Chapter 77: But I Don’t Know How to Face Her. Part 2

“The ambulance can only get to the bottom of the mountain. I was thinking if I could book a car to come in and take my mother that distance, I…”

“I’ll go. Give me two raincoats.”

Li Xiao was stunned, but under Yue Chengqi’s urging, she hurriedly fetched the raincoats. She watched as Yue Chengqi put one on and headed out. Following her for a few steps, she asked, “Sister, how many people can your vehicle carry?”

“It can only take two people, and the guesthouse needs someone here. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get your mother there safely.”

Yue Chengqi pressed two fingers together and flicked them from her brow into the air in a salute. She twisted the throttle, and the wheels spun through the rainwater, carrying her off.

However, no matter how thick the raincoat was, the speed was too high. Rainwater seeped through the gaps, soaking Yue Chengqi’s clothes. Fortunately, the village roads weren’t too difficult. After picking up the old woman with the injured leg, Yue Chengqi helped her sit in front of her, tucked her into a raincoat, and rode carefully. They quickly made it out of the mountains, where the ambulance was already parked steadily at the foot of the hill.

The old woman gripped her hand, shaking it vigorously as she spoke fervently. “Little girl, just like Boss Ye, you have a heart of gold! A heart of gold!”

Her praise made Yue Chengqi feel a bit embarrassed.

Ye Pingsheng was someone who had been praised by the government for her major contributions to rural development. She had merely given someone a ride; how could she possibly be compared to someone like that?

Li Xiao’s sister worked as a caregiver at the hospital, so Li Xiao didn’t need to follow them. She watched the ambulance leave and twisted her throttle to head back, only then realizing something was wrong.

It seemed the engine of this beat-up second-hand bike had been damaged by the rain. It had been rumbling strangely just now, and now there was no response no matter how she twisted the throttle.

Yue Chengqi tried to fix it herself, but as she stood in the rain, she couldn’t make head or tail of it. Instead, she was overcome by the cold and began to shiver violently.

She felt her body turning cold and her nose starting to itch.

This was very bad.

What was worse was that, in her daze, she seemed to see a black Jeep stop in front of her. A voice that sounded remarkably like Lin Wanjia’s rang out in her ear—

“Why are you sitting here? Weren’t you at the guesthouse?”

The voice was like light, but also like a vine suddenly reaching out from a precipice over a vast abyss. In short, it felt like salvation.

Yue Chengqi looked up trembling. With a bright red nose and a fading consciousness, she stammered out, “Sister Wanjia, don’t scold me…”

Lin Wanjia curled her lip. Fine, now she knew who this reckless person was. To ride out on a crappy motorcycle in such heavy rain to deliver someone—she really still had that same spirit from back then, when she’d rush out into a downpour just to find Little Leaf.

“Get up, we’re going to the hospital.” She gripped her shawl and umbrella handle with one hand and used the other to haul the dazed person up. She touched the girl’s forehead; it was already terrifyingly hot.

What a bunch of fools.

Yue Chengqi only cleared up a little after being stuffed into the car. Once she realized who the person pulling her in was, she jolted, her head poking into the space between the front seats. She stammered, “Wan—Sister Wanjia? Sister Wanjia?!!”

Lin Wanjia glanced at her. “It’s me. Sit properly before you tumble off a cliff.”

Yue Chengqi sat back, feeling as though her head were heavy and her feet light. She shook her head, struggling to pull words from her short-circuiting brain. After a long while, she managed to piece together: “I—I’m not going to die, am I?”

Lin Wanjia laughed out of sheer frustration. “I’m in a very good state right now; don’t curse me.”

“Then why would I see you here…”

“The place you’re staying is my guesthouse. You’re just too stupid for your own good. Why are you out here alone? Where’s Su Ye?”

In her dazed state, Yue Chengqi finally managed to equate Lin Wanjia with Ye Pingsheng, finding a sense of belonging with a “guardian.” Upon hearing the question, she pouted and complained with a sobbing tone: “Sister Wanjia, Su Ye doesn’t want me anymore.”

“…?” What the heck? Su Ye missed her so much she was practically dying, and now she doesn’t want her?

Who is she kidding? What kind of petty quarrel are these two having now?

*

“CEO, the schedules you requested for the next few days are all here. The handover with Cool Garden is arranged and can be implemented after the Spring Festival. There’s no need for further discussions on the Spring Festival activities, so most of the schedule is in the afternoon and evening. There are no particularly critical items.”

Hao Siwei had been woken up in the middle of the night to arrange these tasks. Although she completed them without resentment, she couldn’t help but let out a long yawn, hoping it would wake her boss’s conscience and remind her that it was already midnight.

But Su Ye had only finished work close to eleven. It was only then that she saw the missed calls and messages from Lin Wanjia on her private phone. Several missed calls combined with messages saying Yue Chengqi was sick made her heart skip a beat. She didn’t care that the other party might already be asleep and called back immediately.

Fortunately, Lin Wanjia was used to her self-destructive overtime habits and wasn’t asleep yet. She was still at the county hospital and gave her a brief rundown of the situation.

“The doctor says it’s a viral infection with a long incubation period. It just happened to coincide with the drop in temperature from the rain—a common cold mixed with a viral one. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have hit her this fast. Her fever hasn’t broken yet, but her condition is stable. Don’t worry too much, and don’t pull another all-nighter.”

Su Ye made a decision in three seconds. “I’m going to see her.”

They were no longer the children who lamented how long it took to get from An City to the provincial capital. Work was no longer the absolute priority. Longing could cross mountains and rivers with the wind, and people could spend a great deal of money just to see each other.

“Are you joking? A round-trip flight from Shan Province takes a day at least, and there are no planes flying right now. Go to sleep! Do you not care about your own body?”

“It’s fine. I’ll book the earliest, fastest flight. It’s not a big problem.” The mature voice carried years of accumulated authority, leaving Lin Wanjia in a daze.

After a long silence, Lin Wanjia spoke helplessly. “Little Huan said you don’t want her anymore. I told her there was no way that was true.”

Su Ye corrected her: “I’m going to see Qi Qi.”

“…Little Leaf, escape isn’t a solution.”

“But it’s the only solution for now.” It was the only way until she found a point of balance.

Lin Wanjia had no choice but to let her come, but she insisted she come during the day tomorrow and not a moment earlier. Otherwise, she would force Su Ye to go to sleep the moment she arrived, refusing to let her care for someone else by exhausting herself.

Su Ye agreed readily, but the moment she saw a flight that stopped in An City for fifty minutes at 1 AM, she immediately had Hao Siwei book the ticket.

“CEO Su, there’s only one seat left.”

“I’ll go alone. Book the return flight for noon tomorrow. I’ll rest a bit when I get back and have dinner with the officials in the evening.”

Hao Siwei didn’t know what this flight was for, but since Su Ye was so focused on work, she assumed it was another midnight business negotiation. Even though their boss was already so successful, she still insisted on doing everything herself. Hao Siwei couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect.

She quickly arranged both flights and sent the remaining details to Su Ye via text and voice message. Then, she stopped disturbing CEO Su, so she could get a rare two hours of sleep on the plane.

Su Ye landed, exited the station, and drove toward the county town near Hushan Village. By the time she reached the hospital, the first morning star had appeared on the horizon.

At the ward door, Lin Wanjia stopped her, chiding her for her lack of restraint, but handed her a mask anyway. “It’s a viral cold. Your health is already bad enough; we don’t need you collapsing just as she gets better.”

Su Ye pursed her lips, put on the mask, and walked quickly to the bedside.

“Her fever has been fluctuating since the afternoon. It’s stabilized at 39°C (102.2°F) now. She’s delirious; she probably won’t recognize you.”

Better if she doesn’t.

Su Ye sat down weakly and took the pale, limp hand. Her fingers gently pressed against the girl’s lower lip, which was dry and peeling from the fever. Her eyes stung with a dull ache.

Why did their reunions always happen in hospital wards? Why were they always so pale, so fragile?

Su Ye’s hand trembled as she pressed it against the slightly gray corner of the girl’s eye. She couldn’t help but pull that hand toward her, pressing it against her own forehead, calling her name in a low voice—

“Ah Huan.”

Why was it like this again? Why was she so sick she couldn’t even open her eyes, so delirious? Why did the heavens have to torture her Ah Huan like this every time she arrived in a new era?

Lin Wanjia felt for her. She stroked Su Ye’s long, curly hair and said gently, “Cry if you want to.” She had been holding it in for too long.

“I can’t cry.”

Su Ye’s voice was hoarse, and her eyes were rimmed with red, yet no tears fell.

It was as if her tears had been dried up and exhausted by the heartless grinding of fate over these past twenty-some years. There were none left.

She suddenly remembered something and looked at Lin Wanjia, asking with a mix of fear and a need for confirmation: “Did her arms or legs… did they suddenly disappear? Or turn transparent?”

Was she being rejected by this space-time? Would her life be shackled with a time limit again? Would she be thrown into another era where they didn’t know each other, forced to start all over again?

Fortunately, Lin Wanjia only frowned, looking confused.

Su Ye let out a breath. “That’s good. That’s good.” At least this time, there seemed to be no countdown on her life.

“So, you knew all along?”

Su Ye nodded, her gaze fixed on the face of the sleeping girl. “Yes, I’ve always known.”

Everything—whether it was what she had deliberately changed or intentionally twisted—had been validated in the long river of time, constantly telling her that her lover would eventually return.

“…Then why did Little Huan say you don’t want her anymore?”

“I don’t know how to face her.”

By Lin Wanjia’s side, it felt like being home. All her grievances could be voiced in this short time.

The woman’s rigid body slowly softened as she leaned into Lin Wanjia’s embrace, murmuring, “She’s still so young. She has her family, friends, classmates… She isn’t the Yue Huan who only had me anymore. She is also Qi Qi.”

Lin Wanjia stroked her hair. “Those two identities aren’t in conflict. But there’s no need to figure it all out so quickly. As long as she’s here, it’s enough. Want to sleep for a bit?”

Su Ye was already drowsy. Now that she had finally collapsed into a gentle embrace, her eyelids felt heavier. But before she could fully relax, the new day arrived, and the phone in her pocket vibrated right on schedule.

She sat up, curling her body as she rubbed her eyes. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times, a sight that made Lin Wanjia feel even more pained. She pressed on Su Ye’s shoulders and insisted, “Sleep a little. You have time. Youle is there; let her do it. Let her do more.”

“It’s the end of the year; there’s government handover work.” Su Ye said innocently. “Yolo can’t handle those things. I have to do them.”

She poked Lin Wanjia’s waist playfully. “Are you her real mom or what? I’m going back to tell Yolo that her mother came to me in a dream and told me to make her stay late at work with me from now on.”

Lin Wanjia was truly laughed to frustration. These two were truly a match made in heaven; one saw her and thought they were dead, and the other said she was visiting in dreams. Really, honestly…

But she couldn’t stop Su Ye. Su Ye quickly straightened herself up and rose to leave, but the hand she had been holding with Yue Chengqi suddenly tightened.

It seemed she wouldn’t let her go.