Lu Boyan did not get mad at all. He crouched down steadily. “Your brother sold you out ages ago. I already know that you went there to see me.”
Su Jianan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then, she blushed.
She hurriedly tried to explain. Then again, it was obvious at this point that no explanation would serve any purpose other than to make her look even guiltier.
She turned her face away awkwardly. “What else did my brother say to you?”
Her greatest fear was that Su Yicheng had spilled her greatest and innermost secret. If that was the case… How else was she going to play this game in the future?
A smirk formed on Lu Boyan’s lips. “What else are you hiding from me?” he asked.
Covert joy crept onto Su Jianan’s lips at those words. “So that’s the only thing my brother had told you?!” she exclaimed, then realized her slip of the tongue the moment the words left her mouth. She hurried out a denial. “Nothing! There’s nothing else! I’m not like you after all. How can I possibly have that many things to hide from you?”
The smile on Lu Boyan’s lips turned cryptic.
Still, he decided not to call Su Jianan out on her lie; he wanted to hear those words from Su Jianan herself. Then again, considering Su Jianan’s personality, she might not tell him any time soon.
Well, he would let her have her fun first.
It was just like what Su Yicheng said: if all else failed, just take the hard approach.
…
Both Shen Yuechuan and Su Yicheng had a flight to catch at eight-thirty that night. They both came by to have dinner with Su Jianan before heading to the airport. Su Jianan did not expect Lu Boyan to be leaving as well.
“I have to return to the hotel for a video conference meeting,” Lu Boyan said, “Do you want to stay here, or do you want to come with me?”
“I’m still hospitalized,” Su Jianan said hesitantly, “The hospital won’t allow me to just leave on my own.”
Lu Boyan arched his brows. “You’re my wife. Since when do I need anyone else’s permission to take you anywhere?”
“…” Su Jianan blinked her eyes, the flush on her cheeks turning a shade deeper.
Lu Boyan had always used the term “missus” when he referred to her in front of others. That term did not sound too stiff, and it was chivalrous enough to be deemed appropriate in any social setting; however, she had always felt the lack of intimacy in that term.
But this time, he had used the term “wife”, a term that screamed intimacy in the most imposing and straightforward manner. No one would doubt the intimacy which came with that term.
She, too, believed that Lu Boyan had the ability to take her away from this hospital.
Still, she could not help but feel as if something was wrong somewhere.
Then it hit her. She leapt straight onto the bed and lay down. “Who says I’m going with you? I’m staying here!”
Lu Boyan let her have her way instead of arguing. “Then wait for me to come back,” he said.
After that, he left.
Curling her lips, Su Jianan took the tablet that Shen Yuechuan had left for her and indulged herself in a movie.
Around 10 PM, the vague throbbing on her injured right leg was starting to bother her. Even the wounds on her waist were hurting. At first, it was still bearable, but eventually, not even the interesting plot of the movie could distract her from the pain.
She applied another round of ointment on her waist, though it did not help at all. Soon, the pain became so unbearable that she was left with no other choice but to alert the doctor.
“It’s normal for your wounds to start hurting now,” the doctor said, “I’ll prescribe some painkillers for you. You’ll feel better after taking them.”
“Oh, right. I’ll call Mr. Lu right now!” a nurse piped up beside them, “Before he left, Mr. Lu told us to call him the moment there’s something wrong with you.”
Su Jianan did not wish to disturb Lu Boyan, since she had no idea whether his video conference had ended. But it was too late for her to do anything, since the nurse had already run out.
Shortly, another nurse came in with the painkillers. The medication’s effect was not instantaneous, so Su Jianan was still feeling a great deal of pain after taking it. Being the headstrong and strong-willed person that she was, Su Jianan refused to make a sound no matter how much pain she was in. She clenched her teeth and fought through it.
By the time Lu Boyan returned, Su Jianan was in so much pain that sheen of sweat had already formed on her forehead.
Lu Boyan wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Does it hurt a lot?” he asked her.
Su Jianan bit her lip and nodded. After that, she spent a good half day chewing over her thoughts before she managed to get out a full sentence. “Don’t you have a video conference?”
“The meeting can wait until tomorrow,” Lu Boyan said, pausing to hold Su Jianan’s hand, “Jianan, let’s go back to City A, okay? I know you’re still mad at me, but your anger isn’t worth jeopardizing your recovery. City A has better medical facilities than whatever they have to offer here. Also, how are you supposed to get back at me if you don’t recover?”
Su Jianan had a pained expression on her face due to her pain. Still, that comment made her laugh. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’ll have Wang Yang deal with all the paperwork. We’ll transfer you to a hospital in City A tomorrow,” Lu Boyan said.
“Hold on a second,” Su Jianan retorted through her pain. “I didn’t say I agree to it! Isn’t this supposed to be a discussion?”
“Not anymore,” Lu Boyan said, draping the blanket over her, “Be a good girl, and go to sleep. Your pain will be gone once you wake up.”
“That’s exactly how you would speak to a child, for God’s sake!” Su Jianan thought, even if she did close her eyes obediently.
She wondered if the painkillers had sleep-inducing effects, or if its analgesic effects had finally kicked in. In any case, the pain on her wounds slowly lessened. She was starting to feel drowsy, too. Amidst the fogginess of her mind, another thought came to her.
“Lu Boyan,” she said, “Will you be here to keep me company?”
“I will,” Lu Boyan said, “Relax and sleep. I won’t leave.”
“I’m not afraid that you’d leave,” Su Jianan slurred, her voice raspy and hoarse. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t sleep on that couch anymore. Just sleep on the bed…” Su Jianan felt a great deal of pity for Lu Boyan before, when he tried to cram his tall frame into that tiny couch. Also, it would be bad for his neck and spine if he were to sleep beside the bed with his head resting on the bed’s edge.
Lu Boyan gave her face a few strokes before climbing onto the bed.
With two people squeezing into it, the 1.2 meters wide bed left very little space. As a result, there were hardly any gaps between two of them as they lay there.
Lu Boyan shifted himself so that he lay on his side. Then, he reached out and pulled Su Jianan snug against him. “Go to sleep.”
Gently, he patted her shoulder as if he was comforting a newborn baby.
For some reason, Su Jianan found the gesture reassuring. It was as if the pain on her waist and leg had vanished as she slowly descended into the land of Nod.
The effects of the painkillers waned around three in the morning. Su Jianan was once again roused from sleep due to pain.
She opened her eyes and found that Lu Boyan had maintained the same sleep posture as the one he had before he fell asleep. She was still enveloped in his embrace. He, on the other hand, was frowning deeply in his sleep.
Come to think of it, who would frown so deeply in their sleep? Perhaps Lu Boyan was having a nightmare.
Su Jianan remembered the last time Lu Boyan had had a nightmare. He had the same look on his face back then as he did now. He had even called out his father in his sleep.
It seemed like his father’s death had impacted him greatly. Then again, he had never mentioned anything about his father’s death to her.
Fighting through the pain in her body, Su Jianan turned around and hugged Lu Boyan like she had done last time. Her tiny hands worked slow, and comfortingly patted on his back. They looked like a pair of mandarin ducks with necks entwined.
Lu Boyan did not stir, only the tight knit on his brows had begun to ease slowly. Soon, he was sleeping peacefully once again.
Su Jianan spent a moment watching him sleep. After that, she removed his hands from her body and sat up. She felt a sudden grip on her hand just as she was climbing off the bed. Lu Boyan’s voice rang out in the dark, “Where are you going?”
She turned her head around. Through the dim light of the room, she could make out the worry on Lu Boyan’s face.
He was not angry. He was just afraid, afraid that she would leave him just like his father had left him without a single warning.
“My wounds are hurting again,” Su Jianan said, “I’m just getting up to take the pills. Um… what’s the matter with you?”
Lu Boyan had noticed his own lapse by then. He climbed off the bed. “Lie back down. I’ll take the pills for you.”
“Okay,” Su Jianan said, switching on the lights. She took the pill and a glass of warm water from Lu Boyan.
After swallowing the pill, she stared at Lu Boyan. “You looked like you were having a nightmare just now,” she remarked. “What was the dream about?”
Something flickered in his expression. “It’s nothing,” he said, “Go back to sleep.”
Su Jianan appraised Lu Boyan. “No, that didn’t look like nothing. He just didn’t want to tell me.”
“Stop thinking about it,” Lu Boyan said, switching off the light. Then, he pulled Su Jianan onto the bed and into his arms. Su Jianan shifted uncomfortably in his arms. “Stop moving around!” he muttered a warning.
Su Jianan knew very well the consequences of “moving around”, so she stopped moving after that. She found a comfortable posture in Lu Boyan’s arm and lay still.
Admittedly, Lu Boyan’s need for secrecy had made her feel pretty down. But she did not intend to push Lu Boyan for now. One day, he would come clean to her about everything in his past, just like she would finally reveal her true feelings to him.
“Are you still in pain?” Lu Boyan asked all of a sudden.
“A little bit. But it’ll be fine after a while,” Su Jianan said, yawning. After a brief moment of hesitation, she said, “Lu Boyan, let’s, let’s go home tomorrow.”
Although she knew that Lu Boyan would bring her back to City A tomorrow regardless, she still wanted Lu Boyan to know that she was willing to go back.
Lu Boyan planted a kiss on her forehead. “Okay.”
Pursing her lips, Su Jianan closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
The two of them slept until 7 AM the next day.
Su Jianan was still asleep when Lu Boyan woke up. She looked like an obedient little animal, snuggling up against him contentedly. Her breathing was shallow, and the look on her face was so peaceful that he was sure nobody would have the heart to disturb her.
He eased his hold against her and got out of bed. He grabbed his phone and stepped out of the room to contact Wang Yang. He instructed Wang Yang to settle the paperwork for Su Jianan’s hospital transfer and told him that they would be heading back to City A after everything was settled.
Before Shen Yuechuan left yesterday, he had especially reminded Wang Yang that there was a chance that Su Jianan would refuse to return, so Lu Boyan might be in a foul mood because of that. Shen Yuechuan had also reminded Wang Yang to be more careful in carrying out his duties. Who knew that the tides would turn after just a day?
“Well, I guess Lu Boyan is still Lu Boyan after all!” Wang Yang thought as he happily left to start the paperwork.
After Su Jianan woke up and breakfast was out of the way, Lu Boyan handed her clothes to her. “Change out of your hospital gown. Time to go home.”
She had agreed to return to City A last night, so she did not try to kick up a fuss this time. She allowed Lu Boyan to carry her into the bathroom instead.
“Tell me once you’re done changing,” Lu Boyan said.
After that, Lu Boyan headed for the bathroom’s exit, closing the door for her on his way out.
As she was changing, Su Jianan’s movements were slow due to the many injuries that her body had sustained. Then again, Su Jianan never would have expected herself to experience a predicament as awkward as the one she was currently in.
The injuries on her waist barely allowed her to reach her hands behind back, let alone buttoning her clothes there. She could not button her clothes no matter how hard she tried. If she were to force herself through the task, she would most likely end up pulling something in her waist, which would have her down on the ground in so much pain that she doubted she would be able to get back up.
After torturing herself for a good half day and working up a good amount of sweat, she found that all her efforts had been for nothing.
“Jianan?” Outside the door, Lu Boyan had begun to suspect that something was amiss. “Are you done changing?”
“Almost, almost,” Su Jianan said with a crying face, “Just give me a moment.”
Lu Boyan waited for another six or seven minutes or so before his patience finally snapped. He yanked open the bathroom door. Su Jianan was standing there with her back facing him; the smooth alabaster skin on her back and her thin, narrow waist were laid completely bare to his eyes.
“Ah!” Su Jianan screamed and covered herself. “Why did you come in? Pervert! Get out!”
Lu Boyan frowned, closing the door. Then he walked straight towards Su Jianan.
Su Jianan’s eyes went wide. “Lu Boyan!”
She was so worked up that she nearly started stamping her feet against the floor.
Lu Boyan, on the other hand, was nothing but candid in his demeanor. “If I go out, you’d probably still be here trying to change when your wounds have recovered.”
He buttoned Su Jianan’s clothes for her and then reached out to grab the long-sleeved jacket which was hung beside them. He helped her into the jacket and then left the bathroom as if he had not done anything at all.
It took Su Jianan a very long time to come to her senses. She glanced at her own reflection in the mirror. Her face was flushed, and her breathing erratic.
Her hand went to rest on her chest, where she could feel the rapid and strong beating of her heart beneath her palms. When Lu Boyan had accidentally touched the skin on her back just now, the warmth and texture of the tip of his fingers felt so vivid, so much so that it was as if she could see his touch with her own eyes.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Su Jianan was screaming inwardly.
