His gaze was deep, his lowered voice like the ocean before dawn. Waves rolled in layer upon layer, making Tang Yang’s mind buzz.
“You can hug me tightly now too,” Tang Yang bit her lip, blinking her clear, wide eyes in confusion.
Jiang Shiyan’s heart skipped a beat, charmed by her cuteness.
“Tang Yang,” he said, both exasperated and amused, hooking his pinky with hers, “I’m confessing my feelings to you.”
We’ve known each other for fifteen years. I want to be able to hug you whenever you need a hug. This showed Jiang Shiyan’s sincerity.
If we discover anything amiss, if either of us likes someone else, falls in love at first sight with another person, or if any special circumstances arise, we’ll separate and gracefully wish each other well. This left her a way out.
If Tang Yang had even the slightest feelings for him, she wouldn’t be able to refuse.
A moment ago, Jiang Shiyan was full of confidence.
Now, as Tang Yang still hadn’t answered, Jiang Shiyan slightly averted his gaze, his palms beginning to sweat.
Did Yang Yang understand him? Yes.
Would Yang Yang know what he was thinking? Yes.
If, and he was just saying if, Yang Yang’s previous affection was an illusion…
The more Jiang Shiyan tried not to think about it, the more the thought expanded like a balloon.
Was it an illusion or not? Would she agree or not?
Meanwhile, Tang Yang was slowly coming back to her senses, struggling with her thoughts.
She liked Yan Gou, and she liked his confession, but she didn’t like those messy “what ifs” about liking other people. But if she refused, she and Yan Gou probably wouldn’t have a second chance like this in their lifetime.
Just try it, she thought, treading on those conditions, just try…
Just as Tang Yang was turning it over in her mind Jiang Shiyan was about to drive himself crazy.
“Do we need to draft a contract? List the conditions and follow-ups, and make a detailed plan for the progress of our relationship?” Tang Yang rubbed her pinky against his, asking very softly.
Jiang Shiyan’s heart instantly settled.
“For example, holding hands, kissing,” Tang Yang’s voice grew even softer, “and other things.” Indescribable things.
If they signed a contract and listed the steps, he probably wouldn’t have a chance to change his mind.
“Let’s just let things happen naturally,” Jiang Shiyan said, feigning casualness.
If everything followed steps, he would surely die of impatience.
Thinking of something, Jiang Shiyan also asked a question: “Do we need to tell our parents and Feng Weiran and the others?”
If they told them, with all the relationships intertwined, it wouldn’t be so easy for Yang Yang to change her mind.
Tang Yang knew well that Jiang’s mother liked her, and her mother liked Jiang Shiyan. If something unexpected happened one day, this would be her trump card.
“I think we can try it out first, and tell them when things are stable. In case something…”
Tang Yang stopped herself.
Things were just beginning, no need to think of the worst outcome.
Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan had been in sync for too long.
They ended a gentle battle of wits, suddenly changing from friends to lovers, feeling it was natural after just a moment’s adjustment.
The light at the door of the hospital room was warm yellow, casting Tang Yang’s elongated shadow on her back.
Jiang Shiyan’s wheelchair was against the door, and Tang Yang standing in front of him, gently pinching both his earlobes.
“Do we need something ceremonial?” Tang Yang’s neck was slightly flushed, “Otherwise… how about a kiss?”
Saying this, she leaned towards him, taking advantage of her rare height advantage.
“No,” Jiang Shiyan refused.
Tang Yang stopped a fist’s distance from Jiang Shiyan.
“I want two kisses,” Jiang Shiyan smiled, tilting his head up and pecking Tang Yang’s lips once, then again.
Jiang Shiyan called softly: “Girlfriend.”
Tang Yang also smiled, copying him by pecking him once: “Yan Gou.”
Their warm breaths intermingled.
Jiang Shiyan pecked her again, his nose tip against her fair nose tip, rubbing slightly: “Girlfriend.”
Tang Yang reciprocated with another kiss, her nose tip pressed against him, her whole face warm: “Yan Gou.”
Jiang Shiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he kissed her a third time.
His hand hooked around her slender shoulders, pressing his nose tip more firmly against hers, laughing softly: “Girlfriend…”
As if it had magic power.
Tang Yang’s small face burned crimson, she kissed him again, nose tip to nose tip, calling softly: “Boyfriend…”
As soon as the words fell, she felt like she had boiled herself.
Jiang Shiyan smiled, looking pleased and smug.
Tang Yang pinched his ear and pulled outward: “What are you laughing at!”
Jiang Shiyan didn’t mind: “Nothing.”
He just wanted to laugh.
Tang Yang was slightly bent over, and Jiang Shiyan slightly tilted his head up. Tang Yang stroked Jiang Shiyan’s face like a domineering CEO, while Jiang Shiyan sat in his wheelchair, holding Tang Yang’s neck like a little wife.
Both their postures were awkward, but at this intimate distance, with their breaths entangled, their throats dry, neither was willing to move first.
Though there were only two people in the hospital room, Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan spoke very softly, as if afraid of disturbing others.
As they were being lovey-dovey, the hospital room door was pushed from outside.
Then, the nurse’s voice came from outside: “Bed No. 1, Jiang Shiyan, time for your examination. What are you doing blocking the door?”
Tang Yang woke up as if startled and let go of Jiang Shiyan, glancing at him. She went to the bedside to get tissues, while Jiang Shiyan, understanding, locked the door.
Tang Yang wiped the lipstick from the corner of Jiang Shiyan’s mouth like a thief destroying evidence, then wiped her lips. When they were both tidied up, Tang Yang pushed Jiang Shiyan to the bed to lie down properly, then cleared her throat and went to open the door.
“I’m so sorry, the wheelchair got stuck in the doorway just now.”
Tang Yang apologized repeatedly. The nurse, not wanting to say more, efficiently took Jiang Shiyan’s temperature and blood pressure, and listened to his heartbeat.
After the examination, the nurse noticed Tang Yang’s appearance and frowned, “Do you want me to take your temperature too? Young lady, your face is so red.”
Tang Yang waved her hand guiltily: “No need to trouble you, thank you.”
“March is a high season for flu. While taking care of patients, you must also take care of your health. Drink water often, wash your hands frequently…” The nurse kindly nagged for a while.
Tang Yang responded with a red face and ears, seeing the nurse at the door.
In the hospital room, Jiang Shiyan lay on the bed, laughing silently.
Tang Yang turned around, and Jiang Shiyan stopped laughing instantly, like a string puppet.
————
After the nurse left, Tang Yang checked the IV fluids Jiang Shiyan needed for the next few days. She wrote in her memo while saying, “Then I’ll come over after work, get the medicine you need for the next day from downstairs, and so on.”
“Does your phone still have a battery?” Jiang Shiyan’s eyes darted.
“Yes,” Tang Yang saw his phone was charging, unlocked her own, and handed it over, “Auntie Yi and the others will be here soon. I’ll go back when they arrive.”
Jiang Shiyan opened the contacts and long-pressed “Yan Gou” to enter the edit mode.
“What are you changing?”
Tang Yang thought, that as long as it was not too outrageous, she could accept it as the newly appointed girlfriend.
Jiang Shiyan cleared the note, pulled the person sitting on the bed closer to himself, and asked in a low voice: “Do you prefer ‘darling’, ‘baby’, or ‘hubby’?”
“Can I only choose from these three?” Tang Yang said with a hot face and disgust, “They’re all so mushy.”
Jiang Shiyan lowered his head and kissed her face: “Choose one.”
Tang Yang thought for a while, very conventionally: “Then… hubby…”
“Yes!” Jiang Shiyan’s eyebrows lifted, responding almost instantly.
Seeing someone’s triumphant smile, Tang Yang immediately realized.
She sat up with her red little face, enunciating each word, glaring at him: “Jiang! Shi! Yan!”
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry,” Jiang Shiyan was overjoyed inside, good-naturedly raising his hands in surrender while teasing her with a hooked smile, “Director Tang is a director now, you should learn to be more generous. What’s wrong with calling me that once or twice?” Jiang Shiyan raised an eyebrow, “Otherwise, I’ll call you ‘wifey’ once, and you can respond depending on your mood?”
Tang Yang felt a lump in her throat.
Yet Jiang Shiyan put on an expression of ‘I’ll take the loss’, stroking her hand: “Wifey, wifey, wifey, wifey…”
This time, Tang Yang didn’t move.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Tang Yang smiled and pounced on Jiang Shiyan, knocking his head, both embarrassed and angry: “What are you thinking about all day, will you die if you have fewer tricks up your sleeve…”
“Unjust, unjust,” Jiang Shiyan cried out but didn’t dodge, “Don’t call yourself tricky, all I think about is you.”
Tang Yang felt a tickle in her heart from being flirted with, her hand pressing harder.
Jiang Shiyan simply caught both her hands with his, then put her hands on his face: “My head is too hard, it hurts your hands to hit it. Come on, hit my face, hit my face.”
He looked completely shameless.
Tang Yang couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a push, but didn’t hit him.
“Thinking my face is thick too? Then come on, hit my mouth,” Jiang Shiyan was completely unabashed. He pulled Tang Yang’s hand to his mouth, using her hand to pretend to hit his mouth haphazardly, but in reality, he was kissing Tang Yang’s palms one by one, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s right. Oh, your strength is too small!”
He howled, making Tang Yang’s hand hit harder.
He also kissed Tang Yang’s palm more heavily and chaotically, one by one.
How can this person be so mischievous…
Tang Yang was laughing, embarrassed, and furious all at once, just wanting to find a piece of tofu to smother herself!
————
At ten o’clock in the evening, Jiang’s mother came.
When Tang Yang got up from the hospital bed, her whole body was hot, the top button of her shirt had come undone at some point, and her collar was all wrinkled.
They had just been playing around on the bed.
Jiang Shiyan just loved to tease Tang Yang, calling her “wifey” over and over to embarrass her. When Tang Yang thought he was going to tickle her, he would kiss her cheek, and when she thought he was going to kiss her cheek, he would tickle her instead. Several times, Tang Yang wanted to rebel against Jiang the monarch’s autocracy, but thinking that he had just had surgery and still had wounds, she swallowed her anger especially kindly, letting him bully her like a little wife.
Jiang Shiyan held the small, delicate bundle, his nose tip smelling the faint fragrance in her hair. He wanted to go further but was afraid of scaring her, limiting himself to kissing her here and there, torturing himself almost to the point of explosion.
When Jiang’s mother entered the hospital room, Jiang Shiyan was coughing continuously, while Tang Yang completely ignored Jiang Shiyan, lowered her head to greet her, and then hurriedly left.
“Be careful on your way, why are you leaving so quickly?” Jiang’s mother muttered as she poured a glass of water for Jiang Shiyan.
Jiang Shiyan thought of how he had finally kissed behind her ear, and with just a little blow of air, she couldn’t help but let out a moan. His smile almost reached the sky, but his face remained calm: “She probably wanted to go to the bathroom.”
Jiang’s mother said “Oh,” not remembering there was a bathroom in the ward.
Tang Yang was just closing the door when she heard this, almost getting her hand caught in the door.
Go to hell, Tang Yang thought, shaking her paw in fear!
On the way back, Tang Yang couldn’t help thinking that she was kind, just kind. It was out of consideration for his wounds that she let him crush her image and aura as a career woman into nothing.
When Jiang the big dog recovered and could be messed with freely, she would definitely… shave him bald!! Hmph.
Jiang Shiyan had good hair quality, black and neither long nor short.
He liked his hair and often took care of it.
Imagine that black hair is cut into a crew cut, paired with his dark face.
Tang Yang was waiting at a red light, and as she waited, she burst out laughing.