Chapter 12: Going out to relax but meeting the former sponsor

Squatting in the corner, Lu Weizhu cried in silence for a long time.

She counted the time in her heart.

When Lu Weiyu was about to be sent to the operating room, Lu Weizhu staggered and hid in an inconspicuous corner.

She didn’t dare let Lu Weiyu see her in such a sorry state.

“…Weiyu, I’m sorry…”

From a distance, watching the doctor’s back, Lu Weizhu covered her eyes.

Tears soaked her wounds, the stinging pain almost unbearable.

Not being able to accompany Lu Weiyu to the operating room left Lu Weizhu uneasy and full of regret.

“Will she blame me? Will she be scared?”

Her vision blurred, Lu Weizhu’s mind was filled with thoughts of her younger sister.

Even though her sister was obedient and sensible, Lu Weizhu still couldn’t set her worries aside.

When the only person left in your heart is one, their weight becomes infinite. 

To Lu Weizhu, what she worried about wasn’t just Lu Weiyu herself; she was also afraid of being hated by Lu Weiyu.

As she thought, a sharp pain twisted in her abdomen.

She needed to find something to eat.

“Maybe I should go out for a walk and see if I can find some other work, too.”

Muttering to herself, Lu Weizhu wandered aimlessly.

The Hospital was full of patients and nurses. 

No one seemed to pay attention to her, yet Lu Weizhu always felt like they were all watching her.

“So dirty…”

Even she disliked herself. 

Lu Weizhu often wondered if she was too fragile.

Her legs grew weaker and weaker, and she could barely stand.

The pain in her heart fed back into reality.

In a daze, it felt as if her body was shrinking, until someone stomped her into the mud, never to rise again.

The palms of her hands ached faintly. 

Stumbling along in a haze, Lu Weizhu found herself outside the Hospital at a nearby storefront.

“One small bowl of plain noodles, please.”

As soon as she spoke, the noodles were brought over.

A few green leaves floated in the clear broth atop the noodles, looking rather unappetizing.

Lu Weizhu actually didn’t like steamed buns or noodles, but to save money, she had to.

Not only did she have to pay for her sister’s medical bills, she also owed many other debts.

If she could, she too wanted to study on campus like her peers, and eat big meals with her parents.

Silent, her hands trembled. 

Just gripping the chopsticks tightly sent pain shooting through her palms, even worse than when they were first cut.

Maybe pain was always the same, only back then she had been focused on money, so her senses had dulled?

After a moment of silence, Lu Weizhu picked up her chopsticks. 

The chewy noodles and warm broth slid into her stomach, and she finally felt a little comfort.

After finishing the noodles, she left the noodle shop.

“The weather’s really nice today.”

Looking up, the sky was cloudless, the sunlight bright.

Her mood grew even worse—where could she go now?

A question surfaced in her mind. 

Lu Weizhu realized she basically had nowhere to go.

The afternoon sun was harsh, and there were few pedestrians on the street. 

That was probably the only thing worth being happy about.

She wandered aimlessly. 

At a corner near the Hospital, someone bumped into Lu Weizhu hard.

The back of her head hit the wall. 

The dull pain and dizziness left her reeling.

The person who bumped her was strong, much taller than she was.

She looked up a little, but because of the sun, couldn’t see the person’s face clearly. 

A faintly familiar scent of lavender reached her nose.

Lu Weizhu froze.

“Who are you?”

It took her a while to react. 

She braced herself against the wall, trying to break free, but someone pressed her shoulder, and the lavender fragrance grew even stronger.

Black hair fell over the person’s chest. 

Lu Weizhu pressed her lips together.

“Let me go, get away from me.”

Annoyed, she pushed the woman in front of her, but the woman didn’t budge at all. Instead, pain flared in Lu Weizhu’s palm.

Her mind a mess, Lu Weizhu only felt unlucky—why did she have to run into a pervert just by going out for a walk?

As she thought this, her gaze caught the black suit on the woman before her, and she grew even more irritated.

Why are rich people always so annoying?

Tears welled up again in her blue eyes. 

Only when the woman lowered her head did Lu Weizhu finally recognize her.

Bai Lu, her former patron.

Lu Weizhu froze again.

“You…you’re Bai Lu!?”

She was a little dazed.

Why would Bai Lu come to find her? 

Hadn’t her white moonlight already returned? 

Weren’t their feelings for each other very good? 

So why come looking for her? 

What did she want now?

“Mm, it’s me.”

Bai Lu grabbed Lu Weizhu’s wrist, pinning her hand against the wall, her knee pressing against Lu Weizhu’s thigh.

Her slender fingers wrapped around Lu Weizhu’s wrist. 

Looking at the pitiful girl in front of her, Bai Lu’s dark eyes deepened.

“Let go of me, let go, didn’t we already end things?”

Lu Weizhu struggled. 

She wanted nothing more to do with Bai Lu.

Ning Wan already hated her enough. 

If she got involved with Bai Lu again, she couldn’t imagine what that person would do to her.

She struggled fiercely, but this malnourished body had no strength. 

Her resistance made no difference to Bai Lu.

“Lu Weizhu.”

Bai Lu looked quietly at Lu Weizhu. 

She didn’t know about Ning Wan and Lu Weizhu’s relationship.

“I want to continue our previous arrangement. Aren’t you short on money? I can still give you money.”

Completely different from how she acted in front of Ning Wan, Bai Lu’s tone with Lu Weizhu was forceful.

“I don’t need it anymore, let me go, Bai Lu.”

Lu Weizhu struggled even harder.

Bai Lu frowned.

She couldn’t understand why the tactic that used to work was now useless.

Still, Bai Lu believed she could get Lu Weizhu. 

Unlike Ning Wan, Bai Lu knew exactly where Lu Weizhu’s weakness lay.

“Don’t make trouble, Lu Weizhu. Do you not want your sister to live?”

At the mention of Lu Weiyu, Lu Weizhu’s struggles gradually ceased, and she finally calmed down.

“………………I have other ways to make money now, Bai Lu. I don’t want to be a stand-in anymore. Let me go.”

She lowered her head. 

She didn’t want to be anyone’s stand-in anymore.

She wanted to be loved, to live her own life, even though she didn’t know if she could ever fulfill her dreams in this lifetime.

“Hmm?”

Bai Lu didn’t quite understand. 

Without her, who could Lu Weizhu rely on?

But she didn’t care. 

In the world she lived in, the world was never fair.

“Lu Weizhu, guess if I can get your sister kicked out of the Hospital.”

With a confident smile, Bai Lu did the most despicable thing—she began to threaten Lu Weizhu with her family.

In a world where money could make the devil dance, Bai Lu could undoubtedly do it.

Lu Weizhu’s eyes widened.

Those pale blue, gorgeous gem-like eyes were covered in a layer of mist.

“You!”

Lu Weizhu could barely believe it.

“You can’t do that!”

“Of course I can.”

Bai Lu tightened her grip, her nails digging into flesh. 

She saw Lu Weizhu’s face twist in pain.

“…A$.”

Lu Weizhu choked up, her chest weighed down as if by a heavy stone.

Why? 

Why did Bai Lu keep pestering her? 

Didn’t this woman just need a stand-in? 

Now that the real one was back, why did she still come after her?

She couldn’t understand, but Lu Weizhu was destined not to refuse.

With no money and no power, she could only let others bully her.

“You bastard.”

She cursed.

Bai Lu only shrugged.

“When you curse, it sounds like you’re being coy.”

“Stay with me obediently, be good, don’t make a fuss, don’t let Wan know, and everything will be fine.”

With that, Bai Lu shoved a check into Lu Weizhu’s chest.