Chapter 17: The Last Wish
At seven o’clock in the evening, Lu Li called his sister to let her know he was safe. He could faintly hear An Baili’s voice on the other end of the line. Did they get along well? His sister asked him what he had for dinner, how many bowls of rice he ate, and how the epidemic was. After patiently answering a series of questions, Sister Yameng finally felt reassured.
Not long after hanging up, he received a WeChat message from Chen Jianing: “I’m awake. I’m hungry.” This girl was really taking advantage of his care, not even pretending anymore. Her true nature as a homebody was fully exposed.
Lu Li brought dinner to Chen Jianing’s room. The girl was nestled in bed, wearing an oversized pajama top, her small face looking particularly delicate. Her complexion was much better than during the day. Chen Jianing unceremoniously snatched the thermos lunchbox and started devouring the food. She had been drinking porridge for the past few days, so it was no wonder she was craving something greasy.
After finishing her meal, Chen Jianing suddenly stared at Lu Li without blinking, her gaze unsettling. Lu Li felt goosebumps rising on his skin. He patted his arm. “What are you doing? You’re giving me the creeps!”
“Lu Li, do you remember what you promised me?”
“What promise?”
“You promised to fulfill my three wishes.” Chen Jianing counted on her fingers. “You only half fulfilled the first wish, and the second wish hasn’t been fulfilled yet. Now it’s time for the third wish.”
“Then tell me.”
“…” Chen Jianing suddenly became hesitant. She looked around and then said, “Turn off the lights.”
“Why turn off the lights?”
“Just do it!”
Lu Li had no choice but to turn off the overhead light. The room instantly plunged into darkness. He could only see Chen Jianing’s silhouette in the dim light. Was there something that had to be said in the dark?
“Lu Li, be my boyfriend.”
Lu Li felt as if someone had hit him on the head with a mallet. It took him a while to recover. In his shock, he instinctively reached for the bedside lamp. The light flickered on, and under the orange glow, Chen Jianing’s cheeks were flushed, as if burning. She pushed Lu Li away and slammed the switch off. With a click, the light disappeared, and the room was plunged back into darkness.
“Don’t, don’t turn on the lights!” Chen Jianing shouted with all her might. If it weren’t for the darkness, how could she have the courage to say those words?
“Are you delirious from the fever?” Lu Li shouted back.
“I’m not delirious!” Chen Jianing defended herself. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, and I’m about to die. I don’t even know what a boyfriend is! I just want to experience what it’s like to be in love before I die… After all, after all, I won’t have the chance once I’m reborn as a tiger…”
Still thinking about that stupid tiger? Lu Li felt helpless. He swore he had never had any romantic feelings for Chen Jianing. Their relationship was more like confidants, like frenemies. That’s how it was in his past life, at least that’s what he thought. Chen Jianing was too short, her figure wasn’t sexy enough, her face was too baby-faced, and her personality wasn’t very good… If he had to list her flaws, he could go on and on.
As Lu Li remained silent, Chen Jianing’s sobs came from the darkness. “You think I fancy you? I just, I just feel sorry for myself… If I wasn’t dying, I wouldn’t ask you to be my boyfriend…” She was crying again.
“Okay, okay, don’t cry, I promise.” Lu Li said. “Until you’re reborn or recover, I’ll shamelessly be Miss Chen’s boyfriend, how about that?”
Hearing this, Chen Jianing’s sobs gradually subsided.
“You’re not angry?”
“I’m not angry.”
“Lu Li, you’re so good to me.”
Maybe this is what I owe you from my past life. Lu Li asked, “Can I turn on the lights now?”
“No, wait a little longer.”
“How long?”
“Just a little while.”
“How long is ‘a little while’?”
Silence.
The room fell silent, only the sound of their breathing could be heard. The girl’s breathing was a bit faster. This silence was too ambiguous, the meaning it conveyed far exceeding words. Even Lu Li, who was good at playing dumb, felt a bit restless. He shifted in his seat, unable to find a comfortable position. He looked at Chen Jianing, and she seemed to be looking at him too. Their gazes met in the darkness, making Chen Jianing’s breathing even faster.
She took several deep breaths, but still couldn’t figure out how to face Lu Li.
“You, you should go out first. I’m sleepy…”
“You haven’t taken your medicine yet…”
“I’ll take it myself! Get out!” Her voice was a bit sharp.
Lu Li didn’t turn on the lights, fumbling for the door in the darkness. Chen Jianing took advantage of the light from the opening door to steal a quick glance at Lu Li. Seeing that he wasn’t displeased, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well… go-good night…” Chen Jianing never said good night before. Before going to bed, she would just shout, “I’m going to sleep, you go!” or “Sleepy, sleepy…”
Lu Li stopped in his tracks and smiled, a smile he didn’t quite understand himself. “Good night.” With a bang, the door closed, and the young man’s figure disappeared from view. Chen Jianing finally turned on the light. She shuffled over to the dressing table in her slippers and looked at the flushed girl in the mirror, pinching her cheeks. “Chen Jianing, are you crazy?”
She felt her heart beating so fast, like it was about to explode. During Lu Li’s silence earlier, a million thoughts had flashed through her mind. If Lu Li had rejected her, she would have been so embarrassed that she wanted to jump out of the window. But he didn’t refuse. He agreed so readily. Why? Chen Jianing thought wildly. Lu Li actually liked her, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so good to her. Even the doxing incident could be explained as an act of passionate admiration… Was that so?
She pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the fierce beating of her heart. This was a feeling Chen Jianing had never experienced before. She said to the mirror, “It’s Lu Li who likes me, not me who likes Lu Li… It’s Lu Li who likes me, not me who likes Lu Li…” She repeated it several times before her heartbeat gradually calmed down.
Chen Jianing leaned on the table, her thoughts racing.
If she wasn’t dying, she wouldn’t be in such a hurry to find a boyfriend… She wouldn’t have chosen Lu Li… Lu Li was younger than her, and they had even argued before. Besides, besides being a bit caring, besides being a bit gentle, besides being a bit good-looking, besides… besides… Chen Jianing’s ears turned red again.
Anyway, she didn’t have long to live. Lu Li was getting a good deal… She thought narcissistically. She was very pretty. Although she was short, she had always been the prettiest girl in her class. Lu Li must be secretly rejoicing, finding such a pretty girl as his girlfriend. He must be bragging to his friends right now…
An image suddenly flashed through her mind, the image of Lu Li answering the phone that day. The girl’s voice on the phone was very pleasant, gentle and sweet. A hint of doubt surfaced in her heart, but Chen Jianing didn’t dwell on it. The doubt quietly faded away amidst a wave of inexplicable joy.
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