Chapter 79

After Yu Min’s explanation, Qiu Qiu finally understood their relationship. But in Yu Min’s version, they were distant relatives from the same hometown in the past; all those old ties had been buried away, not a word of it mentioned.

"Really? What a coincidence." Qiu Qiu nodded in realization and smiled. "So if we count it that way, Baixin should be Yu classmate’s older sister?"

Yu Min admitted, "I guess so."

"Your sister and I were classmates; you’re a student brought along by Zhen—oh my, that does make quite the generational gap." Qiu Qiu was amused by it all, only feeling that when fate arrived, there was no stopping it. "I knew it. No wonder the first time I saw you, I felt close to you somehow, like there was something I couldn’t put into words. You and your sister really do look alike; that explains it. So you’re family after all."

Maybe because most of her mind was on her own daughter’s illness, Qiu Qiu was thick-skinned enough not to notice anything unusual between them. Instead, she drew the two of them into small talk and chatted about random things.

Mostly it was Qiu Qiu in the middle, asking this and that. The two of them were each quieter than the last. Yu Min answered a few questions, while Lin Baixin felt as if grit had been stuffed into her throat; before she even opened her mouth, it already hurt. Her chest was tight and swollen, so even after Qiu Qiu spoke to her for quite a while, she gave no response. It was only when Qiu Qiu finally noticed something was off that she reached out and patted her arm, confused.

"What’s wrong? You’ve been silent the whole time. Are you exhausted from looking after the patient these past two days?" Qiu Qiu took the blame on herself. Even though she didn’t understand why Lin Baixin was acting so strangely, she still smoothed things over. "Our little Zhi was way too noisy today; must’ve bothered you. All right, all right, once you get home, make sure you rest up. Tell you what, I’ll host next time. When Zhen has a day off and some free time, we’ll pick a day and I’ll treat you all to a meal. We can get together then."

Lin Baixin didn’t refuse. Yu Min across from her didn’t make a sound. She heard it, gave no response, and pretended not to hear. She busied herself checking on Xiao Zhi, looking over the child’s condition. In the end, she asked Qiu Qiu for the latest test results. After reading them, she said softly, "There shouldn’t be anything serious. Later I’ll have Professor Cui take another look."

Once it came to her daughter, Qiu Qiu’s attention snapped over immediately; she stopped paying attention to anything else and listened carefully to Yu Min’s explanation.

Yu Min couldn’t stay long. She still had work in the afternoon, so after finishing what she needed to do, she had to go back. Qiu Qiu hurriedly said, "All right, then go handle your things first. I already told you not to come, really; this time you’ve gone out of your way for us. Sorry to trouble you, and thank you for the effort."

"It’s fine, no trouble. I was passing by anyway," Yu Min replied in the same gentle tone she always used with everyone else. Before leaving, she even said something to Gu Yue, and only Lin Baixin was left out.

By now, Lin Baixin had regained her usual composure; it wasn’t nearly as obvious anymore. She forced down the panic in her chest. After all, there were two adults in the ward. If she acted like this, anyone could tell something was wrong, and it would only create unnecessary awkwardness for both sides.

Xiao Zhi waved at Yu Min in a soft, childlike voice. "Bye-bye, big sister."

Yu Min patted the child’s head. "See you next time."

Lin Baixin was a transparent outsider. She never should have been here. Yu Min’s coldness toward her was utterly unhidden, so blunt that it was hard for anyone else to pretend not to notice the embarrassment of it.

Once they were gone, the ward returned to normal.

The original matter couldn’t be carried on. Gu Yue had to fake a cough twice to pull Lin Baixin’s attention back before Lin Baixin handed over the completed paperwork.

"Thanks, boss," Gu Yue said. The remaining odds and ends didn’t need Lin Baixin’s help; she could pack them up herself. Once everything was gathered, she could be discharged.

Downstairs, Gu Yue suggested, "Boss, why don’t we eat at the cafeteria before we go? It’s already noon, and I can’t be bothered to go outside and find somewhere."

Lin Baixin agreed. The hospital cafeteria had just started serving lunch. Most of the people there were family members of patients; some medical staff would come down if they had time, but more often, once the doctors and nurses got busy, they would just order takeout and not even bother with the trip downstairs.

They didn’t run into anyone they knew at the cafeteria. Not a single familiar face.

The hospital food was awful, bland and watery as if there hadn’t been any salt at all. Lin Baixin ate like she was chewing wax; after only a couple of bites, she put down her chopsticks. Gu Yue, the patient, had a good appetite, though, and finished everything.

Gu Yue was a tireless sort of person. As soon as she was discharged, she was already planning to go back to the shop and work. Lin Baixin drove her home directly and said, "Rest for two more days. Your salary will still be paid."

"Isn’t that bad? I’ve already taken two days off... Thank you, boss. Boss, you’re the best." Gu Yue hopped out of the car happily, almost forgetting to take her luggage with her.

Though she hadn’t gone to the shop for several days, everything there was still running smoothly. Lin Baixin set aside the work that usually occupied the center of her life and stayed home to handle some “family matters.”

First she took Ludagun to the pet hospital to check the vaccine antibodies, then she took the little one for a bath, and after that came the regular deworming.

Ludagun had grown bolder now. It wasn’t afraid to go out anymore, nor was it afraid of bathing. In the pet shop, it was more obedient and resilient than all the other kittens, silently cooperating through the whole bath and blow-dry.

After the bath, Lin Baixin took a photo and sent it to Lin Qi. The reply came back instantly: - Fat again.

Lin Baixin replied: - That’s just because its fur puffed up after the bath. It didn’t gain weight. It’s always had a standard, healthy build. It was just checked and evaluated at the hospital.

Lin Qi: - Raising that little thing is really a lot of work; it’s practically like raising a child.

After a few lines of idle chat, Lin Qi, who had long since noticed Lin Baixin’s strangeness, seemed to sense something. Lin Baixin usually wasn’t one for casual conversation, so why would she suddenly send messages like this? Lin Qi seemed to understand and pretended to be deaf and mute, never bringing it up directly. Only at the end did she say: - Things at the branch shop are basically settled. Our Luoshu is going back to stay with her parents for half a month in a few days; I’ve been abandoned, and she won’t let me go with her. I’ll return to Kyoto then.

Lin Baixin: - Okay.

After that, they didn’t chat anymore. There was nothing more to say.

On her phone, the pinned chat box was still the same one. After so long, Lin Baixin still hadn’t removed it, even though they had long since lost contact and hadn’t exchanged messages in ages.

Their last conversation ended one afternoon. The other person had to work overtime, so she sent the message early. Lin Baixin, meanwhile, had been tied up with customers and hadn’t replied.

She could no longer answer that WeChat message, and she couldn’t send anything else. Lin Baixin scrolled down and found no other messages. After a while, she posted a Moments update for the first time in ages. There was only one photo: Ludagun, freshly bathed, sitting obediently with its tail curled around its front legs.

That post got a flurry of likes and comments, including a like from Jiang Zhou, who hadn’t surfaced in an age. Lin Baixin never cleared or deleted big clients from her contacts, and she had assumed Jiang Zhou had deleted her long ago. But no; she had always been there.

Half an hour after liking it, Jiang Zhou left a comment: - That cat is so cute, just like the one at my place.

The one at her place... a cat?

Lin Baixin didn’t know when Jiang Zhou had started keeping a cat. She didn’t reply to Jiang Zhou’s comment. Treating everyone equally, she didn’t reply to anyone’s.

Not two days later, Jiang Zhou posted another cat-filled Moments update. It really was a cat, and a golden British Shorthair at that.

It did look a lot like Ludagun. The build, the eyes, the fur color—everything was the same; at first glance, they seemed like twins.

Lin Baixin noticed the photo and stared at it for a long while. Not because of the cat, but because in the background there was a pair of little figurines on the TV cabinet not far away; one of them was wearing a white coat. Farther back on the table, the cups and other items were all in pairs.

Jiang Zhou’s place was decorated very warmly. At a glance, it was obvious she didn’t live alone. Someone lived with her.

Who that was, Lin Baixin had no way of knowing; she couldn’t reach into other people’s lives.

"It should be her girlfriend," Lin Qi said casually. "Didn’t you see the one she posted last time? They even went abroad together. Where was it again—Phuket or some other island? I forget. I didn’t remember."

Lin Baixin hadn’t seen it. Jiang Zhou’s Moments were only visible for three days. The earlier post hadn’t caught Lin Baixin’s attention, so maybe she missed it, or maybe the other party had blocked her.

She didn’t like scrolling through Moments. It was boring.

"They’ve been together for quite a while now, at least half a year. I saw it half a year ago," Lin Qi added. "Oh, right, it seems like she’s from the same school too. Once she posted something about a ‘junior girl’ or whatever. The two of them get along really well and are always showing off their relationship; you just didn’t notice."

Then that meant Jiang Zhou had hidden it from Lin Baixin before; otherwise she should have been able to see it.

Half a year already; junior girl... Lin Baixin didn’t know how many familiar junior girls Jiang Zhou had. She only knew one.

Actually, Jiang Zhou posted on Moments quite often. She was the type who loved sharing daily life. But ever since the cat post, none of her updates had anything to do with her girlfriend. It seemed deliberate. Lin Baixin never once saw the main person herself, only occasionally confirmed from Jiang Zhou’s posts that Jiang Zhou really wasn’t living alone; someone was sharing the apartment with her.

Ludagun waddled over and rubbed against Lin Baixin’s leg. After a long while without getting any petting, it meowed in dissatisfaction. Lin Baixin picked it up, lowered her eyes, and stroked the back of its neck and spine. The little thing closed its eyes and purred in comfort.

The cat couldn’t read phones, but it knew everything. It was growing more and more used to the lonely life of being with Lin Baixin alone; lately it was no longer as clingy as before. Coming over for hugs and pets like this was already rare.

As if it could sense Lin Baixin’s mood, Ludagun stayed with her for more than half an hour. Only when it got hungry did it trot off and gobble up its food.

Qiu Qiu’s promise to treat them to a meal wasn’t just polite talk. She planned to host a private dinner on Friday night and invited Lin Baixin three days in advance, without saying who else would be going. She asked about Lin Baixin’s schedule first.

An old classmate’s face couldn’t be refused. Lin Baixin agreed, turned down another dinner appointment that day, and had Lin Qi go in her place.

"Where are you going?" Lin Qi asked, puzzled. Lin Baixin usually didn’t change plans once they were set; this was the first time.

"To see Qiu Qiu. She’s treating us tonight," Lin Baixin said truthfully.

"So she only invited you? Why didn’t she invite me?" Lin Qi lifted her brows. "What, is she looking for you to talk about something privately?"

"No, just a meal."

"All right then."

Lin Qi talked a lot, and her instincts told her that a normal dinner didn’t warrant pushing aside work. Tonight was a meal with an old client, after all. But she didn’t ask further. If Lin Baixin did that, she must have her reasons.

The private dining restaurant was only a few kilometers from the shop, so it was close by. Lin Baixin went alone. When she arrived, only Qiu Qiu was there; no one else had come yet.

She had arrived early, so it was just the two of them.

"Zhen won’t be here until she gets off work. She’s working overtime today, so you may have to wait another half hour," Qiu Qiu said. She hadn’t brought her daughter, Xiao Zhi, today.

They had booked a private room by the water with a riverside view, and the table was quite large.

Lin Baixin glanced around. After waiting a while, she still didn’t see anyone else, so she lowered her eyes and chatted with Qiu Qiu intermittently, absentmindedly.

"A few more people are coming later. Zhen is bringing several students too," Qiu Qiu said after a minute or so, still not naming them, but with a hint of apology. "Don’t mind it. They just finished a meeting, so I figured I’d bring everyone over together."

Lin Baixin didn’t mind. It was nothing.

But when the people finally arrived, it was not just a few students. There were others too.

Cui Zhen came first. Yu Min was at the back of the group, and Jiang Zhou came in with her.

Jiang Zhou was holding Yu Min’s left arm, looking very intimate.

Before anyone on this side could say anything, Jiang Zhou noticed Lin Baixin first with sharp eyes. She wasn’t the least bit shy about knowing her; even after meeting her there, she greeted her first. Jiang Zhou was all enthusiasm as she called out, "Boss Lin, what a coincidence; we meet again."

Her gaze swept over their linked arms. Lin Baixin’s lips pressed down unconsciously. Before she could react, Jiang Zhou laughed, seeming afraid she might not understand, and immediately added, "Professor Cui used to be my mentor too. I went to pick up Minmin today and happened to run into her, so I came along for a free meal. I didn’t expect you to be here too. The two of us really have been running into each other a lot these past few days; we seem to bump into each other everywhere."

With so many people present, Lin Baixin couldn’t keep a cold face. She swallowed down the inappropriateness of her expression and, as politely as she could, acknowledged Jiang Zhou as well.

"Miss Jiang."

Qiu Qiu came over and stood by Cui Zhen’s side. The interns were all relatively outgoing and easygoing. Seeing that someone was already here, none of them held back; one by one, they followed Jiang Zhou and also called Lin Baixin "Boss Lin."

All except Yu Min.

Just like last time, she still acted as if Lin Baixin were invisible. Yu Min walked around her. As she passed by, her gaze lingered for only half a second before moving away again.

Seating was a little troublesome. The interns crowded together in a cluster. Qiu Qiu arranged a seat for Lin Baixin, and by chance it ended up right beside Jiang Zhou’s group. It should have been next to Jiang Zhou, but Jiang Zhou wanted the seat by the edge, so Yu Min sat in the middle, right beside Lin Baixin.

There was no other seat to switch to, and she hadn’t planned to anyway. Lin Baixin was the last one to sit down. She pulled out the chair and took her place.

Once everyone was seated, the dishes were served. It was just an ordinary little gathering, and they could relax without being so restrained. Qiu Qiu could chat with anyone. She already knew Lin Baixin, Yu Min, and Jiang Zhou all knew each other, so she didn’t think there was anything wrong with putting the three of them together. They were all familiar faces, and bringing a couple more people along would keep things from getting awkward.

The two beside her had been close the whole time. Lin Baixin watched it all. Jiang Zhou, who used to be such a pampered, high-and-mighty young lady, was now helping Yu Min arrange her bowls and chopsticks as soon as she sat down, looking after her throughout, while Yu Min seemed entirely used to it and accepted it as a matter of course.

"Is Boss Lin still running your original shop?" Jiang Zhou asked, making conversation for lack of anything better to say.

Lin Baixin nodded. "Mm, still running it."

Jiang Zhou lifted her glass and turned slightly toward her. "Then I wish Boss Lin prosperous business and money rolling in."

Lin Baixin returned the gesture with a clink of her glass. "Thank you."

Conversation should go both ways, and she hadn’t asked Jiang Zhou anything back; that made her seem a little rude, a little cold.

The person beside her seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the way she treated Jiang Zhou. After a long silence, and only when the others weren’t paying attention, she finally stopped pretending to be mute. The first thing Yu Min said was, "I didn’t know you were coming."

Lin Baixin set down her glass and answered quietly, "I didn’t know either."

Yu Min was direct. She cut it off on the spot, as though afraid Lin Baixin might misunderstand, and then said with equally frank ease, "Otherwise we wouldn’t have come."

Her fine white fingers curled halfway, rubbing against the tablecloth. Lin Baixin’s face stiffened; for a moment, she had no reply to that.