Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Really Deserved to Owe You
Li Juezhou let out a heavy sigh. Could Sang Ning and Wen Jiu’s situations even be compared?
Anyone with eyes could see that Wen Jiu clearly had feelings for Shen Fang too, but she was just ridiculously stubborn about it.
Shen Fang expressed his feelings to her time and time again, and every time she rejected him.
Sang Ning, on the other hand, had absolutely no feelings for Li Juezhou. She agreed to him quite readily, but who knows how long it would take for her to truly let him into her heart.
Thinking that Shen Fang could look after Wen Jiu, Sang Ning decided to leave the hospital with Li Juezhou.
After what happened with Wen Jiu today, Li Juezhou insisted on personally seeing Sang Ning home.
And so, Sang Ning and Li Juezhou gossiped all the way back.
Li Juezhou, Shen Fang, and Wen Jiu all went to the same high school, with Wen Jiu being two grades below them—she was their junior.
When Wen Jiu first entered the school, her striking appearance immediately caught the attention of the entire campus.
Every day, upperclassmen formed groups to visit Wen Jiu’s classroom just to catch a glimpse of her. Shen Fang, being someone who loved to join in on fun, naturally became curious about the junior everyone kept calling "Little Fairy."
And just one look was all it took for him to fall into the depths of unrequited love—a love that lasted for two years.
Shen Fang was actually very considerate. Afraid of disrupting Wen Jiu’s studies, he stoically held back from confessing his feelings.
Not only did he keep his own feelings to himself, but he even sabotaged other boys’ attempts to confess to Wen Jiu.
Even after graduating high school and enrolling in the police academy, he continued quietly keeping tabs on Wen Jiu.
Wen Jiu’s beauty naturally drew jealousy and gossip, and there were even people who disliked her and sought to trouble her because she was simply too attractive. But Shen Fang secretly dealt with all of them.
In short, during Wen Jiu’s three years of high school, she stayed out of trouble thanks to Shen Fang’s covert protection.
Among her peers, rumors had even spread that Wen Jiu had a mysterious benefactor watching over her, though no one could figure out who this benefactor actually was.
It wasn’t until Wen Jiu’s graduation ceremony in her senior year that Shen Fang openly confessed his love, revealing to everyone that Wen Jiu’s mysterious benefactor was none other than the school’s former "Big Boss" and infamous troublemaker.
Everyone thought Wen Jiu would accept Shen Fang’s confession, but instead she showed no mercy, bluntly saying he wasn’t her type.
At that point, the whole situation could finally have concluded, but Shen Fang’s stubbornness couldn’t be defeated. He refused to let go of Wen Jiu.
And so began his relentless pursuit—a chase that stretched over eight years. During those eight years, Shen Fang faced repeated rejection, but never once did he give up.
Then two years ago, Wen Jiu graduated from graduate school and quietly left the entertainment industry to move abroad. Only then did Shen Fang’s pursuit come to a sudden halt.
Listening to all this, Sang Ning couldn’t help but sigh. Adding up the two years Wen Jiu had been away and the two years Shen Fang restrained himself from confessing during high school, he had spent a total of twelve years on Wen Jiu. What an incredibly persistent man!
This was something Shen Fang and Li Juezhou had in common—they both belonged to the "Appearance First" club, falling in love at first sight. No wonder they were good friends.
But Wen Jiu’s departure over the past two years didn’t seem to have helped Shen Fang move on. Judging by his worried, anxious expression earlier, it was clear he still deeply loved her.
Wen Jiu was strange too. Even while unconscious, she still seemed preoccupied with Shen Fang. Since she loved him so much, why couldn’t she have been decisive back then and accepted his pursuit?
Even after lying in bed, Sang Ning found herself still dwelling on this matter.
Could there be something wrong with Wen Jiu and Shen Fang? If they really loved each other, then why not just be together properly?
**
Late night, the hospital.
The hospital room was lit only by a dim, warm night-light.
Shen Fang hadn’t had the chance to shave after returning from an assignment a few days ago, leaving his face scruffy and unkempt.
Now, despite his exhaustion, he forced himself to stay awake, staring intently at Wen Jiu as he kept vigil beside her. The deep-set shadows around his eyes and his pallid complexion made him look utterly drained.
After Sang Ning’s departure, he secretively held Wen Jiu’s hand, tirelessly rubbing his cheek against the back of her thin, pale hand again and again.
Wen Jiu’s IV drip had already finished. Her silky long hair spilled across the pristine white bedsheet, making her delicate face appear even more porcelain-like.
Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, as though caught in a nightmare, and her murmuring soft whispers drifted from her lips.
Shen Fang leaned closer, trying to catch what she was saying. But just as his ear neared her lips, she stopped speaking altogether.
"Figures. She’s probably saying something I wouldn’t want to hear anyway."
He glanced at her helplessly and finally couldn’t resist anymore, reaching out and pinching her cheek.
As he pinched, he muttered to himself.
"What’s the deal with you, huh? Isn’t everything abroad supposed to be high-calorie? How did you manage to spend two years there and still come back skinnier?"
"Look at you, so thin that even the White Bone Demon would call you ’Master.’"
"You’re all sharp angles now. Can’t you just stay with me for a year or two? I’ll fatten you up until you’re cuter than a little piglet."
Still sound asleep, Wen Jiu could vaguely feel someone pinching her face and muttering endlessly near her ear.
She started to grow a bit annoyed, her head involuntarily twitching in protest.
The movement startled Shen Fang, prompting him to quickly pull his hand back and distance himself from her.
Moments later, the person on the bed softly mumbled, "Water... water..."
This time, Shen Fang finally understood what Wen Jiu was saying. He hurriedly stood up, poured a cup of warm water, and returned to her bedside.
Wen Jiu’s eyes remained shut, showing no hints of waking, but her lips still murmured persistently for water.
Shen Fang had no choice but to help her sit up, pressing the rim of the cup to her lips to feed her water.
But the tilted cup failed to properly deliver the water into her mouth. Instead, it spilled down the corner of her lips, trickling along her neck, sliding past her collarbone, and dripping into her clothes.
"What a headache. You’re like a baby—why’s drinking water this hard with you?"
Shen Fang quickly set the cup aside, grabbed a few tissues from the bedside table, and scrambled to dry the water on her neck.
Wen Jiu was dressed in a black sporty dress, the top a fitted V-neck design that accentuated her graceful chest lines.
As Shen Fang wiped, his hand accidentally ventured where it shouldn’t, making his ears flush red as he hastily returned her to the bed.
Adopting a tone reminiscent of a concerned father, he reprimanded, "There’re so many creeps out there. If you insist on running at night dressed like this, at least ask me to go with you. With me around, you could go jogging in a bikini and not a single person would dare touch you!"
"Mmm—" Wen Jiu turned her head slightly as if refuting him.
Shen Fang frowned. "Got some attitude, huh? Just tell you off a little and you’re already unhappy."
After twisting her head, Wen Jiu’s lips parted slightly, giving her a pure and sweet yet slightly coquettish look.
She hummed and sighed a few times before repeating her request, "Water... water..."
"Damn it, I’m really working myself to death for you!"
Shen Fang swore under his breath, helping her back upright to try feeding her water again, but as always, it ended up dribbling down her neck.
He couldn’t get it right, and yet Wen Jiu continued murmuring insistently for water.
Shen Fang was on the verge of collapsing, convinced she must be torturing him on purpose.
Unable to bear it anymore, he drank a mouthful of water himself, held the back of her head, and pressed his lips against hers, gently transferring the water into her mouth.