Chapter 25: The great crisis

“Can I come find you tomorrow?”

Holding the box with the cake, Lu Weizhu spoke to Bai Lu in a negotiating tone.

Bai Lu didn’t say a word, just quietly watched the girl in front of her.

“Please.”

Seeing Bai Lu unmoved, Lu Weizhu tried her best to lower her stance even more.

“Tomorrow, I promise I’ll come find you tomorrow, I really have no time today. Plus, I caught a cold, you wouldn’t want to get infected, right?” 

Lu Weizhu tried hard to explain, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead, mixing with the rainwater splashed up from the ground, making it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

Her fingers clenched tightly, fingertips pressing through the plastic bag into the paper box she held to her chest, Lu Weizhu was overly nervous.

Bai Lu narrowed her eyes.

“Tomorrow? Fine. I’ll come pick you up after work.”

Whatever she was thinking, in the end, Bai Lu decided to let Lu Weizhu off this time.

She turned and left.

Watching Bai Lu’s departing back, Lu Weizhu finally relaxed and let out a breath.

Leaving the street, she stepped onto the sidewalk, carefully examining the box in her arms.

“Good, the plastic bag didn’t break, no water got in.”

Wiping the dirty water from her face, she continued walking toward the Hospital Inpatient Department.

All the way back to the ward, Lu Weizhu left a long trail of water behind her, her clothes soaked and uncomfortable.

A few stray leaves clung to her long hair, dirty and messy—maybe Bai Lu let her off because she looked so pathetic?

Not caring about her appearance, Lu Weizhu pushed open the door.

“Wei Yu, I’m back.”

Her voice carried a hint of exhaustion.

“Wei Yu?”

Inside the ward, Lu Weiyu was still curled up under the covers.

Her body couldn’t be seen, only a small bulge under the blanket.

Lu Weizhu tiptoed over to the bed.

After putting away the medicine on the pharmacy cabinet, Lu Weizhu wiped her hands and untied the plastic bag, taking out the cake box.

The golden cake base was still warm, but had lost its shape and didn’t look very appealing.

Maybe it was because she bumped into Bai Lu, or maybe because Lu Weizhu hugged it too tightly, but the cake was a bit squished.

Lu Weizhu felt uneasy, uncertain if this less-than-attractive thing could earn her sister’s forgiveness. 

She poked Lu Weiyu’s back.

“Big sis brought you cake, I made it myself. Please forgive me, okay?!”

She sounded a little humble.

“You eat it yourself.”

At last there was a response, but not the one she wanted.

Lu Weizhu was at a loss.

She wasn’t very clever and couldn’t think of any way to earn forgiveness, feeling a bit miserable.

Her heart ached from the girl’s muffled words.

“I know I was wrong, I won’t stay out overnight anymore, and I won’t push myself to work while sick. Wei Yu, please forgive me, don’t be mad anymore.”

Once again giving in, Lu Weizhu actually felt wronged, but she didn’t dare lose her temper with Lu Weiyu.

She had done so much for Lu Weiyu, and yes, she had made mistakes, but she had tried her best to make up for them. 

Why couldn’t her sister be a little more forgiving?

Was her mistake really that unforgivable?

Lu Weizhu’s heart hurt; she didn’t want to fight with Lu Weiyu at all.

Lu Weiyu still didn’t reply.

Lu Weizhu lowered her head, her heart aching more and more. 

She knew her sister cared, but she still felt terrible.

She slowly walked out of the ward and sat on the bench, completely out of ideas.

“Phone…?”

Lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang.

Lu Weizhu answered.

“Hello? Who…”

Her voice was tinged with grievance; she couldn’t shake off her emotions.

“It’s me, Ning Wan.”

Another Patron’s voice came from the phone.

A familiar voice, a familiar name—the memories from last night flooded back, and Lu Weizhu’s breath quickened.

“Miss Ning…do you need something?”

She suppressed her unease and didn’t hang up.

No matter what, life had to go on. 

Wei Yu needed her medicine, so Lu Weizhu couldn’t afford to offend either Patron.

“Meet me tomorrow afternoon, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

The purpose that came through the phone was unexpectedly friendly, but to Lu Weizhu, it was unacceptable.

Not long ago, she had just promised Bai Lu to meet in the afternoon.

She had thought this might happen someday, but didn’t expect it to come so soon.

Her eyes went blank as she hunched over, not knowing how to respond.

“Um, I might not be free tomorrow, could we reschedule? Today? Or maybe the day after?”

She had already delivered the cake, but Wei Yu didn’t appreciate it. 

Lu Weizhu didn’t know what else she could do by staying.

She figured she was free for the rest of today.

“Not free?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Miss Ning.”

Lu Weizhu was a little nervous, her palms sweaty, unable to hold her phone steady.

“No. I said tomorrow, so tomorrow it is.”

On the other end, Ning Wan sat on the sofa, doodling circles on her calendar with a pen.

Originally, she had planned to go shopping with Bai Lu tomorrow, but Bai Lu said she had something to do, so they postponed to the day after.

As for today, Ning Wan planned to rest, not waste time with Lu Weizhu.

Taking care of Lu Weizhu yesterday had already drained her energy.

“…Uh, well, tomorrow really…”

“No refusals.”

Before Lu Weizhu could finish, Ning Wan cut her off.

The voice from the phone sounded weak and nervous, and though it was pleasant to hear, that didn’t mean Ning Wan was going to give Lu Weizhu any room to negotiate.

In her eyes, she was Lu Weizhu’s Patron. 

She had given her so much money, so Lu Weizhu should listen to her, should always revolve around her. 

Allowing her so much free time was already merciful—if she gave any more leeway, the whole relationship would be a joke. 

She and Lu Weizhu weren’t lovers, so why should she consider her feelings?

“My money isn’t spent for nothing. Have I given you too much freedom? Don’t misjudge our relationship. You don’t have the right to negotiate with me, understand?”

Ning Wan was starting to lose patience, her voice rising.

“Deng……”

Lu Weizhu couldn’t say a word.

She turned down the phone volume, glancing around nervously, afraid someone would notice her call.

“In any case, I want to see you at the appointed place at 6 p.m. tomorrow. I’ll send you the address later. Don’t think about fooling me. I’ve already looked into it, you have a gravely ill sister, don’t you? If I don’t see you there, I don’t mind paying a visit to the hospital.”

The voice on the other end was already showing impatience, and Ning Wan began to threaten Lu Weizhu.

“…I, I understand………….”

As if falling into an icy abyss, Lu Weizhu no longer had the courage to argue.

Hanging up, she leaned against the bench, her eyes stinging.

Why did she always run into such rotten luck?

She made her sister angry because of a fever, tried so hard to make up for it but wasn’t forgiven, and now both Patrons wanted to meet her at the same time and she couldn’t refuse either.

“Might as well just die.”

Clenching her fists, Lu Weizhu didn’t know how to face tomorrow’s critical crisis.

If they found out she was juggling both sides, her life would be over, right? 

She’d probably be thrown into a lake, right?

Her phone fell to the ground; Lu Weizhu no longer knew what to do.