World.1 Chapter 18
“Qin Huan, you’re awake? I’m glad you’re okay. You have no idea—last night your fever hit forty degrees. You really gave me a scare.” Still half-asleep, Wu Yue felt someone holding her hand. She struggled to open her eyes and saw Qin Huan looking at her tenderly.
“I’m feeling much better now. Don’t worry. You’ve been watching over me for a long time, haven’t you? Why don’t you go back and get some rest? I’ll be fine on my own for now.” Seeing the red veins in Wu Yue’s eyes, Qin Huan felt a pang of guilt.
“No, no, I’ll wait until someone comes to relieve me before I leave.” Wu Yue blurted out in her excitement. But Qin Huan silently withdrew her hand, her voice low: “Who’s going to come and take your place? I’ll be fine. You should go home.” Perhaps there had been someone before, but now she felt a deep sense of loneliness.
“Qin Huan, there’s something I need to tell you. Um, well, I told Auntie about your illness, and she said she’d be here by noon today. Also, Auntie sent me some money earlier, asking me to treat you to a meal.” ” As Wu Yue spoke, her eyes darted around nervously, unable to meet Qin Huan’s gaze. After finishing, she immediately dropped her head: “I know it was wrong of me to keep this from you. If you want to scold me, go ahead.” Wu Yue sat there nervously fidgeting with her fingers, as if waiting for Qin Huan to pass judgment on her.
“Oh, what could I possibly say to you? I know you were only looking out for me. ”Qin Huan didn’t fly off the handle or accuse Wu Yue of keeping secrets from her. When she first heard about it, she had indeed been a little angry—her best friend and her own mother had actually teamed up behind her back, and she hadn’t even known.
But upon reflection, if Wu Yue hadn’t been her best friend, she could have easily refused such a request. Didn’t she know this kind of thing was thankless work? Yet she took it on anyway. Why? It was all because of the bond between them. So, after a moment of silence, Qin Huan spoke up.
“Thank you for not blaming me. You don’t know how much pressure I’ve been under—I was afraid that when you found out, I wouldn’t know how to face you. I know being kept in the dark isn’t pleasant, but now that it’s out in the open, I feel a weight lifted.” Hearing that Qin Huan didn’t blame her, Wu Yue—who had been keeping her head down the whole time—finally found the courage to look up. She took Qin Huan’s hand and poured out her own stress and anxiety.
“Wu Yue didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who insisted she help me. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me.” Before Qin Huan could say anything, Lin Yanan had already rushed to the hospital.
“Of course I won’t blame her—you’re the one who started this, aren’t you? Why are you here? To laugh at me? To mock me for not listening to you back then?” Although she’d heard Wu Yue’s explanation, Qin Huan was still furious at Lin Yanan’s inaction during this time.
She wouldn’t take her anger out on Wu Yue or Zhang Rui, but when it came to Lin Yanan—and her own family—Qin Huan felt free to vent all her pent-up emotions. Though she knew deep down that her words would hurt her family, years of habit had made this way of expressing herself second nature.
“Wu Yue, you’ve been such a good girl. You’ve worked so hard these past few days. I’ll be here to keep an eye on things, so you should go home and rest. Once she’s better, I’ll treat you to a nice meal.” Lin Yanan knew Qin Huan’s temperament and didn’t bother responding to her; instead, she turned to Wu Yue and spoke gently.
“Auntie… I’ll head home now.” Although the way the mother and daughter interacted seemed a bit unusual, Qin Huan also waved her off. Wu Yue hesitated, but unable to resist their insistence, she left.
“Have something to eat.” Lin Yanan set out the takeout porridge and eggs, urging Qin Huan to eat.
“Is this all? You came to visit a patient, and this is what you’re giving me?” Qin Huan looked at the breakfast in front of her, a bit picky. Although she was annoyed, she had to admit she still felt most at ease around her family.
“A patient should eat something light. If you don’t eat, you’ll just go hungry. I’ll go ask the doctor about your condition.” Seeing that Qin Huan could still lift her arms with ease, Lin Yanan knew the situation was likely optimistic, but just to be safe, she decided to check with the doctor.
Qin Huan’s high fever had come on quite suddenly. Besides getting caught in the rain, it was also partly due to her recent melancholy. Her family’s indifference, the blows from Zhang Rui and Liu Yutong, and the pressures of life had been weighing heavily on her mind. But seeing Lin Yanan today had eased that burden, and naturally, she was recovering faster.
Three days later, Qin Huan was discharged from the hospital, and Wu Yue came to pick her up.
“Carry your own things. Don’t always rely on others to help you. Your mother is at this age—do you really expect me to carry your bags? Can’t you let me enjoy a little peace and quiet?” After Lin Yanan paid the bill and completed the discharge procedures, she saw that Qin Huan and Wu Yue had already packed their things. As soon as she returned, Qin Huan handed her a large bag.
“It’s not heavy. If you don’t want to carry it, then don’t.” Qin Huan’s hands moved faster than her brain; as long as Lin Yanan was there, she felt she had someone to rely on and didn’t need to do anything herself.
“ “I’ll help.” Wu Yue felt awkward just standing by watching and wanted to pitch in. But Lin Yanan stopped her: “It’s fine. Let her carry it herself. You’re both seniors now; you’ll be entering the workforce soon. You can’t always rely on others for help.” Qin Huan’s bag only looked big—it was just clothes and toiletries inside. Otherwise, Lin Yanan wouldn’t have let her carry it herself.
“Oh, come on, I know, I know. You say this every time. Isn’t it annoying?” Qin Huan wasn’t without pressure, but she hadn’t figured out her future yet, and hearing these words only made her feel irritated.
“When you’re truly independent and leave me, you won’t get to hear this anymore.” It was impossible for this mother and daughter not to bicker. Unless Qin Huan was acting cute to ask for money.
“Zhang Rui, you’re something else. You broke up with me yesterday, and today you’ve already found a new girlfriend. Who can beat your speed?” As Lin Yanan and the others walked into the school grounds, they hadn’t even reached the dorms yet when they heard a familiar voice. Wu Yue and Qin Huan couldn’t help but stop in their tracks.
“No matter how fast I am, it’s none of your business. Besides, we were never officially dating—we just had a couple of meals together. So why are you getting so worked up about it?” Zhang Rui glared at Liu Yutong, but his arm was wrapped around another girl’s waist, his eyes brimming with smug satisfaction.
“Pfft, you’re just a scumbag, a freeloading man. Now that you’ve left me, all you do is try to drag me down. Why don’t you talk about when you were taking money from me back then?” Zhang Rui’s words and actions stung Liu Yutong deeply. She was the one who always looked down on others—how dare anyone look down on her?
After lashing out at Zhang Rui, she turned to the girl he was holding around the waist: “Don’t let him fool you. He’s always only ever cared about himself and money. As for feelings and such, they’ve never even crossed his mind.”
“Well, that works out perfectly. I like talking about money too—I don’t care about emotions.” The girl’s reaction completely caught Liu Yutong off guard. She clearly didn’t care at all. Zhang Rui didn’t even glance back at Liu Yutong; he simply wrapped his arm around the girl and walked away.