Chapter 15: Open the Door
After returning to her room, Guan Ju lay on her bed, but the only thing she could see in her mind was that man wrapping an arm around Bai Weixi.
The image was painfully glaring.
She regretted not rushing over at the time. If she had, at least she would have seen his face instead of being completely in the dark like she was now.
Rolling back and forth across the bed, Guan Ju groaned in frustration. She wanted to ask Bai Weixi about it, yet she didn’t dare. The conflict twisted her into knots.
Just then, her phone rang.
It was Qu Yaxin.
“President Guan, Bai Qiming has removed the trending topic. All the news about your memory loss has disappeared from the internet as well.”
Qu Yaxin spoke quickly, unable to hide the excitement trembling in her voice.
Guan Ju shot upright from the bed.
“He changed his mind all of a sudden?”
“I’m not sure what his motive is, but for us, this is undoubtedly the best possible outcome.” Qu Yaxin smiled. “President Guan, you should focus on resting these days. Maybe your memories will come back.”
Hearing the hope in Qu Yaxin’s voice, Guan Ju lowered her eyes awkwardly.
“…Mm.”
After hanging up, she immediately opened Weibo.
The trending topic about her was truly gone. Even many of the other negative rumors had vanished.
But instead of feeling relieved, Guan Ju felt even worse.
She understood now.
That man had to be Bai Qiming, the president of Crescent Moon Media.
And the only reason he’d done all this… was because of her goddess.
The moment she imagined Bai Weixi swallowing her pride and pleading with another man for her sake, Guan Ju’s entire body trembled with anger.
She couldn’t bear the thought of the person she liked suffering even the slightest grievance because of her.
Furious, she threw open her door and strode to Bai Weixi’s room.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Big Sister Xi, are you there?”
Bai Weixi had been reading.
The moment she heard Guan Ju’s voice outside, her fingertips turned ice-cold.
The book nearly slipped from her hands.
Her frightened eyes locked onto the door, as though it might burst open at any second.
After knocking for quite a while without receiving an answer, Guan Ju raised her voice.
“Big Sister Xi, did you go see Bai Qiming today?”
The name alone made Bai Weixi shudder.
If Guan Ju had only asked where she’d gone, she could have made up some excuse.
But Guan Ju had called Bai Qiming out by name.
There was no room left for lies.
She had already arranged everything with Aunt Zhang. The woman had promised not to tell anyone she’d gone out.
Yet somehow Guan Ju still knew.
Bai Weixi didn’t dare think any further.
Curled up in her chair, she began trembling uncontrollably.
Outside, the June sunlight blazed with heat.
Inside, she felt only cold.
Guan Ju waited and waited.
Silence.
Not a single sound came from the room.
Before long, her thoughts began running wild.
Every time she thought about the unclear relationship between Bai Weixi and that man, her chest ached.
“My problems are mine to handle,” she called through the door, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”
Inside the room, Bai Weixi didn’t dare respond.
Tears streamed silently down her face.
In the end, she’d only been accused of meddling.
But what frightened her even more was what might come next.
In the past, any contact she had with another personāeven the slightest interactionāhad always earned her a beating.
Lately, this person had been so gentle.
That was the only reason she’d gathered the courage to go out today.
And now she’d been caught.
She must be furious.
She’ll rush in and hit me…
Bai Weixi forced her eyes open, looking like someone trapped at the edge of a cliff.
Despair filled her gaze.
Outside, Guan Ju was still angry.
Angry at herself.
Angry that she was so useless that her goddess had to suffer for her.
Maybe Bai Weixi was crying right now.
Maybe that was why she wouldn’t answer.
“Big Sister Xi, open the door. I want to talk to you.”
Guan Ju lowered her head.
Her thick lashes hid the self-mockery in her eyes.
Inside, Bai Weixi shook her head desperately.
Her tears fell even harder.
Though no one outside could see them.
“Miss Guan, Miss Bai didn’t lock the door. You can just push it open.”
Aunt Zhang stood nearby, a gloating smile on her face.
Guan Ju’s expression instantly turned cold.
“You can leave now.”
“But dinnerā”
“I don’t need you to cook. Leave.”
The icy sharpness in her eyes made Aunt Zhang shrink back in fear.
She hurried out the door without another word, forgetting to remove her apron.
Guan Ju let out a long sigh.
If she truly wanted to go in, even a locked door wouldn’t stop her.
But she didn’t want to force her way inside.
She wanted Bai Weixi to come out willingly.
“Big Sister Xi, I’ll wait right here. If you don’t come out, I’m not leaving.”
Acting on pure stubbornness, she dragged over a stool and planted herself outside the room like a guardian statue.
The moment Bai Weixi heard those words, the panic in her heart eased slightly.
She bent down and picked up the book she’d dropped.
The book was about overcoming fear.
She had read every word.
Yet now she realized understanding those words and living them were entirely different things.
She was weaker than she’d thought.
She didn’t even have the courage to open a door.
Lowering her head, she traced the printed words over and over with her fingertips, as though she could draw strength from them.
An hour passed.
Then another.
The page never changed.
The tears on her face had long dried.
Her hands had regained their warmth.
But she still couldn’t find the courage to stand.
If she stepped outside, the thing waiting for her would surely be Guan Ju’s anger.
Surely.
Bai Weixi shivered.
The setting sun glowed beyond the window, yet her face remained pale.
It was the height of June.
Why couldn’t she feel even the slightest warmth?
She lowered her eyes again.
Lonely.
Desolate.
Silent.
Only after the sunlight completely disappeared did she finally rise from her chair.
She slipped the book beneath her pillow.
“I have to take the first step eventually.”
A faint smile appeared on her pale face.
“The worst that can happen… is getting hit. Right?”
Her footsteps echoed through the quiet room.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
The distance from the chair to the door was only a few steps.
It took her more than ten minutes.
Every step felt like walking barefoot over needles.
At the door, her body shook uncontrollably.
Her slender fingers wrapped around the doorknob, trembling so badly she could barely hold it.
She couldn’t even find the strength to turn it.
Eventually she let go.
Her body slid helplessly to the floor.
On the other side of the wall sat her lover.
And her nightmare.
Bai Weixi closed her eyes.
Every scrap of courage vanished.
The room was silent except for the frantic pounding of her heart.
So frightened.
So helpless.
Slowly, she covered her chest.
Then opened her eyes again.
With immense effort, she reached for the doorknob.
One push.
That was all it would take.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
She turned the handle.
The door opened.
And she froze.
The person who should have been raging with anger was quietly sitting on a stool.
Fast asleep.
Her head leaned to one side.
Long eyelashes fluttered faintly.
She looked unexpectedly obedient and gentle.
Every now and then she sniffed through her nose, as though she was still sulking even in her sleep.
Bai Weixi blinked.
She couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
This had never happened before.
Now she didn’t know what to do.
Wake her?
Or quietly close the door and retreat back into the safety of her room?
She hesitated.
Her fingers remained on the doorknob as she stared at the sleeping face.
Then suddenlyā
Guan Ju moved.
Her eyes opened.
Bai Weixi stopped breathing.
Guan Ju rubbed her eyes.
Her sleep-fogged brain hadn’t fully awakened yet.
Seeing Bai Weixi sitting by the doorway, she asked instinctively,
“Big Sister Xi… what are we having for dinner?”
Bai Weixi went completely blank.
For a moment, her mind stopped working.
She’d thought Guan Ju would immediately settle accounts with her after waking up.
Instead…
She was asking about dinner.
At a time like this?
Seeing no response, Guan Ju cautiously suggested,
“Or… should we just have noodles again?”
The warmth of last night’s noodles resurfaced in Bai Weixi’s memory.
Her stomach seemed to warm with it.
Before she realized it, she’d nodded.
Guan Ju instantly sprang to her feet.
“Okay!”
She practically skipped toward the kitchen.
The moment she turned away, however, her face turned bright red.
She’d promised herself she would wait for her goddess and talk things out.
Instead, she’d fallen asleep before Bai Weixi even came out.
How embarrassing.
Absolutely humiliating.
If she hadn’t brought that stool…
If she hadn’t sat down…
Then she wouldn’t have fallen asleep.
And if she hadn’t fallen asleep, she could’ve waited properly.
A horrifying thought suddenly struck her.
Did I drool while sleeping?
She hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth.
The noodles were ready in no time.
Carrying two bowls, Guan Ju returned to the living room.
The moment she saw Bai Weixi sitting on the sofa, her mood brightened.
“Big Sister Xi, let’s eat together.”
Bai Weixi said nothing.
The fear and resistance in her eyes were obvious.
Disappointment flickered across Guan Ju’s face, though her smile remained.
She set a bowl in front of her.
“You eat first. I’ll make a couple more dishes.”
Only after Guan Ju disappeared into the kitchen did Bai Weixi move.
She picked up her bowl and ate in small bites.
After every mouthful, she glanced toward the kitchen, afraid a figure might suddenly emerge.
Soon, the sound of stir-frying echoed from inside.
Only then did she finally relax and continue eating.
When she finished her noodles, the cooking sounds still hadn’t stopped.
Instead, a burnt smell began drifting through the apartment.
And it was getting stronger.
Bai Weixi grew worried.
She wanted to check on the kitchen, yet didn’t dare.
All she could do was sit stiffly on the sofa, staring anxiously in that direction.
A while later, she heard the hiss of water.
The burnt smell gradually faded.
Inside the kitchen, Guan Ju stared at the blackened disaster in her pan.
The food was so burnt it was no longer recognizable.
She frowned deeply.
As expected, cooking and daydreaming did not mix.
She’d wanted to show off her culinary skills in front of her goddess.
Instead, she’d filled the house with the smell of burnt food.
Another thing ruined.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Guan Ju trudged out dejectedly.
The moment she saw Bai Weixi still sitting there, her eyes lit up.
“Big Sister Xi, how was it?”
“Thank you…”
Bai Weixi’s voice was soft.
Her gaze remained fixed on the kitchen.
Immediately, Guan Ju grew embarrassed.
She rubbed her nose and looked away.
“As long as it tasted good. You should get some rest. The smell will disappear soon. Actually, I don’t usually cook like this. Even my mom says my cooking is good…”
The words tumbled out incoherently.
Her mind had gone completely blank.
She was just trying to ease the awkwardness.
At the final sentence, something flickered in Bai Weixi’s eyes.
She looked at Guan Ju for two seconds.
“Auntie has always lived overseas.”
Guan Ju blinked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Nothing.”
Bai Weixi lowered her gaze.
“If you have time, give her a call.”
Her fingers quietly tightened.
Confused, Guan Ju nodded and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly.
A cold, emotionless voice answered.
“What do you want?”
“…Nothing.”
Guan Ju shook her head reflexively.
The call ended immediately.
She stared at her phone.
Was that really how a mother spoke to her daughter?
She’d been in a car accident.
Lost her memory.
Yet her mother didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
As though even the phone call itself was a nuisance.
The relationship between the original Guan Ju and her family seemed terrible.
Her younger sister had visited the hospital twice and then disappeared.
As for her parentsā
Not a single phone call.
Not once.
It was almost as if they didn’t have a daughter at all.
For some reason, Guan Ju suddenly felt a little sorry for the woman whose life she’d inherited.
After Guan Ju ended the call, Bai Weixi stood and returned to her room.
As she closed the door, she paused.
Her eyes lowered.
After a long hesitation, she spoke softly,
“The noodles will get cold… eat them while they’re hot.”
Her voice was so quiet it was barely louder than a whisper.
Guan Ju was too far away.
She only saw Bai Weixi’s lips move.
Not a single word reached her ears.
Still, she nodded enthusiastically.
“Big Sister Xi, get some rest.”
She smiled, her eyes curving into a gentle crescent.
Bai Weixi nodded.
Slowly, she closed the door.
The darkness in her eyes concealed every emotion.
Guan Ju remained standing there, letting out a sigh.
She still hadn’t figured out who that man was to Bai Weixi.
Instead, she’d only managed to make a fool of herself in front of her goddess.
What a thoroughly miserable day.
