Shen Moran felt her heart rate accelerate suddenly. When Sun Heng stared at her with those narrow, smiling eyes, a strange numbness crept down her spine.
What on earth was she doing just now?
They were both women; what did Sun Heng have that she did not? Yet, she had been caught staring at her by the person herself.
Shen Moran’s face flushed bright red. She took half a step back and explained in a panic, “It is not that. I was just, I was…”
“You were just staring at me. Why are you so nervous?” Sun Heng noticed her retreating and quickly closed the distance. She used her left hand, which was in a cast, to lift the hand Shen Moran was using to hold the towel, gently brushing against it. Her eyes remained fixed on Shen Moran, like a cat craving affection.
Shen Moran felt her face burning and her hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
“I do not mind you looking at me,” Sun Heng said with a smile. “If you want to look, you can look whenever you like.”
Anywhere you like.
Shen Moran shuddered at her words. She hurriedly pulled her hand away, not daring to meet Sun Heng’s eyes, and walked out of the bathroom with the towel in hand.
Sun Heng called out, “Wait, you have not finished wiping my face yet!”
Why did she just run off?
Shen Moran did not look back. She entered the bedroom and did something—it did not matter what—but eventually, Su Nian walked into the bathroom, looking puzzled. She picked up the towel to wipe Sun Heng’s face and asked, “Sister, did you and my sister fight? Her face was red with anger.”
Sun Heng laughed happily and told the little girl to wipe faster.
Perhaps she really had upset Shen Moran, as Shen Moran did not show herself again for the rest of the evening, leaving Su Nian to keep Sun Heng company until she went to sleep.
Su Nian tucked Sun Heng into bed and said, “If you need to use the restroom or want water tonight, call us. I wake up at six-thirty, so do not worry about waking me.”
“I know,” Sun Heng said with a smile. “Go to sleep.”
Once Su Nian left and closed the door, Sun Heng’s smile faded. She looked down at her hands.
It was three o’clock in the morning.
Shen Moran was startled awake by a kick from her sister and sat there in a daze for a while.
Su Nian was a restless sleeper, and since there were no extra blankets, they were sharing one. Su Nian was sleeping soundly, with one foot resting on Shen Moran’s waist, wiggling her toes against the skin exposed by her pajama top.
Shen Moran sat up and sighed as she looked at her sister.
How could such a pretty girl sleep so messily?
After tucking her sister back in, Shen Moran did not lie back down. Instead, she used her phone as a flashlight and got out of bed.
The apartment complex was exceptionally quiet in the dead of night; there were no cars on the road. Outside the living room window, only the faint, dim yellow glow of streetlights was visible. The entire home was pitch black, illuminated only by the faint blue light from Shen Moran’s phone.
Suddenly, Shen Moran noticed a sliver of light leaking from under the guest bedroom door.
She was puzzled, staring at the door for several seconds before walking over to it.
Click.
When Shen Moran opened the door, she saw Sun Heng sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at her hands. She had changed into a black silk nightgown, and the wide sleeves covered her arms completely, though the awkward bulge of the cast on her left arm was still visible.
Sun Heng had not expected Shen Moran to come over and looked up in a panic.
“Why are you still awake?” Shen Moran asked, gripping the doorknob.
Sun Heng paused for a moment before raising her arm and whispering, “It hurts too much to sleep.”
The plaster cast on her forearm looked starkly white under the light. Shen Moran was surprised; Sun Heng had not made a sound when the accident happened, nor had she complained at the hospital. She had assumed this woman was immune to pain.
“Does it hurt that much?” Shen Moran walked over, stood before Sun Heng, and looked at her arm. “Is it your left hand or your right hand that hurts?”
“Both,” Sun Heng replied softly.
Shen Moran fell silent. She knew a fracture would be painful, but there seemed to be little she could do. After a few seconds, she asked, “Do painkillers help?”
Sun Heng shook her head. “I do not know.”
Shen Moran searched online and told Sun Heng, “Ibuprofen should work. I will go find some for you.”
Shen Moran organized her medicine cabinet regularly and kept common painkillers on hand. She quickly found them, went to the kitchen for a glass of warm water, and added a straw before taking it to Sun Heng.
Sun Heng took the medicine and the water. Whether the effect was immediate or if it was simply Shen Moran feeding her, the pain in her arm began to subside.
“The doctor said fractures usually hurt for over two weeks.” Shen Moran frowned as she scrolled through her phone. “Why did that doctor not tell you?”
If she had been prepared, Sun Heng would not have had to sit up all night in pain.
Sun Heng leaned against the wall and laughed. “The town doctor probably was not that thorough. Actually, it is not that painful anymore; the medicine is working.”
Shen Moran shot her a glare. “If it is not that painful, why were you sitting here in the middle of the night?”
Sun Heng was choked by the question and bowed her head in silence.
That was true.
The pain had indeed been enough to keep her awake. Sun Heng was not exactly spoiled, but she had certainly never experienced such an injury before. If not for the desire to act tough in front of someone she liked, she would have been shouting about the pain all day.
She had wanted to pretend to be strong in front of Shen Moran, only to be discovered in the middle of the night.
Seeing Sun Heng remain silent, Shen Moran realized her tone might have been harsh. She bit her lip and softened her voice after a moment. “I did not mean to be fierce. I just think there is no need to act tough. If it hurts, tell me. It is not a big deal.”
“Understood.” Sun Heng nodded and raised her long, slender brows to look at Shen Moran. “You are right. If my arm hurts again, I will tell you.”
Shen Moran nodded.
“Also, regarding what happened in the bathroom earlier… I am sorry,” Sun Heng said softly. “I only wanted to joke with you; I did not mean to anger you.”
It took Shen Moran a moment to realize what Sun Heng was apologizing for, and her face instantly flushed red.
“It is okay,” Shen Moran said, forcing herself to stay calm. “I was not angry.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Shen Moran felt much better after saying that. She looked at Sun Heng with dark eyes, thinking that between helping her and making her laugh, Sun Heng was actually a decent person, despite her occasional brashness.
Everyone had their own unique personality. Sun Heng might seem unserious on the surface, but she was a genuinely kind person inside.
She funded the orphanage, and even when Su Nian secretly tried to set them up, Sun Heng made sure to tell her. Anyone else might have easily deceived the naive Su Nian. Besides, there was nothing wrong with being a wealthy person who liked to flaunt it; if she were rich, she would do the same.
With these thoughts, Shen Moran’s gaze softened. “It is late, you should rest. I will not have Niannian disturb you tomorrow, so you can get a good night’s sleep.”
Just as Shen Moran turned to leave, Sun Heng reached out with her slightly mobile right hand and tugged at her sleeve.
“What?” Shen Moran stood by the bed and asked in a low voice, “Is there something else?”
“Nothing much.” Sun Heng smiled at her. “It is just that my hands are not very convenient. Could you… help me pull up my blanket?”
Shen Moran glanced at the bundled-up blanket, nodded slightly, helped Sun Heng lie down, and tucked her in, ensuring no cold air could get in. She then looked down and asked, “Should I turn off the light?”
“Yes, please.” Sun Heng smiled at her, eyes crinkling. “I cannot sleep with the light on.”
Shen Moran nodded, sat up from the bed, turned off the light, and left, closing the door behind her. Sun Heng listened to the fading footsteps, her heart feeling as soft and sweet as honey.
She suddenly found herself looking forward to tomorrow.
The next day, Sun Heng blinked in confusion as she woke up, taking a few seconds to realize she was staying at Shen Moran’s house.
The curtains in the guest room were thick, keeping the room in darkness; she could not tell what time it was, but she was certain it was not early morning.
She pricked up her ears, but there was no sound outside. The entire house was silent.
Where was everyone?
Had they left?
Sun Heng struggled to sit up. She moved her right hand slightly, and waves of sharp pain surged into her bones. It looked like she would need to rest for quite a while before her hand was functional again.
This was going to be troublesome.
She climbed out of bed with difficulty, managed to find her phone, and unlocked the screen to see that it was nearly noon.
Sun Heng sighed and decided to get up to wash.
When opening the door, Sun Heng used her right hand. The pain in her bone fracture made her break into a sweat. She had never realized how difficult opening a door could be. After several failed attempts, she finally managed to open it, but she was pale from the pain.
“Hiss…”
Sun Heng stood there stomping her feet, her forehead covered in sweat.
At that moment, there was movement on the balcony. Sun Heng looked up and locked eyes with Shen Moran, who was dressed in loungewear. Seeing Sun Heng grimacing in pain, Shen Moran asked, “Why did you not call me?”
Sun Heng asked back, “Why are you still at home?”
As soon as she said it, Sun Heng felt it was a redundant question. She was a stranger in someone else’s home; it was only natural for Shen Moran to keep an eye on her.
Shen Moran walked over, looked at the hand Sun Heng was trying to hide, and said softly, “Did you use this hand to open the door?”
“Yes.” Sun Heng replied weakly. Thinking of what Shen Moran had said last night, she decided it was the perfect time to act spoiled. She softened her voice and groaned, “Moran, my hand hurts so much.”