You Must Be Good 31

Chapter 31

—I lost my leg when I was eight.

Hearing this, Nuonuo trembled. She quickly hugged Chu Fengyi’s waist and shook her head at her, not wanting her sister to say any more.

Chu Fengyi raised her hand and stroked her hair, saying slowly, “It’s okay. It stopped hurting a long time ago.”

As she spoke, Chu Fengyi gently lifted her pant leg, revealing a section of exquisitely crafted prosthetic limb. The prosthesis was seamlessly connected at the knee, and the bionic skin had a healthy glow under the light, with even the fine blood vessel patterns clearly visible. The metal joints glinted coldly, making a slight mechanical sound with her movements.

Nuonuo’s eyes widened. At the junction of the prosthesis and her real skin, there was a faint red mark, like a wound that could never fully heal.

Chu Fengyi gently stroked the surface of the prosthesis with her fingertips. The temperature difference between the metal and her skin made her fingertips tremble slightly. “This is the third-generation bionic limb,” she said softly. “It’s much more flexible than the previous two generations.” As she spoke, she moved her ankle, and the prosthesis immediately responded, making a nearly perfect flexion and extension movement.

“They say it will get even better in the future, almost like a real one.”

Chu Fengyi shook her head self-deprecatingly. “But… how can it be the same?” No matter how advanced technology becomes, it’s still not a part of her own body. It’s cold and has no warmth.

Nuonuo felt her pain and tightened her arms around Chu Fengyi.

The wind blew across the face that had once been streaked with tears. Chu Fengyi looked at the distant sky and murmured, “It’s been so long.”

Her childhood memories had both similarities and differences with Nuonuo’s.

After losing her ability to speak, Nuonuo had spent most of her time curled up in a corner of the house, afraid to go out, afraid of being bullied.

But Chu Fengyi’s childhood was soaked in the pungent smell of disinfectant, her eyes filled with stark white walls and the blinding light of shadowless lamps. She remembered that at first, she would cry and struggle even when getting a shot. But after one surgery after another, she gradually became numb. When the doctor picked up an instrument, she would just lie down quietly, like a senseless doll. The pain of the prosthetic limb’s break-in period was even more unforgettable. The stinging pain of the metal edges rubbing against her skin kept her awake night after night. In the end, the phantom limb pain was so torturous that no amount of medicine could relieve it. She would grit her teeth in unbearable pain. She had even wanted to jump from a building to end it all.

But what was even more torturous, what broke her heart even more, were the sharp, knife-like, accusatory gazes her parents would cast at her sister.

Her sister had clearly done nothing.

But Chu Fengyi, who was enduring extreme pain, who had lost her leg, who had returned home after finishing her treatment, and who had been trapped ever since, had belatedly realized that she was now a disabled person. All her thoughts were on herself.

She blamed everyone and everything. She hated everything. She didn’t, like many times before, stand in front of her sister to protect her.

She couldn’t be bothered.

The reason Chu Fengyi suspected she wasn’t their biological child stemmed from the subtle incongruities of her childhood. Her parents doted on her, indulging all her whims. But whenever she turned away, she could always catch the suddenly lowered whispers behind her. Her mother, Xu Keqing, would occasionally wipe away tears secretly, saying something to her father with red eyes, while her father, Chu Yunji, would always have his brows furrowed, standing by the window with his arms crossed, his back as heavy as if it were carrying the weight of the entire sky.

Her sister… did she also know this secret?

The eighteen-year-old Chu Xinrou was a completely different person from the leisurely figure who now held a drawing board and painted. As the eldest daughter of the Chu family, her schedule was always filled with various heir-apparent courses—financial analysis in the morning, business negotiation simulations in the afternoon, and social etiquette training in the evening. It was no exaggeration to say that even the way she walked, the way she ate, and even the most basic friendships had to go through layers of screening by the family.

She was like a nightingale in a golden cage, the extent of her wing flaps having to conform to the standards of a Chu family heir.

The memory of her eighth year was particularly vivid in Chu Fengyi’s mind. She was curled up in the shade of the old locust tree in the garden, secretly eating the candy her mother had forbidden her to eat. The cloying sweetness of the strawberry melted on her tongue. Suddenly, Chu Yunji’s cold voice pierced the summer cicada’s chirping.

“Chu Xinrou, are you throwing a rich girl’s tantrum at me now?”

The candy shattered between Chu Fengyi’s teeth. She held her breath and peeked from behind the tree.

Chu Xinrou’s hands, hanging by her sides, were clenched so tightly they were white. The hem of her school uniform was deeply creased.

“A tantrum?” Her sister’s voice trembled in a way she had never heard before. “Daddy, do you have to force me like this?” A tear fell on the cobblestone path. “You clearly know… how painful it is for me to be caught in the middle…”

Chu Yunji’s figure cast a sharp shadow in the harsh sun. He raised his hand and loosened his tie. This action made Chu Fengyi instinctively shrink back. Every time her father made this gesture, it meant his patience had run out.

“It’s either you or Fengyi,” each of his words was as if dipped in ice, his eyes fixed on Chu Xinrou. “I only have you two children.”

The last memory was of her sister’s silhouette slowly lowering her head. The setting sun stretched her shadow long, long, and it finally merged into the darkness of the garden.

Although the young Chu Fengyi didn’t understand the meaning of those words, she instinctively felt the sadness emanating from her sister.

Late that night, when the light in the art studio was still on, she tiptoed and pushed open the door.

Chu Xinrou was staring blankly at the canvas, the paint on the palette already dried. Chu Fengyi curled up beside her like a little cat and gently rested her little head on that thin shoulder. She smelled the faint scent of turpentine on her sister, mixed with the salty taste of undried tears.

Under the dim yellow light, the little bird on the canvas, soaked by the rain, was particularly glaring. Its feathers were messy and stuck to its body, its wings in a posture of wanting to fly, but its amber eyes were filled with the dampness and despair of an entire rainy season.

“Eating candy again?”

Chu Xinrou’s voice was very soft, but her fingers gently ran through her sister’s hair. Her fingertips paused in the strands, gently wiping away the sticky sugar stain. Chu Fengyi shrank back and “hmm”ed like a little cat that had done something wrong.

The only sound in the art studio was the light scraping of the brush on the palette. Chu Fengyi leaned against her sister quietly, feeling that familiar warmth. After a long while, she gently tugged at her sister’s shirt. “Jiejie.”

“Hm,” Chu Xinrou’s gaze was still on the canvas, but her fingers holding the brush tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white.

“I love you.”

Chu Xinrou’s breathing clearly hitched for a moment. She slowly put down the brush, then turned and gently pulled her sister into her embrace. Her hug was restrained and gentle, but it made Chu Fengyi feel a force that was almost trembling.

In her sister’s slightly red-rimmed eyes, Chu Fengyi saw her own small reflection. Chu Xinrou took a deep breath, her voice very soft, but each word was clear. “I love you too.” Her voice carried her usual reserve, but it was more forceful than ever before.

What happened later…

That was the most painful black and white film in Chu Fengyi’s life.

On her eighth birthday, she had tugged at her sister’s shirt and cried, “Everyone else can go to the amusement park… why can’t I?” Large tears fell on the floor. At that time, the internal competition in the Chu family was already at a fever pitch. Chu Xinrou was overwhelmed, but when she saw her sister’s red nose, she relented. The nod was very slight, but it changed both their lives.

If there was a time machine, Chu Fengyi really wanted to go back immediately, slap her willful self hard, and tell herself to shut up.

But there was nothing.

This happy time was forever frozen in Chu Fengyi’s memory as the most vivid color picture.

She would never forget how bright the sun was that day.

The colorful flags of the amusement park fluttered gently in the breeze, and the golden decorations of the carousel reflected a dazzling light. She was like a cheerful little sparrow, pulling her sister’s hand and jumping with joy in front of every ride.

Chu Xinrou was unusually indulgent of her. At the cotton candy stall, she deliberately rubbed the fluffy pink sugar floss on her sister’s cheek. Chu Xinrou was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and laughed helplessly. The sunlight filtered through the sugar floss, casting fine shadows on her eyelashes. “Be good.”

Her sister’s voice was as gentle as the spring breeze. Her fingertips gently tapped her nose. Chu Fengyi laughed “quack, quack,” like a little duck.

They had played on almost every ride in the park. Chu Xinrou had accompanied her on the carousel three times, had laughed until she cried when she was bumped around in the bumper cars, and had even screamed along with her on the roller coaster’s dive. Chu Fengyi remembered that her sister’s hand had always held hers tightly, the warmth from her palm making her feel incredibly at ease.

As the sky darkened, Chu Xinrou glanced at her watch. “It’s time to go home.”

Although Chu Fengyi still wanted to play and didn’t want to go home at all, she knew that she had been very indulgent today. When they got home, who knew what her parents would say to them.

Before crossing the road, Chu Xinrou squatted down and took out a wet wipe from her bag, carefully wiping the residual sugar stains from Nuonuo’s mouth. Her loose hair was lifted by the evening wind, glowing with a gentle amber light in the setting sun.

Just then, a glaring high beam tore through the warm twilight.

Chu Fengyi would never forget the sudden change in her sister’s expression at that moment. Chu Xinrou’s pupils contracted sharply. It was almost instinctive for her to pull her into a tight embrace, protecting her with her entire body. The next second, a huge impact sent them flying.

Bang—

Chu Fengyi felt the world spin. Her back hit the hard road surface hard. She was so scared she started to cry. When she looked at her sister, she only saw that her left arm was hanging limply, but she was still protecting her sister.

What was even more terrifying was that the car that had hit them actually started to reverse, the sound of the tires on the road getting closer and closer.

Chu Fengyi was so small. At that time, her first reaction when she saw the car was to use all her strength to push away the sister who was holding her. To this day, she still didn’t know where she had gotten so much strength. She only felt her body go limp and heard a “crack” in her ear. It was the sound of a bone breaking, so clear it was horrifying.

A warm liquid spread from under her. Chu Fengyi looked down in a daze.

…

These things were too dark. Chu Fengyi didn’t say them to Nuonuo. Although she had only said a part of what was hidden and suppressed in her heart, she felt much more relieved.

Chu Fengyi lifted Nuonuo high up and let her sit on her shoulders. Nuonuo let out a cry of surprise, then giggled, her small hands tightly gripping the ends of Chu Fengyi’s hair.

“We’re flying—” Chu Fengyi deliberately ran, shaking. It was what her sister had once done to her, scaring Nuonuo so much that she screamed and laughed at the same time. The evening wind blew past their smiling faces, blowing away all the heavy confessions.

Back home, under the warm lights, the two who had shared their hearts were already inseparable. Nuonuo stuck to Chu Fengyi like a little tail, even squeezing together at the sink to wash up.

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart felt like it was soaked in vinegar. She tried her best to endure it, but when it was time for bed, Nuonuo actually suggested sleeping with Chu Fengyi.

This was unbearable!

Qiao Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and looked at Nuonuo in disbelief. “You’ve only been out with her for half a day, and you already want to sleep with her?”

How can you be so immodest?!

The guilty Nuonuo didn’t say a word and just burrowed into Chu Fengyi’s arms. Chu Fengyi hugged her and started to shake her prosthetic leg proudly again. She grinned. “What, Nuonuo just likes me. I’m charming, can’t I be?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao craned her neck. “No!”

…

After a long day of travel, Chu Xinrou was walking on the country road with her suitcase. The moonlight stretched her shadow long. Her high heels sank into the mud, making a soft sound. She remembered Ah Sen’s hesitant tone on the phone. “The Second Miss seems… very unaccustomed to the life here.”

Chu Xinrou’s mind conjured up the image of her sister wrinkling her nose in disgust and being at loggerheads with Qiao Xiaoxiao. She couldn’t help but quicken her pace, the wheels of her suitcase bumping along the dirt road.

Suddenly, a series of barks broke the night sky.

Her heart suddenly tightened. She looked up.

Not far away, a figure was running at high speed with a child in her arms, and behind her was another familiar figure.

Chu Xinrou’s head shot up. She turned on her flashlight, the beam piercing the darkness.

She saw the Second Miss, who usually only wore high-end custom-made clothes, now wearing the most popular exaggerated leopard-print pajamas in the countryside. She was holding Nuonuo, who was laughing like a hen laying an egg, and running at an astonishing speed. Her messy hair was flying in the wind, and she was grinning from ear to ear, her prosthetic leg almost a blur.

And behind her was a Qiao Xiaoxiao that Chu Xinrou had never seen before. Her hair was as messy as a chicken’s nest, she had lost one of her slippers, and her face was flushed purple. She was shouting at the top of her lungs, “Someone! A child has been stolen!!!”

【Author’s Note】

Chu Xinrou: What should I say…