"Don't you feel sad?"
Melinda couldn't restrain herself from asking, after sensing that this kind of affection was too tiring and required a lot of patience. They could not even hold hands in public, and they needed to go somewhere distant just for sightseeing.
"Sometimes, I feel discouraged. But as long as I can lay my eyes on him, I will feel happy. Sometimes, I think love is a bizarre thing. Even if you are exhausted, you still want to move on and make a fresh start while bearing a heavy burden,"
said Nina, looking a little distracted. She had thought of the anguish and hardships that came her way, which reminded Melinda of her feelings for Jonas.
In the beginning, she had shown unrequited love for him. After five years of misery, she finally abandoned all her principles for the word "love".
For a moment, both of them were quiet.
When Jonas walked into the ward bringing breakfast food, he got the impression that something was wrong.
"When did you wake up?"
"I just got up. Did you buy breakfast? What have you ordered?"
Melinda drew back her thoughts and peered curiously at the brown paper bag that Jonas had carried. It was fresh milk. Jonas considered it since she had diarrhea yesterday, so he denied her from eating anything that could trigger another upset stomach. He also bought a lot of fresh fruits.
Shortly, Ryan returned to the ward with almost the same food items as that of Jonas. Seeing Ryan, Nina had turned lively and full of vigor. Melinda looked at them and took a deep breath.
"Melinda, would you like to have an apple?"
Nina beamed and looked at Melinda, while Ryan went to peel the fruit in silence. Hearing the offer, Melinda took a glance at Jonas and then looked away. Was she expecting that Jonas would cut the apple for her? Forget it.
She seriously doubted that Jonas had no inkling on how to peel the apple.
"Sure,"
Melinda agreed. Jonas looked at Ryan in embarrassment, and Ryan painted a warm smile on his face. Melinda hurried to comfort Jonas.
"Jonas, can you feed me later?"
Catching her pleading tone, Jonas had no other choice but to grant her request immediately. Ryan had peeled two apples. Both of the two patients had one apple each.
Nina was a very spirited girl, and she enjoyed having long conversations with Melinda, who was also an engaging person. The two women were so thrilled that they neglected the two men.
"So, you're a book writer. I normally like reading non-fiction novels, though I complained about the plots every time,"
Nina said as she stuck her tongue out. But Melinda didn't mind, because most novels nowadays were like that.
"All of my stories happened in real life. Some writers may overdo it, but they didn't revise much."
Melinda shared her experience with writing. After thinking for a while, Nina dipped her head in agreement. She felt that numerous novels were dramatic, but they were practical.
"Melinda, let me tell you my accounts of him,"
Nina said suddenly. Melinda was a little surprised. Usually, people would not tell strangers something private, but Nina told her directly.
At that moment, she also showed some interest.
It would just be a part of a good story if she didn't know that Ryan was married. But the reality was always cruel.
"When I found out that he has a wife, I reached a point where I wanted to cut off his dick."
When these words came out of Nina's mouth, she was appalled. Melinda subconsciously looked to the direction of Ryan. Seeing this, Jonas pulled a long face and blocked her sight.
Realizing what she had done, Melinda smiled shyly, and her face all flushed.
"What happened after that?"
"Then he used his dick to win me over again."
Melinda gagged on her apple after hearing those words. She coughed violently, and her face turned red. Flustered, Ryan also choked.
Jonas patted her back, and it took a while for her to recover.
"Melinda, you are so naive."
Nina was surprised to see Melinda's face blushing. She pondered since Melinda had gotten hitched for over five years, she should have been accustomed to such discussions.
"Nothing. Go on," Melinda said after a while.
"Okay," said Nina in a deep voice. She continued recounting her story. Melinda could tell that Nina was an independent girl from the chain of events.
She had a well-defined character on what to love and what to hate, but she ended up falling for the wrong person.
They shared the same interests and had a lot to talk about, but Melinda never mentioned her history with Jonas. In her eyes, her stories were more complicated than that of Nina.
In the evening, since there were plenty of vacant rooms in the hospital, the first thing Jonas did was to separate the two women. Though unwilling, Melinda agreed when she saw that Jonas hadn't relaxed well.
Melinda slept a lot during the daytime, so she was a little excited during nightfall. Since Jonas had brought her laptop from the hotel to alleviate her boredom, she took the computer and began to draft Nina's story into a novel.
Nina's family ran an international company. Although it was not as prominent as Soaring Group, it was still one of the best companies.
They continued talking some more until Jonas appeared to finish the formalities and left with Melinda. Thinking of what Jonas had said to her the night before, Melinda glanced around and told Nina that she would contact her back in China.
Due to health reasons, their trip to Fiji didn't turn out into something relaxing and enjoyable. Melinda lost her spirit, and it was a total mess. They packed up that night and flew to France the next day.
Jonas had his own house in France, so they skipped the hotel and stayed in his little castle.
Their dinner was Chinese food, which made Melinda very satisfied. To her, the most delightful thing during travel was to have fun and eat, and the saddest thing was not to taste every local dish. Some meals were not pleasing to Melinda's palate, especially after she had diarrhea.
Melinda had a good appetite, so she ate two bowls of rice that night.
The mood and scenery were romantic in France. While walking down the cobbled streets holding hands, both of them could feel the dreamy atmosphere everywhere.
"Do you like it here?"
Seeing that there was always a smile in the corner of Melinda's mouth, Jonas could not help but ask. Melinda simply nodded. She heard about this place before, but now she felt completely different after being there in person.
When they arrived in Paris, Jonas took Melinda to see the Eiffel Tower first. Many couples would come here to take photos and be amazed by its majestic beauty. Feeling the poetic and intimate character of Paris, Melinda couldn't help following Jonas closely.
Feeding the birds seemed to be a regular spectacle in France. Melinda stood on the square and fed the pigeons. Staring at many old couples walk hand in hand moved Melinda's heart.
"Jonas, the people here are so affectionate and dreamy,"
said Melinda. Sometimes romance was more of an ambiance, not necessarily between the couple, but a cultural aspect.
Jonas stroked the back of her head and said nothing. Everyone had this impression of France.
"I'll take you to the Pantheon tomorrow,"
said Jonas. Melinda had a liking for the arts and would love to go to museums and temples rich in history and culture. France was a country with a high aesthetic base.
The Pantheon was in the Latin Quarter of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine River. Traditionally thought to have been designed as a temple for Roman gods, the structure's name came from the Greek words pan, meaning "all," and theos, meaning "gods."
Seventy-two people had made significant contributions to France, and eleven of them were politicians. The one Melinda liked most was the poet, novelist, and dramatist, Victor Hugo.
The people there called Hugo as the French Shakespeare because he translated the works of William Shakespeare into French. Hugo's collection of poetry and novels had influenced France and the whole world.
Melinda couldn't stop herself from recounting one specific period of France when French romance seemed to flourish.
Hugo's connection with novelist Nottier led him to turn to Romanticism and become the leader in the Romantic Movement.
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