“Don’t do such dangerous things ever again,” Xu You said. “This is the second floor. What would you have done if you fell?”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Song Zhi mumbled, “I just couldn’t wait to apologize to you. Fu Nian’s people were guarding the outside, and I couldn’t get in, so I climbed the tree.”
Xu You said, “You could have sent me a WeChat message. I would have come to get you.”
At the mention of WeChat, Song Zhi fell silent. After a long pause, she finally spoke. “I didn’t dare to send one.”
“I was afraid that if I sent too many, you would delete me.”
Her light-hearted reply pierced Xu You’s heart.
“I wouldn’t,” she said softly. “No matter what you do, I won’t get angry.”
If Song Zhi had been a bit more perceptive, perhaps she could have heard the deeper meaning behind Xu You’s words.
But Song Zhi, who was usually so clever, had always been brave yet utterly dense when it came to matters of the heart.
She only knew that Xu You was no longer angry with her.
After turning on the lights, Song Zhi’s rather haggard face and swollen, red eyes could no longer be hidden. Noticing Xu You’s gaze landing on her face, Song Zhi turned her head away, feeling a bit regretful that she hadn’t touched up her makeup before coming.
“Let’s go,” Xu You said, pretending not to notice her discomfort. “My treat. What do you want to eat?”
Song Zhi nodded. Before leaving, she paused. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
After closing the bathroom door, Song Zhi looked at her exhausted reflection in the mirror. She splashed water on her face several times and tidied her hair. Just as she was about to leave, her eyes caught the trash can out of the corner of her eye.
A white dress lay there quietly, abandoned in the trash.
If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the dress Xu You wore yesterday.
Song Zhi softened her steps, walked over, and pulled the dress out. She was extremely puzzled. Why would Xu You throw it away? She was clearly wearing it when they went out yesterday…
When she saw the bloodstains on the dress clearly, an expression of sheer disbelief washed over her face.
Xu You was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. When she saw Song Zhi come out, she said softly, “Let’s go.”
Song Zhi nodded.
The two of them walked straight out of the main door of the hospital room.
The two bodyguards watching the door were flabbergasted to see two people coming out of the room. They looked at each other, both seeing the utter confusion in the other’s eyes.
When did that person go in? I don’t freaking know.
In the end, they tacitly turned their heads away, staring up at the sky at a 45 degree angle, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.
In the past, it was always Song Zhi who brought “junk food” to Xu You from the outside. Today, however, it was Xu You who took her to a night market. They ordered crawfish and fried skewers, and Xu You grabbed two bottles of beer.
Song Zhi looked at her and smiled. “Didn’t you use to hate this kind of junk food?”
Xu You’s tone was calm. “Yeah, but I like it now.”
The crawfish today was exceptionally spicy, so spicy that Song Zhi’s eyes turned red. She blinked rapidly.
Strange, I used to be really good with spicy food.
That night, Song Zhi behaved just like old times, chatting with Xu You about so many things.
“Let me tell you, our company actually got sponsorship from Chu Xiao recently! Do you know Chu Xiao? That commercial rising star that came out of nowhere. They’re incredibly awesome. Word is their boss really thinks highly of our company.” Song Zhi took a few sips of beer, her pale skin flushing with a faint pink, making her look incredibly well-behaved. “I will definitely work hard in the future to… cure your illness.”
A flash of pain crossed Xu You’s eyes. She gave a soft hum. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Song Zhi didn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol and quickly got drunk. She continued to ramble on to Xu You about many things.
Perhaps because she was truly drunk, she could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.
“Xu You, you know what? I’m terribly afraid of goodbyes. My parents passed away when I was very young, and then I was sent to an orphanage.”
She paused here. “It was extremely dark and gloomy inside. I was so scared. The aunts there would beat people up for no reason. I was beaten many times. A few times, I lay in bed for days and couldn’t even get up, but no one cared about me anyway.”
Her expression became pitiful as she curled herself up slightly. Xu You sat down beside her, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to hold her shoulder. “Yeah.”
Song Zhi obediently rested her head on Xu You’s shoulder and continued, “Back then, I thought to myself, I must study hard to escape that place. I was really amazing, you know? Starting from junior high, I was a recommended student. My tuition was fully waived, and I even got scholarships.”
She opened her eyes, completely lost in her memories. “But at that time, I didn’t have any money for living expenses. I was too young to work part time because no one would hire me. So, I had to rely on the 1,000 yuan scholarship each semester to survive through the three years of junior high on just one meal a day.” She chuckled. “But life got better after that. I was admitted early to a top high school with a full tuition waiver. I was 16 by then, so I could work part time. Do you know? I earned 10,000 yuan that summer break.”
When mentioning that 10,000 yuan, Song Zhi’s voice choked up a bit. “After that, I could finally eat my fill every day. I didn’t have to lose sleep over worrying about money every single night after finishing my studies.”
Listening to her, Xu You responded in a low voice, but her own eyes had turned red. The hand wrapping around Song Zhi unconsciously tightened. “You were very amazing.”
“I was amazing, right?” Song Zhi smiled. “You’re the first person to ever praise me.”
She left the rest of her words unsaid.
Because you are the only person I trust. I wanted to voice these things countless times in the past, but I found that there was no one to listen.
I have lived my life working so hard because there is no one standing behind me. Even if I achieve the highest success, no one will care.
Every Chinese New Year, I spent it alone in a rented room. Looking at the countless lights of homes outside and families reuniting, I could only force myself to bury my head in solving exam questions.
So Xu You, I am very afraid of goodbyes. I am terrified of losing you.
Song Zhi didn’t say anything more after that. She simply buried her head in Xu You’s embrace, taking in the familiar scent on her body.
Her eyes burned, fearing that she might never be able to smell it again in the future.
“You’re drunk,” Xu You said.
“Yeah, I’m drunk,” Song Zhi agreed.
“I’ll take you back.”
Song Zhi nodded obediently. “Okay, I want to walk back.”
It wasn’t far from the Song residence, so Xu You held her up, walking step by step.
The sky grew progressively darker, and the streetlights stretched their shadows very long.
“Xu You.”
“Yeah.”
“Xu You.”
“I’m here.”
“If your illness gets cured, I’m going to cling to you for the rest of my life. Even if you hate me, I’m still going to cling to you.”
“……Yeah.”
That last “yeah” was too quiet. Song Zhi didn’t hear it clearly.
Even if she had, she would have only assumed she misheard.
The moment Tan Yingying opened the door and found Xu You supporting Song Zhi, she let out an “Oh dear!” “This child, how did she get so drunk?”
She immediately stepped aside. “Come in, come in quickly.”
Tan Yingying originally wanted to take Song Zhi from Xu You, but Song Zhi wrapped both arms tightly around Xu You’s neck, refusing to let go for dear life.
Left with no choice, she could only lead Xu You to Song Zhi’s bedroom.
Even after Xu You placed her on the bed, Song Zhi still refused to let go. Xu You said in a low voice, “Be good and sleep, I won’t leave.”
Hearing this, Song Zhi actually let go obediently, though her eyes remained fixed on her.
Xu You helped her take off her shoes and pulled the blanket over her.
Song Zhi was still staring at her with wide eyes. Xu You offered a faint smile. “Be good, sleep.”
Song Zhi blinked.
“I’ll be right back in a moment,” Xu You coaxed her in a very low voice. “Be good.”
Only after hearing her say she would be right back did Song Zhi close her eyes peacefully.
She knew that Xu You never lied.
After coaxing her to sleep, Xu You walked out of the room. Looking at Tan Yingying standing outside the door, her voice was full of apology. “I’m sorry, Auntie, I didn’t keep a proper eye on her.”
Tan Yingying waved her hand. “It’s fine, I know my own daughter.”
She paused, then said, “Auntie has some things she wants to talk to you about. Why don’t we head downstairs?”
Xu You nodded. “Okay.”
Once in the living room, Tan Yingying poured her a glass of water and asked Aunt Wang to slice a fruit platter. “Come, Xiao You, have some fruit.”
Xu You nodded. “Thank you, Auntie.”
“Xiao You, Auntie knows that Xiao Zhi did many things in the past that wronged you. Auntie apologizes to you on her behalf.”
Xu You stopped her. “There’s no need, Auntie. I don’t blame her.”
Tan Yingying sighed. She looked at her face and finally smiled. “You really look like your mother. Your appearance, personality, and moral character are all so similar.”
“It’s such a pity. I told her a long time ago that Xu Jie was no good.”
Xu You blinked. “Auntie, you and my mom…”
Tan Yingying said, “Let me tell you a secret that no one else knows yet. Your mom and I were actually university classmates.”
She reminisced about the past. “Back when she and I were close, Xu Xi wasn’t even in the picture yet. Later, your mom started dating your dad. I told her right then that this man couldn’t be relied upon. Your mom just wouldn’t listen, as if she had been put under a spell. She selflessly treated that gold digging man, Xu Jie, so well. I warned her many times but she wouldn’t listen. In a fit of anger, I broke off contact with her.”
“Actually, I didn’t really want to cut ties with her back then. Later, Xu Xi got close to your mom and started driving a wedge between us. I was very disappointed, and I felt it wasn’t worth it for her. In fact, I kept quietly keeping tabs on her later on. I knew she built the Xu Corporation from scratch. Xu Jie looked somewhat decent back then, and I was even happy for her. Who knew that later…”
Everyone knew what happened later.
Tan Yingying said, “Xiao You, Auntie wants to ask you, have you ever considered that your mother falling ill back then, and your car accident, might not have been accidents at all?”
She originally thought Xu You would be astonished, but unexpectedly, Xu You just nodded calmly. “I have always known.”