—Thanks, Sister A-Yun.
Ji Zhenshi paused, originally planning to tell Li Yunli that she would be back soon.
But then she remembered the psychologist appointment noted in her notebook and suddenly asked instead.
—What are you doing right now? I miss you so much.
Li Yunli replied almost immediately.
—Just finished over a dozen takeout orders. Now I’m preparing lunch.
—I miss Good Child too.
She was more reserved when they were face-to-face, but with distance between them, Li Yunli would respond to Ji Zhenshi’s expressions of longing.
It was strange. It had only been a few days since they’d last seen each other.
—Sister A-Yun, what are you up to this afternoon? Lunch feels a bit early.
—I have something to do.
Li Yunli still didn’t say what her afternoon plans were. Ji Zhenshi pursed her lips as some fellow contestants pulled her aside to snap a few photos. She hadn’t even had time to eat before changing her high-speed rail ticket and rushing back home.
She didn’t tell Li Yunli that she was returning early. On the way, she deliberately avoided calling her and only phoned Tang Xien to share her ranking.
Tang Xien’s voice sounded deeply subdued. She responded indifferently, “Congratulations. That’s some progress.”
She didn’t sound particularly surprised. After all, Tang Xien had spent so much time coaching her through practice sessions lately that it had cut deeply into her own work schedule.
Though reluctant about the extra assignments the company had dumped on her, Tang Xien still handled every task with utmost professionalism.
“Thanks, Teacher Tang. Oh, by the way, I headed back early because of something. I saw you were in a bad mood, so I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Got it.”
“See you later, Teacher Tang.”
Ji Zhenshi hung up and raised a brow suspiciously.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was her imagination, but Tang Xien’s voice had seemed to tremble. Even in those curt words, Ji Zhenshi could sense the heartbreak.
Of course. If Zheng Siqi was telling the truth…
Her girlfriend had passed away, yet their relationship hadn’t even received basic respect. Years later, it could still be dredged up to humiliate Tang Xien.
How much pain must Tang Xien be in? Even as a mere bystander, Ji Zhenshi felt the ache.
Her girlfriend had been a full decade younger, and they’d overcome countless obstacles just to be together. In the end, though, they’d been granted love only for it to end so tragically.
Separated by life and death—the most heartbreaking fate imaginable.
No wonder Tang Xien was so distant. Who could remain unmoved in her place?
Yet she seemed numb to it all now, retreating to bear the weight in silence. She should have been the one suffering the most.
Her lover was gone. Their bond dismissed as something disgusting.
Ji Zhenshi gazed at the scenery blurring past the window. What about them, then?
Would she and Li Yunli one day hear even crueler words? How heartbroken would Li Yunli be?
In that moment, she realized that such company leaders weren’t worth pinning her dreams on. One day, Zheng Siqi would surely hurl the same barbs at her. She wasn’t afraid to hear them, nor was she overly sensitive. It just made staying with the company feel utterly pointless.
She could grit her teeth and chase fruitless gigs and performances because she treasured every stage. But she had never been respected—not her, not her orientation. To Zheng Siqi, she was merely someone useful.
Right then, the urge to flee the company surged within her.
But she had signed a ten-year contract. The penalty for breaking it was astronomical—she couldn’t afford it. Was she doomed to waste away until it expired?
The company could afford to wait her out. At the peak of her career, she couldn’t.
Ji Zhenshi rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling lost.
On one hand, Tang Xien’s impending departure hurt her too. Without question, Tang Xien was the only one besides Li Yunli who truly appreciated her violin playing. She was an excellent teacher. Ji Zhenshi was grateful for her guidance and felt a deep kinship, like fellow travelers on the same path. Losing her would be hard.
On the other hand, she was deeply worried about Li Yunli starting psychological therapy. She yearned to rush back to her side.
This was the time when Li Yunli needed her most.
Ji Zhenshi grabbed a quick bread roll to eat before getting off the train and hailing a cab straight to the coffee shop.
She arrived just in time to see Li Yunli slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading out, clearly about to drive somewhere.
Caught in the lunch rush traffic, Ji Zhenshi had run the final stretch. She bent over with her hands on her knees, her back shirt soaked through with sweat. Beads of it rolled down her cheeks one after another.
She shrugged off her jacket and, with no chance to catch her breath, darted across the street.
Li Yunli never noticed Ji Zhenshi behind her. She pulled open the car door and slid inside. That’s when Ji Zhenshi slapped her palm on the hood with a sharp smack.
Pushing her body to its absolute limits, Ji Zhenshi gripped the door and staggered inside. “Where are you headed?”
Li Yunli’s hands froze mid-motion as she buckled her seatbelt. She turned to stare at Ji Zhenshi, who had let herself right in. Time seemed to stop for a few seconds, filled only with Ji Zhenshi’s ragged breathing.
Just over two hours earlier, this girl had been texting her from out of town to celebrate her win. Now here she was, suddenly materialized before her eyes. Li Yunli stared in stunned surprise.
Ji Zhenshi thought to herself: Isn’t this exactly what they call the Anywhere Door?
Composing herself, Li Yunli had no time for delight. She saw the sweat drenching Ji Zhenshi’s hair and hurriedly grabbed tissues from the car to dab at it. “Why are you back? And covered in sweat like this?”
Shouldn’t Ji Zhenshi still be at the competition out of town?
Ji Zhenshi dove straight forward into her arms. “I missed you… Ah!”
Her waist slammed hard into the gear shift protruding from the center console. Pain twisted her features rigid and flushed her face beet red as she collapsed onto Li Yunli’s lap.
All she had wanted was a hug…
Utterly mortified, she’d embarrassed herself in front of Li Yunli yet again.
Clenching her fists against the agony, her breathing was still labored from the sprint. She lay there frowning, not daring to move.
Li Yunli jumped at the reckless move. The warmth on her thigh grew, and with Ji Zhenshi’s flushed face buried against it, she went still.
What was with this weirdness? They hadn’t even exchanged words, and she was already plastering herself to Li Yunli’s lap.
“What’s wrong, Xiao Zhen?” Li Yunli’s heart ached for her. She cupped Ji Zhenshi’s chin, trying to help her up.
What on earth was this girl up to?
“I think I hit my waist. Don’t move.” Ji Zhenshi gritted out, resting a hand on Li Yunli’s thigh.
The gesture felt inexplicably intimate. Li Yunli watched as Ji Zhenshi toppled wordlessly into her arms, only to injure herself in the process.
Climbing in and lunging straight for her embrace—who knew she was in such a hurry.
Catching sight of the damp patch on her back, Li Yunli pulled wet wipes from her bag and slipped them under the collar to clean the sweat. “Why the rush? If you needed me, you could’ve called—I’d have waited right here. Running yourself ragged like this… silly girl.”
She wiped Ji Zhenshi’s face next. It was steaming hot to the touch, nicely warm.
Ji Zhenshi clutched her stomach and slowly straightened up, her expression still pained. She eyed Li Yunli for two seconds before fishing a small bouquet of roses from her bag. With trembling hands from the pain, she offered it over. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to see you. These are for you, but they’re a bit wilted from me running so hard. Time was short, so this is what I could get. Don’t mind, Sister A-Yun. Next time, I’ll get you something prettier.”
Ji Zhenshi groaned, covering her waist in annoyance. She’d botched it and felt even worse now.
Rushed as she was, she’d still stopped at a flower shop on the way back. Li Yunli had given her flowers so many times, but she’d never reciprocated.
She hoped the simple bouquet would carry all her urgent longing straight to her side.
“How could I mind flowers from Xiao Zhen? Thank you, Good Child. I love them.” Li Yunli’s eyes lit up in delight at the unexpected gift. The petals were a little battered and not as pristine, but anything from Ji Zhenshi earned extra affection in her book.
It was the first time in her life she’d received flowers that felt so thoughtfully chosen, and the surprise warmed her. Her gaze softened further, her heart stirring once more at Ji Zhenshi’s romantic impulse.
Even in such a hurry, she hadn’t forgotten to bring her a bouquet.
“Good, as long as you don’t mind. I was just too eager running back. Next time, something even prettier for Sister A-Yun.” Ji Zhenshi grinned sheepishly and let out a breath of relief.
Li Yunli carefully set the flowers aside, but she was still concerned about the earlier collision. She beckoned Ji Zhenshi closer. “Come here. Let me check if you’re hurt.”
Lifting the hem of her shirt revealed a red mark blotching Ji Zhenshi’s pale waist. It was hard to gauge the damage, but slamming into the raised gear shift with such a delicate spot… it hurt just thinking about it.
Li Yunli’s brows knit tightly. She barely dared touch it, resting just her fingertips along the waistline. “Can you move it?”
Had Ji Zhenshi put on a little weight, though? Those once-defined abs now had a soft layer—looked positively pinchable.
No wonder good moods led to easy gains.
“It’s fine. I just hit it suddenly from running so hard, so it stung for a bit. All good now.” To prove it to Li Yunli, Ji Zhenshi grabbed her wrist once the pain eased and guided her hand to rub her waist.
With Li Yunli’s palm pressed to her waistline, she couldn’t help suspecting Ji Zhenshi was taking advantage again.
But at least it was nothing serious, so she relaxed with a quiet exhale.
She closed her eyes, withdrew her hand, and gave the spot a light, punitive pat. “What was the rush? I’ve told you so many times not to be so hasty—take it steady. Now look, you’re the one paying for it. Did you see how much it hurt earlier?”
It didn’t really hurt anyway, and Li Yunli couldn’t bring herself to hit hard. Ji Zhenshi barely felt it. She shrugged. “Of course I was in a rush. I was rushing back to see you.”
“Rush for this one little moment?” Li Yunli wasn’t swayed.
“Then what are you doing this afternoon?”
Ji Zhenshi had asked her that several times already today.
Li Yunli gazed at her in puzzlement. “Why do you keep asking? Want to spend the afternoon together?”
She assumed Ji Zhenshi wanted to celebrate her win first.
Apologetically, she added, “I’m sorry, but I can’t celebrate with you this afternoon—I have other plans. You can wait for me at the coffee shop. We could hit the night market this evening. The riverfront gets lively then.”
“What is it? Where are you going?” Ji Zhenshi pressed.
Why wouldn’t Li Yunli tell her?
They were together now. These things could be shared, faced as a team.
The sudden barrage made Li Yunli drop her gaze uncomfortably. She fell silent.
Ji Zhenshi’s expression grew serious. “You’re seeing the psychologist, right? You’ve got an appointment with Doctor Lin this afternoon.”
“Huh?” Li Yunli’s mouth fell open in surprise. She hadn’t expected Ji Zhenshi to know.
Before she could recover, Ji Zhenshi reached into her half-open bag and pulled out the medical record card, enunciating each word heavily. “I’m going with you.”
Faced with this, Li Yunli could neither deny it nor refuse the offer to accompany her.
After a few stiff seconds, she reached for the card. “You rushed back just for this?”
When had Ji Zhenshi found out?
“Yeah. I want to go with you—I should be there.” Ji Zhenshi didn’t deny it. She yanked her hand back, pocketing the card before Li Yunli could grab it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Li Yunli paled and forced a smile. “Good Child, it’s just therapy. The odds of it helping me recover are slim. You’re so busy, and it’s not important anyway. I didn’t want to worry you.”
She was used to disappointment and hated the thought of dragging Ji Zhenshi down with her.
Or perhaps, if she did recover, it could be a wonderful surprise for Good Child. Everything was worth looking forward to.
“But you’re still trying, aren’t you? If it wasn’t important, why dodge telling me every time I asked?” Ji Zhenshi countered.
How could anything about Li Yunli not be important?
Before, she hadn’t had the right to pry, so it made sense if Li Yunli kept quiet. But now she did.
Ji Zhenshi huffed. “Keeping everything from me… it hurts.”
Li Yunli didn’t want to argue. She ruffled Ji Zhenshi’s tousled hair and relented. “Fine. Come along then.”
Doctor Lin Qi had even suggested bringing Ji Zhenshi, saying it might boost the chances considerably. It wasn’t a bad idea.
Li Yunli turned her attention to the road and drove seriously, while Ji Zhenshi sat with her arms crossed, watching her.
Silence fell between them, the earlier warmth evaporating as if something now wedged them apart.
It was Ji Zhenshi’s doubt.
“Sister A-Yun, why? Why therapy all of a sudden? You used to just do routine hospital checkups.”
Previously, Li Yunli had only gone for periodic medical exams, nothing like seeking out a psychologist specifically.
Li Yunli let out a soft laugh. She didn’t clarify that it wasn’t sudden—she’d been seeing one all along. It was just that lately, her determination to conquer her psychological barriers had solidified even more, thanks to Ji Zhenshi’s presence.
“Why?”
“Because I want to get healthy again.”
That was Li Yunli’s simplest, most direct answer.
From the start, she’d always cared about her muteness—unable to voice her inner world. She wanted to become at least a normal person, so she could walk even further alongside Xiao Zhen.
