Shen Jianian felt a pang in her heart.
Three years ago, she had a car accident... it matched her experience.
The "Miss Jianian" Aunt Cheng mentioned was really her. She had lived in this villa, had a good relationship with Fu Jichen, and they slept in the same room?
To confirm something, Shen Jianian glanced around; there was only one bed in the room, meaning she and Fu Jichen slept in the same bed?
Shen Jianian’s expression changed repeatedly, refusing to acknowledge that her relationship with Fu Jichen was that intimate.
It was already hard enough for her to believe she had any connection with Fu Jichen!
"Aunt, do you have any photos of that Miss Jianian?" Shen Jianian’s current mindset was one of desperate resistance. Without solid evidence, she wouldn’t give up. "Can I have a look?"
Cheng Jin said, "I never took any photos of Jianian, but sir should have them."
"How did she meet Fu Jichen?" Shen Jianian inquired persistently.
What Cheng Jin said was true. When she got to know Jianian, sir already doted on her, and Jianian’s attitude towards sir was slightly indifferent. Later, their relationship deepened. As an observer, she saw it clearer than anyone. As to how they met, she didn’t know and hadn’t heard Jianian or sir mention it.
"Then do you know that she was Yan Qiusheng’s student?" Shen Jianian pressed for the bottom line.
"How do you know that?" Cheng Jin was extremely surprised.
"Aunt, I’m the one asking you now, please tell me." Shen Jianian was very anxious, eager to sever her connection with that "Miss Jianian."
"She went to Yan Qiusheng’s villa every day to learn the piano. How could I not know?" Speaking of those past events, Cheng Jin’s mood was affected, her eyes reddened, her heart full of sour emotions. Looking at the girl in front of her, she had a gentle smile on her lips. "Speaking of which, it was sir who helped bridge the gap. According to Miss Jianian, sir saw that she liked playing the cello and didn’t want her to waste her passion, so he sent a name card to Yan Qiusheng and took Jianian there for a visit."
At the end, Shen Jianian remained silent, but the sound of her heartbeat grew louder.
When she heard from Bai Changxia that she was Yan Qiusheng’s student, she couldn’t understand how she had such connections to associate with a world-class cellist.
Now that someone told her it was Fu Jichen who made the connection, it made sense. He had that kind of capability.
The points where she and the "Miss Jianian" spoken of by Aunt Cheng overlapped were so numerous they were uncountable. Shen Jianian could no longer deceive herself into thinking these were coincidences.
"Look at me, accidentally saying so much. Please don’t mind." Not hearing the girl in front of her respond, Cheng Jin felt a bit uneasy, wondering if she had said something wrong. She decided not to continue, "I won’t disturb your meal any longer. You eat slowly, I’ll come to clean up a bit later."
Shen Jianian’s mind was a complete blank. She stared blankly at Cheng Jin, her mouth open with a steady voice: "Could you tell me more about that Miss Jianian? I’m very curious."
Cheng Jin was momentarily stunned but did not reject her request, pulling up a chair to sit beside her.
During the mealtime, Cheng Jin accompanied her, telling her the most memorable stories she had.
Shen Jianian listened silently, her food tasteless.
"Rest well and let me know if you need anything."
After Shen Jianian finished eating, Cheng Jin cleared the table and locked the door as sir had instructed.
Standing outside the door, Cheng Jin sighed softly against the door panel.
Sir really wasn’t well. How could he lock up a perfectly good girl in a room? Over time, even a sane person might develop problems.
Just as she thought this, Cheng Jin turned her head and saw Fu Jichen coming out of the study. He looked in poor shape, his eyes dark and gloomy, his face expressionless, carrying a strong smell of smoke.
Fu Jichen glanced at her, and when he spoke, his voice was husky: "Has she eaten?"
"She has." Cheng Jin showed him the tray she held, which contained little remaining food.
Fu Jichen nodded and said, "Cut some fruit and send it up, the ones she used to like, and prepare some snacks. Also, buy some of the cookies she likes from the supermarket and have them stocked at home. Handle the rest as you see fit."
Cheng Jin jotted it all down: "Lunch is ready, eat before you continue your work."
Fu Jichen did not respond.
Cheng Jin was very worried that sir and the girl in the room had some conflict, so she confessed: "Just now, that young lady asked me about things from Jianian’s past, and I told her."
"Aunt Cheng, she is Jianian, the Jianian you know, not someone else." Fu Jichen said, "She is still alive but her appearance has changed, and she doesn’t remember me anymore."
The last few words came out of Fu Jichen’s mouth, stirring a bitter feeling in his heart.
Cheng Jin internally felt unable to encapsulate the words, but did not show it. How could such a bizarre thing happen in reality, with appearances changed so easily, let alone completely forgetting someone?
Ultimately, sir’s illness was a matter of the heart, and it is often said that heart sickness is the hardest to cure.
"Sir, some things cannot be forced." Cheng Jin didn’t dare to directly advise him to let go but managed to say a not too heavy or too light roundabout sentence.
Fu Jichen rarely showed such patience to speak a few more words: "I’m not forcing anything, I’m retrieving what belongs to me. The person in her heart is me. She accidentally lost her memory, and it’s enough that I still remember. If she never recalls those memories, it doesn’t matter. What is mine is mine. I can’t bear others possessing her."
Cheng Jin could understand the beginning, but she couldn’t comprehend the later parts of the conversation.
Fu Jichen knew Cheng Jin would not understand, nobody could. He ceased any further explanation, only telling Cheng Jin, "If she wants to know the past, tell her truthfully, no need to hide anything."
After having lunch, Shen Jianian lay on that big bed to sleep. Maybe because her mind was filled with too much information, her head felt dizzy and she felt nauseous.
By late afternoon, the sunset slipped in through the window, and the brilliant orange-red fell on the back of her hand. Shen Jianian turned her hand over, trying to grasp that piece of sunset glow.
With her head in heavy haze, she couldn’t bear watching the sunset any longer and lay on her stomach, burying her face in the quilt. She let out a long sigh, feeling that life was hard, full of absurdities everywhere.
The door to the room was opened from the outside, and Shen Jianian didn’t have the strength to raise her head to see who came in. Hearing the steady footsteps, she guessed it wasn’t the nanny.
The mattress sank gently, and someone sat down beside her. Shen Jianian pretended not to notice, remaining motionless.
After a few seconds, a hand brushed away the hair beside her face, revealing her flushed ear.
Fu Jichen’s fingertips touched her skin, detecting an abnormal temperature, then held her shoulder, gently nudging her awake: "Shen Jianian, wake up."
Shen Jianian couldn’t continue pretending to be asleep to avoid him. She turned sideways, frowning and asking: "What do you want to do again?"
"Is your body uncomfortable?" Fu Jichen had his entire palm against her cheek, which felt quite warm.
Shen Jianian opened her mouth to say something, but her throat suddenly became scratchy. She coughed once, pushed his hand away, and slowly sat up, lacking the energy to glare at him with any force: "Being confined here by you, I feel discomfort everywhere. When will you let me leave?" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
"You’re running a fever." Fu Jichen selectively ignored her complaints, "I’m asking seriously, is there any other discomfort in your body so I can call a doctor to check on you."
Shen Jianian paused, raising her hand to touch her own forehead. What he said seemed true; her body temperature felt a bit high.
She cherished her life and dared not joke with her health: "Throat pain, dizziness, nausea, nothing else."
Fu Jichen didn’t delay and immediately took out his phone to call the family doctor, describing her symptoms: "Her throat hurts, she’s running a fever, not sure exactly how high, dizzy and nauseous, and I just heard her cough once. In this case, should she take medication or receive an IV drip?"
The doctor said something unknown on the other end, and as Fu Jichen responded, he walked out with hurried steps.
After a while, he returned with a thermometer and placed it on Shen Jianian’s forehead. Seeing the number on the display, he instantly furrowed his brow and told the doctor on the other end: "38.9 degrees, a high fever, better come over."
Remembering something important, Fu Jichen spoke earnestly, reminding the doctor: "She’s allergic to penicillin, azithromycin, cephalosporin. If anti-inflammation is necessary, don’t use these, use levofloxacin."
Originally hanging her head low, Shen Jianian suddenly raised her head at these words, her gaze directly falling on Fu Jichen’s face, which was also looking at her.
Meeting each other’s gaze, Fu Jichen’s furrowed brow and anxious look were deeply reflected in her eyes.
The only thought in Shen Jianian’s mind at this moment was, Fu Jichen knew about her medication allergies. Based on what the nanny told her, she believed now that they indeed were together.
Although she still couldn’t understand how she ended up with Fu Jichen, what, had she been possessed?
After Fu Jichen hung up the phone, Shen Jianian spoke, "Aunt said you have photos of me from before, can I take a look?" She still wanted verification.
Believing was one thing, accepting was another.
Right now, she couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she and Fu Jichen were once together.