Chapter 16: Absent-minded

  Nie Zhiyan slightly tilted her head to look at him, but could only see the cold and stern lines of his profile, mature and steady, no longer showing the tenderness and greenness of his youth.

  The heart that had just calmed down was again rippling with subtle waves, feeling suffocated and unbearable, Nie's words made him lower his head in disappointment.

  He was pulled into the ward by Lu Yiheng, he took over the warm rice porridge in her hand, opened it, and scooped a spoonful that hadn't even entered his mouth before the spoon fell. He looked at his right hand which had been poked with several holes and still swollen, then switched to his left hand which hadn't been poked. Nie Zhiyan saw him struggle to hold the spoon steady with his left hand, after feeding for half a day he ended up getting porridge on his own mouth corner, with some even sticking to his face, looking rather comical.

  He looked like he was going to fight a war with the spoon, and Nie's words were somewhat amusing. She walked over and took the spoon from his hand, smiling slightly: "I'll feed you?"

  Lu Yiheng looked at her deeply, then nodded.

  Nie's words hung low, her head bowed as she fed him spoonful by spoonful, not a word spoken. The lamp shone brightly, and the air was filled with the light of years gone by, as if suddenly pulling them back to seven years ago. He sat beside her, always smiling deeply and asking: "Xianxian, what did you have for lunch?"

  "What did you eat for dinner?"

  "Xianxian, are you hungry? I bought milk and bread."

  The third-year students had a heavy workload, and they often got hungry before the end of the third class. Lu Yiheng's digestive system was particularly strong, and by the second class, she could usually hear his stomach growling with hunger, so he prepared snacks every day.

  He would tear off half the bread for her, then rip open a carton of milk and pour half into her cup, urging her to drink up quickly, completely ignoring her "I'm not hungry."

  Later, NIE Zhiyan thought that after a year of high school, 99% of the girls in her class had lost weight, but she was the only one who had gained a little weight, all thanks to that half cup of milk and bread.

  All these years, she has had a lot of delicious bread and drunk a lot of delicious milk, but she still can't taste the original flavor.

  A low, muffled sound suddenly came from beside her ear, like the unintentional notes played by a finger on a violin string, with a thick metallic texture.

  He said: "Nie Zhiyan, your mind is elsewhere."

  Nie Zhiyan suddenly raised her head, and the faint light shone on her face, producing an unreal elegance. She looked at him blankly, and Lu Yiheng was choked by her innocent eyes.

  A question he had been wanting to ask finally came out, and he asked: "Nie Zhiyan, why did you come back?"

  The rice porridge in her bowl was almost gone. She put down the spoon and Rou Yi Hong clearly saw that her fingers trembled slightly.

  Nie Zhiyan's face suddenly turned pale, and before she could recover from his question, she heard him say: "You left for seven years, why did you suddenly come back?"

  "I was born here, grew up here, and naturally I will come back. I'm also not used to the life abroad." Even after living for six years, she still couldn't make herself love a country full of white people. She had always been stubborn, and didn't want to force herself for her whole life.

  "Isn't it six years since you got used to it?"

  Perhaps it was an illusion, but NIE Zhiyan always felt that LU Yiheng's tone carried a hint of self-mockery, as if his own answer had touched a sensitive chord in the other man's heart.

  Nie's words made her lower her head, and her long eyelashes covered her eyes, like a lotus leaf.

  She said in a low voice: "Lu Yiheng, I don't know where I offended you, making you treat me so badly. I apologize."