lu Zizheng finally calmed down and couldn’t help but find it amusing at her own reaction.

She was washing vegetables when she remembered that Jiang Huaixi hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Lu Zizheng paused her work, left the kitchen, and thoughtfully prepared a cup of honey water for Jiang Huaixi, taking it to the study.

This time, Jiang Huaixi was not in the room. Lu Zizheng raised her eyes and saw Jiang Huaixi standing on the balcony with her back to her, talking on the phone in a hushed tone, saying who knows what.

Lu Zizheng stepped gently into the study, placing the honey water gently on the desk near the computer before preparing to leave. As she lowered her head, she happened to catch a glimpse of the open black notebook beside the computer, with Jiang Huaixi’s elegant and refined handwriting leaping into her view. The ink of the words was still fresh, and at the top of the page was written: “March 25, clear weather.” The main text consisted of only a slender line:

“You look beautiful when you smile.”

Lu Zizheng’s steps paused slightly, feeling as though her heart was gently caressed by a feather, making her feel soft and content. She lovingly traced each stroke of every character with her gaze, unable to contain the smile that formed on her face as she followed Jiang Huaixi’s figure in her mind.

As she looked up, she noticed that Jiang Huaixi had hung up the phone at some point and turned around, gazing quietly at her. In that moment, Jiang Huaixi seemed to have just noticed the still-open notebook. She furrowed her brows slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and coldly said, “Has Confucius not taught you that it’s impolite to read someone else’s writing without permission?”

However, Lu Zizheng remained silent, gazing back at her with tender eyes and a knowing smile…

Jiang Huaixi felt annoyed, as if Lu Zizheng had transformed into a different person since this morning, making her feel somewhat defenseless against her gaze. Finally, she was defeated in their prolonged eye contact and averted her eyes, walking into the room. She pretended to be composed as she closed the diary, and coolly instructed, “Let’s forget about this incident, and it won’t happen again.”

But Lu Zizheng responded with a pleasant and serene smile.

After receiving the information from Jiang Huaixi, Xu Baihan carefully examined the schedules and the series of numbers. Then, she saw the picture of Jiang Wang that Jiang Huaixi thoughtfully sent to her. In an instant, tears welled up and fell silently onto Jiang Wang’s face, where she appeared calm and indifferent.

It’s her, it’s really her…

Unable to wait any longer, she immediately instructed someone to handle her discharge procedures, arranged for the driver to pick her up from the hospital, and without time to inform her family, she hurriedly rushed to Linzhou.

Throughout the journey, Xu Baihan imagined a thousand times, maybe even ten thousand times, what she would say to Yun Bo when she saw her. Would Yun Bo acknowledge her? Would she pretend not to know her anymore? Would she push her away and look at her with hatred in her eyes?

With each of these thoughts, Xu Baihan felt the pain in her heart intensify, as if being pierced by countless arrows repeatedly. Nervously, she tightly pinched her fingertips with her nails and gently bit the joint of her thumb to calm her overwhelmed and fearful emotions.

When the car stopped at the entrance of the Jiang’s hospital, Xu Baihan looked at the cold, white building and told herself deep inside, “Xu Baihan, you want nothing but her. As long as she’s there, the whole world is enough.”

The day was almost dark, and Jiang Wang’s work hours were coming to an end. Jiang Huaixi had informed Xu Baihan of Jiang Wang’s office location and informed her that Jiang Wang had a clinic today and would return to the office to change clothes after work. Xu Baihan got out of the car, bit her lip, clenched her fists, and summoned her courage, then hurriedly made her way to Jiang Wang’s office.

Staring at the tightly closed white door, Xu Baihan could hear her own heartbeat, beating fast as if it was about to burst out of her chest. She lifted her hand and noticed that her hand was trembling uncontrollably, almost losing its strength.

Finally, she gently knocked on that door, once, twice, three times…

From inside the room came the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar cold voice she had heard several times before, “Please come in…”

She hasn’t left the office yet, how fortunate… Xu Baihan softly murmured in her heart.

She tightly held the doorknob, trembling slightly, and then applied force with determination, turning it firmly. The door opened, and she pushed the wheelchair, making a heavy sound, appearing in front of Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang was putting her white coat into the wardrobe with her back to the door. When she heard the sound, she locked the cabinet and casually turned her head, thinking it was a nurse coming to find her. But to her surprise, when she turned her head, she saw Xu Baihan’s face—a familiar face that had been etched into her heart and integrated into her life.

Xu Baihan’s eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions—joy, excitement, and sorrow upon their long-awaited reunion. Tears welled up, but she couldn’t bear to move her gaze or blink, not wanting the tears to fall. She steadfastly stared at Jiang Wang’s slightly unfamiliar yet still captivatingly cold and indifferent face.

When their eyes met, both of them were momentarily stunned, forgetting how to react.

After the initial shock wore off, Jiang Wang’s body tensed, and she tightly pressed her thin lips together, resuming her usual indifferent demeanor. Her eyes gazed calmly at Xu Baihan, allowing her to unabashedly examine her.

Xu Baihan took a step forward, unable to control herself, and reached out, holding Jiang Wang’s hand that hung by her side. She looked up, her voice choked with emotion, and asked, “Yun Bo, Yun Bo, is it really you? I’m not dreaming, am I?” Feeling the warmth of Jiang Wang’s hand and experiencing its genuine touch, Xu Baihan felt as if she had found a solid support after years of exhaustion. Her heart felt at ease, and she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. What she wanted the most was to tightly embrace Jiang Wang, lean into her arms, and listen to the sound of her heartbeat, telling her that the dream she had been waiting for had finally come true…

Jiang Wang silently looked at Xu Baihan, not pulling her hands away from the firm grip. After a moment of silence, a faint, faint smile appeared on her lips, but there was no trace of mirth in her eyes. She softly parted her thin lips and calmly responded to Xu Baihan, “Baihan, it’s been a long time.”