Chapter 85: The End of Summer

Ning Wan left, and once again, only Lu Weizhu was left in the room.

… Sigh …

Using tissue to stop the bleeding from the small wound on her shoulder, Lu Weizhu put on her clothes.

With the wound on her shoulder covered up, at least on the surface, she looked no different than usual.

She walked into the bedroom, thinking of what Ning Wan had said to her tonight.

“A pretty dress, huh?”

She opened her wardrobe; it was newly bought, with hardly any clothes inside.

The few remaining sets were the same old, unfashionable shirts and long pants.

“I’ll go buy a couple someday.”

Lu Weizhu touched the tip of her nose.

There was a lingering, indescribable scent in the bedroom, so Lu Weizhu went out to the living room balcony.

Looking down at the road below, she squatted beside the railing.

“Mmm.”

Feeling restless, Lu Weizhu took out her phone.

She stared at the meager list of contacts, swiping twice, but no matter how much she swiped, there was no way to make someone appear out of thin air.

She wanted to find someone to talk to, but didn’t know who.

“Weiyu is probably asleep, I don’t want to bother Ning Wan or Bai Lu, and Sister Yun is likely sleeping too.

Of course, even if Bai Yun wasn’t asleep, Lu Weizhu wouldn’t really dare go to her. Blankly looking at the handful of contacts, Lu Weizhu closed her eyes.

She really wished for more friends.

“Maybe I’ll ask Lin Li for her number someday.”

She sighed.

Putting away her phone, in the end she still returned to the bedroom and flung herself onto the bed.

“Hoo…..”

Taking a deep breath, the strong scent of Ning Wan at the tip of her nose made her uneasy.

Bottling up all her feelings, recalling the different experience of tonight, Lu Weizhu gripped the bedsheet.

She drifted into sleep amidst her unease.

She didn’t dream. Lu Weizhu woke up as usual.

She washed, ate, went to the hospital, and dazed by the bedside like always. The so-called downfall she’d allowed herself seemed to bring only benefits to her life, not harm.

Ning Wan and Bai Lu didn’t come to see her either. Time slipped by in trivialities, and in a blink, it was already the last day of August—summer was about to end.

After her usual breakfast, Lu Weizhu headed to the hospital to see the doctor. She removed the splint from her hand.

After the doctor reminded her not to lift heavy things for a while, Lu Weizhu tried moving her wrist.

There wasn’t really any pain, just a slight itch, well within tolerance.

Lu Weizhu returned to the ward. Per Ning Wan’s suggestion, she tried changing her style of dress.

She wore the white jacket and pleated skirt she had just bought yesterday, with a pale blue hooded cloak over the jacket.

Looking down, Lu Weizhu saw the black tie at her chest and suddenly found herself funny.

“I’m not anything special, yet here I am learning to tie a tie like everyone else for no reason.”

Shaking her head, Lu Weizhu walked slowly.

The skirt only reached halfway down her thighs, exposing a large stretch of fair skin, which she wasn’t quite used to.

Though she wore skirts in the café too, those were paired with stockings, making her feel much more secure than now.

“Weiyu, I’m back.”

Lu Weizhu pushed open the ward door.

“Mmm… Sis, good morning.”

In the ward, Lu Weiyu seemed to have just woken up, rubbing sleepy eyes and leaning against the head of the hospital bed.

Lu Weizhu sat down on the chair beside the bed, noticing a few strands of hair on the pillow.

“Yeah, good morning.”

Lu Weizhu nodded with a smile.

During this time, she had been recuperating peacefully, never returning to work at the café.

Bai Yun’s gentle smile often floated into her mind. Lu Weizhu had wanted to visit her more than once, but time and again, she suppressed those thoughts. Bai Yun liked her, but did she like Bai Yun? Maybe she liked being by her side, but perhaps it was just the fondness between friends.

Lu Weizhu wasn’t really sure.

“I have to go back to work tomorrow… sigh…”

Placing her hands on her knees, Lu Weizhu let out a sigh. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to avoid things any longer.

Without fabric as a barrier, directly touching her own skin, she realized the feeling of her own touch and someone else’s was entirely different.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Didn’t you really like that place, Sis?”

Lu Weiyu patted her pillow and brushed the hair aside.

These days, she had seen just how bored Lu Weizhu had been. Though she wanted to always be at her sister’s side, Lu Weiyu hoped even more that her sister could be happy.

“Mmm… I do like it there, but… never mind…”

Lu Weizhu didn’t voice her worries.

Her little sister and Bai Yun seemed close? It was better not to make things awkward for her.

“By the way, Weiyu, does my outfit look good?”

Lu Weizhu stood up, turned around in a circle, and nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt.

The cloak’s bell sleeves weren’t long enough, exposing part of Lu Weizhu’s arm—pale and slender.

Lu Weiyu stared at her, not blinking.

“Very pretty.”

After a while, she spoke, her gaze lingering on those straight, snow-white legs. “Ah, really? That’s good, I’m not great at picking clothes.”

Lu Weizhu let out a breath of relief.

Would Ning Wan tease her the next time they met?

Lowering her head, Lu Weizhu thought, most likely she would.

“Really! I might just fall in love with you, Sis—ah, wait, I already love you most!”

Lu Weiyu laughed.

“Hehe… You’ve always clung to me.”

Lu Weizhu felt a bit embarrassed.

Memories drifted far, and the two began to reminisce about the happiest times of their childhood.

They chatted in the hospital for a long, long time—from which neighbor had moved away, to which teacher was the worst, to who had a crush on whom.

Talking about trivial little things, their chatter continued until the afternoon.

Lu Weizhu felt a little reluctant to stop.

At some point, Lu Weiyu had already snuggled into her embrace.

Helping Lu Weiyu sit up straight, Lu Weizhu suddenly remembered that her little sister hadn’t left the hospital in a long while.

She glanced at the sunlight pouring into the ward from the window.

“Weiyu, do you want to go out? I’ll cook you a feast.” Smiling, Lu Weizhu led Lu Weiyu as they snuck out of the hospital.

Though summer was ending, the sun seemed even more intense. Walking down the golden streets, holding Lu Weiyu’s hand—

“It’s already the thirty-first today… Time flies so fast.”

Lu Weizhu murmured, shoulder to shoulder with Lu Weiyu.

They went to the supermarket together, buying all the ingredients Lu Weiyu liked, and then returned to the rental apartment.

After settling Lu Weiyu on the sofa, Lu Weizhu began to prepare dinner.

She tried to cook light, healthy food—making lean pork and century egg congee—and at the dinner table, the sisters continued the conversation from the hospital.

“Sis, do you remember? Back then when we jumped rope, you were the only one who couldn’t learn, and it made Mom laugh until she was mad, haha.”

Under the white lights, Lu Weiyu smiled sweetly.

Looking at the girl’s smiling face, Lu Weizhu suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

“Well, I was always the dumb one, not as smart as you all.”

Agreeing, Lu Weizhu picked two fish balls for Lu Weiyu. Her eyes were gentle, her voice as soft as the spring breeze.

“Weiyu, from now on, I’ll take you out twice every month. How’s that?”

Lu Weizhu asked softly.

“Mm? Sure!”

The answer was just as she expected.

“Sis, you’re the best.” After dinner, sitting on the balcony, Lu Weizhu leaned against Lu Weiyu’s shoulder.

Watching the night sky with her beloved little sister, as the stars twinkled endlessly, the hour hand passed midnight—

And summer turned into autumn.