Su Yansheng handed a box of wedding candy to the old lady. Jiang Ruoqi took it first and then passed it to Grandma.
Grandma still had the IV in her hand. She admired the box, with its delicate design, and couldn't help but sigh, "Wedding candy is wonderful. Let Grandma share in your happiness."
Yun Dan found two chairs and dragged them to the bedside, signaling for Su Yansheng and the others to sit.
At that moment, Grandma, who had been admiring the box, suddenly sighed heavily and looked at Jiang Ruoqi with some regret. "It's a pity that our two didn't have a wedding."
Jiang Ruoqi was momentarily stunned. Grandma squeezed her hand pityingly. "Good child, you've been wronged."
Jiang Ruoqi quickly said, "No, I haven't been wronged. Meng Shang and I never planned to have a wedding. I'm just too lazy, and a wedding is too much trouble. Ask Shiyi—when she asked me to be her bridesmaid, didn't I try to get out of it because I hate fuss?"
She explained confidently, and to show her sincerity, she turned to Ada, signaling her to back her up.
Ada caught on and spoke in her broken Mandarin, "Exactly! Grandma, she hates being bothered. A wedding is just a formality. A happy life is what really matters."
Grandma didn't quite understand, but didn't want to say so directly. Her yellowed eyes turned to Jiang Ruoqi, silently seeking help.
Jiang Ruoqi followed Ada's lead. "Shiyi is right. A happy life is far more important than the wedding ceremony."
"Don't worry. Meng Shang and I are living a great life together."
Grandma relented, not really reassured, but too tired to keep up. "Good, as long as you're happy, then Grandma is happy. That's all that matters."
With a serious illness, how much energy could she have? After a few words, she started coughing again. She couldn't keep up her forced spirit for long and soon began to doze off.
Just then, a nurse came to change the IV bag. Su Yansheng and the others took the opportunity to say goodbye. Jiang Ruoqi saw them out and specially reminded Ada to contact her if anything came up.
Back in the room, with Jiang Ruoqi there to help, they had enough hands. Yun Dan sent Meng Shang's uncle home to rest, telling him to come back for the night shift.
Grandma fell asleep again, leaving only Jiang Ruoqi and Yun Dan in the room, quietly chatting.
Hospital stays always feel excruciatingly long. The sunlight loses its warmth, and the air is filled with an indescribable listlessness that slowly eats away at the already anxious emotions of the patient and their family, making everything worse.
But with company today, Yun Dan was unusually relaxed. They even video-called Meng Shang during lunch break.
On the phone, Meng Shang was still in his shirt, tie, and white coat, with his buttons neatly fastened. He was wearing a pair of silver, thin-rimmed glasses, a rare sight.
He probably meant to hide his eyes, but it backfired, making people constantly want to steal glances at his deep, narrow eyes.
With Yun Dan present, Jiang Ruoqi couldn't say anything to provoke him. But her gaze kept wandering, and from time to time she would stare intently at Dr. Meng. Even Yun Dan noticed.
"I'll use the restroom. You two talk."
After the IV was removed and she had eaten lunch, Grandma was asleep again. Ms. Yun tactfully excused herself, leaving the space for the couple who hadn't seen each other for just half a day.
Meng Shang raised his hand, and his fingertip landed on the screen. Jiang Ruoqi thought he was about to do something, but he just tapped her forehead through the screen.
"Do I look good?"
"Of course you do. You can question anything about me, but not my taste. I'm a simple and honest face-con."
Meng Shang laughed and shook his head, thinking, who calls themselves that?
"It's just that your tie doesn't match well. Once I invade your wardrobe, I'll definitely add some clothes that don't scream 'office drone.'" Jiang Ruoqi stared at him for a while longer, still feeling that this rigid and boring outfit could use some improvement.
Meng Shang didn't understand how a plain shirt and plain tie could be matched to not look like office wear. But faced with Jiang Ruoqi, he suppressed his confusion. "Why use the word 'invade'? Just do whatever you want."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Mentioning this, Jiang Ruoqi remembered. "I'm staying in your room tonight, all by myself. If I rummage around and find something, can I look at whatever I want? Can I know whatever I want to know, Dr. Meng?"
Meng Shang understood. Jiang Ruoqi was bringing up old grievances, hinting at the matter of the photo.
That was an accident—or it could be considered an accident.
After he started university, he rarely stayed at home. Most of his things were in his dorm, and later, after buying a house, he moved everything to his own place. He really didn't remember if there was anything left to deal with at his parents' house.
And clearing away the past now wasn't about denying that relationship. It was just that he didn't want Jiang Ruoqi to think he couldn't let go, didn't want her to misunderstand.
So Meng Shang said frankly, "Of course you can."
"If you need, video call me tonight. I'll help you point out where all the secrets are hidden."