“Xiao Zhen?”
She wheeled herself toward the balcony.
“Are you okay? I’m coming in?”
“Wait a second!”
Ruo Xiaozhen’s flustered voice finally came from the balcony.
It sounded muffled, like she was covering her mouth.
“Yan Yu, don’t come over! That… please, wait. Don’t come over right now!”
‘This reaction is too strange.’
Yan Yu stopped at the balcony door, her hand on the doorknob.
‘If Ruo Xiaozhen really needs help, would barging in make her even more embarrassed? But what if she’s actually in trouble…’
“Xiao Zhen, are you sure you’re okay?”
Yan Yu asked softly.
“If you need help, just say so. If you don’t want me to come in, tell me clearly, alright?”
There was a few seconds of silence from the balcony.
Then the door opened a crack from the inside.
Ruo Xiaozhen’s face appeared in the gap.
Her cheeks were impossibly red, her gaze shifting unsteadily, unable to meet Yan Yu’s eyes.
“That… I-I’m fine, really. I just… accidentally knocked down the clothes hanger…”
‘That excuse is too flimsy.’
Yan Yu’s gaze moved past Ruo Xiaozhen’s shoulder and into the balcony.
A few already-dried clothes hung on the drying rack, swaying gently in the morning breeze.
On the floor…
A few articles of clothing lay scattered on the floor.
And Ruo Xiaozhen was clutching something tightly to her chest.
Yan Yu’s eyes fell on that bundle of fabric.
After a few seconds of recognition, she suddenly understood.
They were the clothes she had changed out of yesterday.
“Xiao Zhen,” Yan Yu said, her voice very soft.
“What are you doing with my clothes?”
Ruo Xiaozhen froze, her face turning even redder, almost bleeding.
“I-I was just… planning to take them to the washing machine! Yeah, laundry!”
“I already put them in the laundry basket yesterday,” Yan Yu said, looking at her.
“And you said you were going to school.”
“I-I suddenly remembered I don’t have class this morning!”
Ruo Xiaozhen was babbling, frantically trying to stuff the clothes in her arms into the washing machine behind her.
“So I thought I’d… do the laundry first before leaving…”
But she was too flustered, her movements too big.
The clothes in her arms slipped, and several pieces fell to the floor.
Among them was one of Yan Yu’s undergarments.
Light purple, cotton, very ordinary.
It lay quietly on the tiles, looking somewhat glaring in the morning light.
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Ruo Xiaozhen turned to stone, her eyes wide as she stared at the undergarment on the floor, then snapped her head up to look at Yan Yu.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Yan Yu was also startled for a moment.
Then she let out a soft sigh, wheeled forward a little, bent down, and picked up the undergarment.
“This one isn’t suitable for the washing machine,” she said, her voice calm, betraying no emotion.
“Hand washing is better.”
Ruo Xiaozhen finally found her voice, but it came out shrill and nearly breaking.
“I-I’ll wash it! I’ll hand wash it for you! Yan Yu, don’t move. You’re not well. Let me do these things!”
She reached out to take the undergarment from Yan Yu’s hand, but Yan Yu gently avoided her.
“It’s okay,” Yan Yu said, looking up and smiling at Ruo Xiaozhen.
“This is my undergarment. It’s only right that I wash it myself. Besides…”
She paused, her gaze lingering for a moment on Ruo Xiaozhen’s flushed face and wandering eyes.
“Besides, you don’t have to do this,” Yan Yu said, her voice very soft and gentle.
“Xiao Zhen, if you want to help me with the laundry, you can just say so… You don’t have to sneak around.”
Ruo Xiaozhen’s ears turned completely red.
“I-I’m not sneaking around!” she defended hurriedly, but her voice grew smaller.
“I just… just… was afraid I’d wash it wrong and ruin it… so I wanted to take it out and see how to wash it properly…”
‘That excuse is even flimsier than the last one.’
Yan Yu didn’t call her out on it.
She just held the undergarment, used her other hand to turn the wheelchair, and headed toward the sink.
“It’s fine, I’ll wash this one myself. If you want to help with the others, I’d appreciate it.”
“I want to! I really want to!”
Ruo Xiaozhen quickly said, crouching down and picking up the rest of the clothes from the floor, shoving them all into the washing machine at once.
Her movements were frantic, as if she were defusing a bomb.
Yan Yu turned on the tap, adjusted the water temperature, soaked the undergarment, and squeezed a bit of laundry detergent into her palm.
She scrubbed carefully, her fingertips gently rubbing the fabric.
White foam slowly accumulated.
The balcony was very quiet, only the sound of running water and the washing machine starting to fill.
Ruo Xiaozhen stood by the washing machine, her fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the machine, her eyes occasionally glancing at Yan Yu’s back, then quickly looking away.
After a long while, she spoke in a very small voice.
“Yan Yu… don’t you… want to ask?”
“Ask what?”
Yan Yu didn’t turn around, continuing to wash the clothes in her hands.
“Ask…”
Ruo Xiaozhen’s voice grew even smaller, almost drowned out by the sound of running water.
“Ask me why I… took your clothes…”
Yan Yu’s movements paused.
She set the washed undergarment aside, turned on the tap, and rinsed the foam off her hands.
The water was very cold, sending a slight shiver across her skin.
“When you want to talk, you’ll naturally tell me,” she said, her voice coming through the sound of the water, a little muffled.
“If you don’t want to, that’s okay too.”
Ruo Xiaozhen didn’t speak.
Yan Yu turned off the tap, dried her hands with a clean towel, then wrung out the washed undergarment, unfolded it, and hung it on an inconspicuous spot on the drying rack.
After doing that, she turned her wheelchair to face Ruo Xiaozhen.
The girl was still standing there, head down, fingers twisting together, like a child waiting for judgment after doing something wrong.
“Xiao Zhen,” Yan Yu called softly.
“Lift your head.”
Ruo Xiaozhen slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were red, whether from embarrassment or anxiety.
“I’m not angry,” Yan Yu said, her tone very serious.
“Really. You’ve done so much for me, taking care of me, cooking for me, accompanying me to follow-up appointments… I’m very grateful. So, if you have something on your mind, or if you’re having trouble, you can tell me. Even if I can’t help, at least I can listen.”
Ruo Xiaozhen’s lips trembled.
“I…” she started, her voice choked.
“It’s just… I think Yan Yu is too good… but… but now you’re living here alone, your health is bad, and that bastard Su Qinghan treated you like that… I, I can’t stand it…”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, and finally the tears fell.
“I just wanted to do something for you, anything… laundry, cooking, cleaning the room… but I’m clumsy, I can’t do anything right, and I, I almost ruined your clothes…”
Yan Yu listened quietly.
When she finished, Yan Yu reached out a hand.
Ruo Xiaozhen was stunned for a moment, then slowly crouched down and buried her face in the blanket on Yan Yu’s lap.
Yan Yu’s hand landed on her head, patting it very gently.
“Xiao Zhen,” she said.
“Thank you. Really.”
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