Sitting wearily on the bench in the corridor, Lu Weizhu zoned out for a long time until the rumbling of her stomach finally snapped her back to reality.
She let out a sigh and rubbed her flat belly, a wave of cramps in her stomach making her feel uncomfortable.
How long had it been since she last ate?
She couldn’t remember.
“No battery left…”
Bending down, Lu Weizhu picked up her phone.
The phone had already shut itself off due to a dead battery.
“Ah…ah-choo…”
Her clothes were still damp, and as the wind blew by, a bone-chilling cold made Lu Weizhu sneeze uncontrollably.
Her illness hadn’t fully recovered, and now, to make matters worse, she’d caught a chill.
“So annoying.”
Moments like this were rare—her throat felt blocked, and Lu Weizhu shook her head in frustration.
She returned to the ward.
Inside, Lu Weiyu hadn’t moved at all, maintaining the same posture as before.
Hiding under the blanket, Lu Weizhu couldn’t see her face.
Nothing more to say.
Lu Weizhu opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word, a sense of desolation welling up in her heart.
She really was a failure.
“Mm…”
The cramps in her abdomen grew worse.
She pressed her belly and glanced at the untouched cake on the Bedside Cabinet.
It looked tempting, but she still didn’t touch it.
That was prepared for her younger sister.
She plugged in her phone to charge and turned it on, then rummaged through the drawer for the Menu from a nearby shop, dialing the number listed.
“Hello? I’d like a Green Pepper Rice Bowl, delivered to XX Hospital, Inpatient Department, Bed 42.”
She chose the cheapest Covered Rice and gave the address she’d recited countless times before, then put down the phone.
At some point, she’d gotten used to eating cheap food.
The restaurant she ordered from had a partnership with the Hospital, and was just nearby.
Not long after, someone delivered the meal.
“Thank you.”
After paying for the food and delivery, Lu Weizhu squatted by the bedside with the boxed meal.
With her back to Lu Weiyu, she took small bites of her food.
The faint sound of chewing reached Lu Weiyu’s ears, and she quietly poked her head out from under the blanket, silently watching Lu Weizhu.
The Maid Uniform on the girl was already stained and dirty, clinging damply to her body. Up close, she could see Lu Weizhu’s matted white hair.
Turning away in silence, Lu Weizhu held the boxed meal and glanced at the time on her phone.
Unknowingly, it was already six o’clock, just the time for dinner.
Just as she was about to remind Lu Weiyu to eat something, Lu Weizhu noticed the girl peeking out from under the blanket.
“Guh…Weiyu.”
Hastily swallowing her food, Lu Weizhu set down the meal.
“Are you…are you done being angry? Do you want to eat something?”
For the moment, the looming crisis was pushed to the back of her mind, and Lu Weizhu’s mouth felt dry.
She had no idea what to say.
“………Sister……”
Lu Weiyu stared fixedly at Lu Weizhu’s face.
She noticed the redness around Lu Weizhu’s eyes, the exhaustion on her face.
“I’m here.”
Lu Weizhu patted her skirt and stood up, bending over.
“Weiyu, please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay? I really know I was wrong. What do you want? I’ll find it for you.”
Her tone was excessively humble.
Even though she harbored resentment toward Lu Weiyu in her heart, at this moment, all those feelings were buried.
Maybe Lu Weizhu was just that kind of pitiful person?
Anyway, she herself felt pretty “pathetic.”
“Sister.”
Hearing the girl’s humble plea and seeing her disheveled appearance, Lu Weiyu felt uncomfortable.
Maybe she had gone too far…
Thinking her sister didn’t care about her feelings—but did she ever care about her sister’s feelings?
Knowing full well how hard her sister worked for her, yet still throwing a tantrum.
Lu Weiyu felt like a terrible person.
“What’s with your clothes…?”
“Me? Oh, it’s nothing, I just slipped while bringing back the Cake.”
Lu Weizhu couldn’t even force a smile, her explanation incoherent.
“…………I’m sorry.”
Lowering her eyes, Lu Weiyu apologized softly.
She should have realized immediately—her sister was only in such a sorry state because of her.
“Sister, I’m sorry!”
Suddenly, her emotions surged, startling Lu Weizhu.
“Wha-? What’s wrong?”
Lu Weizhu was confused.
“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you, shouldn’t have ignored you, shouldn’t have given you the cold shoulder.”
Lu Weiyu slowly sat up, perching on the edge of the Bed, facing Lu Weizhu.
Her slender legs pressed together, the hospital pants a bit loose.
“You came back sick, and not only did I not care for you, I even lost my temper.”
Swinging her legs, Lu Weiyu gripped the edge of the Bed.
“You made a Cake especially for me, yet I still sulked and ignored you, making you feel so cold.”
Lu Weiyu closed her eyes.
Her nose tingled, and she stood up.
After being sick for so long, Lu Weiyu’s body was weak, and she could barely stand.
She walked over and hugged Lu Weizhu, burying her face in her sister’s arms.
“I’m the one who should apologize, Sister. I was so thoughtless.”
Lu Weiyu hugged Lu Weizhu tightly.
She felt the chill on Lu Weizhu’s body, as if she could also feel the pain in her sister’s heart that she herself had caused.
“AF……”
Lu Weizhu stood there with her arms open, not knowing what to do.
“…Don’t hug me, I’m dirty.”
After a long moment, she finally squeezed out these words and pushed Lu Weiyu back onto the Bed.
Her skirt was still wet and covered in dust; Lu Weizhu didn’t want her own dirt to rub off on Lu Weiyu.
Silent, having finally been forgiven, Lu Weizhu was undoubtedly happy, but the joy wasn’t as strong as she’d imagined.
She sat heavily on the chair, letting out a barely audible sigh.
“Weiyu, eat something.”
It was over.
Lu Weizhu picked up the Green Pepper Rice Bowl again.
After the little episode, the once-warm food had gone cold.
“Mm, okay, Sister. From now on, I won’t make you sad again.”
Sensing something was still off with Lu Weizhu, Lu Weiyu realized she might have caused a rift between them.
She felt uncomfortable and silently resolved to be more mature.
Even if she couldn’t help much, at the very least, she wouldn’t let her sister suffer because of her again.
Taking the Cake from the Bedside Cabinet, Lu Weiyu began to eat.
Her appetite was small; after a short while, she was full and put the leftovers back.
Curling up in Bed, Lu Weiyu soon fell asleep.
She hadn’t slept at all last night and had cried through half the afternoon—her spirit simply couldn’t take any more.
“Weiyu…rest well.”
Watching Lu Weiyu sleep, there was still no smile on Lu Weizhu’s face; instead, she looked even more troubled.
“What should I do tomorrow…?”
Lu Weizhu tucked the blanket around Lu Weiyu.
Ning Wan and Bai Lu were like two mountains blocking her way, and she had no idea how to get through this ordeal.
If she could, she’d rather just end it all—but she obviously couldn’t do that.
If she died, what would happen to her sister?
“……If I could just get hurt a little, maybe I could avoid this trouble?”
Some rather dark thoughts began to surface.