Chapter 28 : The Funeral

Although she said she was going to sleep, Hua Qian’an was really just trying to get rid of Zhao Yingying and He Yi.

Having already retreated behind her bed curtain, Hua Qian’an took out the ointment and bandages she had earlier placed on the bed.

The bruises on her neck still hadn’t healed, and now her legs were covered with even more…

She really felt like she was going through a streak of bad luck.

Sighing, Hua Qian’an turned her head to listen to the sounds from the other beds in the dormitory.

Since she had already withdrawn into her own bed, Zhao Yingying and He Yi would be foolish to keep talking to her.

Finally, the long-awaited sound of washing came from the bathroom.

Lin Yanqiu had really gone all out.

While applying ointment to her calf, Hua Qian’an grit her teeth in frustration.

Luckily, Lin Yanqiu still had some conscience and didn’t make her pay for the ointment herself…

A cool sensation spread from the injured area, and Hua Qian’an lowered the leg of her pajama pants.

After changing the bandages on her neck, she noticed that it was already late.

Lying quietly in bed, Hua Qian’an mentally replayed everything that had happened throughout the day.

Lin Yanqiu, Chen Zhiyan…It seemed like she had somehow crossed paths with these two people all day.

Thinking about it, Lin Yanqiu’s relationship with her really did seem closer than before.

She had met Lin Yanqiu shortly after arriving in this city following the college entrance exam, and throughout her freshman year, she had relied on her help to some extent.

But Lin Yanqiu entering the view of her dormmates was only a recent thing—just yesterday, in fact.

For a whole year in between, their relationship had been neither close nor distant.

Her younger sister, who wasn’t even related by blood and whom she barely knew, suddenly needed her care.

Anyone else would have been unhappy about that.

Their first meeting had been at the funeral of Hua Qian’an’s foster parents.

Hua Qian’an had only ever known she had an older sister she’d never met—Lin Yanqiu, the biological daughter of her foster parents.

But their relationship was extremely cold; even on holidays, Hua Qian’an had never seen Lin Yanqiu make a call or return home.

Her foster parents had adopted her for a simple reason—they hoped someone would take care of them in their old age.

Perhaps knowing that Lin Yanqiu had no intention of doing so, they had adopted Hua Qian’an, who had been left at an orphanage.

Although Hua Qian’an was weak and frequently ill now, she hadn’t always been like this.

Before high school, her health wasn’t outstanding but was good enough to keep her out of the hospital.

Her academic performance was decent, and her future had seemed promising.

Maybe she really could have taken care of her foster parents in their old age.

But that was just a possibility.

No one knew which would come first—the next day or an accident.

Her health deteriorated mysteriously, medical expenses piled up, and her foster parents, already indifferent toward her, grew colder still.

Before the conflicts could fully explode, her foster parents died in a car accident.

Though Lin Yanqiu had long ceased contact with them, legally she hadn’t severed ties.

After the accident, the police naturally contacted her.

Hua Qian’an didn’t know what had happened between Lin Yanqiu and her parents, but now that one party was gone, Lin Yanqiu had returned from Hangyang to their hometown to hold the funeral.

That was the first time Hua Qian’an saw this “sister” who had existed only in conversations until then.

The day of the funeral was gloomy, with heavy clouds.

Though it was daytime, the world seemed dim and ready to rain at any moment.

Hua Qian’an had been notified by their neighbors to attend.

Since it was a traffic accident, the procedures took several days before the funeral could take place.

Though she had no feelings for her foster parents, two lives disappearing right before her eyes still made her a little sad.

After all, even though they were cold toward her, it was because of them that she had lived better than growing up entirely in the orphanage.

At the funeral, Hua Qian’an saw a woman dressed in black who stood out against the surroundings.

Lin Yanqiu.

Dressed entirely in black, she was unlike others who either pretended or genuinely showed sorrow.

Her expression was cold.

It was as if those two black-and-white photos were of strangers to her.

Though beautiful, her features were sharp and aggressive, with piercing eyes that seemed to see right through people.

At that moment, she stood with arms crossed, expressionless, watching people come and go at the funeral.

If one didn’t know she was the deceased’s daughter, one might have thought she was an enemy of the dead, there to stir trouble.

Someone recognized her and tried to offer condolences.

Lin Yanqiu only nodded silently.

The other person could only awkwardly leave.

Maybe because of Lin Yanqiu’s coldness, when Hua Qian’an arrived at the scene, many people actually gathered around her to talk, trying to ease their own discomfort.

Hua Qian’an could only wear a mournful expression and respond to each with thanks.

After these social niceties, Hua Qian’an noticed Lin Yanqiu watching her.

Looking up, their eyes met.

Lin Yanqiu had never contacted their parents before, and after returning had been busy handling the accident and funeral arrangements, so she was unaware of Hua Qian’an’s existence.

But she was not surprised.

Because she understood her biological parents.

The woman who brought Hua Qian’an to the funeral looked embarrassed; she clearly knew Lin Yanqiu.

Finally, as if making a decision, she brought Hua Qian’an over.

“Qian’an, this is your sister.”

She said this to Hua Qian’an.

Hua Qian’an forced a smile and greeted Lin Yanqiu.

But Lin Yanqiu didn’t respond.

Then the woman turned to Lin Yanqiu.

“Yanqiu, I know there’s some tension between you and your parents, but your sister is innocent.”

“Now that your parents are gone, you’re her only family.”

She obviously had known Lin Yanqiu’s family for many years.

Even Lin Yanqiu’s expression softened a bit when facing her.

But when she heard these words, her expression turned icy.

Lin Yanqiu looked Hua Qian’an up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, then snorted dismissively.

“I don’t even know I have a sister…”

If she didn’t care about parents “blood is thicker than water,” how could she care about a stranger she had just met?

“Let me talk to her alone.”

Lin Yanqiu said.

After the neighbor lady left, Lin Yanqiu looked down coldly at Hua Qian’an.

Her voice was like frost.

“I never had a sister.”

“No need to try to please me. It’s useless.”

…

That was their first meeting.

At the time, Hua Qian’an could never have imagined their relationship would ease later on.

Even now, she felt Lin Yanqiu seemed to contradict everything she had said at first…

Though that was a good thing for her.

Scenes from the past played repeatedly in her mind.

As she thought, drowsiness gradually crept over her.

Her consciousness blurred, and she slowly drifted off to sleep…

When she regained awareness, she found herself sitting up.

She looked around groggily.

“Hm?”

She was sitting in the third row.

Was she in a classroom?

Looking up.

There, on the podium, was Lin Yanqiu, giving a lecture.