The Lady’s Facade was Ruined - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Memories of Bee and Rose Garden 

Huo Cheng remembered very clearly that day back when he was ten years old. It was the day when he first saw Shen Wanying. 

At that time, his father had decided to take him abroad. Before he left, he took him to visit a friend. The grownups were chatting in the living room, and he was sent to play in the garden. 

It was in that garden that he saw Shen Wanying reading under a rose vine. 

He didn’t know how to describe the view at that time. He only felt that the little girl under the rose vine looked very much like his mother’s oil painting. It was an ethereal scene that he couldn’t take his eyes off from. 

The fragrance of flowers in the garden penetrated deeply into the heart. He wanted to get close to her, but he didn’t dare. So, he just stood at the other end and looked at her. Then there was a gust of wind, and the little girl’s hat was blown away. 

The little red hat landed on a tree branch. The girl tried reaching for the hat, but couldn’t.After a few tries, she was almost in tears. Huo Cheng ran over to help her get her hat back. However, after he jumped several times, he found that he also couldn’t reach it. 

“Who are you?” Shen Wanying looked at him curiously. Perhaps because she was distracted by Huo Cheng’s presence, the missing hat didn’t make her sad anymore.
 

Huo Cheng didn’t expect she would suddenly talk to him. With a somewhat shy voice, he replied, “My name is Huo Cheng. I came to visit with my father.” 

Shen Wanying nodded, “Oh, I know. My mother told me. My name is Shen Wanying. Can you help me get my hat from that branch?” 

“Sure.” Huo Cheng looked around and found a wooden ladder in the garden. “There’s a ladder over there. I’ll go get it and bring it over here.” 

Huo Cheng ran over, he studied how to move the big ladder by himself. Shen Wanying then came to him and said, “I’ll move it with you.” 

“No need, I can move it by myself.” Huo Cheng’s hand barely touched the ladder, yet he felt that something had pricked him. He withdrew his hand. A wasp flew out of a hole Huo Cheng found on the ladder where he had placed his hand. 

“What are you two doing?” The adults seemed to have finished chatting at last. They all came to the garden. Huo Cheng hid his hand behind him and said to Huo Tingxiao, “Her hat has been blown into the tree. I want to move the ladder there.” 

Huo Tingxiao heard this, looked at the ladder, then laughed, “How can you two move this? Just ask us adults to get it for you.” 

The hat was finally taken down by Shen Wanying’s father. Shen Wanying happily put it back on her head. When Shen Qian saw how happy Shen Wanying was, he persuaded Huo Tingxiao, “You don’t know when you’ll come back. It would be better to take a picture of the two children now.”　　 

Huo Tingxiao looked at Huo Cheng. During this period, Huo Cheng was always in a bad mood. It was rare to see him so cheerful today. So, he readily agreed, “Ok.” 

From Huo Cheng and Shen Wanying’s encounter that day in the Rose Garden, what remained was a single photo of them together.
 

After leaving the Shen family, Huo Tingxiao noticed Huo Cheng’s swollen finger, “What’s wrong with your hand?” 

Huo Cheng: “A moment ago in the garden, I wasn’t careful and got stung by a wasp.” 

Huo Tingxiao: “Then why didn’t you tell me? I’ll take you to the hospital first.” 

In the classroom, Shen Wanying asked in surprise, “Ten years old? Then were you alright?” 

Huo Cheng: “It’s nothing. Merely an allergic reaction, just a rash on my body.” 

“Oh…” Shen Wanying nodded, “Well, you were stung by a wasp, isn’t it very painful?” 

“M-hm.” 

“Is it more painful than an injection?” 

“Right.” Huo Cheng looked at her, his eyes did not betray his thoughts. “The injection will hurt for a bit, but the wasp is poisonous. Its toxins will spread through your body, so you’re going to suffer from the pain for a much longer time, and it’s only going to get worse.”