Dai Feng ultimately couldn’t bring herself to tell Yan Yu that Su Qinghan’s family had cut off her financial support.
She knew Su Qinghan too well—that proud woman would never want to appear so vulnerable and desperate in front of her, especially not in front of her ex-girlfriend.
The fact that she’d already been somewhat ambiguous with Yan Yu made Dai Feng feel a twinge of guilt toward Su Qinghan.
Now that Yan Yu had asked such a question, no matter how drawn Dai Feng was to her, she couldn’t bring herself to embarrass her friend.
She merely said lightly as they parted, “Qinghan’s family business has been busy lately, so she had to go back to help with some matters,” before hurriedly saying goodbye to Yan Yu.
Even so, on the way back, Dai Feng couldn’t stop her mind from replaying the night Su Qinghan told her she’d “gone bankrupt.”
That night, Dai Feng had gathered a few friends for a casual get-together at a small tavern by the river.
The lights along the shore flickered dimly, and the river breeze carried moisture onto her face, perfectly dissipating the day’s lingering heat.
She held half a glass of Mojito in her hand, the aroma of lime mingling with the coolness of mint leaves.
Ice cubes clinked softly in the glass, refracting an ambiguous glimmer.
Just then, her phone screen vibrated abruptly.
The name dancing on the screen was none other than Su Qinghan.
Dai Feng paused slightly, swiped open the screen, and the text before her eyes was clearly typed in a hurry:
“Feng, are you busy? Sorry to bother you so late. Something went wrong with the family company. My dad froze all my cards for now, didn’t even leave me living expenses. I’m… a bit strapped right now. Could I borrow some money from you to tide me over? I know this is presumptuous, but I really can’t think of any other way. I’ll definitely find a way to pay you back next month.”
The words carried an unprecedented sense of embarrassment and desperation.
The young lady who once spent money like water was now having to use words like “borrow” and “tide me over.”
Dai Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, tapped a few times on the screen, and replied bluntly:
“How much do you need?”
The reply came almost instantly:
“How much can you give?”
Dai Feng stared at those three words, as if she could see Su Qinghan biting her lip and swallowing her pride on the other end of the screen.
Her fingers paused for a moment before she typed her reply:
“I’ve had some big expenses lately too, so I don’t have much liquid cash on hand. I can lend you at most six figures. Is that enough?”
“That’s enough. More than enough. Thank you.”
Su Qinghan’s reply carried a sense of relief, but also an exhaustion she couldn’t hide.
Dai Feng wanted to follow up and ask what kind of conflict had happened in her family that drove father and daughter to such a point.
But the words died in her throat before she could say them.
What was done was done.
Digging at old wounds would only embarrass an old friend without any benefit.
So she wisely didn’t press further, instead shifting to a more practical matter.
“Qinghan, now that you’re short on money, what are you going to do? Are you still living in that apartment at Dijing No.1?”
That apartment in the city’s most premium location, with a monthly rent of one hundred eighty thousand, had always been a symbol of Su Qinghan’s status—the baseline of her lifestyle.
The other end of the screen fell into a long silence, so long that Dai Feng thought she wouldn’t reply.
After a while, a line finally popped up:
“I’m still there for now. But given the current situation, I probably can’t hold out much longer.”
Dai Feng’s heart sank, and she quickly typed:
“That place is a bottomless pit just in rent alone. Don’t force yourself. Move somewhere cheaper, or get roommates… Actually, I have an empty apartment under my name in Binjiang Garden. It’s not as luxurious as your place, but it’s peaceful. Move in there. I won’t charge you rent.”
“No need. How can I use your money…!”
Su Qinghan refused almost reflexively, every word radiating her characteristic aloof pride.
But Dai Feng didn’t give her a chance to be sentimental, cutting her off directly:
“Cut the crap. We’ve known each other for years. Who’s counting? You’ve got working hands and feet—it’s just a temporary stay. How is that using my money? Don’t pull that former young lady act with me, alright?”
At that point, she’d done everything she could.
No matter how stubborn Su Qinghan was, she knew exactly what kind of situation she was in now.
After a long moment, she replied with just one word:
“Okay. Thanks.”
Dai Feng looked at that word and quietly closed her phone.
The river breeze messed up her hair, but she didn’t raise her glass again for a long time.
Somehow, she felt that Su Qinghan shouldn’t have ended up in such a state.
That woman was willful, sure, but she’d always been capable.
Her family business had been thriving.
How could the funding chain suddenly break overnight, to the point where even her living expenses were cut off?
This didn’t seem like a simple business failure.
It felt more like someone had carefully laid a trap in the shadows.
Who was that person?
And what was their goal?
A chill ran through Dai Feng’s heart, but at this moment, she had no evidence and no clue where to start.
“Hey, Dai Feng, Dai Feng, what are you spacing out about? Don’t tell me you’re thinking about that girl from earlier?”
A familiar voice pulled Dai Feng’s consciousness back to reality.
She turned her head and saw that the person calling her was A Yue.
“Ah, nothing. I wasn’t thinking about her.”
Dai Feng shook her head, trying to pull herself together, her high ponytail swaying with the motion.
“Really? I don’t believe you.”
A Yue squinted her eyes, circled around to stand in front of Dai Feng, and gave her another once-over.
“Let me tell you a secret—I just asked a friend to gossip about it on my phone. That girl named Yan Yu? Turns out she’s Su Qinghan’s ex-girlfriend.”
“Dai Feng, tsk tsk… don’t tell me you’ve got your eye on Miss Su’s ex-girlfriend!?”
Dai Feng was thoroughly startled by A Yue’s words.
She thought to herself, ‘I’ve been pretty discreet. I don’t think I’ve shown any weird behavior. How did A Yue see through my feelings at a glance?’
“No, I really haven’t. What are you talking about? Yan Yu and I are just acquaintances.”
She defended herself very firmly, deliberately raising her voice a bit as if to prove her stance.
“Acquaintances? Really just ‘acquaintances’?”
A Yue didn’t buy her explanation at all, instead winking and raising her eyebrows at her with an expression Dai Feng found utterly insufferable.
Just as Dai Feng was about to snap back, A Yue stopped at the perfect moment.
She didn’t dig deeper into the topic, casually brushing it off with a laugh and switching to other subjects, as if she wanted to let the matter drop.
When Dai Feng’s luxury car pulled up and the driver got out to open the door for her, Dai Feng turned to say goodbye to A Yue.
It was then that A Yue suddenly added softly:
“Dai Feng, sometimes I think… I’m actually a little envious of that girl named Yan Yu.”
The voice wasn’t loud, carrying an unclear meaning as it drifted into Dai Feng’s ears on the evening breeze.
Then, before Dai Feng could ask for details, A Yue had already waved at her, flashing that usual lazy smile.
“See you around, Miss Dai. Hope you win your Miss Yan’s heart soon.”
“What are you talking about!”
Dai Feng shot back in annoyance, then yanked the car door shut, as if trying to seal away her turbulent emotions inside the vehicle.
The painting for the art exhibition had finally reached its final stage.
Yan Yu set down her last brushstroke, slowly withdrew her hand, and stood up from the easel.
She tried walking a few steps in the living room, and a wave of irrepressible joy surged through her.
Now, she could walk for extended distances like a normal person.
To further verify her physical recovery, she deliberately chose a time when Ruo Xiaozhen wasn’t home to go test herself in the open space outside the building.
The reason she wanted to avoid Ruo Xiaozhen was because that girl was famously overprotective.
If she caught sight of her, she’d never let her go easily.
She’d nervously block her way, terrified that Yan Yu might have the slightest mishap.
The System’s skill had been silently repairing her body all along.
With her feet planted on solid ground, Yan Yu could clearly feel that her sense of balance had improved tremendously.
She first tested a few steps on the flat path at the entrance, confirmed her condition was stable, and finally relaxed.
She set a timer on her phone, then spread her arms to maintain balance and began walking across the open space.
As her steps unfolded, a long-lost sense of lightness returned to her body.
Her legs no longer felt as heavy as if filled with lead; every step landed firmly.
She couldn’t help picking up speed slightly, but in her momentary excitement, her footing faltered and she nearly stumbled.
Yan Yu was startled and quickly adjusted her center of gravity to steady herself.
This time, she became more cautious, taking each step with extra focus.
Though the faint sound of panting showed that this still-frail body remained a considerable burden, the immense joy of regaining her freedom to walk had already washed away all traces of fatigue.
The delight of regaining control over her own body filled her entire being.
After completing one lap, she leaned against the wheelchair for a brief rest, catching her breath.
Then she restarted the timer and began walking again with slow, steady steps.
What she didn’t know was that behind the wall not far away, someone had been standing quietly for a long time.
That person was Su Qinghan.
She had asked around for Yan Yu’s address and secretly come here.
She’d planned to pass by casually, pretending it was a coincidence, and exchange a few words with Yan Yu.
But instead, she’d unintentionally caught sight of her practicing walking.
Su Qinghan didn’t approach to interrupt.
She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there, just watching Yan Yu from afar, from far, far away, never daring to break the peace or greet her.
She just hid in the shadows, watching that once-sickly girl struggle to stand, stubbornly take step after step, and finally break into such a radiant, joyful smile because she could walk.
At that moment, Su Qinghan felt something slam hard against her chest, and something solid deep inside her quietly crumbled.
Her every emotion rose and fell with Yan Yu’s every movement.
She realized that every subtle shift in her feelings just now had been tied to Yan Yu’s every action.
When Yan Yu smiled, she wanted to smile too; when Yan Yu nearly fell, her heart leaped into her throat.
Why had it become like this?
She couldn’t understand herself at all.
Just then, her phone buzzed abruptly in her pocket.
Su Qinghan snapped back to reality, hastily pulling out her phone and switching it to silent, terrified of disturbing Yan Yu in the distance.
On the screen appeared a text message from Jiang Muyun:
“Qinghan, that bag I had my eye on last time—can you buy it for me? Oh, and the May Day holiday is coming up. Let’s go on a cruise together! I’ve already picked out the itinerary!”