Chapter 9: Going to Look at the Apartment with Xiaozhen

Yan Yu still sat with her head bowed in the wheelchair, motionless.

Sunlight shone on her, yet she felt cold. A cold that seeped out from the very marrow of her bones.

So this was the feeling of being utterly ignored.

So, as soon as Jiang Muyun returned, she didn’t even have the “qualification” for a greeting in Su Qinghan’s eyes.

“Yan Yu!”

An urgent voice came from beside her.

Ruo Xiaozhen, clutching a bottle of mineral water, came jogging over. She had clearly seen what just happened, her face a mix of anger and heartache.

“Are you okay?” She crouched down, grasping Yan Yu’s cold hands. “Su Qinghan… how could she do that!”

Yan Yu slowly raised her head.

Her eyes were a bit red, but she wasn’t crying. Her gaze was just hollow, as if all life had been drained from her.

“I’m fine,” she said softly, her voice terribly hoarse.

“What do you mean ‘fine’!” Ruo Xiaozhen’s eyes reddened with anger. “She treated you like that! And you… you still greeted her! Yan Yu, can’t you have a little backbone? She doesn’t want you anymore, and you still…”

“Zhenzhen,” Yan Yu interrupted her, her voice very light. “Let’s go look at the apartment.”

Ruo Xiaozhen was stunned.

She looked at Yan Yu, at this pale yet unnervingly calm face before her, and suddenly felt like she didn’t know her anymore.

The Yan Yu of before, if treated like this by Su Qinghan, would definitely have cried.

She would have hidden away and cried for a long time, her eyes swollen like peaches, and then continued to wait, to hope, to beg for a scrap of attention, all in a humble, cautious way.

But the Yan Yu now…

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t even let her sadness show, keeping it so restrained.

It was as if the person who had just been completely ignored wasn’t her.

“You… are you really okay?” Ruo Xiaozhen asked again, unconvinced.

“Really, I’m fine.” Yan Yu shook her head gently. The corner of her mouth even lifted into an extremely faint, almost imperceptible curve. “Let’s go. If we don’t leave soon, it’ll get dark.”

Ruo Xiaozhen looked at her for several seconds, then finally sighed, stood up, and pushed the wheelchair off campus.

Along the way, she chattered non-stop about the rental listings she’d found, which complex had a good environment, which one had convenient transportation, which landlord seemed nice…

Yan Yu listened quietly, occasionally uttering an “Mm” to show she was listening.

But her gaze drifted into the distance.

Su Qinghan had long since vanished from sight.

What just happened felt like a brief, absurd dream.

Only the lingering ache in her chest, belonging to the Original Host, reminded her that it had all been real.

The apartment Ruo Xiaozhen found was in an old residential area, two bus stops away from the school.

The complex was quiet, with decent greenery and smooth paths suitable for a wheelchair.

Most importantly, there was a ground-floor unit for rent—two bedrooms and a living room. It wasn’t big, but it was clean and tidy, and the landlord agreed to minor modifications, like installing handrails in the bathroom.

“This is it!”

Ruo Xiaozhen unlocked the door with a key and excitedly pushed Yan Yu inside.

The apartment really wasn’t big. The living room was only about ten square meters; with a sofa and a small coffee table, it felt a bit cramped.

But it had good natural light. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, warming the entire room.

The two bedrooms faced each other across a short hall. Both were small, but enough for a bed and a desk.

The kitchen was open-plan, connected to the living room. The bathroom, though not large, was clean and well-ventilated.

Yan Yu wheeled herself around the apartment slowly.

Her gaze settled on the south-facing window in the living room.

Outside the window was a small balcony. The landlord had left a few pots of pothos plants on it, lush and green, their vines trailing down, swaying gently in the breeze.

Further in the distance, you could see a small hill ridge behind the complex.

It was called a ridge, but it was really just a small, tree-covered slope.

This time of year, the leaves were still green, layer upon layer, glowing warmly in the setting sun.

“So?” Ruo Xiaozhen crouched in front of her, eyes sparkling. “Do you like it? I think it’s really nice. Close to school, ground floor so it’s easy for you to get in and out. I met the landlady, she’s really nice. She said if we rent it, she can help install handrails in the bathroom…”

She chattered away, her face showing undisguised anticipation.

Yan Yu’s gaze shifted from the window to Ruo Xiaozhen’s face.

The girl’s round face had a faint blush, and her eyes were bright, as if filled with stars.

Ruo Xiaozhen was genuinely thinking of her.

A corner of Yan Yu’s heart softened slightly.

“I like it,” she said softly, a sincere, shallow curve appearing at the corner of her mouth. “It’s very nice here. Thank you, Zhenzhen.”

Ruo Xiaozhen was stunned.

Then, her face flushed completely red.

“W-what are you being so polite with me for!” She abruptly stood up and turned away, pretending to inspect the kitchen faucet, though her voice was a bit stammering. “I… I just… just looked around casually… I’m glad you like it!”

Seeing her bright red ears, a trace of amusement flickered in Yan Yu’s eyes.

This girl was sometimes adorably straightforward, sometimes adorably awkward.

“What about the rent?” Yan Yu asked. “How much per month? How should we split it?”

Ruo Xiaozhen turned back. The blush on her face hadn’t fully receded, but her expression was more natural now.

“That… well…” She scratched her head, her gaze drifting a bit. “The rent isn’t expensive, two thousand a month. I’ve already… already paid for three months.”

Yan Yu was slightly taken aback.

“You paid?” She looked at Ruo Xiaozhen. “Didn’t we agree to split it? I’ll give you my share.”

“Ah, no need!” Ruo Xiaozhen quickly waved her hands, her tone urgent. “I was the one who insisted on us sharing a place! I’m the one who asked you to keep me company! How can I let you pay?”

She paused, her voice dropping, her eyes lowering to stare at her own toes.

“And given your current situation, it’s not easy for you. Medical expenses and such all cost money. I… my family’s financial situation is okay, this bit of rent isn’t a big deal. Just think of it as… as you staying here to keep me company, okay?”

By the end, her voice grew smaller and smaller, and her face was red again.

But in those downcast eyes, a flicker of an emotion Yan Yu couldn’t decipher passed through.

It was fleeting, so fast it might have been an illusion.

Yan Yu looked at her and was silent for a few seconds.

Then, she let out a soft sigh.

“Zhenzhen, I know you mean well, but I must pay my share of the rent. That’s my principle.”

Ruo Xiaozhen looked up, about to say something urgently.

But Yan Yu spoke first, cutting her off. “If you don’t agree, then I won’t move in.”

Her tone was calm, but her gaze was firm.

That gaze clearly told Ruo Xiaozhen—on this matter, there was no room for negotiation.

Ruo Xiaozhen opened her mouth, looked at her, and looked for a long time.

Finally, she seemed to deflate like a balloon, her shoulders slumping.

“Fine…” she said reluctantly. “Then you… you pay for one month first. We’ll talk about the rest later, okay?”

Seeing her aggrieved, pouting expression, Yan Yu couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay,” she nodded. “I’ll pay for one month first. I’ll give you the rest next month.”

“Mm…”

Ruo Xiaozhen grunted sullenly, turned around, and went back to studying the faucet.

Only, the expression on her face, turned away from Yan Yu, was somewhat微妙.

That flicker of light that had flashed in her eyes a moment ago reappeared briefly.