Second-time Introduction

Jennifer stood at the door of the ward, looking inside with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation. Unexpectedly, Renly went in for less than a minute before turning around and came out.

Jennifer automatically stepped aside, clearing the passage at the door. Renly walked out, their eyes met briefly, but they just nodded politely. Then Jennifer looked back into the ward again, feeling worried about Heather.

Inside the ward, the white color conveyed a chilling coldness. Heather sat motionless, staring blankly at the kite. The sparse halo outlined her tense muscles, yet there was a sense of powerlessness. The anger and emptiness of losing control seemed to be faintly sprinkled over her, as if time had frozen on her frail shoulders, forgetting to move forward.

Compared to her previous outbursts and screams, this Heather was even more pitiful.

At that moment, Heather's right hand hesitantly lifted towards the direction of the kite, seeming to want to reach out, but stopped due to inner fear. Her fingers, stiff in the air, were pale and delicate, trembling gently, revealing her weakness and struggle.

Jennifer felt a tinge of sourness in her nose. She awkwardly lowered her head, wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes, and then tried to enter the ward. However, the man beside her took a step forward, blocking the way to the door. He shook his head gently, silently refusing, yet exuding an air of undeniable authority.

This puzzled and infuriated Jennifer. She opened her mouth to retort, but he shook his head again, not saying much, and instead looked into the ward. Jennifer involuntarily followed his gaze and saw Heather's right hand weakly dropping down, her shoulders slumping, overwhelmed by sadness.

But just when Jennifer thought Heather would collapse, she straightened her back again, sitting quietly in place, her gaze returning to the butterfly kite. Without getting out of bed to touch it or lying back down, she simply maintained that sitting posture quietly. Although there wasn't much change, Jennifer could feel Heather's turbulent emotions slowly calming down.

So miraculous.

"What's going on?" Jennifer was puzzled over this. She wanted to ask Renly about it but caught a glimpse of Heather turning her head. In a panic, she turned and pressed herself against the wall, trying to avoid being seen through the glass window of the room.

Her heart pounded rapidly, feeling suffocated at such a moment. She turned her head and saw Renly on the other side, no different from her, clinging to the wall like a gecko, full of panic. This scene was so indescribably ridiculous that Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle—then she realized it wasn't appropriate and quickly bit her lip, controlling her laughter.

The two of them maintained their positions for a while, and then Jennifer noticed Renly standing up calmly. She paused for a moment, realizing they had already avoided being seen through the glass of the door, there was no need to stick so tightly to the wall, let alone crouch down. This wasn't a spy movie; there were no omnipresent surveillance cameras.

Realizing this, Jennifer also stood up slowly, smoothing her hair behind her ears to hide her embarrassment. With a glimpse of Renly moving away from the ward, she quickly followed suit, taking a few brisk steps to catch up. She couldn't wait to ask, "What just happened? Is Heather really okay?"

Renly stopped in his tracks, catching Jennifer off guard. She halted too, turning to face him, but maintaining a distance of two steps between them.

"I don't know," Renly replied calmly, leaving Jennifer even more puzzled. "What?" she asked.

Renly shrugged, repeating, "I said, I don't know." Then he continued, "I don't know if Heather is okay, I don't know what she's thinking. I'm just trying to be there for her as a friend. If my friend suddenly disappeared for half a year, unable to party and have fun with me, I'd be disappointed, maybe even angry. Friendships can fade away gradually. If I had a headache or fever, I'd want someone to take care of me, but I wouldn't want them to be too noisy because my head is already hurting enough, I don't need more noise."

Initially, Jennifer wanted to argue, but gradually, her shoulders slumped, and her momentum subsided. It wasn't because Renly's words were so right, but because of the underlying message: what Heather needed wasn't pity, help, or motivation, but a friend.

Reflecting on her actions just now, Jennifer realized she might have been too hasty. "Sorry," she sighed in frustration, "I just..." She paused, unable to find the right words, feeling somewhat defeated. "I just wanted to help."

"Me too," Renly's tone remained calm. "We're all Heather's friends. I think there are different types of friends, like me and you. Only then can life be colorful."

"Are you trying to console me? Or mock me?" Jennifer knew she still had a lot to learn about dealing with Heather in the future. Hearing Renly's words, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

Renly raised his hands in surrender. "People always choose to hear what they want to hear."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but not sharp; instead, there was a faint warmth. Jennifer bit her lip, unable to help but smile, nodding in acknowledgment. She raised her head again, confidently meeting Renly's gaze. "Last time at Los Angeles airport, I think I owe you an apology."

"No, I should apologize," Renly responded, admitting fault for not wearing earphones in such a crowded public space.

"Hmm," Jennifer chuckled lightly. She hadn't expected such a response from Renly. Upon careful consideration, their encounters had been similar—starting with misunderstandings and ending with their own awkwardness. "We better not continue apologizing, or people will think I stole your girlfriend."

Such an interpretation made Renly laugh happily, and gently close his jaw, "This is a reasonable explanation."

Jennifer's mood lightened. "But there's one thing, I'm too impulsive. Always rushing in. I must improve on that. So, I do owe you an apology."

"I thought we had passed that stage already," Renly smiled gently, making Jennifer pause for a moment. After a brief contemplation, she asked, "Has anyone ever told you? You don't seem like an Englishman."

Renly widened his eyes in surprise. "Is that... a good thing? Or a bad thing?"

Jennifer realized her wording mistake, waving her hand repeatedly. "Look at me, speaking without a filter again. What I meant was, your choice of words, your tone, you seem like someone who came out of Cambridge or Oxford, but your smile..." Watching Renly's smile deepen, Jennifer rolled her eyes helplessly, feeling at a loss for words. "Well, I guess my personality is acting up again. Just pretend you didn't hear that."

English people actually don't smile much. They even refuse to talk on the subway; their smiles carry a sense of detachment and coldness, with a clear sense of distance between people, especially in London. But Renly's smile was like... a child's.

 Jennifer remembered Renly downstairs, flying kites with the children. This didn't seem like an Englishman at all.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Renly chuckled lightly. Jennifer burst into a hearty laugh, "So was that flirting just now?" After saying this, Jennifer found herself amused, laughing openly. Her laughter echoed lightly in the corridor, and she suddenly realized her rudeness, quickly covering her mouth.

Renly spread his hands with a smile, his eyebrows raising slightly. "If that was flirting, then we both did a terrible job."

Jennifer nodded in agreement, a hint of disdain on her face. Then she politely extended her right hand. "I suppose we missed an important step. Second-time meeting etiquette, I'm Jennifer Lawrence."

Renly had indeed forgotten this step because he naturally knew the other person. Nevertheless, he reached out his right hand. "Second-time meeting... lady?" Renly's questioning tone made Jennifer wrinkle her nose in protest. "I'm Renly Hall."

Then, their right hands shook in the air, a friendly gesture that instantly shortened the distance between them, formal and dignified, lightly shaking twice.

"I have something to attend to, so I won't stay here long today. Until next time." After bidding farewell, Renly politely bowed and then walked past Jennifer, towards the direction of the elevator.

Jennifer turned around, waving goodbye to Renly's back. 

After a few steps, Renly stopped again. Annie was sitting on the orange stool, looking unhappy. Apparently, today's task was still unfinished. Renly touched Annie's head gently, whispered a few words, and saw Annie's chubby face scrunch up completely, making a funny face at Renly. But there was a hint of laughter in her eyes, making Renly burst into laughter.

Then, Renly stood up, walked towards the elevator, greeted the nurses stationed there, and quickly disappeared into the elevator.

Jennifer also turned around and walked in the opposite direction, once again immersed in her volunteer work. This afternoon was far from over.