Chapter 103 p1
Every night before going to bed, Qiao Xiaoxiao would repeatedly look at the WeChat messages her sister had sent. This had become her unwavering habit.
But in the past week, her sister’s updates had clearly changed. The previous video calls had turned into static photos, and the soft voice messages had been simplified into text.
Although her sister had explained that it was because she was too busy with work, Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart always felt as if it were being pressed by a stone, heavy.
Tonight, she had received a profile picture: Chu Xinrou was leaning against a wicker chair, her long fingers lightly holding a mug, her toes slightly pointed.
The composition of the photo was very artistic, but because the light was dim, her expression could not be seen clearly.
—A friend came over today.
Qiao Xiaoxiao turned her phone screen on and off, zoomed in and out of the photo, and fiddled with it for half an hour.
She had even rejected Yang Feitang’s game invitation for the first time.
“What’s going on? We’re one short!” Yang Feitang’s voice messages came one after another.
Qiao Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip and forwarded the photo. “Sister Yang, don’t you think… something is off?”
On the other end of the phone, Yang Feitang took off her headphones and carefully studied the photo. In the picture, Chu Xinrou was as elegant and composed as ever. She showed it to Xue Youyou. “Youyou, come and take a look. Has Xinrou lost weight?”
Xue Youyou leaned closer to the screen, her brows slightly furrowed. “A little. With her workload, I’m afraid she hasn’t been eating well again.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao stared at the “the other party is typing…” notification above the chat box, her heartbeat unconsciously accelerating. She knew that she might be a little neurotic, but that inexplicable unease just couldn’t be suppressed. She needed an external force to help her convince herself.
But in the end, Qiao Xiaoxiao was not in the mood to play games with Yang Feitang and the others. She took a shirt of her sister’s from the closet, hugged it, and went to bed early.
With Qiao Xiaoxiao’s work and study intensity, she would usually fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. But today, she had tossed and turned for a long time before she gradually fell asleep.
She did not sleep well and had a repressive dream.
In the dream, Qiao Xiaoxiao suddenly fell into the deep sea.
She was surrounded by schools of fish, the brilliant colors flowing in the deep blue, so beautiful it was dazzling. But she only felt dazed, her chest squeezed by an invisible panic, until—
“Xiaoxiao.”
It was her sister’s voice.
At that moment, the fear receded like a tide. Her legs instinctively kicked, and she swam with all her might towards the source of the sound. The schools of fish surrounded her, like a flowing feast. But gradually, the colors of the seabed began to fade, like an old film, decaying inch by inch.
The further she went, the colder it became. The warm, colorful water behind her was still there. She could go back just by turning around. But Qiao Xiaoxiao did not turn back.
Just that one “Xiaoxiao” was worth her abandoning all her escape routes.
When Qiao Xiaoxiao was exhausted, she finally saw her sister.
The grayish-white schools of fish were like layers of gauze, wrapped around Chu Xinrou’s body. Her sister’s figure was faintly visible in the gaps between the schools of fish, her long hair spread out like seaweed, her whole being so light it was as if she had no weight, and she was slowly drifting away with the dark current.
She was drifting further and further away, as if she were about to be sucked into a vortex and disappear.
“Jiejie—!”
She finally shouted, her voice turning into a string of broken bubbles in the deep sea.
Chu Xinrou suddenly stopped.
She slowly turned around, a dazed smile on her pale face. Just as Qiao Xiaoxiao was about to touch her, a tear slid down the corner of her sister’s eye, drawing a crystal-clear trail in the dark seawater. The moment the teardrop fell, the surrounding gray fish suddenly became restless, scrambling to devour that little bit of light.
When Qiao Xiaoxiao woke up from her dream, her whole body was trembling. Cold sweat soaked her pajamas, clinging to her back. The heart-wrenching pain in her dream was too real, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her heart.
4:13 a.m. She stared at the time on her phone screen. The thick night outside the window was like ink that could not be diluted. The restless emotion in her chest had already expanded to its limit, making her unable to bear it any longer.
When Qiao Xiaoxiao insisted on going to find Chu Xinrou, everyone thought she was crazy.
“Just because of a dream?” Yang Feitang frowned at her during breakfast. “Have you been too tired recently?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao just mechanically stuffed her clothes into her suitcase, her fingers clenched so tightly they were white. Yang Feitang sighed and turned to call Chu Xinrou. On the other end of the phone, Chu Xinrou’s voice was still as calm as water. “Everything is fine on my end. You take good care of Xiaoxiao.”
No one understood Qiao Xiaoxiao’s almost-paranoid impulse. She had handled all her work with astonishing efficiency, had asked for leave from school, and had booked the earliest flight. When Yang Feitang wanted to persuade her again, Qiao Xiaoxiao was already standing at the door with her suitcase.
The morning light had just pierced through the clouds. Qiao Xiaoxiao looked up at the sky, and in a daze, she remembered the gradually dimming sea in her dream.
Her voice was very soft, but it carried an unquestionable determination. “I have to go.”
She had to see her sister to be at ease.
A flight of more than three hours.
Qiao Xiaoxiao was in an excited state with her eyes open. She knew that her sister was very busy. After she got there, she would just take a look from a distance and would come back after confirming that her sister was alright.
Because she didn’t want to disturb her sister, she could only go and harass the Second Miss.
After getting off the plane, Qiao Xiaoxiao called Chu Fengyi. Strangely, after a few rings, the call was hung up.
A WeChat message from the Second Miss came in.
—In a meeting. What’s up?
Qiao Xiaoxiao felt a little strange. She knew that there were many high-level meetings, but wasn’t it a bit too “frequent” recently?
But at least she was here, so these small matters didn’t matter.
Qiao Xiaoxiao lowered her head and sent a text message.
—I’m here. I want to see my sister. Is she at the headquarters? Don’t tell her. I’ll just take a look at her.
The Second Miss, in the study, saw this and stood up with a whoosh. The speed was so fast that Lara, who was beside her, was stunned. “What’s wrong?”
On her return this time, she had felt Chu Fengyi’s growth. The once-playful little girl now had the aura of a king, doing everything with a calm and knowing air.
Qiao Xiaoxiao was here. How could the Second Miss not be flustered?
She bit her lip. “Xiaoxiao is here.”
Lara’s eyes flashed. This name was all too familiar to her. In those late-night treatments, Chu Xinrou had cried out these two words countless times under the influence of drugs. The suppressed sobs still lingered in her ears.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lara gently put down her coffee cup, the bottom making a crisp sound as it touched the saucer. “What are you afraid of?”
“And you call yourself a psychologist.”
The Second Miss couldn’t be bothered to explain too much to her and quickly walked towards the bedroom.
She knew her sister.
She knew what Chu Xinrou was thinking.
Now, she was like a walking corpse, without any life. She definitely didn’t want Qiao Xiaoxiao to see her like this.
“Knock, knock—”
The sound of knuckles lightly knocking on the door was particularly clear in the corridor. After waiting for a moment without a response, Chu Fengyi softened her voice. “Jie, I’m coming in.”
The door hinges creaked softly. Although it was daytime, the bedroom was as dark as night. The heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight, and the air was filled with a faint smell of medicine.
The figure curled up on the bed moved slightly. Chu Xinrou’s messy long hair was spread on the pillow, and her whole being was sunk in the bedding, as thin as a piece of paper. She was staring with her eyes open, but her gaze was vacant, fixed on some point in the void. Even when her sister came in, she couldn’t focus.
Chu Fengyi stood at the door, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
In just half a month, Chu Xinrou was so haggard she was almost unrecognizable. She was silent all day, barely eating or drinking.
Chu Fengyi even felt that if it weren’t for the daily message she had to send to Qiao Xiaoxiao to report her safety, her sister would have long since turned into a walking corpse.
She tiptoed to the bedside and slowly squatted down. Just as her fingertips were about to touch her sister’s pale cheek, Chu Xinrou tilted her head slightly, avoiding the touch.
“Do I need to sign something?”
A hoarse voice sounded in the dark. Chu Xinrou stared at the empty darkness, her eyes so vacant it was frightening.
Chu Fengyi bit her lower lip and looked at her sister’s thin profile. She said softly, “Jie, Xiaoxiao is here. She’s already at the airport.”
Hearing the two words “Xiaoxiao,” Chu Xinrou’s gaze clearly wavered. Her originally empty gaze gradually focused, and a layer of mist appeared in her eyes. Even her hand, which was resting on the side of the bed, unconsciously clutched the bedsheet.
Chu Fengyi had been staring at her sister’s reaction. Seeing this, she softened her voice and persuaded, “Do you want to get up and eat something? I’ll help you with your makeup.”
These past few days, she had used all sorts of methods to try to get her sister to go out for a walk, to relax, and to interact with people. But Chu Xinrou had remained unmoved, as if she couldn’t hear anything, just lying in bed in a daze all day.
At this moment, Chu Xinrou’s breathing clearly became rapid, and her eyes also turned red. But after a long while, her whole being suddenly relaxed. She turned her face away. “I’m not seeing her.”
This was the first time she had refused to see Xiaoxiao.
The moment her voice fell, tears rolled down uncontrollably.
…
