The Early Spring - Chapter 45

Chapter 45 - Falling Ill

A little later that evening, Long Zhentian called Shang Zhitao, sounding intoxicated as he tried to tell her a Christmas story.

"I didn't ask for a lesson today, oh. Today's session is free," Shang Zhitao teased Long Zhentian.

"No money needed. Today is voluntary tutoring."

"But I don't want to learn thick-tongued English." Shang Zhitao mocked Long Zhentian for sounding like his tongue was too thick from drinking, laughing and joking along with him.

Long Zhentian suddenly turned serious. "Taotao, should I take you to the United States?" Such a radical proposition startled Shang Zhitao, leaving her momentarily speechless on the other end of the line.

"Did you hear me? Come with me?"

"Sober up, Long Zhentian." Shang Zhitao hung up the phone. Why did Christmas make everyone act so strange?

"What's wrong?"

Shang Zhitao shook her head. Had everyone lost their minds?

When they got home, Sun Yu pulled a small gift box out of her bag, placed it in Shang Zhitao's palm, and said with rare gentleness, "Shang Zhitao, Merry Christmas."

Shang Zhitao took the gift, ran into her room, and then ran right back out. "I prepared a gift for you too!" She placed the gift box into Sun Yu's hands and gave her a hug.

She had prepared a block-built house for Sun Yu, and Sun Yu had prepared an everlasting flower for her. There was a tiny touch of sweetness in these mundane days—the unforgettable years of youth and friendship.

Shang Zhitao began to enjoy borrowing books from Sun Yuanzhu. Having a mini-library right at home felt simply wonderful. Yet she also understood restraint and etiquette; she would only visit his room when everyone else was around. In her heart, Sun Yuanzhu was like an immortal being, and she couldn't bear the thought of him being tarnished by worldly dust.

Whenever she borrowed books, she would chat with Sun Yuanzhu for a bit. She always felt that Sun Yuanzhu carried a trace of sorrow about him. Yet he was always so serene that it made her think it might just be her imagination.

When reading Sun Yuanzhu's books, she would follow his habits, turning the pages with utmost care without daring to leave a single trace.

During the New Year holiday, while everyone else rushed out to get busy, she huddled in bed to read. Not only did she read, but she took notes as well.

She only ran out for one day to go hiking with Long Zhentian. After sobering up, he continuously apologized for his out-of-character behavior during that phone call. His apology was sincere, sounding almost like a confession of love. He said Shang Zhitao was the epitome of the ideal Chinese girl in his mind—obedient, gentle, and resilient. That was why he couldn't help but blurt out those words, and he begged Shang Zhitao to forgive him.

Foreigners really were hilarious. Who knew what kind of things foreigners had packed inside their heads.

Shang Zhitao blushed as she listened to his compliments, finally replying, "Long Zhentian, I can't go to the United States with you. I still have my parents. Do you know the old Chinese saying? 'When your parents are alive, do not travel far.' I'm already somewhat unfilial by working in Beijing; I certainly can't go abroad with you. Besides, you're a great teacher and friend, but you're not my type!"

"My heart is broken!" Long Zhentian clutched his chest and sighed dramatically, leaving Shang Zhitao giggling at his antics.

On the very last day of the New Year holiday, Shang Zhitao caught a severe cold.

She had enjoyed robust health since childhood and rarely ever fell sick. Back when her classmates were constantly sniffling from one cold to the next, she alone remained as healthy as a little armored tank. Old Shang always said that his daughter's greatest asset was her robust constitution.

Yet Shang Zhitao, owner of this robust constitution, had come down with a heavy cold. Her nose was so blocked that half her brain felt paralyzed, her eyes brimmed with water—making her look at first glance as though she had suffered the greatest grievance imaginable—and she couldn't stop coughing, accompanied by a fever. Even with such a serious illness, she still got up early and went to work. She didn't want to take sick leave; with the Lunar New Year approaching, she wanted to save up a few extra days of vacation to go home and keep Old Shang and Dazhai company.

Sniffling, she stepped out of the elevator and ran into Luan Nian emerging from the office. Though she didn't want to speak to him, she still rubbed her nose and greeted him with a morning nod: "Morning, Luke."

Luan Nian walked right past her without turning his head, his expression icy.

Miserable from her cold, Shang Zhitao had no spare energy to guess Luan Nian's thoughts. She understood well enough that to Luan Nian, once a relationship ended, it ended. He had always regarded her as a foolish person anyway and wouldn't want to waste words on her. With her head feeling fuzzy and heavy, she took a pill and, seeing that it was still early, laid her head down on her desk to catch some sleep. This cold struck with ferocious momentum, and by afternoon, a high fever had set in, turning her face flushed red.

When Lumi came back from fetching water and saw her sitting blankly in front of her computer with a glassy stare, she pressed a hand against her forehead. "Good heavens, girl! You could fry an egg on this forehead of yours!"

"Huh?" Shang Zhitao reacted sluggishly, reaching up to touch her own forehead as well. "It does feel a bit warm..."

"Go back home. Take sick leave."

"Sick leave... does that count against my annual leave?"

"Are you silly? It's paid sick leave. Just remember to get a doctor's note if it's more than two days."

"Okay."

Shang Zhitao packed up her things and stood up. Lumi bundled her up securely and escorted her out the door. Feeling somewhat worried, Lumi asked, "Are your roommates all home?"

"I don't think so."

The two of them stepped into the elevator. Just as the doors were closing, Luan Nian and the women from the creative center walked in; they were headed to the first-floor cafe for a meeting.

Lumi smiled at everyone, then whispered to Shang Zhitao, "What will you do if nobody's home? Oh well, I'll drive you back."

Shang Zhitao covertly tugged at Lumi's sleeve to warn her to be mindful of her surroundings, but Lumi just curled her lip. Once, Kitty had gone down to the ground floor to buy shoes and bumped straight into Lumi, who was downstairs welcoming a supplier. No one had room to judge anyone else; usually putting on a respectable front, weren't they all acting like cowards when skipping work?

Lumi wasn't afraid of any of this! Shang Zhitao stepped out of the elevator and sat down in the lobby on the first floor to wait for Lumi while Luan Nian and the others headed through the back door toward the cafe. Catching sight of Shang Zhitao's abnormally flushed face, Luan Nian suddenly felt a slight softening in his heart.

On that night when he was drinking in Hokkaido and received Shang Zhitao's message declaring the end of their relationship, he had actually felt a brief flash of irritation. Unwilling to entangle himself with women, he had tossed back a drink thinking of coming back to put her in her place, but after a few more glasses, he decided ending it like this was for the best. Shang Zhitao couldn't handle the game, and he wasn't looking for anything serious; continuing down that path would likely bring endless trouble.

Yet at this moment, seeing Shang Zhitao sitting there—straight-backed despite being sick—a spark of pity stirred deep within him.

"Are you sick?" In a rare move, he took the initiative to message her about personal matters.

Shang Zhitao saw the message Luan Nian sent her, but she simply slipped her phone into her pocket without replying. Only she knew the true reason behind this illness. Caught between her hopeless feelings for her former partner and the urge to let go, she was trapped in a cycle of torment. The feeling of being unloved was too wretched—so wretched that it stoked a dark, unvented fire in her chest. If she didn't fall sick, she feared she wouldn't know how to endure the fallout.

During the departmental meeting, Luan Nian glanced through the glass back door of the cafe toward Shang Zhitao's spot, seeing her put away her phone without replying, her posture stubborn.

Lumi arrived and took her away.

Luan Nian had always known that Shang Zhitao harbored a quiet stubbornness. Her obstinacy was hidden so deep that it easily led people to assume she was entirely submissive, yet her occasional emotional outbursts laid that stubbornness bare.

Once he finished aligning on ideas with the department, he stood up. "Grace, lead the rest of the work going forward." He headed upstairs, put on his coat, and drove out of the company. As he waited for the elevator, he ran into Lumi, who had just returned from dropping Shang Zhitao off. She greeted him, "Hey there, Luke."

"Skipping work?"

"...Ah... Flora got sick, so I took her home," Lumi replied with unblushing confidence.

"Mm. Skipping work means a pay dock; go report it to HR." Luan Nian kept a straight face, making it impossible to tell whether he was joking or serious.

Lumi made a dismissive sound behind his back, thinking to herself, I'll report your beloved Kitty right along with me.

Luan Nian pressed the close button. Sometimes he found these people utterly foolish—running a fever so high her face was red, and instead of going to the hospital, what the hell was she doing going home?

He drove over to the entrance of Shang Zhitao's residential complex and called her. Shang Zhitao didn't pick up—perhaps she had fallen asleep, or perhaps she simply didn't want to answer.

"Get down here," Luan Nian messaged her. "Fill out your leave form."

Pulling rank as her boss, the strictly professional attitude finally stripped away Shang Zhitao's defiance. Contemplating how to respond, she received another message from him: "Bring your ID card and health insurance card down. I'll fill it out on my computer."

...Shang Zhitao felt Luan Nian was being entirely overbearing. Did he chase down every single employee at home just to make sure they filled out the leave system? With so many people in the company, was he planning to monitor everyone's attendance individually? Dragging herself downstairs, she saw that Luan Nian was driving the very car whose bumper she had wrecked, which stirred a tiny twinge of guilt.

Getting into the car, she said to Luan Nian, "I'm sorry, Luke. I didn't mean to skip the system. I just forgot."

For some reason, the fever had subsided momentarily, only to surge right back up. Her throat felt as raw as if she'd choked on water, making speech an arduous task. A fit of relentless coughing seized her, as if she were about to run out of breath.

Luan Nian waited until she finished coughing before asking, "Did you bring your ID and insurance card?"

"I brought them."

Luan Nian said no more and started the engine. Shang Zhitao felt a bit bewildered, turning her head to look at him. "Where are you taking me?"

Without answering, Luan Nian drove straight to the hospital near her neighborhood.

"Get out."

"I'm not going to the hospital." Shang Zhitao had enjoyed good health since childhood, but she was deathly afraid of hospitals. Seeing the medical center now made her knees go weak; turning coward, she sat frozen in the car and refused to budge. "I want to go home."

Luan Nian arched a brow. "Let's see who you listed as your emergency contact in the system." With that, he reached for his laptop, prompting Shang Zhitao to hurriedly press her hand down on his. "Don't."

Her palms were burning hot against the back of Luan Nian's hand. Realizing how inappropriate this was, she quickly withdrew her hand. "I'll go in and register right now. Thank you for bringing me." She wanted no further entanglements with Luan Nian. Over the past few days, she had figured out many, many things. She wasn't like Luan Nian, who could pick things up and put them down with ease. She didn't have that kind of talent. Having accidentally witnessed him surrounded by other women, she knew that to him, she was merely a tool for physical relief—it could be her, or it could be someone else. She had originally thought she wouldn't care, but she did care.

She entered the hospital outpatient clinic alone, thinking to herself that she definitely wasn't going to let them draw blood. People bustled back and forth through the clinic. She wandered around for a bit, hoping to find a quiet corner to sit for a while before heading home. Turning around, she saw Luan Nian standing right behind her, offering a sarcastic jab: "Don't know how to find the registration window, do you?"

Shang Zhitao pressed her lips together in silence. She had no idea what to say. She couldn't figure out why Luan Nian was sticking his nose into her business. That was just how he was—just when you had completely given up hope, he would turn around and be just nice enough to make you think you were someone special in his heart.

Too lazy to waste words, Luan Nian stepped right up to Shang Zhitao, reached into her down jacket pocket, pulled out her ID and insurance card, and didn't forget to issue a threat: "Your emergency contact is Shang Wenbin, right?"

Threats worked. Shang Zhitao's greatest fear was her parents finding out she was sick. During her four years studying in Nanjing, whenever she fell ill once or twice, she had always kept it hidden away successfully.

So she obediently went to see the doctor.