Chapter 45
Vanessa unfriended Shawn. She made this decision after crying so much.
Speaking of deleting contact information, Shawn was decisive and he unfriended Vanessa as soon as possible, but Vanessa was not.
Anyway, Vanessa thought that she had been hated by Shawn, and he had a decisive character, which made her think that their relationship had irrevocably altered.
If Vanessa did not unfriend Shawn, it would do nothing good to her but give her unrealistic expectations that they could ever be as good as before.
Vanessa also thought that Shawn would not contact her any and he would not care if Vanessa had unfriended him.
Therefore, Vanessa felt much more relaxed except for the feeling of emptiness after unfriending Shawn.
In the next few days, Vanessa still had a lot of things to do. When she was plunged into work, she became more efficient, and she became a workaholic in the eyes of other colleagues.
One morning, Tracy Jones was so disturbed by the decoration upstairs that she could not sleep. She arrived at the company half an hour earlier, guessing that the leaders had not arrived at the company anyway, so she simply determined to slack off for a while.
However, when Tracy found that Vanessa had arrived earlier than her and was sitting upright in front of her computer and typing, Tracy felt inexplicably guilty and quietly stopped playing with her mobile phone.
When it was time to get to work, Tracy still could not help moving over to Vanessa in her chair.
"What's the matter with you? Why have you been working so hard recently?"
Vanessa was busy writing an email and had no time to chat with Tracy.
"I'm busy now. We'll talk about it at noon if it's urgent."
"No, I'm just asking." Tracy mumbled and left, "It's mainly because you work so hard and it makes me very stressed."
At this moment, Vanessa was preparing the documents for Bostabaca's visa. Judging from her previous experience, she estimated that it would take a week to do this if she did it in her spare time.
However, it only took Vanessa half a day to prepare all the materials this time.
The interview was on Thursday. Although Vanessa had already made an appointment with the visa officer, she still needed to spend more than half a day on this, so she took an afternoon off for the interview at the embassy.
When Vanessa arrived at the embassy. Just as she had expected, the line stretched from the embassy lobby to the alley outside, which made it smothery at a glance.
However, it was cold today, and the temperature dropped sharply. Vanessa forgot to wear her scarf when she went out.
It was chilly outside in the spring, and the draught there was no gentler than that in winter. It was blowing fiercely on Vanessa's neck with drizzle. She felt so cold as if she was naked that she sneezed several times.
"Vanessa?"
Lonn Foster was attracted by the continuous sound of Vanessa's sneezing, and he finally noticed her in the crowd.
Lonn walked through the crowd toward Vanessa and asked, "Are you here for the visa interview as well?"
As Lonn spoke, he handed Vanessa a tissue.
Vanessa felt itchy inside her nose, so she took the tissue to cover her mouth and sneezed again. Then she answered, "Yes, I'm going to Bostabaca for a business trip at the beginning of next month."
Vanessa looked at Lonn and remembered the study tour plan he had told her before. She asked again, "Are you going to study abroad soon?"
Lonn answered, "No, I'm just applying for a short-term visa."
"Sorry?" Vanessa blew her nose with the tissue, and then threw it away and asked, "Didn't you say that you were going to Bostabaca to study?"
"I did have this plan before, but the company I work for now has given me some options, so this time I'm just going to Bostabaca to attend the academic forum I planned before."
Lonn lowered his head, took off his glasses as he spoke, and slowly wiped the drops of rain off his glasses with a tissue.
Only then did Vanessa notice that Lonn had beautiful eyes. His double eyelids were not obvious, but when he took off his glasses, the outer corner of his eyes looked very seductive.
However, when Vanessa looked at Lonn's eyes, she thought of Shawn's face.
Shawn's eyes were more alluring and he looked cold and distant.
Another gust of wind blew in and made Vanessa feel cold again.
Vanessa did not know why she could court Shawn recklessly in the face of his indifferent eyes in the past.
They lined up for the afternoon but they were only interviewed for ten minutes, respectively.
When the two of them came out of the embassy, it was already dark.
Vanessa did not know if it was because she had been standing for too long, her palms were burning hot, and she felt very tired.
When Vanessa and Lonn walked to the parking lot, they found the rain had stopped, but the ground was wet and it was even colder.
"Let's have dinner together," Lonn said as Vanessa got in the car, "I'll take you home after that."
Vanessa nodded and said, "Okay."
While Lonn was driving, he answered several business calls in succession. Vanessa sat in the front passenger seat in silence, focusing on her mobile phone. The two did not talk much, but it was not awkward.
When they stopped at a traffic light, Lonn draped his elbow against the car window and turned to look at Vanessa.
"Have you been out of sorts recently?"
"Yes?" Vanessa looked up from the phone and smoothed her hair, "Yeah, a little bit."
They did not know each other very long, but Lonn was a few years older than Vanessa and he always had a sense of calmness.
More importantly, Lonn was the person from the same hometown as Vanessa, which gave her a sense of intimacy that could not be given by any other friends in this strange city.
Therefore, it was easier for Vanessa to confide in Lonn's presence.
Hearing this, Lonn did not ask any more questions. "Then I'll treat you today. You just need to accept and enjoy it."
Vanessa was suddenly amused by Lonn's words. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Ok, I will."
Lonn directly chose a restaurant with the characteristics of Talian.
When Lonn got out of the car, he answered a call. Vanessa walked behind him silently.
On the opposite of the street, there was an open-air parking lot of Lanchen Mall.
The driver opened the car door, and Sophia Yost came down with her bag. She glanced around and saw a familiar figure.
Sophia suddenly stopped, stretched her neck, and narrowed her eyes to figure out who that figure was.
"It's Vanessa," said Sophia.
What day is it today?
Sophia glanced at the huge pink balloon tower in front of the entrance of the mall.
Sophia realized that it was Valentine's Day.
Vanessa was going to eat dinner with another man?! Sophia wondered.
--
-
In the restaurant.
While handing over the menu, the waitress said, "Today is Valentine's Day. Our restaurant is presenting a couple's meal. You can have a look at the details of it on the first page."
Lonn leaned against the chair, looked down at the menu, and asked the waitress casually, "Girl, who told you that we are a couple?"
Lonn spoke with a soft tone and a faint smile, which made his voice sound alluring.
The waitress apologized with her head down, "I'm sorry..."
After glancing at the menu for a moment, Lonn handed it to Vanessa and said, "What would you like to eat?"
However, after being reminded of Valentine's Day by the waitress, Vanessa's heart began to be unsettled.
Vanessa was absent-minded while looking at the menu.
If Shawn had not come to Qingan City and nothing had happened on the fourth day of the lunar month, he should have been eating with Vanessa at this moment.
Half a minute later, Vanessa sighed and closed the menu.
"That's enough."
--
-
When the dishes were served, Lonn took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead, "Are your parents urging you to go on blind dates recently?"
"No." Vanessa said with a smile, "They are busy now, and they don't have much to do this. They may do it again when they're free."
Lonn raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw Vanessa turn to look at the entrance.
"Sophia?"
Before Vanessa came to her senses, Sophia had already come up to her.
"Are you here alone for dinner?"
As Vanessa spoke, she subconsciously looked behind Sophia.
But Vanessa found there was no one else.
"Yeah." Sophia glanced at Lonn inadvertently with her head down, "Are you eating with your friend?"
Vanessa nodded.
Sophia did not ask any more questions, but she did not leave. She just stood there and glared at Vanessa.
Vanessa did not understand what Sophia meant and blinked in bewilderment.
A few seconds later, Lonn waved to call the waiter and said, "Get me one more set of tableware, please."
Vanessa finally caught on and immediately said, "Eat together?"
Sophia said, "Sure, but I don't want to bother you." Then she sat down.
After sitting down, Sophia immediately took out her mobile phone and sent a message to Shawn.
Sophia: Uncle, It's Valentine's Day!
Shawn: ?
Sophia: Vanessa was dating another man. Why didn't you ask her out before?
After sending the message, Sophia raised to smile politely at Lonn. At the same time, she looked him up and down secretly.
Sophia thought Lonn was neither as handsome nor as rich as her uncle Shawn was.
Sophia thought Lonn could not be Vanessa's boyfriend.
--
-
However, half an hour later, Sophia spoke less and less.
At the end of the meal, Sophia looked down at the soup and stirred it with a spoon absent-mindedly.
Sophia retracted the conclusion she had just made about Lonn.
After observing Lonn for half an hour, Sophia thought her uncle Shawn was almost outdone by Lonn.
While Sophia was having random thoughts, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the vibration of her mobile phone.
Shawn: So what?
So what?
How could he say that? Sophia thought.
Sophia was speechless about Shawn's words and felt irritated.
Sophia was so angry that she subconsciously took a look at Lonn. Coincidentally, he also glanced at Sophia.
Sophia felt flustered when she found Lonn had caught her peeping at him. She grabbed the spoon and began to drink the soup with it.
Lonn, who was talking to Vanessa, suddenly reached out and stooped Sophia from drinking the soup.
"Wait a minute."
Sophia suddenly raised her head, only to see the side of Lonn's face.
Lonn turned to glance at Sophia and said, "Be careful, it's hot."
There was a layer of butter floating in the bowl, and below it was boiling chicken soup.
All of a sudden, Sophia was worried that her uncle Shawn had met a powerful rival in love.
Sophia lowered her head, blinked her eyes, and stirred the soup more absent-mindedly.
She thought Shawn was being outdone because Lonn was more attentive and considerate than Shawn was.
Sophia even thought that Lonn was more gentle than Shawn was.
--
-
It was not yet eight o'clock in the evening when Vanessa returned home.
The street lights downstairs had been turned on, and the vendors had also come out. Although it was cold outside, it was still lively.
Vanessa did not know why she felt so tired today and did not want to do anything. She took back the clothes on the balcony and went straight to lie in bed. She fell asleep without even covering herself with the quilt.
About an hour later, Vanessa woke up in a daze, and she felt weaker and sweaty.
When Vanessa struggled to get up, she also felt nauseous. She thus squatted beside the trash can and retched several times, but she did not spit out anything.
After sitting on the ground for a while, Vanessa realized that she might be ill.
Vanessa took out the thermometer and took her temperature.
Not surprisingly, Vanessa had a fever.
--
-
It began to drizzle again.
Shawn's car had been parked beside the apartment building where Vanessa was living for nearly two hours.
Shawn did not know why he was there.
The moment when Shawn got Sophia's messages, he felt very jealous.
Then Shawn put on his coat and drove across Lantrie to get here.
But when Shawn came here, he calmed down.
When Shawn calmed himself, he felt even more annoyed.
Shawn had intended to leave right away, but he suddenly saw Vanessa appearing on the balcony.
Shawn gripped the steering wheel and did not drive away at last.
More than an hour later, the lights of the house were finally turned off.
Shawn thought he'd better drive away at this moment.
However, Shawn did not leave immediately.
He sat in the car for a few more minutes before starting the car.
However, as soon as Shawn left the parking space, he saw Vanessa walking alone with her head down under the flickering light.
"Why did Vanessa go out at night?"
Shawn held the steering wheel tightly and stared at Vanessa.
Vanessa walked to the side of the road. Sometimes she looked up, and sometimes she looked at her mobile phone. It seemed that she was waiting for someone.
The few minutes of waiting seemed to be a kind of torture for Shawn.
As a result, when Shawn lowered the car window and called out Vanessa's name, there was a hint of anger in his voice.
"Vanessa."
--
-
The moment Vanessa heard Shawn's voice, she thought that she was hallucinating.
Vanessa looked around and found that there was no figure of Shawn.
Then Vanessa patted her head to sober herself and continued to wait for the car she had called.
A few seconds later, Shawn called out Vanessa's name again.
This time, Vanessa heard it.
It was Shawn, and the sound came from behind.
Vanessa turned around mechanically, and she first saw Shawn's car which was parked in the shade of the tree.
Then, Vanessa timidly and slowly moved her eyes to confirm the person in the car.
Vanessa was afraid that it was an illusion, but she was also afraid that it was Shawn.
But when Vanessa saw Shawn's face, she suddenly felt like she was in a dream.
They had not seen each other for only a few days, but it seemed that they had been separated for several years.
Their eyes met through the lights and averted.
Shawn turned to look at Vanessa in silence for a while, and he asked, "Where are you going?"
"The hospital." After finishing her words in a low voice, Vanessa added, "I fell ill."
Vanessa seemed to be acting like a spoiled child subconsciously, and there was even some grievance in her voice that she did not even notice.
Vanessa could not see Shawn's face clearly at night, but she waited for him to speak quietly, dropping her head.
After a long time, Shawn gazed at her and said, "Get in the car."
--
-
They remained silent all the way.
Vanessa sat in the front passenger's seat without looking at her phone or staring at Shawn.
In the past, Vanessa might have asked Shawn directly why he was here or asked him if he had missed her.
But at this moment, Vanessa found that she had no right to ask this question.
If Shawn did not come purposefully, could he have come to meet her? Vanessa thought.
Thinking of this, Vanessa could not say a word. She almost shed tears, and even her ears were ringing at that moment.
No matter how sad or miserable Vanessa was, it was she who messed everything up between them.
--
-
Shawn took Vanessa to the nearest Second People's Hospital.
After getting out of the car, a gust of cold wind blew on Vanessa's face.
Vanessa shivered in the wind and became much soberer.
Vanessa said to Shawn in the car, "Thank you, I'm leaving now."
Shawn only stared at Vanessa and spoke nothing.
Vanessa pressed her lips. She was silent for a moment and then turned to walk to the hospital.
Although it was late at night, there were still people coming and going to the hospital.
After a short consultation, Vanessa took the list given by the doctor and was ready to do the blood routine examination.
As soon as Vanessa walked out of the diagnosis room, she looked up and saw Shawn standing by the door and leaning against the wall in the corridor. He stood slightly stooped with his back to the light, which made him look thinner.
Vanessa did not expect that Shawn would follow her into the hospital.
As if sensing something, Shawn looked up at Vanessa.
"What did the doctor say?"
Once again, Vanessa sank into the previous emotions. She clenched the diagnosis report and said softly, "I just have a cold. I'll do the blood test first."
It was late at night, so there was only one nurse on duty who drew blood.
Ahead of Vanessa in line was a crying little girl, and the nurse was preparing to draw the girl's blood expressionlessly.
When Vanessa saw the glint in the nurse's eyes as the nurse stared at the needle, and then heard the girl's cries, she felt her heart tighten.
When the nurse was about to pierce the needle into the girl's fingertip, the middle-aged nurse comforted, "Don't be afraid. I'll do it very gently and won't hurt you."
Vanessa swallowed in fear.
Vanessa hoped the nurse would keep her words and also be nice to her.
The needle pierced into the little girl's fingertip. She just sobbed for a moment, not crying or screaming as Vanessa had imagined.
When it came Vanessa's turn, she looked at the rubber band tied to her arm, clenched her fists, and felt that her arm muscles were stiff.
Just as Vanessa cried when she barked her skin that day, she was really sensitive to pain.
Every time Vanessa got sick and needed an injection when she was a child, her parents would ask the doctors not to give her an injection if they could. Otherwise, she would struggle so hard that her parents could not hold her down during the injection.
Vanessa swallowed in fear again.
"Could you prick my fingertip to draw blood, too?"
The nurse's hand trembled in surprise. She looked at Vanessa and said gently, "Are you kidding?"
Vanessa, "..."
The nurse used a swab with iodophor to disinfect the part of Vanessa's arm where the blood was drawn, but she could not find Vanessa's blood vessels, so she kept slapping Vanessa's arm and asking Vanessa to clench her fist.
Vanessa clenched her hands and placed them on the stage. She was so stressed that she opened her mouth and looked at the needle in the nurse's hand nervously.
When the cold needle touched Vanessa's skin, everything in front of her suddenly turned black.
At this time, a hand reached behind Vanessa and covered her eyes.
Time seemed to be at a standstill at this moment, and the air seemed to be frozen.
A wisp of fresh fragrance that belonged to Shawn instantly swept through Vanessa's brain and spread all over her body along with the warmth of his palm.
The warmth of his palm was like an anesthetic for Vanessa, and all the pain disappeared.
It took no more than a few seconds to draw blood.
The moment the nurse pulled out the needle, Shawn pulled his hand away.
However, Vanessa could still feel the remaining warmth of Shawn's palm.
Two seconds later, Vanessa slowly opened her eyes and pressed the needle holes with the swab from the nurse.
When Vanessa got up, the nurse glanced at her and said, "Come on. Be strong and stop crying, okay?"
Hearing this, Shawn suddenly looked up at Vanessa.
Vanessa slowly turned to look up at Shawn, and he found that her eyes were red.
Shawn's fingers, which were put to his leg, suddenly trembled.
Shawn hoped that Vanessa was not crying because of the injection.
But why was Vanessa crying?
The two of them walked to the corridor to wait for the blood test results.
The corridor was quiet, and even the footsteps were very clear, which made it empty and cold.
Vanessa's head hung down, and she experienced a bewildering array of emotions in the few minutes of silence.
Finally, when Vanessa was called to get the test sheet, she heard Shawn speak at last.
"What were you crying about just now?"
Vanessa, "..."
Shawn did not speak loudly, but every word came distinctly to Vanessa's ears.
Vanessa felt a lump in her throat and she could not utter a word for a long time.
"I didn't cry..." Vanessa spoke in a very low voice, "I just..."
Vanessa just thought that if nothing had happened on the fourth day of the lunar month, she should have been celebrating her first Valentine's Day with Shawn.
However, Vanessa did not seem to be qualified to say those words to Shawn, so she could only speak in another way at last.
"I didn't expect that I would be in the hospital at this time today."
"Yeah." Shawn glanced at Vanessa and said simply, "You should have been in my bed at this time."