Chapter 48

Tears soaked the pillow, and fatigue gradually surged up.

She had not slept well the previous night, and from morning onward today, all sorts of messy things had cropped up one after another. In the evening, she had gone back to confront them, and Wei Shuyu, who already had poor health, was now on her last legs.

Unknowingly, Wei Shuyu fell asleep, still clutching her phone.

She usually suffered from insomnia, woke easily even when asleep, and her dreams were tumultuous and chaotic, as if they had no end.

Now, exhausted as she was, she sank straight down into sleep, plunging into sweet dreams where she did not have to worry about anything.

Unlike reality, the sunlight in Wei Shuyu’s dream was gentle, draping down like thin gauze and tinting the entire street with a pale gold hue.

She seemed to have returned to her teenage years, hazy about everything in the world. The thing she wanted to do most was to go to the corner store for an ice cream, eating it as she walked, ideally while watching the sunset on the horizon paint the evening sky in burning colors.

Wei Shuyu wandered aimlessly in the dream until she reached the end of the road.

Jin Yizhu stood there. She had never seen what Jin Yizhu looked like in high school, but in her imagination, Jin Yizhu back then must have been even more high-spirited—a type who tied her hair in a high ponytail, showed off her long, straight legs in a school uniform skirt, and drew everyone’s gaze no matter the occasion.

The Jin Yizhu in her dream was exactly that kind of person.

She was naturally drawn to her, naturally walked over, and naturally stood by her side.

Jin Yizhu turned around, looked at her, and smiled at her.

‘Are you alone?’ Jin Yizhu asked her. ‘Want to go buy ice cream together?’

Wei Shuyu nodded. She wanted to hold Jin Yizhu’s hand but hesitated a little.

In this dream of returning to her youthful puberty, she was even shyer than now, but Jin Yizhu was bolder than now. Without a care, she took her hand and led her forward.

As Wei Shuyu walked, she stole glances at her, feeling a faint, almost imperceptible sweetness bubbling up from the bottom of her heart.

The corner store was just as she remembered it: a somewhat worn sign, the owner fanning himself with a palm leaf fan while hiding behind the counter watching TV.

Two ice cream freezers stood at the entrance, stocked with all sorts of ice creams. She picked one first, but when it came time to choose for Jin Yizhu, Wei Shuyu hesitated.

Even in the dream, she felt that Jin Yizhu did not like these things.

Before she could dwell on it further, the scene in the dream shifted.

In front of a vast blue sea, Jin Yizhu sat shoulder to shoulder with her. The soft gravel underfoot had been warmed slightly by the perfect sunlight, and the breath of summer rushed toward them.

Wei Shuyu gazed at the sea and thought, This is nice. I can watch the sea with Jin Yizhu.

She secretly turned her head to look at Jin Yizhu’s face. Without makeup, Jin Yizhu looked even more unbelievably beautiful, the sunlight casting a hazy glow over her.

Jin Yizhu was also looking at her, her eyes so bright they nearly outshone the midsummer sun.

The faint sweetness welled up from her heart, enshrouding everything in illusion. Wei Shuyu stared into those eyes as a devil seemed to clamor inside her: Don’t hold back. Right now—kiss her.

In fact, that was exactly what she did.

It was a dragonfly-touching-water kiss. She barely felt the softness of her lips before they parted the next second.

Just like that kiss under the fireworks— so light it was as if it had never happened.

‘…Why is even this kiss in the dream so light, so shallow?’

Wei Shuyu jolted awake, unable to stop herself from lifting a hand to cover her eyes against the glaring light.

Why on earth… did she have a dream like this?

Did she think about Jin Yizhu that much?

She had been too tired earlier and had fallen asleep without even removing her makeup.

Now her face felt thick and sticky, as if covered by a mask, and her clothes clung tightly to her body, already soaked through with cold sweat from her emotions.

Wei Shuyu struggled to sit up and headed to the bathroom to remove her makeup.

The bathroom light was somewhat dim and yellow. The mirror embedded in the wall was fogged up, half obscured by blurry steam and half showing her face—smudged eyeliner at the corners like crumpled emotions, lipstick faded to just a bit at the edges. She looked a bit disheveled.

Wei Shuyu stood in front of the mirror, spreading the makeup remover over her face. Her skin seemed to redden in patches, but she did not stop.

Water rushed out with a splashing sound, droplets hitting the countertop and her chilled hand, washing away not just the makeup but a bit of her strength as well.

She brushed her hair aside, revealing a red mark on her neck from her awkward sleeping position.

Her chest felt stuffy, as if weighed down by something. It was not grievance or sadness, just that indescribable exhaustion that had been buried too long. Now that it surfaced, it was impossible to ignore.

Halfway through removing her makeup, her phone suddenly rang.

Wei Shuyu’s heart skipped a beat. Was it Jin Yizhu? But Jin Yizhu rarely called twice in one day… She had called in the afternoon, so she probably would not call again now, right?

She hurriedly rinsed her hands, grabbed the phone, and disappointment spread instantly, impossible to stem.

It was Wei Qinglu.

It was not that there was anything wrong with her sister…

She just wanted to hear from someone else right now.

“Hello?” Wei Shuyu answered the call and set the phone on the sink, continuing to remove her makeup. “What’s up?”

Her voice carried a tiredness she herself did not notice.

“Sis, guess what they said?”

Wei Qinglu’s tone was complicated, caught between excitement and exasperation. Even she could not control her emotions, feeling like she was dangling from the ends of a scale, swinging uncomfortably.

“I finally get why you dressed like that to go home. With that aura of yours, even Dad didn’t say a word. At dinner tonight, they drank without bragging!”

“Hm, then why do you sound unhappy?” Wei Shuyu asked lazily. “What did they say?”

She tossed a bath bomb into the tub, watching it slowly dissolve in the water. She tested the temperature—nice. She could prepare to soak now.

“They said…” Wei Qinglu’s voice was full of bewilderment, “they said, if that woman is really rich, it wouldn’t be impossible for you to be with her.”

“Sis, how can they be like this? Weren’t they the ones who opposed you being gay the most before?”

“Because Jin Yizhu is rich.”

Wei Shuyu poured a glass of iced tea and set it by the tub, then opened the closet to get her bathrobe.

“Wasn’t it clear what they said? If that woman is really rich.”

“But… but doesn’t that make it…”

Wei Qinglu hemmed and hawed for a long time but could not bring herself to say “selling their daughter.”

“I originally thought they just couldn’t accept you not getting married, that they didn’t want you taking a path outside the norm…”

“It’s not that complicated,” Wei Shuyu chuckled. “I used to think they wanted me to be happy too. I even explained it at length, telling them I liked women, so I’d be happy with a woman. Who knew they didn’t care about that at all.”

Wei Qinglu’s voice grew hoarse. “Then…”

“Just like you thought—anything that can’t be turned into monetary value isn’t value to them. Education, looks, personality—those are just chips in their eyes.”

Wei Shuyu set the phone aside and dipped a hand into the tub, playing with the water inside.

“Sanctimonious. Now do you understand that word? Decency and culture just let them whitewash themselves better; it doesn’t change their essence.”

It was in the process of seeing all this clearly that she grew more and more despairing.

While Wei Qinglu was still stunned, Wei Shuyu decisively hung up. “I’m going to soak now. Think it over slowly.”

She was too tired and had no energy left to tend to her sister’s feelings.

Besides, the one who needed care the most right now was clearly herself—though probably no one thought her feelings needed tending to.

People who were too sensible would lose the qualification to be loved.

Unfortunately, she had realized it a bit too late.

Wei Shuyu sank into the tub, letting the hot water envelop her.

She wanted to submerge her face too, but with the rainbow-hued bath agent she had added beforehand, it felt dazzling, leaving her a little entranced.

Not even two minutes after hanging up, the phone rang again.

Wei Shuyu reached out and hit the quick-answer button, her tone a bit off. “What now?”

“…”

There was a moment of silence on the other end before the voice continued.

Jin Yizhu’s voice was full of grievance. “Wei Shuyu, you’re being mean to me.”

“Hm?” Wei Shuyu slowly came back to herself and murmured, “Jin Yizhu?”

“Yeah, who did you think it was?” Hearing her voice soften, Jin Yizhu’s heart softened too. “Who were you just talking to?”

“My sister,” Wei Shuyu said, a bit embarrassed. “I thought she was bothering me again.”

“Wow,” Jin Yizhu remarked dryly, as if in disbelief. “So… you’re not always this gentle?”

When they had first met, Wei Shuyu had given her the cold shoulder at times, but even then, it had been patient and gentle—completely different from that slightly impatient tone just now.

So, Wei Shuyu got snippy with others? Which meant she was especially gentle only with her? Jin Yizhu felt almost giddy.

“What’s with that? I’m not some anime heroine forever smiling gently to welcome you home,” Wei Shuyu huffed. “You off work?”

Strangely, after hearing Jin Yizhu’s voice, that bone-deep fatigue from before seemed to dissipate bit by bit.

Even her mood improved, as if just chatting like this with Jin Yizhu could make her happy.

“Yeah, had a business dinner. So annoying—they kept pouring me drinks.”

Jin Yizhu sat on the sofa and habitually switched to video call. The screen popped up, but instead of Wei Shuyu’s face, it showed a steamy ceiling shrouded in mist.

“Where are you? I don’t see you.”

“Uh…” Wei Shuyu glanced at her phone and realized Jin Yizhu had switched to video, staring right at her. Her cheeks burned red, and even her voice went off. “I’m soaking in the bath… Hang up first?”

“You take your phone into the bath because you’re afraid of missing my call?”

Jin Yizhu said it casually. She did not actually see a problem with videoing while soaking, but since Wei Shuyu was shy, fine.

“You embarrassed? Then turn off your camera.”

“…”

What a boundary-less straight girl.

Wei Shuyu was speechless for a moment, nearly flying into a rage from embarrassment. She shut off her camera with a click and picked up the phone.

“I’m soaking! In the bath! I’m not wearing clothes!”

“Yes, yes, I know you’re naked,” Jin Yizhu nodded. She had not removed her makeup yet and deliberately showed off her especially pretty face today, curving her lips into a smile on camera. “Aww, are your cheeks red?”

“…No.” Wei Shuyu refuted immediately.

Warm water enveloped her, and even the misty steam carried the subtle fragrance of the bath agent.

Why had she chosen such an ambiguously scented bath agent today? Under the rising heat, her already flushed face from shyness reddened further. And knowing Jin Yizhu was on the other end of the line—even if she could not see her now…

Just imagining it made her heart race.

“How are you going to soak in the hot springs with me like this?” Jin Yizhu laughed. “Then, I get to properly see your blushing face.”

“Jin Yizhu, what’s with your weird kink?”

Wei Shuyu felt like she was melting and simply stood up from the tub, sending a splash of water.

“Done soaking already?” Jin Yizhu’s laugh grew even happier, her voice dropping with a hint of mischief. “There’s a mirror in the bathroom, right? Take a good look at yourself. Are your cheeks red?”

“…”

Wei Shuyu took a deep breath and neatly hung up the call.

Jin Yizhu was not done with her yet and sent another voice message, chuckling provocatively: If you’re not blushing, take a photo to prove it.

Wei Shuyu shot back three resounding words: “In your dreams.”

After rinsing off the foam, Wei Shuyu blow-dried her hair and once more flung herself into bed.

This time, however, she could not fall asleep no matter what.

As soon as she closed her eyes, it was all Jin Yizhu’s smile.

She had a business dinner today and wore a casual-style suit like usual for work. After getting home and taking off the jacket, her silk blouse was lake blue, with the top two buttons undone to reveal her slender collarbone.

The silk flowed like water, outlining graceful curves. Sometimes when she looked down at her, one could faintly glimpse a bit of spring light.

Yet she smiled so wickedly.

No one knew what she was thinking, spouting so many strange words.

Wei Shuyu pulled up the blanket and covered herself entirely, hoping to calm her breathing. It had the opposite effect.

This was too awful…

Could she even fall asleep tonight?