Lan Lan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked Feng Feng, "Do you think Ji Tong would still be so good to you if she knew you had been entangled with Shen Su for over two years?"
Feng Feng had never really considered this question before.
She stopped and thought for nearly a minute before answering, "I don't know if she would, but if I were her, I definitely wouldn't."
She had always been unafraid to face the ugly, dark side of her own heart.
After leaving the hospital, Ji Tong was chatting with Shen Su about Feng Feng. She said with some envy, "It's so lucky that Feng always has friends from college who have stayed with her until now."
Shen Su replied, "The bond between the three of them is indeed very strong, and it's not easy to maintain."
Ji Tong sighed, "Yes, my good friends from college and I were in different cities for graduate school. After we separated, we each developed our own circles, and it's hard to be like we were before."
Situations like Feng Feng, Lan Lan, and Lin Mei, who had stayed in the same city for undergraduate, master's, and work, were becoming increasingly rare. The fact that they had maintained such good relationships was something anyone would envy.
Ji Tong thought of her good friends from her student days and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Shen Su noticed her mood. While waiting for the red light, he gently stroked her hair and comforted her, "Now you have me."
Shen Su was quite adept at cheering people up. After hearing his words, Ji Tong smiled, "Yes, you're right."
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days for a bone to heal. The doctors had initially estimated that Feng Feng's leg would need at least three months to show significant improvement.
The extent of her recovery would depend on the progress of her rehabilitation training.
Feng Feng stayed in the hospital for over half a month before being discharged. A caregiver accompanied her to her apartment to continue looking after her.
Feng Feng had not mentioned the car accident to her parents. During this time, her contact with them had been almost exclusively through voice messages or phone calls, never video calls, as that would have immediately revealed the problem.
Fortunately, her parents were quite busy with their work and couldn't give her too much attention. After her discharge, Feng Feng planned to end her remote work and return to the office. However, her supervisor refused this suggestion, telling her to focus on her recovery at home and return only when she was fully healed.
Therefore, Feng Feng continued to work remotely for another month, during which she could also go to the hospital for rehabilitation training.
By August, Feng Feng was able to put away her crutches and walk normally. She had some athletic background, so rehabilitation training was not a problem, and the doctor said her progress was much faster than that of ordinary people.
However, she still couldn't wear high heels, couldn't get too tired, and certainly couldn't engage in strenuous exercise.
Consequently, when Feng Feng returned to work, she wore flat shoes. For many people in the firm, it was the first time they had seen her in flats since she had joined.
However, Feng Feng herself was over 1.7 meters tall, so even without high heels, her demeanor was not significantly affected. She hadn't been to the firm for several months, and upon her return, many colleagues offered their concern. After responding to everyone, Feng Feng immersed herself in her work.
Because Feng Feng had returned to work, the firm held a dinner party for her that evening.
The dinner ended at eleven o'clock. As colleagues gradually left, Feng Feng came out to wait for a car.
This was in the city center, and even though it was very late, it was still difficult to get a taxi. Feng Feng stood by the roadside for nearly fifteen minutes. The ride-hailing app showed a long queue, and no passing taxis were empty.
Her leg could not stand for too long. After standing for about ten minutes, the injured leg had become somewhat swollen and uncomfortable. Feng Feng bent down and rubbed the painful spot with her hand.
Just then, a car stopped in front of her.
Feng Feng looked up, and as the car window rolled down, she met Shen Su's eyes.
A flicker of surprise crossed Feng Feng's eyes. She hadn't expected to run into Shen Su at this time.
Feng Feng said, "Mr. Shen."
Shen Su asked, "Didn't you drive?"
Feng Feng replied, "No."
The doctor had advised her to wait a few months before driving again, so she had been taking taxis to and from work since her return. However, she didn't feel the need to explain this to Shen Su, as their relationship wasn't at a point where such detailed explanations were necessary.
Shen Su didn't ask for a reason, he simply said, "Get in, I'll give you a ride."
Even someone as composed as Feng Feng was taken aback by his words.
She was already surprised that Shen Su had stopped to talk to her, thinking he would just offer a casual word of concern. She hadn't expected him to offer her a ride home.
Feng Feng wasn't so narcissistic as to believe Shen Su had ulterior motives towards her, but their parting had been far from pleasant...
In fact, it would have been better to refuse at a time like this.
Yet, Feng Feng found herself unable to utter a word of refusal.
Shen Su added, "Get in first, I can't stop here for too long."
Feng Feng replied, "Oh." She eventually got into Shen Su's car.
After Feng Feng fastened her seatbelt, Shen Su started the car, made a U-turn at the intersection ahead, and drove towards her apartment.
His familiarity with the route made Feng Feng feel a bit dazed. Once she came to her senses, she realized there was nothing to be surprised about.
He had lived with her for such a long time; it would have been strange and deliberate if he didn't remember the way.
As Shen Su drove, he caught Feng Feng's absentminded gaze in his peripheral vision and asked with a smile, "Are you very surprised that I'm giving you a ride home?"
Feng Feng replied, "A little."
Shen Su said, "We're still friends, aren't we? It's just a small favor."
His demeanor and tone were remarkably casual, and he even added, "Everything from the past is in the past."
The implication was that their past relationship and any unpleasantness that arose from their entanglement were now water under the bridge. He didn't care anymore because he had a new life.
Feng Feng had already come to terms with this matter, but hearing him say it aloud made her chest ache with an undeniable sadness.
She took a deep breath and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "That's good then."
Shen Su steered the wheel, asking her casually, like a friend chatting, "How did the accident happen? From what I know of you, you're not the type to drive while fatigued."
Feng Feng remained silent, her gaze drifting out the window, a gesture filled with avoidance.
Shen Su casually speculated, "Was it because of Wen Zhouyuan?"
Feng Feng hadn't expected to hear that name from him again.
However, when he mentioned Wen Zhouyuan's name now, there was no longer the previous indignation or dissatisfaction; instead, there was a sense of release, and his attitude was very calm.
Feng Feng took a few minutes to process what Shen Su was asking.
He seemed to think that she was so consumed by grief over Wen Zhouyuan's death that she had caused the car accident...
"It wasn't because of him," Feng Feng said, surprised at how urgently she wanted to explain something to Shen Su in this situation.
"I had already anticipated that day would come, given Wen Zhouyuan's condition," she said.
Shen Su replied, "Yes, I know. Your feelings for him transcended everything else."
Feng Feng continued, "I no longer had romantic feelings for him; I just..."
Her words were cut off mid-sentence.