Yearning For Warmth, Day and Night - Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Hug
Pei Tian had notified Wei Hui, who had been frequently interacting with the Du family recently due to the unfinished building project. He didn’t want any accidents to happen, which was why he informed Wei Hui.
Eleven was momentarily dazed by the person who appeared at the doorway, then quickly reacted and walked to her side, calling out, “Third Miss.”
Wei Hui had just gotten out of the car, and the cold wind howled behind her, adding a chill to her voice: “What’s going on?”
Eleven whispered, “Twelve is Miss Du’s dog.”
Wei Hui’s brows furrowed slightly. She looked at Du Yuehan and the doctor in the white coat standing not far away, as well as Pei Tian standing to the side. Her sharp gaze was too piercing. Du Yue Ming was the first to give in and voluntarily admitted, “It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Although the doctor didn’t know Wei Hui’s background, her imposing aura suggested she was no ordinary person. He immediately echoed, “Yes, yes, it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“I’ll examine Sisi first.” The doctor, unable to bear such a stifling atmosphere, led the dog away and said to Du Yue Ming, “You can wait outside.”
Du Yue Ming nodded. The receptionist quickly led them to the waiting room in the back.
The waiting room was quite large. The receptionist poured everyone a cup of warm water. Wei Hui didn’t take it; she simply sat on the sofa and said to Eleven, “Since it’s a misunderstanding, then give the dog back to Miss Du.”
Eleven looked up, her hands clutching the rim of the water glass, smiling: “Okay.”
Her tone showed no reluctance, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Wei Hui remembered the scene of Eleven sneaking out in the pouring rain that night, just to shield the dog from the rain, and remained silent.
Du Yue Ming leaned over: “Eleven, thank you.”
She had drunk quite a bit, and though dizzy when she arrived, she was almost sober now. Eleven shook her head at her words: “It’s nothing.”
“No, that won’t do. A thank you is in order. How about this, consider it a favor I owe you. If you need anything in the future, just come to me.”
“Miss Du, I…” Eleven’s voice was cut off by Wei Hui: “Then let’s thank Miss Du first.”
“Eleven, thank Miss Du.”
Eleven looked at her somewhat blankly, but still obediently took the hint: “Thank you, Miss Du.”
Du Yue Ming smiled: “You’re welcome.”
The few of them sat idly in the lounge. Eleven, afraid of delaying Wei Hui’s work, proactively said, “Third Miss, why don’t you go to the company first? There’s nothing much here, and I can go back by myself.”
“How can that be? I’ll drive you.” Du Yue Ming interjected. “Anyway, you have nothing to do later, we can shop around a bit before heading back, what do you say?”
She clearly treated Eleven as a friend. Eleven was not as resistant as she had been initially, and softly said, “Will it be too much trouble for you?”
Du Yue Ming raised her hand: “Not at all.”
Wei Hui, listening to their conversation, turned to glance at Eleven. She saw Eleven speaking like a normal child, her demeanor and conversation no longer timid, but relaxed and a little more confident. Wei Hui lowered her eyes and didn’t say she was leaving.
Since Wei Hui didn’t leave, Eleven didn’t dare to urge her either. Soon, the doctor in the white coat came knocking with the dog. After giving Du Yue Ming some instructions, he said, “Don’t lose it again this time.”
Du Yue Ming hugged the dog’s neck, expressing immense fondness, her voice sweet and syrupy: “Never again, never again. I’d lose myself before I lose it.”
The dog lifted its head and licked Du Yue Ming’s cheek, its front paws scrambling onto her. Unlike its behavior with Eleven, it was exceptionally playful and familiar with Du Yue Ming.
Du Yue Ming called out “Sisi,” and the dog excitedly spun around her. Eleven watched this scene, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
Wei Hui stood beside her, her voice slightly lowered: “Reluctant to let go?”
Eleven turned to look, seeing Wei Hui staring fixedly at the person and dog in front of her. Her profile was tense, her gaze cold, and her sharp eyes remained. She shook her head: “No, I’m happy for them.”
Wei Hui tilted her head: “Happy about what?”
Eleven thought for a moment and said, “Happy that Twelve is different from me; it has a family.”
She finished speaking with a relieved smile. The initial sadness had dissipated after seeing the dog interact with Du Yue Ming firsthand. Wei Hui was momentarily lost in thought after hearing her words, and Su Ziyan’s words echoed in her ears.
“Have you thought about what to do with Eleven?”
“This is her child, do you think she won’t worry?”
Wei Hui coughed dryly, feeling a bit dizzy. Eleven, seeing her face turn slightly pale, immediately supported her. Wei Hui’s vision only blurred for two seconds before returning to normal. Fortunately, Eleven provided timely support, preventing her from losing composure.
Pei Tian, who was behind them, had just been about to take a step forward but paused, then took two steps back.
Leaving the pet store, Eleven was very worried about Wei Hui’s health, frequently looking at her. In the sunlight, Wei Hui’s face was only slightly pale; otherwise, she looked normal. When they got into the car, Du Yue Ming said, “Is CEO Wei going to the company? Shall I take Eleven back then?”
Eleven looked at Wei Hui with pleading eyes. Having just seen her episode, she really wanted to go with her, but she had already promised Du Yue Ming and couldn’t go back on her word, so she could only look at Wei Hui.
Wei Hui met her clear gaze, paused for a moment, and said, “I’m actually going back to get some documents, so Eleven can just come with me. No need to trouble Miss Du.”
Du Yue Ming pouted: “Stingy.”
Eleven lowered her eyes, hearing Du Yue Ming then say: “Well, see you next time, Sisi, say goodbye to Auntie Eleven!”
The dog barked twice at Eleven. Eleven rubbed its head and said, “Goodbye.”
Soon, she and Wei Hui got into the car. Before leaving, she saw Du Yue Ming holding the dog’s leash in the rearview mirror. As the car started, the dog suddenly stood up and ran forward, following the car. Eleven immediately opened the car window, looked back, and saw Twelve barking at her. She smiled and softly muttered, “Goodbye.”
As she closed the car window, Wei Hui coughed twice. Eleven quickly composed herself and called out, “Third Miss, are you alright?”
Wei Hui shook her head: “I’m fine.”
Eleven was still a little worried: “How about I go with you to see Dr. Su, okay?”
“No need.” Wei Hui refused without hesitation: “A little rest will be enough.”
Seeing this, Eleven didn’t say anything more. The two sat in the back seat, with Wei Hui’s bag between them. The car wasn’t moving fast on the road, and the scenery outside the window blurred past. Wei Hui said, “Do you really like that dog?”
Eleven clasped her hands together and nodded: “Yes, I do.”
After saying that, she thought of the scene she had witnessed at the pet store and couldn’t help but ask, “Third Miss, did you also have a dog before?”
Wei Hui’s face showed no impatience, and she nodded slightly: “Mm.”
Eleven, seeing her expression was as usual, pressed further: “Then why did you send it away?”
Wei Hui turned her head to glance at her, then replied, “Because I liked it very much.”
“Why, if you liked it…” Eleven looked at Wei Hui as she spoke, seeing her turned towards the window, sunlight hitting the lines of her face, adding a touch of softness. Her long, curled eyelashes cast shadows on her face. Eleven couldn’t see her eyes, but she thought they shouldn’t be as sharp as before.
The Third Miss also had this side to her. Eleven was touched by what she saw, deeply embedding this scene in her heart. When she came back to her senses, Wei Hui had already closed her eyes to rest.
Upon arriving at the Wei family home, Wei Hui was the first to get out of the car. Aunt Liu peered into the car and said to Eleven, “Where’s Twelve?”
After a few days of getting to know each other, Eleven and Aunt Liu had become familiar. She immediately said, “Given away.”
Aunt Liu was surprised. Eleven smiled: “Just kidding.”
Wei Hui turned and saw the child’s sweet smile. Eleven’s smile was beautiful, but she didn’t often smile. The most Wei Hui usually saw was a slight upturn of her lips, a shy smile. To see her smile with light in her eyes like this was truly rare. She took another look, then turned and left the yard.
Back in her study, she took out a document and said to Pei Tian, “Take this to CEO Du.”
Pei Tian nodded: “Do you want to rest for a bit?”
Wei Hui stood by the window: “No need, go quickly.”
Pei Tian wanted to offer a few more words of care, but he also knew Wei Hui’s temper—she was unyielding. Helpless, he had no choice but to leave the Wei family with the document tucked under his arm. In the yard, Eleven was sitting alone on a long bench. The cold wind howled past her. Her long hair flailed wildly behind her. Aunt Liu glanced at her and came over, saying, “Little Miss, come in and rest. It’s cold outside.”
Eleven rubbed her hands and smiled: “Okay.”
Back in the living room, she didn’t see Wei Hui. She looked up and saw that the study door was open. Wei Hui rarely worked at home; her time was very regular. Usually, after coming home, she would have dinner, then take a walk nearby, and then come back to wash up and sleep. Her routine was like that of a retired elderly person. Eleven stood in the living room and saw Aunt Liu carrying a bowl of ginger soup. Aunt Liu said to Eleven, “Little Miss, yours is on the dining table. Drink it when it cools down a bit. I’ll take this to the Third Miss first.”
Eleven saw this and called out to her: “Aunt Liu, I’ll take it.”
Aunt Liu looked at her, then up the stairs, and understood: “Okay.”
Eleven carried the ginger soup up the stairs. Standing at the door, she looked down at her reflection in the ginger soup, her features strangely distorted. When she first came to the Wei family, she wished she could hide from Wei Hui, as far away as possible, hoping Wei Hui wouldn’t discover her existence. Now, not only did she not want to hide, but she also looked for opportunities to appear by her side. It wasn’t for anything greedy; she just felt inexplicably at ease when she saw Wei Hui.
Eleven found her change of heart strange but didn’t delve deeper. She just stood at the door with the ginger soup and softly said, “Third Miss.”
Wei Hui didn’t even lift her head: “Come in.”
She finished speaking and coughed twice. Eleven looked at her with some concern and asked, “Are you alright?”
Wei Hui tried to wave her hand but was suddenly choked, leading to another violent fit of coughing. Her hand trembled slightly in mid-air. Eleven, standing beside her, didn’t know what to do for a moment. Finally, she boldly patted Wei Hui’s back, repeatedly asking, “Third Miss, do you need medicine? I’ll get it.”
Eleven was about to leave when her wrist was suddenly seized by a strong grip. The squeeze was so tight that Eleven winced slightly but didn’t make a sound.
“No need.” After a long moment, Wei Hui’s breathing finally evened out. There was a reason she detested winter; such weather made it easy to catch a cold, and her constitution was susceptible. Thus, every winter, she was almost constantly ill with minor ailments.
Eleven looked down at Wei Hui. Despite such a violent cough, her face showed no redness, only a deathly pallor. Her eyes were moist, and she looked utterly drained, with a sickly weakness. Eleven’s heart ached inexplicably. She softly said, “You should rest for a bit.”
Wei Hui was dizzy from the violent coughing just now, but she still wanted to push through. The shareholders’ meeting was tomorrow, and every step had to be perfect. So, she was reviewing the plan. Eleven saw her still sitting upright and bit her lip: “Even if you don’t rest, please drink this bowl of ginger soup.”
As soon as her voice fell, a voice came from the doorway: “Third Miss, Little Miss.”
The door hadn’t been closed when Eleven entered, and Aunt Liu was standing directly at the doorway. She looked inside. Wei Hui preemptively pulled Eleven into her arms. Sitting on her lap, Wei Hui buried her face in Eleven’s chest, using the opportunity to conceal her pale complexion. Eleven felt Wei Hui’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist, very forcefully. Wei Hui’s long hair brushed against her chin, causing a ticklish sensation. Eleven looked down, her nostrils filled with the scent of shampoo. The person in her arms was soft, a head rubbing against her chest. Her hands rested awkwardly on Wei Hui’s shoulders, her face flushed, and her heart suddenly exploded!