Outside the surgery room, Cheng Yuexin sat alone on the row of chairs against the wall, her head drooping.
At 8:31, Cheng Yueqing had just been pushed into the surgery room.
Five minutes ago. Cheng Yueqing was wheeled out of the ward, and Cheng Yuexin stayed by her side the whole time until she entered the surgery.
Throughout the entire process, Cheng Yueqing did not open her eyes to look at her even once. Only tears hung at the corners of her eyes, as if accusing her.
Her phone had run out of battery, but Cheng Yuexin had no mind to charge it.
Staring at the ground in self-blame, her mind kept asking herself.
‘Have I really been this wrong?’
In her memory, this was the first time Cheng Yueqing had gotten angry at her.
Cheng Yuexin, who was soft-natured, had always doted on Cheng Yueqing.
But this time, she had a thought she had never had before.
‘I’ve spoiled her.’
“Ha…”
So that’s why she got so angry at her.
“Yuexin, I finally found you.”
Liu Yingqiu was relieved to have found Cheng Yuexin at the surgery door, and her tone revealed joy.
Seeing Cheng Yuexin’s sad profile, her expression turned surprised.
Something must have happened in the over twenty minutes she had been away.
Cheng Yuexin was still immersed in her own thoughts and did not hear Liu Yingqiu’s voice until she felt a burning heat on her palm resting on her lap.
Focusing her gaze on her palm, Cheng Yuexin had no expression and made no movement.
She quietly watched that cup of scalding soy milk being placed in her palm, and the corner of her flat mouth curled downward slightly.
“Hot.”
Seeing that she had no intention of pulling her hand away, Liu Yingqiu quickly set the scalding soy milk aside.
“Why would you rather get burned than move? Silly.”
Frowning, Liu Yingqiu hurriedly picked up her hand and kept blowing on the reddened skin. She hadn’t expected Cheng Yuexin not to even dodge.
“Ha…”
Cheng Yuexin gave a helpless bitter smile, a hint of self-mockery.
“Yes, I am silly.”
If she had notified Cheng Yueqing last night, the outcome might have been completely different. She could have done better.
Liu Yingqiu’s brow slightly relaxed, and her gaze took in the side of Cheng Yuexin’s face, seeing the sadness in her eyes.
Cheng Yuexin’s gaze remained fixed on the ground, not looking at Liu Yingqiu even once.
“What’s wrong? In the time I went to buy breakfast, what exactly happened?”
Cheng Yuexin curled the corner of her mouth, a hint of faint resentment in the gesture, and silently looked at Liu Yingqiu.
“It’s all your fault.”
Liu Yingqiu met her murky eyes, which held complex emotions buried inside.
She wore a sad expression but was smiling.
Liu Yingqiu swallowed, a hint of apology in her eyes, and lowered her head slightly.
“I’m sorry…”
“If it weren’t for you, Cheng Yueqing wouldn’t have gotten angry at me.”
Cheng Yuexin sighed, her stomach growling with hunger.
But she had no desire to eat anything.
She was already full from her depressed emotions.
“If only I had answered the phone last night and notified her, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
“…It’s my fault.”
Liu Yingqiu humbly took Cheng Yuexin’s hand. She had indeed been impulsive last night.
The phone had rung several times, but Liu Yingqiu hadn’t let her answer.
It wasn’t until Cheng Yuexin had completely fallen asleep that the calls stopped.
She had hurt Cheng Yuexin again.
When rationality returned, Liu Yingqiu was still full of regret.
“It’s my fault. If I had let you answer the phone last night, maybe it wouldn’t have damaged your relationship with Cheng Yueqing.”
Cheng Yuexin lowered her eyes and shook her head, sighing faintly, and withdrew her hand.
“Forget it. It’s no use being angry at you now. I just hope the surgery goes smoothly.”
Cheng Yuexin prayed weakly, without strength.
She didn’t know what mindset she should use to face Cheng Yueqing after the surgery ended.
Sighs echoed in the corridor. Liu Yingqiu, seeing her in such low spirits, felt stifled inside.
It was clearly her own fault, but she couldn’t detect any anger in her tone.
Someone too gentle doesn’t even feel angry.
Growl…
Hearing Cheng Yuexin’s stomach growling, Liu Yingqiu picked up the breakfast she had placed beside her and handed it to her.
“I bought your favorite red bean buns. The soy milk is still a bit hot.”
Cheng Yuexin pushed her hand away. The warm red bean bun, still in its bag, fell to the floor.
Her purple eyes half-opened, full of indifference.
“I won’t eat.”
“At least eat a little. You’re weak.”
Cheng Yuexin gave a cold snort.
“You didn’t consider me last night.”
“I…”
Liu Yingqiu was left speechless, staring at Cheng Yuexin’s cold half-face, her guilt nowhere to place.
She pursed her lips, picked up the bun from the floor, and imitated Cheng Yuexin’s head-lowered posture, sitting quietly. Emotions are contagious.
Growl…
Liu Yingqiu broke the silence again, the worry in her eyes deepening.
“You should still eat something. At least drink a cup of soy milk. You drank last night, and an empty stomach in the morning is uncomfortable…”
Cheng Yuexin hugged herself and murmured coldly.
“What’s a little discomfort like this?”
It wasn’t a rhetorical question, but a statement.
Liu Yingqiu’s expression was pained and guilty. She argued with reason.
“You have low blood sugar. It’s not okay to not eat properly.”
Cheng Yuexin still had her eyes lowered, her face pale, lacking the flush of last night.
“Just eat yourself. Don’t worry about me.”
Liu Yingqiu clenched the bun in her hand and bit her lip, intense worry mixed with frustration showing.
“Yuexin, don’t be like this. Even if you hate me now, at least take responsibility for your own body.”
“I told you, don’t worry about me.”
Cheng Yuexin replied coldly, glaring at her with a hint of impatience.
Seeing her like this, Liu Yingqiu knew she was somewhat angry, but regardless, she was more worried about Cheng Yuexin’s health.
During the senior year physical exam, she had seen Cheng Yuexin’s report: low blood sugar and malnutrition.
Even without a physical exam, anyone with eyes could see it.
Liu Yingqiu was well aware of her health issues, hence her insistence.
“How can I not worry about you?”
“What right do you have to worry about me?”
“Because I’m your classmate.”
Cheng Yuexin gave a sarcastic cold smile.
“Then you don’t have the qualifications to worry about me.”
“…”
It wasn’t that Liu Yingqiu had nothing to say, but Cheng Yuexin was in such a state that it was hard to persuade.
‘Stubborn little fool.’
That was the WeChat note Liu Yingqiu had once given her.
No longer insisting, she listlessly threw the breakfast she was holding in both hands onto the empty seat beside her.
Like Cheng Yuexin, the suffocating emotion had filled her up.
If not for that one time of testing true feelings, perhaps their relationship wouldn’t have become so stiff today.
Liu Yingqiu learned from her own experience: never test your partner’s feelings for you by hurting them.
The two, hungry, sat in silence. The warm breakfast turned cold. Cheng Yuexin couldn’t help but break the silence.
“Why aren’t you eating? Your stomach has been growling forever.”
Liu Yingqiu tilted her head back indifferently.
“If you don’t eat, I won’t eat either.”
“What if we starve to death?”
“If we starve, we starve.”
Liu Yingqiu said it casually. Cheng Yuexin looked at her, her expression slightly relaxing.
The hand gripping her pants slowly loosened, and she persuaded in a gentle tone.
“You’re not me. I often skip breakfast. I’m used to it.”
“I know. That’s why around the college entrance exam in your senior year, you fainted from hunger quite a few times.”
“Pfft, you still remember.”
Liu Yingqiu nodded, turned to look at Cheng Yuexin’s faint smile, and her mood slowly improved.
“I remember, because even though you were angry at me back then, I still carried you to the infirmary many times when you fainted.”
“Huh? But why is it that every time I asked others, they said it wasn’t you?”
Liu Yingqiu chuckled and explained helplessly.
“Because I didn’t want you to know. I was afraid that if I did this, it would only make you angrier.”
Even though they had already fallen out at that time, Liu Yingqiu still paid attention to Cheng Yuexin’s every move.
Several times when Cheng Yuexin fainted, she was the first to rush over and take her to the infirmary.
Anonymous Watcher cosplay.
Cheng Yuexin stared at Liu Yingqiu’s smile in confusion, the disgust in her heart fading a little, her expression calm as water.
“So, you never thought of telling me the truth?”
Liu Yingqiu shook her head and tapped her own thigh.
“No. I’m the mysterious passerby who does good deeds without leaving a name.”
Cheng Yuexin curled her lips, and her willow brows finally relaxed.
“Still pretending to be an unsung hero?”
Liu Yingqiu smiled slightly.
“Of course. I’m just your hero.”
The two smiled at each other, the atmosphere easing.
Click.
The light in the surgery room was still on, but the door suddenly opened.
A nurse in blue clothes walked out, looking somewhat flustered, moving quickly, and heading straight toward them.
As Cheng Yuexin saw that person approaching, a bad omen made her right eyelid twitch violently.