It's all this jerk's fault!
"Thank you, for going to all this trouble…"
Yao Mingyue rarely thanked anyone, especially when facing An Nuannuan, given that their current relationship was rather awkward.
They were rivals in love, yet understood each other the best, as if they were each other's alternate selves.
"Of course, I've also tidied up the room at home. When you get back, you can stay in the guest room. It'll be more convenient to live together."
An Nuannuan's tone was sincere.
Yao Mingyue's eyes flickered slightly, and she ultimately nodded lightly.
Soon after, Liu Rushuang arrived, saw the wheelchair that had been readied, and expressed her gratitude to An Nuannuan before going to change Yao Mingyue's clothes and prepare her discharge paperwork.
Xu Musen and An Nuannuan then went to wait in the hospital corridor.
The usually clingy, adorable Nuannuan.
At this moment, she just held her cheeks in her hands, silently looking at Xu Musen.
It was as if she was in an interrogation room, waiting for a criminal to confess on their own.
Xu Musen immediately admitted defeat.
"Last night, I did stay with her, but only to look after a patient, and I also told you about it beforehand."
"I know, what I want to hear isn't that…"
Still, An Nuannuan couldn't help but reach out and gently grasp one of Xu Musen's arms.
With all that had happened this month, An Nuannuan seemed to have lost some weight. Her cheeks were not as adorably plump as before, but she seemed more mature like a young woman should be.
"Do you still like her?"
An Nuannuan held his hand, her tone free of petulance or argument, but rather as if confirming this matter.
Xu Musen looked at her, seeing the maturity and steadiness in An Nuannuan's clear eyes.
After a moment, Xu Musen nodded.
This matter had to be spoken about eventually, and Xu Musen didn't want to keep it from her.
"I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I really can't ignore her, I'm sorry…"
Xu Musen felt the slight tremble of the girl's small hand in his palm; he knew this girl who had silently loved him her whole life.
How could her heart not feel wronged at this moment?
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
An Nuannuan placed her other hand gently over her heart, took a deep breath, "My mom once told me, if someone apologizes, it means they are powerless over the matter. That's what my mom did… when she left me and my sister, she just held us and kept saying sorry… Are you apologizing because you also want to leave me?"
An Nuannuan's voice ultimately trembled slightly, fearful that everything she had waited so long for would disappear again.
Xu Musen extended his hand, slowly enveloping her in his arms, feeling a slight dampness on his chest.
An Nuannuan, usually the easiest to tease, had an exceptionally resilient character, and it was very rare to see her cry.
But everyone has their vulnerable points.
Her vulnerability was Xu Musen.
"I'm not going to leave you. I just feel so sorry…"
An Nuannuan hugged him tighter, as if trying to meld into each other.
"Then don't apologize. I don't want sorry, I want you to treat me well, I want us to keep being good…"
The young girl's voice trembled lightly but was exceptionally firm.
A wave of warmth surged through Xu Musen, as he embraced the girl in his arms.
He felt as if he must have saved the galaxy in a past life, to have such a kind girl foolishly waiting for him, liking him.
"Nuannuan, in fact, I'm afraid you might leave me. I and Ming Yue… you probably know a lot of the things already. I can't just ignore her, and I don't want to deceive you."
Xu Musen still had to say it; these things, once decided upon, should be spoken sooner to minimize the hurt.
"I know… I just want to ask you, will you leave me in the future?"
Xu Musen didn't hesitate at all.
What he faced now wasn't a multiple-choice question.
An Nuannuan looked up, her clear eyes still brimming with tears: "Then… if I were her, if your girlfriend now was her, would you say such things for me too?"
Xu Musen looked at her, and at that moment he also wondered, if An Nuannuan had appeared earlier in his previous life, how would he have chosen?
A moment later, he stretched out his hand and gently wiped the corners of her eyes, cradling her recently slimmed face: "I didn't have a choice before, but now, and in the future, my life will forever include this young girl named An Nuannuan. It's not that I chose you, but that I have to thank you for still giving me this chance."
Both An Nuannuan and Yao Mingyue were irreplaceable parts of his life.
And to be honest, Xu Musen owed An Nuannuan more, whether in this life or the last.
The care and consideration An Nuannuan showed him was too much, too humble.
So in Xu Musen's heart, his feelings for both were equally important.
But if there truly had to be a comparison.
An Nuannuan was first.
Just like a person's left and right hands are equally important, but if forced to choose, one tends to favor the most familiar, the most hardworking one.
There are no two completely identical leaves in the world; An Nuannuan's leaf bore too many intricate patterns.
Xu Musen absolutely could not mistreat her.
An Nuannuan also looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and at that moment, the intentions of both seemed to align.
The determination in Xu Musen's eyes gave her comfort amidst the tempest.
An Nuannuan also reached out, as Xu Musen would tease her sometimes, and pinched his cheek: "You say…"