The morning light was faint, seeping in from the edges of the curtains, gray and hazy.
When Yan Yu opened her eyes, the familiar tight, dull pain in her chest wrapped around her once more.
She lay curled on her side for a long moment before slowly pushing herself up to sit.
The old alarm clock on the bedside table pointed to six forty—she had a sketching class at eight AM. She couldn’t be late.
She threw off the covers and used her arms to shift herself onto the wheelchair by the bed.
The cold touch of the metal rims made her shiver slightly.
She wheeled herself over to the peeling desk, took out the last half-bag of bread from a plastic bag, and took a couple of dry bites.
It was too dry. It scraped her throat painfully as she swallowed.
She unscrewed the half-empty water bottle from last night, took a gulp, and forced the food down.
The coughing started again.
She covered her mouth, hunched over, her whole body shaking with the force of it.
Thankfully, there was no blood this time.
After a rushed wash-up, she changed into a faded light gray shirt—still the style Jiang Muyun would wear, but it was the most inconspicuous one in her closet.
Yan Yu faced the cracked mirror and hastily tied her long hair into a low ponytail.
Then, she wheeled herself out the door, the old wheelchair’s bearings emitting a faint, creaking sound.
She had just closed the door when the door to the next room was flung open.
A girl with waist-length hair poked her head out. Seeing Yan Yu pushing herself out in the wheelchair, her eyes went wide. She rushed over in a few steps, her tone a mix of worry and reproach.
“Yan Yu! How come you’re out by yourself again? Didn’t we agree you’d wait for me, that I’d help you?”
It was Ruo Xiaozhen, her only neighbor in this old rental building and also a fellow art department student.
Not only that, Ruo Xiaozhen was Yan Yu’s “childhood friend”—at least, in the original host’s memories.
The two had grown up in the same old neighborhood, playmates since childhood.
Later, for some unknown reason, it was just very “coincidental.”
Ruo Xiaozhen ended up at the same middle school, the same high school, and even the same university as her.
Even when renting, they somehow ended up in adjacent rooms in the same building.
The excessive coincidences made the current Yan Yu feel that something was off.
She stopped moving, leaning against the mottled wall, waiting for Ruo Xiaozhen to run over. She said softly, “I was afraid… of troubling you.”
“How can you say that!” Ruo Xiaozhen’s brows were tightly knit, her round face showing genuine anxiety and a touch of barely noticeable heartache. “I’ve told you it’s no trouble! Wheeling yourself that far alone must be exhausting! And it’s still cool in the morning, your cough isn’t better yet…”
Without waiting for a response, she moved behind the wheelchair and grasped the handles. “Starting today, I’ll come get you every morning to go to school together. You’re not allowed to run off on your own again!”
Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then didn’t refuse again. She just gave a low “Mm,” and couldn’t help but cough softly a couple more times.
Ruo Xiaozhen pushed her, and the two slowly made their way downstairs.
The morning air carried a chill. The scent of cooking oil from breakfast stalls and a faint musty smell drifted through the old neighborhood.
Ruo Xiaozhen chattered away about a variety show she watched last night. Yan Yu mostly just listened, occasionally uttering an “Mm.”
When they reached the crooked-neck old locust tree at the neighborhood entrance, Ruo Xiaozhen’s voice suddenly faltered.
She stopped, moved in front of Yan Yu, and crouched down so her gaze was level with Yan Yu sitting in the wheelchair.
She hesitated for a moment, then gently took Yan Yu’s hands, which were resting on her knees and slightly cold.
“By the way, Xiao Yu… that, there’s something I… I want to ask you again,”
She squeezed Yan Yu’s fingers nervously. “Your previous place, the lease is almost up, right? Su Qinghan… she definitely won’t take care of you anymore, will she? Where are you going to live next?”
Yan Yu’s fingers curled almost imperceptibly. She didn’t speak, just lowered her eyes.
Ruo Xiaozhen hurriedly continued, speaking faster, with a determined earnestness. “Look, we go to the same school, our schedules are similar, and now we live next door. Going to school together every day is nice… How about, how about we just rent a place together? Find a small two-bedroom place with an elevator, or at least on the first floor. We can split the rent, save some money. I, I can do more of the housework! You’re not well. If we live together, I can look after you better…”
As she spoke, her voice gradually softened. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes were bright as she looked at Yan Yu, full of expectation, a trace of barely noticeable nervousness, and deeper still, an unmistakable care.
Yan Yu’s gaze rested on Ruo Xiaozhen’s face for a moment. Her eyes were very still, still as a deep pool.
She was rapidly weighing the options.
Living together meant closer proximity, potentially bringing unnecessary observation and trouble.
But equally, it could share the financial burden.
For her current self—penniless, sick, and with limited mobility—it was tangible assistance.
More importantly, the look in Ruo Xiaozhen’s eyes at this moment overlapped with the warm fragments in the original host’s memories…
She took a light breath, suppressing the itch in her throat.
Seeing her silence, Ruo Xiaozhen thought she was about to refuse again and hurriedly added, “Xiao Yu, listen to me. Don’t worry, you really won’t be any trouble. Besides…”
Her voice softened, carrying a note of pleading that was just right to be hard to refuse. “I get so lonely living alone…”
In Yan Yu’s memories, the original host, every time she heard such words, would lower her head and refuse softly but firmly: “It’s okay, Zhenzhen, I can manage on my own. It’s too much trouble for you…”
That kind of stubbornness, tinged with low self-esteem and a desire not to owe anyone, especially after being accustomed to playing the dependent role with Su Qinghan, wanting to preserve a shred of pitiful dignity in front of her only friend.
But now, the person inhabiting this body was someone else.
Yan Yu looked at the sincere, eager eyes of the girl before her. Finally, she slowly nodded.
“…Okay.”
Ruo Xiaozhen’s eyes shot wide open, as if she hadn’t heard clearly, or as if she’d been struck by immense surprise. She was stunned for several seconds before suddenly jumping up, gripping Yan Yu’s shoulders with both hands.
“Really?! You agree?! Xiao Yu, you agree?!!”
Her strength was still a bit much, making Yan Yu frown slightly and cough twice more.
Ruo Xiaozhen immediately let go, letting out an embarrassed little laugh, but the smile on her face was dazzlingly bright.
“That’s wonderful! Then we’ll go look at places this weekend! I know of a few neighborhoods nearby with suitable barrier-free units, and the rent isn’t bad either…”
She began excitedly making plans, her steps pushing the wheelchair becoming much lighter.
Yan Yu just listened quietly, occasionally nodding once.
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