Leaving the underground parking lot, Lu Weizhu kept her head lowered as she wandered aimlessly down the street.
The midsummer sun was warm, and the air was especially dry.
Cars sped by, hot wind swirling with dust hitting her face head-on.
“…”
She coughed twice, her vision a little blurry.
Lifting her head, she looked around—people bustling, traffic streaming—but the city’s prosperity had nothing to do with her.
After being driven away by the real one, she had lost a job that could bring in a large sum of money.
She knew what she had done was wrong, that being kicked out was only fair, and she couldn’t bring herself to resent it.
But she still felt lost.
“What should I do?”
Looking around, she couldn’t find a way forward.
Her younger sister’s illness hadn’t improved, and with her abilities, she couldn’t find a high-paying job.
The expensive medical bills were almost impossible to pay.
Lu Weizhu felt like her life was a complete failure.
Her eyes stung at the corners.
In a daze, she kept walking, the warm summer breeze brushing past her ears, lifting one side of her long hair and revealing a cheek marked with a palm print.
Startled, Lu Weizhu hurried to cover her cheek with her hair.
“Thank goodness…no one noticed…”
She gently rubbed her swollen cheek through her hair and let out a sigh of relief.
She didn’t want anyone to know about her dirty secrets, didn’t want to be looked at with strange eyes.
So she just wandered on in confusion, and before she knew it, she had arrived downstairs at the Hospital.
Familiar with the way, she entered the Inpatient Department, came to her sister’s ward, but Lu Weizhu didn’t dare go in.
She sat down on a chair outside the ward.
“What should I do?”
She quietly asked herself, but Lu Weizhu couldn’t find an answer.
The palm print on her face still hadn’t faded, and she didn’t dare let her sister see her in such a sorry state.
She didn’t want to become a disgraceful older sister in her sister’s eyes.
Peering through the peephole on the door, Lu Weizhu saw the chestnut-haired girl lying quietly on the bed.
Her shoulder-length short hair looked a bit dry, and she wore a thin hospital gown.
The girl was hooked up to an IV, eyes closed—who knew if she was asleep or not.
Returning to her seat, Lu Weizhu bowed her head.
With a soft plop, a teardrop the size of a bean fell onto the back of her hand, dampening a small patch of skin.
In the end, Lu Weizhu still walked into the ward.
Sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, breaking the girl’s body into patches of light and shadow, the blue and white stripes of her hospital gown stinging Lu Weizhu’s heart.
Maybe she hadn’t slept at all, or maybe she was just a light sleeper.
Either way, as soon as Lu Weizhu entered the ward, the girl turned her head.
Her black eyes opened and looked at Lu Weizhu, sparkling with joy.
“Big sister, you’re back.”
The girl’s voice was a little weak, but filled with genuine happiness.
Lu Weizhu felt even more bitter inside.
She tugged at her hair, afraid the marks on her face would be seen, and sat down by the bedside.
It was a double room, but for now her sister was the only one staying there.
That was at least a bit of luck—at least she didn’t have to worry about too much noise disturbing her sister’s rest.
“Weiyu…”
She opened her mouth, but just couldn’t bring herself to say she’d lost her job.
Lu Weizhu felt more and more like a failure.
“Big sister, the doctor said I’ll be better soon.”
The girl smiled, her pale lips almost without color.
Her fingers clenched tightly on her thigh.
Lu Weizhu couldn’t help but wonder, how soon is “soon”?
Probably not that soon.
“When I get better, you won’t have to work so hard anymore. When I finish school and start earning money, I’ll make sure you get to enjoy life.”
The girl chattered on about all kinds of dreams for the future, but Lu Weizhu didn’t say a word.
Picking up the old phone with a cracked screen from the bedside table, Lu Weizhu swiped the screen and checked her bank balance.
Twenty thousand yuan.
To Lu Weizhu, that was a huge sum, but for Lu Weiyu’s illness, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Whether it was Surgery or the follow-up chemotherapy, any of it would cost a fortune in medical bills.
Lu Weiyu said she’d get better soon, but Lu Weizhu knew this illness wasn’t so easy to cure.
“Big sister? Is something on your mind?”
After talking for a while, Lu Weiyu noticed Lu Weizhu’s gloomy mood.
Her brows filled with worry.
“I’m…fine.”
Lu Weizhu didn’t dare tell Lu Weiyu about her troubles, and Lu Weiyu had no idea Lu Weizhu had become someone’s lover.
“Are we out of money?”
Lu Weiyu still guessed the real problem.
The smile on her face quickly faded.
Lu Weizhu stayed silent, but sometimes silence is already an answer.
“I understand…”
Lu Weiyu nodded.
“Big sister, let’s stop the treatment.”
She said, seriously, giving up on her own life with almost no hesitation.
Lu Weizhu didn’t feel any relief.
She knew her sister just wanted her to have it easier, but it still hurt.
“I’m so useless, Weiyu.”
Tears fell again. Lu Weizhu hated herself.
“Big sister, you’ve already done your best. I always thought you were amazing, really. You paid for my schooling, and you’re taking care of my illness. You’re really, really amazing.”
The girl hugged Lu Weizhu, burying her head in Lu Weizhu’s chest.
The girl was light, with no strength.
The hug was soft, but in Lu Weizhu’s heart, it weighed a thousand pounds.
Pressing her lips together, Lu Weizhu gently stroked the top of the girl’s head.
Her hair was no longer thick.
Lu Weizhu’s heart ached.
This was her only family left.
“Big sister, let’s go home.”
After snuggling in Lu Weizhu’s arms for a while, Lu Weiyu looked up.
“I want to eat your cooking. The takeout around here is terrible.”
Maybe she just didn’t want Lu Weizhu to feel sad, so Lu Weiyu’s words carried a teasing, mischievous tone.
“…Let’s keep treating you.”
Lu Weizhu closed her eyes.
“Who said we have no money? We still have some.”
She didn’t want to lose the girl in her arms.
Lu Weizhu wiped away her tears.
It was just losing a job she hadn’t wanted in the first place.
It wasn’t like she was missing an arm or a leg.
Before Bai Lu took a fancy to her, hadn’t she gotten by just fine?
With that in mind, Lu Weizhu forced herself to perk up.
“Weiyu, I will cure you.”
She pinched the girl’s thin cheek and promised softly.
As she made this promise, she was already planning her next steps.
Find a few more odd jobs, see if she could set up a stall and sell something.
“Bed 53, please go pay your fees.”
Just as Lu Weizhu was figuring out ways to make money, the Nurse’s voice came from outside the ward, startling her.
“Weiyu, you rest well. I’ll go pay the fees.”
Settling Lu Weiyu on the bed, Lu Weizhu reluctantly left with her phone.
She went to the front desk and paid the fees for the past few days, then went to find Lu Weiyu’s Attending Doctor.
“The patient has a Surgery scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”
That’s the news Lu Weizhu got from the doctor.
She had just paid the fees, and soon she’d have to pay for the Surgery.
Lu Weizhu realized the money in her account just wasn’t enough.
“…Hah…Whatever happens, I need to find work first.”
After washing her face in the restroom, Lu Weizhu put away her phone.
Not wanting Lu Weiyu to worry about her, Lu Weizhu left the Hospital and began inquiring at every restaurant and supermarket nearby to see if they had any job openings.