If only… if only Su Li had waited just half an hour longer, she… she would have made it in time!
Why? Why couldn’t Su Li even wait that half hour?
She had tried so hard!
She had rushed all the way to the field just to find Su Li.
She had tried so hard to apologize, so why did it end like this?
She had already taken ninety-nine steps— Su Li just had to take that final one.
Why wouldn’t she?
Su Li really has a terrible temper!
And if she hadn’t thrown such a fit, none of this would’ve happened to her!
Right now, she could be in the dorm sipping afternoon tea with her girlfriends, eating soufflé, and posting something cute to her social feed!
But because of Su Li, everything went wrong, and she’s left feeling exhausted!
If it hadn’t been for Su Li, she wouldn’t have had to rush back like this— she could’ve even picked out her favorite pastries!
And there’s still so much stuff at home she hasn’t packed up yet.
In a while, she’ll have to haul back a bunch of soufflés and Starbucks drinks to the dorm.
Chi Qingya felt even more wronged as she thought about it.
Because of Su Li, her once-peaceful life had suddenly turned into a mess!
She looked down at the lemon tea in her hand— the ice had already melted, just like Su Li’s emotionless face.
A sudden, nameless rage flared up inside Chi Qingya.
She stared at the lemon tea in her hand and squeezed it hard, as if doing so could crush Su Li’s face.
The lemon tea spilled over the edge of the cup, slowly running down her pale wrist.
A smile curled on her lips, as if it were Su Li’s drool sliding down her own wrist after she’d squashed her face.
“Damn Su Li, stupid Su Li, you just don’t know what’s good for you!”
Chi Qingya muttered softly, and as she felt the sticky liquid on her hand, the smile on her lips widened.
“You’re just like this lemon water — cheap and disgusting. Be good to you and you’re not satisfied, huh? You only get happy when I go off on you, is that it?”
She threw the lemon tea into the trash can with force, then stared at her slender fingers, wet from the drink.
After a long moment, she cleaned them off and licked the corner of her lips.
How could someone reject care and affection that’s being handed to them so willingly?
She couldn’t understand. Slowly, she headed toward Starbucks, grabbing her box of soufflés along the way.
…
In truth, Su Li never went to PE class.
Because of her agreement with MOKA, she had to arrive at their meeting place three hours early.
After being delayed by Chi Qingya, she grabbed a quick bite and hurried off.
It was just an elective PE class — skipping it didn’t matter.
What mattered most was taking care of her client.
Su Li had heard Chi Qingya’s final words, but she didn’t respond in any special way.
It wasn’t just because she lacked emotion — it was also because she understood, deep down.
Even if Chi Qingya had truly changed, she would never give up her little clique.
To them, Su Li would always be the backup.
She was Option E, Plan B, a split end, soap bubbles from a washing machine, crushed cookies in a supermarket, overused whipped cream, a desolate city, grass underfoot, a spare button on a blazer, a rain-soaked puppy, a rotting orange, expired milk, a kite with a broken string, a discarded sunflower.
Chi Qingya would never choose her with conviction.
She didn’t even see Su Li as a friend—never gave her the respect she deserved.
So there was no need to dwell on it.
The debts between them — emotional and otherwise — were settled.
……
The wind swept through the graveyard, carrying a faint chill.
The cemetery lay quietly on a hillside, surrounded by dense, lush trees, as if it were a forgotten corner of the world.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting mottled shadows across the gravestones.
A gentle breeze rustled the dry, yellowed grass beneath her feet, and from time to time, birdsong echoed faintly from afar, bringing a trace of life to the stillness.
Bai Huizi stood before her mother’s gravestone.
The photo on it showed her mother in her youth, bearing an eighty-percent resemblance to her — a warm, kind smile on her face.
She gently placed down the bouquet in her hands — fresh white roses.
The petals swayed lightly in the breeze, releasing a faint fragrance.
She looked at her mother’s photo in silence, her expression distant, almost distracted.
She never understood her mother. Even after all these years since her passing, she still didn’t understand her.
Biased. Stubborn. Self-righteous.
She’d loved lively crowds, yet ended up here — alone on this deserted hillside, surrounded only by towering trees.
Bai Huizi withdrew her gaze, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at the photo in front of her without saying a word.
She was about to turn and leave when she heard the faintest sound of footsteps behind her.
Bai Huizi paused, her decision to leave interrupted, and slowly turned around.
“You came.”
“I came.”
“You really shouldn’t have.”
“But I’m here.”
The same cold voice came from behind.
Bai Huizi slowly turned, meeting a face identical to her own — only colder, thinner.
A smirk tugged at her lips, dripping with mockery.
Shen Cishu stood expressionless beside her, as if unwilling to back down.
But her tightly clenched pale hands betrayed the tension she was trying to hide.
“Heh. Look at you. When she was alive, you treated her like dirt, and now that she’s gone, you’re playing the role of the dutiful daughter?”
Bai Huizi’s voice held a sharp edge of ridicule, her tone full of disdain.
She tilted her head slightly, letting her gaze sweep over Shen Cishu’s face.
The cold curl of her lips deepened.
One of the most detestable things in life is when the person you hate most shares your face.
Every time you look in the mirror, you see that loathsome face.
Her mother was like that. Shen Cishu too.
Shen Cishu’s gaze turned icy. She lifted her chin slightly and stared directly into Bai Huizi’s eyes, a chill radiating from her expression. “You got everything. You understand nothing. So what right do you have to judge me?”
Her voice was calm, yet carried a steely indifference that allowed no argument.
Her fingers trembled slightly, her body shook unconsciously, her chest rising and falling sharply — then, just as quickly, she steadied herself.
A sneer played at the corner of Bai Huizi’s lips. “Oh? I got everything? Just a pile of useless property, that’s all.”
“And you? You got all of her love. But in the end, you weren’t even there to say goodbye.”
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