Cen Lingqiu went to the restroom, fighting the urge to vomit as she washed the blood from her hands.
The wound on her palm wasn’t deep. She had a nurse give it a simple dressing, then went out to buy some food before returning to the hospital.
She opened the door to Yu Mingjiao’s hospital room and saw her sitting on the bed, her eyes lifelessly gazing at the plane tree outside the window.
“Are you hungry?” Cen Lingqiu placed the food containers on the table.
Yu Mingjiao’s gaze shifted back to her.
The woman wore an apricot-colored, ruffled stand-collar blouse paired with a khaki-colored midi skirt. Her long, chestnut-colored curly hair was casually tied back, with only a few stray strands left by her ears. Perhaps due to the heat outside, these strands were slightly damp, clinging to her fair cheeks.
Her figure was slender and graceful, like a lotus standing tall and elegant in the summer.
Cen Lingqiu asked, “Do you want to eat in bed or get up?”
This was a high-end private room, fully equipped with a table and sofa.
Yu Mingjiao was no longer as neurotic as before, nor did she fly into a rage at the sight of Cen Lingqiu. She shifted her body, and Cen Lingqiu came forward to help her into the wheelchair. Cen Lingqiu had brought the wheelchair from the manor yesterday. Although the hospital had them, she felt that Yu Mingjiao would probably only be comfortable in her own.
As expected, when Yu Mingjiao saw her own wheelchair, her eyes flickered, but she said nothing.
Cen Lingqiu helped her to the table and arranged the food. “Take your time eating. I’m going to do some work.”
She sat down on the sofa, picked up her tablet, and began to work quietly.
Yu Mingjiao preferred to eat alone, so Cen Lingqiu not joining her suited her just fine.
The table was filled with light foods—shrimp dumplings, corn congee, and so on—all leaning towards the sweeter side.
Yu Mingjiao picked up her chopsticks and ate in silence.
One worked while the other ate. It was nearly evening, and the sunlight outside was gradually softening, no longer as harsh as it had been during the day.
A summer breeze blew in, slightly disheveling Yu Mingjiao’s long hair. She didn’t have a hair tie and could only keep brushing it back with her hand.
Cen Lingqiu noticed her predicament and couldn’t help but smile. She stood up and walked behind her. “Don’t move.”
She took the hair tie from her wrist and braided Yu Mingjiao’s hair, letting the braid hang straight down her back.
“There.” Just as Cen Lingqiu was about to go back to work, her eyes glanced at the table and she noticed that the dishes were mostly untouched, except for some of the shrimp dumplings closest to her.
Cen Lingqiu hadn’t expected her to be so picky.
No wonder she was so thin.
“Why did you eat so little?” She frowned slightly. “Being a picky eater won’t do.”
She unwrapped a new pair of chopsticks and placed a little from each dish into Yu Mingjiao’s bowl. “Eat a bit of everything. I waited in a long line to buy this, it was boiling hot.”
Yu Mingjiao’s gaze was fixed on Cen Lingqiu’s gauze-wrapped hand. Cen Lingqiu noticed and waved her injured hand in front of her, deliberately saying, “It really hurts, you know.”
She averted her gaze and mocked her coldly, “What does that have to do with me? You’re the one who went crazy.”
Cen Lingqiu shrugged, her voice clear and gentle. “Because I wanted to balance things out for you, and make you a little happier.”
“You’re sick.”
Hearing Yu Mingjiao’s cold voice, Cen Lingqiu didn’t get angry. She was just teasing Yu Mingjiao on a whim.
Only at times like this could she sense that Cen Lingqiu was still a young university-aged girl. Back at the manor, she had been so lifeless, she seemed older than Yu Mingjiao herself.
She stopped teasing. “Alright, eat up.”
“I’ll give you something after you finish eating.”
Cen Lingqiu was almost done with her work and planned to wrap it up in the evening. She leaned against the window, watching Yu Mingjiao eat.
Yu Mingjiao ate very elegantly, taking small bites. With her long hair tied back, her delicate and magnificent face was fully revealed. The way she ate was beautiful, a pleasing sight to behold.
Indeed, a beauty looks good doing anything.
What Cen Lingqiu found strange was that she had always thought Yu Mingjiao was a picky eater; otherwise, she wouldn’t have left a whole table of food untouched, just like back at the manor.
But she had slowly eaten everything Cen Lingqiu had just put in her bowl.
This didn’t seem like the behavior of a picky eater.
Seeing her bowl was empty, Yu Mingjiao once again only reached for the shrimp dumplings closest to her.
Cen Lingqiu watched her suddenly become picky again, so she once more helped put some other dishes into her bowl. Yu Mingjiao glanced at her, then lowered her head and ate quietly.
Does she only eat the dishes closest to her?
Cen Lingqiu thought to herself, planning to observe more closely next time.
Yu Mingjiao ate for a little while longer before stopping. Cen Lingqiu looked at the food on the table. Although there was still a lot left, it was much better than at the manor.
Cen Lingqiu couldn’t help but praise her, “You were very well-behaved today.”
Yu Mingjiao couldn’t be bothered to respond.
She couldn’t understand Cen Lingqiu’s true intentions and could only take things one step at a time.
Cen Lingqiu was always by her side. Even if she were to commit suicide right now, this woman would still pull her back.
There was nothing she could do. Yu Mingjiao simply gave up on herself. Might as well just live on carelessly.
Right now, even dying felt exhausting.
“Let’s take you for a walk outside.” Cen Lingqiu considered that Yu Mingjiao had barely left her room recently, and since the weather was nice today, she planned to take her out for some fresh air.
She didn’t like Yu Mingjiao holing up in her room, lifeless, every day. It would only worsen her negative emotions.
“I’m not going.” Yu Mingjiao refused flatly.
Cen Lingqiu had already developed the habit of ignoring her words and simply pushed the wheelchair out of the room.
Seeing the people coming and going, Yu Mingjiao gritted her teeth. “Lin Qiu—”
Cen Lingqiu: “Hm?”
“…”
Yu Mingjiao didn’t like seeing people. Ever since being locked up in the manor, she had rarely seen so many people.
She could feel many people’s eyes on her.
Is it because of my disability?
Are these people mocking my crippled legs?
Yu Mingjiao wanted to take off the hair tie, attempting to hide her face with her hair.
She was overly sensitive and self-conscious, only wanting to hide herself.
Cen Lingqiu pressed down on the hand that was trying to remove the hair tie. She could guess what Yu Mingjiao was thinking.
“Yu Mingjiao.” She leaned down, close to Yu Mingjiao’s ear, and said softly, “Listen. They’re complimenting you, saying you’re beautiful.”
“They think you’re very beautiful, that’s why they keep looking at you.”
Yu Mingjiao listened carefully and could indeed hear words like “good-looking” and “beautiful.”
She had never thought her face was anything special to look at.
As for those people’s compliments, Yu Mingjiao was more willing to believe they were praising Cen Lingqiu.
But because of Cen Lingqiu’s words, her attention was no longer on those people’s gazes.
Her attention was entirely focused on the fact that “Lin Qiu is comforting me.”
Lin Qiu used to be one of them; she had mocked her legs more than once.
Yet now, she was comforting her.
This was even stranger than the people who looked down on her.
But—
Lin Qiu had been a strange person this whole time.
Yu Mingjiao’s mind was preoccupied with this matter, constantly trying to figure out Lin Qiu’s intentions.
Unfortunately, she could never figure it out.
By the time she felt the gentle breeze, she had snapped out of her thoughts and realized Lin Qiu had pushed her to the lakeside.
The lake’s surface shimmered with golden ripples, the setting sun reflected in the water. A summer breeze blew from the center of the lake, rustling the stray hairs by Yu Mingjiao’s ears.
It felt like she hadn’t seen a sunset in a very, very long time.
It almost felt like something from a past life.
Cen Lingqiu stood behind her, tilting her head slightly to look at her expression.
Yu Mingjiao’s usually desolate pupils now held a sparkling light—the vibrant colors of the afterglow cast upon the lake were now fully reflected in her eyes, bringing her beautiful face to life.
She’s just like a child.
There were other patients nearby, a noisy and chaotic crowd, but here where they were, it was quiet and peaceful.
Feeling the summer wind, Yu Mingjiao couldn’t help but reach out, as if trying to catch it in her hand.
Her palm didn’t catch the wind, only a piece of candy.
Cen Lingqiu had given her a fruit candy.
“I bought it on the way when I was getting food,” Cen Lingqiu said casually. “It’s pretty sweet.”
“I don’t want it.” Yu Mingjiao handed the candy back to her.
Cen Lingqiu took the candy and said nothing.
The two of them stayed by the lake for half an hour. The night gradually deepened, and the sky turned a dark blue.
“Let’s go back.” Cen Lingqiu felt the cool night breeze. “It’s cold.”
Yu Mingjiao gave a cold laugh, scoffing at her words.
Cen Lingqiu knew she was mocking her for saying it was cold in the summer, but she didn’t get angry. “I’m more sensitive to the cold.”
She really was sensitive to the cold.
Whether it was summer or winter, she was extremely afraid of the cold.
Yu Mingjiao was getting sleepy too, so the two of them returned to the hospital room.
After Yu Mingjiao finished washing up, Cen Lingqiu gave her something from her bag.
“This is your phone.”
Seeing the phone in her hand, Yu Mingjiao frowned, finding it a little hard to believe.
Her phone had been taken by Lin Dong from the very beginning. After her only means of communication was taken away, she couldn’t even call for help.
And now, Lin Qiu was giving her the phone, which was equivalent to giving her a way out.
Cen Lingqiu had gotten the phone out of Lin Dong.
“Don’t stay up too late on your phone.” Cen Lingqiu pressed the phone into her hand and patted her hair. “I have work tomorrow, so I’ll be here a bit later. If you need anything, just tell the nurse.”
“Rest well, and don’t think about doing anything foolish. Someone will come by to check on you.”
“Well then, see you tomorrow.”
After giving her instructions, Cen Lingqiu left.
Yu Mingjiao moved her wheelchair to the window and watched Cen Lingqiu’s figure walk downstairs.
She looked very busy, even looking at her phone while walking.
Suddenly, she turned her head and glanced in her direction. Yu Mingjiao didn’t know if she had been seen. Cen Lingqiu looked for a few seconds before turning back.
Yu Mingjiao only retracted her gaze after the figure disappeared from view.
The phone felt cool in her hand. She unlocked it and found the battery was full; Cen Lingqiu had charged it for her.
She gave me back to myself. Is she really not afraid that I’ll leave?
She remembered what she had said to her at the manor.
Was she really planning to take me away back then?
Yu Mingjiao pressed her lips together tightly.
It doesn’t matter.
Her internal conflict was brief. No matter what that woman was thinking, Yu Mingjiao didn’t want to see her again.
She had to get away from this disgusting pair of siblings.
Yu Mingjiao’s eyes turned grim as she clenched the phone in her hand.
She put the phone in her pocket and felt something else inside. She took it out; it was a piece of candy.
The candy she had been given by the lake earlier. She didn’t know when it had been put there.
Yu Mingjiao threw the candy into the trash can without a second glance.
The next day, Cen Lingqiu had a consecutive interpreting job at a business exhibition. The event lasted almost the entire day, and by the time she rushed to the hospital, it was nearly evening.
She arrived at the hospital room with food she had bought, but she didn’t see Yu Mingjiao, who was usually gazing out the window. The room was empty, not a soul in sight.
Cen Lingqiu walked in and looked around. None of Yu Mingjiao’s things were there. She was about to go out and ask a nurse when her gaze fell upon the fruit candy in the trash can.
Her expression remained calm as she looked at it for a few seconds before averting her gaze.
She went to the nurses’ station to ask.
The nurse told her, “The patient in that room was discharged this afternoon.”
Cen Lingqiu: “Was she well enough to be discharged?”
Nurse: “The doctor recommended staying a few more days, but the patient insisted on being discharged, so we could only respect her wishes.”
The nurse remembered something. “Oh, right.” She picked up an envelope. “She asked me to give this to you. It’s the expenses you covered for her these past few days.”
Cen Lingqiu took it.
Does this child really want to have no connection with me at all?
“You all haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Cen Lingqiu gave the food she’d bought to the nurse. “You can have this. It’s all healthy food. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”
The nurse accepted it. “Thank you.”
Cen Lingqiu hummed in acknowledgment and left with the envelope.
She walked out of the hospital and stopped, looking at the envelope. Inside, there was also a note.
【The extra money is for your medical expenses.】
Should I say she’s polite? She even knew to give me money for my medical expenses because of my injury.
She smiled, but it was a faint smile.
Was Cen Lingqiu angry?
Not really.
Although she had developed a bit of pity for Yu Mingjiao over the past few days, her feelings for her were still largely confined to the level of Yu Mingjiao being just her mission target.
Her sympathy for the female lead was like seeing a pitiful stray cat on the street. She might stop to pat the cat’s head and kindly give it some food, but she would still continue on her way without looking back.
The female lead was naturally special, but this specialness only allowed Cen Lingqiu to spare a little thought to be gentle with her during the mission.
Beyond that, there were no other feelings.
When she gave Yu Mingjiao the phone, she had already guessed that the female lead would leave without hesitation.
So, this outcome wasn’t too surprising.
Naturally, there was no anger either.
Cen Lingqiu wasn’t a person who liked to get angry. Or rather, it wasn’t that she didn’t like it, but that there was hardly anyone or anything worth her anger.
There happened to be a temple near the hospital. Cen Lingqiu donated all the money from the envelope to the temple.
As she was about to leave, an old monk stopped her. “Madam, life comes and goes, but matters of affection and obligation are hard to settle. Whoever is entangled by them will only face calamity and be trapped in a cycle.”
Cen Lingqiu didn’t understand his words, assuming he was just symbolically spouting some obscure Buddhist phrases because she had donated a lot of money.
She paid it no mind. “Thank you for your teachings, Master.”
After politely thanking him, Cen Lingqiu left.
Cen Lingqiu returned to her apartment. A woman was lying on the sofa playing with her phone. Seeing her, she let out a sound of surprise. “You’re back so soon? Weren’t you going to the hospital?”
The woman’s name was Wen Zhi. She was the original owner’s good friend and one of the more normal characters in the book. She often disapproved of her friend’s behavior and would lecture her. The original owner hated being lectured and always argued with her, and in the end, the two had a complete falling out.
Cen Lingqiu’s feelings about Wen Zhi were okay, just so-so. At least she was normal, so Cen Lingqiu could still talk to her.
“Something came up, so I came back.” She changed her shoes and walked to the kitchen counter to drink some hot water.
Wen Zhi had a neat short haircut, her features a kind of sharp elegance. She had a lip piercing, and her chest and arms were covered in tattoos.
She owned a bar where she often performed as a resident singer, a person with a distinct personality.
The first time Cen Lingqiu met her, she was indeed surprised by her tattoos, but she was very accepting and thought Wen Zhi looked pretty cool.
“You’re really into health and wellness.” Wen Zhi sat up from the sofa. “Drinking hot water in this heat. In winter, you might as well go drink lava from a volcano.”
Cen Lingqiu was amused by her exaggerated words. “I’m cold.”
Wen Zhi walked over to her and circled around her.
Cen Lingqiu lazily sipped her water and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, you’ve been weird lately.” Wen Zhi pouted. “You haven’t been arguing with me recently.”
“Is that so?” Cen Lingqiu’s tone was light. “Do you find me this way very strange? Is it unacceptable to you?”
Wen Zhi grabbed a soda from the fridge. “What’s there to accept or not accept? It makes no difference to me. I just wish you’d listen to me for once and stop messing with people. It’s really messed up… Don’t be just like your brother. I don’t even want to talk about someone like your brother—”
She stopped mid-sentence. Her younger brother was a sore spot for Lin Qiu. In the past, whenever she said anything bad about her brother, Lin Qiu would argue with her.
“Why did you stop?”
“It’s nothing.” Wen Zhi changed the subject. “By the way, who have you been taking care of at the hospital these past few days? Is someone in the family sick?”
“No.”
“Oh, then who were you visiting? I don’t remember you having any friends besides me. Don’t tell me you’re secretly dating and went to see your boyfriend.”
Cen Lingqiu put down her water glass, her voice clear and cool. “It’s someone you know.”
Wen Zhi was curious. “Who?”
“Yu Mingjiao.”
“Cough, cough, cough—”
Wen Zhi choked on the soda she had just drunk.
Is there a second person in this world named Yu Mingjiao?