Hearing You Say Love chapter 39
Fast forward to meeting the family?
The next morning, when Su Ming woke up, he noticed that the pain in his right ankle had significantly reduced.
Zou Beiyuan had placed a thick cushion under his right foot to elevate it, helping reduce the swelling.
The room was empty. Su Ming sat up and reached for his phone on the bedside table, noticing a piece of paper underneath it.
Zou Beiyuan had written on a hotel notepad in pencil: I went to get you some breakfast.
Su Ming realized that this was the first time he had seen Little Wolf’s handwriting.
Zou Beiyuan had said he started training in boxing at a very young age and hadn’t spent much time in school, but his handwriting was quite nice. The characters were slightly elongated and wide, just like him, with a clear foundation in calligraphy.
Last night, he had been too tired to check his phone. Now he noticed over ten missed calls and more than twenty messages from Zou Beiyuan.
From the messages sent between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m, Zou Beiyuan had asked where he was and urged him to reply quickly. At the end, he even mentioned calling the police if Su Ming didn’t respond.
He had been found at 4:36 a.m., meaning that Zou Beiyuan and his friends had searched for over five hours.
Su Ming felt deeply moved but also guilty. He didn’t know Xu Jiadi and Yu Dian well, and they had run around all night for him. He would have to thank them properly once his foot healed, maybe by treating everyone to a meal.
The sound of the door unlocking with a keycard caught his attention. Su Ming looked up to see Zou Beiyuan entering.
“You’re awake?” Zou Beiyuan asked.
Su Ming nodded.
The room was dimly lit with just a small night light. Thinking it might be hard to see, Zou Beiyuan walked over to the bedside and placed his finger on the light switch. “Shall I turn on the light?”
Su Ming reached out to turn on the light himself, his fingertips brushing against Zou Beiyuan’s hand.
The same fluttering feeling from holding hands in the hot spring resurfaced, and both of them shyly averted their gazes.
After a brief silence, Zou Beiyuan said, “I ordered you some wontons. They’ll bring them up shortly.”
Su Ming raised his hand and gestured: Thank you.
“Do you want to wash up?”
Su Ming nodded and started to get out of bed. Zou Beiyuan reached out to carry him, and Su Ming cooperatively wrapped his arms around Zou Beiyuan’s neck.
Zou Beiyuan carried him to the bathroom and set him down by the sink. “You can lean on me,” he said.
Su Ming glanced at the toilet, then pushed Zou Beiyuan’s chest, signaling for him to leave.
Zou Beiyuan immediately understood what he wanted to do but didn’t budge. With a serious face, he said, “I’ll hold you.”
Su Ming glared at him, his face flushed with embarrassment, and signed: Go out.
“I mean I’ll just hold you, not help you. Look, there’s nothing by the toilet to grab onto,” Zou Beiyuan reasoned logically.
Su Ming glanced at the toilet again. It seemed he was right.
But wait! His right foot wasn’t completely unusable, so why did he need Zou Beiyuan’s help?
Frustrated, Su Ming grabbed Zou Beiyuan’s arm and started hopping on one foot to push him out.
No way was he going to let their first moment of intimacy happen under these circumstances.
Zou Beiyuan let himself be pushed back, too worried about Su Ming falling to resist. He eventually relented, “Alright, alright, I’ll leave. But be careful. Call me if you need help.”
Su Ming, still blushing, pushed him out and locked the bathroom door. After washing up, he didn’t let Zou Beiyuan back in.
When he came out, leaning against the wall for support, Zou Beiyuan was still waiting at the door.
The tall guy stood there looking down at Su Ming, head lowered like a dejected big dog.
Su Ming propped himself up against the doorframe, stood on his tiptoes, and patted Zou Beiyuan’s head as if smoothing down his fur.
Zou Beiyuan raised an eyebrow subtly, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, he scooped Su Ming up once again and placed him on the sofa by the window.
After setting him down, Zou Beiyuan didn’t immediately get up. He leaned over, hands resting on the sofa back, effectively trapping Su Ming inside, contemplating how to broach the topic.
Earlier that morning, he had eaten breakfast with Ling Shanshan and Chen Muchao, and they had talked for a long time about speech therapy. Ling Shanshan had mentioned that Su Ming’s condition could be improved with proper training.
However, Chen Muchao mentioned that Su Ming was quite resistant, and this kind of training had to be something he was willing to do himself.
Zou Beiyuan wasn’t sure how to convince Su Ming to try to change a habit he had maintained for over twenty years. Several times, he wanted to bring it up but swallowed his words.
Su Ming looked at him, confused, tilting his head: ?
“We…” Zou Beiyuan began, but then there was a knock at the door.
The wontons they ordered from downstairs had arrived. Zou Beiyuan picked the food and handed it to Su Ming. The words he hadn’t managed to say earlier became even harder to voice now.
….
After breakfast, Chen Muchao and Ling Shanshan came to visit Su Ming in his room. Ling Shanshan suggested heading back to the city to see a doctor as soon as possible, but Su Ming felt the injury was minor and didn’t require a hospital visit. Using sign language, he said: It’s fine, I’ll be okay after resting for a couple of days.
“Still, you should go,” Zou Beiyuan said, “in case there’s bone damage.”
Although the swelling had subsided a little, Su Ming’s ankle was still bruised.
Based on his experience, Zou Beiyuan thought it wasn’t a big problem, but since it was Su Ming who was injured, it was better to be cautious.
…..
When they arrived at the hotel, Su Ming, Zou Beiyuan, and Jiang Zufan had each driven separately. Now that Su Ming couldn’t drive, he handed his car keys to Chen Muchao and asked him to drive his car back.
Zou Beiyuan helped Su Ming into the back seat of his green M5, while Xu Jiadi sat in the front passenger seat.
Within a minute of getting in the car, Xu Jiadi regretted it. Zou Beiyuan kept asking Su Ming if he was cold, then if he was hot, and even pulled a U-shaped pillow out of the trunk for him.
After what felt like forever without moving, Xu Jiadi finally said, “If we don’t leave soon, we’ll miss lunch.”
Zou Beiyuan glanced at him and pretended to undo his seatbelt. “Why don’t you drive, then?”
Xu Jiadi immediately played the weak card: “Oh… I drank too much last night. I’ve got a headache, dizziness, and nausea.”
Su Ming: …
Once the car was on the highway, the two of them stopped talking. The car was quiet except for the faint sound of music and the wind rushing past the windows.
Su Ming leaned on the U-shaped pillow that Zou Beiyuan had given him and gradually fell asleep.
When they returned to the city, Zou Beiyuan dropped Xu Jiadi off at a street corner and then took Su Ming to the hospital.
The hospital was crowded, and Su Ming felt too embarrassed to let Zou Beiyuan carry him. He held onto Zou Beiyuan’s arm and slowly made his way in.
Once they were in the consultation room, the doctor glanced at Su Ming’s foot and immediately ordered an X-ray. Su Ming hated these kinds of exams and wanted to leave right away, but with his limited mobility, he was forced by Zou Beiyuan to stay and obediently get the X-ray.
While waiting for the results in the lobby, Zou Beiyuan spotted a middle-aged woman, about forty years old. He called out, “Auntie.”
The woman turned around, surprised. “Beiyuan? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with my friend,” Zou Beiyuan said, pointing to Su Ming.
Caught off guard by the introduction, Su Ming also turned to look.
Zou Beiyuan’s aunt was wearing a navy-blue dress with a beige, mid-sleeve blazer, along with pearl earrings and a platinum necklace. She wasn’t very tall but carried herself with elegance.
Upon closer inspection, her facial features bore some resemblance to Zou Beiyuan’s.
Clearly fond of him, the aunt came over to greet them.
Su Ming stood up and bowed slightly to greet her. Zou Beiyuan explained on his behalf, “My friend can’t speak.”
Auntie asked, “Is it a throat problem?”
“No,” Zou Beiyuan replied. “He twisted his ankle.”
The aunt looked Su Ming up and down, noticing the cochlear implant on his head. She understood immediately. “Oh…”
“Are you sick?” Zou Beiyuan asked her.
“Not me,” she replied. “It’s Grandma. She fainted while practicing tai chi in the park this morning, and she hit her head when she fell. Your uncle drove her here.”
“What?!” Zou Beiyuan exclaimed. “Why didn’t anyone call me?”
“It was your birthday yesterday, right? Grandma knew you were out with friends, so she told me not to disturb you.”
“How is she? Is it serious?”
“The results aren’t all in yet, but the doctor thinks it’s nothing major.”
Zou Beiyuan sighed in relief. “Is she staying in the hospital?”
“Yes, we just completed the admission process.”
“Which room?”
His aunt gave him the floor and room number, then glanced at Su Ming again. “It’s fine if you’re busy and can’t come. I’ve taken a few days off to take care of her.”
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Zou Beiyuan said.
After his aunt left, Su Ming typed on his phone: [Go see your grandma. I’ll wait here for the results.]
Zou Beiyuan was worried about his grandma, but he was also concerned about leaving Su Ming alone. He came up with an idea: “If you don’t mind, why don’t you come with me?”
Su Ming: ???
Is this fast-tracking to meeting the family?
Su Ming typed: [Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?]
“It’s fine. My grandma is very nice. If you feel uncomfortable, you can wait outside. I’ll check on her, then come back to take you to the doctor, and after dropping you home, I’ll return to the hospital.”
Su Ming shook his head and gestured for Zou Beiyuan to go on his own.
“Then forget it. I can’t leave you alone here; I’ll wait until you’re done.”
Knowing how close Zou Beiyuan was to his grandmother, Su Ming didn’t want to cause him any discomfort. Reluctantly, he typed: [I’ll go with you, but I won’t go into the room.]
Zou Beiyuan agreed, “Alright.”
Grandma’s room was on the sixteenth floor of the third inpatient building. After they got out of the elevator, Su Ming accompanied Zou Beiyuan to the door and sat on a bench outside to wait.
Feeling bored, he took out his phone to message Chen Muchao, but then he overheard several voices coming from inside the room.
Besides Zou Beiyuan and the aunt he had met earlier, another elderly woman’s voice sounded strangely familiar.
It seemed to be… Teacher Song?
Su Ming stood up and peeked through the narrow glass window on the door. All he could see was the black leather sofa in the lounge area and the blue curtains at the foot of the bed. He couldn’t see the patient.
The elderly woman had a very noticeable Yishi accent. Although her illness had weakened her voice, her speaking speed and high pitch were strikingly similar to Teacher Song’s.
Su Ming wanted to go in but was worried that it might seem abrupt.
Just then, two nurses pushed a cart over, and one of them flipped through her notebook and asked, “Has the blood pressure for Bed 9, Song Zhixian, been taken?”
The other nurse replied, “Not yet. I’ll go check now.”
Song Zhixian was indeed Teacher Song’s name. Su Ming leaned against the wall and slowly followed the nurse inside.
Author’s Note:
Let me count how many chapters until we get to the kissing part (counting on fingers) (auntie smile).