Chapter 24: Wanting to atone for his sins with desserts but meeting a wealthy sponsor on the way home

Lu Weizhu sat dazed on the bench, her legs pressed together, hands resting on her knees.

She felt a little helpless.

Her sister’s words lingered in her heart. 

All along, Lu Weizhu had indeed underestimated her place in Lu Weiyu’s heart.

She couldn’t voice her troubles, nor did she want to stay out all night, nor did she want to live at Ning Wan’s home.

“All of this is because of this damned sickness. Why can’t my body be a little stronger?”

She pounded her legs twice in frustration.

But now that things had come to this, thinking about it any further was meaningless.

Her sister undoubtedly cared about her, but at the same time, she was currently angry with her. 

Lu Weizhu’s top priority was to earn Lu Weiyu’s forgiveness.

“Umm…what should I do…”

Lu Weizhu fell into deep thought.

Her mind drifted back to the last time she’d fed Lu Weiyu cake.

“Maybe I should make her another cake to make it up to her?”

Once this thought appeared, it only grew stronger.

She remembered the anticipation while waiting for the cake to come out of the oven, and the intense sense of accomplishment afterward.

Lu Weizhu realized she might actually enjoy making desserts.

Supporting herself on her knees, Lu Weizhu stood up and pushed the ward door open a crack.

“Weiyu, I’m going out for a bit.”

Afraid of making Lu Weiyu even angrier, she told her in advance that she was leaving.

Inside the ward, Lu Weiyu didn’t respond.

Through the crack in the door, Lu Weizhu could only see the lump on the bed move a little.

“…I’ll be back soon.”

Worried, Lu Weizhu closed the door.

She walked as quickly as she could toward the outside of the hospital.

Her legs were a little weak, she really couldn’t run.

Hurrying along, she made her way all the way to the café.

Fortunately, the café was still open. 

There weren’t many customers inside; Bai Yun sat bored on a chair, looking at her phone.

“Yun Jie.”

Lu Weizhu pushed the door open and entered the café.

“……”

Her chest heaved slightly as she caught her breath.

“Oh? I thought you weren’t coming today.”

Bai Yun blinked, her gaze lingering on Lu Weizhu’s rumpled clothes.

Lu Weizhu hadn’t had time to tidy up. 

She’d rushed from Ning Wan’s home back to the hospital, and after moping for a while had hurried here, her clothes a mess.

One of her white knee socks was higher than the other, and perhaps because they’d been soaked and dirtied several times, some parts were already turning yellow.

On Lu Weizhu, though, it didn’t look sloppy—if anything, it had a kind of messy beauty.

They say clothes make the person, but in some cases, whether clothes look good depends on who’s wearing them.

“…Uh, I, I’m sorry, Yun Jie, I overslept.”

Lu Weizhu apologized meekly.

Then, she hurriedly straightened up.

“Um, Yun Jie, can I borrow the store’s oven and some ingredients?”

Lu Weizhu looked a little embarrassed.

“Borrow the oven? What’s going on?”

Bai Yun sat up straighter.

“Because of my sickness, I haven’t been back to the hospital all day, and now my sister’s mad at me. I want to make her a cake as an apology.” 

Lu Weizhu explained.

“Oh, I see. Go ahead and use it then. But, if you’re not planning to work today, I’ll have to dock a day’s pay, you know.”

Bai Yun said this in a teasing tone.

“Okay, that’s fine, thank you, Yun Jie.”

All she could think about was making amends to her sister. 

Normally so concerned about money, Lu Weizhu didn’t hesitate at all.

She hurried to the kitchen and, recalling the techniques Bai Yun had taught her, began to prepare the cake batter.

Bai Yun simply stood quietly behind her, watching as she bustled about—

Lu Weizhu didn’t even notice her presence.

Separate the yolks, add milk and flour, whip the egg whites, mix everything together. 

With her mind on Lu Weiyu, her movements were smooth and flawless, not a single mistake.

She preheated the oven, then put the cake batter and mold inside, but Lu Weizhu’s heart still couldn’t relax.

Standing in front of the oven, she clenched her hands, a little nervous as she watched the mold inside.

Bai Yun frowned.

“Are you really that anxious?”

Bai Yun patted Lu Weizhu on the shoulder.

“Ah!?”

Startled, her knees buckled and she almost fell.

Bai Yun’s quick reflexes caught her arm, preventing her from falling embarrassingly to the floor.

She hadn’t expected Lu Weizhu to be this invested, and there was a hint of apology in her eyes.

“Haha, well, it’s just me and my sister relying on each other now, so it’s only natural that I care about her, right?” 

Lu Weizhu steadied herself, giving a shy smile.

“Apart from my sister, there’s no one else for me to care about.”

Because she had only one loved one left, all her concern and tenderness were poured into that sole relative.

Bai Yun gave a soft “hmm,” her thoughts drifting elsewhere—who knew what she was thinking about. 

Her mood wasn’t very high.

They waited in the shop for about forty minutes. 

When the cake was done, Bai Yun and Lu Weizhu unmolded it together.

Afterward, Bai Yun helped Lu Weizhu put the whole cake into a paper box, sealed it with a plastic bag, and handed it to her.

“Thank you, Yun Jie. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

With the cake in hand, Lu Weizhu was about to rush off again.

“Weizhu, why don’t you bring me to meet your sister sometime?”

Watching Lu Weizhu’s back, Bai Yun called out, as if something had just occurred to her.

“Ah…”

Lu Weizhu, her back to her, didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

She and Bai Yun hadn’t known each other long—should she really take her to meet Lu Weiyu?

Unable to decide, Lu Weizhu simply pretended not to hear and hurried out of the café.

“I’ll think about it and give Yun Jie an answer later.”

She muttered quietly to herself.

Inside the café, watching Lu Weizhu’s departing figure, Bai Yun felt a bit disappointed at not getting a reply.

Her mood soured.

She didn’t even know exactly why—she just felt unhappy.

Outside the café, Lu Weizhu hugged the cake to her chest, head down as she made her way toward the hospital.

The box in her arms was still warm, comforting. 

In her mind, she pictured Lu Weiyu forgiving her when she saw the cake, and smiling at her.

Until she crashed into someone’s arms.

“Uwah!”

The thing in her arms collided with a tall figure, and she bounced back, landing right in a puddle.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Crazy girl.”

A car drove past behind her, splashing water with its wheels and soaking Lu Weizhu completely.

On the side of the street, Bai Lu stood quietly, her shadow cast over Lu Weizhu as she sat in the water.

Looking down at the girl sitting in the puddle, Bai Lu could make out her figure through the soaked clothes.

A glimmer of desire flashed in her eyes.

Last night, she’d wanted to ask Ning Wan out, but was rejected. 

Now she was a little irritable.

“Weizhu, want to come hang out at the usual place with me?”

Bai Lu got straight to the point.

“….”

On the ground, Lu Weizhu was dizzy from the collision, clutching the box to her chest, her clothes soaked through. 

The chill made her shiver.

Noticing Bai Lu’s presence, Lu Weizhu felt a chill run down her spine.

She really didn’t have time to please Bai Lu today.

“Uh..um, I have something to do today, so I can’t go with you.”

She carefully got to her feet.

Her sister was still waiting in the ward—

Lu Weizhu didn’t dare waste time.

“Tomorrow, I’ll come find you tomorrow, is that okay?”

Lu Weizhu tried to negotiate gently.