Shen Man’s eyes reddened. “Jiang Chengzhou, if you dislike me so much, I can ask for another doctor to take care of you. You don’t have to keep avoiding me.”
His attitude had suddenly changed over the past few days. He was always avoiding her. Sometimes, when Shen Man brought him food, he would say he had already eaten.
It was as though Shen Man were some kind of terrifying beast.
The smile on Jiang Chengzhou’s face stiffened. After a long pause, he said, “How could I possibly dislike you? I just can’t stand how stuffy it is in the hospital…”
“Is that so?” Shen Man smiled, though the expression was strained. “Even so, you have to listen to your doctor. If the doctor says you can’t be discharged yet, then you can’t be discharged.”
“All right.” Jiang Chengzhou surrendered. “I’ll listen to our Doctor Shen.”
He joked around, trying to brush the matter aside.
Shen Man was in no mood to laugh. She nodded at him and walked out.
The moment the door closed, Jiang Chengzhou slapped himself. “What’s wrong with me? Why do I have to run my mouth?”
The two of them inexplicably fell into a cold war.
For some reason, the situation suddenly turned in Shen Man’s favor.
Before, Jiang Chengzhou had been the one sulking. Now, she was the one giving him the cold shoulder.
Shen Man continued making her rounds as usual. She checked his wounds, changed his dressings, and reminded him to eat on time.
She tried to appear in front of Jiang Chengzhou as little as possible.
Every time Jiang Chengzhou looked at her with pleading or earnest eyes, she knew exactly what he wanted, but she still looked away.
“Shen Man…”
“Get some rest.” Shen Man put away the dressing tray, her expression distant. “The external wound on your arm can have its stitches removed tomorrow. After that, you won’t need to have the dressing changed anymore. You can be discharged tomorrow. Come back in ten days to have the cast removed.”
“I… Shen Man, listen to me.”
Shen Man stopped. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Jiang Chengzhou opened his mouth. “Shen Man…”
Shen Man stood there waiting for a while. Her temper gradually flared. She turned around, walked to the bed, and grabbed Jiang Chengzhou by the collar.
“Jiang Chengzhou, are you even a man? I like you—what do you have to say about that?!”
“Yes…”
Sweat gathered in Shen Man’s palms. “Yes, what?”
“…Yes, I’m a man.”
Shen Man released his collar in exasperation. “Stop fooling around. Just tell me what you plan to do. Give me an answer. If you don’t like me, then say so and leave. It’s not as if I’m determined to cling to you.”
Jiang Chengzhou rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Why do you have to like me when everything was going perfectly well?”
“That’s my business.” Shen Man held her chin high. “I can like whoever I want. What about you? Do you like me or not?”
Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “Shen Man, how can you be so bold?”
He had never seen a girl grab a man by the collar and ask him a question like that.
She was like a bandit chief.
“Don’t change the subject!” Shen Man said anxiously.
Jiang Chengzhou sighed. “We’re not right for each other.”
Shen Man could easily find someone better than him. She didn’t have to spend her days worrying about him.
Shen Man frowned and took a step back. “Fine. I understand. You like me.”
“What?” Jiang Chengzhou was stunned, unable to follow her train of thought.
Shen Man pulled over a chair and sat down in front of him. “You only said we’re not right for each other. You never said you don’t like me. So now we’re mutually in love. Next, tell me exactly how we’re not right for each other.”
Jiang Chengzhou was speechless.
When he said nothing, Shen Man began analyzing the matter point by point. “As for family background, I may not be as well-connected as you, but my family owns plenty of houses and land deeds. We’re not short of money.
“As for looks, you’re fairly handsome, and I’m very beautiful. I’m more than good enough for you.
“As for education, I have a master’s degree, while you only graduated from college—but I don’t hold that against you.
“As for our jobs, I’m a doctor and you’re a soldier. We both serve the people, so we’re a perfect match.
“I think we’re very well suited. What do you think?”
Jiang Chengzhou rubbed his forehead and gave a bitter laugh. “That’s not how you’re supposed to look at it.”
“Then you tell me.” Shen Man folded her arms across her chest, looking as though she was prepared to hear him explain every detail.
“I’m not good enough for you in any way.” Jiang Chengzhou sighed. “Shen Man, you’re outstanding. You can absolutely find someone better than me.”
Shen Man let out a cold laugh. “Jiang Chengzhou, don’t put on this act as if you’re being noble. You think the person I like isn’t good enough, so you want me to settle for someone I don’t love?”
Jiang Chengzhou was rendered speechless by her question.
Shen Man continued, “Can’t I be with the person I love? I think the person I love is the best there is. Is that not allowed?”
Jiang Chengzhou had no answer.
Shen Man covered her face, looking defeated. “So just give me a straight answer. Do you like me or not?”
Jiang Chengzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice. His voice was husky. “Shen Man, I’ve never thought about any of this. I’m not in a position to start a relationship right now.”
Shen Man looked up at him. Her chest felt sore and swollen, and something seemed to flow from her heart toward the corners of her eyes, hot and stinging.
“Jiang Chengzhou, you’re not brave at all.”
Jiang Chengzhou lowered his lashes, silently admitting that she was right.
Everything Shen Man had said was true. He thought he was being great and noble, but when it came to love, he was a complete coward.
Jiang Chengzhou had never experienced love before. Now that he had finally tasted it, all he could feel was bitterness. His entire throat was bitter, and the taste seemed to spread all the way into his bones.
“Forget it. We can talk about this another time.”
Having received no response from him, Shen Man’s eyes dimmed. She rose and prepared to leave.
Jiang Chengzhou caught her hand. “Shen Man, can you wait for me? Wait until the war is over.”
Shen Man turned back, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Jiang Chengzhou, time is precious.”
Jiang Chengzhou knew she was soft-hearted. Holding her hand, he pleaded, “If two hearts remain devoted for a long time, what does it matter if they can’t be together every day?”
Shen Man threw herself into his arms, her voice trembling. “Jiang Chengzhou, I want every day with you.”
The impact made Jiang Chengzhou lean back. He let out a hoarse laugh. “Dr. Shen, you’re pressing on my injured arm.”
Shen Man didn’t move. In a muffled voice, she said, “It’s fine. If you break it, I can set it again.”
Jiang Chengzhou froze for a moment, then broke into a quiet laugh.
After that exchange, the atmosphere between them suddenly became awkward.
Neither of them continued the earlier conversation.
Jiang Chengzhou understood Shen Man. She was stubborn by nature, and in some ways, her stubbornness—or perhaps her single-minded devotion—rivaled Li Xuan’s.
When she was little, she had to undergo rehabilitation exercises every day. Even Liu Feng, a grown man, would sometimes cry out in pain. Shen Man’s eyes would fill with tears from the pain, but she never made a sound.
She wanted to recover as quickly as possible, so she worked twice as hard during training.
It wasn’t until Lin Zhilan told her that rehabilitation had to be done gradually, or the effort could do more harm than good, that she changed her approach.
After that, whenever Lin Zhilan told her to train for half an hour, she would do exactly half an hour—not a minute more and not a minute less.
Jiang Chengzhou had “watched” Shen Man grow up. He didn’t know when she had taken up residence in his heart.
Before today, he had never imagined that the two of them might one day be together.
Shen Man was simply far braver than he was.
The next day, Jiang Chengzhou had the stitches in his wound removed and completed the procedures for his discharge.
