He rarely got angry, and it had been a long time since he had been this upset.
But his tone remained refined and gentle: "Instead of being willful."
Willful?
No one had ever called her willful.
Shen Yue was very well-behaved, always obedient since childhood. She knew her body was a burden, so she tried her best not to trouble those around her. Only by being well-behaved could she be the least worrying.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a shallow red like fine sand appeared at the corners of her eyes. She was frail, her face pale, giving the impression of needing protection at all times.
Like a waterlogged narcissus, without the nourishment of water, gradually decaying.
This was Jiang Bainian's perception.
Shen Yue said very seriously, almost word by word: "I am not being willful."
Looking directly into his eyes, Shen Yue's voice was soft, her eyes clear, "This is not willfulness."
This was not an excuse, but Shen Yue wanted to try if she could take care of herself. This was not willfulness; she felt she had the right to do so.
But clearly, Jiang Bainian did not see it that way.
"You were almost hit by a car today." Jiang Bainian watched the boy's face stiffen as he realized something, his tone still unhurried. "Just by a hair's breadth, Yueyue, just a tiny bit. Do you know what would happen to me if something happened to you again? What about Uncle and Aunt?"
"I know my methods might be extreme, but I don't want anything to happen to you."
"You might not be afraid, but I am."
"Yueyue, you are still very young. The illness will get better, everything will get better. When that time comes, I won't bother with you anymore, and you can do whatever you want."
Jiang Bainian was gentle, but his eyes were as calm as still water: "But not now, Yueyue, you must be obedient."
Obedient, obedient.
The word "obedient" was the most she had heard her entire life.
When she was little, she liked to fly kites, wanted to play with other children, wanted to go to school, wanted to see the outside world. But her parents wouldn't allow it. Every time, they would stroke her head and tell her to be obedient.
Fine, fine.
She had been very obedient, never making a fuss, always well-behaved, and never complaining.
Now, when Shen Yue heard Jiang Bainian say this, she felt a stifled ache in her chest.
Clenching her fingers, Shen Yue did not show it.
Jiang Bainian probably knew his words were a bit harsh. He had indeed lost control today, overwhelmed by fear and worry, almost as an instinctual reaction.
He stood up and took Shen Yue's cold, soft hand. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
Shen Yue just looked at him quietly. The moment lingered for a bit too long, giving Jiang Bainian a sudden bad premonition.
Under Jiang Bainian's astonished gaze, she gradually pulled away.
Jiang Bainian froze, "Yueyue..."
She lowered her long eyelashes, concealing her clean and beautiful eyes. Her brows were languid, and her dark hair fell before her chest.
She didn't look sad, nor did she look wronged. Apart from her emotions being a little muted, she seemed no different from usual.
With no expression, she made even Jiang Bainian unable to understand her.
But Jiang Bainian keenly sensed a trace of unusual emotion.
Shen Yue said softly, "I know."
Jiang Bainian was stunned, not quite reacting.
His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes dark and thick like ink bleeding, and he said gently, "Know what?"
Shen Yue seemed to feel nothing, not even lifting her eyes. The corners of her eyes were moist and red.
Her face was so pale that Jiang Bainian dared not say anything harsh, not even raise his voice.
The girl said softly and clearly, "I should be obedient."
Jiang Bainian's expression softened slightly, he let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and was about to say something kindly when Shen Yue spoke again.
"But today was truly just an accident. I promise I'll be more careful next time."
Jiang Bainian's already somewhat softened expression suddenly turned colder, and he lowered his voice, "There's a next time?"
Shen Yue fell silent.
Her lips pursed, and her soft, dark hair made her pale face appear even more delicate. The corners of her eyes drooped, and her thick eyelashes fluttered.
But this time, she was unexpectedly stubborn.
Although she didn't look him in the eye, her tone conveyed a sense of determination.
"Not just a next time, but a time after that too."
This statement was also to preemptively warn Jiang Bainian. She would go out, and she would be careful. Perhaps sometimes she would inform Jiang Bainian, perhaps not. This was her freedom.
If she didn't bring this up now, it would only become worse in the future, not just for herself.
But also for Jiang Bainian.
He would have to live in constant anxiety, his nerves stretched taut like a string, always on the verge of snapping.
Heart disease.
Actually, in the past few years, there had been suitable hearts available for transplant, but Shen Yue's constitution was too weak. This was an ailment she was born with. No matter how much she was supplemented afterwards, the effect was minimal.
Therefore, they could only use medication to sustain her. If her condition remained good, she could live for several decades.
But the sudden coma six months ago was like a bad omen, and it made Jiang Bainian almost afraid to let Shen Yue go out alone.
On her joyous 20th birthday banquet, everything had been developing in a positive direction. They thought her condition was stable, and then she suddenly fainted.
This was perhaps half a year ago.
Would she be so lucky next time?
What if it was five years, ten years, or, looking at the worst-case scenario, what if she never woke up again?
Jiang Bainian was not a timid person; he simply didn't have the courage to gamble with Shen Yue.
He regretted more than once why he had held that birthday banquet.
He had only wanted to make it lively and make Shen Yue happier. Who could have imagined that in the brief moment he was away, she would be on the verge of death?
This fear and dread had always lingered in his heart, which was why he lost his composure whenever something happened to Shen Yue.
Jiang Bainian's voice turned cold, "Yueyue, this is not something to joke about."
Shen Yue said in a very soft voice, "I'm not joking."
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire restaurant fell into a silence so profound that even breathing seemed too loud.
For the first time, the man who was always unflappable showed a hint of panic. His eyes darkened, and the fingers of his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
In the silent standoff, Jiang Bainian feigned a casual tone to change the subject, "The fish soup today is quite good, very fresh. Come and try it."
After speaking, Jiang Bainian picked up a clean small bowl to serve the soup. The fish soup was light and delicious, with no hint of fishiness, showing it had been simmered for a long time.
Shen Yue sighed, "No, thank you. I'm not hungry."
Jiang Bainian continued his actions, as if trying to conceal something, "Just try a couple of bites. If you like it, I'll have them simmer more next time."