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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing the circle of people in the room, Jiang Wen frowned slightly.
"Have you eaten?" Yin Yan was the first to speak.
Zhao Huiyun smiled and chatted with Yin Yan, "Is this your son?"
Yin Yan nodded slightly, "Our second child."
Actually, Zhao Huiyun had seen Jiang Wen that night at Jian Tang, but there were too many people and the lighting was dim, so she felt that the boy in front of her looked familiar but couldn't recall exactly.
Jiang Wen glanced at Feng Ning and quietly walked to the bedside.
Jiang Yuru grabbed his hand and rubbed it, "Oh, brother, your hand is so cold. Let me warm it up for you."
Jiang Wen ruffled her hair, "Is it better now?"
"Better." Jiang Yuru looked around curiously, blinking her bright eyes, "Do I not have to go to class now?"
Jiang Yuyun smiled, "This is all you can do."
They communicated in the dialect from Chongxi, which others found hard to understand. Feng Ning observed for a while and noticed that there was no one in this family who looked unpleasant.
Most of Jiang Wen's appearance came from his mother. Yin Yan did not appear as bulky as other middle-aged women her age; her face was well-maintained and showed no signs of aging due to the passage of time. One could still faintly see the charm of her youth in her brows and eyes.
Inappropriately, Feng Ning recalled Shuang Yao's comment about Jiang Wen's looks, saying he was particularly pure. At that time, it was hard to understand, but now it suddenly felt a bit nostalgic.
His demeanor had a sense of distance; he was only in his teens yet even his smile felt cold. On this clean snowy day, he gave off an inexplicable feeling of being pure and untainted.
Zhao Huiyun was good at reading the room, "Let's exchange phone numbers, then we won't disturb you any longer."
Feng Ning also stood up, pulling Zhao Fanyu, who was curled up beside him, and pointed to Jiang Yuru on the hospital bed, saying, "Hurry up and sincerely apologize to the little sister over there, then say goodbye."
Zhao Fanyu quickly glanced at the person on the bed and timidly squeezed out three apologies.
After leaving the hospital building, Zhao Huiyun patted Feng Ning on the shoulder. "Thanks to you this time. When I just arrived, I asked a friend to check, and it turns out the one who fell was Jiang Family's Youngest Daughter. That little rascal Zhao Fanyu is always getting me into trouble."
A gust of wind blew against their faces, feeling like a slap. Feng Ning wrapped her scarf around her face and huffed a breath. "No need to thank me. If you really want to thank me, just give me a bit more salary each month."
"You sure know how to joke," Zhao Huiyun murmured. "By the way, do you know the young master of the Jiang family?"
"Who?" Feng Ning took a moment to react, then exclaimed, "Oh, Jiang Wen! I'm in the same class as him."
"Isn't that a coincidence? Maybe we can use this opportunity to build some connections with the Jiang family. I was just thinking of renting a few shops over at Guangjiu."
Zhao Huiyun was quite shrewd; her polite words to Yin Yan were not without reason. Guilt was one aspect, but she also had some ulterior motives. She calculated, "I'll contact you later. Would you have time during your break to help that younger sister with her homework for a few days? I'll pay you by the hour."
Feng Ning thought for a moment. "During winter break... aside from working at KFC, I shouldn't have much else going on."
"Ha, does KFC still hire minors?"
"It's just temporary work; they aren't that strict," Feng Ning replied with a bright smile. "Besides, don't you also hire minors at your shop?"
"Why aren't you my daughter? How did your mother raise such a sensible child?" Zhao Huiyun glanced at the time and pulled out several Mao Zedong bills from her wallet, handing them to Feng Ning. "Alright, I have another business deal to discuss. I won't see you off; you two can take a ride back to school."
The snow continued to fall as the two of them stood by the roadside, enduring the cold wind for a while. The road was frozen over, and there were very few taxis passing by.
Zhao Fanyu had been holding back his emotions for quite some time. As soon as he saw his mother leave, he burst into tears.
The Chubby Kid's sadness came suddenly. Feng Ning stood beside him in shock, stamping her feet and pulling out a tissue to wipe his nose. "Why are you crying?"
Zhao Fanyu puffed up his cheeks. "I just want to cry; I feel upset inside."
"Your mom hasn't even hit you yet; what are you upset about?"
"I... I don't want to tell you." Zhao Fanyu sniffled through his tears. "But I just feel so sad, woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo, I feel really sad inside, woo woo woo woo woo."
Feng Ning teased him, "Just tell me, if you don't, you'll just cry alone and keep it all bottled up inside. How miserable that must be." Suddenly she seemed to remember something, "Wow, no way! The Anna Toy you wanted at KFC last time was for this little sister, wasn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fanyu cried even louder.
Feng Ning was almost dying of laughter but maintained a serious expression to provoke him further, "Hey, Chubby Kid, are you secretly in love with someone? You must have made that person hate you for getting them hospitalized this time."
Unable to argue back, Zhao Fanyu sobbed and glared at her through his tears.
"What are we going to do now?"
Just as Feng Ning was enjoying teasing the child, a luxurious black car slowly came to a stop beside them.
The window rolled down, and Jiang Yuyun asked, "Are you two heading back to school? It's not a good time to flag down a car; why don't you get in?"
"Sure, thank you, sister!" Feng Ning exclaimed in surprise. Without hesitation, she quickly pulled Zhao Fanyu up. As she opened the car door, she realized there was someone sitting in the back as well.
Feng Ning stared at him while Jiang Wen turned his head away to look out the window.
As they suddenly entered the cold air, a layer of white mist formed on the car window. Feng Ning patted the snow off Zhao Fanyu's head; her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold, but her smile was particularly sweet. "Sister, you're so nice; beautiful inside and out."
The driver was driving while Jiang Yuyun smiled and asked, "What’s the little one crying about?"
"Oh, it's nothing. He just got scolded by his mom," Feng Ning quickly explained.
Zhao Fanyu's chest heaved up and down as he said, "Sister is bullying me."
Feng Ning raised her hand to cover his mouth. "What nonsense are you saying?"
At a traffic light, the car slowed down. Jiang Yuyun, after browsing through some work emails for a while, asked, "Little girl, how old are you?"
"I'm a Sophomore."
"Oh? Xiao Wen is also a Sophomore."
"We are in the same class."
"Oh, you are classmates?" Jiang Yuyun glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "I thought you two didn't know each other."
"It's just the beginning of the semester; everyone is still getting familiar."
Jiang Wen had been silent, deliberately keeping a distance from her. Just then, a phone call came in, and he answered it.
The car's heating was strong, and Zhao Fanyu took off his gloves. When he removed his scarf, the gloves slipped from his lap to the floor by his feet, prompting Feng Ning to bend slightly to reach for them.
Jiang Wen was distracted on the phone, glanced over, and impatiently spread his legs to give her some space.
On the other end, Zhao Binlin was shouting loudly, "Where have you been? Why haven't I seen you? Hello? Jiang Wen? Why is there no sound? Answer me!"
Jiang Wen snapped back to attention and replied casually, "What are you yelling about?"
"Oh, oh, oh! What were you doing just now? Suddenly went quiet; I thought you lost signal."
Jiang Wen's handsome face was cold and irritated. "I'm almost at school; I'm hanging up."
"Is that Zhao Binlin?"
Jiang Wen maintained a stern expression and responded with a grunt.
"Why do you have such dark circles under your eyes?" Jiang Yuyun tilted her head slightly. "You just started sophomore year; don't put too much pressure on yourself at school."
Jiang Wen wasn't sure if he heard her.
"I mean, what's going on with you lately? You look like you've lost your spirit even at home. Did something happen at school?"
Jiang Wen interrupted her, "Stop talking."
Jiang Yuyun persisted, "Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?"
"I haven't been in a relationship."
"Really? When I was your age, I had no idea how many boyfriends I had. Why are you hiding it from me?" Jiang Yuyun asked Feng Ning beside her, "Is this guy popular with the girls at school?"
"Yeah, definitely." Feng Ning smiled, "Jiang Wen is quite popular in our grade."
While they were chatting, he slightly turned his head to look at Feng Ning but quickly looked away.
"Haha, in Junior High School, I took him out to eat, and there were often little girls following us." Jiang Yuyun changed the subject quickly, "But he just doesn't get it."
"That's true." Feng Ning agreed wholeheartedly, "It doesn't matter if he takes a few more years to figure it out; he's still young anyway."
*
The car arrived at the school gate.
Feng Ning adjusted Zhao Fanyu's hat and patiently reminded him, "You go back to the dorm and change your clothes by yourself, and make sure to go to class this afternoon, okay?"
Zhao Fanyu responded weakly.
Feng Ning straightened up and patted his back, "Alright, you hurry along now; your sister has to go to class too."
Someone passed by them.
Walking towards the teaching building, Feng Ning kept her hands in her pockets and silently followed Jiang Wen at a distance of two or three meters.
They walked one after the other, maintaining some space between them. Suddenly, she quickened her pace and called out, "Hey, Jiang Wen, did you win anything on that lottery ticket last time?"
"I don't know," he replied casually.
"No way." Feng Ning still held onto a glimmer of hope. "Did you check when they announced the results?"
"Nope."
Jiang Wen didn't want to pay her any attention, not even a glance. He walked ahead, his steps quick.
Feng Ning, unable to hold back, said, "Why are you walking so fast? Be careful not to slip; the road is slippery today."
Thinking it over, she realized that Jiang Wen had never shown her a good face, so she decided not to make a fool of herself anymore.
Hmph, what a bad temper. It would be best if he fell hard!
Feng Ning stared at Jiang Wen's back, imagining that he was walking along when suddenly he tripped and fell flat on his face. At that moment, she would walk past him with her head held high, not even sparing him a glance.
Heaven must have heard her curse because karma struck immediately. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the condition of the ground beneath her feet. Suddenly, her right foot lost balance, twisting her ankle along with her calf. Caught off guard, she instinctively let out a scream that startled the snow resting on the branches above.
Jiang Wen turned around.
What he saw was Feng Ning kneeling awkwardly on the ground.
A sharp pain shot from her ankle up to her central nervous system. Feng Ning's face turned pale, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she cursed under her breath as tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
She was a bit dazed from the fall.
Fortunately, it was winter and she was dressed warmly; despite the awkwardness of her fall, she didn't feel much pain. Her foot was stuck in a small pit covered by snow. As she tried to move it, the pain was too intense for Feng Ning to do anything but sit on the ground slowly.
In an ironic twist of fate, it was lunchtime and there were very few people on campus. No one witnessed her embarrassing moment.
Jiang Wen stood still for a few seconds before walking over and looking down at her unfortunate state. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Feng Ning winced at the pain and angrily retorted, "Do I look okay to you?" Jiang Wen responded with an indifferent "Oh," adopting an attitude of detachment. "Can you stand up?"
"I'll give it a try."
The pain was so intense that she had to pause for a moment while changing positions; it was particularly agonizing. Under his gaze, she humiliatingly and slowly got up from the snow.
"Let's go to the infirmary."
She was somewhat comforted by the fact that he still had a conscience. Feng Ning, supported by Jiang Wen, had her features all scrunched up as she struggled to hop on one leg. After a while, she slipped again, nearly causing Jiang Wen to fall as well.
Furious, she exclaimed, "Aren't I wearing non-slip snow boots today? What kind of shoddy product is this? I could practically ice skate on the ground! I'm definitely going to file a complaint about this heartless merchant who blatantly deceives consumers!"
The road ahead was long, and she had no idea when they would reach the infirmary. Feng Ning felt utterly defeated: "Why don't you call someone to help us?" She was extremely tired. "I really can't hop anymore. Could you lend me a wheelchair or something?"
Seeing her unfortunate state, for some reason, Jiang Wen's mood suddenly improved.
Jiang Wen picked her up horizontally.
Feng Ning was startled and almost fell off. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. "Wait, are you really princess-carrying me? Isn't that a bit inappropriate? We're still at school; it would be embarrassing if someone saw us."
Her words completely shattered the slightly romantic atmosphere.
"Can you please stop making noise?" Jiang Wen said impatiently, shaking her slightly. "Even if someone sees us, it’s me who will suffer."
"What do you mean it's you who will suffer?" With her mobility compromised, Feng Ning could only let him carry her. "Forget it, I won't argue with you. You look thin, but you're surprisingly strong."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Wen squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Are you trying to strangle me?"
Feng Ning looked up and saw his face flushed with two patches of red. She smiled and loosened her grip a bit. "I'm just afraid of falling; I don't feel safe."
As they walked, his breathing became heavier. Suddenly, Jiang Wen leaned down and set Feng Ning back on the ground.
"What’s wrong now?"
Jiang Wen's arms felt numb as he shook them out, a light sweat appearing on his face. He was cold and direct: "You're too heavy; I can't carry you anymore."
"I'm heavy? Are you kidding me?"
Feng Ning was speechless and awkwardly adjusted her clothes, mumbling quietly in defense of herself: "Where am I heavy? I just wore a bit more clothing today. I haven't even hit a hundred pounds yet; I'm not heavy at all!"
After resting for a moment, Jiang Wen condescended to half-squat down. "Get on." Feng Ning angrily climbed onto his back. "A man shouldn't say he can't do it; that's just pathetic."
Jiang Wen supported her leg with his wrist, his muscles tensing, and paused his movements. "Say that again?"
"Forget it, I won't say anything more," Feng Ning sighed. "You wouldn't really be petty enough to leave me here alone, would you?"
He tilted his head. "You can try."
"I would never let go, even if I die!"
On the way, Zhao Binlin's phone rang again. Feng Ning took the phone out of his pocket and held it to his ear. By the time the call ended, her arm was sore from holding it up.
After a difficult journey to the infirmary, both of them were panting heavily. They took off their shoes for the doctor to examine; fortunately, there were no fractures, just a sprained ankle.
It was the same female doctor as last time. While applying medicine to her, she asked suspiciously, "Haven't I seen you two before?"
Feng Ning sat on the bed and nodded. "Yes, we came here once before when he had heatstroke."
The room was air-conditioned, and Jiang Wen unzipped his jacket and went to wash his face in the restroom.
Zhao Binlin chatted beside her, "Wow, Feng Ning, how did you fall so hard?"
"I was lost in thought while walking and didn't watch where I was going; who knew I'd be so unlucky."
Zhao Binlin looked at her strangely. "Oh, then how did you end up with Jiang Wen?"
Feng Ning briefly recounted what had happened today.
Zhao Binlin nodded. "Well, you two seem quite fated."
The female doctor said, "That's about it; you can go now. Remember not to engage in strenuous activities for the next couple of days and apply the medicine on time."
"Do you have any wheelchairs or something?" Feng Ning turned around to look around.
The female doctor chuckled. "We don't have wheelchairs, but I'll give you a prescription so you can get crutches from the logistics department."
Feng Ning spread his hands and said, "So how am I supposed to go like this?"
The female doctor nodded and replied, "Aren't there two male classmates here?"
Zhao Binlin chuckled and raised his hand, saying, "How about I carry Feng Ning back to the classroom? You can go help her get her things."
Jiang Wen didn't express any opinion, maintaining a blank expression and appearing indifferent.
"What do you think?" Zhao Binlin asked.
There was no response.
"Not a good idea?" Zhao Binlin asked again.
Still no response.
Zhao Binlin put away his playful demeanor and said, "Forget it, I just remembered that my back hasn't been great lately. Carrying someone is better left to Jiang Wen."
Feng Ning leaned back onto Jiang Wen's back again, while Zhao Binlin stood nearby, watching with a grin and let out a long, suggestive whistle.
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