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墨書 Inktalez
On the Mid-Autumn Night, it began to rain. The sky was a deep indigo, with no moon or stars in sight, only heavy rain pouring down. It was a festival of reunion, yet the wind howled and the rain fell fiercely, leaving the streets devoid of any figures. A black sedan was parked alone at the entrance of Liu Shuhan's residential complex, its lights off, leaving one to wonder if anyone was inside.
At that moment, Liu Shuhan was accompanying Xu Ruyun and Liu Sen to watch a variety show on a certain television channel. The show was exceedingly dull; Liu Shuhan sat on the sofa dozing off, her head bobbing like a chick pecking at grains. Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Ruyun urged Liu Shuhan to go wash up and sleep. Liu Shuhan yawned and got up, saying, "Then I'll wash up and go to bed. You and Dad should sleep early too; you can watch TV anytime."
"Alright, go to sleep," Xu Ruyun replied impatiently.
Liu Shuhan chuckled; how was it that in this family, she felt like the oldest?
After taking a shower and lying in bed, she found herself wide awake, tossing and turning unable to sleep. She wondered what Cheng Qiuyi was doing at that moment. The Cheng Family had fallen; they must hate Cheng Qiuyi deeply now. If they were driven to desperation and resorted to some underhanded tactics, wouldn't that put Cheng Qiuyi in danger?
Lost in her thoughts, her phone suddenly vibrated, startling Liu Shuhan back to reality as she realized she had been scaring herself. She laughed at her own foolishness; there were countless people protecting Cheng Qiuyi, and even her usual car was specially modified—how could she possibly be in any danger?
Without looking at the screen, Liu Shuhan answered the call. "Who is this?" There was silence on the other end. She repeated her question, but still no response. Checking her phone, she saw it was an unfamiliar number from C City. She guessed it might be a scam call or perhaps a prank from a colleague.
"If no one's there, I'm hanging up," she said again.
Immediately, there was a response from the other side. "Don't hang up!"
Liu Shuhan fell silent with the phone in hand; she could almost instinctively recognize Cheng Qiuyi's voice.
"Shu Han, I... I didn't mean to disturb you. I just wanted to wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival..." Cheng Qiuyi's voice carried a hint of grievance and unease, mixed with anticipation—it was unexpectedly endearing.
"Thank you, Qiu Yi. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival," Liu Shuhan initially intended to address her as Miss Cheng but changed her mind at the last moment; after so many years of knowing each other, it would be pretentious to act like strangers.
"I ate the mooncakes you made; they were delicious," Cheng Qiuyi said. "I've been discharged from the hospital. I have no other issues except that my head injury hasn't fully healed yet; it occasionally hurts." Cheng Qiuyi rambled on for quite some time, reporting every little detail of her recent activities to Liu Shuhan—even what dishes she had eaten for each meal and whether they were salty or bland. Liu Shuhan listened quietly as Cheng Qiuyi spoke for two hours while she listened attentively for two hours.
Liu Shuhan only then realized how much she missed Cheng Qiuyi's voice. She greedily listened to every word Cheng Qiuyi said, not wanting to miss even the slightest sound of her breathing.
After finishing her report, Cheng Qiuyi anxiously awaited Liu Shuhan's response. Liu Shuhan simply said, "It's fine. If there's nothing else, let's hang up."
"Wait!" Cheng Qiuyi pleaded urgently, "Shu Han, talk to me for a bit. I want to hear your voice."
Liu Shuhan didn't know what else there was to say to Cheng Qiuyi and fell silent.
After a moment, Cheng Qiuyi hesitantly complained, "Shu Han, why did you block my number?"
Liu Shuhan found it amusing. "Qiu Yi, don't forget that we already..."
"Broke up, I know," Cheng Qiuyi replied dejectedly. "But why? I finally resolved things with the Cheng Family and dealt with Ye Jing, yet you... Shu Han, why?"
"Is it because of the accident? It was an accident; I didn't get hurt because I ignored your advice or failed to take care of myself. I know I worried you... but a landslide is something I can't control, right? Shu Han, it's unfair to blame me like this."
Liu Shuhan felt bitterness rise in her throat. After hesitating several times, she couldn't help but ask, "Cheng Qiuyi, do you think I understand you?"
Why would she ask such a question? Cheng Qiuyi tentatively replied, "Understand?"
"You can't even answer that yourself," Liu Shuhan mocked. "Looking back at the time I've spent with you, I feel like I've been living with a stranger for so long."
If this topic continued, Liu Shuhan felt she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Not wanting to hear any more from Cheng Qiuyi, she hung up the phone directly.
Outside the community in a black sedan, Cheng Qiuyi curled up in the driver's seat, keeping her ear pressed against the receiver throughout the night.
It rained all night long. The old community had poor drainage, and there was quite a bit of water accumulated in the yard.
Liu Sen's arthritis flared up again, and Xu Ruyun gave him a massage with medicinal alcohol, sending Liu Shuhan out to buy breakfast. She specifically instructed him to buy freshly fried youtiao from Uncle Li's stall at the nearby market, claiming that he used good oil and it was clean.
The market wasn't far from the neighborhood. Liu Shuhan, too lazy to change clothes, threw on a hoodie over her pajamas and slipped into her father's oversized plastic rain boots before heading downstairs.
The shoes were too big, making a clattering sound as she walked. Liu Shuhan didn't mind, strolling leisurely to the entrance of the neighborhood, where she spotted a black sedan. The car made her feel slightly disoriented because it looked so much like Cheng Qiuyi's previous vehicle, which had been wrecked in an accident. Even if it were repaired, it wouldn't be ready so soon.
As Liu Shuhan pondered this, the car door opened, and Cheng Qiuyi stepped out.
Cheng Qiuyi looked even thinner than Liu Shuhan had seen on television, her bare face revealing dark circles under her eyes, clearly showing she hadn't slept all night. Liu Shuhan felt a pang of sadness; Cheng Qiuyi was old enough to take care of herself but seemed to be deliberately trying to upset her.
Liu Shuhan tried to ignore Cheng Qiuyi and walk past her, but she grabbed her arm.
"Shu Han, I'm here to take you home."
Liu Shuhan wanted to shake off her hand but couldn't. Resigned, she raised the basket in her hand. "I'm going to buy breakfast. Are you coming?"
Cheng Qiuyi held onto Liu Shuhan's wrist firmly and silently followed her into the market.
Liu Shuhan grew up in this area and knew many of the elderly residents. She greeted several people along the way, each of them glancing at Cheng Qiuyi behind her. Liu Shuhan smiled and explained, "This is my friend; she's visiting for the holidays."
The market, freshly washed by rain, was messier than ever. Liu Shuhan was fine in her rain boots, but poor Cheng Qiuyi's white dress was pristine when they entered but came out covered in mud spots that looked like floral prints.
Cheng Qiuyi stubbornly held onto Liu Shuhan's wrist, carefully searching for clean spots to step on. Liu Shuhan found it amusing but didn't point it out. She quickly bought youtiao and soy milk and led Cheng Qiuyi back.
Standing at the entrance of the neighborhood, Liu Shuhan said, "I'm home now; you should go back too. Take care of yourself while you're still healing. You're not a child anymore; don't make others worry."
Cheng Qiuyi replied with self-deprecation, "If even you don't want me anymore, who else in this world would worry about me?"
"Your friends, A-Zhi, Yuan Ying, and your master, aren't they all worried about you? Cheng Qiuyi, you are being heartless with your words."
"Shu Han, come home with me."
"This is my home, Cheng Qiuyi. Please let go; my parents are waiting for me to have dinner."
Cheng Qiuyi released her grip. "Shu Han, if you don't come back with me, I will wait here until you change your mind."
"Then you can wait."
Liu Shuhan's stubbornness left Cheng Qiuyi feeling a bit disheartened. Could it be that Liu Shuhan really didn't love her anymore? She sat in the car in a daze when Yuan Ying contacted her. "So, did you manage to win her over?"
"No."
"That shouldn't be the case. Isn't Liu Shuhan usually easy to coax? Just sweet-talk her a bit, and she'll calm down."
"If I could coax her, I would have done it already!" Cheng Qiuyi exclaimed in frustration. "I've said a thousand nice things; does it even matter?"
Yuan Ying was surprised. "This girl is so tough? Not bad, not bad; I underestimated her before."
"A-Ying, do you think she really doesn't love me anymore?"
Yuan Ying thought for a moment before replying, "Did she say why she wanted to break up with you?"
Cheng Qiuyi pondered and lowered her head. "She only said that it felt like living with a stranger during this time."
"Then think carefully about what made her feel strange or fearful or insecure. At worst, just call her out and have an honest talk!" Yuan Ying said, frustrated. "Cheng Qiuyi, if you two get back together, you owe me a big gift! You're both adults; still playing these games is quite amusing."
"By the way," Yuan Ying recalled something and said, "Your master is here. He wants to see you."
"It's probably related to Ye Jing."
"This woman is really something; even after getting in, she's still not being honest."
Cheng Qiuyi snorted coldly. "Nothing is set in stone yet. Anything said now is meaningless."
"What about your master?"
Cheng Qiuyi glanced in the direction Liu Shuhan had left, weighed her options, and finally said, "I'll head back right away. I'll be there by this afternoon." Before leaving, she sent a message to Liu Shuhan: [Shu Han, I have something to take care of for a few days. Wait for me.]
Liu Shuhan looked at the message. The words "Pay attention to your diet and rest on time" were typed and deleted several times in the chat box, hesitating over whether to send it. Just then, Xu Ruyun pushed the door open and said, "Shu Han, Grandma Liu downstairs said you brought a friend today. Where is your friend? Why don't you call her up?"
Startled by Xu Ruyun, Liu Shuhan accidentally pressed the send button. After sending the message, she felt relieved; without Cheng Qiuyi around, it would be terrible if she really got sick.
"She had something to do and left."
This time, Liu Shuhan couldn't be bothered with whatever anxious matter it was.
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