Chapter 8: Drink Some Chicken Soup

After sitting there for a long while, until the last trace of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, Guan Ju still hadn’t received an answer.

She felt a little disappointed, but she wasn’t about to give up.

“Xi-jie, it’s getting late. You should head back and get some rest. And don’t forget to bring me chicken soup tomorrow,” Guan Ju said with a smile, the last sentence carrying a playful lilt.

Bai Weixi nodded lightly. Her expression didn’t change, but her departing footsteps became noticeably quicker.

As if she had been waiting a long time to hear those words.

For a moment, Guan Ju felt a faint ache in her chest.

Only after that slender figure in black disappeared from sight did she withdraw her gaze and slowly make her way upstairs.

Just as she was nearing her room, she spotted someone in a white coat.

Her romantic rival, Song Chen.

Judging by the way he was standing there, he’d been waiting specifically for her.

Guan Ju frowned instinctively.

Right now, he was the last person she wanted to see. Still, out of basic courtesy, she greeted him.

“Dr. Song. Do you need something?”

She met his gaze coolly, unmistakable hostility flickering in her eyes.

Song Chen clearly sensed her lack of welcome. Yet not only did his smile remain, it grew gentler.

“Miss Ju, you shouldn’t be wandering around. At this stage, you need proper rest.” His voice softened. “If you end up with lasting complications, I’ll be heartbroken.”

His eyes were overflowing with tenderness as he spoke, his tone intimate and natural.

Guan Ju immediately broke out in goosebumps.

When he reached a hand toward her, she sidestepped and avoided it.

“If there’s nothing else, Dr. Song, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t disturb my rest.”

Faced with such obvious rejection, Song Chen showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Smiling as always, he withdrew his hand and slipped it casually into his pocket.

The movement gave him a faintly roguish air.

“Alright, my beautiful lady.”

He smiled indulgently before turning away, letting his hand fall back to his side.

Guan Ju narrowed her eyes unhappily.

She wasn’t stupid.

Everything about Song Chen’s behavior just now suggested that he and the original Guan Ju had been extremely close.

The thought sent a chill crawling down her spine.

That woman already had a goddess-like girlfriend, yet she was still flirting ambiguously with another man.

Absolutely shameless.

Grinding her teeth, Guan Ju stormed back into her room and slammed the door behind her.

She immediately searched for Song Chen on WeChat.

This time, she found him easily. Just typing “Song Chen” brought up his account.

She skimmed through their recent chat history.

The only word that came to mind was flirtatious.

“Unbelievable… How could she do something like this…”

Her hands trembled with anger as she deleted the entire conversation history.

From now on, she would keep her distance from Song Chen.

No ambiguity.

No closeness.

Absolutely no intimate contact.

Having made up her mind, Guan Ju lay down and scrolled through her chats with her goddess.

To her surprise, the most common messages were simply:

“Oh.”

“Okay.”

Such cold, indifferent replies hardly resembled a couple deeply in love.

Based on what she’d seen online, life after Bai Weixi left the entertainment industry had seemed sweet and happy. Every now and then, she posted photos of food and travel on Weibo.

Even through a screen, the happiness had seemed almost tangible.

But reality told a completely different story.

Bai Weixi wasn’t happy at all.

That person had treated her terribly.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t always look so frightened.

The more Guan Ju thought about it, the more her heart ached.

At the same time, she found herself secretly looking forward to tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing the person she liked.

Everything that had happened today felt like a dream.

And yet every moment had been undeniably real.

With a quiet sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Before dawn had fully broken, Guan Ju woke up.

Too many thoughts occupied her mind. She’d slept poorly, waking several times throughout the night.

When the clock finally struck seven, she opened WeChat, wanting to ask her goddess when she would arrive.

But she worried it might be too early and she’d disturb her rest.

She picked up her phone.

Put it down.

Picked it up again.

After wrestling with herself for quite a while, she reluctantly set it aside and began silently counting the passing minutes.

Finally, at nine o’clock, a notification arrived.

“Are you awake? Can I come over now?”

The moment she saw the message, a smile spread uncontrollably across Guan Ju’s face.

She replied instantly:

“I’m awake! Xi-jie, come over!”

Bai Weixi stared at the immediate response, something flickering in her eyes.

Her gaze shifted toward the chicken soup simmering on the table.

After a long moment, she seemed to make up her mind and left the house.

Guan Ju waited excitedly.

Every few minutes she would run to the window for another look.

Even the nurse making her rounds couldn’t help reminding her to stay in bed and rest properly.

Guan Ju obediently agreed.

The moment the nurse left, she ran back to the window.

At last, a familiar black figure appeared in the distance.

The instant she saw Bai Weixi enter the building, Guan Ju hurried back into bed and lay down properly.

A moment later, Bai Weixi pushed open the door carrying a thermos of chicken soup.

The first thing she saw was a bright smile.

Radiant as the morning sun.

Warm enough to chase away the chill.

“Miss Guan… have some soup.”

Bai Weixi spoke softly as she poured out a bowl and set it on the table.

Then she quietly retreated and stood a short distance away.

“Thank you, Xi-jie.”

Guan Ju’s smile deepened.

She practically poured all her affection into that expression.

Bai Weixi watched for a moment before lowering her head and staring at her own toes.

Ever since this woman had revealed her true nature, she had never smiled at her so sincerely again.

After so much time, seeing such an unfamiliar smile on that familiar face felt strangely unsettling.

Guan Ju slowly finished the bowl of soup.

Looking at Bai Weixi’s lowered head, a wave of tenderness rose in her chest.

“Xi-jie, this soup is really delicious. Do you want to try some too?”

Bai Weixi immediately shook her head.

The refusal was almost reflexive.

Caught off guard by such a swift rejection, Guan Ju felt both embarrassed and a little hurt.

Still, she quickly adjusted herself.

“Xi-jie, it really tastes good. Just have a little.”

This time, Bai Weixi didn’t refuse outright.

She glanced at the anticipation on Guan Ju’s face but remained silent.

Guan Ju’s eyes lit up.

There was hope.

Quickly, she poured another bowl and placed it on the table.

“Xi-jie, try it.”

After saying that, she casually walked over to the window as though she wanted to enjoy the scenery.

She knew Bai Weixi still disliked being too close to her.

If she stayed nearby, the other woman probably wouldn’t drink it.

Sure enough, only after Guan Ju stepped away did Bai Weixi slowly approach.

She hesitated for a long time.

Every step seemed to consume a little more of her courage.

By the time she finally reached the bedside, her eyes had flickered several times.

Only then did she lift the bowl.

And the moment she picked it up, she realized how badly her hands were shaking.

Guan Ju pretended to admire the view outside, but her attention never left Bai Weixi.

The sight of those trembling hands instantly filled her with concern.

She was terrified Bai Weixi would burn herself.

“Xi-jie—”

Crash!

Before she could finish speaking, the bowl slipped from Bai Weixi’s hands and shattered against the floor.

The sharp sound made Guan Ju’s heart seize.

She rushed over immediately.

“Xi-jie, are you alright?”

Only after confirming she hadn’t been scalded did Guan Ju finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… Please don’t…”

Bai Weixi’s face had gone deathly pale.

She stammered apology after apology, unable to meet Guan Ju’s eyes.

Guan Ju could feel her fear.

Her voice softened instinctively.

“It’s okay, Xi-jie. I’ll pour you another bowl.”

“No… no…”

Bai Weixi shook her head frantically and staggered toward the door.

Guan Ju didn’t dare stop her directly.

She set down the bowl and hurried after her.

Only after running outside did Bai Weixi gradually calm down.

When she’d broken the bowl, she’d been so terrified that Guan Ju would hit her that she’d fled without thinking.

Now that she had regained her composure, she didn’t know what to do.

She didn’t want to go back.

But she didn’t dare go back either.

So she simply wandered down the path.

Behind her, Guan Ju followed quietly.

Eventually, Bai Weixi’s pace slowed.

Then stopped.

They had arrived at the lakeside from yesterday.

After waiting a long while and seeing Bai Weixi still standing there absentmindedly, Guan Ju finally stepped forward, stopping several paces away.

“Xi-jie, are you okay?”

The sudden voice startled Bai Weixi.

Her body stiffened visibly.

Seeing Guan Ju’s smiling face, her heart tightened.

Her lips moved slightly.

She wanted to beg for forgiveness.

Yet her throat felt blocked, and not a single word would come out.

Guan Ju noticed everything.

Smiling gently, she said,

“Xi-jie, the air by the lake feels wonderful. It smells so much better than the hospital room.”

She deliberately avoided mentioning what had happened.

Instead, she chose an easy topic to ease Bai Weixi’s tension.

Hearing that, Bai Weixi’s panic eased slightly.

She lowered her head and stared silently at the lake.

“The water here is so clear.”

Guan Ju deliberately raised her voice, sounding exaggeratedly impressed.

Bai Weixi glanced up.

By accident, she met a pair of smiling eyes curved like crescents.

Startled, she immediately lowered her head again.

A while later, curiosity got the better of her.

She sneaked another look.

Fortunately, Guan Ju had turned to face the lake.

Only then did she relax a little.

“You can see this lake from my room,” Guan Ju said with a smile. “This morning I watched the red sun rise bit by bit from the water. It’s a shame I didn’t take any pictures.”

A trace of regret lingered at the end of her sentence.

Bai Weixi blinked in surprise.

In her memory, Guan Ju had terrible sleeping habits and loved staying in bed.

During the year they spent together, Guan Ju rarely woke before noon.

Sometimes she slept until afternoon.

At first, Bai Weixi had assumed she was exhausted from social engagements and thoughtfully avoided waking her.

Later, she learned the truth.

The reason Guan Ju couldn’t get up during the day was because she spent her nights indulging herself far too wildly.

When Bai Weixi discovered that truth, the pain had driven her to want a breakup.

She had wanted to leave.

But that person had immediately revealed her true face.

Using Bai Weixi’s weakness against her, threatening her into staying.

Darkness flickered through Bai Weixi’s eyes.

She stared at Guan Ju’s back for a very long time.

Yet she still couldn’t find the courage to walk closer.

She was simply too afraid.

So afraid that even the thought of resisting felt impossible.

Just as Guan Ju was considering changing the subject, a voice suddenly called out from nearby.

“Miss Guan! So you’re here.”

A man jogged over, his attitude exceptionally respectful.

Turning around, Guan Ju saw Lawyer Ding.

“Is something wrong?”

“The couple would like to meet with you,” Lawyer Ding replied politely.

Noticing her indifferent expression, he quickly added,

“If you’d rather not see them, I can refuse on your behalf.”

“No need.”

Guan Ju rose to her feet.

“I’ll go see them now.”

Her tone left no room for argument.