Sang Ning wanted to pack her own things.
“You sit still. I’ll do it,” Shen Tingwan said, not letting her move. Her ankle had just been sprained, so she shouldn’t move if she didn’t have to for the next couple of days.
Sang Ning reminded her, “The pajamas are in the cabinet on the left.”
“It’s fine if we don’t bring them. You can wear mine.”
They didn’t need to take too many things—just a few changes of underwear. Sang Ning sat on the sofa and watched Shen Tingwan pack for her, quietly lowering her head.
Shen Tingwan directly dragged her back home and hung Sang Ning’s clothes in the closet. Now, traces of both their lives were even more evident in the apartment.
Sang Ning, the injured one, could only sit around doing nothing, watching Shen Tingwan bustle about.
Shen Tingwan turned on the TV and let her watch a movie to pass the time.
The swelling wouldn’t go down for a while. That evening, Shen Tingwan wrapped ice in a towel and cold-compressed her ankle several times.
Sang Ning sat reclined on the sofa, her calf resting on Shen Tingwan’s leg. Watching her worry and care for her like this made Sang Ning feel uneasy. She really wanted to say, “I can do it myself,” but she held back.
Shen Tingwan kept her head lowered, her movements gentle and careful. “It’s twisted like this, and it doesn’t hurt?”
Sang Ning could endure any pain without making a sound—even getting a shot without changing expression. This temperament had been with her since childhood. She knew it hadn’t been easy for Sang Mingjuan to raise her alone, so she never cried or fussed.
That night, Shen Tingwan didn’t say much, which made Sang Ning uneasy. After the ice compress, she tugged at Shen Tingwan’s hand and stared at her.
Shen Tingwan looked back at her. “What’s wrong?”
Sang Ning reassured her, “Don’t worry. It’s just a minor injury.”
She was still thinking about how it would make her worry—Shen Tingwan felt helpless and sighed softly. “It’s not about worrying or not.”
“If I got injured today and let other friends take me to the hospital instead of telling you, what would you feel?”
Sang Ning was immediately stumped.
The movie scenes flickered and shifted, light and shadow brushing across their faces. They fell silent for a brief moment.
Sang Ning took the initiative. “I should have told you first. Don’t be mad at me.”
Shen Tingwan looked at her soft, listless gaze and was left speechless, feeling both exasperated and heartbroken. She knew Sang Ning must have been exhausted from the shoot these past couple of days and had even hurt her foot. In a soft, gentle voice, she said, “Get some early rest tonight.”
Sang Ning’s furrowed brow relaxed a bit.
Taking a shower became a problem. Sang Ning could only hobble along, supported by Shen Tingwan to the master bedroom’s bathroom. Looking at the nearly transparent bathroom, she felt embarrassed.
Shen Tingwan still wasn’t reassured. “Can you manage alone?”
Sang Ning caught the subtext and immediately said, “I can… I’ll be careful.”
Shen Tingwan stood in place and softly instructed her a few more times. “Don’t let the wound touch hot water—it’ll hurt. I’m right outside. Call me if anything happens.”
How could she be so good to her? Sang Ning’s heart warmed. “Mm…”
Seeing her dawdle, Shen Tingwan smiled. “I won’t peek.”
Sang Ning: “…”
Shen Tingwan brushed aside her hair and removed the hearing aid from her ear before turning to leave.
The bathroom wasn’t fully open toward the bedroom, but it was somewhat visible. With her foot injured, Sang Ning’s shower was slow and awkward.
Shen Tingwan sat on the sofa in the bedroom, her back to the bathroom, casually flipping through a book while carefully listening for any sounds from the bathroom.
That night, Sang Ning was completely in care mode. Shen Tingwan blow-dried her hair for her, held her as they got into bed, and propped her ankle up with a pillow. She didn’t let her do anything herself—short of bathing her…
That evening, Shen Tingwan showered in the second bedroom, knowing Sang Ning had a habit of sleeping before eleven. She got into bed early too.
Once Shen Tingwan was in bed, Sang Ning proactively scooted over to her side, pressing against Shen Tingwan’s body.
Shen Tingwan asked, “Not asleep yet?”
Sang Ning hummed a soft “Mm.”
Shen Tingwan turned her head. “Be careful with your foot. Don’t bump it.”
…
The next morning, Sang Ning woke naturally. She opened her eyes and, unlike before, wasn’t wrapped up with Shen Tingwan, leaving her feeling empty. Half-dazed, she hugged toward Shen Tingwan.
Shen Tingwan was woken early by the clingy embrace. She cracked her eyes open, saw Sang Ning snuggling into her arms, and smiled helplessly.
Soon, the alarm rang.
Shen Tingwan tugged Sang Ning’s hand and leaned close to her right ear. “Let go of me. I need to get up and go to work.”
Sang Ning didn’t cling shamelessly and obediently released her arms.
Sprains were a drag. Sang Ning could only stay home bored, lounging on a chair on the balcony in a daze. At noon, Shen Tingwan specially had the auntie come over to cook and help take care of her.
A little after noon, Yu Shuang called to check on her. “Can you walk today?”
Sang Ning glanced at her leg. “Better than yesterday, but walking still hurts.”
“Injuries like this take a hundred days to heal properly. Rest well first. Work isn’t urgent.”
“A week of rest should be enough. Thanks for handling things these days.”
“Damn,” Yu Shuang didn’t like hearing that. “Sang Ning, if you keep being so polite, I’ll get mad at you.”
Sang Ning laughed a few times and chatted idly with her, the call lifting her spirits.
Yu Shuang’s tone carried a hint of envy. “So, how is it having your girlfriend take care of you? Pretty blissful, right?”
At the mention, Sang Ning lowered her head. “I think I made her mad…” She briefly told Yu Shuang about yesterday.
“Then you better coax her properly,” Yu Shuang said. Her emotional intelligence was high, and she handled relationship issues effortlessly. “Actually, it’s a good thing. It means your senior really cares about you and loves you a ton…”
Sang Ning paused, stunned. She’d always thought that as long as Shen Tingwan liked her even a little, it was enough. She hadn’t dared hope for more.
After being cooped up at home obediently for three days, Sang Ning’s foot swelling had completely gone down, and she could walk normally. After dinner, Shen Tingwan accompanied her downstairs in the complex for a stroll to get some air and move a bit.
These past few days, Sang Ning had been distracted. Though Shen Tingwan still took great care of her in every way, she could sensitively sense that Shen Tingwan’s mood was a bit heavy, different from before.
They didn’t walk far and sat down to rest on a bench in the complex. Looking up, the moon shone brightly in the night sky.
After sitting for a moment, Sang Ning glanced at Shen Tingwan several times and softly asked, “Are you still mad at me?”
Shen Tingwan looked at her. “When was I mad?”
Sang Ning thought for a moment. “I feel like you are.”
Shen Tingwan gazed at her for a long time, feeling a bit emotional but not angry. No matter what, she could never truly be angry with Sang Ning. The affection Sang Ning gave her was too gentle and pure. Every time she saw the softness in Sang Ning’s eyes, her heart melted.
“I’m not mad, but I’m a little unhappy.”
Sang Ning’s heart tightened. She knew she’d made Shen Tingwan unhappy, so she’d felt bad these past days. She was afraid Shen Tingwan would be unhappy being with her, afraid she wasn’t good enough to deserve Shen Tingwan’s kindness…
“Don’t be unhappy. It’s my fault.”
The soft, humble words entered her ears. Shen Tingwan met her eyes, first feeling heartbroken. She didn’t want Sang Ning speaking to her like that. They did need to talk about things between them.
“Do you know why I’m unhappy? I don’t want you to like me the way you used to, always giving unilaterally.”
Shen Tingwan smoothed her hair and looked into her eyes, speaking earnestly and patiently at length. “Maybe before, you treated liking someone as your own thing, but now it’s our thing. I know you want to do a lot for me and be good to me, but I want to do a lot for you and be good to you too.”
Sang Ning’s eyes stung, the evening breeze spreading the feeling. In Shen Tingwan’s eyes, she saw full affection and care.
“Don’t treat me like the moon in the sky, holding me carefully,” Shen Tingwan said, her palm stroking the back of Sang Ning’s head. “I’m right by your side.”
Sang Ning’s nose soured as she met her gaze evenly. She was liked equally by the person she liked, no longer needing to be as humble and cautious as before.
They held each other’s gaze for a long time.
Shen Tingwan asked, “Remember that?”
Sang Ning looked at her seriously. “I remember.”
Shen Tingwan pinched her cheek. “If you do it again, I really will get mad.”
The evening breeze blew gently. They held hands and strolled a bit more before Shen Tingwan, afraid Sang Ning would get tired from walking too long, dragged her back home soon after.
Shen Tingwan had worked all day. After going upstairs, she wanted to shower first and headed straight to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror to wash her face and remove makeup, she saw Sang Ning follow from behind.
Ignoring her shyness, Sang Ning hugged her directly from behind. Every time she saw Shen Tingwan’s back, she especially wanted to hug her like this—it made her feel secure.
The bathroom air turned ambiguous from the deep embrace behind her. Shen Tingwan let her hug and turned around. “What is it now?”
Sang Ning hugged her even tighter face-to-face, pushing down her embarrassment, and softly huffed, “I want to hug you.”
Shen Tingwan’s lips curved into a smile. She was rarely this proactively coquettish.
Once people knew they were favored, they grew bolder. Sang Ning slowly voiced her inner thoughts. “You’ve been ignoring me these past few days. It made me uncomfortable.”
Shen Tingwan looked at her aggrieved expression. “How have I ignored you? I was this close to bathing you.”
Sang Ning held back, her voice low. “After coming back… you haven’t kissed me…”
Shen Tingwan paused, stunned.
Sang Ning’s face flushed with embarrassment after saying it. The words were too shameless.
Shen Tingwan let out a soft laugh. She nudged her nose against Sang Ning’s and said warmly and tenderly, “Then tonight, you can kiss me as much as you want, okay?”
