Chapter 107: The Meeting of Two Good Friends
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shangguan Ning missed Zhao Anan very much, epecially since Anan had been away for so long.
“Yichen, why do you think Anan is not back yet? She told me that she was going overseas for some therapy. Do you think she is unwell?”
Although Mu Qing assured Shangguan Ning that Zhao Anan was fine, she was still worried. Jin Yichen and she were sitting next to each other, when she voiced her concerns.
Jing Yichen sipped on some water and then hesitatingly asked his wife, “Didn’t Anan tell you?”
“Tell me about what?”
“That she is unwell.”
“I know, she told me about it. I even saw her drinking Chinese medicine as often as one drinks water. I didn’t read too much into it because she looked alright to me.”
Shangguan Ning’s was confused. She had a premonition that Jing Yichen was going to say something terrible about Zhao Anan’s condition.
“What is wrong with her?”
Jing Yichen stayed silent for a moment before replying casually. “She should be fine. I can take you to visit her, in a couple of days, if you wish.”
Hearing Jing Yichen say that Zhao Anan was fine, Shangguan Ning felt less stressed. She was very happy that they both would visit Zhao Anan soon.
“Great! We can visit her together. I hope that she won’t be too surprised to see us married.”
Shangguan Ning hadn’t allowed Jing Yichen to tell Zhao Anan that they were now married. She wanted to tell her in person and then thank her formally, for bringing them together.
Jing Yichen held back from mentioning anything else about Zhao Anan’s health. He couldn’t bring himself to upset his wife. She looked so happy at the prospect of meeting with Zhao Anan.
He consoled himself by saying that she would learn of Zhao Anan’s condition when she met her, anyway.
Three days later, the couple were onboard a flight to Germany where Shangguan Ning was about to meet her best friend, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.
As soon as they got off the plane, Jing Yichen made a call to someone. He spoke in fluent German. Very soon, two well dressed men came to fetch them from the airport.
Shangguan Ning’s German wasn’t bad either. She was gifted when it came to learning languages, ever since she was a child. She was able to pick up languages faster than most people. She could now speak many languages and hardly ever needed a translator, whenever she traveled abroad.
She and Jing Yichen got into their chauffeur driven Audi and left to see Zhao Anan immediately.
They drove for around half an hour before they came to hospital that had a vast lawn in its front.
Jing Yichen thanked their escorts and then took Shangguan Ning inside.
The hospital was very well maintained. There was ample quiet and the air was fresh. Several patients were talking a walk or doing some stretches on the lawn. It looked like a retreat more than a hospital.
Jing Yichen seemed to have visited this place before. He was familiar with this area. He led her around several buildings and paused in front of a white building. Then he led her in.
The residential quarters of the hospital weren’t very tall. There were only four floors in this building and Zhao Anan lived on the fourth floor.
Shangguan Ning was very nervous. She hoped that Anan would be alright. She said a little prayer for the well being of her friend. She was glad to have Jing Yichen by her side. She held hands with him, anxiously.
Jing Yichen could feel her anxiety. He gave her a hug and said, “Anan’s ward is just around the corner. She has been transferred to the ordinary ward because she just finished with her therapy.”
Shangguan Ning was so excited to see Zhao Anan that she did not take the time to process what Jing Yichen had just said. She started to walk towards the ward that Jing Yichen had referred to.
The ward was well done up. The curtains were light green in color and so were the blankets. A bunch of orange daisies placed on a shelf next to each bed, made the room look lively and fresh.
Shangguan Ning went to Zhao Anan’s bedside and couldn’t recognise the girl who lay in it. When she realised that it was indeed her friend, Zhao Anan, Ning almost collapsed.
Zhao Anan, who used to be healthy and full of vitality, was lying there feebly. Her skin was so pale that it was almost translucent. Zhao Anan had lost all her hair and in its place, her scalp lay exposed.
Was this the same Zhao Anan who was always so lively and full of energy?!
Shangguan Ning’s eyes welled up with tears.
Her teardrops fell on Zhao Anan’s face, waking her up from her sleep.
Zhao Anan opened her eyes and was startled to see Shangguan Ning. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
She mumbled, “Why am I dreaming of you again, Ning?”
A moment later, she was wide awake. The person she thought she was dreaming of, was still there, in front of her. Zhao Anan rubbed here eyes as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Shangguan Ning cried bitterly.
“It is me, Anan. Shangguan Ning.”
Zhao Anan could feel her friend’s warm skin. She was finally certain that she wasn’t dreaming. Her closest friend, Shangguan Ning, was here to see her.
“What are you doing here, Ning? I feel so happy to see you.”
Shangguan Ning cried so much that she couldn’t answer her.
Jing Yichen replied, “I brought her here.”
Zhao Anan didn’t notice until this moment that there was someone else standing beside her. She asked in surprise, “Brother? What are you doing here? Did you bring Ning here?”
That couldn’t have been possible.
Jing Yichen didn’t have the heart to share their happy news with Anan, while Anan herself was suffering in a hospital. He asked her where her mother was and then walked out without saying a word. He wanted to give the two friends some space. They hadn’t seen each other in so long.
Shangguan Ning was inconsolable.
Zhao Anan wasn’t someone who knew how to comfort others. She hugged her friend gently and let her cry it out. None of them spoke for some time.
Finally Zhao Anan said, “My Beauty, can you stop crying? You can cry after I die.”
Unexpectedly, this sentence made Shangguan Ning get a grip over her feelings. She instantly stopped crying and said, “Please spit. Its bad luck to say all this. Now stop speaking nonsense and take back your words! You are young and impulsive. I’m sure God won’t take into account what you just said.”
What did Shangguan Ning just say?
How come Shangguan Ning had become so superstitious? That too in just two months.
So much had changed since the friends last met.
Shangguan Ning wiped her tears and looked into her friend’s eyes. She asked softly,”Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
Seeing that Zhao Anan had lost all her hair, Shangguan Ning had guessed that her friend had just undergone chemotherapy.
Zhao Anan touched her bald plate and grinned nonchalantly, “Haha, I am a high watt light bulb. It’s okay! Its just hair. It will grow back. Now don’t cry!”
