Shu He’s voice rang out alongside his. He clearly hadn’t expected her sudden question. His lips moved, yet he gave no direct answer.
The air remained silent for a moment, and she stood up emotionlessly.
“Shu He—”
He called out to her urgently, but Shu He ignored him, taking her bowl to the sink.
“I…”
He came up behind her, his hands gripping the wheelchair turning white as he stumbled over his words, unable to say anything.
“It’s all right. If you don’t want to say it, then don’t.”
The moment her words fell, Jing Yi felt relief wash over him. But quickly, Shu He turned around, wiped her hands and threw the paper towel in the bin.
“After all, no one wants to say much to an ex. I understand that, because I feel the same way.”
Her cold words made Jing Yi’s heart sink heavily.
Shu He didn’t look at him again and went straight to her room, leaving him alone in the living room.
The veins on his clenched hands bulged as he looked down at his legs. He closed his eyes in pain. Those hateful faces and their words imprisoned him like a lightless cage—
“You’re a cripple now. You’re not little Lin anymore.”
“Because of your greed, you killed her! Are you satisfied now?”
“Why wasn’t it you who died in that car accident?”
His tense back could no longer support him. He curled up, whimpering, falling into endless torment and confusion—
He dared not speak.
If he did…
Shu He would despise him just like they did…
She would too…
—
Shu He didn’t wake up until noon the next day. Before leaving, she glanced back at the tightly closed door.
Silent, with no movement.
Once she left, the person hiding in the room slowly moved to the window, lifting a corner of the curtain, silently watching her slender figure disappear before rubbing his dry, painful eyes.
Shu He was completely unaware of being watched.
She arrived at the shop where Tong Yuan and others were busy.
When they finally had a break, she came over to speak with Shu He.
“The shop’s first WeChat account is full. Should we open another one?”
Shu He belatedly remembered this matter. “I’ve already created a new account but forgot to give it to you.”
“All right, just give it to me later.”
Tong Yuan was called away by someone else, and Shu He picked up the shop’s spare phone to log into the new WeChat.
When she switched to “TianTian” coffee shop, she saw the latest messages in the chat.
This newly created WeChat account had only one contact.
Her finger paused, and she couldn’t help but tap into it.
Last night at around six, he sent the first message: [Are you asleep? Have you eaten? Taking medicine on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach. Do you want to come out and eat something together?]
Shu He recalled that she was probably still sleeping then.
The second message came at nearly nine last night: [Shu He?]
The third was at just after six this morning: [Don’t be angry.]
And the latest one, from an hour ago: [Shu He, can you bring me brownies today?]
Shu He stared at this message for a long time, speechless.
Still thinking about brownies.
She didn’t answer his question directly, her gaze falling on a plate of mint brownies that had just been made at the counter.
Without thinking, she went over and took a photo of the brownies.
Five minutes later, the shop’s WeChat account, which had never posted any moments, updated with a post: [Last day of the brownie promotion. Interested friends, hurry up!]
Almost the second after posting, someone liked it.
Shu He rested her chin on her hand, staring at the chat window. Sure enough, within five seconds, he sent a message: [Can I really not buy them through WeChat?]
Through the screen, Shu He could almost see him pursing his lips, staring intently at his phone.
She suddenly laughed lightly. Tong Yuan happened to come over and looked at her curiously: “Sister Shu He, what’s making you so happy?”
Shu He’s smile faltered. She shook her head and put away her phone: “I’ll give you the WeChat account once I’ve set it up. Oh, and save me a piece of brownie today.”
“Sure thing!”
—
Around three o’clock, Shu He accompanied Xiang Lanye to find Ni Sui.
When they arrived, she was still busy. After about ten minutes, she hurried over.
“I’m sorry, I just had a surgery.”
“No problem at all.”
Xiang Lanye held a notebook and asked some professional questions. Shu He didn’t interrupt them, just sitting to the side listening, occasionally looking out the window.
As it happened, Ni Sui was a devoted fan of their previous web drama.
So after answering her questions, she was curious, “What’s the new drama about?”
Xiang Lanye had only made a rough outline so far. She told Ni Sui it was a story about a doctor and a radio host.
“A radio host?”
Xiang Lanye nodded, looking at Shu He, “It’s good that Shu Shu understands this area and can help me.”
“I see.” Ni Sui met Shu He’s gaze and revealed a pair of adorable dimples. “I was thinking I could ask my senior. He used to be a radio host too.”
Xiang Lanye was confused. “Isn’t your senior a doctor?”
“Yes.” Ni Sui looked down at her phone. “But his mother is a radio host. He was always the president of the university radio station, and apparently in high school too. He’s very experienced.”
“That’s impressive,” Xiang Lanye exclaimed.
“My senior is coming to find me, so that’s perfect!”
Ni Sui waved her phone, and the contact name flashed by. Shu He felt the name looked familiar and was contemplating this when Ni Sui suddenly stood up and waved to someone behind them—
“Senior!”
The office door was knocked twice. A man wearing clean, scholarly white coat entered, holding documents in one hand. A white medical mask covered his high, straight nose bridge, revealing only a pair of deep, narrow black eyes.
Shu He and Xiang Lanye stood up with Ni Sui. Xiang Lanye secretly tugged at her clothes, staring intently at the man.
“I feel like Ni Sui’s senior is looking at you,” she whispered.
She spoke quietly, leaving Shu He confused as Ni Sui was introducing them.
“Senior, this is my friend Shu He and Lanye.”
The man handed the documents to Ni Sui, then removed his mask, revealing a handsome, scholarly face with a gentle smile.
“Hello.”
He nodded slightly to Xiang Lanye, then turned his deep gaze toward the woman beside her. “Shu He.”
“You know each other?”
Xiang Lanye and Ni Sui exchanged glances. Shu He was also stunned, her gaze falling on the name on the man’s chest—Cheng Shu.
Shu He slowly matched the face with the name. “Cheng Shu?”
The man’s smile deepened. “It’s been a long time.”
They were high school classmates who had worked together at the school’s broadcasting centre.
However, Shu He had joined only to earn credits.
The club took up too much study time, so she left after just one semester.
She never expected to meet again years later because of Ni Sui.
Xiang Lanye sighed, “What a coincidence.”
Then she quietly asked Shu He, “Didn’t Ni Sui give you her business card before? Didn’t you know her senior was your classmate?”
Shu He paused.
She had thought the name sounded familiar at the time, but she truly… hadn’t remembered.
Mainly because she had always been a loner in high school, without particularly close friends, rather introverted.
Focused entirely on studying, she rarely paid attention to her classmates.
“Shu He was our year’s top student. Hard for anyone to forget her.”
She hadn’t recognised Cheng Shu, but he had recognised her at a glance.
For three full years, she had never left the top position in their year.
Before high school, Cheng Shu had thought himself hardworking, until he met Shu He.
He wanted to surpass her, but while he improved, Shu He kept improving too.
The girl was always calm and quiet, never reacting much to others’ envious or jealous looks.
He once heard someone say sourly, “Don’t know what she’s so proud about.”
“Can’t help it. She gets good grades, she’s smart, of course she’s proud.”
Shu He had come from an ordinary school.
At first, people said she was lucky.
Later, they all said she was smart.
Cheng Shu began to observe his competitor constantly, unwilling to admit he felt discontent about being surpassed by such an ordinary girl.
But the more he observed, the more utterly defeated he felt.
The classroom noise seemed unrelated to her. Whenever he looked at her, she was studying.
No matter how early he arrived, he would see her there before him.
The girl in her school uniform, with an ordinary ponytail, focused intently on her books.
For those three years, Shu He was always first.
And Cheng Shu was always second, never surpassing her.
Shu He felt uncomfortable under their surprised gazes and changed the subject.
Learning why they had come, Cheng Shu readily agreed to help them.
However, he and Ni Sui had surgery today, so there wasn’t much time to continue talking.
Xiang Lanye was extremely grateful. Just then, someone knocked on the office door twice.
What a coincidence today. Liang Xu hadn’t expected to see so many people here. He entered carrying a bag, raising an eyebrow as he walked in.
“Why are you here?”
Ni Sui was surprised. “Didn’t I tell you I’m busy today?”
Liang Xu’s gaze casually swept across everyone. He handed her the bag. “Bought cake. Eat if you’re hungry.”
“What are you talking about? You seem happy.”
He was always sociable and knew everyone in the office.
Ni Sui looked at the little cake she’d been craving, her voice becoming excited despite herself. “Isn’t it a coincidence? Senior and Shu He were high school classmates.”
Liang Xu raised an eyebrow. Learning they had worked together at the radio station in high school, he keenly noticed Cheng Shu’s gaze, controlled to the point of appearing normal, and suddenly smiled.
Shu He and Xiang Lanye were preparing to leave. Cheng Shu checked the time and nodded. “All right, let’s meet up when we have time.”
Liang Xu glanced at them. He patted Ni Sui’s head. “I’ll go first. Jing Yi is waiting for me downstairs.”
Xiang Lanye, who was holding Shu He’s arm, heard a familiar name and asked confusedly, “Why is Jing Yi here too?”
“I’m wondering the same thing.”
A lazy voice came from behind. Liang Xu was smiling, giving a strange impression of a smiling tiger.
He walked alongside them, hands in his pockets. “Don’t know what’s up with this guy today. Insisted on going to the hospital, asking when his legs would recover at the earliest.”
Shu He’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, though her face revealed nothing.
They entered the lift, and Liang Xu stopped talking.
Xiang Lanye received an urgent work call.
After hanging up hurriedly, she said, “Shu Shu, let me take you home first.”
Shu He could see she had urgent business. Just as she was about to say it was fine, Liang Xu dangled his car keys. “If you don’t mind, I can take you home? I’m taking your roommate back anyway.”
Xiang Lanye belatedly realised he meant Jing Yi was her roommate. She looked at Shu He, who gave a reassuring smile. “You go ahead.”
Seeing she truly didn’t mind, Xiang Lanye hurriedly left.
Shu He placed both hands in her coat pockets. Liang Xu pressed his car key, and a black car’s lights flashed in the distance. Across that far distance, a pair of eyes seemed to be staring intensely at her.
She didn’t refuse, which surprised Liang Xu.
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask much.
They walked towards the car park. Shu He was about to open the back door when someone called out to her.
Liang Xu looked back with her to see Cheng Shu had chased after them. The man was slightly out of breath as he nodded to Liang Xu.
“Shu He, can I add you on WeChat?”
Shu He hadn’t expected him to chase after her for this. She instinctively said “ah,” remembering that Ni Sui had promoted his WeChat before, but she had forgotten to add him.
She took out her phone. “Of course.”
Liang Xu raised an eyebrow. Being a man himself, Cheng Shu’s intentions were quite obvious.
He suddenly looked back, feeling a desire to watch the drama unfold.
The madman in the car was probably red-eyed with anger by now.
As he had guessed, Jing Yi had been anxiously waiting for her to come in. But now, through the tinted car window, he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could see her smiling profile.
Beautiful yet piercing.
Since their reunion, she had never smiled at him.
Yet now, she was smiling at another man.
He had nearly drawn blood from his palms, his resentful and aggrieved gaze fixed on the two people talking.
Shu He and Cheng Shu chatted briefly. Seeing someone was waiting for her, he said elegantly, “We’ll talk next time. You can send your mother’s previous medical records directly to my phone.”
“All right.”
“—Shu He.”
Just as he had called her name countless times before, Shu He’s heart felt like it was being gently pinched.
She turned around to see that the back window had been opened at some point.
His gloomy, cold gaze moved from the man to meet her eyes. Jing Yi suppressed his jealousy, the darkness gone from his black eyes as he stared at her unblinkingly. His pale, harmless face showed a very faint smile as he said, extremely slowly—
“We should go home now.”
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