Yudong clearly hadn’t expected Yezhe to reach out his hand so swiftly and decisively.
After hesitating for a moment, she also extended her hand, along with her shattered heart—one large, one small—overlapping together.
“Thank you…”
Her voice, tinged with sobs, passed through both their ears.
Tears that once symbolized despair now transformed into tokens of gratitude.
Feeling the constant warmth in Yezhe’s palm, the muddiness in the girl’s eyes temporarily cleared, and the clouds veiling her heart parted to let in rare rays of light.
That light shone into her heart, still brimming with rainwater, and, refracted, it managed to illuminate a soul that not long ago was completely hopeless.
The nerves stretched taut to the breaking point finally relaxed after so long.
Yezhe’s sudden visit changed so much for the girl. It was still midnight, the moon was still full, but for her, everything no longer seemed so unbearable.
The two slowly drew near without saying another word, simply holding onto that shared moment of silence, feeling each other’s warmth, and savoring a comfort they had not felt for a long time.
……
“My family… it used to be like this too. A whole bunch of accidents.”
Who knew how much time passed before Yezhe spoke, almost to himself, breaking the silence.
He gazed out the window, telling Yudong everything.
“Two years ago, both my Father and Mother passed away in an accident…”
Here, Yezhe paused for a moment.
“Afterwards, my Aunt took me in, but my Uncle disagreed. We had all sorts of conflicts, and in the end, I fought with him…”
“After that, I ran away and came here to work, and I’ve stayed ever since. The money my Father and Mother left is still in my Uncle’s hands to this day, haha…”
Yezhe’s tone was calm throughout, almost as if he were talking about someone else.
Only at the end did his laughter waver, as though mocking himself, but what he truly felt—perhaps only he understood.
Why was he doing all this? Yezhe didn’t really know. Just as he had wandered, lost and confused, into this City that would one day change his life.
In the days after his parents died, he too had been like Yudong—losing all Hope, his heart pierced by endless sorrow.
One night, after evening study, he snuck home again, standing at the shattered window, and even thought of ending it all right there.
In the end, it was his Aunt who found him and took him home.
“Zhe, don’t do anything foolish… your Father and Mother wouldn’t want this for you either…”
On the way home, his Aunt hugged him and cried.
Now, seeing that once helpless figure reappear, how could he ignore it?
In the end… he realized he couldn’t actually do anything.
Even beating up his Uncle didn’t change the situation for his Aunt or himself; even wanting to help Yudong, all he could offer was empty comfort.
He had no way to cure Yudong’s Mother.
In the end, nothing had changed. Yudong still had to bear the Debt for her Mother’s treatment…
But so what?
Everyone’s life ends in death anyway. If you really can’t stand the meaninglessness, why bother living at all?
He truly couldn’t change the result, but if he could make Yudong’s path a little easier, that was enough.
Besides, Yudong still had Hope.
There was still time for everything.
…
The boy’s gentle and profound gaze shifted from the window to the girl lying in bed.
Unconsciously, he gripped her hand a little tighter.
Yudong certainly noticed and gripped back, holding tight to that hand radiating warmth.
After hearing the boy’s story, her heart rippled with feelings she hadn’t expected, something Yezhe, of course, noticed.
“Sorry, I might’ve rambled on with some strange things. I hope it didn’t bother you too much…”
A look of apology crossed the boy’s face, and only after the girl shook her head did it begin to fade.
“I just felt that maybe I could understand you, so I wanted to say it all out loud…”
“Don’t close yourself off, okay? If there’s anything that makes you unhappy, you must say it.”
“I’ll stay with you until Auntie gets better.”
…
In the morning, Yezhe’s Mobile Phone alarm didn’t wake him, but it did wake Yudong.
She got up and turned off Yezhe’s Mobile Phone, then climbed out of bed.
Sleepiness still clung stubbornly to her. Rubbing her tired eyes, Yudong yawned and slipped into the neatly folded clothes left by the bed.
The pants legs were a little damp, but at least not too muddy; after a quick rub, the stains almost disappeared.
As for her shoes—thanks to Yezhe—they had gone from unrecognizably dirty to barely acceptable.
Her body, too—she’d finally had a peaceful sleep. Even though she’d had a fever and an IV drip last night, she felt no discomfort as she moved about.
A little… full of energy?
Thinking this, Yudong felt even more grateful to Yezhe.
“Thank you…”
This time, the girl deliberately raised her voice—the person she was thanking was still sprawled on the bed, snoring away.
“Yezhe? Yezhe, don’t sleep, it’s time for work.”
Her slender fingertip poked the boy’s cheek, making his face twitch from the tickling.
The girl who was utterly hopeless yesterday now puffed out her slightly red cheeks, ready to rouse the sleeping Yezhe.
“Mm… kno—…”
The hand flopped on the bed, scratching at his face, then thumped back down with a “pa.”
“If you know, then hurry up…”
“Huuhhh…”
Uh…
He fell asleep again…
He mumbled something, but Yezhe’s head seemed glued to the mattress, refusing to budge.
But really, you couldn’t blame Yezhe…
First of all, there were only two beds in this hospital room.
One had long been taken by Mother, the other commandeered by her daughter last night for her fever, so naturally there was nowhere for Yezhe to sleep.
He’d considered calling a ride home, but it was the middle of the night, and his place was already a bit out of the way.
The fee was bound to be higher than usual; opening the Bus App, the estimated price nearly made him toss his Mobile Phone in shock.
A nearly triple-digit ride fare—how was that any different from highway robbery?
That’d pay for half a year’s Bus rides…
After muttering curses, the two thought about other options.
There was the idea of sleeping on the floor, but Yudong hadn’t left out any spare blankets…
“I rented a place nearby. If you want, you could stay a night? But it’s a bit out of the way, the address is…”
“No, let’s skip that.”
As soon as Yudong suggested it, Yezhe objected with both hands and feet…
“Then you take the bed. I’ll switch with you.”
“No way, that’s even worse. You’re still on an IV; if you lie there all night you’ll get much worse.”
The debate dragged on. No matter how hard Yudong tried, she couldn’t beat Yezhe’s stubbornness, and in the end, he slept the whole night in an uncomfortable position.
“Yezhe, Yezhe! If you don’t get up, you’ll miss the Bus.”
“Get up, stop sleeping…”
This guy, he’s really out cold…
Not even pushing and pulling could get Yezhe up, so Yudong had no choice but to twist his arm a little.
“Aiya!”
A direct hit.
The moment her fingertips pressed, Yezhe practically bounced out of bed.
Well, maybe Yudong had used a bit too much force.
Seeing his dramatic reaction, Yudong panicked, afraid he’d be angry and ignore her, and quickly began to apologize.
“Sorry, you… would’ve been late if you didn’t get up, I had no other choice, so I…”
“In high school, my teacher used to wake me like this if I dozed off in class…”
Yezhe had woken up a little grumpy, but as soon as he saw Yudong with an apologetic cat-face, all innocence and big eyes, what could he say?
Alright, thank you.
After all that, Yezhe was wide awake, and in just over five minutes, he had everything in order.
Thankfully, the Hospital had provided some disposable toiletries, barely enough for them to wash up.
As a waiter, he couldn’t show up to greet guests looking all disheveled, could he?
“The sun’s up, let’s go, or we really will be late.”
Outside the window, the sun was rising, and its rays were growing bright and sharp.
Raising a hand to shield his eyes, Yezhe replied to Yudong.
“Mm.”
When Yudong got up, the sun was just beginning to show. After all their fussing, by the time they left, sunlight had flooded the room.
She gave one last look to her Mother, still unconscious in bed, then quietly closed the door and went downstairs with Yezhe.
The Hospital Main Building wasn’t far from the main street. Yudong led Yezhe along a familiar path to the Bus stop just as the first Bus arrived.
“I’ll leave it to you, Yezhe.”
On the Bus, Yudong smiled at Yezhe.
“Yeah, you too—do your best.”
The sun still rose as always.
And in this world, there was one more person who had rediscovered Hope.