dognovel Chapter 43 I Have Cavities
Chapter 43 I Have Cavities
Just then, sunlight streamed into the hotel through the glass.
The ice cream reflected a milky white sheen.
Jiang Wen's figure disappeared completely at the door, and this time he did not return.
The hotel's glass doors shut out the street view outside, keeping it all inside.
Jiang Wan held the small silver spoon, her fingertips lightly brushing against the cool handle, trying to suppress the panic in her heart.
The strawberry ice cream scoop in her bowl was round and plump, drizzled with a ring of bright red jam, and mixed with soft and chewy taro balls and glistening crispy boba. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.
She has loved strawberry-flavored sweets since she was a child, whether it's candy, cake, or ice cream.
Anything strawberry flavored always makes her instantly forget unpleasant things.
Jiang Wen seemed a bit rash and blunt towards Jiang Wan.
In reality, he has a very good heart.
Since childhood, whenever Jiang Wan was upset or unhappy, Jiang Wen's dessert could always easily cheer her up.
When Jiang Wan thought of this, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
The teasing from her brother in public had gradually been replaced by warmth.
She scooped up a small spoonful of ice cream and gently put it in her mouth. The icy taste melted instantly on her tongue, and the sweet strawberry flavor slid down her throat.
Jiang Wan ate very slowly, taking small sips. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her dazed expression added to her charming innocence.
During this process, Jiang Wan was completely unaware that Xu Liang's gaze was falling on her from time to time.
Xu Liang, holding the spoon, suddenly stopped touching the matcha ice cream he was holding.
He admitted that the flavor, which he rarely tried before, tasted surprisingly good now.
But his gaze kept drifting uncontrollably towards Jiang Wan, watching her intently eating her ice cream.
Watching her nose furrow slightly from the cold, and seeing her subconsciously lick off a bit of cream from the corner of her lips with the tip of her tongue.
He was still caught up in Jiang Wen's words, his mind in turmoil, feeling both abrupt and secretly thrilled.
Jiang Wan's eager explanation and her flustered, anxious eyes replayed in my mind again and again.
He knew perfectly well that his feelings for Jiang Wan had long since crossed the line of ordinary friendship.
From the first time I met her when her house caught fire, when she was almost unconscious from the smoke, to later when she came to Xu Liang's restaurant for a meal and occasionally exchanged a few words with him, she was not only very polite but also had a soft voice.
Finally, today we went to the art exhibition together, had lunch together, and the natural and comfortable atmosphere we shared had lingered in his mind for a long time.
Xu Liang said he didn't take it seriously, but he already had a plan in mind.
Looking at Jiang Wan in front of him, he even began to feel fortunate that Jiang Wen had seen through everything.
This forced him to confront his own feelings.
If we can really take good care of her as Jiang Wen said, it might not be such a bad thing.
A sense of confusion arose in Xu Liang's heart. The cool touch sobered him up a bit and made that secret stirring of his heart even clearer.
Jiang Wan glanced up unintentionally and met Xu Liang's gaze. Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air.
Her heart was racing, and her cheeks flushed instantly, feeling hot again.
She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to focus on the ice cream in her bowl, and even the tips of her ears turned pink.
Xu Liang awkwardly avoided eye contact, then coughed lightly, breaking the delicate silence.
"This matcha ice cream tastes pretty good, better than I expected."
He spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than usual.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan softly hummed in agreement.
She whispered in response, "The strawberry flavor is delicious too; I've loved it since I was little!"
"It's obvious that your brother understands you very well."
Xu Liang responded, his tone becoming much more natural.
"He meant well and was worried about you, which is why he said a few more words."
Jiang Wan relaxed slightly when her brother Jiang Wen was mentioned. She gently stirred the ice cream in the bowl with a spoon and said with a mix of helplessness and doting affection.
"That's just how he is. He always worries about things that aren't his business and likes to make decisions on his own. When I was in school, if a male classmate talked to me for a few extra minutes, he would stare at them for a long time, which made me feel really awkward."
She couldn't help but smile.
Looking at her smiling face, with her eyebrows and eyes curved like crescent moons, Xu Liang felt even more tenderness in his heart.
"He cares about you."
Xu Liang said softly.
"If it were me, I wouldn't be so worried even if I had a younger sister."
Xu Liang's words were describing Xu Tian perfectly. Actually, Xu Tian is sometimes quite well-behaved, and sometimes not at all.
As soon as the words left their mouths, both of them were stunned for a moment.
Jiang Wan's heart started racing again, and she didn't dare to say anything more, only focusing on eating her ice cream.
Xu Liang realized that his words had crossed the line, so he quickly shut his mouth and focused on eating his ice cream, but he couldn't hide the joy in his heart.
However, when silence returned, it was no longer the awkward tension of before. Instead, it carried a sweet, ambiguous quality, like ice cream melting on the tongue, gentle and sweet.
The two ate their ice cream quietly, exchanging a few words here and there occasionally.
They deliberately avoided discussing the art exhibition and their tastes, yet their unintentional eye contact revealed their innermost thoughts.
The ice cream slowly melted, leaving a faint sweet sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
Jiang Wan had almost finished eating. She put down her spoon, gently rubbed her cheeks; the ice cream was too cold, but it wasn't too bad.
Just then, Jiang Wan felt a sharp pain coming from her teeth.
At first, it was just a slight, dull pain, which she didn't take seriously.
But just a few seconds later, the pain suddenly intensified, causing her to furrow her brow and gasp.
"hiss!"
She couldn't help but gasp softly, instinctively covering her cheeks with her small hands, her brows furrowed tightly.
Her originally rosy lips were now slightly pursed due to the pain.
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Liang immediately looked up and saw her distressed appearance. He instantly tensed up, leaned forward involuntarily, and asked with concern.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Jiang Wan bit her lip, enduring the sharp pain in her teeth, her voice muffled and tinged with grievance.
"My tooth... my tooth hurts."
"toothache?"
Xu Liang's heart tightened, and he quickly pressed for more information.
"Was it the ice cream that irritated you? Or have you been feeling unwell all along?"
Jiang Wan nodded gently, then shook her head. After a long pause, she spoke haltingly.
"I...I have cavities, so I can't usually eat anything too cold or sweet. I couldn't resist and ate too much just now!"
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.
She loved sweets, candies, and cakes since she was a child, but she also loved ice cream. She didn't take good care of her teeth when she was young and developed cavities early on.
However, Jiang Wan's decayed teeth were not her front teeth, but the teeth inside them. If her front teeth were decayed, there would be a layer of black grime on them when she spoke.
However, Jiang Wen later became stricter and didn't let her eat too many sweets.
But she still couldn't resist sneaking a little bit every now and then. Every time she ate it, her cavities would ache. This time, however, she ate some cold ice cream, which made the pain particularly intense.
Xu Liang looked at her, her eyes slightly red from the pain, and felt heartbroken but helpless.
His tone carried a hint of concern, but more so Xu Liang's inherent gentleness.
"Knowing you had cavities, you still ate so much ice food. Now you're suffering!"
Jiang Wan pouted, looking wronged, like a child who had done something wrong.
She defended herself in a low voice:
"I...I didn't expect it to hurt this much, so I only ate a few bites."
She was already a little embarrassed by her brother's teasing, and now she has a toothache because of her sweet tooth.
Embarrassed in front of Xu Liang, his cheeks burned even hotter, and he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Seeing her in pain and embarrassed, Xu Liang couldn't bear to scold her anymore; all he felt was heartache.
He quickly stood up, his tone urgent.
"Is it very painful? Is there a pharmacy nearby? I'll go buy you some painkillers, or some warm water, maybe that will help."
As he spoke, Xu Liang turned to leave, afraid that if he wasted even a second, Jiang Wan would suffer even more.
Jiang Wan quickly grabbed his sleeve and gently shook her head.
"No need, no need to buy medicine. It's just intermittent pain, it'll subside after a while. It's an old problem, just bear with it and it'll be fine."
Jiang Wan was simply afraid of causing Xu Liang too much trouble.
However, the throbbing pain in her teeth still made her frown and scrunch up her face.
Xu Liang stopped and looked at her distressed appearance. He was worried and didn't know what to do, so he could only stand there.
He looked at her helplessly, his voice full of worry.
"Are you sure you don't need to? Keeping this pain going isn't a solution. How about I take you to a nearby clinic?"
"Really, you don't need to."
Jiang Wan quickly waved her hand and forced a smile.
"It's really nothing, it's happened before, the pain goes away after a while. Let's... let's hurry up and leave, don't linger here."
Jiang Wan was suffering from a toothache and was also in a sorry state in front of Xu Liang.
This made her feel very uncomfortable.
Seeing that she insisted, Xu Liang didn't press her any further.
I could only carefully support her arm, moving gently, afraid of touching any place that might hurt her.
"Then I'll help you walk slowly, don't rush, be careful."
His palm gently held her arm, the warmth seeping through the fabric.
She didn't flinch, letting him help her stand up slowly.
The toothache persisted, and Jiang Wan followed Xu Liang quietly toward the restaurant entrance.
Xu Liang was very careful the whole time, slowing down his pace and paying close attention to her expression. He noticed that she was pursing her lips in pain.
He then gently comforted her.
"Since you don't want to go to the hospital, just bear with it a little longer. When you get back, drink some warm water and avoid cold or sweet foods. It should get better soon."
"Um."
Jiang Wan responded softly.
She felt a strange yet warm sensation of being cared for so tenderly and constantly on someone's mind, like a warm current quietly flowing through her heart.
The toothache lessened a bit in an instant.
The two walked out of the restaurant. The sun was shining brightly outside, and a gentle breeze carried the warmth of spring.
The street was bustling with people. Xu Liang helped Jiang Wan walk slowly on the sidewalk, his pace slow and his steps extra cautious.
Jiang Wan felt exceptionally safe with Xu Liang by her side. Occasionally, she would let out a soft cry of pain.
Xu Liang would immediately stop and bow his head to ask with concern, his eyes revealing his true feelings.
Xu Liang arrived at the art museum and drove his motorcycle out.
He first helped Jiang Wan onto the motorcycle, then got on himself, and gestured for her to hold on tight to his waist.
This way, the ride will be more stable, preventing her cavities from suffering further damage.
The two didn't talk much during the drive, but the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.
The ambiguity and tug-of-war that had occurred earlier in the restaurant transformed into genuine care and concern at this moment.
Jiang Wan could clearly sense Xu Liang's good intentions.
It made her heart flutter.
She couldn't help but think that Xu Liang's feelings for her seemed to be different.
And what about her own feelings towards Xu Liang?
Once the thought pops into your head, you can't suppress it anymore.
She secretly glanced up at Xu Liang in front of her. He was focused on the road ahead, paying attention to the road conditions as he drove. His strong back gave off a sense of security.
My heart started racing uncontrollably again.
The pain in my teeth seemed to be mostly overshadowed by this sudden flutter of my heart.
"tear!"
"What's wrong? Is it hurting again?"
Jiang Wan hurriedly looked away, lowered her head, and whispered...
"No...no, I'm just a little better."
Xu Liang sensed something was off about the voice, but since he was riding his motorcycle, he just spoke softly.
"That's good. We'll be in town soon. Hang in there a little longer."
Walking slowly along the road, before long, we saw the familiar little restaurant in the distance.
As they reached the restaurant entrance, Xu Liang gently released Jiang Wan's hand, his gesture still conveying concern.
"We're here. I'll go in and boil some water. Drink some warm water, rest for a while, and don't eat anything cold."
Jiang Wan stood at the door, gently rubbing her cheek. The toothache had subsided considerably, leaving only a slight, dull ache.
She looked up at Xu Liang, her eyes filled with gratitude, and said softly, "Brother Xu, thank you for today."
I thanked him for accompanying me to the art exhibition.
And then there's Liang's meticulous care when she had a toothache.
All my words can be summed up in a simple thank you.
Xu Liang smiled gently.
"Don't be so polite with me, come on in."
Jiang Wan nodded, turned around and was about to push open the door of the small restaurant, but then paused and couldn't help but look back.
Xu Liang remained standing in the same spot, gazing at her tenderly, the sunlight falling on him and casting a soft halo around him.
The toothache has long since subsided, but the throbbing in my heart has become even clearer.
Jiang Wan's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly turned her head, pushed open the door of the small restaurant, and quickly walked inside.
Xu Liang stood at the door, watching her figure disappear inside, the smile on his lips lingering for a long time.
He raised his hand and gently touched his teeth, thinking to himself that he would have to keep a closer eye on her from now on and never let her indulge in sweets again, lest she get a toothache.
Jiang Wan, inside the door, leaned against the door panel, listening to her own clear and strong heartbeat.
She touched her teeth, which still ached slightly, and then, remembering Xu Liang's gentle gaze, she couldn't help but smile softly.
It turns out that the pain from that cavity also had a unique kind of sweetness.
The small restaurant remained quiet, filled with the faint aroma of food; everything looked familiar.
Jiang Wan knew, however, that some things had already changed quietly without her noticing.