Chapter 31: Downturn

Late at night, in the hospital ward.  

Lu Weiyu lay alone on the hospital bed.  

The cake that Lu Weizhu had given her was already finished, and on the bedside cabinet sat a paper bowl of porridge and a paper box for capsules.  

She lay on her side, looking at the phone screen.  

The hospital room was dark, and the light from the phone screen was somewhat harsh.  

Lu Weiyu stared blankly at the long string of calls that had automatically been disconnected.  

“…When will you come back, sister?”  

“She’s probably busy,” she muttered.  

Her finger slid over the times on the call log as she closed her eyes.  

The phone fell beside her, and with anxiety in her heart, Lu Weiyu drifted into a deep sleep.  

Lu Weizhu woke up from the drunken haze induced by Ning Wan the next afternoon.  

“……”  

Her headache was pounding, nausea was setting in, and she held her forehead as she sat up.  

All memories of being drunk had vanished; for a moment, Lu Weizhu was lost and confused.  

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on the pristine white bedding.  

“……”  

A sharp pang gripped her stomach.  

She groaned softly, lifted the covers, and got out of bed barefoot.  

“This is a room I’ve never been in before…”  

Maybe it was a hotel.  

Lu Weizhu no longer wanted to think about what had happened last night. 

What could possibly have happened? 

Did she need to use her brain to figure it out?  

Ning Wan was nowhere to be found.  

At the foot of the bed stood a full-length mirror.  

Lu Weizhu stood in front of it.  

Her thick white hair was wild and messy.  

Closing her eyes, she tried to smooth her hair down.  

When she opened her eyes again, she saw herself dressed in a sleeping robe.  

Ning Wan had probably helped her change clothes.  

By the bed, Lu Weizhu found a bag containing the clothes she had been wearing before.  

“……”  

She let out a breath, biting back the pain in her stomach, and walked over to the window.  

She pushed it open, letting the warm sunlight wash over her.  

Outside, she saw the bustling street filled with cars and people.  

“The sun is really shining today.”  

She murmured softly.  

“If only I were still a student…”  

Feeling a bit down, Lu Weizhu opened her phone.  

It was already three in the afternoon.  

A long list of missed calls caught her eye—all from Lu Weiyu.  

“…Forget it.”  

Her finger hovered over the contact marked as “Sister.”  

After a long moment, she moved her finger away.  

“She’s probably going to be mad again.”  

Suddenly, Lu Weizhu felt exhausted.  

She washed herself with warm water and changed back into her original clothes.  

Then she left the hotel.  

Walking through the bustling streets, Lu Weizhu suddenly felt her defenses break.  

“If only…No, forget it, no ifs.”  

She didn’t even know what she wanted or why she was breaking down.  

Lu Weizhu wandered aimlessly.  

Eventually, she went to a furniture store.  

Since she had some free time, she picked out a complete set of furniture and arranged for it to be delivered to the apartment for rent the next day.  

By the time she left the furniture store, it was already five in the evening.  

Still walking without direction, Lu Weizhu unconsciously arrived at the café where she worked.  

The “Closed” sign hung on the door, and the café was empty inside.  

Her mood darkened further as she turned around.  

A voice with a hint of dissatisfaction came from beside her, accompanied by a tap on her shoulder.  

“…Hm?”  

She turned around, and Bai Yun appeared in her casual clothes.  

Wearing a white jacket and gray trousers, a shoulder bag slung over one shoulder.  

Her ponytail was undone, letting her brown hair cascade loosely.  

Black eyes showed her displeasure as she gripped Lu Weizhu’s shoulder.  

“Why didn’t you come today? I’ll have to dock your pay.”  

Bai Yun’s tone was serious.  

She truly felt she had been too lenient with this employee, coming to work neither showing up nor asking for leave.  

If she didn’t pity her and wasn’t drawn to her looks, she would have fired her long ago.  

She needed an explanation.  

Lu Weizhu remained silent, glancing at the bandage on her right arm.  

By some strange coincidence, she had come to the café and met the manager she probably wanted to see but didn’t know what to say.  

“Yun-jie, can you walk with me for a bit?”  

Lu Weizhu’s tone was low.  

“Your tone…did something bad happen?”  

Bai Yun hesitated.  

The girl’s face was clean, but lacking energy.  

This was something Bai Yun was used to by now.  

Though she had seen Lu Weizhu’s lively side before, most of the time she seemed listless.  

“Mm.”  

Lu Weizhu nodded.  

“Uh…alright. But you need to give me a reason for not coming to work. No matter what, you have to ask for leave.”  

Bai Yun mumbled.  

She was about the same height as Lu Weizhu.  

In casual clothes, she looked more like a girl-next-door, warmer and livelier.  

Lu Weizhu blinked.  

“I…I was drinking with a friend yesterday, and accidentally overslept. Sorry.”  

Lu Weizhu apologized.  

Her excuse was weak, and Bai Yun frowned.  

“That’s…awful. You’re injured and you’re not with your sister, yet you go drinking?”  

Bai Yun nudged Lu Weizhu’s shoulder.  

“Ugh.”  

Lu Weizhu stepped back two paces, bumping into the café door.  

She groaned softly.  

“Uh?”  

Bai Yun withdrew her hand, stunned.  

“Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”  

She apologized.  

“It’s okay, Yun-jie.”  

Lu Weizhu shook her head.  

“It won’t happen again.”  

Will it really? 

Maybe, who knows.  

“…Let’s go. Where do you want to go?”  

Bai Yun took Lu Weizhu’s hand.  

Her hand was warm, the heat spreading to Lu Weizhu’s palm, making her feel a little dazed.  

“…Next time, be more careful. Don’t fall again. What if you get a blood vessel cut by shards?”  

Lu Weizhu’s palm was also wrapped in bandages.  

Thanks to the bandages, Bai Yun didn’t touch the savage wound Ning Wan had inflicted.  

“Mm…I’ll be careful. I won’t cause you trouble anymore.”  

Lu Weizhu lowered her head.  

Squeezing Bai Yun’s hand tightly, suppressing the pain, Lu Weizhu stood shoulder to shoulder with her.  

“Tell me, where do you want to go? Luckily I live alone; otherwise, I wouldn’t bother to accompany you.”  

Bai Yun temporarily put aside her displeasure.  

Glancing sideways at Lu Weizhu’s profile, she narrowed her eyes.  

The girl beside her was really beautiful.  

“I don’t know…”  

Lu Weizhu shook her head.  

She hadn’t originally lived in the city center.  

Her parents had died, and Lu Weiyu had fallen ill, so she came to the hospital to live with Lu Weiyu.  

In the year plus she had been in the city center, Lu Weizhu had mostly been working and trying to please Bai Lu.  

She barely had any free time.  

She didn’t even know how many parks were nearby.  

She hadn’t gotten to know the area well.  

In fact, if the industrial zone hadn’t been too far away, she would have chosen to work in the factory directly rather than around here.  

“I haven’t gone out to play in a long time.”  

Lu Weizhu looked down at her cloth shoes.  

“…Ah.”  

Bai Yun was momentarily stunned.  

Considering Lu Weizhu’s difficult situation, she somewhat understood her now.  

Maybe she was just at the end of her rope and wanted someone to accompany her for a walk.  

“You’re so silly. Whatever, I know this area well enough anyway. Just follow me.”  

Despite her words, Bai Yun held Lu Weizhu’s hand and headed toward the nearest park.