Feeling a little disappointed, Shen Yue didn't cry.
It was as if she had already anticipated this answer, yet a part of her still felt… hurt.
“I’m sorry.” Shen Yue looked up, meeting his eyes, and spoke calmly, “Will you blame me?”
Jiang Wei’s expression seemed to pause for a moment before he slowly shook his head.
Receiving this answer felt like a thorn being removed from her chest. Shen Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the tall, handsome youth before her and said in a light tone,
“Then take good care of Qingzhen.”
The afterglow of the setting sun, shafts of rosy light, pierced through the scattered leaves and fell onto the narrow walkway.
The girl in the white sweater stood in the warm glow, like a clear, round dewdrop on a blade of tender green grass, completely out of place in this narrow, messy street.
She lowered her gaze and smiled, “You don’t need to worry about me anymore, Jiang Wei. You never have to worry about me again.”
Jiang Wei watched, frowning, a touch of paleness appearing on his cheeks, a seemingly sad expression.
Was it truly… sadness?
Shen Yue didn’t look closely. She raised her eyes.
The girl’s skin was almost transparently white. A smile played on her lips as she extended a hand towards Jiang Wei. Her fingers were slender, and the faint blue veins on her pale back were visible, perfect like a work of art, possessing a strangely cruel beauty.
She meant nothing by it, only asking, “Shall we hold hands one last time?”
They had never held hands since they had known each other, even though they had done things more intimate than holding hands. It was rather comical, in retrospect.
Jiang Wei stood rigidly, unmoving, as if he had no intention of taking her hand.
Shen Yue waited for three seconds, understood the answer, and withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened. She didn’t show any signs of sadness, even managing a smile. “Then I’ll be going up now.”
He stood there, silently gazing at Shen Yue, his figure appearing almost lonely.
He seemed to have something to say, but ultimately, he merely moved his lips, not uttering a single word.
Shen Yue no longer wished to hear his unspoken agreement.
“I’m leaving.”
The girl didn’t look back at him, turning instead and walking into the community gate.
Jiang Wei remained standing there for a long time, until the sky had turned dark.
He looked at his hands in confusion, feeling as though something precious was slipping away. He tried to grasp it, to hold on, but… it seemed too late.
For some reason, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears, something even Jiang Wei himself didn’t understand.
***
Shen Yue visited Bai Qingzhen at the hospital. She hadn’t woken up yet, and Shen Yue sat by her side.
The room was empty. Shen Yue watched, saying nothing.
She didn’t know what emotions were driving her as she looked at Bai Qingzhen, who wore an oxygen mask and appeared to be in poor condition.
Bai Qingzhen had lost a lot of weight. The hospital gown seemed to hang loosely on her, her exposed wrists appearing as if they could snap with a gentle twist. Her face was devoid of any color.
As if by some compulsion, Shen Yue raised her hand, intending to touch Bai Qingzhen’s pale cheek. It was very cold, like that of a dead person.
A powerful force yanked her away. Shen Yue was thrown back several steps by the momentum, her waist accidentally hitting a sharp corner of a table behind her. The piercing pain made her face turn pale.
Looking up, she saw Song Yan’s furious and anxious face. He gritted his teeth and demanded, “What do you think you’re doing to Qingzhen?”
Shen Yue looked at him blankly, then glanced down at Bai Qingzhen on the bed, as if just then realizing the meaning of his question.
He grabbed the girl’s wrist like a vise and roughly pulled her out of the hospital room.
When he released her, several finger marks were imprinted on her pale wrist.
He turned to look at the girl, his gaze cold and dismissive, as if she were trash. He remained unmoving.
He heard his own voice, devoid of warmth, a low, suppressed tone of anger, he snapped,
“Who allowed you to come in here? You’re not welcome here.”
The moment he entered the room, he saw Shen Yue so close to Bai Qingzhen, her fingers even touching Bai Qingzhen’s oxygen mask, as if she would rip it off without hesitation in the next second. At that moment, Song Yan hadn’t thought much further, only acting to push Shen Yue away as quickly as possible.
Of course, he didn’t believe Shen Yue was simply there to visit Bai Qingzhen. After all, Shen Yue had openly wished Bai Qingzhen dead.
Song Yan’s face was grim, but he saw the girl merely blink in confusion.
The girl had lost a lot of weight. She wore a black sweater, and from the neckline, a slender, fair neck was visible, making her appear somewhat frail.
Already thin, she now looked even more skeletal.
Her eyelashes drooped. Shen Yue didn’t quite understand why Song Yan always interpreted her actions in such extreme ways.
She had merely touched Bai Qingzhen, and Song Yan was already so anxious, so angry, as if fearing she might harm Bai Qingzhen in the slightest.
She wasn’t that wicked.
She hadn’t truly wished for Bai Qingzhen’s death.
It was just jealousy, envy that Bai Qingzhen was loved by so many.
She tugged at her black sweater and said faintly, “I just came to see, after all, Bai Qingzhen ended up like this because of me.”
Song Yan, having rushed from outside, still carried a chill. The soft line of his jaw tightened, and his eyes shot flames.
“Then what were you doing just now?”
People bustled in the corridor, occasionally glancing over.
Shen Yue looked at him calmly. Her dark, moist eyes were clear and luminous, her lashes thick and long. Her eyelids drooped slightly, revealing a detached expression.
She retorted, “What do you think I was trying to do?”
For Song Yan, the answer no longer mattered. Because no matter how Shen Yue explained, he would see it as a lie. In his heart, he had already decided Shen Yue was a malicious and cruel person, so there was no point in saying anything more; it was all useless.
Hearing Shen Yue’s words felt like an admission of his own thoughts. The fury in his eyes intensified. He looked down at the girl with icy disdain, his gaze sharp, his very breath laced with anger.
Shen Yue remained unmoved.
“Get out.”
He pointed a finger towards the exit.
Shen Yue’s pupils shifted. Her dark irises were like the black of midnight, devoid of life, devoid of emotion.
A burning pain shot through her lower back. It was probably bruised.
Seeing that Shen Yue hadn’t moved, Song Yan’s tone grew lower, colder.
“I’ll call security.”
With that, he took out his phone, as if about to make a call.
Shen Yue gently interrupted, “No need to trouble yourself.”
Her dark eyes were dim and empty, devoid of emotion, as if waiting to be consumed by the darkness.
Her expression was serene, her eyelashes very long, making her look very docile. “I’ll leave on my own. Don’t chase me away.”
Song Yan’s expression didn’t change. His hands clenched into fists, his fingertips digging into his palms.
He felt that he shouldn’t have softened.