Walking felt incredibly strange. Having grown accustomed to Yin Lin’s high heels, walking in flat shoes now made it feel like his balance was off.
This was especially true when going down the stairs; he always felt as if his heels were going to hit the ground first. When he reached for the handrail, he often missed the mark because of the change in his height. It felt like his brain and his body were fighting for control, giving him the illusion that his body didn’t belong to him.
It took half an hour of walking home before he finally began to adjust.
He lay back on the sofa and propped his legs up on the coffee table to rest.
‘Home is still the best after all.’
However, his body still felt slightly uncomfortable. He hadn’t fully recovered yet and needed a few more days of rest.
He deleted one of the social media accounts from the silver phone and used his primary home phone to log into Song Wuli’s account, separating the two identities once again. Afterward, he lay lazily on the sofa and scrolled through his phone for half an hour.
He still couldn’t put work out of his mind. He couldn’t help but open the work group chat and download some files. Before he knew it, he was working again.
When he finally submitted the files, he received a scolding from his supervisor, who told him that if he was on leave, he should stay on leave and stop working.
It was strange. His supervisor’s tone had changed. In the past, when he worked while on leave, his supervisor had never said things like that.
Song Wuli had no choice but to put down his work and begin resting in earnest. It felt like he had suddenly entered retirement, and he found it difficult to adapt.
He spent his time pacing around the house or scrolling through videos of men’s and women’s clothing to see if there was anything suitable for Yin Lin to wear. He even looked at accessories, browsing through necklaces, earrings, and rings, imagining whether Yin Lin would look good in them.
He browsed until the afternoon before suddenly snapping out of it. He had almost become obsessed.
Suddenly, he received messages from Huang Yijun and Qian Dehao, asking him when he would be discharged from the hospital.
Song Wuli made up a time, saying it would be many more days. This was based on the recovery time for Old Song’s body, which naturally took longer. Yin Lin’s body healed far too quickly; her vacation days hadn’t even run out yet.
Looking at the messages from his two old friends, a surge of warmth filled Old Song’s heart.
Being bored out of his mind today, he simply went to work at the milk tea shop for the afternoon.
Upon learning she was coming, the milk tea shop, which had only been half-full, was suddenly packed. Many familiar regulars had arrived. Even office workers deliberately brought their laptops to find a seat and work remotely, hoping that a quick glance at the beautiful girl would boost their productivity.
Sometimes, seeing something beautiful truly did make one feel better.
The milk tea shop remained a scene of peace. Fatty Zhou and a few friends were chatting about the Sunlight Square incident from more than half a month ago. After all, no Deviant Demons had invaded the city since then. Life was dull, and there wasn’t much else to talk about. Thus, the Sunlight Square incident was mentioned repeatedly.
“I heard that the Deviant Demons have learned the abilities of Magical Girls,” Fatty Zhou said. “That specific Deviant Demon was imitating the Magical Girl, Green Field.”
His friends were stunned, their eyes wide as they continued to listen to Fatty Zhou’s storytelling.
Another table of customers was discussing recent current events, mentioning how many workers were digging up the ground to fix the roads. It looked like roadwork, but no one knew what they were actually doing.
If it were just one road, it wouldn’t be suspicious. But if dozens of roads were being dug up and repaired simultaneously, it seemed a bit strange.
The guests offered their opinions. Some thought they were clearing mines, some thought they were installing surveillance cameras, and others thought they were planting landmines. There were all sorts of wild speculations, though someone was actually very close to the truth.
In the evening, during the dinner break, a familiar figure suddenly arrived at the milk tea shop.
It was Xia Shiyao, Jin Luan’s true identity.
She walked in and scanned the hall, but she didn’t see the silver-haired girl. Ignoring the stares of the others, she headed straight for the back room. Even when the store manager tried to stop her, she pushed him aside.
Entering the back room, she saw Yin Lin with a piece of meat clamped in her chopsticks. Her hand was frozen in mid-air as she stared back.
Xia Shiyao sighed, closed the door to the back room, and locked it. Then, she walked toward her.
Yin Lin put the meat into her mouth, chewed a few times, swallowed, and then asked, “What’s up?”
She tried to go back to her rice, but Xia Shiyao cupped her cheeks and forced her to turn around so they were eye-to-eye.
“What is it?” Yin Lin still found it baffling.
“We went to the hospital to find you just now, and you actually discharged yourself,” Xia Shiyao said, her tone sounding a bit resentful.
“Isn’t that how you’re supposed to be discharged?” Yin Lin truly found it strange and didn’t see a problem with it.
“We would have picked you up if we knew you were leaving today! We are…” Xia Shiyao stammered, but it was clear she was somewhat angry. “Whatever the case, we would have picked you up. You actually just left on your own.”
“Oh.” A warmth spread through Yin Lin’s heart.
It was hard to explain; she was used to the lifestyle of a 34-year-old man. To a man, a physical wound was the same as not being injured at all. A dislocation was the same as catching a cold. A broken bone or spitting up blood after a car accident was just: ‘Damn, it’s just a little scratch; I’m going to be late for work.’
Therefore, in Yin Lin’s worldview, being discharged from a hospital was a trivial matter. Why would she need someone to pick her up? It was strange.
However, if someone did come to pick her up, she was still a little touched—whether it was Huang Yijun’s group or Jin Luan’s.
Seeing Yao Ruoning’s indifferent expression, Xia Shiyao suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. Then, she pulled the unresisting Yao Ruoning into a hug.
“Don’t we see each other all the time? What’s this for today?” Yao Ruoning still didn’t understand the meaning behind this.
“It’s nothing. I just missed you again,” Xia Shiyao’s answer was somewhat meaningful.
She vaguely guessed that Yin Lin lived alone and had no family. She should have realized it sooner. Yin Lin was always out working alone, whether it was at noon or late at night. Working so hard at part-time jobs wasn’t just for pocket money; it was more like she was working to survive. Furthermore, she hadn’t seen anyone visiting her in the hospital except for Jin Luan and Huan Hong. Even the well-off Huang Yi hadn’t come.
When she was discharged, she also left silently by herself, without making a fuss. This wasn’t the mindset a child of this age should have; it was more like the mindset of someone who had long since taken on the burdens of life.
After talking with the old doctor about the way Yin Lin had left alone as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Jin Luan had suddenly realized all of this. She couldn’t help but feel heartache for her.
Yao Ruoning, on the other hand, looked suspicious. While leaning in the other girl’s arms, her small eyes darted back and forth, unable to grasp what was happening.
After a long while, Xia Shiyao released her and said, “Do you want to change the date for tomorrow’s joint training camp?”
Yao Ruoning shook her head. “No need to change it.”
“Your body isn’t fully recovered yet, right?” Xia Shiyao asked.
“It’s fine. I can move freely now. I just can’t take a beating, probably,” Yao Ruoning replied.
To prove it, she jumped and ran around in front of her. She even performed a backbridge to demonstrate her body’s incredible flexibility and health.
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