Chapter 57: Hope for Those Who Love

Days race on endlessly; people always meet, and people always part.

It all comes down to fate.

No one had ever haunted Yi Qingzhuo’s dreams like that.

As Yi Changhuan had said, once Yi Qingzhuo was discharged from the hospital, she returned to her normal life.

On one hand, the lawsuit proceedings moved forward step by step, and the once-hot news was gradually buried under various later stories. On the other, Yi Qingzhuo recovered quickly, and with Xia Qinyu—her ray of sunshine—dragging her around every day to every famous check-in spot, east and west.

This whole drama soon faded into the river of time, with no one actively digging it up.

But even though daily life had become much richer thanks to Xia Qinyu, in every dazed moment, that face of unparalleled elegance appeared.

It was Shen Chaoyi—that Shen Chaoyi who was still gentle and captivating even without a trace of makeup.

The one who held her hand in the ICU and told her she had to live.

The one who came to visit her and said “sleep well.”

The one who was clearly scared herself but still unhesitatingly stood in front of her.

Most importantly, Shen Chaoyi had implicitly expressed her feelings.

How could that not make one’s heart flutter?

Yi Qingzhuo was too timid. She had pushed Shen Chaoyi away time and time again.

But in the end, Shen Chaoyi still expressed her feelings gracefully and magnanimously.

Shen Chaoyi was brave and tolerant. She gave Yi Qingzhuo the greatest space and respect. She tolerated Yi Qingzhuo’s aloofness.

She confessed by writing it in a book, showing Yi Qingzhuo her heart without demanding a relationship.

If Yi Qingzhuo refused, she could pretend she never saw those words.

The two of them would bury the secret in their hearts, and no third person would know.

Yi Qingzhuo had always felt unlucky, but now she had met Shen Chaoyi.

Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

Yi Qingzhuo glanced at the book in her hands—the one whose every word she had savored over and over.

It was a story about two women from vastly different social classes in the West, who fell in love at first sight and eventually overcame every obstacle, even running away together.

The plot was cliché; even its ending was unoriginal.

But precisely because it was unoriginal, that was its greatest originality.

It told people that to love, one must be brave.

It said that the best ending is for two people to be together.

It hoped that those who love would ultimately have their wishes fulfilled.

Shen Chaoyi sharing this book with Yi Qingzhuo was yet another encouragement.

Just like that day when she said, “Yi Qingzhuo, be brave. There aren’t that many spectators in life.”

Every careful step was a desire to get closer to your heart.

Yi Qingzhuo’s eyes held back the shimmering light within; she closed the book.

Finally, she took out her phone and tapped on that familiar avatar.

Shen Chaoyi’s avatar was a photo from her travels. She wore an off-white long dress, her chestnut hair flowing in the wind.

She stood beside an alpaca, smiling gently.

Yi Qingzhuo checked the time, typed and deleted on the keyboard, then suddenly closed her eyes and sent a message of only five words.

—Are you free tomorrow?

After sending it, Yi Qingzhuo frowned and thought for a moment, feeling it was too blunt.

So she also sent a sticker of a kitten poking its head out, one she had saved from chatting with Xia Qinyu.

But after staring at the sticker for two seconds, she quickly withdrew it.

It didn’t suit her. Not at all.

After thinking it over, Yi Qingzhuo added another line.

—I promised to treat you to a meal after I was discharged. If you’re not free tomorrow, I’m always free. We’ll meet whenever it’s convenient for you.

After sending it, Yi Qingzhuo put her phone aside as if trying to cover something up, and picked up the book again.

Not even two minutes later, she picked up the phone again. No new messages.

After confirming her phone wasn’t on silent, she bit her lip and put it down with a complicated expression.

She picked up the book again, but couldn’t read a single word.

Yi Qingzhuo clenched her fist and pressed the book down on top of her phone.

Finally, she abruptly stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

Outside, Xia Qinyu was watching a movie on her laptop. When she saw Yi Qingzhuo, who had holed up in her room all day, finally emerge,

she immediately straightened up. “Sis, you’re not going to work, and you’re not coming out. What’s wrong? If you’re in trouble, tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Yi Qingzhuo strode over, ignoring her, and went straight to the refrigerator.

She opened it, took out a bottle of ice-cold water, tilted her head, and downed more than half in one go.

The restless fire in her chest wasn’t extinguished.

She casually put the remaining half bottle on the table and walked over to Xia Qinyu.

Seeing the pile of junk food on the coffee table in front of her, Yi Qingzhuo couldn’t help but put her hands on her hips and open her mouth to scold her.

But before Yi Qingzhuo could say a word, Xia Qinyu immediately said, “Don’t look at me—Aunt insisted on giving them to me. She said young people shouldn’t worry about junk food; eating is for when you’re old. Since you don’t eat it, you can’t condemn me. I’m young, my body can handle it.”

All of Yi Qingzhuo’s words got stuck in her throat, and her face darkened.

She bit her lip and was silent for a moment.

Finally, without a word, she turned around and stomped back into her room.

Xia Qinyu looked bewildered.

Just like that? Was she angry?

She felt that since her sister got out of the hospital, her moods had become even more unpredictable.

Yi Qingzhuo closed the door, feeling completely unlike herself.

Her gaze fell on the book on the table. She let out a deep breath.

Finally, she opened her phone. There was one unread message.

—I have a day off tomorrow. I’m free. Where would you like to eat?

On the other end, Shen Chaoyi had no idea about Yi Qingzhuo’s roller-coaster of emotions. She had simply not checked her phone immediately after hearing the notification.

No one knew that when she saw it was a message from Yi Qingzhuo, the smile on her face became impossible to hide.

She looked around; there were still two or three colleagues in the office.

Shen Chaoyi suppressed her smile and replied to Yi Qingzhuo.

After two minutes, Yi Qingzhuo replied.

—I’m treating you to dinner, so you should pick the place.

Shen Chaoyi couldn’t contain her joy. Her glossy lips formed two shallow dimples.

After thinking for two seconds, her slender fingers tapped on the keyboard.

—There’s a newly opened Western restaurant near your place, not far from your internet café. How about we go there tomorrow?

—Okay.

Just one word, not even punctuation.

But it still made warmth flash through Shen Chaoyi’s eyes again and again.

—It’s been a week since you got back. Any discomfort?

—No, just the incision itches occasionally.

—That means new tissue is growing. It’s a good sign. Keep it up.

—Yes.

Staring at that single “Yes,” Shen Chaoyi’s smile grew even wider.

It felt like obeying an order.

Why was Yi Qingzhuo always so serious and funny at the same time, yet she herself didn’t find anything wrong?

Actually, ever since Yi Qingzhuo was discharged, Shen Chaoyi had wanted to ask how her wound was and if she had any discomfort.

But because of what she had written in that book for Yi Qingzhuo, not only had Yi Qingzhuo avoided the question that day, she hadn’t responded since.

She had no standing to care for her; she could only wait, wait for her check-up, wait for her response.

But amid the surprise, Shen Chaoyi also felt a bit nervous.

She knew Yi Qingzhuo was a person of her word. She had invited her to dinner, and Shen Chaoyi feared it was just to fulfill her promise.

And regarding Shen Chaoyi’s feelings, she was still in avoidance mode.

For the first time, Shen Chaoyi realized that this was what it felt like to truly admire someone.

There would be heart-fluttering, happiness, but also bitterness, and even anxiety.

She had never lacked followers and admirers, and she was always among the top in her career among peers. But in front of Yi Qingzhuo, she felt nervous.

Anxious that she wasn’t perfect enough in Yi Qingzhuo’s eyes.

All her life, she never cared about the opinions of bystanders.

But before Yi Qingzhuo, her first instinct was to clear up misunderstandings, not wanting Yi Qingzhuo to overthink.

Yi Qingzhuo already held a unique place.

A part that no one else could fill.