Gao Jian looked at the last braised crucian carp on the plate, picked it up, and put it in her bowl.
Lu Xiaoting teased, "Senior brother, that's a bit unfair of you. There are only so many fish in total, and if each person gets one, they're gone. But you gave them all to Chang Nian."
Gao Jian smiled.
"I won't eat it then. I'll take you guys out to play another day. The reservoir to the west has a better view and more fish..."
Jian Changnian hadn't eaten the fish in her bowl, and with the one he picked up, they made a perfect pair. Before Gao Jian could finish speaking, she closed the lunchbox lid and prepared to get up.
“You’re not going to eat it? That’s perfect. Shi’an loves fish, I’ll take some back for her to eat.”
"Eh..."
Before Gao Jian could say anything, Jian Changnian, worried that the food would get cold and not taste good, grabbed her lunchbox and ran off.
Lü Xiaoting shrugged, indicating that she had no other choice.
"Well, we've lost both our wife and our army."
Gao Jian viciously shoved a chicken leg into her bowl.
"You talk too much, eat your food."
Jian Changnian ran upstairs and knocked on the door for a long time before she opened it.
Xie Shi'an had a towel on his head, and his hair was wet, so he looked like he had just taken a shower.
"What's up?"
"Here, braised crucian carp, have some. I just thought wild fish would be more nutritious and better for your recovery..."
Jian Changnian excitedly handed over the lunchbox, but before she could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an was about to close the door.
"I'm not hungry."
She didn't even try to dodge, and her hand got caught. Jian Changnian hissed softly, and the lunchbox fell to the ground. Her eyes reddened with pain.
"You...you can't dodge?" Xie Shi'an was both angry and heartbroken, and pulled the person inside.
"Sit there, I'll find you a band-aid."
Jian Changnian sat down on her bed and watched her rummaging through drawers and cabinets. Although her hands hurt, a sweet feeling welled up in her heart. She deliberately put on an affected tone and sighed.
"What should I do, Shi'an? It hurts so much! I hope I didn't break a bone. I'm not going to be able to play basketball anymore."
Xie Shi'an found a band-aid, turned around, and after hearing how serious she described it, grabbed her wrist to take a look. Seeing that it was just a small scratch on the fingertip, he immediately curled his lips into a half-smile.
Two large characters popped up above Jian Chang's mind:
No, that's not good.
The next second, someone grabbed his wrist and pinned him to the bed.
She immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream that shook heaven and earth.
"Ah!!! It's really going to break! It's going to break!"
Xie Shi'an then let go and threw the band-aid to her.
"Here's a piece of advice: don't keep wailing here all the time. Take this and stick it on yourself."
Jian Changnian sat up, holding the band-aid, and as she watched her back, a sudden idea flashed into her mind.
"Shi'an, you're not... angry, are you?"
Xie Shi'an paused as she was about to blow-dry her hair. When she saw her get out of Gao Jian's car and chat happily with them, she couldn't quite describe her feelings; she seemed a little aggrieved.
She was undergoing physical therapy at the hospital, with thin steel needles piercing her skin. She endured a long afternoon alone, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken. What was Jian Changnian doing?
She went hiking, camping, playing in the water, and fishing with them.
She must have had a lot of fun today.
Xie Shi'an pursed his lips, a hint of self-mockery in his expression.
"No, it's late, I need to rest. You should go back to your dorm."
Seeing that she had no intention of keeping him, Jian Changnian jumped off the bed and went to the door to clean up the mess.
"I just feel it's a bit of a pity. I caught these fish myself, and I haven't eaten any of them. I was just thinking of bringing them back for you to try."
Xie Shi'an watched as she carefully picked up the fish that had fallen on the ground and put it back into the lunchbox.
"Aren't you afraid of water?"
Jian Chang didn't even bother to reply.
"I was already healed when I jumped into the pond to save you that year."
Xie Shi'an's eyes flickered, and he moved his lips.
"You...you really like camping?"
"It's not that I particularly like it, but I grew up in the countryside and feel closer to nature."
Xie Shi'an put down the hair dryer.
"Then let's go camping next Saturday, next Saturday."
The following Saturday, Gao Jian came over again to ask her to play ball, saying he had found a club with a great venue.
Without a second thought, Jian Changnian rejected him.
"I won't go to play ball; I have to accompany Shi'an to her physical therapy session."
Xie Shi'an happened to be coming downstairs and saw this scene. She paused slightly, and Jian Changnian took her arm.
"Then we'll be going now."
The two walked further and further away, their voices drifting away in the wind.
Xie Shi'an: "Didn't we say we were going camping?"
"Camping is not as important as your health. You can go anytime. You've already made an appointment with the doctor, so you can't miss it."
She didn't feel much pain during the entire physiotherapy session, and even took a short nap on the hospital bed in the middle of it.
When she woke up, the sun had already set. She was covered with Jian Changnian's coat and sat on the edge of the bed reading.
"You're awake?"
Xie Shi'an sat up; the steel needles in his leg had been removed.
"it's over?"
"It's over, let's go back."
"good."
Xie Shi'an handed her the coat, and Jian Changnian reached out to help her off the bed.
As the two walked out of the hospital, Xie Shi'an looked at the cars parked on the roadside and then remembered something else.
"Come with me somewhere else."
4S store.
Looking at the dazzling array of cars on display.
Xie Shi'an was a little troubled: "Which one do you like?"
Jian Changnian was startled: "Huh? Me? I don't know much about cars. When did you get your driver's license?"
Xie Shi'an belatedly realized that the question was a bit abrupt, and turned his face away.
"I took the test a long time ago, but I just haven't bought it yet. That's why I asked you to come and give me your advice."
Seeing this, the saleswoman next to her said very considerately.
"What do you two ladies mainly use the car for? For commuting or for road trips?"
Xie Shi'an thought for a moment.
Let's go on a road trip.
"How about this Mercedes SUV? It has four-wheel drive, a luxurious interior, and a spacious rear seat, making it perfect for traveling with pets. It's our latest model launched this year, and the price is only around one million yuan, making it very cost-effective."
Jian Changnian walked around the car once.
"It's black, so cool, I like it. Hey, when I get my driver's license, can I borrow it?"
Xie Shi'an handed over the bank card.
"Okay, this one will do."
When she was signing the contract, she took out her ID card and the saleswoman realized that she was a celebrity. No wonder she was so generous and paid the full amount in one go. She was immediately given a discount and some accessories and a year of free maintenance.
The two parties agreed on a pick-up date, and before leaving, Xie Shi'an specially signed an autograph for her to express his gratitude for her enthusiastic service.
The girl was overjoyed with her laptop when her male colleague came over and gossiped, "Hey, was that really Xie Shi'an?"
"The ID card is right here, how could it be fake?"
"She's much prettier than on TV! And the one next to her, is that Jian Changnian? Are those two really that close in private...?"
"They seem quite close. Oh well, enough chit-chat, let's get to work, work, the supervisor's here."
Although Jian Changnian is no longer the poor child who used to worry about a few hundred yuan for tuition, she still felt a little sorry for Xie Shi'an for spending so much money at once.
"This has used up my entire annual salary for the year."
Xie Shi'an didn't seem to care much.
"Anyway, I still have endorsements, and I haven't bought much over the years. I've saved up some money but I don't know what to do with it."
Jian Changnian thought about it and realized it made sense. She didn't like buying luxury goods. Her clothes, pants, sneakers, and rackets were all sponsored, so there was nothing she needed to spend money on. Every time she received an endorsement fee, she would first donate a portion to support public welfare. Every year, she would also donate a large sum of money to the Binhai Provincial Team Training Base. She hadn't even bought a house herself.
"So why did you suddenly decide to buy a car this time?"
Xie Shi'an turned his face away.
"I... can't I use a mode of transportation?"
"Didn't you just tell people you were going on a road trip? When do you usually have time to go out and have fun?"
Watching her dart around like a rabbit, Jian Changnian found it particularly amusing, and asked the question knowing the answer already.
"I was thinking that Grandma sometimes comes to Beijing for visits, and having a car would make things more convenient..."