Chapter 51: Close yet distant

After Lu Weiyu went to sleep, Lu Weizhu returned to the Apartment for Rent.

Her heart was heavy and troubled.

She hadn’t slept all night, spending the entire evening embroidering instead.

The next morning, she got up early to warm some porridge for Lu Weiyu, preparing to bring it to the Hospital.

Lu Weiyu’s stomach was weak.

From now on, Lu Weizhu planned to mostly have her eat liquid food, only gradually improving her meals every so often.

Leaving the Apartment for Rent early, the streets were quiet in the morning.

Cars passed by sparsely on the road, their wheels and engines sounding especially loud against the stillness of the dawn.

“Yun-jiejie…”

Feeling restless and having not slept all night, Lu Weizhu’s spirit wasn’t in the best state.

Carrying a pot of warm porridge, she brought it to the bedside and then left.

Lu Weiyu was still dreaming, unaware of Lu Weizhu’s arrival.

Her steps felt a little unsteady as Lu Weizhu wobbled her way to the Café.

Inside, Bai Yun was preparing materials as usual.

Everything was just like always—should be fine, right?

After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Thinking this, Lu Weizhu pushed open the door.

“Yun-jiejie, good morning.”

She greeted as usual.

Behind the counter, Bai Yun didn’t respond.

She glanced at Lu Weizhu once, then turned her head away, continuing with her work.

Bai Yun hadn’t slept well the night before.

After much thought, she had decided to restrain herself and try not to entertain any improper thoughts.

With that in mind, she had fallen asleep but couldn’t help dreaming about Lu Weizhu…

Casting a sidelong glance at the girl by the Café door, Bai Yun felt guilty and dared not look directly at her.

She thought she had hit a low point.

Lu Weizhu had no idea what Bai Yun was thinking.

With no response, she just felt uneasy, a heavy pressure on her chest.

“I’m going to change into my work uniform.”

She passed the counter and went into the kitchen.

Passing by, Lu Weizhu noticed Bai Yun quietly watching her out of the corner of her eye.

She was confused.

What was going on?

What had she done to make Bai Yun unhappy?

Was it because she was lazy at work, not working hard enough?

Or was it something else?

Her mind was unsettled, thoughts in chaos.

She changed into her Maid Uniform and looked at herself in the mirror.

There were faint dark circles under her eyes, anxiety clouding her gaze—a defeated look.

Lu Weizhu felt disappointed in herself.

Someone like this would definitely be disliked…

Customers wouldn’t like her, wouldn’t be attracted to her, and then she would be useless.

Yun-jiejie’s paying her salary would just be wasted.

Was it normal for Yun-jiejie to be angry at someone like her?

Exhausted beyond reason, Lu Weizhu’s thoughts spiraled.

The more she thought, the more miserable she felt.

She washed her face.

The cold water cleared her mind briefly.

She remembered what Lu Weiyu had said yesterday.

She was too sensitive.

Instead of overthinking, why not just ask Yun-jiejie directly?

With that thought, Lu Weizhu stepped out of the kitchen.

“Little Lu, why do you have dark circles under your eyes?”

Before she could speak, Bai Yun beat her to it.

“Ah, that…I didn’t sleep well yesterday.”

With her mind full of worries, Lu Weizhu felt nervous.

At the same time, she noticed Bai Yun had reverted to calling her “Little Lu” instead of “Weizhu,” a more distant form of address.

Her eyes darkened slightly.

Was there any point in asking?

It was clear she had done something wrong.

“Oh, you need to rest more. Poor sleep will wear down your body.”

When Lu Weizhu was feeling down, Bai Yun’s concern surfaced again.

The cold distance in her words mixed with genuine care created a confusing mixture, leaving Lu Weizhu unable to tell which was her true feeling.

Her mind grew even more chaotic.

The questions she wanted to ask stayed locked in her throat.

“Mm, I understand, Yun-jiejie.”

Lu Weizhu nodded obediently.

“Yun-jiejie, I…”

“Little Lu, enough. It’s time to start serving customers. Get ready.”

She was cut off again before she could speak further.

Between preparing porridge, delivering meals, and feeling mentally drained, Lu Weizhu had arrived late at the Café that day.

“…”

This was her actual job—no room to argue or shirk responsibility.

She swallowed her words and began her day.

Serving customers, pouring tea, seeing them off, occasionally collecting tips.

On the surface, nothing seemed different.

But Lu Weizhu had no chance to interact with Bai Yun.

Whenever she went to take orders or pick up things, Bai Yun seemed to avoid her, never meeting her gaze.

The atmosphere in the Café was unpleasant.

This tense mood lasted until noon, when Bai Yun didn’t invite Lu Weizhu to eat.

“Little Lu, go bring your sister some food. Just be back before two in the afternoon.”

At the door, Bai Yun watched Lu Weizhu leave.

In the sunlight, the girl’s figure looked a little downcast.

Bai Yun still hadn’t noticed the depth of Lu Weizhu’s emotional struggle.

She was only focused on restraining her own feelings, hoping that this brief distance would suppress her impure thoughts.

Silent and speechless, Lu Weizhu walked down the street, head lowered, eyes fixed on her toes.

“Ugh…sniff…”

Her eyes stung as she struggled to understand—why?

Why was she being avoided?

Had her secret been discovered?

Or was it something else?

Still without answers, Bai Yun’s inexplicable distance hurt Lu Weizhu deeply.

Today’s work had been unpleasant.

Bai Yun’s ambiguous attitude was hard for Lu Weizhu to handle.

She clearly cared but the coldness and avoidance were so obvious.

Feeling lost, Lu Weizhu rubbed her eyes.

Being pushed away without explanation made her feel wronged.

Lu Weizhu hated being wrongly accused.

If she had made a mistake, she would admit it.

But she couldn’t accept being punished without any reason.

Bai Yun was important to her, but Bai Yun clearly had no idea how much she mattered to Lu Weizhu.

“…”

There was a thorn stuck in her throat.

Unconsciously, she returned to the Apartment for Rent.

She prepared food for Lu Weiyu, ate a few leftover bites herself just to fill her stomach, then, feeling dazed, carried the things back to the Hospital.

Not wanting Lu Weiyu to see her in such a sorry state, Lu Weizhu placed the thermos and a food container on the bench outside the ward.

She left the Hospital and sent Lu Weiyu a message.

“The food is on the bench outside your ward, Wei Yu. Remember to pick it up.”

Putting away her phone, Lu Weizhu remained confused.

What should she do?

“What are you doing!? Don’t throw your life away!”

Looking up at the blinding sun, crossing the street, a motorcycle brushed past her and vanished, leaving only the driver’s complaints behind.

Lu Weizhu bit her lip.

“No, I have to ask and find out.”

She had made up her mind.

No matter how much she was disliked, she at least needed to know why.

Otherwise, it would be too unfair.

With that thought, Lu Weizhu hurried toward the Café.