I carried a big bag of clothes while walking along the hospital corridor. An enchanting woman came walking towards me. She first shot me a glance, then she nodded her head while smiling at me, "Hello, Chen Xiaoxi."
I too, nodded while smiling, "Hu Ran Ran, hello."
To be honest, I recognized her from afar, that strong sinister aura she has, even if she was burnt to her ashes, her aura can still choke me. It's just that I didn't dare to greet her first, in case she looked at me without guilt and say to me, "I'm sorry, you are?"
To act acquainted, that is the most embarrassing thing.
Hu Ran Ran wrinkled her nose and smelled, she pointed to the big, black plastic bag that I was holding and blinked her eyes asking, "You killed your boyfriend, and mutilated him?"
I remembered what the nurse said, that the person had a heart attack on a woman's bed. The woman was most probably Hu Ran Ran, I think her method of murder is of the highest class.
I said, "These are his laundry, the foul smell you smelled is probably mine because I sweated too much."
She pouted her red lips and whistled, "Virtuous ah."
I looked down and smiled lightly, modestly expressing that I am indeed more virtuous than most people.
As I was about to leave after exchanging a few words, Hu Ran Ran said, "Can you accompany me for a smoke?"
I was thinking, she doesn't even mind my company even when I smell like a decomposed corpse, that is a friendship that is very precious. It doesn't seem right if I were to reject her, so I nodded. I followed her left and right to a secluded staircase.
She passed one cigarette to me, and I held it between my fingers and examined. It's white and slim, the cigarette butt even has a pretty red heart engraved on it.
She first lighted up her own cigarette, then came out to help me with it. I was a little awkward, so I could only hard-headedly move forward to her lighter. Only when I moved forward did I realize that she has really good skin. I originally thought that it was the flawless canvas of a thick makeup, little did I know she wasn't wearing much, alright, she was born beautiful.
Hu Ran Ran very quickly took a puff of cigarette and blew out smoke, which slowly dispersed around her. She looks like those demon vixens that appears while swaying their hips in Journey to the West.
I stared at the cigarette between my fingers. I felt like those bad girls who were brought to the staircase in those movies, it was pretty cool. I prepared my heart and brought the cigarette to my mouth, bite it with my teeth, and took a deep breath. The smoke went straight to my throat, choked me till I couldn't stop coughing, there were tears in my eyes.
Hu Ran Ran laughed at me, and puffed out another ring of smoke, "Chen Xiaoxi, aren't you quite useless."
I hit on my chest to circulate the air, and answered her, "I… *cough cough*…. Never smoked before."
After coughing, my mouth tastes like mint, I asked, "Are cigarettes all mint flavoured?"
She shook her head, "No, this is for woman who put on an act."
I sincerely felt ashamed, I couldn't even put on an act properly.
I leaned on the staircase railings with Hu Ran Ran, I tried to conquer the cigarette again, but I only looked at it burning slowly, why did she ask me here?
She finished her cigarette, and threw the cigarette butt down the stairs and said, "Zhang Qian Rong is seducing your man in the hospital every day."
I shook off a long stretch of ashes, "Secretary Zhang's daughter?"
"Granddaughter," she corrected me, "Have you forgotten that the old man is so old that he can just die already?"
This kind of question feels like a trap to me, I was afraid that if I agreed, there will suddenly be people dressed in black attacking me from all directions and capture me, so I didn't make a sound.
Hu Ran Ran said, "I just wanted to warn you, don't let her get her way."
I thought, sister, your care about my marriage is more than my parents'.
I said, "Won't, I am quite reassured about him."
Hu Ran Ran suddenly became very agitated. She single-handedly banged her hand on the wooden staircase till it rattled. She said, "You are reassured? You actually trust men?"
I thought, to trust men isn't a big sin, why are you so agitated…
She continued banging the staircase, "You are too naïve, no one gets into a relationship like you do!"
I thought, she sounded as though she experienced my relationship…
As my relationship belongs to the failed-but-subsequently-reconciled category, so I very modestly sought her guidance on how a relationship should be like. She was caught off guard, shook her head and confessed, "I have never gotten into a relationship, my strength is on being a mistress."
We were speechless for a while, and she lighted up another cigarette and said, "Whatever the case is, you better ask your man to distance himself from that family, the further the better, I won't harm you."
I do believe that she won't harm me. After all, there is no benefit in harming me. I am also not challenging. As the saying goes, don't use a knife meant for beef to kill a chicken*. (T/N: aka don't use a sledgehammer on a nut.)
I thought about it, and said, "Okay, I will let him know, thank you, I will go home first."
She waved her hand and said bye.
And so, I left. After about 2 to 3 mins, I realized I couldn't find my way out. I have a shortcoming, and that is I can only memorize route by the symbol/mark. For example, the colour of the road signage, the colour of the dustbin, or whether on the wall was it written "Peeing and Defecating Prohibited". When I followed her, I forgot to take note of it, and so now I have no idea how to get out.
I could only return back to the staircase, she was still leaning there, using her sobs to smoke lonelily. (T/N: Is lonelily even a word? LOL.)
I originally didn't want to disturb her desolated back view that can cause tears, but I really have no choice, so I coughed two times to get her attention. I said, "Uh… I couldn't find my way out…"
The beauty of her sobs was interrupted by me, she threw away the cigarette on hand and said, "Follow me."
I extended my leg and stepped on the cigarette to extinguish it, and followed her back to the original corridor.
From where we are, we saw a crying Zhang Qian Rong sitting on the long bench of the corridor. In order to correspond with the scientific law of romance, the person sitting beside her is Jiang Chen.
Hu Ran Ran turned to look at me, "See, she's gotten herself on him."
I got worried hearing it, I couldn't see well as I have mild nearsightedness. I hurriedly asked her, "On where? On where?*"
Hu Ran Ran asked distracted, "What ‘on where’?"
I said, "Didn't you say they're touching? Where did Jiang Chen put his hand on her? I can't see properly, I'm nearsighted."
Hu Ran Ran rolled a snow-white eye. "I said she has hooked up on him."
I heaved a sigh of relieve, "You should have said it earlier, you gave me a scare…"
She frowned and mumbled to herself, "Why do I feel that to hook up is more serious.."
We probably attracted attention because we were standing in the middle of the corridor, we were spotted after a short while. Jiang Chen looked at me suspiciously and waved at me to go to him.
The moment I took a step, Hu Ran Ran pulled me back and said loudly, "Let him come here, why should you go there!"
I looked at Jiang Chen for help, he frowned, but still stood up to walk towards us.
"Why are you still in the hospital?" He pulled me away from Hu Ran Ran's grasp.
"Uh, I was about to go."
Hu Ran Ran gave a cold laugh, "Why are you in such a hurry to chase your girlfriend away?"
I lifted my head to look at Jiang Chen and gave him a awkward bitter smile, indicating that I also have no idea what wrong medication did this madam take.
Jiang Chen was about to say something, but Zhang Qian Rong also came over suddenly. She stretched out her hand to hold onto mine, looked down, and droplets of tears dripped down onto the back of my palm. She said, "Please do not misunderstand Doctor Jiang, I was only… only too depressed, he's just consoling me."
I forced a smile and retrieve back my hands, I said, "No no no, I understand, I didn't misunderstand."
At the same time, I was secretly moving my hands to the back of Jiang Chen, and wiped off the tears on the back of my palm on his coat.
Jiang Chen casted me a look.
"Hng, console, I think it seems more like comforting*." Hu Ran Ran gave a cold laugh again. (T/N: This comfort is the comfort from ‘comfort women’.)
I was shocked by her talent. This (console) and (comfort) is obviously much more outrageous than the (flow downwards) and (vulgar) that I wrote years ago in my workbook. (T/N: please refer to chapter 13! Console and Comfort are written as 安慰 and 慰安, so they are written the other way. However, both console and comfort can still mean 安慰.)
"You… Nonsense!" Zhang Qian Rong stomped her feet, then proceeded to cover her mouth and started acting out a ‘wronged till she was choked with emotions’ episode. She looks really pitiful like this.
I spoke in an almost silent volume and asked Jiang Chen, "What to you? Why not you console her a bit? If not comfort her a little?"
Jiang Chen didn't bother about me, he said to Hu Ran Ran, "Miss Hu, Mr. Zhang was looking for you just now when he woke up."
After that he patted my head and said, "It's so late, it will be better if I send you home."
He then pulled me along.
He pulled me till I was taking one step and staggering the other, I kept looking back, but I only saw them standing in the middle of the corridor staring down at each other. Just as Jiang Chen took a turn, a slap came from behind us.
I got a shock. I wanted to look back but Jiang Chen dragged me away by my head.
I was very curious, wondering who was the one who slapped the other? In the ordinary course of events, Hu Ran Ran is very valiant, it is possible that she will hit someone. However, her status is a mistress, so it is possible for her to be beaten as well. This is such a hard to solve mystery, its too difficult to understand. For my IQ, this is a tough question. However, if I were to visit the hospital tomorrow, and just ask any nurse, there will be immediate detailed and polished answers to my question. Perhaps, there might even be an HQ video recording. This shows that to be people-oriented, to rely on technology, any problem will be solved in a jiffy.
Jiang Chen dragged me to the entrance of the hospital, I said, "Don't you have to stay in the hospital to standby?"
He took off his coat and passed it to me, "Bring this back to wash too, it's full of her perfume smell, it's too smelly."
I squeezed the coat into the plastic bag, "Are you going to send me back?"
He contemplated for a moment and said, "Can you go back on your own?"
I nodded, "Yes."
He said, "Alright, you take care on the way back, call me once you have reached home."
I nodded once again, "Ok."
He turned his back and walk away completely contented.
I scratched my head and sighed, at least watch me flag down a taxi before going right…
I stood at the road side for a long time, I was ignored for the 3 times I tried to flag down a taxi. I decided that one day I will take revenge on Jiang Chen's unromantic-ness and insensitivity. For example, when he is fixing his gaze on me with deep feelings, I will tell him that he has gum in his eyes; if he holds my hand, I will say he has sweaty palms; if he kisses me, I will tell him that he has a smelly breath. If I am ruthless enough, I will definitely say he has vegetable stuck between his teeth.
A car slowly came and stopped in front of me, this car is a little familiar. A head popped out from within, this head is very familiar, he said, "Get on, I will send you back home."
I said, "Then.. what about standing by?"
He said, "There are other doctors."
I said, "Is there really no problem?"
He said, "If there is a problem I wouldn't bother about you, talk lesser, are you coming in or not, if not I will go back."
I hugged the plastic bag and entered the car, smiling the entire way back, I couldn't stop myself from humming a few songs. I only stopped when Jiang Chen turned up the car's audio to the max volume.
In the end Jiang Chen couldn't take it anymore, he said, "Why are you smiling so disgustingly for?"
Dazzled, I said, "No, I am just happy that you came back to fetch me."
I am so thankful that you can come back, and we can return together.
Ahh yes, the last sentence was actually Xiao Xi’s thoughts in the novel haha.