He Rou didn’t know how long she had been crying.
Now she was homeless, and she didn’t even know if she had to pay for staying in this single hospital room for the past few days.
She couldn’t even go to the hospital to see a doctor on her own, let alone earn money to pay for her medical bills.
After crying for so long, He Rou truly gave up the thought of wanting her parents’ love.
What she cried about in the end was that she didn’t know how to solve her life problems afterward.
A 14-year-old girl, penniless, homeless.
Although she could go to Luo Yun’s place, she had to meet her with the attitude of atonement.
He Rou didn’t know how to show that attitude.
And also whether Luo Yun hated her, or didn’t want to see her.
These were all problems.
The car to pick her up would arrive at 2:00 PM.
Thinking of this, He Rou stood up from the hospital bed.
She had made up her mind.
From now on, she would completely cut ties with her previous family, and the younger brother she had just learned about would be treated as a stranger.
She wanted to go to Luo Yun’s mother’s funeral.
She wanted to see Luo Yun today.
Even if Luo Yun didn’t want to see her, even if she hated her, despised her, He Rou still wanted to stand by her side.
Luo Yun, who had lost her mother, would be lonely in her life afterward.
He Rou had known this five years ago.
So… so she had to stay by her side, even if she ended up battered and bruised.
Having figured everything out, He Rou got out of bed.
She didn’t know where her clothes were, so she could only wear the striped hospital gown, put on a pair of slippers, and walk out of the hospital.
Just as she opened the door, she found a man in a black suit standing at the entrance.
“Miss He Rou, I’m very sorry. Miss Luo Yun told me that when I arrived at the hospital, I shouldn’t remind you. If you hadn’t walked out of the ward by 2:30 PM, I would leave. Otherwise, I would take you to the funeral. So… please.”
He stepped back half a step and gestured with both hands.
He Rou looked at the situation and knew she had made the right choice.
Then, the two left the hospital.
After getting into the car, there were clothes prepared for He Rou inside.
The driver closed the door, reminded her that everything was ready, and knocked a few times on the door.
He Rou wasn’t good at wearing skirts, and this pure black dress didn’t fit her very well.
After struggling with it for an unknown amount of time, the driver, who had been standing by the car gazing up at the sky, heard three knocks and immediately drove toward the funeral.
The car drove for a long time.
Sitting in the back seat, He Rou watched the city recede bit by bit outside the window.
She had been in this city for five years, but it still felt unfamiliar.
The streets, buildings, and pedestrians had nothing to do with her.
Just as the car started, it began to rain, sparse and light.
She looked down at the dress she was wearing.
The hem reached her knees, the sleeves just covered her wrists, the waist was loose, and the shoulders were a bit wide.
It was probably bought on the fly, not knowing her size.
She grabbed the loose fabric in her hand, held it for a while, then let go.
After an unknown amount of time, the car stopped.
The door was opened from outside.
The driver stood next to it, not urging her.
He Rou got out of the car.
The funeral hall was set up in a place she had never been before.
It wasn’t the estate of Luo Yun’s grandparents, nor the house where she and Luo Yun often stayed together.
It was an independent building with gray walls, and the entrance was filled with white flowers.
Many people were standing at the entrance, none of whom she recognized.
These people were wearing black suits, holding white booklets.
Their partners were also wearing black dresses similar to He Rou’s, but each was different.
There were many styles she couldn’t name.
He Rou walked inside.
There were few people inside, only some immediate family members.
Luo Yun’s grandparents, father, and other very close relatives.
They were sitting around a transparent coffin.
Inside was Luo Yun’s mother’s ashes.
Looking at the scene before her, He Rou didn’t know if she should interject.
She was an outsider, but the person lying inside had died for her sake.
Just as He Rou lifted her foot and stepped forward, the appearance of a person caught her attention.
It was Luo Yun.
She was being supported by her father, slowly walking toward the coffin.
The people who had been gathered around the coffin stepped aside when they saw her, making way for the most important person.
Luo Yun stood at the front, wearing a black dress, her hair tied up, exposing the nape of her neck. It was very pale.
After Luo Yun’s father escorted her to the coffin, he let go, gently rubbed her head, and then left.
The funeral had been moved up because it was going to rain in the afternoon, and a typhoon was coming.
So the ceremony had already ended in the morning.
Luo Yun had fainted due to not eating for a long time.
After lying in the hospital for a few hours, she slowly regained consciousness.
When her father helped her rush over here, the eulogy was already over.
Only the burial remained.
He Rou stood behind her.
Luo Yun’s body was frighteningly thin, her face pale, her fingers trembling slightly, and the outline of her shoulder blades showed through the black dress.
She stroked the coffin, looking inside, lost in thought.
The funeral hall was very quiet.
There was the sound of wind outside, and the rain was getting heavier.
The typhoon seemed to be arriving soon.
But no one spoke, no one urged.
Luo Yun just stood there, her hand resting on the edge of the coffin, her head lowered.
He Rou watched her and took a step forward.
She walked to behind Luo Yun, stopped half a step away.
Luo Yun didn’t turn around, but her fingers moved.
The two stood one behind the other, separated by half a step.
He Rou took another step forward, came to Luo Yun’s side, and grasped her hand.
It was frighteningly cold, but she didn’t let go.
Instead, she held it a little tighter.
Luo Yun didn’t turn her head.
Her eyes were still fixed on the inside of the coffin, but her fingers moved, curling very lightly in He Rou’s palm.
The rain outside grew heavier.
The wind blew rain against the windows, making a slapping sound, as if someone was tapping on the glass.
The lights in the funeral hall were very bright, illuminating everyone’s faces, showing their exhaustion and silence clearly.
The peace at this moment gave He Rou an illusion—an illusion that she could still go back to how things were before.
Suddenly—
Luo Yun released her hand and abruptly turned her head to look at He Rou.
“Get lost…”
When that word came out of Luo Yun’s mouth, He Rou’s hand was still in the position of having been let go.
Her fingers were slightly spread, her palm still retaining the sensation of Luo Yun’s fingers curling.
Looking into Luo Yun’s eyes, they were filled with hatred, pain, disgust, and something He Rou couldn’t understand.
He Rou slowly withdrew her hand and let it hang by her side.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something—’I’m sorry…’, ‘I’ll go…’, ‘Don’t be angry…’.
But looking at Luo Yun’s face, at the things that seemed about to spill from her eyes, the words stuck in her throat and wouldn’t come out.
“So that’s how it is…”
Even though she was full of apologies in her heart, somehow that was what came out in the end.
He Rou took a step back.
She had thought Luo Yun would need her.
She had thought that Luo Yun, who had lost her mother, would be lonely, and she could stand by her side, even if battered and bruised.
She had thought that as long as she was willing to atone, willing to give everything she had, she could earn a place by her side.