During her hospital stay, Han Luoli's phone was constantly ringing, and she seemed very busy; sometimes, when she'd walk in from outside while on a call, you could catch a glimpse of a faint anger and exhaustion on her otherwise expressionless face.
Gu Xiaoer sometimes told her to go take care of her own business, but she wouldn't leave, so Gu Xiaoer had no choice but to be very understanding and not disturb her.
Sometimes Gu Xiaoer wondered if it was because she had complained last time she was in the hospital about her boyfriend not staying with her that he was now so stubbornly refusing to leave.
Han Luoli, ah, as a guy he really was very attentive; he remembered everything she had ever said.
However, this proved to be a struggle for Gu Xiaoer when it came to food.
Han Luoli was like someone with OCD when it came to meals, scrutinizing every dish so strictly that at last, Shen Minghan, with a headache and helplessly complaining that it "is edible now," would finally agree to feed her.
Sweet bubbles of bliss kept ascending, making even the days spent in hospital on an IV drip feel joyous.
Over these days, Ai Le and Shen Mingyou also volunteered enthusiastically to keep her company.
Ai Le was 23 years old, Gu Xiaoer 22, and Shen Mingyou 20; the girls, being close in age and straightforward and cheery in temperament, soon became close friends amid their constant chatter when together.
Ai Le, the oldest, naturally took on the role of their leader due to her boyish nature, while Shen Mingyou, though pampered and privileged, had none of the airs of a princess, which made their friendship pleasant and natural.
Perhaps some relationships are like that: acquaintances of many years that remain as shallow as water, while others, having met only a few times, feel as though they've known each other for ages, regretting only that they hadn't met sooner.
One day, as the three girls gossiped excitedly in the hospital room, the room was suddenly visited by two unexpected guests.
Sitting on the bed and leaning against the pillow, Gu Xiaoer poked her small head forward and blinked her large eyes towards the doorway, where two flamboyantly dressed girls had appeared.
It took her a while to recognize that they were Zhu Li and Xu Yanyan from the dormitory next to hers in college.
Gu Xiaoer hadn't returned to school in a month and had lots of things to keep her busy during that period; she had not had any contact with the school. Thus, she was very surprised: why had these two shown up out of the blue to see her?
"Hey, Xiao Er, we heard you were sick, so we came to check on you!" Zhu Li and Xu Yanyan, arm in arm, greeted Gu Xiaoer with smiles as if they were quite close.
But the expressions on their faces didn't show much concern, and once they entered the hospital room, they looked around curiously without really focusing on anything.
"Geez, do you need to dress up like that for a hospital visit? It's like you're on a runway!" Ai Le didn't have a good impression of the two, who previously had said all sorts of bad things about Xiao Er.
She looked Zhu Li and Xu Yanyan up and down; their cheap makeup added a tinge of a sultry smell to the disinfected odor of the room, which wasn't pleasant at all.
Shen Mingyou was also astounded, curiously approaching the two unfamiliar girls. She pinched Xu Yanyan's puffy but short hemline organza dress, which barely reached her buttocks, then glanced at Zhu Li in her little camisole and leather skirt ensemble, clicking her tongue in amazement.
Xu Yanyan snatched her dress back from Shen Mingyou's pinch, "Visitors should be treated as guests, how can you behave like this?"
"Have the nerve to call yourself a guest when you come empty-handed? They say 'a gift is a sign of courtesy no matter how light it is' right?" Ai Le shot back assertively.
"Hey, Ai Le, what's that supposed to mean? Isn't it enough that we're here? Sentiments are what really matter; Xiao Er doesn't care for those formalities, right?" Zhu Li pursed her lips and tamed her bangs, looking at the hospital bed pretentiously as if expecting Gu Xiaoer to give her an award for her 'deep feelings.'
Heh.
Gu Xiaoer was speechless and rolled her eyes in a manner that was far from demure.
Having been with Han Luoli, she had also grown a temper. It was clear to her that these two bore ill will, and she wasn't foolish enough to welcome them warmly.