How We Love - Volume 1 Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – “Can’t you have some dignity?”

On the day of the exhibition, Cai Xin wore a black dress after much thought. It was, after all, the work of an idol she worshipped, she had to dress properly. Cai Xin laughed when she saw Zhang Heran at the entrance of the exhibition hall. He was also dressed formally. Not only that, but he also styled his hair with hairspray. He was already handsome, but now that he was spruced up like that, he was simply dazzling. He stood there, clean-cut with beautiful eyes, red lips and white teeth, tall and handsome.

Cai Xin stood next to him and couldn’t help but tell a self-deprecating joke, “Do I look like your aunt?”

Zhang Heran solemnly looked into her eyes and shook his head, “Not at all. You’re very beautiful today.”

Cai Xin looked into Zhang Heran’s eyes and thought that he had the most bewitching pair of eyes in the world.

Cai Xin carefully inspected the works displayed at the exhibition. From this one exhibition, she seemed to be able to see the artistic dreams she had once harbored. The dreams that were hatched because of the person she liked and had to be destroyed because that was how life worked. She was drawn into the paintings and couldn’t help but compare the past with the present. Her heart turned sour.

After exiting the exhibition, Cai Xin felt slightly down in the dumps. She told Zhang Heran, “I’ve just now found out that I’m a failure of a person. Other people have their youths engraved in their memories, while no one cares to ask about mine. Let’s take you, for example, you were so famous back in school. Me, on the other hand, I don’t think anyone knows who I am.”

Zhang Heran stared at her and said with all seriousness, “No. It’s not what you think. There’s someone who remembers you, there must be.”

Cai Xin looked at him and smiled: “Thanks for comforting me.”

***

Liu Yishuang invited Cai Xin to eat seafood. Cai Xin ate something and had an allergic reaction. Her face had lost all color, she vomited once and had a slight fever. Liu Yishuang was supposed to take her to the hospital but he received a call at that bad time. Cai Xin knew that it was an urgent call judging from Liu Yishuang’s conflicted expression.

Cai Xin sighed and told Liu Yishuang, “You should go if it’s urgent. I’ll be okay. I’m used to having allergic reactions. I’ll take a taxi to the hospital for an IV drip later.”

Liu Yishuang hesitated but eventually followed her wishes and walked away.

Cai Xin suddenly felt dejected. She remembered a quote from a TV series she had watched: If a woman says no, she means yes. If she says she’s fine, she’s not. If she tells you to go, she doesn’t. Cai Xin was desolate thinking about this quote. To pick herself back up, she quickly stopped her train of thought and went to hail a taxi. But just as she stood up, the world spun in front of her eyes and she fell back to her chair. She waited for a while thinking it would get better but instead her throat closed even more and she lost strength in her hands and feet. She couldn’t move at all. It didn’t seem like the situation was under control. Cai Xin called the waiter and asked her to help her call someone.

To whom, though? She suddenly realized that after so many years in this city, her only ‘friend’ was Yue Sisi. Cai Xin felt sad for herself. She only had that one friend and now they weren’t even friends anymore. She thought hard and finally told the waiter seeing as there was no other way, “Can you please call ‘Uncle Zhang’ for me?”

After the call was connected, the waiter tucked the phone to Cai Xin’s ear. Cai Xin struggled to breathe as she told Zhang Heran, “Could you please come… take me to the hospital… I’ll pay you!”

***

At the hospital, Zhang Heran grimly looked at Cai Xin who was lying on the hospital bed with a needle in her vein. He quietly accompanied Cai Xin in finishing the IV drip and quietly accompanied her until her allergic reaction receded.

When Cai Xin was finally able to walk by herself, Zhang Heran spoke up. His face was frosty and his voice was deep, he asked Cai Xin, “Can you have some dignity in front of Liu Yishuang?”

Cai Xin froze for a moment, “How do you know Liu Yishuang?” She asked back with a deep voice.

Zhang Heran didn’t answer her question, he continued, “An allergic reaction isn’t a trivial matter. You almost died, you know? But where was he during all this?”

Cai Xin didn’t want to answer his question, she looked away and walked forward.

Zhang Heran’s voice came from behind her, “You’re so weak in front of that Liu guy.”

Cai Xin paused in her footsteps, but she didn’t stop. She continued to move forward.

“… Heh, but I don’t have the right to nag you, I’m even weaker.”

Cai Xin didn’t look back and walked out of the hospital. Zhang Heran’s glum face went unnoticed behind her.