Chapter 144

Lin Yuewei somehow ended up feeling a little sorry for Gu Huai. Even now, the truth still hadn’t come out; she didn’t know exactly what role he had played in all this, or what his purpose had been.

Gu Huai must have had some idea of what was going on on Gu Yanqiu’s side. Knowing that she had already investigated nearly everything, he didn’t try to set a trap for her with maternal affection. Instead, he started with himself and tried to comfort her.

His comfort worked. Gu Yanqiu folded the letter, slipped it back into the envelope, pressed it beneath the bottom layer of the box with the prayer beads, then put everything back exactly as it had been. She would find a place to store it tomorrow morning.

“My family actually has a lot of photo albums,” Gu Yanqiu said after a long while.

Lin Yuewei finally set aside the worry hanging in her chest and answered, “Mm.”

“My dad loved taking pictures of me. There are lots of photos from when I was little; several thick albums, really thick ones. But you know how it is with people our age—we care more about the present and the future. We don’t often look through old photos. I saw them once when I was cleaning my room in middle school. Most of them were from when I was one to four years old; I looked basically the same. I didn’t even finish flipping through them. My dad, though, treasured them. He kept all of them in his bedroom.

“Once I was old enough to remember things, he was very busy with work. He left early and came home late, but according to the nanny, every night he would go to my room to see whether I was sleeping well, whether I’d had a nightmare.

“People can be very prone to getting trapped in a certain way of thinking, swinging from one extreme to the other. They only think about what they’ve lost and never about what they still have. Dad, Gu Feiquan, Cheng Guiyuan, my friends abroad, and you; I have so many people who love me, but I’m always thinking about that mother who may not even love me.”

Gu Yanqiu shook her head and smiled wryly.

Lin Yuewei’s point was completely different. She asked, “Why am I the last one?”

Gu Yanqiu: “……”

Seeing her choke on the question, Lin Yuewei laughed. “All right, all right, I know you were just speaking casually. No need to scramble for a reason.” She cleared her throat and said with mock solemnity, “Birthday star, shall I attend to your bedtime?”

“Come on.”

Lin Yuewei lifted her brows. Gu Yanqiu was actually playing along now; she was getting livelier by the day.

After serving her “bedtime,” the two of them went to take a shower. By then, it was already the next day; Gu Yanqiu was twenty-six.

Lying in bed, Lin Yuewei kept feeling as though she’d forgotten something important tonight.

She nudged the still-closed-eyed Gu Yanqiu. “Hey?”

Gu Yanqiu hadn’t fallen asleep yet. “Mm?”

Lin Yuewei asked, “Don’t you feel like we forgot something very important?”

Gu Yanqiu: “What?”

Lin Yuewei: “That’s why I’m asking you, because I can’t remember.”

Gu Yanqiu’s stomach gave a loud rumble, clearly audible in the silent middle of the night.

Lin Yuewei: “...We forgot to eat dinner.”

As she spoke, her own stomach began protesting too, growling one complaint after another.

“...My fault. If I hadn’t been so impatient...” Gu Yanqiu opened her eyes, propped herself up on one elbow, and reached for the light switch on the wall with her other hand. “I’ll go downstairs and make you something to eat at night.”

Lin Yuewei grabbed her and pulled her back. “Forget it. What time is it? Once we’re asleep, we won’t be hungry anymore.”

Gu Yanqiu: “But...”

Lin Yuewei covered both her eyes and mouth. “No ‘but.’ You have work tomorrow and I have class; we both have to get up early. Don’t make a fuss.”

“Mmm mm mm.”

“No going downstairs. I’ll let you go if you agree; make a sound if you do.”

“Mmm.”

Lin Yuewei let her go, took her hand in one of hers, and hooked a leg over Gu Yanqiu’s calf. With her eyes closed, she let out a long, contented sigh. “Good night.”

“...Good night.”

With the stomach duet playing in the background, the two of them drifted off one after the other.

Gu Yanqiu had a bizarre, hallucinatory dream. She dreamed she was on a vast grassland, dust billowing before her as a lion chased its prey. When she looked up again, she was standing on a reef; the blue-green sea was lined with flocks of seagulls, beating into the wind. Her body shrank smaller and smaller, while the world in her eyes grew larger and larger. In the tug-of-war between the immensely large and the infinitesimally small, even the boundless universe was nothing more than a tiny point reflected in her pupil. She was within it, and yet somehow beyond it.

Lin Yuewei turned off the alarm after it rang once, then tilted her head to look at the sleeping Gu Yanqiu. A faint smile curved her lips.

Lin Yuewei rubbed her eyes and saw that Gu Yanqiu really was smiling. After a moment of surprise, she smiled too.

She washed up quietly, went downstairs, and made breakfast in the kitchen. Passing the dining room and seeing the table in the center, she suddenly felt a vague ache in her knees and quickly looked away. But once she entered the kitchen, she couldn’t help glancing back again, her face hot.

Gu Yanqiu came downstairs drawn by the smell. She opened the kitchen door and looked into the pot as she walked in. “What are you making?”

“Scallion oil noodles.”

“No wonder it smells so good.”

“I don’t know if they’ll taste good.” It was Lin Yuewei’s first time making them.

“You made them, so they’ll definitely be good.” Gu Yanqiu was clearly wearing her blind admiration.

“Could you take off your filter?”

“I’m telling the truth. Yesterday’s cake was very good too.”

“Don’t say cake!” Lin Yuewei reacted fiercely, like a cat stepping on an electric wire; all the fur on her body seemed to puff up. But it didn’t look like anger. Gu Yanqiu circled around to her side to look, and Lin Yuewei’s entire face had gone faintly pink.

Gu Yanqiu thought it over and quickly guessed it was related to the several possible ways the cream cake from last night had been eaten, so she soothed her at once. “All right, all right, I won’t mention it.”

“I’m never eating cake again.” Lin Yuewei sulked.

“That won’t do.” Gu Yanqiu said reflexively, then added, “Or we can switch to something else?”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Lin Yuewei kicked Gu Yanqiu out of the kitchen.

Something she sometimes really didn’t understand was: why could Gu Yanqiu talk about these things without changing expression, even in such a serious tone, and still act as though she had a perfectly good attitude toward learning and exchange? And when it came to practice, she was even more like that, as if she were one step away from asking her to write a ten-thousand-character practical report.

She clearly used to blush at just a kiss!

Gu Yanqiu, unjustly driven out, ran into Schrodinger, who had finished breakfast and was already wandering around on its own. Gu Yanqiu gave it a soft “meow.” Schrodinger leaped into her arms and licked its owner’s fingers with its tongue.

Gu Yanqiu’s hand stroked Schrodinger’s soft back. After a moment, her gaze sharpened; she glanced at Lin Yuewei’s back and quickly entered one of the first-floor guest rooms.

She checked every drawer in all the guest rooms on the first floor carefully, but still didn’t find that bag.

“Breakfast’s ready.”

Gu Yanqiu set the cat down. Schrodinger came out of the guest room, and Gu Yanqiu followed behind it. “I’m making it lose some weight; letting it wander around.”

“Okay, come eat.” Lin Yuewei crouched down, ruffled Schrodinger’s head, and patted its rear. “Be good, go play somewhere else first.”

Gu Yanqiu was already wearing the bracelet. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing a small section of wrist that looked like white jade; a silver chain circled it. Lin Yuewei looked over at the dining table several times, growing more and more satisfied with her own taste.

“I’m heading to work.”

“See you tonight.” Lin Yuewei waved at her and watched the white Maserati drive out of the courtyard before turning back into the house. Schrodinger made a flying leap to her feet and started using every trick it had to act cute, begging Lin Yuewei to give it a little extra.

Lin Yuewei looked down and wagged a finger at it. “Extra food is impossible. It’s impossible for this lifetime. Don’t you know how our family hierarchy works? Gu Yanqiu, you, me; how would I dare go against her wishes?”

Schrodinger didn’t understand, but it could tell she was refusing. In a flash, it darted away and disappeared without a trace.

Lin Yuewei: “……”

She curved her lips in amusement. This little thing was pretty mercenary.

Lin Yuewei looked toward where Schrodinger had vanished; it was by the door of a guest room. Something faint flashed through her mind, and she frowned slightly. Ten seconds later, she still couldn’t catch it, so she let it go and went to the dressing room to change before heading out to class.

The next month was the calmest one Lin Yuewei had spent in the past year. She felt as if she’d returned to her student days, except now she had one more thing than she did back then: a lover. She wanted for nothing.

Gu Yanqiu had social engagements about two or three nights a week. Before dinner ended, she would send a message; Lin Yuewei would then drive over to pick her up. Because of that, Lin Zhi was finally relieved of his late-shift driver duty and got some free time. He knew it was someone from Gu Yanqiu’s family coming to get her, but up to now, he had never seen what Gu Yanqiu’s spouse actually looked like, and he also didn’t know how far along their relationship had gone. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked Gu Yanqiu about it, and Gu Yanqiu only gave him a meaningful look that seemed to say, “The heavens’ secrets cannot be revealed.”

The more this happened, the more curious he became; unfortunately for him, Gu Yanqiu was never going to satisfy it.

“Someday you’ll know.”

Lin Yuewei had set up a recliner on the bedroom balcony, with a small side table beside it for fruit plates, drinks, and Gu Yanqiu’s books. Right now, she was lounging lazily in the recliner while Gu Yanqiu fed her sliced fruit piece by piece.

“What was his reaction?” Lin Yuewei had finished a day of classes and eaten dinner; now she was listening to Gu Yanqiu talk about what had happened at the company, especially her secretary Lin Zhi.

“Nothing much.”

“He doesn’t know you’re married?”

“No. Only the senior executives at the company know about these things; they’re not going to go around telling people, and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. I showed Lin Zhi my ring, but he didn’t think of marriage; he only knew I had a partner.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him you were married?”

“Mm...” Gu Yanqiu mused, then couldn’t help laughing. “I wanted to tease him. If you spell everything out, it isn’t fun anymore.”

“Huh? Evil taste.”

“Not really.” Gu Yanqiu’s face had visibly thickened.

“How are things going at the company?” Lin Yuewei didn’t know what kind of act she and Gu Feiquan were putting on there, but she could guess it was for something big. They’d been playing their roles doggedly for more than half a year now; any bigger a drama should be nearing its end.

“Two more weeks.”

“Troublesome?”

“No.”

“Do you want my help?”

Gu Yanqiu had originally wanted to say no, but became curious about the question and changed tack. “How would you help?”

Lin Yuewei said solemnly, “I’ll cheer you on and pray for good fortune.”

Gu Yanqiu wanted to laugh and held it in. “That would be very helpful. Just stay home and cheer me on.”

Lin Yuewei let her thoughts run wild. “Or should I learn a cheerleading dance for you? I can dance it for you at home; would that give you more motivation?”

Gu Yanqiu put on a fangirl face and played along. “It would, it would.”

Lin Yuewei glanced at her. After lying down for too long, sleepiness crept in. She yawned, lazily closed her eyes, and stopped talking.

Gu Yanqiu also fell silent. She sat on the floor, one leg bent and the other extended, her back against the recliner, head tilted back and resting on Lin Yuewei’s leg. It was an awkward, uncomfortable position, but she lay there without moving for a very long time, feeling incomparably full inside.

Lin Yuewei thought this wouldn’t do. After a month of such idle days, she had become so loose-boned she felt no energy at all. After class, all she did was lie around; Gu Yanqiu lay around with her, sinking into decadence right along with her.

She moved her leg, and Gu Yanqiu’s head shifted with it. A drowsy, half-awake “Mm?” slipped from her nose.

Lin Yuewei asked, “Are you free this weekend?”

Gu Yanqiu: “I’m seeing a client on Saturday. I’m free on Sunday. Why?”

Lin Yuewei: “Will you teach me shooting? At the club.”

“Why do you suddenly want to learn that?” Gu Yanqiu turned to look at her, surprised.

“I feel like I’m about to waste away staying home.” Lin Yuewei said. During this period, aside from classes and going to the Lin residence, she had hardly stepped out of the house at all. On weekends, if Gu Yanqiu wasn’t home, she would study alone in the study; if Gu Yanqiu was home, she spent the whole day in bed.

“All right, I’ll take you. Want to ask Cheng Guiyuan along?”

Lin Yuewei was just about to ask why their private outing needed Cheng Guiyuan along; wouldn’t that be weird?

Gu Yanqiu added, “Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to treat her to a meal? Then make it Sunday. If it’s any later, she’ll probably end up treating you instead, and that wouldn’t be good.”

Lin Yuewei agreed at once. “Okay; call her?”

Gu Yanqiu called Cheng Guiyuan in front of Lin Yuewei. Cheng Guiyuan agreed immediately and asked, “What time exactly?”

Gu Yanqiu: “Ten in the morning?”

Cheng Guiyuan: “Sure. How did your wife suddenly get so sensible? She knows to invite me to a meal? I thought I’d never get that meal in this lifetime.”

Gu Yanqiu laughed. “That’s a bit much. I’ve said before that I’d invite you; I just never had the time.”

Cheng Guiyuan: “Save it. Don’t I know you two? One of you is all brains and the other is all bad temper.”

Gu Yanqiu thought about it carefully and realized that was actually pretty accurate.

Cheng Guiyuan teased, “But the bad-tempered one’s been pretty happy lately. Is it because the brainy one finally got some brains?”

Gu Yanqiu couldn’t say that in front of Lin Yuewei, so she brushed it off. “Maybe. I called just for that. See you Sunday, bye.”

Cheng Guiyuan: “Hey?”

Her phone screen had already returned to standby. Cheng Guiyuan smiled softly. Gu Yanqiu seemed to be in the sweet, sticky stage of love; pity her, still a lone wanderer.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to date. She had used to run wild abroad, but after returning to the country, she simply lost the mood. A while back, a friend introduced her to someone: an overseas returnee and an executive at a foreign company. She couldn’t be called stunning, but her style was excellent, the kind of person you could spot in a crowd at a glance. Cheng Guiyuan chatted with her for a few days, and the other woman was quite interested in her, but Cheng Guiyuan just couldn’t bring herself to get excited. She went out on a date one night as if completing a task, and that executive kissed her in the car. Cheng Guiyuan immediately confirmed that she wasn’t attracted to her; in fact, she never would be.

There had also been a lawyer, only in her early thirties, who ran her own firm. She was exceptionally capable and had an equally strong sense of time, with a precise schedule listing exactly what hours each day she was free for chatting and other things. This lawyer was pretty good. Cheng Guiyuan had watched two of her defenses and she was fierce in court, aggressive and eloquent, leaving the opposing counsel speechless. There had been the faintest hint of a flutter in her heart.

But once court was over, it was a completely different story. The first couple of times, she could still barely maintain a calm and serious exterior, but later on she became tongue-tied and clumsy. In Cheng Guiyuan’s judgment, the woman must have really fallen for her, which was why she behaved so differently. But Cheng Guiyuan only liked people who were either domineering and queenly all the way, or soft and gentle all the way; she didn’t find this contrast cute at all. She just thought people who stumbled over their words were dull.

Then there had been a doctor, twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, who looked exactly like Gu Yanqiu’s type: bright eyes, dazzling smile, red lips, white teeth. Neither forceful nor overbearing, soft-spoken and gentle, with a spring-breeze manner even toward patients. Cheng Guiyuan had thought she’d finally found true love and could give it a shot, only to discover that this doctor sister’s biggest hobby every day was supervising her; supervising what she ate, what she wore, and where she went each day. Her possessiveness was outrageously strong, and the relationship had ended in less than a month, though that had still been the longest one.

Oh, and there had been a student at the end; some friend with a twisted sense of humor had tricked her into meeting them, saying they were a mature young woman. The moment Cheng Guiyuan saw them, her vision went black. Hair tied up in a Chun-Li bun, dressed in some kind of lolita outfit; they were frighteningly childish. She didn’t even finish her meal and hurriedly paid the bill before leaving.

After that, Cheng Guiyuan gave up. Love was something that depended on fate; maybe she was just having trouble adjusting after returning to the country, and for now her peach blossoms hadn’t bloomed.

But now she still had to go out on Sunday and eat dog food. Cheng Guiyuan let out an “ah,” grabbed the blanket, and pulled it over her face.

Time flew like a horse; in the blink of an eye, it was Sunday.

Cheng Guiyuan went to the club they had agreed on, parked her car, and followed the directions Gu Yanqiu had sent her on WeChat until she found the two of them in the lounge area. Spring had arrived, and Gu Yanqiu was wearing only a loose dark-green sweater inside, paired with black pants. Both sleeves were rolled up a bit; one wrist wore a bracelet, the other a watch. She was half-squinting in Cheng Guiyuan’s direction.

Lin Yuewei, dressed all in black with a mask, black jacket, and black pants, noticed her first and raised a hand in greeting.

Cheng Guiyuan put away her phone and walked over quickly, her eyes smiling. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Gu Yanqiu: “It’s fine; we just got here too.”

Lin Yuewei stood up, poured a cup of hot water into a disposable cup, and placed it in front of Cheng Guiyuan.

Cheng Guiyuan studied her with interest. Although they had met a few times before, this should be their first formal meeting.

Lin Yuewei was a little nervous under her gaze. She wasn’t often nervous, but this kind of feeling, like meeting the parents of your girlfriend, was unavoidable. She held the rim of the cup with three fingers and pushed it forward slightly. “I misunderstood you last time, Miss Cheng. I’m very sorry.”

She lifted the cup in front of her. “I’ll use water in place of wine. I hope Miss Cheng will be magnanimous.”

Cheng Guiyuan didn’t drink. Her eyes moved over Lin Yuewei’s face, and Lin Yuewei’s hand froze in midair; she didn’t know whether to drink or not.

Gu Yanqiu reminded her softly, “Don’t tease her.”

Cheng Guiyuan also raised her cup and took a reluctant-looking sip of water, which made Lin Yuewei feel very awkward.

Cheng Guiyuan had the mentality of a family member from the bride’s side. No matter what, her best friend had married off like this, so she had to make things difficult for the other party in some way. Even if she couldn’t really make things hard for her in front of Gu Yanqiu’s face, scaring her a little was fine.

Gu Yanqiu knew what she was thinking and silently gave her a warning look.

Cheng Guiyuan ignored it and said mournfully, “Kindness repaid with ingratitude. I was acting on someone else’s request. I was even treated like a lecher; what a pity for my lifelong reputation.”

Lin Yuewei: “I’m truly sorry.”

Recalling that day’s scene, Cheng Guiyuan looked as if she were gazing into the distance. “I was full of anticipation, carrying an honorable mission, going to the set for a visit, and in the end you had me spinning in circles.”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Wasn’t it just that Qu Xuesong had stopped her for a moment, and she had taken the chance to run? There was no such thing as being spun in circles. Why did this person seem so different from the times she’d met her before?

Gu Yanqiu coughed twice.

Cheng Guiyuan had only said a couple of lines before being stopped; bored at once, she took two sips of warm water from her cup and went quiet.

She set the cup down and stood up. “Let’s go to the shooting range. It’s cold sitting here.”

Cheng Guiyuan walked in front, while the Lin-Gu pair followed behind. Lin Yuewei leaned over and whispered to Gu Yanqiu, “Does she not like me very much?”

Gu Yanqiu: “What makes you say that?”

Lin Yuewei: “She seems like she doesn’t want to talk to me.”

Gu Yanqiu was silent for a second. “That’s because anything she wanted to say, I wouldn’t let her say.”

Lin Yuewei: “Huh?”

Gu Yanqiu lowered her voice. “She’s very good at flirting with girls; from ninety-nine years old all the way down to just learning how to walk, not many can resist her.”

Lin Yuewei had never experienced that kind of skill before. She and Gu Yanqiu had been together for over a year and were still stumbling along. If she had Cheng Guiyuan’s ability, wouldn’t it all have come naturally? Her eyes lit up with envy. “Really? That good?”

Gu Yanqiu said flatly, “Mm.”

Lin Yuewei wanted to learn a few tricks from Cheng Guiyuan and didn’t notice anything strange, so she asked another question on purpose. “Then what do her usual chats with girls revolve around?”

This time, Gu Yanqiu’s coldness was obvious. “How would I know?”

Lin Yuewei was baffled. “Why are you jealous again?” She’s your best friend!

Gu Yanqiu walked ahead of her. “I’m not jealous.”

Lin Yuewei caught up. “If you’re not jealous, why are you walking so fast?”

Cheng Guiyuan, watching the two of them overtake her with her own eyes: “……”

For a moment, she felt like she was looking at a pair of grade-schoolers.

Once they entered the shooting range, the two of them were fine again, gazing at each other with obvious affection. Gu Yanqiu, an old hand at this, explained to Lin Yuewei how to hold the gun properly and how to aim for an easier hit. Cheng Guiyuan silently moved farther away.

Gu Yanqiu still had some conscience. There were three shooting lanes, and she stood in the middle, separating Lin Yuewei and Cheng Guiyuan. She took her place before the glass, gun in hand, just about to aim and fire when she noticed Cheng Guiyuan looking at her with a half-smile.

Gu Yanqiu: “???”

Cheng Guiyuan: “Want to compete?”

Gu Yanqiu: “Sure.”

Cheng Guiyuan actually wasn’t very good at this; suggesting the competition was purely to serve as green leaves beneath Gu Yanqiu, to make her red flower look that much more impressive. After one round, the two agreed to a second-round match, and Lin Yuewei stood off to the side watching, eyes fixed on the gun in Gu Yanqiu’s hand.

Gu Yanqiu’s hand was very steady. She was shooting one-handed with a revolver, loaded with six rounds.

Raise the hand; close one eye; aim.

Her finger pressed down on the trigger, and the first shot rang out.

Her wrist followed with a slight release of force.

Still keeping one eye open, she tracked the lingering blur in the air; it hit the target.

Bull’s-eye.

The electronic display showed it clearly.

Lin Yuewei let out an excited “ah,” then swallowed it back.

Cheng Guiyuan followed with a calm shot of her own; it hit the target.

Six points.

Lin Yuewei cheered for her too at the same time, saying, “That’s not bad either.”

Cheng Guiyuan looked at her with a profound expression, staring until Lin Yuewei once again didn’t dare speak.

Gu Yanqiu performed beyond her usual level and crushed Cheng Guiyuan’s forty points with a score of fifty-seven, leaving her far behind. Lin Yuewei was so excited her face turned red; if not for the public setting, she would be kissing Gu Yanqiu’s face and leaving lipstick marks all over it right now.

Because she was too excited, Lin Yuewei went to the restroom to wash her face and calm down.

Gu Yanqiu’s expression remained faint. Her two hands were folded on her knees. Cheng Guiyuan glanced toward the restroom and nudged her shoulder. “That’s enough, all right? Having your cake and eating it too. You’re thrilled out of your mind, aren’t you?”

Gu Yanqiu coughed twice, unable to hide the corners of her mouth from lifting.

Cheng Guiyuan said earnestly, “I’m helping raise your standing in the family; letting her admire you a little, understand?”

“Understand.” Gu Yanqiu answered reflexively. Then, coming back to herself, she asked, “Mm-mm? What standing in the family?”

Cheng Guiyuan gave her a look. “You know what I mean.”

Gu Yanqiu blinked. She really didn’t.

Cheng Guiyuan was just about to say, “Do you really need me to spell it out? You’re so hopelessly weak-willed; if you don’t let her admire you a little, how are you ever supposed to turn things around later?” when Lin Yuewei came out of the restroom.

Black jacket, black pants, Martin boots, black mask; her face carried no expression, and she walked over with a very queenly air.

The moment Gu Yanqiu saw Lin Yuewei, she blossomed into a smile; the cool beauty turned into a little lily.

Cheng Guiyuan thought with deep grief that her plan to help Gu Yanqiu turn the tables this time was probably bankrupt.

After they regrouped, they went to eat together. They had called ahead to reserve a table, and the three of them were led into a private room by a server. The atmosphere here was quiet and elegant; the private rooms were very far apart from one another, which was why many wealthy businesspeople and people from the entertainment industry liked to eat here.

***

Qu Xuesong’s stomach turned violently. She forced down the nausea and took the wine offered by the person in front of her, drinking it in one go, which drew a round of approval from the crowd. After setting down the glass, she showed no sign of anything unusual apart from lips that had gone a shade paler.

She stood, brushed the long curls that had fallen in front of her, and smiled graciously. “Everyone, I’m going to the restroom.”

One of the big shots at the table, someone who spoke with great authority and was already drunk out of his mind, waved her off. “Go, go.”

Qu Xuesong pulled out her chair, put on a baseball cap and mask, and draped her coat over her arm. After opening the door, she slipped it on, kept her head lowered so that not even her eyes showed, and followed the signs toward the restroom, doing her best to walk in a straight line. The world before her eyes began to warp irregularly, becoming more and more chaotic. Qu Xuesong didn’t dare shake her head, afraid it would only make her even dizzier; one hand braced against the wall, she slowly made her way along it.

A server came over and asked whether she needed help. Qu Xuesong lowered her voice. “No, thank you.”

At last she staggered to the restroom. Sweat covered her forehead, and double images had begun appearing in her vision. She lurched weakly toward the door, not noticing the figure coming out from inside.

She crashed into that person. She was already weak all over, and the impact sent her reeling backward. A hand tightened around her waist just in time, drawing her back into the other’s arms.

Instinctively, Qu Xuesong clutched the person’s lapel as though grabbing a lifesaver. “Thank you. And sorry for just now, for bumping into you.”

Once she’d steadied herself, she let go and smoothed out the other person’s wrinkled collar.

“You’re sweating a lot,” said the woman in front of her, who stood a few centimeters taller. Her voice was soft and calm, like a breeze.

Qu Xuesong thought the voice sounded strangely familiar, yet she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it. She looked up, but could only make out blurred features and couldn’t see the face clearly.

“It’s fine.” Qu Xuesong stepped aside, signaling for the other person to go first.

“Do you need help?” Cheng Guiyuan asked worriedly, looking at this woman who clearly seemed to be in bad shape. The baseball cap and mask covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of eyes, misty and faint, like a startled fawn in the woods; it was impossible not to feel pity.

“No, thank you.” Qu Xuesong ignored the talkative person in front of her and tried to go around her to head inside. She had only taken two steps when her legs gave out and she pitched downward.

Without warning, she fell once again into a familiar embrace. A light sigh sounded above her head.

“I can’t stand seeing girls force themselves in front of me. I’ll help you inside.” The person paused, and her voice grew even gentler. “Don’t worry; I’m not a bad person.”