Chapter Fifteen: The Best Friend
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Lin Ye stared intently at his wife’s rosy cheeks, his left hand stroking his chin. He felt as if he had discovered a blind spot. At first, Li Dehua had told him this was his "older sister." He had said nothing about Su Qing’s previous state, lying in bed with one foot already in the grave. Although she didn’t look very old, she could barely pass as Li Dehua’s "older sister." But now, looking at her current state, not only was she far from being Li Dehua’s "older sister," she didn’t even remotely fit the term.
A spark of realization flickered in Lin Ye’s mind—he understood where the problem lay!
Bending his middle finger, he pressed the knuckle against the bridge of his nonexistent glasses. There could only be one truth!
Li Dehua’s generation in the family was too low!
Li Dehua munched on an apple, oblivious to Lin Ye’s thoughts. Then he took a phone call, seemingly about something urgent. After greeting Lin Ye, he left.
The moment Li Dehua left, Lin Ye sat beside Su Qing’s bed and grasped her warm little hand. Earlier, his nervousness stemmed from the hope that his wife had awakened, uncertain how to face her. But since she remained unconscious, everything could continue as before—heh heh heh.
Just as Lin Ye’s hand caressed his wife’s cheek, there was a knock at the door. A petite young woman, with gentle features and likely in her twenties, entered led by a nurse.
“Lin Ye, this young lady says she’s a friend of the patient and came to see her... I’ll leave now. If you need anything, use the call button by the bed.”
“Alright, thank you. You can go ahead.”
Lin Ye withdrew his hand from Su Qing’s cheek and stood, nodding before turning to the unfamiliar girl.
His hand, still tightly holding Su Qing’s, did not loosen despite the stranger’s sudden arrival.
The girl scrutinized Lin Ye from head to toe with a sharp gaze, then asked in a tone that made Lin Ye deeply uncomfortable, “Are you really married to Su Qing?”
Before Lin Ye could reply, she turned her eyes apologetically toward Su Qing lying on the bed.
“May I ask who you are?”
Lin Ye’s brow furrowed slightly. Since the moment she had sized him up like that, his impression of the girl had inexplicably deteriorated.
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“Well... I’m... a very... very good friend of Su Qing’s.”
Her voice was faint and wavering, her gaze seeming to avoid his.
“Hmmm...”
The more Lin Ye looked, the more suspicious he became. Something was very wrong—nine out of ten wrong—but when pressed to say exactly what, he couldn’t. He merely tightened his grip on his wife’s hand.
“Your name is Lin Ye?”
“Yes.”
After Lin Ye’s confirmation, the girl asked again, “Although this may seem presumptuous, I just want to be sure—are you truly married to Su Qing?”
A wave of discomfort surged anew within Lin Ye. Because she claimed to be a close friend of Su Qing’s, he decided to tolerate her questions a bit longer.
He reached behind and pulled their marriage certificate from his backpack, handing it over.
The girl hesitated for several seconds before accepting it.
“So... Su Qing really is married... That’s good, that’s really good for her.” Her voice was barely audible; if not for Lin Ye’s unusually keen hearing, most would not have caught it.
Lin Ye inexplicably felt the girl seemed to relax considerably after saying that, as though a weight had been lifted.
His irritation soared to a new peak.
What was her problem? Whether Su Qing was married, and to whom, had nothing to do with her! Lin Ye suppressed the urge to retort and kept his tone even.
“May I ask your name?”
“My name is Lin Qianyu...”
“Lin Qianyu? I see.”
Lin Ye nodded instinctively, though knowing her name made little difference to him.
Turning, he leaned slightly toward Su Qing’s ear and whispered, “Wife, a girl named Lin Qianyu, who claims to be a very good friend of yours, came to see you.”
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Before he finished speaking, Su Qing’s eyes began to tremble uncontrollably, as if straining to open. At the same time, her small hand in Lin Ye’s palm gripped his hand tightly—stronger than ever before. It was clear that the name Lin Qianyu affected Su Qing far more than anyone expected.
“Is something wrong, my dear? Do you want to say something to this friend called Lin Qianyu?” Lin Ye’s voice softened further.
Strangely, he felt his wife’s reaction was unusual. Even if Lin Qianyu was an especially close friend, simply mentioning her name shouldn’t provoke such a strong reaction.
To Lin Ye, it seemed as though there was some unknown history between Su Qing and Lin Qianyu—were they really friends? Or had they fallen out over something?
Sadly, Uncle Li had left too soon. If he were here, perhaps he could have shed light on the matter. Now, Su Qing was unconscious and unable to speak, so there was no way to ask her. Even if she woke up, she might not answer.
Lost in thought, Lin Ye didn’t notice Lin Qianyu had approached the bedside, gazing at Su Qing’s closed eyes with an inscrutable look.
“Su Qing, I’m Qianyu. I have nothing else to say except congratulations on your marriage. You must look beautiful in a wedding dress. Your husband is very handsome too...” She paused, a hesitant expression flickering across her face, revealing inner turmoil.
After a moment’s thought, she sighed deeply. “Forgive me, Su Qing. What happened before was my fault. Now that you’re married and have your own life, let the past fade away.”
“I only happened to hear about your marriage today, so I came to see you. I’m glad to see you’ve moved on. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
With that, Lin Qianyu straightened, turned, and headed for the door.
Lin Ye noticed that for a fleeting moment, Su Qing’s eyelids seemed to part slightly, and her grip on his hand grew stronger—but sadly, she still did not awaken.
The sound of high heels clicking on the floor faded away. Lin Qianyu glanced back once at Su Qing on the bed, then nodded at Lin Ye before leaving.