I sat on the sofa, nearly jumping up in shock, "Wennie! Shut up!" Daniel Carter was also momentarily stunned, his gaze shifting between me and Wennie Lane, then he slightly curled his lips and looked at me, saying, "Probably when she pulled me out of the river—" "Wow... my goodness!" Wennie Lane widened her eyes, her expression reaching the peak of astonishment, slowly turning her head to look at me, "Lily! What did I just hear? I suddenly think... Adrian Gordon is your lucky star! Had you dated someone else for six years, you’d probably be married by now, maybe even have kids! How would you have the chance to wait for Mr. Carter!" Daniel Carter walked into the living room, and while Wennie Lane was exclaiming, he turned to look at me, his gaze deep and gentle, his face restrained yet shy. Yes, between his handsome and refined brows, I saw a clear sense of shyness. It seemed like he was embarrassed by Wennie Lane’s words, his face even turned red! My ears were buzzing, my heart pounding, and my mind kept replaying his words, "When she pulled me out from the river," and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. Did he mean that he’s liked me since he was a teenager? But we were just kids then, what did we know about love? However, thinking again, so-called "puppy love" in middle and high school happens at this age. And often, youthful, naive love is purer, cleaner, and more unforgettable. I was chaotically reminiscing in my head and then remembered the time at the hot pot when he confessed—having a crush and secretly liking a girl—so, are those both referring to the same person, me? But he also said he dated someone, though they parted amicably shortly after. Could it be understood that he already had a "white moonlight" in his heart, so he didn’t love that girl deeply when they dated? "Hey, what are you daydreaming about!" Wennie Lane waved a hand in front of my eyes when I didn’t respond, then turned to Daniel Carter and saw he was also a bit dazed. The two of us quietly gazed at each other, though we said nothing, our eye contact communicated more than a thousand words could. "Forget it, I won’t be the third wheel anymore; you’ve got someone to take care of you, so I’ll take my leave." Wennie Lane bent down to grab her phone and bag and walked towards the door without looking back. I suddenly snapped back and craned my neck towards the door, "You’re leaving already?" Wennie Lane was changing her shoes, heard me, glanced my way, and pretended to be jealous, "Do you still have me in your eyes? If I don’t leave, am I supposed to stay and eat dog food?" "No... we, we’re just friends—" I glanced at Daniel Carter, shyly averting my eyes, and responded to my best friend. Wennie Lane snorted coldly, "Hypocrite!" With those words, she opened the door and threw back, "Take care, I’m off!" The security door closed, and the surroundings instantly became quiet. I retracted my gaze, only to look at Daniel Carter again. "Um... we should also, get going, it’s almost noon, and the hospital will close soon..." I supported myself on the low table, slowly standing up, actively seeking a topic to break the silence. "Hmm," Daniel Carter nodded, took a step forward with his long legs, raised his hand to support me, "Are you feeling better today?" "A bit better, I can walk slowly..." I was afraid he’d carry me again, so I stated in advance that I could walk on my own. He then supported my arm and glanced around, "Do you need to bring anything else? Got your phone?" I could feel that he was also a bit uneasy, making small talk. He supported me as we slowly moved to the door, "Which shoes are you wearing?" he asked. Afraid he’d squat down to help me with my shoes, I shook my head and said, "No need, I’ll just wear these." House slippers are soft and comfortable, making it easy to take them off for treatment later. "Well, since we’re driving, that’s fine." He held me with one hand and gently pushed the door open with the other, softly reminding me to watch my step, to take it slow, no rush. There’s not an ordinary friend, especially not a male friend, who would take care of someone so considerately, with such gentle patience. Though I hadn’t explicitly acknowledged our relationship, his series of recent actions spoke louder than any words. I’m just being stubborn verbally, but I actually understand in my heart that there’s no way to escape. In the car, we were still quiet, but when Daniel Carter silently reached over to hold my hand, I turned my head to look out the window, not pulling away. Thinking that he has liked me since our youth, my heart bubbled like a hot spring, filled with countless joys and shyness. I couldn’t help but think, if Adrian and I really got married, then Daniel, loving yet never having could be so pitiful, making one’s heart ache. Indeed, as Wennie Lane said, Adrian suddenly became my "benefactor," occupying so many years, eventually leading me to wait for someone better. Fate, truly full of mystery. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs noᴠelfire.net Upon reaching the hospital, when undergoing acupuncture treatment, I was still terrified. But perhaps knowing about Daniel Carter’s feelings for me, I developed a "burden of idol image," embarrassed to cling to his chest, instead pretending to be strong. But Daniel Carter had already seen through me. He pulled a chair to sit beside me, holding my hand, softly comforting, "If you’re scared, don’t look, it’ll be over soon." He glanced at me and chuckled, "You can be scared today, I won’t tease you." "..." I was utterly embarrassed. Halfway through the treatment, the phone rang. Daniel Carter released my hand, and I fumbled the phone out of my pocket to see it was my aunt calling. Worried something might be up with Grandma, I quickly answered, "Hello, Auntie..." "Lily, are you going straight to the cemetery tomorrow or coming back to Grandma’s, and we’ll go together?" Auntie asked on the phone. A sense of urgency flashed through my mind, suddenly remembering tomorrow is my mom’s memorial day. "Auntie, I..." I looked at my legs, still undecided whether to tell the truth when the doctor inserted another silver needle, making me hiss in pain. Auntie immediately asked in a worried tone, "What happened? Lily, what are you doing?" "Auntie... I went out for a team-building outing with colleagues yesterday, took a fall while hiking, hurt my leg, so for mom’s memorial tomorrow, I probably won’t make it to the cemetery." "Hurt your leg? Is it serious? Why didn’t you tell me? You always share the good but not the bad, where are you now? Is someone taking care of you?" Auntie asked a string of questions, extremely worried. I hurriedly explained, saying I had a friend with me, and after a lot of reassurance, Auntie finally felt a bit more at ease. "We can talk about tomorrow’s matters then; you rest up first; I’ll come by later to see you." Knowing I couldn’t stop Auntie, I could only repeatedly agree and hung up. Daniel Carter looked at me, "Tomorrow is your mother’s memorial?" "Yes, every year on this day, I go to the cemetery with Auntie and Grandma to visit my mom—but this time, I probably can’t." The cemetery is on a hill with steps, and my leg can walk slowly on flat ground, but definitely not up and down steps.