ORCBRB – Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Sang Shi'an placed her phone face down, took a deep breath, and said to the psychologist in front of her:
“I did something incredibly irrational yesterday, even worse than my rebellious phase…”
“Yes, it was because of the same person again.”
“…”
No one else had an appointment with the doctor, so this time, Sang Shi'an stayed for a full two hours before leaving the hospital.
On her way back to school, Sang Shi'an didn't take a taxi but walked slowly along the street by herself. Yancheng in December was exceptionally cold. The head-on wind was biting, and the tree trunks along the street were bare, still covered in unmelted frost even in the afternoon.
When a little girl bumped into Sang Shi'an, she bent down to steady her. A girl chasing from behind apologized profusely, “I’m so sorry, miss. My sister was chasing that Samoyed and wasn’t looking where she was going. Are you okay?”
Sang Shi'an shook her head, pulled down her mask, and smiled. “It’s okay. The ground is just slippery in winter.”
The girl said a few more pleasantries before leading the little girl away.
Sang Shi'an put her mask back on. As she turned, her gaze lingered on the backs of the two sisters for a few extra seconds.
When they were young, Jian Cenyu had often held her hand too.
Jian Cenyu’s parents were busy with work, and her mother’s health seemed to have always been poor, so she was rarely home. It wasn't a major illness, but her immune system was much weaker than an average person's. Even though the Jian family owned a pharmaceutical company and knew many top experts in the field, it was no use.
Back then, Sang Shiyue was studying abroad, leaving Sang Shi'an alone at home, so Jian Cenyu would often stay over. At first, she would hold her hand to sneak out and buy candy and ice cream that they weren't allowed to eat. Later, she would patiently teach her how to solve her homework problems.
Later on, this habit only existed in her memory.
Sang Shi'an’s fingers curled and then relaxed. She remembered the psychologist’s last words—Don't let the unknown become fear, and thus cloud your judgment.
It was only a little past four in the afternoon, but the sky was already dark. The streetlights were lit. Sang Shi'an walked through a bustling district, the warm light casting an ambiguous halo on her shoulders and stretching her shadow long.
Sang Shi'an hadn't cut her hair in a long time. Her waist-length hair billowed in the wind. Even with a mask on, her exposed eyes and brows were as exquisite as a painting.
No matter how you looked at her, she didn't seem to fit the word 'fear'.
Fear.
Sang Shi'an had really wanted to refute the doctor at that moment, but her repeated feelings of bewilderment after each incident and her visits to the hospital left her with no grounds for rebuttal.
She felt she was becoming stranger and stranger.
Last night, squeezed into that small bed with Jian Cenyu, Sang Shi'an had woken up once in the middle of the night. Jian Cenyu’s arm was still around her, as if worried she would fall off the bed. The fresh, calm scent from her body overpowered the smell of disinfectant, seeping into her nose strand by strand.
In the dead of night, she started thinking about the time she went to confront Jian Zhenyang.
If Jian Cenyu hadn't been among the injured, after learning the cause of the lab explosion, Sang Shi'an asked herself honestly, she wouldn't have gone to cause trouble for Jian Zhenyang for the sake of the seniors in the ICU she had mentioned.
It concerned the relationship and reputation of both families, as well as their future collaborations. After the commotion last night, not only was Jian Zhenyang injured, but he would also most likely no longer appear on the Sang family's list of partners.
Even though she was the one who had initiated the trouble.
So Sang Shi'an was clearly aware that she had gone looking for trouble yesterday for Jian Cenyu's sake. This is what she told the psychologist.
This time, Sang Shi'an didn't feel like she had a split personality or a mental disorder. Or rather, she could already accept the part of herself that acted so impulsively. She sought out a professional in this field simply to find a reason for her abnormal behavior.
But the doctor still couldn't solve her confusion, only telling her to find the answer herself.
And to find it from Jian Cenyu.
Sang Shi'an was a bit lost.
Her phone rang just then. It was Su Ningyue, asking if she was at school. She said that she and Su Ningshang had gone shopping and bought her a gift.
Sang Shi'an thanked Su Ningshang over the phone, and Su Ningyue casually brought up Jian Cenyu. “The university has already issued a notice about the lab explosion, saying it was an accident caused by a falling light fixture that triggered a reagent reaction. I heard…”
“So what if I hit him?” Sang Shi'an interrupted Su Ningyue. “Jian Zhenyang injured so many people and didn't get the punishment he deserved. I just couldn't stand his arrogance and wanted to teach him a lesson. He deserved to have his head split open.”
Su Ningyue on the other end of the line: …
Su Ningyue said dryly, “I was going to ask, I heard the seniors are all back at school. Has Cenyu Jiejie been discharged from the hospital too?”
Sang Shi'an: …
Oh.
“Ahem, well, she has indeed been discharged.” Sang Shi'an felt extremely guilty and quickly made up an excuse to hang up. “The waiter is rushing me to pay the bill. I’ll talk to you later.”
Sang Shi'an stuffed her phone into her coat, turned, and got into a taxi, heading straight for Yancheng's most luxurious shopping mall.
It was all that incompetent psychologist's fault. If he didn't know, he didn't know, but he kept her talking for two hours, making her more and more confused. This caused Sang Shi'an to be absent-minded for the next few hours, and she maxed out her card at the shopping mall.
The last time she tried to pay for shoes, her bank card showed insufficient funds. While Sang Shi'an was hesitating whether to call Sang Shiyue or her parents, her phone showed an incoming call from Jian Cenyu.
For the two hours she was at the mall, Sang Shi'an's mind was full of Jian Cenyu. Seeing that the person in question was now calling her, she first gestured to the sales assistant, then answered the phone with a blank expression, planning to pick a fight to vent her frustration.
She was prepared. No matter what Jian Cenyu’s first words were, even if it was just a tentative ‘hello,’ she was going to act up.
“An'an, I've been waiting for you at home for a long time.”
A pleasant voice came from the phone, a little too gentle.
“Aren't we having dinner together?”
Sang Shi'an: …
Sang Shi'an was stunned for a long while before leaning her arm on the railing and saying awkwardly, “I'm at Huansheng right now.”
Jian Cenyu was quiet for two seconds on the other end, then asked slowly, “Are you out with friends? Then you guys have fun. I'll teach you how to parallel park another day.”
Just as Sang Shi'an was about to say ‘okay,’ the sales assistant behind her thoughtfully brought her a cup of hot milk tea. Sang Shi'an remembered the unpaid bill and hesitated, “Um—”
Jian Cenyu was still extremely patient. “What is it?”
“Can you come over right now?” Sang Shi'an felt the warmth of the milk tea and said hesitantly, “There's a problem with my bank card. Can you come and help me pay?”
Jian Cenyu asked gently, “But I'm still at home. It might take an hour to drive to you during rush hour. How much is it? Can I transfer the money to you first?”
Sang Shi'an had already paid for one item at this store. Even though she was in the embarrassing situation of not having enough money on her card, the sales assistant's gaze was still enthusiastic.
“One hundred and thirty-six thousand.” This wasn't a small sum. Sang Shi'an made a point to explain herself, “They said it's a newly arrived limited edition, and it's the only one in my size. What a coincidence, it…”
“Copy your bank card number and send it to me. It'll take me a while to get there. You can go browse other stores. I'll transfer you a bit more, okay?”
The sound of a door closing came from the other end. It seemed Jian Cenyu had left her apartment. Then the call disconnected, probably because she entered an elevator and the signal was poor.
Sang Shi'an sent her bank card number to Jian Cenyu's WeChat. Two minutes later, she received a transfer notification.
Six zeros before the decimal point. It far exceeded the amount she needed. Sang Shi'an was stunned.
Could she spend that much in an hour?
It didn't seem that difficult at Huansheng, but…
Just as she was feeling the money was burning a hole in her pocket, the sales assistant enthusiastically brought over two sparkling chains. “These are anklets to go with the shoes. Miss, you have slender ankles, they'll look beautiful on you. Do you like any of them?”
Sang Shi'an hesitated for a long while, then pointed to the one on the right. “This one. Please ring up a new bill, I'll go pay.”
The sales assistant was very happy. “Okay, please have a seat inside. I'll arrange it right away.”
Sitting on the sofa, Sang Shi'an stared blankly at the extra money on her bank card. After a moment of confusion, she rubbed her reddened ears. Her long legs kicked the air while brushing against the leather sofa for a while. When the sales assistant returned, she resumed her elegant posture and took a sip of her milk tea, feigning composure.
Mmm, so sweet.
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