She did not stop her, only speaking calmly to the driver, “Pull over and let her out. Drive safely, take Miss Jiang to where she needs to go.”
Her voice was flat and even, revealing no emotion.
The car came to a smooth stop by the roadside.
Jiang Muyun grabbed her bag, got out of the car without looking back, and forcefully slammed the door shut.
A dull thud isolated the two spaces.
Su Qinghan did not watch her departing figure.
She just leaned back into the leather seat, raised a hand, and pressed hard against her throbbing temple.
The phone screen remained dark, lying quietly to the side.
Yet, uncontrollably, that reply from Yan Yu flashed through her mind again.
Annoying.
She suddenly felt a certain place in her heart was hollow, yet also a tangled mess.
After nearly a full day of exhausting work, when the last cardboard box was pushed through the door, Ruo Xiaozhen used her final ounce of strength to slam the door shut with a bang.
Then, as if all her bones had been pulled out, she flopped straight backward into the only old sofa in the living room, letting out a soul-departing groan.
“My god… moving… this is not work meant for humans…”
The newly rented apartment was on the first floor, a small two-bedroom, one-living-room unit.
An old residential complex, but clean, with simple accessible ramps, and most importantly, close to school.
The rent, split between them, was within their budget.
The living room wasn’t large, with south-facing windows.
The afternoon sun shone right in, spreading warmly across the light beige floor tiles.
Most of the furniture was either old items left by the landlord or cheap finds from second-hand markets.
A somewhat chipped wooden coffee table, two single-seater sofas with worn fabric, a semi-old bookshelf.
Yan Yu’s room faced east, slightly smaller, but with decent lighting.
Ruo Xiaozhen had deliberately left the spot by the window with the best light for Yan Yu’s desk.
Ruo Xiaozhen’s own room faced west, a bit larger, piled high with her messy clutter and various knick-knacks.
Naturally, most of the heavy lifting had been done by Ruo Xiaozhen, gritting her teeth through it.
Yan Yu could only help organize the lightest items, or hand over towels and water while maneuvering her wheelchair.
Even so, just moving and arranging her own clothes and few painting supplies had already made her temples sweat and her chest feel tight, forcing her to stop and catch her breath several times.
Now, Ruo Xiaozhen lay sprawled on the sofa, her cheeks flushed red from exertion and heat, the stray hairs on her forehead damp with sweat and sticking to her skin.
She was splayed out, completely devoid of grace, only her chest heaving dramatically as she stared blankly at the ceiling, continuing to mutter, “If I’d known… if I’d known it would be this deadly, I should have been ruthless and hired a moving company… But then I thought of my pitiful living expenses and next month’s textbook fees…”
“Wah, my wallet is bleeding, my arms and legs are protesting… Yan Yu, I think I’m about to fall apart…”
As she spoke, she weakly turned her head to look at Yan Yu in the wheelchair beside her, her eyes moist like a large, utterly exhausted dog.
Yan Yu leaned back in her wheelchair, her breathing not yet fully settled, a faint flush on her pale face.
But seeing Ruo Xiaozhen’s utterly spent state and hearing her muttered complaints, a certain hardened corner of her heart seemed to be quietly soothed, becoming soft.
Since arriving in this world, opening her eyes to illness, a wheelchair, cold calculations, and a dog-blood Substitute plot…
Everyone seemed to have an agenda.
Su Qinghan’s exploitation, Jiang Muyun’s hostility, the System’s coercion…
Only the girl before her, exhausted beyond caring about appearances, complaining about her wallet yet shouldering all the heaviest work, offered genuine concern.
Ruo Xiaozhen’s existence… was now the anchor point that made Yan Yu feel even a thread of being alive in this absurd story.
“You worked hard, Zhenzhen.”
She said softly, her voice a bit hoarse from fatigue, yet carrying a touch more genuine warmth than usual.
She maneuvered the wheelchair, slowly moving to the small, semi-old refrigerator.
It was the only major appliance they had acquired today, stocked with some simple groceries and drinks.
Yan Yu opened the fridge door, a rush of cold air mixed with the smell of food wafting out.
She took out two bottles of plain yogurt and wheeled back to the sofa.
“Here.”
She handed one bottle to Ruo Xiaozhen.
Ruo Xiaozhen blinked, struggling to sit up a bit from the sofa.
She took the cool bottle, her eyes suddenly lighting up, the fatigue on her face seeming to fade a little with this small surprise.
“Wow! Thank you! When did you buy these? I didn’t know!”
“Bought them on the way today.”
Yan Yu unscrewed her own bottle and took a small sip.
The cool, slightly sour liquid slid down her throat, easing the thirst and weariness.
Ruo Xiaozhen had already eagerly stuck in a straw and gulped down several large mouthfuls, letting out a satisfied sigh.
“Revived… Yan Yu, you’re the best!”
Watching her face become lively again, the corner of Yan Yu’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, very faint, and quickly gone.
“Take your time drinking, rest for a bit. I’ll go take a shower first.”
“Mhm mhm! Go ahead!”
Ruo Xiaozhen hugged her yogurt bottle, waved at her, and flopped back down.
“Be careful of the slippery floor!”
Yan Yu wheeled herself into her own small room.
The room still held a faint dust smell, but the bed was made, the desk placed by the window, a few frequently used books and painting tools neatly arranged.
She took out clean pajamas and wheeled into the narrow but clean bathroom.
The move had been rushed, many details not yet attended to.
For example, the plastic chair she usually used for sitting while showering wasn’t in the bathroom yet.
Yan Yu looked at the clean tiled floor and the showerhead on the wall, hesitating.
Her legs hadn’t completely lost the ability to stand.
With support, brief standing, moving a few steps was possible.
She just couldn’t sustain it; a little longer and they would grow weak and sore, aching sharply, and she was extremely prone to losing balance and falling.
So for bathing, she usually relied on that chair, sitting to complete it.
Now…
She bit her lower lip.
Her body felt sticky and uncomfortable from the day’s busyness, urgently needing a wash.
If she was quick, just a simple rinse… it should be okay, right?
After a few seconds of internal struggle, the desire for cleanliness outweighed the concern over risk.
She reached back and locked the bathroom door—though she knew Ruo Xiaozhen wouldn’t suddenly come in, it gave her a bit more sense of security.
Taking a deep breath, Yan Yu pushed down hard on the wheelchair armrests with both hands, slowly transferring her body’s weight to her powerless legs.
The moment her soles touched the cool tile, a slight tingling numbness shot through.
She steadied her breathing, her other hand quickly grabbing the edge of the nearby sink, fingertips turning slightly white.
She was standing.
But just the act of standing already made her feel the muscles in her calves trembling slightly, the familiar dull pain beginning to spread from her joints.
Can’t delay.
She freed one hand and began unbuttoning her blouse.