Honored Guest - Chapter 22
Call Me That
Jiang Jin Yue lay in bed, turning to see Lan Yan scrolling through her phone. Unable to sleep, she turned her back to Lan Yan and stealthily reached out, looking at the ring on her ring finger. Custom-made rings were usually difficult to adjust, but Lan Yan had designed it with an adjustable band. A small, crescent-shaped ring encircled the main ring, allowing for minor adjustments. It was an ingenious design. Lan Yan had said this ring had taken the longest to make, and Jiang Jin Yue agreed. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.
Even more beautiful than the one she'd given Lan Yan.
She gently traced the ring with her fingertip and heard Lan Yan cough softly behind her. Jiang Jin Yue turned around. “Do you have a cold?”
“No,” Lan Yan said. “My throat is a bit itchy.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m going to get some water. Do you want some?”
Jiang Jin Yue nodded. “Yes, please bring me a glass.”
Lan Yan left. Jiang Jin Yue looked at Lan Yan's phone lying beside her, the screen still lit. She reached for it and saw the chat window.
She didn’t know who the other person was.
Lan Yan had written: [Could you help me contact Dr. Zhao?]
The other person had replied: [Dr. Zhao is currently abroad. I’ll contact you when she returns.]
Lan Yan: [Okay. Are there any other doctors at your hospital who specialize in cervical cancer?]
Jiang Jin Yue’s hand clenched.
Another message popped up on the screen.
From a different stranger.
[Hello, you can send me the medical records first.]
She bit her lip, backing out of the chat window and seeing dozens of unread messages, all related to hospitals.
When Lan Yan returned, Jiang Jin Yue was sitting on the bed. She looked small, the pajamas loose and baggy on her slender frame. The warm light cast her shadow on the wall. Lan Yan walked over and handed her the glass of water, then sat down beside her. “Drink some water.”
Jiang Jin Yue snapped back, taking the glass from her. She wanted to say something but hesitated, taking a sip of water instead. “Is this sweet?”
Lan Yan said, “It’s juice.”
Jiang Jin Yue looked down and saw that it was indeed juice. She hadn’t even noticed the smell. She had some juice mix at home; she used to make it after taking her medicine. She’d gotten used to the taste of the medicine now and had stopped making juice. She hadn’t realized Lan Yan had found it.
She took another sip. “It’s good.”
She placed the empty glass on the bedside table, leaned against the headboard, looked at Lan Yan, and patted the space beside her. “Come here.”
Her eyes were bright and clear, a hint of a smile in them as she looked at Lan Yan. Lan Yan met her gaze, then, after a few seconds, lay down beside her.
She slipped under the covers, enveloped in warmth.
Jiang Jin Yue leaned against her. “This feels like a dream.”
Lan Yan didn’t hear her clearly. “What?”
Jiang Jin Yue repeated, “This feels like a dream.”
Just two days ago, she was still trying to figure out how to get Lan Yan to leave. Now, they were lying together in the same bed. She wasn’t as strong as she’d pretended to be. She was tired and wanted to lean on Lan Yan.
She'd followed her own desires, at Lan Yan’s expense.
Whether to hide the truth or confess, the decision had been hers, and she hadn’t considered Lan Yan’s feelings. Jiang Jin Yue whispered, “Lan Yan.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lan Yan held her close, her chin resting on Jiang Jin Yue’s head, her eyes reddening slightly. She deliberately changed the subject. “Do you often dream of me?”
“No.” Jiang Jin Yue played along, her voice clear and bright. “Don't flatter yourself.”
Lan Yan remembered one Lunar New Year when she’d returned home. Jiang Jin Yue had sent her so many messages; she'd seen them as soon as she landed. Jiang Jin Yue had written: [I dreamt of you last night.]
She'd asked: [What did you dream about?]
Jiang Jin Yue: [I dreamt you came back.]
She'd asked: [Did you miss me?]
Jiang Jin Yue: [No.]
Knowing that wasn't convincing, she'd added: [Don’t flatter yourself.]
Remembering it now, it felt like a lifetime ago. Lan Yan smiled. “What did you dream about? Was it like this, holding you?”
Jiang Jin Yue said, “No.”
Lan Yan lowered her head, pulling away slightly. “Really?”
Her eyes were serious, a hint of vulnerability in them. Before Jiang Jin Yue could reply, Lan Yan said, “I have.”
“Many, many times,” Lan Yan continued. “When I first went abroad, I couldn't sleep. I had severe insomnia, relying on sleeping pills to fall asleep. Later, I started to love sleeping, because I could dream of coming back, coming back to see you.”
Jiang Jin Yue’s heart ached for her. She nuzzled closer, trying to comfort her.
Lan Yan said, “I actually came back to find you once.”
Jiang Jin Yue looked up. “When?”
“Not long after I left,” Lan Yan said. “I couldn’t bear it, so I secretly came back. I ran into your mom.”
Jiang Jin Yue looked down.
She knew exactly what her mother would have said, and Lan Yan felt guilty towards her mother. No wonder she hadn't been able to reach Lan Yan during that time.
Lan Yan said, “I actually regret it.”
Jiang Jin Yue asked, “Regret what?”
“Regretting leaving.” Lan Yan held her close. “What if we hadn’t listened to your mother back then? What would have happened?”
Jiang Jin Yue was silent.
Her mother was just like her, stubborn and unyielding. If she had wanted to separate them, she would have found a way, and things would have probably been even more chaotic.
But… who knew?
Jiang Jin Yue said, “Maybe it would have been worse.”
“Or maybe not,” Lan Yan said. “I regret that fifty percent chance.”
She blamed herself for not persisting. Maybe if she had, things would be different now.
Jiang Jin Yue said, “Lan Yan, leaving was the best decision at the time. Don’t regret it.”
They hadn’t been mature enough back then. Just her mother alone had been enough to throw them into disarray. If they’d faced other challenges, things would have been much worse. She’d never thought leaving was the wrong decision. She'd imagined them growing together, but they hadn't had the chance.
It was just that… no one could have predicted what would happen later.
Everything changes, nothing stays the same.
Lan Yan hugged her, humming softly in agreement. Jiang Jin Yue looked up at her, stroking her cheek. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Lan Yan nuzzled against her palm, the warmth comforting. Jiang Jin Yue wanted to smile, and meeting Lan Yan’s gaze, she finally did. “It's getting late, let’s get some rest. I’m trying on bridesmaid dresses tomorrow morning.”
“Bridesmaid dresses?” Lan Yan asked. “Where are you trying them on?”
“At the shop.” Jiang Jin Yue said. “It’s for Lin Lin's wedding. I’m going to be a bridesmaid. She sent me some pictures of the dresses. Do you want to see them?”
Their conversation flowed naturally, casual and easy. Lan Yan asked, “What kind of dresses?”
Jiang Jin Yue opened her phone and showed her the pictures. “This one.”
“But I chose blue. I’m trying it on tomorrow.”
Lan Yan looked at the dress. It was an off-the-shoulder design, form-fitting, with a knee-length skirt. The blue would complement Jiang Jin Yue’s fair skin. But Lan Yan wanted to see her in the dress next to it.
The wedding dress.
Lan Yan said, “I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
“Don’t you have work?” Jiang Jin Yue looked at her, curious. Lan Yan said, “I don’t have much work at the moment.”
Jiang Jin Yue was about to ask more when she remembered Lan Yan was planning to leave next month, so she’d probably cleared her schedule. She nodded. “Okay. We can go together tomorrow. We can also go check on the apartment. It should be halfway done by now.”
She told Lan Yan, “Yu He gave me the blueprints.”
Lan Yan chuckled. “They were my blueprints.”
“I know,” Jiang Jin Yue said. “I know.”
The moment she’d seen the blueprints, she’d known they were Lan Yan’s design. But since Yu He hadn't said anything, she hadn’t mentioned it either. Lan Yan asked, “So all those requests from Yu He… were they actually yours?”
“Kind of,” Jiang Jin Yue said. “He said he would help find a designer and asked me what I wanted, so I told him.”
He’d even called her picky.
She’d met with a few designers after that, but she hadn’t been satisfied with any of them. And then, Lan Yan had returned.
Lan Yan hugged her. “Your apartment…”
Her phone rang, interrupting her. It was Chen Lin. Jiang Jin Yue glanced at Lan Yan. “I need to take this.”
Chen Lin was calling to confirm the time for the dress fitting tomorrow. She said, “Le Le probably won’t be able to make it. Her mother’s condition has worsened, and she said she won’t be free for the next few days.”
Jiang Jin Yue listened, Lan Yan’s hand holding hers beneath the covers, her back against Lan Yan’s body, the warmth making her drowsy. Chen Lin said, “Should I find someone else? What do you think, Yue Yue?”
Jiang Jin Yue said, “Yes, find someone else.”
Chen Lin said, “I’ll think about who else to ask.”
Then Jiang Jin Yue said, “Lan Yan.”
Chen Lin responded, “Lan Yan?”
Jiang Jin Yue looked at Lan Yan, remembering they were going to the shop together tomorrow, and said to Chen Lin, “Hold on.”
She covered the phone and asked Lan Yan, “Do you want to be Chen Lin’s bridesmaid?”
Lan Yan looked surprised. “Me?”
Jiang Jin Yue nodded. “Yes, Le Le can’t make it.”
Lan Yan said, “I don’t mind.”
They were so close, their breaths mingling. Jiang Jin Yue blushed slightly, glancing at Lan Yan, then looking down as she spoke to Chen Lin. “I’ll bring Lan Yan over tomorrow.”
“Great!” Chen Lin said. “Thank you, baby!”
Her tone was playful, clearly happy. Jiang Jin Yue hung up and saw Lan Yan looking at her intently. “What?” she asked, puzzled.
“What did she call you?” Lan Yan asked.
Jiang Jin Yue figured she’d heard Chen Lin’s last words. “She always calls me that when she’s happy.”
Lan Yan nodded. “She’s quite different from before.”
Jiang Jin Yue said, “Yes, she is.”
She put down her phone. “Let’s get some rest.”
They lay down, Lan Yan's hand still holding hers beneath the covers. It had been a long and emotional day, and Jiang Jin Yue was exhausted. She closed her eyes soon after lying down. Suddenly, Lan Yan squeezed her hand.
Lan Yan didn’t say anything, just held her hand, her fingers gently caressing the back of Jiang Jin Yue’s hand. Jiang Jin Yue, unable to sleep, turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
Lan Yan rolled over, facing her, and whispered, “I’ve never called you that.”
Jiang Jin Yue paused. “Called me what?”
Then she realized and chuckled, the sound waking her up a bit more. She looked at Lan Yan, her eyes bright. “Then call me that.”
Lan Yan said, “No.”
Jiang Jin Yue snuggled closer, burying her face in Lan Yan’s chest. “Lan Yan, call me that.”
Before Lan Yan could reply, Jiang Jin Yue wrapped her arms around Lan Yan's waist, tilted her head back slightly, her nose brushing against Lan Yan’s chin. “Lan Yan,” she whispered, “I want to hear you call me that.”
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