Chapter 48 Part 2

“Yeah.” Bai Kou nodded. “No one’s asked me out. Staying home to rest.”

“Oh…” Pei Yue responded, paused, then looked away from the camera but said, “Then can we not hang up today?”

“Sure.” Bai Kou agreed with a bright smile, no hesitation, then added, “But I can’t promise how late I can stay up. Might fall asleep.”

“No problem.”

Pei Yue said, “You sleep.”

“As long as I can see you’re still there.”

“OK.” Bai Kou made a quick hand gesture cheerfully. “Don’t worry. You’re all alone over there, but whenever you need me, I’m always here.”

After Bai Kou said that, Pei Yue was quiet for a long while.

She gripped her phone tightly, and after a moment, softly called, “Bai Kou.”

“Yeah?”

The video hadn’t dropped, but Pei Yue went silent—no sound, not even movement in the frame.

Only Pei Yue’s slowly blinking eyes and the faint swaying leaves behind her let Bai Kou know the transoceanic call was still going.

In the end, Pei Yue still shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing again?” Bai Kou looked at her suspiciously. “Do you feel happy only after stringing me along like this every time now?”

Pei Yue made a soft sound of agreement. “Happy.”

That night, Bai Kou stayed up until around two in the morning. She finally couldn’t take it anymore and fell asleep with her head on her arm.

She didn’t even consciously say goodnight to Pei Yue.

Pei Yue, who was out shopping at the supermarket with her classmates, muted her own microphone.

Then, as she walked, she gradually fell to the back of the group.

She extended her index finger and gently stroked the now-darkened call screen on her phone with her fingertip.

“Hiss—”

The next day, when Bai Kou woke up, her arm was completely numb, as if it were dislocated, and she couldn’t move it at all.

She flipped through her phone with one hand. The charging cable had come loose at some point, leaving only 2% battery, and the video call had automatically ended at WeChat’s maximum limit—

12:00:00.

“You really video called with your friend for twelve whole hours?”

Tao Miao stared in shock at the short screenshot Bai Kou had sent her on her phone. “Someone actually managed to video call for twelve hours?”

“Mm-hmm.” Bai Kou stood outside their classroom corridor. “Impressive, right?”

“Super impressive.” Tao Miao gave her a thumbs up. “End of the world today. Want to come with us for some fried skewers after school?”

“Nah.” Bai Kou said, “I promised Mom we’d wait out the end of the world together tonight.”

She returned to the classroom.

During Chinese class, even the teacher joked with them. “Is everyone looking forward to the end of the world? After all, midterms are next week.”

Laughter immediately erupted in the classroom.

On this special day, the composition topic in Chinese class was a little different too.

The prompt was: If today is the end of the world, and you can only write a letter to one person, who would you write to? What would you say to her?

The classmates buzzed with discussion.

Bai Kou gripped her pen and gazed out the window at two little birds flying by.

She immediately knew her answer in her heart. She lowered her pen and wrote—

“To me?”

Bai Xiaochu had been extraordinarily busy lately. Bai Kou hardly saw her at all. That evening, it was only after Bai Kou earnestly pleaded, “Mom, tomorrow’s the end of the world. At least take a day off for the apocalypse,” that Bai Xiaochu agreed to her daughter’s request.

Adults didn’t care about any end of the world. Compared to that, the “apocalypses” at work were far more pressing.

“Dearest Mom—” Bai Xiaochu sat down and unfolded the composition paper, about to read it aloud.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bai Kou quickly stopped her. “Wait until I’m in the room first! Then call me after you’ve read it!”

“Tch, getting shy now?” Bai Xiaochu chuckled for a bit.

She lowered her head and read silently.

Dearest Mom:

Hello!

Since this is composition paper that doesn’t feel like composition paper, on this end-of-the-world day, I’m writing you a composition letter that doesn’t feel like a composition.

…

Bai Xiaochu read on quietly. As she did, she thought to herself that her daughter’s handwriting had really improved.

It looked great.

As she kept reading, she came across the line: “Mom, if this world loses us, you still have to be happy, stay joyful, love yourself well—love yourself more than anything.” Tears welled up in Bai Xiaochu’s eyes.

Seriously, it’s just a classroom composition. No need to get all emotional with me.

She wiped the tear from the corner of her eye.

She laughed again at the final line.

“If there’s reincarnation in life, next time around, I hope they call me ‘big sister,’ and you call me ‘Mom’ too.”

They call you big sister, and I call you Mom?

Bai Doudou, your family hierarchy is totally messed up!

Bai Xiaochu folded the composition paper neatly, walked over to the bedroom door, and knocked three times. “Little author, I’ve finished reading your composition.”

Bai Kou flung the door open in a second. “How was it? Pretty good, right?”

“Mm.” Bai Xiaochu handed back the paper. “Full of true emotion, well-structured, 100 points.”

Nothing happened on end-of-the-world day.

Before New Year’s Day, Yang Wanxi rushed back from Nanjing. Yang Yingyun needed her routine checkup and planned to get a gastroscopy.

Yang Wanxi had looked up a ton of info on gastroscopies online and wasn’t reassured. She insisted on coming home to accompany her mom.

The results came back.

Nurse Supervisor Yang, who worked day and night shifts year-round, turned out to be in excellent health. Aside from some varicose veins in her legs, she had no major issues.

Yang Wanxi was immensely proud. “Without my fifty calls a day reminding you to take care, could you be this outstanding?”

Though the wording was exaggerated, Yang Yingyun still expressed her approval.

That very night when the checkup report came out, Yang Wanxi suddenly started having terrible stomach pains.

A couple of days later, when Bai Kou rushed to the hospital after getting a call, Yang Wanxi was under Yang Yingyun’s watchful care, getting blood drawn for pre-gastroscopy checks.

“Auntie Yang.” Bai Kou greeted obediently, then leaned close to Yang Wanxi and whispered, “When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I was only planning to stay one or two days.” Yang Wanxi pulled back her arm. “Then I had to come in for this checkup last minute.”

“Oh.” Bai Kou took Yang Wanxi’s bag from Yang Yingyun. “Auntie, go ahead and take care of your stuff. I’ll watch her for sure!”

“Alright, thanks so much.” Yang Yingyun patted Bai Kou’s shoulder first, then Yang Wanxi’s. “I’m heading out. Call me when the report’s ready.”

“Mm.” Yang Wanxi nodded.

Next up was the anesthesia evaluation.

Yang Wanxi wanted to toss the cotton swab pressing on her bleeding spot, but Bai Kou sternly stopped her. “No way! Not enough time!”

“It’s fine, my hand’s sore.” Yang Wanxi said. “My stomach still hurts too. A few minutes won’t matter.”

“No, no, if your hand’s sore, I’ll hold it.” Bai Kou circled to Yang Wanxi’s side and carefully took the handle of the cotton swab. She looked into the patient’s eyes. “This isn’t too heavy, right?”

“Mm.” Yang Wanxi turned her face away and replied dryly, “Thanks.”

“Bai Kou, remember—this blanket, put it on me the second I come out!” Yang Wanxi kept instructing her. “And if I try to talk, you have to stop me! Cover my mouth if you have to! Absolutely do not let me ramble!”

“Is it that serious?” Bai Kou hugged Yang Wanxi’s bag. “If you don’t want to talk, just don’t talk, right?”

Yang Wanxi twitched her lips. “You’ll understand once I’m out…”

That day when she accompanied her mom for the gastroscopy, she’d thought the same thing. She’d heard that right after a gastroscopy, before the anesthesia fully wears off, people babble nonsense.

And Yang Yingyun had loudly proclaimed in front of everyone—

“My daughter is so good! So sensible! She can even act! She’s going to be an actress someday!!!”

Buzz.

Yang Wanxi lay on the bed as they wheeled her in. Just thinking of that scene made her heart race with embarrassment; she wanted to die.

So now, she was extremely, extremely, extremely worried about herself…

“Ah? You just finished so late?” Bai Kou had been waiting outside, on a voice call with Pei Yue. “It’s almost dawn over there, right?”

“Mm…” Pei Yue’s voice sounded exhausted. “I should sleep all day today.”

Bai Kou laughed. “Haha, poor thing, forced socializing.”

As she spoke, they wheeled Yang Wanxi out. Her eyes weren’t even open yet.

“Ah, she’s out!” Bai Kou hurried alongside. “Gotta go!”

In a side room, Bai Kou gently draped the blanket over Yang Wanxi. She clutched her phone to her chest and leaned in, trying to call out softly, “Yang Kuikui? Yang Kuikui?”

Seeing her lying there on her side, unmoving and totally vulnerable, Bai Kou suddenly found Yang Wanxi adorable like this.

She turned, leaning her right shoulder toward Yang Wanxi’s face, and raised her left hand for a selfie.

“Eggplant—” She made a peace sign and snapped a quiet selfie.

“Smack.”

The hand still hooked to the monitor grabbed her peace sign hard.

Bai Kou jumped in fright and hurriedly explained, “No, no, no! I absolutely did not sneak a photo of you!”

Yang Wanxi didn’t make a sound.

Bai Kou turned her head. Yang Wanxi was staring at her from close range, blinking her eyes very slowly, looking confused and dazed.

“A-are you awake?” Bai Kou leaned down and waved in front of Yang Wanxi’s wandering gaze. When she got no response, Bai Kou turned and asked, “Uh, sister, sorry—is she awake now?”

The nurse came over and glanced. “Yeah, she’s awake. Talk to her more so she doesn’t fall back asleep.”

Ah? Talk to her more?

But Yang Wanxi had told her not to talk…

After thinking it over, the nurse must know best.

Bai Kou pocketed her phone, crouched down, leaned on the bed rail, and called softly, “Yang Wanxi, Yang Wanxi—who am I? Do you recognize me?”

Yang Wanxi stared at her fixedly for a moment, then suddenly frowned and tried to prop herself up. She mumbled incoherently, “%&#￥#￥…”

“Airplane… Bai Kou…” Yang Wanxi suddenly seemed to recognize her. Her eyes widened as she struggled upward. “Bai Kou! Mm… &（）I like you… Bai Kou, I like you, Bai Kou!” Like a fanatic fan.

Her voice was extremely loud. Everyone in the exam room turned to look at Yang Wanxi.

“Ah, okay, okay, okay!” Bai Kou hurriedly covered Yang Wanxi’s mouth and soothed her cooperatively. “Shh! Got it, got it! I like you too, I like you too!”

“Mmph mmph… I like… &（）you… tell her… %&“

“…”

After sobering up, Yang Wanxi was still sitting on the hospital bed. She watched the video quietly to the end, then gritted her teeth. “Delete it.”

“Haha.” Bai Kou dangled her phone. “No, I want to show it to your sister.”

Yang Wanxi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart ached sourly.

She had no intention of joking with Bai Kou right now, nor was she embarrassed about her own outburst.

Of course, she didn’t blame Bai Kou either.

She just…

She breathed deeply again and again. Maybe because her body hadn’t recovered, her brain couldn’t control her emotions at all.

Yang Wanxi lowered her head. Her nose tingled repeatedly as an inexplicable sense of grievance welled up in her heart.

Bai Kou’s brows furrowed, and the smile on her lips slowly faded.

“I… I already deleted it…” She panicked a little and held up her phone to Yang Wanxi. “Really deleted it… Yang Kuikui, I… sorry…”

“Mm.”

Yang Wanxi pressed her lips together. “No, don’t apologize. I just…”

“Think you filmed me looking too ugly.” She smiled, her voice choking up as she said it.