The light outside the emergency room was bright. Sitting just below it, Shen Leqing was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Her uncle sat right beside her, holding her tightly in his arms as he gently wiped her tears with a pink handkerchief, whispering soft words of comfort. The entire hallway was thick with sorrow.
Didn’t her younger sister just have a heart transplant? How could things have gone wrong again?
Even though she was my friend, my rationality told me that now was not the time to show my face.
I decided to turn back.
Along the way, everyone else seemed to be moving with a clear purpose, going about their day. I was the only one wandering aimlessly. Brushing past the crowds, I retreated to the cramped, monotonous break room.
Maybe it was the heavy silence of the room, but a wave of exhaustion hit me. Before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.
“Sister Xiaoyu!”
“Yuning, you’re here! Come here quick, look what I bought you to eat.”
I watched from a distance as a little girl, about five years old, leapt off a swing and threw her arms around another girl.
The girl named Xiaoyu looked much older and was noticeably taller. She gently patted the messy hair of the little girl in her arms, then pulled a lollipop from her pocket. She teased her with it for a second, and when the little girl’s face lit up, she handed it over.
“Where’s your mom? It’s almost dark, why did she leave you here all alone?” Xiaoyu knelt down to ask Yuning.
Yuning chewed on her lollipop and said nothing, but her shoulders slumped, and the smile completely vanished from her face.
Xiaoyu sighed, gently rubbing Yuning’s smudged little face. “Are you hungry?”
The little girl nodded.
Xiaoyu squatted down, rummaged through her backpack for a moment, and pulled out a small pack of what looked like biscuits. “I don’t have much else on me. Here, eat these little bear biscuits to tide you over.”
Yuning reached out, but suddenly froze. She snapped her head up, her wide eyes staring intently at A-You.
“It’s okay, go ahead and eat,” Xiaoyu said, patting her head.
I watched the whole scene unfold, unable to conjure up any expression.
Why do these two kids look like beggars? Where are their parents? Has everyone just forgotten about child protection laws?
Unfortunately, I was completely broke myself, utterly powerless to help them.
Suddenly, as if sensing my presence, both children turned their heads in perfect unison. They stared straight at me, completely expressionless.
There was a deeply unsettling quality to their gaze. It was hollow, devoid of emotion, like staring into the eyes of two lifeless marionettes.
Instinctively, I wanted to run, but I found myself completely paralyzed by the nightmare, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark.
“Lingling? Lingling?”
The muffled voices around me grew sharp and clear. I snapped my eyes open to find my aunt standing beside me, her face etched with deep worry.
“Did you have a nightmare? Why are you covered in a cold sweat?”
I looked down at my shirt. Sure enough, it was completely drenched.
I waved her off, forcing a casual smile. “I’m fine, just a passing dream. Oh, by the way, I brought you some food. It’s warming up in the microwave.”
My aunt didn’t care about the food. She kept her worried eyes locked on me. “Lingling, are you really okay? Do you want me to take you to see a doctor?”
“I’m really fine,” I said, shaking my head. “Everyone has nightmares once in a while, Auntie. Don’t worry about me.”
Seeing how insistent I was, she didn’t push any further. She just sighed and let it drop.
On my way out of the hospital, I passed the emergency room. The doors were wide open now, the room completely empty and scrubbed clean. Shen Leqing and her uncle were long gone. I could only hope they had gone to the ward to be with Meng Wuyang.
While riding the bus, my phone vibrated with a notification.
Zhang Yuning: “Next Tuesday is my 18th birthday. Are you free to celebrate with me?”
I replied almost instantly:
Me: “Of course! I wouldn’t miss such a huge milestone for the world.”
She sent back a cute little bunny emoji:
Zhang Yuning: “Yay! Come over to my place next Tuesday, I’ll be waiting for you!”
I sent her a head-pat emoji and turned off my screen.
Showing up was the easy part; figuring out what to get her was what drove me crazy. After agonizing over my phone for two straight days, I went out and bought a massive haul of paints.
Instead of getting her something generic, I wanted to give her a gift that was truly one-of-a-kind.
I set up my easel in the courtyard and prepped my brushes and palette. The sky was perfectly clear, and a cool, gentle breeze swept through the air. With everything aligning so beautifully, it felt like the ultimate moment to let my creativity flow.
After days of relentless effort, I finally finished my masterpiece the evening before her birthday.
The painting featured a young girl in a white sundress, holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling sweetly. Behind her was the deeply familiar A-Ning’s Dessert Shop. Wuxue was sitting upright on the front steps, while Jinhu lounged by my favorite small window, gazing at the view. Ivy leaves climbed thick and green along the walls, and the flower beds outside were bursting with blooming blossoms. The entire canvas practically radiated life and vitality.
Early the next morning, I carefully packed the painting and headed over to Zhang Yuning’s place.
When I arrived, she was watering the plants outside the shop, seemingly oblivious to my approach. Mischief took over. I quietly slipped behind her and quickly covered her eyes with my hands.
Startled, she gasped and instinctively reached back to grab my hands. The moment our skin met, we both froze.
Her hands were icy cold…likely from the water…but soft to the touch. She stiffened for a fraction of a second upon registering it was me, her grip loosening before gently holding on. She turned around, her face instantly lighting up with pure joy.
“A-Ling, you’re here!” she exclaimed, beaming.
I nodded, pulled out the wrapped painting, and handed it to her, watching her expression closely.
She was ecstatic. Holding the gift in one hand, she dragged me into the shop with the other, constantly looking back at me and flashing bright smiles.
The moment she unwrapped the canvas, her eyes literally sparkled.
She lifted the painting with absolute care, staring at it for a full three minutes. I eventually had to nudge her shoulder to bring her back to reality. And then…
She threw her arms around me, holding me tight.
Buried in my shoulder, she mumbled a string of muffled words I couldn’t quite make out. It wasn’t until I felt a sudden warmth soaking into my shirt that I realized what was happening. I gently pulled back to cup her face…and sure enough, she was crying.
“Oh goodness, why are you crying?” I muttered, not even sure if she could read my lips, as I frantically looked around for tissues.
She took the tissue I handed her, wiping her tears while sniffing, “Thank you. I’m so moved… I love it.”
I laughed. “As long as you like it! Alright, stop crying. You’re officially an adult now, why are you being more childish than me?”
She kept sobbing, but she couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot, her eyes darting back to the painting every two seconds.
“It’s beautiful. I’m going to hang it on the wall for everyone to see.”
“Oh wow,” I teased, letting out a laugh. “You love it that much? I might actually let it go to my head.”
She nodded vigorously. “It is beautiful. And it’s mine. It’s one of a kind.”
I didn’t say anything more. I just stood there, smiling warmly at her. A lingering emptiness inside me suddenly felt completely filled, sending a comforting warmth through my entire body.
Before long, Cheng Yu walked in.
“Well, aren’t we lively today? What’s that on the table?” She tossed her bag aside and strolled over, her eyes instantly glued to the painting.
She stared at it, letting out a series of amazed gasps. “Holy crap, who painted this? It’s gorgeous! Hanging this in the shop would look absolutely incredible!”
I took a proud step forward, puffing out my chest. “Ahem. You are looking at the artist.”
Cheng Yu looked utterly skeptical. “No way. You painted this?”
“Yep! It’s my 18th birthday gift to Yuning. Took me ages! A one-of-a-kind gift in this world. Pretty impressive, right?”
Zhang Yuning stared at me, her mouth moving rapidly as she babbled something back. I couldn’t tell if she truly followed what I was saying, but she just happily nodded along anyway.
Completely won over, Cheng Yu immediately whipped out her phone to snap some photos, ending with a firm thumbs-up directed at me.
To be honest, even now, I still have no idea how I managed to paint that. In my past two lives, I had never done anything remotely related to art…well, unless you count scribbling like a maniac in kindergarten in my last life. Yet, the moment I picked up the brush, inspiration had just poured out of me, and the execution felt entirely effortless.
Maybe I had inherited some hidden, artistic talent belonging to Wen Ling, or maybe it was something else entirely. But honestly, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Zhang Yuning loved it.
I spent the entire day hanging out with her at the shop. When the sun finally began to dip below the horizon, she packed up her birthday cake, and I hopped onto the back of her electric scooter as we headed home.
A summer sunset, a warm breeze on our faces, and the golden light filtering through the trees…every single detail felt like it was painting a picture-perfect memory.
Sometimes I think to myself: maybe in this lifetime, I should take better care of myself and try to live a few years longer. Even if I’m destined to fall back into an endless loop of reincarnation later, at least this current life is full of happiness.
We managed to make it home just before nightfall. Her mother opened the door, her face lighting up the moment she saw me, warmly ushering me inside. Even before the elevator doors had opened, the rich, savory aroma of cooking had filled the air. Unable to suppress my curiosity, I was currently craning my neck to peer at the dining table, only to get caught red-handed.
“Are you hungry, Xiao Ling? Don’t just stand there, come sit! There’s just one more dish left!” Her mother pushed me toward a chair before immediately dashing back into the kitchen to bicker with her husband.
The living room was quiet, making the voices from the kitchen perfectly audible.
“Is the food ready yet? Xiao Ling is starving out there! I told you to have everything ready beforehand, and look at you now, making our guest wait.”
“Alright, alright, stop nagging and hand me the green onions.”
I secretly wanted to tell them that it wasn’t that serious; I wasn’t about to starve to death.
It was Zhang Yuning’s birthday, yet her parents seemed entirely focused on making sure I was taken care of. It was a good thing Yuning couldn’t hear them, or her lips would probably be pouting out to here by now.
After putting the cake in the fridge, Zhang Yuning came over and sat next to me. She stared at me blankly, writing things down, stealing glances at me every few moments. Every time our eyes met, she would just break into a silly smile.
Is this person really celebrating her 18th birthday today? She acts like she’s eight.
Oh well. As long as she’s happy.