Chapter 62

The first time Lu Yu saw Jiang Nian in the hospital, he wanted to hug her and kiss her, but with others around, he had no choice but to hold back.

Lu Yu wished he could make up for the past six months all at once. He turned Jiang Nian around, his large hand gripping her slender waist, his fingers threading through her hair to hold the back of her head, then he lowered his head to kiss her deeply again.

His kiss left Jiang Nian utterly defenseless, the stubble on his lips prickling her, causing a painful yet indescribable sensation.

“Jiang Nian,” Lu Yu finally released her, burying his head into her neck, his breath heavy and possessive, wanting more.

“Lu Yu…” Jiang Nian’s body trembled, her hands gripping his arms tightly, forcing him to restrain his wild impulses. The man straightened up, looking into her watery eyes, his voice hoarse. “I just want to hold you.”

He then embraced her tightly.

Jiang Nian was almost engulfed in his arms. She curled her fingers and slowly lifted her arms to wrap around his slim waist. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside, making Jiang Nian shrink back in fear, but Lu Yu’s embrace tightened, and he chuckled lowly, “They just went to the bathroom.”

Jiang Nian sighed in relief.

She tugged at Lu Yu’s clothes, “Let me go. You should go back to your bed.”

Lu Yu didn’t release her. He lowered his head, inhaling her scent from her neck. “I’m getting transferred after the new year. Once I’m at my new post, I’ll submit a marriage application. Let’s get married, okay?”

He really was getting transferred.

Jiang Nian nodded with her lips pressed together. “Where are you being transferred to?”

“Yuan City.”

Yuan City? That’s where Ge Mei is. This way, she could work with Ge Mei.

Lu Yu returned to his hospital room with Jiang Nian’s support.

“How are you feeling?” Jiang Nian looked at his somewhat pale face, thinking about his loss of control in the bathroom, her face blushed.

Lu Yu’s eyes softened with a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Sister-in-law, what brings you here?” Zhou Ji asked, followed by Chen Yao.

Jiang Nian was glad that Lu Yu hadn’t turned on the light. The light from the corridor was the only source, so they couldn’t see her swollen lips. She repeated the story of bringing Sun Yuan to the hospital. Upon hearing it, Chen Yao’s face darkened. “Her husband is really a piece of sh*t!”

Getting married but not treating his wife well, driving her to such extremes.

Lu Yu said, “Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Nian looked down at him and heard him continue, “Don’t get involved in her family matters. The Women’s Federation will notify her family.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Okay.”

She didn’t want to meddle either. That Zhao Lin was quite extreme. If outsiders intervened too much, he might go crazy.

But there were still some things she wanted to say to Sun Yuan. Thinking about what Sun Ying’s mother did to Sun Yuan in the book made her feel indignant on Sun Yuan’s behalf. Seeing the once-cold paper figure turn into a living person before her, Jiang Nian couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, but she wouldn’t be foolish enough to interfere directly.

Sun Yuan was currently avoiding Sun Ying’s mother, not realizing that the more she avoided her, the more the other side would take advantage.

“I’ll go check on Sun Yuan.”

Lu Yu said, “Keep the door open. If you’re scared, call for me.”

Jiang Nian nodded lightly, “Okay.”

She glanced at the dim, empty corridor and ran across it.

Chen Yao couldn’t help but laugh, “Lu Yu, your sister-in-law is as timid as a cat. Even the rabbits in the mountains are braver than her.”

Lu Yu chuckled but said nothing.

Jiang Nian reached Sun Yuan’s room. Sun Yuan was still unconscious. The other two patients in the room were asleep, undisturbed by the earlier commotion. Jiang Nian wasn’t sleepy. She stayed by the bed, drowsing off at dawn when Sun Yuan finally woke up.

“Thank you.”

Sun Yuan’s voice was weak.

Jiang Nian was lightly sleeping, but hearing her voice, she struggled to open her heavy eyelids, seeing Sun Yuan’s still pale face.

“Thank you.”

Sun Yuan repeated.

Jiang Nian’s mind cleared a bit. She sat up and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Sun Yuan touched her abdomen, tears flowing from her dry eyes. “Is my baby gone?”

Jiang Nian pressed her lips together. After a while, she said, “Yes.”

Sun Yuan sighed, turning to Jiang Nian, “Do you think I’m heartless?”

Almost as soon as Sun Yuan spoke these words, Jiang Nian guessed that Sun Yuan had aborted the child herself, without going to the hospital for surgery or taking medication but rather by her own determined and ruthless act. Jiang Nian couldn’t fathom how a woman could make such a heartbreaking decision to end her own child’s life in such pain.

“What’s your name?” Sun Yuan’s face was very pale, her voice weak.

Jiang Nian smiled, “I’m Jiang Nian.”

After a moment of silence, she changed the subject: “I don’t know why you aborted the baby in your belly, but I want to say a few words to you.”

Sun Yuan looked at her weakly. “Go ahead.”

Jiang Nian said, “In our lives, whether in happiness or in suffering, it’s all just a few short decades. We can’t choose our birth, but we can choose our life. Enduring suffering and swallowing anger is one way to live, but so is finding relief and not caring about what others think. So why not choose the latter?”

Listening to Jiang Nian’s words, there was a glimmer of light in Sun Yuan’s eyes. Her bloodless lips moved, and after a long while, she squeezed out a sentence: “If someone thinks your existence is hindering them, what would you do if you were in their shoes?”

Jiang Nian replied, “Treat them as they treat you.”

Seeing Sun Yuan breathe a bit heavier, Jiang Nian continued, “Sometimes, swallowing your pride only invites others to take advantage of you. Some people won’t appreciate your reasonableness and kindness. They’ll only see you as an easy target.”

After finishing, she smiled, “These are all the great truths my grandmother taught me. I don’t know if they’ll be useful to you.”

Sun Yuan’s eyes were red as she said, “Thank you, I understand.”

After dawn, someone from the Women’s Federation found Sun Yuan’s father, Sun Chao, the director of the textile factory. When Jiang Nian left, she saw Sun Chao. He was middle-aged, just as described in the book: of medium height, with white temples and several wrinkles on his face. There was a small scar on his left cheekbone, mentioned in the book as a burn mark from a branding iron when he was young.

Sun Chao glanced at Jiang Nian, but she had no good feelings toward Sun’s family and walked away with a cold face.

She had said everything she needed to to Sun Yuan. As for what Sun Yuan would do next, it was up to her to decide.

As daylight arrived, the corridor filled with more people, completely dispelling the eerie atmosphere of the night.

Jiang Nian went to Lu Yu’s hospital room. Chen Yao and the others were still awake. When Jiang Nian approached, they all greeted her as “sister-in-law.”

Lu Yu said, “Sit here.”

Jiang Nian lowered her head, looking at Lu Yu’s hand resting on the bed. His hands were very handsome, with slender joints. Thinking about last night in the bathroom made Jiang Nian blush. She sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, her hand just resting on her thigh, when Lu Yu pulled her under the covers, gripping her fingers tightly and asking, “Did you sleep last night?”