Chapter 328: Chapter 328

Ye Ling held the lunch box in her hands, staring at the few people in front of her in line, she blinked and sniffled, then foolishly smiled.

"Crying and laughing like an idiot." Zhao Guodong raised his hand to wipe Ye Ling’s face and then wiped his hand on his clothes. Just as he was about to raise his hand again, he was stopped by Zhang Linong.

Xiang Weilai had already taken out a handkerchief and squeezed through from behind to wipe Ye Ling’s tears, his actions as gentle as his gaze, "You wouldn’t have looked so bad originally, but now it’s ruined by Zhao Guodong’s wiping; even cleaning up now won’t help."

"Hey, why are you talking like that?" Zhao Guodong was both jealous and anxious, but he knew this was not the time or place to get genuinely angry with Xiang Weilai. However, he was staring intently at Xiang Weilai’s hand.

"So what if I look bad, it won’t stop me from eating anyway." Ye Ling didn’t even notice Xiang Weilai was wiping her tears, she was just looking at everyone in front of her, "Why are you all here?"

Friends you see regularly suddenly showing up was touching to Ye Ling, especially since she hadn’t visited the hospital often after her father was admitted, let alone sent any letters. Now, seeing everyone suddenly here, she was both surprised and delighted.

"Shen Bin called us." Zhang Linong said, unaffected by the looks from those around, as he finished wiping Ye Ling’s tears.

Ye Ling was taken aback for a moment, "How did he tell you?"

"For something this important, how could we not come?" Liu Zhiyuan walked over from behind, glancing at Xiang Weilai before looking at Ye Ling, "How is Uncle Ye?"

Behind him were Sun Mingjie, Dong Haoyu, and Wang Ping, all looking at her. Ye Ling smiled and said, "He’s fine now, in the observation room. From now on, he’ll need to recuperate slowly. The doctor said with proper care, he could live for another decade or more."

A decade or so, her father just over forty, Ye Ling dared not think beyond that. But she was content with things as they were. She didn’t realize tears were falling again as she spoke. Xiang Weilai handed over a handkerchief, which she took and used to wipe her tears.

Zhao Guodong looked down, eyes filled with concern, "You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let’s eat, we’ll stay with you outside."

"I’m not hungry, and it’s not good for you all to be standing here. I think we should go to the ward instead." This was the first time she’d seen everyone since the holidays, "Have you eaten?"

"Don’t worry about us, you eat first," Zhang Linong pushed her back onto a chair, "you eat, and Dongzi and Xiang Weilai will stay with you while we go to the ward to wait."

Before Ye Ling could agree, Zhang Linong was already calling people to leave. There was no dissent from the others, so Ye Ling sat with Zhao Guodong and Xiang Weilai. Zhao Guodong looked at her lunch box, "Eat before it gets cold."

"It’s hot, don’t worry." Ye Ling’s excitement began to calm down as she looked at the two sitting next to her and said with a smile, "I feel really blessed now, having friends like you. Although we’re not that close daily, I didn’t expect you’d be here when I needed you."

Ye Ling’s face flushed slightly, "I’m not good at socializing, and I know you’ve all put up with me; otherwise, our friendship wouldn’t have lasted till today, so thank you for your tolerance."

"Rare for you to speak from the heart, though your temper’s not great, it’s much better over the past year or so. Relax, we guys don’t really hold grudges," Zhao Guodong said, then got a glance from Xiang Weilai, "What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"It’s called speaking without thinking." Xiang Weilai pointed out bluntly, his eyes playful yet genuinely making Zhao Guodong annoyed.

Thinking of the occasion, Zhao Guodong huffed, "I let you be."

Ye Ling laughed as she watched the two, "Alright, you’re both grown-ups but still squabble endlessly, aren’t you tired?" This text is hosted at NoveI-Fire.ɴet

"Let’s eat." Xiang Weilai looked at Ye Ling gently, "Though we didn’t grow up together, we’re from the same neighborhood. No matter what, just call out whenever something happens, and we’ll always be there."

Such warm words spoken so gently made Ye Ling smile, "Okay, I’ll remember that."

She then opened her lunch box and started to eat. It contained scrambled eggs with tomatoes over rice. Ye Ling didn’t feel hungry at first, but once she took a bite, she couldn’t stop taking mouthfuls. Seeing this, Zhao Guodong frowned. Initially, he thought Xiang Weilai was too smooth-talking like a player, but seeing Ye Ling eat, he realized Xiang Weilai was indeed helpful, his comforting words having their effect.

"This isn’t enough to fill you up; I’ll go buy more." Zhao Guodong didn’t want to be outdone by Xiang Weilai and stood up to leave.

Ye Ling couldn’t stop him; she couldn’t shout in the hospital and could only watch Zhao Guodong walk away. Xiang Weilai comforted her with a smile, "He feels bad for not being able to help much, so he tries to do something to feel useful."

Ye Ling smiled wryly, "Who knows when he’ll grow up."

"Exactly, not aware of his own feelings, still so conflicted. He doesn’t know how to express his emotions," Xiang Weilai smiled at Ye Ling, "if not reminded, he’ll only suffer in the future."

Ye Ling’s eyes twinkled, "I actually asked him, but he refused to admit it. He always says he likes Ye Qian."

Ever since the incident where Zhao Guodong stood up for her in a fight with Fu Lei, Ye Ling was moved and even developed feelings for him. At that time, she thought Zhao Guodong liked her, but when she asked him, he denied it. Consequently, she gave up on pursuing the matter further, especially being still in school, she didn’t want to dwell on personal matters early on, and thus set it aside.

Xiang Weilai, knowing Zhao Guodong’s character, laughed at Ye Ling’s words, "Well, let him be then."

People must get hurt before they grow.

As Ye Ling and Xiang Weilai talked, she finished the contents of her lunch box. She raised it to Xiang Weilai, "Look at how much I ate, you can rest assured knowing I’m not stressed out."

"No need for forced smiles," Xiang Weilai patted her head, "you’re sometimes really like a kid, a mix of maturity and innocence."

Ye Ling pushed his hand away as she giggled, "You’re the one always treating me like a child."

Xiang Weilai looked over, "Look, Zhao Guodong’s back with food, you guys chat, I’ll go check on the others in the ward."

As Zhao Guodong approached, Xiang Weilai took the empty lunch box from Ye Ling and left. Zhao Guodong gave him a curious look but said nothing, simply walking over to Ye Ling. (To be continued. If you work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com for reading.)