Unable to resist Qu Jiaran's cajoling, Nan Yu headed to the hospital. Following the ward number Qu Jiaran had sent her in a text, she arrived at the ward door.
She pushed the door open and went in, only to see Tan Linyuan was also inside.
He was standing in front of Qu Jiaran's hospital bed, with his back to her.
Nan Yu instinctively turned around to leave.
"Hey, Yu Yu!" Qu Jiaran spotted her fleeting figure over Tan Linyuan's shoulder and immediately exclaimed in delight, "You're in the right place. I'm here!"
The leg she was about to step forward with suddenly stopped. She stiffly turned back and forced a rather unnatural smile. "I almost got the wrong room."
Since she had been discovered, Nan Yu had no choice but to brace herself and walk in.
Tan Linyuan lifted his eyes slightly. His gaze swept across her face but only for a split - second before quickly returning to Qu Jiaran.
"I'll go back first. You two chat," Tan Linyuan said in a flat tone, without much warmth.
Nan Yu had her hands in the pockets of her overcoat. Her fingers curled tightly out of sight. She felt her breathing becoming heavy.
He left without hesitation. As he passed by her, there was a faint, slightly bitter scent in the air.
Qu Jiaran grinned, "Yu Yu, come and sit down quickly."
Nan Yu walked to the place where Tan Linyuan had just stood and sat on the chair beside the bed.
Noticing the medical record on the bedside table, Nan Yu instinctively reached out to take a look.
But Qu Jiaran noticed her movement. She nervously grabbed the medical record first and hid it under the pillow. "It's a secret. I can't let Yu Yu see it."
Nan Yu paused for a moment and fell silent.
She could tell that Qu Jiaran was deliberately hiding her illness from her.
Nan Yu didn't know what to say. She just forced a smile. "You don't want to tell me?"
"No, I just think it's unnecessary."
"Aren't you treating me as a friend?" Nan Yu took a deep breath and said calmly, "Can't you even tell me this as friends?"
Qu Jiaran whispered, "This won't affect our friendship."
"Yes, it does." Nan Yu was expressionless, as if her emotions were completely unshaken. "If you choose to keep hiding it, I'll break off our friendship."
Her tone didn't sound like she was joking at all.
Qu Jiaran's smile froze on her face. At first, she tried to laugh it off, but Nan Yu was unmoved, just staring at her with a calm look.
Qu Jiaran looked a bit embarrassed and tried to smooth things over. "Yu Yu, you look so much like Linyuan when you're serious. You both have a straight face."
Nan Yu ignored her attempt to change the subject. "So, what's your illness exactly?"
"Can't I not tell you?" Qu Jiaran pleaded.
"Then we can't be friends anymore," Nan Yu said calmly and stood up to leave.
Qu Jiaran immediately panicked and quickly called out to stop her. "Yu Yu! I'll tell you. Don't break off our friendship!"
Nan Yu stopped in her tracks. Facing Qu Jiaran, she quietly waited for her to continue.
Qu Jiaran tried to ease the atmosphere. She rummaged through the bag on the bedside table and took out an orange, offering it to Nan Yu. "Yu Yu, have some fruit."
Nan Yu took it but didn't peel it.
The VIP ward was very quiet. There was no other noise at all.
Qu Jiaran let out a long sigh and tried to sound as relaxed as possible. "Actually, I don't understand the specific medical terms. Anyway, the doctor said I'll die in a while."
She said it casually, but Nan Yu's heart tightened. "Die... What does that mean?"
Qu Jiaran had just celebrated her 25th birthday. She was in the prime of her youth, and the word "death" seemed completely out of place with her.
Nan Yu's hands hung by her sides and unconsciously clenched.
"It's a congenital disease. My mom quarreled with my dad when she was pregnant with me. Somehow, I was born with this problem. The doctor originally said I could only live until I was three, but I've lived to this day, haven't I? So, don't worry."
As Nan Yu listened to her story, she found it hard to breathe.
Qu Jiaran often lied, but Nan Yu was sure that every word she just said was true.
Even if there was some exaggeration, it must be downplaying the severity of the illness.
Qu Jiaran then smiled. "Yu Yu, don't make that face."
She was proud - natured and couldn't stand others' sympathy.
Qu Jiaran raised her head, straightened her back, and looked Nan Yu in the eye. Half - joking and half - serious, she said, "If I die, shouldn't you be happy?"
Nan Yu was shocked beyond belief. Her voice was hoarse because of the surprise. "Why should I be happy?"
It was true that she didn't like Qu Jiaran that much, but she didn't wish for her death either.
Her only selfish wish was that Tan Linyuan and Qu Jiaran could cancel their engagement.
After getting along with Qu Jiaran for some time, Nan Yu roughly understood her character. She wasn't a completely evil person. At most, she was just a self - centered and pampered young lady.
In a way, Nan Yu wasn't even as sincere as Qu Jiaran.
After all, Qu Jiaran showed all her emotions openly without any concealment.
Seeing Nan Yu's reaction, Qu Jiaran was silent for a few seconds. Then she suddenly opened her arms and grinned, trying to hug Nan Yu. "Yu Yu! I knew I didn't misjudge you! You really treat me as a good friend. I'll have no regrets even if I die!"
Being hugged by Qu Jiaran, Nan Yu's mood became heavier and heavier.
She couldn't describe how she felt.
It seemed that in the face of death, all the love, hatred, and grudges didn't seem so important.
"Okay, let's not talk about these heavy topics," Qu Jiaran let go of Nan Yu, and her tone returned to its usual lightness. "Have I told you how I proposed to Linyuan?"
Nan Yu kept silent.
She didn't show much interest, but Qu Jiaran continued on her own. "At first, Linyuan rejected me. He's really so unromantic!"
Nan Yu was startled and quickly looked up.
"Not only did he reject me, but he also came up with such an absurd reason!"
Qu Jiaran described it vividly, but Nan Yu replied very perfunctorily. "What reason?"
Qu Jiaran was like sharing something interesting. She smiled and told Nan Yu, "You'll definitely think it's absurd too. He said that Master Wenjing once told his fortune and said he was a rare lone - star evil star in a century!"
Nan Yu was taken aback.
Seeing that Nan Yu was finally attracted, Qu Jiaran continued mysteriously, "It's said that this kind of fate is extremely vicious. It will bring misfortune to everyone around him, making others suffer and even die."
After that, Qu Jiaran switched back to a light - hearted tone. "You don't believe it, do you?"
Nan Yu asked, "Shouldn't I believe it?"
Thinking about Tan Linyuan's life, it was indeed as Master Wenjing had said: bringing misfortune to his relatives, making them suffer and even die.
If one or two things were coincidences, could all of them be coincidences?
If it happened to her, she would also find it hard not to believe.
Seeing Nan Yu looking blank, Qu Jiaran laughed. "How could it be true? Even a three - year - old kid wouldn't believe such a story."