Chapter 65 It's Messed Up, Utterly Messed Up
Tan Zheng's physical condition was originally good. This sudden fever was only due to his exhausting travels in the United States. Upon returning to China, he hadn't had time to adjust to the time difference and was busy with Song Ni's matters, even sleeping half the night on the sofa. No iron man could withstand such a ordeal. The illness came and went quickly. Almost immediately after Song Ni helped him with physical cooling, he felt much clearer. He fully regained consciousness with the cold.
Tan Zheng opened his eyes and saw Song Ni sleeping beside him, very close, so close he could feel her breath. Her face was resting on his hand, and the culprit that woke him up – an ice pack half melted – was on his hand.
Tan Zheng: ...
He closed his eyes and took a moment to recover, suppressing the remaining dizziness before opening them again. "What a heartless little thing."
The ice water had already soaked the carpet. Tan Zheng moved his completely numb hand and stiffly shifted Song Ni's head aside. However, he didn't expect Song Ni to wake up so quickly. Their eyes met, and the air grew still.
Song Ni blinked, let out a satisfied yawn, and mumbled, "You're awake."
The man glanced at her. "Thanks to you."
Song Ni, not catching the undertone in Tan Zheng's voice, nodded. "You should thank me. Without my care, your brain would have burned out."
"Yes, not only my brain would have burned out, but my wife would have run away."
"..."
Song Ni's second yawn, halfway through, was abruptly suppressed upon hearing Tan Zheng's words. This scoundrel, Tan Zheng, had actually heard what she said. "Such a big person and you don't even know when you have a cold." Not only did he not know, but he had also startled her. Thinking of the angry Tan Zheng before she passed out, Song Ni instinctively pulled her clothes tighter.
Tan Zheng hadn't forgotten what happened that morning. Seeing Song Ni's small movement, he curled his lips. Even a proud young girl had things she feared. Of course, Tan Zheng also hadn't forgotten that Song Ni had tried to appease him, apologize, and kissed him. It seemed he still needed to occasionally reveal his true nature, otherwise, his future Mrs. Tan would be able to jump all over him.
His arm, along with half his body, was numb. Tan Zheng wasn't in a hurry to get up, his gaze falling on the script beside him. That's when he remembered Song Ni was going to film. He wasn't interested in filming and had no intention of interfering. However, seeing Song Ni's earnestness and hard work, he asked, "When do you join the crew?"
Song Ni picked up the script, only to find that a corner of it was also soaked in ice water. "In a few days." As she spoke, she put the script aside, her attention naturally drawn to the half-melted ice pack, and thus noticing Tan Zheng's stiffness. Her face was still numb, and Tan Zheng's hand, on which she had rested her face, couldn't be any better. Uncharacteristically, Song Ni felt a pang of guilt. As if to cover her "crime," she unnecessarily picked up the ice pack and hid it behind her back.
A laugh rumbled from the man's chest. "The future Mrs. Tan is quite skilled at taking care of patients."
Song Ni: ...
She decided not to hide it anymore, and no longer felt guilty. She stood her ground. Lifting her hand, she pointed at the equipment that hadn't been put back yet. "Do you know how much effort it took me to move you here?" For such a large man, even she found it strenuous.
Tan Zheng glanced over, then his gaze settled on Song Ni's slightly flushed face, and he chuckled softly. "I don't blame you." On the contrary, Song Ni's self-awareness gave him some comfort. Call him traditional, call him chauvinistic, but to him, men were inherently supposed to protect their women. How could Song Ni's delicate hands withstand such cold?
Song Ni felt a bit uneasy. She sensed a hint of pampering in Tan Zheng's chuckle. How strange. Shouldn't this scoundrel Tan Zheng be angry with her for doing this?
Thump-thump-thump— Her heart was beating a little too irregularly. It was too strange. Song Ni suddenly stood up and walked out without looking back. She stopped at the doorway. Her earlobes were bright red, and her voice was a little strained. "Auntie has already cooked." After saying that, she scurried downstairs as if fleeing.
It was different from the feeling on the mountaintop that day. That time, she couldn't distinguish how much of her racing heart was due to excitement and how much was due to budding affection. But now, there was no racing, no thrilling activity, only Tan Zheng's smile. Such an unfamiliar emotion made Song Ni instinctively wary.
Tan Zheng had once questioned why she was so sure he would indulge her. She hadn't thought much about it then, simply feeling that being spoiled by family and friends her whole life meant it was okay to be a little unrestrained. But she also knew she had to maintain a proper boundary with Tan Zheng, who had explicitly said he wouldn't indulge her. But... thinking about it now, it wasn't her problem at all! It was Tan Zheng's actions that had led her to misunderstand! For instance, she had dared to place the ice pack on Tan Zheng's hand because the day before, before eating hot pot, Tan Zheng had personally applied a cold compress to her face and told her not to touch the ice.
Who was messed up? If Tan Zheng didn't want to indulge her, why did he do things that were so easily misunderstood? Or was he naturally inclined to indulge others in small matters? No, that wasn't right. Tan Zheng wasn't that kind of person. She was certain it was because of their impending marriage. His attitude towards that Bai family member at the archery hall that day was a prime example.
Song Ni suddenly felt a bit lost. So, were some of Tan Zheng's indulgences simply because she was his future wife? Such an explanation seemed to resolve everything, but... why wasn't she particularly happy? It shouldn't be this way. Didn't she start by acting unrestrained in front of Tan Zheng with this identity? She had even tacitly accepted using this identity as a key to pass their game.
It's messed up, utterly messed up.
Song Ni took a deep breath and ran into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face frantically, trying to clear her head, trying to sort out these complicated emotions. How could she sort them out?
Drip, drip, drip— Tan Zheng was already coming downstairs. Song Ni wiped her face dry and looked at her unfamiliar reflection in the mirror, shaking her head, casting aside all the chaotic thoughts. At this moment, Song Ni didn't know that her appearance was a typical sign of being love-struck.
They ate dinner in silence. The awkwardness that hadn't been present last night now filled the dining table. More accurately, it was Song Ni's solitary awkwardness. Tan Zheng had a good appetite and ate more than half of the dishes on the table. He watched Song Ni's slow eating and assumed it was due to the injury on her face. "I'll take you to the hospital after dinner."
Song Ni looked up blankly. "Why go to the hospital?"
Tan Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't your face hurt?"
"It's okay, another two cold compressions will do. I still need to familiarize myself with the script, and... I don't really want to go out with Tan Zheng right now. I need to reserve some time to sort out my thoughts."
Tan Zheng nodded and said no more. He had been away for a while and needed to go back to the club. (End of this chapter)