Chapter 34: My blood type is the same as hers. Take mine, I’m willing. Part 2

Who did I offend to deserve this!

Two ripples on a lake collided, pushing against each other, wearing each other down, yet neither yielding a single inch.

They were often like this now—at an impulsive age, doing the most impulsive things, having not yet paid a high enough price for such impulsivity.

Soon, a new stone was thrown in, breaking the stalemate. Auntie Niu from next door asked Su Ye to deliver something while she was out picking up the scale. Only after speaking did she realize the two young people in the shop were at each other’s throats.

She shrunk her shoulders. “Did I… did I interrupt you?”

“No, not at all.” Su Ye looked away. “Deliver something? I’ll go right now.”

Without waiting for Yue Chengqi’s reaction, she ran out.

Yue Chengqi chased her to the door. “Come back! Come back and take an umbrella, Su Ye!”

But the girl didn’t look back, vanishing in an instant.

***

The rain drummed loudly against the canopy. Because of the holes in the roof, a puddle had already formed in front of the shop, and even the cement floor just inside was stained by muddy footprints.

At this time, those passing through the market were all seeking shelter or a shortcut through the rain. Yue Chengqi took the opportunity to place a bucket of umbrellas by the door with a price tag next to it; passersby always needed them.

After all, no one expected An City, located in the arid Northwest, to have such a massive downpour in early June. The sheer sound was enough to make one’s head spin.

Yue Chengqi pulled her gaze from the rain and pressed a hand to her chest.

There was still a slight sense of unease.

“What heavy rain. I don’t think I’ve seen rain this big in An City for years. Luckily, the exams are over and the kids are on vacation. Thank goodness.” A person sheltering from the rain stared through the worn, semi-transparent canopy at the raindrops splashing away the dust. Then they looked at the person crouching at the door, seemingly deep in thought. “Boss, your umbrella business seems good, so why do you look unhappy?”

Yue Chengqi stood up. “I’m not. I’m just tired of standing, so I crouched for a bit. Since these things can’t be moved inside… do you want to see if there’s anything else you need?”

“Aya, I’ve already had my emergency umbrella needs solved by you, it feels a bit wrong not to buy something. However, unfortunately, I really don’t need anything; I just came by yesterday!”

Yue Chengqi was speechless for a moment before looking away. “Oh, if not, then never mind.”

The person stood for a while longer, shook out their umbrella, and said, “Then I’ll be going? Don’t worry, Boss, for the sake of the umbrella, I’ll definitely be a regular customer in the future!”

Yue Chengqi immediately became polite. “Safe travels, please come again!”

This elicited a round of laughter. Passersby couldn’t help but look over, and more people noticed the umbrellas, bringing in more business.

It was a virtuous cycle. Fortunately, she had prepared in advance.

Yet even with all these preparations, she still felt uncomfortable. Something was very wrong; a small part of her heart felt empty, as if something had been lost.

It shouldn’t be like this. How strange.

She pressed her hand to her heart and suddenly realized: it was past noon. No matter how slow Su Ye was at picking up the scale, she should have been back by now. Where was she? Did she go straight home?

Suddenly, a soaking wet shadow dashed in from the entrance, seemingly clutching a square box. The figure only stopped when they reached Yue Chengqi.

The person’s entire face was obscured by wet, messy hair. They didn’t even have time to catch their breath, hurriedly setting down the item and placing a hand on their hip, squeezing words out of their throat.

Yue Chengqi looked at the item—it was Su Ye’s spring scale! She then looked at the newcomer. The girl brushed the hair away from her face, revealing a slightly tanned, small face.

“Qi Sheng?!”

Qi Sheng nodded and finally caught her breath. After a long exhale, she asked, “Sister Huan, where’s my boss? I waited for her for ages, why hasn’t she shown up?”

Yue Chengqi’s heart skipped a beat, then went cold. Her eyes widened. “What did you say?”

“Oh, Sister Huan, is something wrong with your ears? My boss and I agreed to go get the scale today, but she never came. You have no idea how annoying those Urban Management people are—I had to sweet-talk them forever to get the boss’s scale back for her—”

Before she could finish, Yue Chengqi lunged for the landline phone. She quickly dialed a few digits and waited anxiously, pacing in circles.

Su Ye was definitely not that unreliable. Even if she were taking shelter from the rain, she would have found any possible way to get a message home. If there was absolutely no news, there was only one possibility.

Yue Chengqi immediately thought of that possibility, and her heart skipped a beat.

Please, no. Not this time.

Su Ye’s leg had been injured before, leaving behind a heavy scar and chronic pain. Yue Chengqi thought she had already resolved it during their first meeting, so she hadn’t given it much thought. How…

No, that wasn’t right.

If her arrival was an accident, then that first meeting was the “accident” in the true sense. Su Ye’s leg would surely be injured again.

But with such heavy rain today… please let it not be today…

Please, not today. We’re still fighting, and she’s on her period. Don’t torment us any longer.

Yue Chengqi found it hard to breathe for a moment. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her hand gripping the phone cord turned slightly white.

Soon, the call connected. Lin Wanjia’s voice sounded so warm even through the static, but the words she spoke were ice-cold—

“Little Leaf? I don’t know. She hasn’t come home. Your courtyard gate is still locked.”

Yue Chengqi finally understood what it felt like to have a single sentence drop her into a cellar of ice.

Her lips trembled as she struggled to support herself, saying softly, “Okay, I understand. Thanks, Sister.”

“What’s wrong? What happened? The rain is so heavy today, don’t scare me.”

Yue Chengqi said hurriedly, “It’s nothing major, Sister. Don’t worry. She’s probably just sheltering from the rain somewhere.”

“Don’t you panic, and don’t go out. It’s too dangerous. I’ll go find her.”

“Wait a moment. You don’t have a mobile phone; it’s not convenient to contact you once you’re out. Wait two minutes. Mingfang should be off work soon. I’ll have her stop by the shop.”

Yue Chengqi looked at the torrential rain hitting the canopy. “It’s too late. Tell Sister Zhang to wait for me at the hospital’s back gate. It’s on the way.”

“Alright. Call me immediately once you find her.”

Hanging up the phone, Yue Chengqi looked at Qi Sheng. “Coming? Help me pack up, or will you watch the shop?”

Qi Sheng was intimidated by those cold, temperatureless eyes and instinctively said, “I’ll watch the shop!”

Yue Chengqi considered it for a moment. “No, better not. It’ll just delay things because of me.”

Qi Sheng blinked slowly. What? Delay what?

“I’ll ask Auntie Niu to keep an eye out for Su Ye. You come with me.”

“Are we splitting up?”

“No, together. You don’t have a phone. It’ll be more troublesome if we find her while separated.”

“…Okay.”

Yue Chengqi quickly tidied the shop. She didn’t have time to cover the perishable items with damp cloths. She briefly explained to Auntie Niu that if she saw Su Ye, she should have her call Zhang Mingfang using the shop’s landline.

Then, she got on her bicycle and plunged into the curtain of rain.

Qi Sheng, who was putting on her raincoat, was stunned. She ran after her. “Sister! Sister Huan! The raincoat!”

But the person who had already sped off had no intention of slowing down to wait for her, charging into the rain that had already formed a solid sheet. Qi Sheng had no choice but to bite the collar of her raincoat. Scanning the area, her sharp eyes caught a scrap of leftover rain tarp on a shelf. She crumpled it up, tossed it onto her vehicle, and used a large canned jar to weigh it down. Then, while putting on her raincoat, she started pedaling her tricycle and followed.

But this route wasn’t toward the Urban Management office; it was another road.

That made sense. The road to the Urban Management office passed the hospital’s front gate. It was already strange that Sister Huan had told her friend to wait at the back gate.

Where did Su Ye go?

Qi Sheng didn’t dare ask. She gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep her eyes open in the storm.

She couldn’t even open her mouth to call out; the rain was so heavy that one breath would fill her mouth with water, choking her.

When they reached the hospital’s back gate, Yue Chengqi stopped her bike, panting as she looked at a person holding an umbrella. The person with the umbrella also seemed anxious, but the curtain of rain was too thick for Qi Sheng to see or hear clearly.

She pedaled a few more times and stopped behind Yue Chengqi, finally hearing the woman’s words—

“…You’re not even wearing a raincoat. What if you catch a cold? Your last cold was so dangerous.”

Yue Chengqi shook her head. Her long black hair was already soaked, clinging to her cheeks. Water droplets slid down her pale face. She took a heavy breath, creating a cloud of white mist in the rain.

Behind her, she saw Qi Sheng and let out a sigh of relief. She pointed at the girl. “Give it to her. She’s wearing a raincoat. These PHS Phones aren’t waterproof; let her hold it.”

Qi Sheng hurriedly wiped her hands and took the novel little gadget, tucking it into the place in her clothes least likely to get wet. She then heard the woman under the umbrella ask, “Do you know how to use it? Do you need me to explain?”

She wanted to say no, but the person who had already started pedaling again didn’t look back, calling out, “I do. This old toy is incredibly simple. Don’t worry. Go home and stay with Sister Wanjia. Be safe on the road. I’ll call you once I find her.”

Qi Sheng tucked the phone away and bowed slightly. Under the woman’s appreciative gaze, she gritted her teeth and followed again.

She thought to herself: no wonder Su Ye cared so much about Yue Huan. She had only ever seen a PHS Phone before and didn’t even know how to turn it on, yet Sister Huan called it a toy. How impressive. She had to work hard to learn from Yue Huan.

Moreover, for someone who usually sat in a shop, Yue Huan’s stamina was incredible. In such heavy rain, Qi Sheng’s tricycle was skidding, but Yue Huan was not only steady on her bicycle but was also getting faster.

Wait!

“Sister Huan, where does this road lead? Shouldn’t we look toward the Urban Management office?” Qi Sheng shouted, squinting her eyes, trying to see the person ahead through the mist.

The bicycle slowed down slightly. Yue Chengqi turned her head and shouted, “Auntie Niu asked Su Ye to deliver something to Dongping Road. She has to cross the bridge. I’m going to check near the bridge!”

If Su Ye had gone to deliver the item as promised, she would have crossed the bridge twice. This rain must have started getting heavy during her second crossing. Furthermore, whether she was on that side of the bridge or heading toward the Urban Management office after crossing, both sides had supermarkets with landlines. Su Ye was not the type to be unreliable; even if she didn’t call Yue Chengqi, she would have certainly called Lin Wanjia.

So the problem had to be on the bridge, or even under it.

Fortunately, the current East Peace Bridge hadn’t undergone its later scenic renovation. It was still a rickety bridge built on short stone pillars, narrow and low, barely able to let a river flow under it. The bridge itself was a makeshift two-lane road.

This was the Northwest; a massive rainstorm occurred only once in a decade, and only then was the city’s drainage system put to the test.

And this time, it failed.

In Yue Chengqi’s memory, no one currently prioritized drainage work. It was only after this unexpected flood that the reconstruction of East Peace Bridge would begin.

But that was for later.

She rushed to the bridge, tossed her bicycle aside, and began searching from the riverbank through the hazy mist. She warned Qi Sheng not to ride anymore since the bridge was extremely slippery and she could easily slide off. They didn’t need two victims instead of one.

Qi Sheng was intimidated by her aura, shrinking her neck as she turned to search the other side where Yue Chengqi couldn’t see.

The rain was too heavy. The bridge, which usually had few cars, was now completely empty. But the rain had long since formed a screen, and anything a short distance away was tightly wrapped in mist, like looking through frosted glass—nothing could be seen clearly.

Even so, Qi Sheng saw a blurred shadow lying in the dirt on the opposite bank, seemingly moving.

“Sister Huan, look across! Is that a dark shadow!”

It was hard to describe Yue Chengqi’s feelings at that moment.

She was soaked to the bone, but she held onto a single breath. Because of that breath, a constant stream of warmth rose from her internal organs, enveloping her so that she wouldn’t freeze from the low-temperature mist.

Her vision was filled with fog. When the rain was particularly heavy in summer, it would kick up mist. The mountains, water, roads, and bridges were all hidden in it. Every step she took on the ground was a skid.

She could only see about a meter around her.

She couldn’t even speak; her throat was filled with cold wind and rain, making it hard to even swallow.

But only one sentence remained in her mind: Su Ye, you must be okay.

The scar on Su Ye’s leg was terrifying, but Su Ye hadn’t cared at all. She wouldn’t give up wearing short skirts or shorts to hide the scar. She told the young Yue Chengqi that every mark on a person’s body was a gift from time; one shouldn’t avoid or fear them, as they were all proof of one’s existence.