Sitting on the stone bench by the bridge, Lu Weizhu felt a heaviness in her heart.
She didn’t want to return that bouquet of roses.
“They’re just so pretty.”
Bai Yun’s tone was sincere, without a trace of hesitation.
Lu Weizhu said nothing, lowering her head.
She was happy to be complimented, happy that someone liked her, but more than that, she felt oppressed.
She didn’t deserve to be liked.
“Yun-jie is prettier, though.”
Lu Weizhu bit into a skewer, the flavors of cumin and chili spreading across her tongue.
Well, if it’s just flowers, it doesn’t really matter if she doesn’t return them, right?
She just needed to return the favor with something else.
As long as she could make sure she didn’t owe anything, she wouldn’t have to accept love or enter into an unfair relationship.
As for herself…
Lu Weizhu hadn’t thought about such matters.
She still didn’t even know what it felt like to like someone.
Leaning against the stone railing of the bridge, Lu Weizhu closed her eyes.
“…Don’t like compliments?”
Seeing that she didn’t look very happy, Bai Yun began to wonder if she had revealed too much of her thoughts.
She felt a little regretful, thinking she shouldn’t have acted so intimately so soon.
“Haha, well, I’m a bit thick-skinned. If I did something wrong, I apologize.”
Bai Yun gave an awkward laugh, pulling her hand back shyly, though her mind still lingered on the softness of the girl’s waist.
“It’s nothing, nothing bad…just feels a little strange.”
Lu Weizhu shook her head.
Silent, the two of them continued eating the skewers.
After a short rest, Lu Weizhu stood up.
“Weizhu, rested enough?”
“Mm, Yun-jie, do you want to go back or keep walking?”
“Hmm, let’s walk a bit more. It’s rare to have an opportunity like this.”
Bai Yun glanced at Lu Weizhu’s profile.
She wanted to spend more time with her outside of work.
Unable to hold Lu Weizhu’s waist, Bai Yun settled for holding her left hand.
“Okay.”
Her shoulder twitched slightly, but the girl showed no displeasure, which made Bai Yun feel a little relieved.
Holding Lu Weizhu’s hand, a mix of sweetness and sorrow filled Bai Yun as they continued walking together.
They crossed the stone bridge and walked some distance more.
At some point, the city had become lively again, still bustling with traffic and bright neon lights.
“One, two, three, four…”
Her mood far more chaotic than when they first came out, Lu Weizhu continued quietly counting the pavement tiles.
Bai Yun heard the faint voice and only after a moment realized what she was doing, smiling knowingly.
Just like Lu Weiyu said, the girl beside her really was a bit of an airhead, wasn’t she?
“Weizhu, after Xiao Weiyu gets better, what do you want to do?”
From Lu Weiyu and the hospital doctors, Bai Yun knew a little about Lu Weiyu’s condition.
She had already undergone one surgery, but because it had been delayed too long, the outcome wasn’t very good.
After some chemotherapy, she might still need one or two more surgeries before being discharged.
All told, it would take around six months to a year.
“If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Weiyu should be discharged within six months to a year.”
“Ah…is that so?”
Lu Weizhu was momentarily stunned.
She had been busy with various things lately, caught between two benefactors, and hadn’t kept up with Lu Weiyu’s condition much.
As a result, she knew less about her own sister’s illness than Bai Yun did.
Receiving the good news, she was overjoyed but also felt a twinge of guilt.
It seemed she wouldn’t have to be caught between those two benefactors for too much longer.
“Yeah. So, Weizhu, can you tell me your plans for the future?”
Bai Yun gently held Lu Weizhu’s left hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the girl’s palm.
She liked these little gestures, seeing how the girl beside her reacted.
“Hmm.”
Lu Weizhu slowed her steps.
“Keep working part-time to earn money, support Weiyu’s studies, and watch her start a family.”
That was the wish she had always assumed.
“Ahem, I meant what about you?”
Bai Yun coughed twice.
“Me? I don’t know…”
“Weizhu, don’t you want to start a family?”
Bai Yun asked a rather sensitive question, one she cared deeply about.
Lu Weizhu stopped walking.
That question was really hard to answer.
Did she want to start a family?
Of course she did.
She wanted someone to rely on, to be loved, to see a daughter smile happily in her lap—though all of those had become impossible.
What mattered more was why Bai Yun asked that question and how she should answer it.
“…I haven’t decided yet.”
Lu Weizhu finally gave a vague answer.
“Well, you should start a family, right? You’ve worked so hard for your sister. You should have your own life too, shouldn’t you?”
Her palms sweaty, Bai Yun grew nervous.
Lu Weizhu fell silent again.
Was her opinion really that important?
“Ah…geez, drinking so much…stupid.”
“Mm…ah…it’s Xiao Bai’s birthday today, so what if I drink a little~”
“That doesn’t mean you should get drunk like this in front of friends.”
A familiar voice rang out in her ear, breaking Lu Weizhu’s train of thought.
She looked up and saw two people she didn’t want to see.
The premonition she had felt turned into reality.
Not far away, Bai Lu, dressed in a suit, was supporting the drunken Ning Wan as they walked out of a fancy restaurant.
Bai Lu wore a paper crown made of cardboard, gilded gold, which clashed humorously with her formal outfit.
Ning Wan was in a dark evening dress, its long skirt trailing on the ground, her bodice soaked with spilled wine, and her face flushed a deep red Lu Weizhu had never seen before.
Ning Wan was as unreliable as ever.
Lu Weizhu lifted her head and saw the restaurant’s sign—the same place where she had been drunkenly forced to drink last time.
“…Yun-jie, let’s go back.”
Taking two steps back, a sense of disgust and fear toward those two welled up inside her.
She wanted to turn around.
“Ah.”
Bai Yun froze, thinking maybe she had made Lu Weizhu want to leave.
But Bai Yun was still holding Lu Weizhu’s hand; Bai Yun wouldn’t move, and neither would Lu Weizhu.
Their words attracted Ning Wan’s attention.
Breaking free from Bai Lu’s support, she staggered over to Lu Weizhu.
“Huh? Eh…isn’t this little, little Lu?”
Her words slurred, she pointed a finger at Lu Weizhu’s face.
The heavy smell of alcohol hit Lu Weizhu’s nose and she instinctively closed her eyes.
“…Miss Ning, good evening.”
Just as she was about to apologize, realizing Bai Yun was beside her, Lu Weizhu forced a smile.
She pulled her left hand free, bowing slightly, polite but graceful.
“…What’s with your hand?”
“Thank you for your concern, Miss Ning. I injured it a few days ago.”
Lu Weizhu’s heart trembled.
She hid her right hand behind her back.
Her instincts told her the demon in front of her was probably thinking some terrible scheme.
“I…”
“A-wan!”
Ning Wan wanted to say more, but Bai Lu hurried over and grabbed her arm, pulling her away.
Ning Wan’s words cut off abruptly.
Seeing Lu Weizhu’s hidden hand and recalling the excuse Lu Weizhu had just used to cover for herself, Bai Lu felt very guilty.
At the same time, she was nervous, not wanting Ning Wan and Lu Weizhu to talk too much for fear of her secrets being exposed.
“Sorry, Miss Lu. My wife drank too much and lost control.”
Hiding Ning Wan behind her, Bai Lu apologized while glancing sideways at Bai Yun standing beside Lu Weizhu.
Knowing Lu Weizhu had come out with this person made her feel a bit displeased for some reason.
“…It’s nothing, Miss Bai. Happy birthday.”
Forcing a smile, Lu Weizhu nodded.
Not wanting to linger too long in this awkward situation, she grabbed Bai Yun’s wrist.
“Yun-jie, let’s go back? We’ve been out long enough, and I’m tired.”
“Ah, ah…okay.”
Sensing the atmosphere had turned sour, Bai Yun didn’t hesitate.
She took Lu Weizhu’s hand again, and the two turned and slowly walked back the way they came.
Watching them leave, Bai Lu breathed a sigh of relief.
Behind her, Ning Wan poked her head out.
In her blurred vision, she saw the two holding hands.
“Xiao Bai, she even remembers your birthday. Looks like you two are pretty close? Hic…”
Ning Wan, always possessive, hiccupped as she spoke.
“Uh uh, it’s because you said today was my birthday just now. So stupid.”
After a brief panic, Bai Lu realized what had happened.
“Alright, let’s go home. Behave yourself.”
She helped Ning Wan, putting in a lot of effort before finally getting her into the back seat of the car.