"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 10
Seems like it.
Zhu Jinyue thought back.
Apart from glancing at the news before the auction started, he had been sitting quietly in the seat next to her all evening.
Since the auction stage was on her other side, his posture was slightly turned toward her.
Even while she was bowing her head playing games, her peripheral vision could catch sight of his slender hands resting within the deep brown sleeves—
He hadn’t even taken out his phone.
He probably really hadn’t done anything.
But for an auction to last this long, this person could actually resist playing on his phone the entire time—didn’t he find it boring at all?
Although that little white-haired guy seemed somewhat interested in her, Zhu Jinyue didn’t really know him at all, so her curiosity was quite limited. She didn’t press further and was about to continue walking out when her phone suddenly rang.
The call was from her driver.
Her driver, Cheng Yan, was an incredibly cool older sister with beautiful, well-defined muscles. Rumor had it she’d won several sanda championships and could take on two or three men without breaking a sweat. She was currently also Zhu Jinyue’s bodyguard, specially hired by Zhu Qinghao.
Zhu Jinyue answered the phone. The usually very cool person’s tone was clearly panicked today.
“Yueyue, are you done there? I just got a call from a neighbor saying my mom fainted and was taken to the hospital. If you’re not finished, I’ll head to the hospital first and have Uncle Zhang pick you up?”
Zhu Jinyue replied, “Okay, go to the hospital. I’ll call Uncle Zhang myself.”
The venue was noisy after the event ended. Cheng Yan probably heard the chatter and asked, “Is it over there? Maybe—”
Zhu Jinyue cut her off. “Maybe what? Just go to the hospital. If you keep nagging, I’ll dock your pay.”
Without waiting for Cheng Yan to respond, she hung up directly.
Though she ended the call decisively, Zhu Jinyue was still a bit troubled.
Uncle Zhang was the family driver. Calling him now would mean waiting over an hour. She could also ask the Yuan family to send a car—
Zhu Jinyue lowered her head, and her peripheral gaze accidentally caught a glimpse of a deep brown vicuña wool hem.
“?”
“Shen Qinghuai?”
They hadn’t come together. Zhu Jinyue thought he had left long ago.
She looked up.
The tall man stood quietly by her side, still in the same spot as before, as if he hadn’t moved an inch. He was still holding the two boxes she had handed him earlier.
His features appeared even gentler against the cool-toned deep brown.
Zhu Jinyue blinked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
“Did something happen?” Shen Qinghuai’s voice was also gentle, “Do you need help?”
Zhu Jinyue, “……?”
Was he still thinking about Fu Zhiwang’s request?
Their relationship must really be good.
“I’m fine. It’s just that my driver has some family issues.”
“Then—” Shen Qinghuai paused slightly, “If you don’t mind, I can give you a ride? It’s on my way.”
Zhu Jinyue, “Is it on your way?”
Shen Qinghuai nodded, “If it’s the same place as last time, then it’s exactly on the way.”
She could indeed ask the Yuan family to send a car.
But perhaps because of Cheng Yan’s call, she was reminded again of the day her grandmother passed away, and she didn’t really feel like taking a stranger’s car right now.
Anyway, only the auntie was at the villa now, so staying at the apartment tonight wouldn’t make much difference.
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Shen Qinghuai lowered his eyes slightly, “No trouble at all. It’s on the way.”
He was driving the same Bentley as last time.
The interior was just as clean and fresh as before.
Zhu Jinyue got into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and turned to the person beside her, “Do you mind if I sleep in your car for a bit?”
The light inside the car was dim. The man in the driver’s seat was half-shrouded in shadow, making his contours appear deeper, his gaze carrying a reassuring tenderness.
“Not at all,” Shen Qinghuai said softly, “Sleep if you want. Should I play some music?”
“Up to you.”
Zhu Jinyue turned her head back and closed her eyes.
If only Grandma had had a chance to be saved back then—
Soft music began to play inside the car.
Perhaps it was because of that year they spent together long ago, which left her with a sense of peace and security around him that she still hadn’t forgotten, or maybe because she really hadn’t slept enough last night, or perhaps because his driving was exceptionally smooth—Zhu Jinyue unconsciously drifted off, her head tilting against the seat as she fell asleep.
She woke up because, in her dream, she stepped into empty air. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed something fluffy.
Zhu Jinyue thought she had been playing too much of the game lately and was dreaming about the fluffy creatures from it. But when she opened her eyes, she found she was actually holding something.
—The edge of a blanket.
She clearly remembered not covering herself with anything before falling asleep.
Zhu Jinyue gripped the blanket and instinctively glanced at the seat beside her.
The Bentley had stopped at some point. The man in the driver’s seat was bowing his head, looking at his phone—perhaps handling work. The lines of his face seemed slightly sharper than when he smiled, adding a touch of cold, handsome allure.
Perhaps because the scene felt somewhat familiar, she suddenly remembered something from the past.
It was back when she had acute gastroenteritis.
…
The emergency room was chaotic, filled with the cries of children and the exhausted, helpless faces of adults.
Zhu Jinyue lay down on the last available bed. Her abdominal pain was so severe that she couldn’t bother with her usual fastidiousness about cleanliness.
A nurse brought medication for an IV drip. The thin needle glinted coldly under the light.
Zhu Jinyue felt her scalp go numb. The fingertips of her right hand instinctively tightened around the white sheet covering her.
It was then that the boy standing on the other side suddenly called her name.
“Zhu Jinyue.”
Zhu Jinyue turned her head.
Shen Qinghuai’s gaze lingered on her face for a second, “Your hair came loose.”
Zhu Jinyue thought, at a time like this, who cares about hair? But almost simultaneously, a slight stinging pain came from the other side as the needle pierced her skin.
By the time she turned back, the nurse had already secured the needle in her hand.
Zhu Jinyue was really only afraid of the moment the needle went in. Now that it was done, the rest of the process wasn’t scary anymore. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.
The child next to her was still crying. An elderly woman, likely the child’s grandmother, was softly comforting them.
Back when Zhu Jinyue used to get sick, her grandmother would comfort her just like that.
—But now, she no longer had a grandmother.
Zhu Jinyue withdrew her gaze.
“Shen Qinghuai.”
Shen Qinghuai lowered his eyes. Perhaps noticing her eyes were red again, the boy’s voice softened slightly, “Is it that bad? Should I go find a doctor for you?”
Zhu Jinyue shook her head and pointed to her own pink-and-white backpack hanging from his arm, “Can you call my parents for me? The phone is in the outer pocket.”
Shen Qinghuai, “Okay.”
The boy unzipped the outer layer of the backpack and took out her phone. The phone, with its pink case and black-and-white cat charm, looked somewhat out of place in his hand.
He didn’t seem to pay it much mind and asked softly, “Is it okay to tell me the password, or would you like to enter it yourself?”
Zhu Jinyue sniffled and gave him the password.
Shen Qinghuai responded with an “Mm.”
A moment later, the boy looked up again, his gaze frank and direct as it settled on her.
“Where’s the dialer?”
Zhu Jinyue was using the latest model of phone, with a home screen) changed to a flashy, cute theme. The app icons were not very distinct, and sometimes even she had to think for a moment.
The dialer wasn’t in the usual spot where most phones had it.
It was normal not to find it unless you opened it to check.
But among the boys her age she’d known before—not all, but the vast majority—had habits like pretending to know things they didn’t or prioritizing saving face.
The boy in front of her, however, seemed to possess a composure and ease that transcended his age.
“Lower the phone a bit.”
The boy complied with her request, lowering the phone for her to see.
Zhu Jinyue pointed her fingertip at a specific icon.
Shen Qinghuai nodded.
He must have successfully dialed the number. The pink phone was raised to his ear, the black-and-white kitten charm swaying gently by his hand.
A short while later, he looked down at her again, “No one’s answering.”
Zhu Jinyue had already guessed when he remained silent for so long, but her voice still carried a hint of a sob when she spoke, “Forget it if they won’t answer.”
Shen Qinghuai, “I’ll try again for you later.”
“Don’t bother.” Zhu Jinyue’s eyes were red. “Let them be as busy as they want. I don’t need them to care about me anyway.”
Though her temper wasn’t directed at him, her tone certainly wasn’t pleasant.
The boy didn’t seem to mind. When he spoke again, his voice seemed even gentler than before. He didn’t mention her crying, only saying, “Then why don’t you sleep for a while? The drip will take a long time. You might feel better if you sleep.”
Zhu Jinyue gave a muffled “Mm” and closed her eyes.
The child next to her was still crying, the elderly person was cooing repeatedly. Further away, someone seemed to be gasping in pain. But the person beside her was silent.
Had he left?
Zhu Jinyue opened her eyes again.
The tall, lean boy was still standing beside her hospital bed, her pink-and-white backpack still hanging from his arm.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently.
The initial impulse had passed, and Zhu Jinyue felt too embarrassed to ask him to stay—after all, they weren’t even acquainted.
“It’s nothing.” She closed her eyes again.
But Shen Qinghuai seemed to guess her thoughts. His voice sounded softly beside her.
“I’m not leaving. Rest assured.”
Perhaps because she was feeling too unwell, or maybe there was some sedative in the IV fluid, Zhu Jinyue actually fell asleep. When she woke again, the sun had turned into the setting sun.
Light streamed in through the window, casting a faint orange glow on the boy’s black hair.
He had somehow acquired a small red plastic stool and was holding a test paper she didn’t know where he’d gotten.
The emergency room conditions were crude and simple; naturally, there was no desk for him to write on.
So, he held a pen in one hand and the test paper in the other. When he needed to write, he would bend over, lowering his head, and use his knee as a surface for the paper.
It couldn’t have been a comfortable posture, yet he managed it with composure.
Her pink-and-white backpack was hanging behind his shoulder. It would have been more convenient to use it as a cushion.
He must have noticed her gaze. The boy looked up.
“Awake?” Shen Qinghuai asked her. “Does it still hurt?”
Zhu Jinyue shook her head.
Shen Qinghuai, “Are you hungry? But the nurse said you should wait until after the drip to eat. For the next few days, it’s best to have light, easily digestible liquids and noodles.”
“Not hungry,” Zhu Jinyue said. “What time is it now?”
Shen Qinghuai raised his wrist to look at his watch. “Almost six.”
A whole afternoon had passed.
Zhu Jinyue remembered he had closed the bubble tea shop early to bring her at noon.
Although she’d never had a job herself, her family wasn’t short on bosses.
“You closed the shop early at noon. Will your boss scold you?”
Shen Qinghuai, “No. You started feeling unwell after drinking something at our shop. We have a responsibility to get you to the hospital.”
Zhu Jinyue, “The doctor said it probably wasn’t food poisoning but gastroenteritis from eating too much spicy and cold food these past few days. It has nothing to do with your shop.”
“That’s alright too.” The boy’s tone was unhurried, inexplicably giving a sense of reassurance, “Someone will come to relieve me for the two o’clock shift anyway.”
Zhu Jinyue breathed a slight sigh of relief, “Then how much did it cost earlier? I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Shen Qinghuai shook his head, “No need. My boss said we bear some responsibility too. He’ll reimburse the medical fees.”
“Alright then.” Zhu Jinyue looked up; there was still a small amount of liquid left in the IV bottle. She pointed at it with the hand that could move, “How much longer for this?”
“Probably another forty or fifty minutes,” Shen Qinghuai said, “You can sleep a bit more.”
Zhu Jinyue gave another “Mm” and closed her eyes again.
When she woke up again, the orange sunset light streaming through the window had disappeared.
Gone too were the red plastic stool and the boy who had been sitting on it.
In their place was a man and a woman, both dressed in the latest runway styles, looking utterly out of place in the shabby emergency room.
—Her parents.
Seeing she was awake, Kong Si hurried over, “Sweetie, you’re awake. Does it still hurt?”
Zhu Jinyue ignored her and turned to look in another direction. But even after scanning the entire room, she couldn’t see Shen Qinghuai.
Only then did she turn back, “Where’s my classmate?”
Zhu Jingsen said, “He went back for evening self-study.”
Zhu Jinyue wrinkled her nose.
She hadn’t even had a chance to thank him.
…
“Awake?” A voice, slightly deeper and more steady than ten years ago, sounded not far from her ear.
Zhu Jinyue snapped back to the present, her gaze refocusing on Shen Qinghuai’s face ten years later.
She was still somewhat dazed.
The image of the boy’s still-youthful face from ten years ago lingered in her mind. Looking at the elegant and refined man before her now, Zhu Jinyue felt a sudden sense of temporal disorientation.
She thought about what happened later and felt that his words at the auction that evening weren’t wrong.
It seemed luck really hadn’t favored him much.