"How should I put it?"
Zhou Wang tapped his knee, speaking slowly: "I really haven’t liked you much... But you know, there are certain traits in you that I do admire."
Upon hearing Zhou Wang’s first sentence, Cheng Yiyi’s gaze instantly dimmed, but she was stunned for a moment and looked up incredulously.
"Admire?"
"It sounds unbelievable, right? After all, I’ve always treated you poorly, but what I’m saying is true. For instance, your purity; in this day and age, a girl who is still a blank sheet at twenty is nearly impossible to find..."
Zhou Wang smiled, "Also, your arrogance. Although it might be a derogatory term in many people’s eyes, if you change your perspective, isn’t it also a unique and attractive trait?"
"I’m... I’m so happy... Zhou Wang, thank you, thank you for saying this..."
Cheng Yiyi covered her mouth, seemingly trying hard to control herself from crying.
"I’m not comforting you; I’m just trying to tell you, you may not be perfect, but you’re not that bad either. It’s just that sometimes you don’t realize, no one in the world owes you anything; anything you want, you must first earn."
Cheng Yiyi listened somewhat absently, and after a moment, she nodded and repeated softly:
"Earn... give..."
"Alright, it’s about time, I should go now."
Seeing Cheng Yiyi’s tears had stopped, Zhou Wang glanced at the Patek Philippe on his wrist, then stood up.
This time, Cheng Yiyi did not try to stop Zhou Wang; she merely pursed her lips, and as Zhou Wang walked a distance away, she suddenly stood up.
"Zhou Wang!"
"Hmm?"
Zhou Wang, who had reached the doorway of the hospital room, heard the call from behind and turned to look.
Cheng Yiyi ran over, somewhat shyly, and handed him a painting.
"This... is for you."
"It’s well-painted, thank you."
Zhou Wang glanced at the handsome young man in the painting, smiled knowingly, and accepted it.
"Will we... will we meet again?"
"Perhaps, let’s see where fate leads."
"Zhou Wang, I think I know what I should do from now on... I hope we have a day where we meet again."
Wearing a light blue hospital gown, Cheng Yiyi, slender in form, stood in the morning light streaming through the window, her gaze exceptionally clear, revealing a radiant smile to Zhou Wang.
Zhou Wang was momentarily dazed.
He wasn’t sure if he had healed Cheng Yiyi, but at this moment, her purity inexplicably touched him.
But this girl, why wasn’t she wearing a bra...
"Good luck."
After a few seconds of daze, Zhou Wang smiled at her too, then turned to open the hospital room door and walked out.
...
Even after leaving the small building, Zhou Wang still seemed a bit absent-minded. Upon seeing him appear, Qiu Zeyu and Song Rui, who were waiting at the door, quickly came over.
"Zhou Wang, how was it?"
Song Rui asked impatiently.
"The doctor said I did well; Cheng Yiyi’s knot in her heart should be unwound. As long as she cooperates with the doctor’s guidance afterward and is observed for a few days, she may be discharged smoothly."
Coming back to his senses, Zhou Wang recalled the conversation he had with the doctor after leaving the hospital room and reported truthfully.
"That’s good; now I can call her parents without worry. We can’t keep it from them forever."
Song Rui breathed a sigh of relief at the news and promptly apologized to Zhou Wang, "Zhou Wang, I’m really sorry for troubling you this time, I know you probably didn’t want to see her..."
"If it was before I came, I indeed felt that way, but now, I don’t think it’s a problem; after all, the Cheng Yiyi of today is already different from the girl I used to know."
Zhou Wang smiled, then took a deep breath, his eyes looking into the distance.
"As long as it’s not a waste of time, many things in this world are just for peace of mind, aren’t they?"
...
"Different trains, but still heading toward a better direction."
Xu Lingyue, sipping soy milk, saw that senior Huang Duming just posted a text on his Moments and couldn’t help but give it a like.
Because the text perfectly matched her current mood.
At this time, the taxi stopped slowly, and the driver in the front row spoke with an authentic Beijing accent: "Miss, we’ve arrived. Is this the place?"
Xu Lingyue leaned forward for a look. In front of her was a white skyscraper, square on top and layered like waves at the bottom, and the angle of looking up in the morning light was inexplicably oppressive.
Upon seeing the gate of "Jingcheng Building," Xu Lingyue knew she had found the right place, and immediately nodded, "Yes, that’s correct, driver, how much should I pay you?"
"35.7, we can round it up, just give me 35... Hey, miss, do you work here? Then you have a great job!"
"Why do you say that, driver?"
Xu Lingyue was taken aback.
"This is Jingcheng Building, built years ago, it was a landmark in Beidou back then, and the people who come and go are either rich or noble. Have you heard of Jingcheng Club? It’s right above this building. My nephew used to work there before, and he was so proud then..."
Before Xu Lingyue knew it, the taxi driver couldn’t stop talking, so she quickly made the excuse of "being in a hurry" and got out of the car.
Watching Xu Lingyue in a short skirt, revealing a pair of fair thighs and a charming figure, the taxi driver shook his head, "Such a nice girl, wonder if she’ll end up with some rich guy again... Damn, the next ride is going to be late!"
The taxi drove away in a hurry, but Xu Lingyue didn’t know she had been judged once again. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t mind, as she’s been subject to strange looks since childhood.