Misaligned Love - Chapter 6

On the day Xiao Huai was discharged, Chen Qi also came along.

I was busy handling the discharge procedures while she was there whispering to Xiao Huai, the two of them sitting close, with Chen Qi’s hand resting on his arm.

I sighed.

This is the sorrow of being a hopeless admirer.

They were in love, while I was pondering how to reimburse the medical expenses.

In the chaos, I lost Xiao Huai’s medical insurance card and was frantically searching for it. Luckily, I ran into Jiang Lin. He accompanied me throughout the search, and we eventually found it at the front desk, picked up by a nurse. Seeing my dazed state, he personally escorted me to the discharge window to complete the settlement procedures.

Then, looking at my bags and belongings, he asked if I needed help.

I felt a bit embarrassed, “Would it be a waste of your time…”

He curved his lips, his voice pleasant, “If it’s for you, it won’t be.”

Even when he’s intentionally teasing, he’s so charming.

Jiang Lin helped me carry the luggage to the hospital’s underground parking lot and assisted the immobile Xiao Huai into the car. After finishing all this, he glanced at the other two and then turned his gaze to me, “I’ll head back now. If any issues arise during recovery, feel free to contact me. If you have any questions, you can always find me.”

I nodded, filled with gratitude, “Thank you, Dr. Jiang.”

He smiled and waved at me.

Throughout, Xiao Huai didn’t say a word.

Chen Qi asked me with a smile, “Is he your boyfriend?”

I opened the car door and remained silent for a moment, “Not yet.”

Xiao Huai is my neighbor.

Not only was he when we were kids, but he is now too.

To be closer to him, I scrimped and saved after graduating, moving to the city center twenty miles away from the company, paying rent that took up half of my salary each month, constantly thinking about how to save for tomorrow’s meals.

It wasn’t until my income from writing increased that things got a bit better.

Now, it’s convenient to take care of him.

Xiao Huai was unusually quiet today, even when Chen Qi chatted with him in the car, he showed little interest. But I was already accustomed to his aloof demeanor, so I didn’t pay much attention.

His bone injury wasn’t severe; he could already get up and wash himself, but he still needed to minimize activity.

Mom, in a video call, asked me to watch over him, not letting him fall at home alone.

I moved my laptop to his place. These days, taking care of him has slowed my updates, leading to serious complaints from a large number of readers.

Can I say it’s because I’m taking care of my crush? The one with a girlfriend, even though he doesn’t admit she’s his girlfriend.

They’d surely think I’m the third wheel.

Jiang Lin would chat with me under the guise of patient care, and I’d use inquiries about his condition as an excuse to talk to him. We both understood each other’s intentions.

Over time, I really wanted to go see him for a check-up.

Unfortunately, he’s not in gynecology, so to see him, I’d have to injure myself.

Interestingly, after recovering from a concussion, Chen Wu often came over, bringing his fashion design drafts and finished products to discuss with Xiao Huai.

Turns out they wanted to open an online store focused on original designs, still in the startup phase, using Xiao Huai’s home as a studio, with Chen Qi as their model.

“Actually, there’s a ready-made model here. My sister’s style is too singular, some designs don’t suit her,” Chen Wu said, stroking his chin as he assessed me.

Xiao Huai closed his eyes, not looking at me, “She won’t do.”

Chen Wu shrugged helplessly at me.

I curved my lips, saying nothing.

I’m no longer like before, falling into self-doubt over his casual remarks.

At night, I sat on the balcony, feeling the breeze, while Mom was on a video call with me.

As we chatted, she suddenly brought up Xiao Huai, her tone very gentle, “You can’t force matters of the heart. After all these years, if you could be together, you would have been by now…”

I said, “Mom, I understand. I don’t seem to like him that much anymore.”

Mom paused for a moment.

It was the first time I said this so calmly. In the past, even in my most upset and stubborn moments, I only cried with reddened eyes, shouting: Xiao Huai, do you really think I’d die without you? Rest assured, I won’t cling to you anymore.

But I never said, I don’t like him anymore.

Mom nodded, saying nothing more.

After hanging up the video call, I turned around.

Xiao Huai was standing behind me, looking at me expressionlessly.