Chapter 152: Fu Zhichen Is a Perfect Score

Chapter 152: Fu Zhichen Is a Perfect Score

The Little Old Lady had to wake up before Song Jiang was even allowed into the ward.

There was a "Yue" character in Grandma's name. For as long as Song Jiang could remember, the Little Old Lady never liked him calling her "Grandma," always saying it made her sound old.

She preferred Song Jiang to call her by her nickname, Yueyue.

Song Jiang was young back then and didn't get what was wrong with the way he addressed her, so he happily agreed, and that was how he'd been calling her ever since.

"Yueyue."

Song Jiang forced himself to stay calm as he called out, forcing a smile before stepping into the ward. The Little Old Lady was sixty-nine this year. Because of her age, the skin around her eyes had sagged into wrinkles, so when she looked at people, her eyes were just slits.

Her silver-white hair was combed neatly behind her ears, and her sickly face was almost completely drained of color.

When she saw Song Jiang walk in with a fruit basket and flowers, the Little Old Lady's furrowed brow relaxed, and a thin layer of fog formed inside her oxygen mask.

He knew it—the Little Old Lady was always happy to see him and would smile.

The Little Old Lady loved flowers. When he was a child, even if it was just a wildflower that had dropped by the roadside, she would bring it home, use a homemade plastic bottle as a vase, fill it with water, and set it on the dining table.

Life had been too hard, so the Little Old Lady never had a favorite flower—she just liked whichever one was the brightest.

The bouquet in Song Jiang's arms was one he'd asked the flower shop clerk to specially pick out—each flower was the most vivid of its kind, dewy and fresh.

"The second the flower shop opened, I went in and bought these. They're the freshest ones for sure—look, Yueyue, they still have dew drops on them."

Song Jiang held up the flowers and crouched down a little so the Little Old Lady could see them clearly.

Even though he knew she couldn't respond, Song Jiang still chattered away with great animation.

He loved sharing his life with the Little Old Lady. The two of them only had each other, and he wanted her to be part of every moment of his life.

Song Jiang left out the transmigration and the system stuff, only saying he'd found a well-paying job and that his boss was good to him, telling the Little Old Lady not to worry about him.

He talked about whatever came to mind, from when he was a kid to now. The Little Old Lady never once killed his vibe, listening with endless delight, tracing her fingertip back and forth across his palm to show she was paying close attention.

The hand that used to hold his when crossing the street was now nothing but skin and bone from illness. Now the roles were reversed—he could wrap his whole hand around it.

Bitterness filled Song Jiang's heart, and he couldn't help wondering: when did it start? When had the disease stolen Yueyue's health without him noticing?

Later, when the nurse came by to check on her, the Little Old Lady asked if she could take off the oxygen mask for a while. It was stuffy, she said, and she wanted to talk. The nurse couldn't say no to an elderly woman and agreed to come back in ten minutes to put it back on.

The Little Old Lady was as happy as a child.

She could only make faint sounds when she spoke, and Song Jiang had to put his ear right up to her lips to hear.

After a while, piecing together the fragments, Song Jiang figured out what the Little Old Lady was trying to ask him. Something like:

"How old is your boss this year?"

"How much does he make in a month?"

"What's he like as a person?"

"Is he hard on you?"

"Does he ever dock your pay?"

Song Jiang thought for a moment and answered one by one.

"Twenty-nine." Not that much older than him.

"He doesn't tell me how much he makes, but he's super capable and earns a ton."

"I think he's a really solid guy."

"He's not mean to me." Song Jiang added, "He even gets me little cakes!"

Song Jiang thought back—almost every time he asked for a raise, Fu Zhichen said yes. He might grumble and tease him with sharp words, but he always caved.

"He doesn't dock my pay. When I do well, he even throws in a bonus every now and then."

Afraid the Little Old Lady wouldn't believe him, Song Jiang laid it on thick at the end, "He's a really, really, really good person!"

It's just that the two of them could never see each other again.

Everyone had flaws, but Song Jiang only mentioned Fu Zhichen's strengths.

In Song Jiang's eyes, Fu Zhichen was a perfect score. Even someone perfect with flaws was still perfect.

The Little Old Lady eventually laughed out loud at his words and gave him a wink—he had no idea how she'd figured it out.

"Jiang Jiang, do you like him?"

Song Jiang's face turned bright red in an instant. Was it that obvious? His fingers unconsciously gripped the bedsheet.

"Oh my, what kind of person is this? Our Jiang Jiang is getting all shy!" The Little Old Lady giggled at the discovery, teasing Song Jiang.

"No way!" Song Jiang grabbed the Little Old Lady's hand and gave it a shake. People who've been caught always deny it. "I don't!"

The Little Old Lady didn't call him out on it, just smiled knowingly. "Alright, alright, our Jiang Jiang says no, so it's no."

A moment later, the Little Old Lady looked at the ceiling and asked tentatively, "Jiang Jiang, does he like you?"

Like didn't even cover it—Fu Zhichen loved him. No one in the world loved him more than Fu Zhichen did.

Song Jiang turned his face away, looking elsewhere so no one would see his red, glistening eyes.

The Little Old Lady thought he was just shy and asked softly again.

"Does he have time in the next few days? If he does, bring him over as soon as you can. I want to meet him."

In just a few seconds, Song Jiang caught the implication behind the Little Old Lady's words. The emotions he'd barely managed to suppress surged back up, and his throat tightened.

Fu Zhichen could never appear in the real world. The Little Old Lady couldn't meet him, and neither could Song Jiang.

Grandma wouldn't leave. She would stay with him for a long, long time, right?

Song Jiang pulled at the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile. "Grandma, you're not allowed to say things like that. The doctor said there's nothing seriously wrong with you—you'll be discharged in a few days."

Yueyue would live to be a hundred.

The Little Old Lady repeated, "I want to meet him."

The change of subject didn't work, so Song Jiang could only mumble out an excuse. "My boss is pretty busy with work... he probably..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a flicker of disappointment cross the Little Old Lady's face, and Song Jiang quickly changed his tune.

"Let me text him and ask. As soon as he's free, I'll bring him over."

"Good, I'd sure like to see who managed to catch my Jiang Jiang's eye." The little old lady patted Song Jiang's hand gently.

Song Jiang smiled along, not wanting to dwell on the topic. He gave his head a shake to clear away the bad thoughts, mapping out a future that would never come to be.

"I've got money now. Once you're better and out of the hospital, I'll take you to buy a big house—the kind with a garden. You can plant whatever flowers you want."

"I'll also get you bracelets, a big gold necklace—buy you as many as you like. I'll make all the neighbors envy you."

The little old lady grinned from ear to ear, but something set off a sudden coughing fit.

Song Jiang was at a loss, not knowing what to do with his hands or feet, about to press the call button.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The nurse heard the commotion and walked in just in time.

"The patient shouldn't get too worked up. She needs rest. Family, please wait outside for now."

As they left the ward, a few tears welled up at the corners of the little old lady's eyes, and she murmured one last thing.

"My Jiang Jiang is the best."

＊

Busy, busy, busy... work is so hectic, I came late today. Probably one more chapter of angst.

----------------------------------------