Indulgence - Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The question was out of the blue and ambiguous. Why would I be avoiding her? Yao Ran thought. It's only natural that we don't see each other.
Jiang Nian also felt her question was strange. Even if Yao Ran was deliberately avoiding her, she had no right to feel wronged. But seeing Yao Ran show concern for her now, she stared straight at the woman before her, and all the grievances she had been bottling up recently came rushing to the surface.
Yao Ran discovered that Jiang Nian was very good at acting cute with her eyes and skilled at creating an ambiguous atmosphere. She glanced at the back of Jiang Nian's hand again and reminded her in a low voice, "You should clean the wound first."
Reminded of the pain, Jiang Nian sucked in a breath. She looked at Yao Ran and blurted out, "It hurts so much... What should I do?"
Yao Ran was silent. A tattoo artist who didn't know how to disinfect a wound? But seeing her like this, she simply said, "Let's go back and rinse it with water first."
"Okay."
And just like that, the two of them returned to the studio together.
Qiu Lan happened to be coming downstairs after finishing her work and saw the injury on the back of Jiang Nian's hand. "What happened?"
"Si Mao bit me," Jiang Nian said.
Yao Ran said to Qiu Lan, "Could you please bring some iodine?"
"Sure," Qiu Lan immediately replied.
Qiu Lan hadn't been in the studio the last two times Yao Ran had visited, so this was their first meeting. Her initial reaction was, Has Jiang Nian hooked up with a new woman? Not long ago, she'd said she'd met someone she was crazy about. As expected, you couldn't trust a flirt's words.
They went to the restroom first to rinse the wound.
The gushing water washed away the blood, and Jiang Nian winced in pain, biting her lip and furrowing her brow.
Yao Ran believed that Jiang Nian's fear of pain was the real reason she didn't have any tattoos. The wound wasn't deep—just a superficial one.
After a moment, Qiu Lan brought over the iodine for disinfection. "Is the wound bad?"
"It's fine, just a scratch," Yao Ran answered.
Once the wound was cleaned and rinsed, Yao Ran began dabbing it with iodine.
The moment the swab touched her skin, Jiang Nian flinched and pulled her hand back. Her reaction was strong, and this time she couldn't hold it in at all. She whined softly to Yao Ran, "It hurts so much—"
Whimpering like that over such a shallow wound, she had no shame. Yao Ran looked up and couldn't help but ask, "Does it really hurt that much?"
Jiang Nian looked at her. "It really does."
Yao Ran sighed helplessly. "Just bear with it. It'll be over soon."
"Okay." Jiang Nian decided to just stare at her. Looking at such a pleasing face might distract her a little.
Yao Ran saw that her gaze was direct and unrestrained, utterly improper... She ignored it and lowered her head to continue disinfecting the wound.
What's going on here?
Qiu Lan hadn't left yet. Observing their interaction, she sensed something was up. Although Jiang Nian could be quite a character on a normal day, she wasn't usually like this—acting cute, giving lovesick glances, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. The flirtatious energy was practically radiating off her.
The wound was simply treated.
"Thank you," Jiang Nian said.
Yao Ran turned to wash her hands. Now that someone else was here, she wasn't needed. She had intended to leave directly, but before going, she reminded Jiang Nian, "Go get a vaccine tonight. Don't put it off."
Jiang Nian looked like she wanted to say something but held back.
"Um," Qiu Lan interjected, seeing the situation. She said to Yao Ran, "Excuse me, the studio is busy right now, and I can't get away. Would you mind taking her to the hospital?"
After speaking, Qiu Lan glanced at Jiang Nian. She sensed that Jiang Nian's intentions weren't so simple, so she decided to give her a helping hand.
Jiang Nian, meanwhile, looked at Yao Ran silently.
Yao Ran stood there quietly.
Seeing that Yao Ran seemed reluctant, Jiang Nian gave a nonchalant smile. "I can go by myself. No need to trouble you."
"Let's go..." Yao Ran said to her then. "I drove."
Jiang Nian said nothing more, and the two of them walked out together again.
Qiu Lan watched their retreating figures and had a delayed realization. Could this be the woman Jiang Nian developed feelings for after sleeping with her? She had never seen Jiang Nian look at anyone with such seriousness and devotion...
A quick search showed there was a hospital that administered rabies vaccines just two kilometers away.
Si Mao was still lying in the cardboard box, and Jiang Nian wanted to take him to a nearby pet hospital as well. The pet hospital was on the way, just a few minutes' drive. Jiang Nian would drop Si Mao off for treatment, then go get her own vaccine.
Inside the car, both were quiet. Not a single word was exchanged all the way to the hospital.
The car stopped outside the emergency department.
"We're here," Yao Ran said.
Jiang Nian thanked her and got out. Just as she closed the car door, she saw Yao Ran getting out of the driver's seat. She froze for a second.
She had thought Yao Ran would just drop her off at her destination. She hadn't expected her to actually accompany her into the hospital.
Jiang Nian silently fell into step behind her.
Inside the hospital, they registered for an emergency visit, followed the procedure to get the medicine, and finally went to the injection room for the vaccine. Yao Ran stayed by her side the entire time.
The injection area was crowded, so they waited in the seating area for a while. When their number was called, Jiang Nian turned to Yao Ran and said, "Can you come with me?"
Yao Ran glanced at her. "Okay."
As they walked to the injection room, Jiang Nian added, "I might embarrass myself in a bit."
Yao Ran seemed to understand what she meant. She looked at her but said nothing.
Jiang Nian had hated hospitals since she was a child. The smell of antiseptic was nauseating, and she hated getting shots even more. It was funny, really—she spent her days poking people with a tattoo machine, yet she herself was terrified of pain.
As the nurse prepared to inject her arm, Jiang Nian first glanced at Yao Ran, then took the liberty of taking her hand and resting her head against her side.
"..." Faced with this situation, Yao Ran was helpless and could only go along with it.
Jiang Nian hid her face against Yao Ran. As the sharp needle slowly pierced her skin, she couldn't stop herself from crying out, "Ah—ah—"
Yao Ran turned to look at her. She knew it would be embarrassing, but she hadn't expected it to be this embarrassing. She said to the person leaning on her, "Keep it down."
Jiang Nian felt like crying. She asked Yao Ran in a small voice, "Why isn't it over yet?"
"It's almost done," Yao Ran told her.
They were close, so Yao Ran's voice was very soft, sounding like she was gently coaxing her. Jiang Nian leaned against her quietly, shamelessly unwilling to move away.
For a moment, Yao Ran's mind drifted. The way Jiang Nian was clinging to her made it hard not to read into it.
The nurse was professional enough to complete the injection with perfect composure amidst the screams. But after it was done, seeing Jiang Nian still hiding against the other person, she reminded her with a smile, "It's all done."
Jiang Nian straightened up and said, "Thank you."
"You were louder than the last kid," the nurse said, unable to hold back.
"..."
Yao Ran suppressed a laugh. She really was like a child.
The nurse added, "Wait for half an hour for observation before you leave."
Walking out of the injection room, Jiang Nian muttered, "That was so embarrassing."
Yao Ran remained silent. It was the first time she'd met someone more afraid of pain than Ruan Xin. Thinking back on the scene, she couldn't suppress the smile playing on her lips... It really was embarrassing.
Jiang Nian saw it and asked with a smile, "Is it funny watching me make a fool of myself?"
Yao Ran glanced back at her and replied softly, "You knew it was embarrassing, yet you still screamed so loudly."
Jiang Nian defended herself, "You know I can't help it."
Can't help it...
Hearing this, Yao Ran turned her face away and said nothing.
The words could be misunderstood, so Jiang Nian tried to explain, only making it more conspicuous, "I mean, I can't help the pain."
"..."
She would have been better off not explaining.
Jiang Nian found it both awkward and amusing. Director Yao has quite the dirty mind, doesn't she?
They still had to wait for half an hour. The two sat side-by-side on a bench in the waiting area. From time to time, Jiang Nian would steal a glance at the person next to her, who was just sitting there quietly, keeping her company.
Today, just like when she had woken up that morning, Yao Ran maintained a gentle yet distant attitude. She was composed, not showing excessive concern, yet she had quietly stayed with her all evening.
Jiang Nian was a little confused. Did this mean Yao Ran cared about her, or was it just friendly courtesy? If it was just friendliness, she wouldn't have needed to stay with her all evening...
Director Yao was too good at putting on an act. Her lukewarm attitude made it impossible to guess her true thoughts.
Half an hour wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. With no adverse reactions, they were free to leave.
After leaving the hospital, Jiang Nian was still worried about the injured little guy. "I want to go check on Si Mao."
Yao Ran nodded. "Okay."
A short while later, the car stopped in front of the pet hospital again. Jiang Nian unbuckled her seatbelt and, on a whim, asked Yao Ran, "Do you want to go see Si Mao?"
Yao Ran thought for a moment, then got out of the car with Jiang Nian.
Si Mao's wound had been bandaged. He was lying in a cage, resting. The vet said the wound was quite badly infected, and it was a good thing they had brought him in when they did. He would need to be hospitalized for a while.
The little guy was still listless, but he was in much better shape and didn't seem to be in as much pain as before.
Jiang Nian looked at the little creature in the cage and called to him, "Si Mao."
"Woof..."
"Woof... you bit me, and you still have the nerve to act cute? I'm going to get angry."
Yao Ran stood to the side, watching. Every time she saw Jiang Nian imitate a puppy, she wanted to laugh.
"Want to meet Si Mao?" Jiang Nian turned and said to Yao Ran.
Yao Ran moved closer. It was a small white dog with round, beautiful eyes.
Si Mao whimpered twice more, as if he understood what they were saying.
Yao Ran smiled.
Jiang Nian's tone softened. "Isn't he cute?"
"Yes. You really like dogs?" Yao Ran asked her. Many of Jiang Nian's wood carvings were of puppies, as were her drawings.
"I do," Jiang Nian said, gazing at her with a smile. "Dogs are clingy, they know how to act cute, and they're incredibly loyal. Don't you like that?"
Yao Ran looked at her smiling eyes and found herself momentarily lost in thought. Her eyes were clear, and her smile was captivating—innocent yet alluring, making it effortless for her to charm someone.
Jiang Nian continued to stare at Yao Ran, unwilling to shy away from the ambiguity between them. "Director Yao, are you this considerate to everyone?"
The question was loaded.
Yao Ran didn't reply.
Her gaze and tone grew even more ambiguous. "You didn't have to stay with me for so long tonight."
She couldn't help it...
She just wanted to provoke her.
Comments
Post a Comment