The Bitterest Smile

Next morning...

“Thank goodness your condition has finally improved. Last night, Mr. Feng was extremely panicked when you had another fever,” said Doctor Lisa, who came to visit this morning as usual to check on Ailine’s condition.

The story was, in the middle of last night, Ailine had started babbling in her sleep because of a high fever. Julian, who had been watching over her, panicked and ran to the nurses’ station to ask for help. Naturally, it became a big piece of news early in the morning.

Ailine smiled. “Sorry for causing trouble last night. I didn’t expect my condition to drop again. So… does this have anything to do with the tumor in my intestine?”

“No, it’s just a regular fever. Nothing dangerous. However, I think you need to take care of your mental state, yes? Not in a bad sense—what I mean is, please don’t overthink things. Your condition is very strongly affected by that.”

“I understand, but what else can I do? I have so much work piling up because I collapsed. I have to get better quickly and get out of the hospital so I can finish everything.”

“You really do work very hard, just like the news says. But you should learn to love yourself more, Miss Su. You already have everything…”

“Have everything? I don’t even have a husband yet…”

“Mr. Feng seems to care for you deeply.”

“Yes, he really does care about me.” Ailine smiled again.

Ailine knew exactly where Doctor Lisa was going with this. She meant that she and Julian looked compatible, and perhaps Julian could become her husband, right? But such a thought had never once crossed her mind. After all… Julian was the most precious friend she had in her life.

“Since you had a fever last night, I can’t give you permission to go home yet. At least stay another day for observation. Miss Su, I know you don’t like this idea, but it’s for your own good.”

“Yes, yes… I won’t complain, Doctor Lisa. I’ll follow the procedure.”

“Good…”

Doctor Lisa excused herself and left. Ailine lay back down again, feeling a little bored.

“So Owen has a patient’s surgery scheduled today, that’s why he can’t visit me? The timing is too perfect. I dreamed about him so intensely last night. Honestly, maybe it’s better I don’t see him today. I don’t even know how to face him after a dream like that… tch, unbelievable how weak I was toward him in that dream. If that happened in real life, he’d label me as a pathetic woman who still hasn’t moved on from her ex even after more than ten years…” Ailine thought.

She held her chest for a moment because her heart throbbed when she remembered the dream. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she only then realized Julian had returned to sit beside her after walking Doctor Lisa out.

She observed Julian carefully. One thing she immediately noticed: wasn’t Julian unusually quiet today? Could it be that the cheerful, handsome man had run out of energy after watching over her all night? Very possible, considering how busy he normally was and how he had squeezed time from his workload just to stay by her side at the hospital.

“Julian…”

“Hm?”

“Are you having a mouth ulcer?”

“Huh?” Julian blinked in confusion as Ailine suddenly asked that.

A mouth ulcer? Seriously…

“I asked, are you having a mouth ulcer?”

“No…”

“Then why? Why are you so quiet if you’re not having a mouth ulcer?”

“I’m not anything, Ai… I’m fine, and no, I don’t have a mouth ulcer.”

“But you’re being weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Well, weird… I mean, you’re usually noisy, so why are you so quiet today? Are you sick? Are you tired? I’m calling Emma so she can come here right away and replace you. I don’t care, you must rest so you don’t get sick like me!”

Ailine was the type of girl who cared about people without discrimination. That was one of the reasons Julian had fallen in love with her. But time and time again, he had to remind his heart that her kindness was not romantic—it was simply who she was as a person.

Ailine was kind to everyone, not just him.

“I told you, I’m really fine.”

“But if you’re truly fine—not sick—you should be acting like your usual self. Be noisy, because when you’re quiet, it feels wrong.”

“Tch, you’re the strange one. You’re sick right now—you should be annoyed if someone is noisy around you. Hey, I’m giving you peace and quiet! Don’t you realize that, superstar of Country Z? You scared me half to death last night!”

Julian still remembered vividly how Ailine had deliriously mumbled in her sleep, her body burning hot with cold sweat covering her skin.

“Agh… that wasn’t under my control. How would I know I’d get a fever last night? You know the rest of my results were fairly good except for that tiny benign tumor.”

“Please, Ai… don’t take things lightly anymore, okay? You need to take care of everything—including your mental state. Don’t think too much. And stop reading the news circulating online…”

“I already knew that with you staying overnight to watch me in the hospital, it’d become a trending topic online, but I didn’t expect it to blow up this fast. There’s even a rumor saying we’re dating and living together. How could I not worry?”

“I understand that you must feel wronged by all that. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. I’ll have my lawyer contact those media outlets and demand they delete those wild rumors.”

“Julian, that’s not it… I don’t feel wronged because you’re my friend… I’m more worried that your fans—some of them are pretty crazy, right? They might end up hating you instead.”

“They might hate you too, Ai… Fans can be insane because they think their idol belongs to them.”

“Well, what can we do? They’re the ones who buy our work. Without them, we’re nothing, right?”

“You’re too positive about fans… not all fans are good.”

“Yes, I know… Ah, right—can we at least release a clarification that we don’t have any relationship other than being close friends? I’ll say the same thing.”

“We wait for the agency’s decision. They contacted me this morning saying the two of us shouldn’t carelessly release statements on our own.”

“Alright then… I’ll just follow whatever. But look at this…” Ailine showed her phone. “The news about us is getting crazier! What is this? They say I’m hospitalized because I’m pregnant with your child? Hah? Hahahahaha—this is ridiculous! Pregnant? Hahaha—oh, and this? ‘Julian Feng Spotted Staying Overnight at Hospital, Superstar Refuses to Leave Her Side’… ‘Julian Feng’s Outfit Costs as Much as a Car’… ‘Two Days in Hospital, Ailine Su Still Looks Beautiful in Patient Gown’… tch, such pointless news!”

Julian sighed, then immediately took her phone and placed it on the bedside table.

“Since you know it’s pointless, then focus on resting! Didn’t you say you wanted to be discharged soon? If your condition improves today, you can go home tomorrow evening or the day after.”

“Yes, yes, stop being noisy! I’ll rest!”

“Hey, you were the one who told me to be noisy earlier! Now that I’m noisy, you’re telling me to stop!”

“Ah? Ha ha, I’m sorry…” Ailine flashed her neat white teeth.

“Alright, go to sleep now…”

Julian helped her lie down properly, pulling the blanket up to cover her.

“Ai…” Julian suddenly called her.

“Hm?” Ailine turned her head gently.

Julian looked hesitant, as if debating whether he should say what had been weighing on him since last night. But because the feeling wouldn’t go away, he finally forced himself to ask.

“If there were no men left in this world except me… would you marry me?”

“What kind of question is that?” Ailine frowned.

“Just answer…”

“Do I have to?”

“You have to.”

“You’ve asked me this kind of question so many times before, with almost the same wording. You already know how I’ll answer, don’t you?”

“Maybe this time your answer will be different.”

Ailine paused. She wanted to at least honor Julian’s feelings after everything he had done for her. This time, she decided to answer… differently.

Remember—differently.

“Do you want me to answer truthfully or lie?” she asked.

“Lie…”

“Alright then, I’ll answer with a lie.”

“?” Julian quietly waited.

“I would marry you!” Ailine smiled.

That was her answer. Julian smiled too, but deep down, he already knew—Ailine had always been consistent in her feelings. No matter how many times he asked, the truth remained unchanged, and it still hurt.

That smile… was more bitter than the most unpleasant medicine in the world.

Inside Julian’s chest, something sank slowly, like a curtain falling over a light. Because no matter what, Ailine Su’s heart still belonged to the man she had deliriously called out to in her feverish sleep—Owen Young.

Ailine loved Owen, not him.