-028- We Are Married.
-028-
When she left the Xuan Family Villa, the rain was heavy. Xuan Yang's slender figure was drenched in the dense downpour, like a broken bamboo branch, desolate and heavy. Her thoughts were in turmoil; memories of the past kept flooding uncontrollably into her mind. Her memories from before age five in the orphanage had become blurred, but the years she spent in the Xuan family after turning five were crystal clear.
Xuan Yang walked along the black asphalt road. The Xuan family hadn't sent a car to see her off. There weren't many ride-hailing cars in this area either, and it was even harder to get one on a rainy day. Xuan Yang had no choice but to tough it out and head toward the main road.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, always drifting back to her adoptive parents' strictness and control, and her own yearning for their attention, approval, and praise, day after day, year after year.
...
Walking and reminiscing, Xuan Yang eventually couldn't hold it together anymore. When she flagged down a taxi at the main road intersection, she opened the back door, sat down, covered her face, and cried.
The driver was an auntie who hadn't seen such a scene before. Seeing that Xuan Yang was soaked through, she kindly tossed a pack of tissues over. "Girl, whatever sad or difficult thing has happened, after a good cry, everything will be okay. But you still need to take care of your health. Look at this heavy rain; it's not worth ruining yourself over."
The car gradually warmed up, and it seemed to warm the cold, wet feeling in Xuan Yang's heart as well. She took a tissue to wipe her face and said apologetically to the driver auntie, "Sorry for getting your seat wet. I'll compensate you for the cleaning fee."
The driver auntie didn't mind. "It's fine. After I finish this fare, I'm heading home anyway. By the way, why are you alone out here in the suburbs? Did something happen?"
This villa area was one of the affluent neighborhoods in Jingbei. Xuan Yang looked utterly disheartened, which indeed suggested she had encountered something. It wasn't the driver auntie's fault for misunderstanding.
Xuan Yang forced a faint smile and shook her head. "It's nothing. It's all in the past." Yes, it was all in the past. Like tonight's heavy rain, though it poured down with great force, it would eventually stop. Xuan Yang should be grateful that she had woken up at the age of twenty-seven, rather than spending a lifetime chasing the familial affection she longed for in the Xuan family.
-
As the night deepened, the rain's intensity waxed and waned. Xuan Yang returned to her rental apartment. Zhou Dang wasn't in Jingbei, and the house at Shangtian Mansion was too big; Xuan Yang didn't want to stay there alone tonight. It would be too lonely.
Once back at her rental, Xuan Yang first took a hot shower and even made herself a cup of cold remedy. But she didn't expect the aftereffects of getting drenched to be so severe—she caught a cold and had signs of a fever. Getting sick was something she occasionally experienced during her years abroad. Xuan Yang handled it fairly well; she ordered some fever-reducing medicine online and planned to sleep for a whole day. However, she didn't expect this cold to be so serious. The fever came and went repeatedly—suppressed by the medicine, then flaring up again. She was in a daze, troubled by nightmares even in sleep. Several times, Xuan Yang felt as if she were about to die. In her last dream, she even heard Zhou Dang's voice. Distant, hazy, sometimes near, sometimes far—real yet illusory. Zhou Dang called her name, his voice urgent and worried, very different from usual. If not for the unique resonance of his voice, she wouldn't have thought of him. She wanted to respond, but her body felt as though a heavy mountain was pressing down on her, completely immobile. Her mouth couldn't move, her eyelids wouldn't open—she was like a living corpse.
After who knows how long, Xuan Yang's mouth was terribly dry. Summoning all her strength, she finally managed to lift her eyelids. The moment she opened her eyes, cold white light from the ceiling hit her, stinging slightly. The air smelled of disinfectant. The skin on her wrist felt cool, and she could sense a fluid steadily flowing into her body. Xuan Yang felt she was no longer so hot and feverish; her sore limbs had returned to normal, and she no longer felt that deep sinking sensation as if trapped in a quagmire. After resting for a while, she opened her eyes again. She recognized the surroundings; she was in a hospital room. A bit confused—she clearly remembered falling asleep on her bed in the rental apartment.
Just as Xuan Yang was puzzled, the door to the VIP room was pushed open. Zhou Dang pulled an elderly doctor inside. His handsome face was cold and stern, his brow furrowed, his tone serious and heavy: "Didn't you say she was out of danger? Then why hasn't she woken up for so long?"
The old doctor in a white coat looked helpless. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze caught sight of Xuan Yang, who had opened her eyes on the bed. He smiled: "What do you mean not awake? She's awake right now."
Zhou Dang froze, then a second later shifted his gaze to the hospital bed. Sure enough, he saw Xuan Yang with her eyes open. Their eyes met. He instantly wiped the irritation from his face, his emotions easing, and let go of the old man's clothes.
Xuan Yang was still confused, wondering if this was a dream or reality. If it were a dream, why would she dream of Zhou Dang? If it were real, how did Zhou Dang appear? Wasn't he supposed to be in Hushi? No—he had said he would come back the next morning to have a meal with her. Xuan Yang frowned and turned to look for her phone.
Zhou Dang and the doctor approached. The old doctor went through the routine checkup. "The fever has subsided. Looks like she's had a good sleep." Zhou Dang was still a bit worried. Seeing Xuan Yang looking for something, he took her phone from his pocket and handed it to her. "You were unconscious earlier, so I kept your phone for you. Don't worry, only Xie Xinglan has called so far, asking you out to eat."
Zhou Dang said this to reassure Xuan Yang, fearing she might worry about missing work calls. But he didn't expect that a casual remark would pierce her heart—as if, in this world, apart from Xie Xinglan, no one else would contact her.
Xuan Yang thanked him, her voice a little hoarse. Although she felt much better, she still lacked strength, and holding her phone was a bit unsteady. Zhou Dang noticed and caught her hand before the phone slipped from her palm. Xuan Yang was slightly startled, her gaze falling on the man's long, beautiful fingers. Her feelings were complicated.
Zhou Dang, however, was very calm. He pulled a chair to sit beside the bed, holding Xuan Yang's hand and phone, acting as a free phone stand for her. "Go ahead, I'll hold it for you." Xuan Yang hummed in response, not acting coy.
The doctor, who had finished writing the medical record, glanced at them, smiled knowingly, and left the room.
Xuan Yang first checked WeChat to confirm there were no urgent work messages. Then she sent Xie Xinglan a message explaining the situation. Xie Xinglan replied almost instantly: [You're finally awake! Zhou Dang answered the phone in the afternoon and said you were unconscious; I was so worried.] Xie Xinglan had come to the hospital earlier, but since Xuan Yang was asleep and she couldn't help, she was called back to school to handle some matters. Now it was evening, and Xie Xinglan hadn't finished her work. She had planned to come see Xuan Yang later, but didn't expect her to wake up first.
Xuan Yang comforted her for a moment but before she could type more, Zhou Dang took the phone away. "You've reported that you're safe, now get some rest. There will be plenty of time to chat later." Zhou Dang frowned, mildly displeased with Xie Xinglan for being inconsiderate. How could she keep messaging a patient? That was just interfering with her rest.
Xuan Yang wanted to say something, but seeing Zhou Dang's slightly stern expression and knowing he had her best interests at heart, she felt embarrassed to snatch the phone back.
The room fell into a brief silence. Xuan Yang glanced out the window—the night was dark. She had just looked at her phone and saw she had been unconscious for almost a full day and night. Remembering what had happened at the Xuan family the previous night, Xuan Yang lowered her eyes, her spirits dampened.
Zhou Dang asked, "Are you hungry?" Xuan Yang's mood, which had just dipped, lifted again. She met his gaze. "A little." Having lain for so long, sustained only by IV fluids, she was indeed feeling hungry. Zhou Dang took out his phone and called Shen Li to bring some porridge. Then he looked at Xuan Yang seriously. "How did you catch a cold? Or were you already feeling unwell but didn't tell me?"
Xuan Yang hadn't expected him to be so serious. She hesitated for a moment before confessing everything under the man's heavy scrutiny. She glossed over the incident at the Xuan family, not seeing anything worth elaborating on. She felt that telling Zhou Dang about it was like confiding in him, seeking his comfort. It made her uncomfortable. But even though she only said a few words, Zhou Dang still caught the key information.
"You left in the rain, and the Xuan family didn't send a car to see you off?" Zhou Dang's frown deepened, a hint of anger in his voice. "Why didn't you call the driver?" He had clearly sent his driver's contact to Xuan Yang and told her to have the driver pick her up when she left the Xuan Family Villa. But Xuan Yang hadn't followed his instructions. Not only did she not contact the driver he arranged, but she also didn't tell him about the grievance she suffered.
"Did they bully you?" Zhou Dang asked in a low voice. Though it was a question, it carried the answer. Xuan Yang immediately guessed who "they" referred to. When she realized Zhou Dang had used the word "bully," the corners of her lips curled slightly. "I'm not a child anymore." Zhou Dang tucked the blanket around her. "But you're my wife."
Xuan Yang was stunned, as if something had struck her heart hard. Zhou Dang felt uncomfortable under her gaze, so he covered her eyes with his hand. "We're a married couple. From now on, don't just try to bear everything alone. It makes me feel useless."
Xuan Yang closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the man's palm, her heartbeat slightly faster. Although she didn't fully understand Zhou Dang's thoughts, she could feel the care. Her lips curled up involuntarily, and she smiled. "I understand." After a pause, she added, "Then please lend me some money, President Zhou."
Zhou Dang: "?" He removed his hand from her eyes, revealing her bright, beautiful eyes again. "Sure." He agreed without asking why. "I'll have Shen Li get a supplementary card made for you."
Xuan Yang blinked, not expecting him to be so generous without asking any questions. "That's not necessary." Zhou Dang insisted, "We're married." Xuan Yang's ears reddened a little. He always kept saying that. "By the way, how did you know I was unconscious?" Xuan Yang tried to change the subject. If they continued this conversation, the atmosphere might become too intimate. She wasn't used to being intimate with Zhou Dang yet.