Meng Huaijin’s reply was blunt. “Just cooperate with the doctors and get proper treatment first.”
“If I cooperate, will you move back in with me?” A flicker of light appeared in the girl’s dull eyes.
“Whether you cooperate with your treatment affects your own physical and mental health. I won’t accept any threats. Do you understand, Shu Wan?”
His uncompromising tone was like an order from a superior to a subordinate: the only response was “Understood,” followed by immediate obedience. There was no room for questions.
“Understood.” Shu Wan lowered her head, silently thinking that this man really was heartless.
Meng Huaijin naturally had no idea of the twists and turns in a teenage girl’s mind. He glanced at the crown of her fluffy hair and held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
Though she didn’t know why, Shu Wan unlocked it and placed it in his palm, rough with calluses from handling guns.
He lowered his eyes, entered a string of numbers, and pressed the call button. Once the phone in his pocket rang, he handed hers back.
“I have work to deal with. I’m leaving. I’ll stop by the apartment tonight. If you need anything brought over, tell me on the phone.”
After giving his instructions, Meng Huaijin left the hospital. He had just gotten off the elevator when his phone rang.
He saw that the number was one he’d saved just a minute ago, and a faint crease appeared between his brows.
“What is it?” he asked.
A clear, tentative female voice came through the phone. “When you come by tonight, could you bring me a change of pajamas? They’re in the wardrobe.”
“Mm.”
“Could you do me one more favor?”
“Go ahead.”
“Tiantong is home alone. Could you feed her while you’re there?”
It took Meng Huaijin a moment to remember that the fluffy white cat had come to North City with Shu Wan.
“Oh, and the litter needs changing too…” Shu Wan’s voice grew quieter as she spoke. Even over the phone, she could feel the chill radiating from him. She quickly thanked him and ended the call.
.
“Little Shu Wan, who were you talking to?”
Shu Wan put down her phone and saw a tall, handsome, stylishly dressed man walk in with Doctor Zhou.
He said his name was Meng Chuan, and that he was her uncle.
Of the Meng family, Shu Wan only knew Meng Huaijin, and even then, only a little.
But Meng Chuan seemed warm, and a hundred times easier to get along with than Meng Huaijin, so she politely called him “Uncle Chuan.”
Meng Chuan responded, then put away his smile. “Don’t be so formal. Your mother was the Eldest Sister[1]In Chinese family and close social circles, “Eldest Sister” can express seniority and respect within a group; it does not by itself establish a biological sibling relationship. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733507_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733507_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); we all respected.”
Shu Wan’s nose stung. “Were you all close to my mother?”
“Of course. When the few of us got into trouble in the compound[2]In this setting, a compound suggests a shared residential enclosure associated with government or military families, where the children of connected households may grow up together. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733507_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733507_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); as kids, your mother was always the one who covered for us. But then… she got married and went to South City, while some of us went abroad and others joined the service. We gradually lost touch.”
Meng Chuan paused, then looked at her earnestly. “Don’t be afraid. Your uncles will look out for you from now on.”
Shu Wan quickly lowered her eyes, her lashes fluttering. It took her a long time to find her voice again. “Then… was my mother close to that person too?”
“By ‘that person,’ do you mean Meng Huaijin?” Meng Chuan asked.
Shu Wan nodded.
“Of all the brothers and sisters in the Meng family, Meng Huaijin and Meng Xian were the closest. That’s probably why Meng Xian… ultimately entrusted you to Meng Huaijin.”
If he was the one closest to her mother, why was he so harsh with her?!
.
When Meng Huaijin returned to the hospital that evening, he brought Shu Wan not only a bag of clothes but also a container of congee[3]Congee is rice cooked with extra water until it becomes a soft porridge, often served as a gentle, easily eaten meal. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733507_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733507_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
It had been cooked with cabbage and egg yolk, without a speck of meat. It smelled delicious.
“Did you make it?”
Shu Wan was so surprised that she was just beginning to feel guilty for thinking badly of him earlier, when he coolly tossed her two words: “Finish it.”
“!!!”
It tasted sweet and delicious, but how could she possibly finish such a big container?
Meng Huaijin gave her no chance to wheedle her way out of it. He pulled up a chair and sat down, supervising her the entire time.
Shu Wan’s cheeks bulged as she ate. By the end, she was gagging.
Meng Huaijin had only ever seen children do that at mealtimes. On second thought, she was a child ten years younger than him, wasn’t she?
“Please spare me. I really can’t eat any more.” The girl looked up at him with puffed-out cheeks, pleading in her eyes.
Before everything changed, she must have been lively and cheerful, the sort of girl who knew how to act sweet with her parents. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let this side of herself show so unconsciously now.
The man eyed her bulging, hamster-like cheeks, then mercifully tipped his chin toward the cabinet beside them. “Put it down.”
Shu Wan was as relieved as if she’d been pardoned. As she set the container down, she let out an awkward burp…
To cover her embarrassment, she casually picked up the warm water beside her and gulped down more than half the glass.
Meng Huaijin finally couldn’t take it anymore. He reached over, took the glass from her hands, and set it on the table. Then he stared at her flushed, puffed-up cheeks, speechless for a long moment.
Shu Wan blinked, picked up her change of clothes, and hurried into the bathroom to shower.
The day she left South City, she’d been in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought many clothes. That was why she’d asked the housekeeper to buy her underwear. Who knew that even housekeepers these days would take a cut as middlemen, buying her the cheapest, poorest-quality stuff? Its fiber content was far above the safety limit, and wearing it had given her an allergic reaction.
And the allergy was on the skin of her chest… It was mortifying.
After her shower, Shu Wan applied her medicine and rummaged through the bag for clothes. That was when she noticed that Meng Huaijin had brought her new ones.
They were from the brand she usually wore, and the fabric was wonderfully soft.
The clothes had a faint, fresh scent, as though they’d already been dry-cleaned. There were clothes for every layer, including underwear.
.
“You’ve spent your whole life around bullets. You know better than anyone what it looks like when someone shoots themselves.” Zhou Zhenglin spoke slowly in the duty room.
Meng Huaijin turned a silver lighter over and over in his hand, silent.
Of course he knew better than anyone. The instant a bullet passed through the roof of the mouth, it turned the entire head to mush. The resulting penetrating wound killed the person on the spot, while the force of the shot sent blood and large amounts of pulverized brain tissue spraying out.
Zhou Zhenglin continued, “She saw her parents’ flesh and blood blown apart with her own eyes. You can imagine how severe the psychological trauma was. It’s a wonder the girl didn’t break down—she’s strong.”
“So it’s normal for her to avoid meat, be afraid of the dark, and have trouble sleeping. Give her time to adjust. She seems quite cheerful and willing to cooperate with treatment. If you’re patient with her, she should recover in a year or so. As for the allergy, apply the ointment regularly and don’t scratch. Then it won’t leave a scar.”
“Thanks.” Meng Huaijin stood and left.
.
At the sound of footsteps, Shu Wan, who had been sitting on the bed in a daze, immediately burrowed under the covers and pulled them over her head.
When she came out of the shower and didn’t see Meng Huaijin, she’d thought he had left.
But he hadn’t. The man came in, closed the door to the hospital room, and sat down in the chair beside her. Five minutes passed, then ten, and even longer, but he showed no sign of leaving.
After waiting a few more minutes, Shu Wan could hardly stand being cooped up beneath the covers. She lifted one corner and saw a thick stack of documents in front of Meng Huaijin. He was reviewing and signing them one by one.
He was different when he worked—serious, stern. Even from behind, he carried an imposing air that made people wary.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Meng Huaijin turned around at his leisure and met her unblinking gaze. His tone was neither cold nor warm. “Afraid I’ll run off?”
Caught, Shu Wan instinctively ducked back. A moment later, she poked her head out again and asked, staring at him, “Would you abandon me too?”
Meng Huaijin was silent for a moment. “What use are you?”
Shu Wan’s survival instincts kicked in. “I’m useful in some ways. Don’t underestimate me.”
Seeing her gradually lower her guard and grow more talkative, Meng Huaijin swiveled his chair, looking interested. “Oh?”
Shu Wan thought it over seriously before concluding, “I can cook for you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Can you? Don’t burn my kitchen down.”
“Then… I’ll look after you in your old age and see you off when you die.” She seemed to have made up her mind.
The corner of the man’s mouth seemed to lift, though it was hard to tell. His sharp tongue, however, remained in fine form. “If you don’t go to sleep, we’ll see which of us ends up seeing the other off.”
References[+]