Lu Weizhu didn’t sleep at all that night.
Just knowing that two patrons were right outside her bedroom made it impossible for her to relax.
Bai Lu’s apology truly exceeded her expectations, but what use was a casual apology, anyway?
Lu Weizhu hid under her blanket, staring blankly at it the whole night.
The next morning, Bai Lu and Ning Wan didn’t leave until nine. After they were gone, Lu Weizhu carefully crept out of the bedroom.
She was exhausted, her mouth bitter. She staggered to the coffee table.
A lingering scent of alcohol from Ning Wan still clung to the sofa, who knew how long it would take to dissipate—disgusting.
“What’s this…?”
On the coffee table, Lu Weizhu saw her phone, the one she’d left at Bai Lu’s house earlier.
“Did she leave it for me?”
She grabbed the phone, staring at the dark screen, falling silent, her thoughts drifting far away.
She charged it. When it turned on, the first thing she saw was a long list of missed calls—these were from Lu Weiyu, the night she went looking for Bai Lu.
Ha.
She sighed, slumping onto the sofa.
A whole night had passed, yet her throat and hand still ached.
“I should get my right hand checked at the hospital. The splint seems to have shifted… And the bandages from when the glass shard cut me need to come off too. Hopefully, it won’t leave a scar.”
Muttering to herself, Lu Weizhu opened WeChat.
Her only two contacts were Lu Weiyu and Bai Lu. She’d thought only Lu Weiyu would message her, but to her surprise, a red dot appeared beside Bai Lu’s chat.
“About last night, I’m very sorry. This is your accommodation fee.”
Below Bai Lu’s message was a transfer of twenty thousand yuan.
She called it accommodation fee, but really, it was compensation. Bai Lu was too embarrassed to say outright that it was her apology.
She had carefully considered the amount—twenty thousand was just right. It could improve Lu Weizhu’s life a bit, but not so much that she’d lose control over her.
Staring at the transfer, Lu Weizhu stroked the screen.
If it were the old her, she probably wouldn’t have accepted it, knowing her apartment wasn’t worth that much. Lu Weizhu didn’t like earning money without conscience.
But now, she was different.
She hesitated only a moment, then tapped to accept the money.
“Thank you?”
After sending the message, Lu Weizhu waited for a while. She didn’t see the expected red exclamation mark.
T
C
She withdrew the message.
“Sigh.”
She got up and walked to the bathroom.
Looking at herself in the mirror, there were red circles around her eyes, and the finger marks on her neck were still glaringly obvious.
She started to worry again.
This time, she really didn’t know how to fool Lu Weiyu.
She couldn’t possibly say she fell into someone’s hand, and her neck just happened to land in their palm, right?
“Heh…”
Lu Weizhu let out a helpless laugh and washed her face.
“How am I supposed to go out?”
That was what troubled her.
She stayed in the bathroom for a while, wiped her body down with a towel, then changed into clean clothes.
After being pressed under Ning Wan a few times, she felt like her old clothes were soaked with the smell of alcohol.
She pulled on a cotton hoodie with a hood, covering her neck, then left the apartment.
“I need to find something to cover up before I see Weiyu.”
She couldn’t wear a hoodie to the hospital—that would be ridiculous. Right now, wearing it outside was just a temporary measure.
“Mm.”
The late summer nights were turning cool, but the mornings were still sweltering.
As soon as she stepped out of the air-conditioned room, Lu Weizhu started to sweat. The sweat soaked into the marks on her neck, making them sting and itch unbearably.
She hadn’t walked far from her building before she was dripping with sweat, her whole body sticky, her head dizzy.
Forcing herself on, still in the hoodie, she went to buy a pale pink silk scarf and a box of foundation.
Even though she’d hidden the red marks on her neck, her reddened eyes still drew plenty of stares.
Those strange looks were hard to endure.
After leaving the store, Lu Weizhu hurried to a quiet alley, stood behind an advertising board, using it to block out the sun, and took off her hoodie.
“Hoo…”
Relieved, Lu Weizhu felt much lighter.
A bead of sweat slid down her nose. She wiped her face with her left hand, her palm now damp.
In just that short trip out in the hoodie, she finally understood what it meant for sweat to pour like rain—it was far worse than screwing bolts in the factory.
“This should cover it, right?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Weizhu wrapped the silk scarf around her neck and tied a loose knot in front.
It doubled as an accessory and perfectly hid the shocking marks on her neck.
With the scarf in place, she used the foundation to cover her reddened eyes.
Once she was done, she headed back to the apartment.
She looked at herself in the mirror again.
Her disguise was perfect, no flaws at all. Thanks to the scarf and foundation, she looked more refined and lively.
In other words, she looked younger, prettier. Though Lu Weizhu had always been young, she usually didn’t wear makeup or dress up, lacking the energy one might expect from someone her age.
Satisfied that nothing seemed off, Lu Weizhu plucked up her courage and left for the hospital.
With the marks on her face and neck covered, she clearly felt that fewer people stared at her.
Lu Weizhu breathed a sigh of relief.
She picked up some fried dough sticks and soy milk as breakfast along the way, then first visited the doctor who had treated her right hand.
After being scolded and having her splint reset, and the extra bandages removed, Lu Weizhu headed to the inpatient ward.
She walked the familiar path to the ward and knocked on Lu Weiyu’s door.
“Weiyu, I’m here.”
Her throat was a bit hoarse, but that was easy enough to explain—she could just say she caught a cold.
Nervously, Lu Weizhu pushed open the door and stepped inside.
As she entered, she paused in surprise. Besides Lu Weiyu, there was someone else in the room.
The bed that had been empty now had a new occupant—a middle-aged woman lay there.
Next to her, an orange-yellow figure was crouched, whispering something Lu Weizhu couldn’t quite make out.
“Jie.”
“Ah,” Lu Weiyu sat by her bedside, looking at Lu Weizhu.
“Weiyu, who’s this?”
With a hint of confusion, Lu Weiyu followed Lu Weizhu’s gaze.
“This morning, the nurse pushed that auntie in. Um… It seems she was transferred here from another hospital.”
Lu Weiyu blinked.
She didn’t really care that there was someone new in the ward.
“Pfft.”
Focusing on Lu Weizhu, she suddenly laughed.
“Hmm? What’s so funny?”
“Jie, you’ve finally learned how to dress yourself up.”
Standing, she gently hugged Lu Weizhu, feeling happy for her.
Loving life and loving herself—this was what Lu Weiyu most hoped her sister would learn.
Her gaze slid to the bouquet on the bedside table.
Lu Weiyu felt a little sour again.
Was this change in her sister all because of Bai Yun?
Lost in thought, Lu Weiyu closed her eyes.