Li Wan’er was sitting on the sickbed.
Xu Tingsheng was standing at the doorway.
Just yesterday, they had been on either side of a door, saying that they were even. Yet, now, their eyes met each other’s.
Glancing at one of them and then the other, You Qinglan went out of the sick ward without saying anything.
She closed the door behind her.
Putting the flowers on the table beside the bed, Xu Tingsheng pulled a stool over and sat down before frowning as he looked at Li Wan’er, asking, “Why was it only discovered that you have a strange heart illness now when you’re already so old?”
“None...huh?” Having actually been ready to say ‘none of your business’, Li Wan’er was caught off guard by this.
Actually, this meeting should lead to yet some more entanglement, right? One would say ‘we are already even, it’s none of your business’, while the other would say ‘there’s nothing more important than life, you must be strong’...
Li Wan’er had actually been readying herself for this, trying hard to suppress her joy as she thought of how to say some cold, indifferent words, gritting her teeth and putting on a tough front.
In the end, with just one sentence from Xu Tingsheng, her focus was already on the word ‘old’.
At that moment, Li Wan’er felt as if she was seeing the hoodlum who had been impolite when they had first met, calling her auntie.
“Yes, I am old, nearly twice as old as your Xiang Ning. So what? It’s not like I’m hindering you or anything,” Never would Li Wan’er have thought that the first thing she said might sound so much like a lover throwing a tantrum.
“So there was also this explanation to an elder above, a minor below,” Xu Tingsheng said.
“What?” Li Wan’er thought about it and understood Xu Tingsheng’s meaning, “You…”
“What me? Right now, you’re the one who should be scolded, right? How long have you delayed the surgery? You did so much just to give Xiang Ning a wedding gown? With the surgery today, you even conducted an event yesterday. How much zeal do you have for your profession, oh great designer? When giving the wedding gown, you were actually aching terribly inside, right?”
“Someone with a heart illness still putting yourself through so much-you’ve really lived all these years for nothing.”
Xu Tingsheng tugged at his suit, “You made this too, right? I say, no wonder it’s so fitting without taking any measurements at all.”
Keeping a stony expression, Li Wan’er secretly appraised him. He was wearing clothes she had personally made again...actually, she had so longed to see this last night.
Now that she was finally able to see it, a hint of triumph and a bit of a reminiscing glow were visible in her eyes. It was she who had made his first custom-made suit. His second was her handiwork too...she recalled how he had been so bad at even wearing ties then. She recalled…
“Aren’t you very good at making money? Why do you always still wear the same suit everywhere? Aren’t you afraid of people laughing at you?” Li Wan’er asked.
“It’s expensive! I still remember that I spent over a hundred thousand at once on it then, alright?! Designers like you just know how to cheat money,” Xu Tingsheng said nothing heartwarming at all as he tugged at his suit and asked, “Right, now that you are such a bigshot, is the cost of this suit still the same as the previous one?”
Li Wan’er clenched her teeth and glared at him.
While she was angry, there was something else she was also feeling inside. It was because she was very certain that...the current Xu Tingsheng she was seeing was not that young legend, but was instead that little hoodlum from back then.
“Alright, alright. Don’t get mad. I’ll think of something nice to say.”
Xu Tingsheng looked carefully at Li Wan’er and found that she was actually very weak. While she had lipstick on, her lips were still a bit purple as even her fingernails carried a faint purple colour.
Regarding her illness, Xu Tingsheng had already more or less heard the gist from You Qinglan on their way here. Li Wan’er had an inborn heart condition that was relatively complex.
It was uncommon for the problem to only be discovered after thirty years old. Also, the risks of this operation generally corresponded with one’s age.
The doctor had previously judged that the risks of this operation were close to twenty percent. If it wasn’t carried out...her remaining lifespan would very likely not exceed three years. Also, this operation had to be conducted as soon as possible...otherwise, the risks of the operation itself as well as its aftereffects would only become greater and greater.
With how long Li Wan’er had delayed it, the risks already surpassed thirty percent.
More terrifying was the attitude she displayed...after learning of her condition, she had fully focused on tying up all the loose ends in her life in seeing everything satisfactorily resolved.
If not for that, she might not have thought of giving Xiang Ning that wedding gown at this point in time.
She wished to use this to bring an end to her entanglement with Xu Tingsheng, returning him what she owed him while giving him her blessings...before leaving this world without lingering regrets.
Where was there any will to live in all this?
“Like you know how to say nice things,” Li Wan’er mustered up her courage and said petulantly to Xu Tingsheng.
“I do!” Xu Tingsheng replied, “I was thinking that it’s actually fortunate how you didn’t keep our promise and ran away back then.”
“Huh? ...Why?”
“If you hadn’t run, and you’d really gotten pregnant, with this sickness then coming to light-what would we have done then?”
Li Wan’er thought about what Xu Tingsheng had just said. Yeah, if she’d really gotten pregnant back then, what would they have done under such circumstances?
If things had really played out that way, even if she gave up on the operation and insisted on giving birth despite how it would mean her dying, she might not even be able to successfully reach the full span of the pregnancy, and then give birth...even an abortion might have been risky.
Also, what he meant was: If she had not run away at the time...he would have kept the promise?
Looking a bit stunned, Li Wan’er nodded woodenly as tears involuntarily slid down her face.
Now, the door was suddenly opened.
So You Qinglan had been eavesdropping outside throughout.
“Sorry to interrupt you guys. I just want to confirm: So, the two of you had originally agreed to have a baby together, but Wan’er ran off...it’s not that the two of you had a child, and you gave up on him?”
Li Wan’er nodded rather awkwardly.
“Huh? I’ve always been mistaken then. Last time, when you told me that you’d have had a baby originally, I still thought that...you got Wan’er pregnant…” You Qinglan appeared bashful and guilty as she looked at Xu Tingsheng.
Xu Tingsheng knew now why You Qinglan always looked at him so strangely. There was actually once when she had even suddenly said she knew how ruthless he could get.
So, she had always harboured such a misunderstanding.
“At, at the airport earlier, I even hit...slapped him,” You Qinglan said.
“Huh? Why did you…” Li Wan’er carefully examined Xu Tingsheng’s face, feeling as guilty as You Qinglan was and a bit of heartache as well.
The chagrined You Qinglan lowered her head and walked before Xu Tingsheng, bowing deeply as she said, “Sorry. How about you hit me back? It’s fine if you pay it back double.”
Xu Tingsheng looked at her and smiled, saying, “You’re mental.”
“Heh,” You Qinglan laughed awkwardly and relaxed, next immediately saying, “In that case, when Wan’er has recovered from her surgery, you can do the deed, create a baby then.”
Li Wan’er bashfully shot her a look.
“I’m leaving, right away,” You Qinglan waved her hands and said, “Go on. I promise not to eavesdrop.”
As she backed away, she secretly shot Xu Tingsheng a mighty look, pleading in her eyes.
Xu Tingsheng understood what she meant. She was begging for him to give Li Wan’er some sort of reason and hope to definitely make it through this, definitely live on. It didn’t matter if this was truly a promise or a lie...
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