19

"Why are you here?"

Yu Mingjiao was slightly surprised to see Cen Lingqiu at such a late hour.

Cen Lingqiu smiled. "Didn't I say I'd pick you up tonight? I wouldn't lie to you."

The stray dog was still barking. Yu Mingjiao turned her head away, trying to avoid looking at the dog.

"Are you afraid of dogs?" Cen Lingqiu noticed her discomfort and teased, "Afraid of the dark, afraid of dogs—you're quite delicate."

Yu Mingjiao glared at her coldly, but it wasn't fierce.

Cen Lingqiu decided not to tease her any further. "Let's go."

She began to push Yu Mingjiao's wheelchair, steering clear of the stray dog.

As they moved along the long path, Yu Mingjiao noticed they weren't heading back home.

"The road… is wrong," Yu Mingjiao pointed out.

"It's not wrong," Cen Lingqiu replied calmly, her gaze fixed ahead. "We're not going home tonight."

Yu Mingjiao frowned. "Where are you taking me?"

Cen Lingqiu smiled mysteriously. "To see something you like."

Yu Mingjiao didn't understand what Cen Lingqiu was thinking, but her curiosity kept her from arguing further. She allowed herself to be taken wherever Cen Lingqiu was leading.

After about twenty minutes, they arrived at the beach.

Yu Mingjiao looked out at the dark sea. "Why did you bring me here?"

Cen Lingqiu pushed her toward a small seaside bar. "Don't you like watching the sunrise over the ocean?"

"…"

Yu Mingjiao remained silent, her tone defensive as if unwilling to admit it. "I never said that."

"Your paintings told me," Cen Lingqiu said as she opened the door to the bar and pushed Yu Mingjiao inside.

There were a few people in the bar despite the late hour, each quietly drinking alone.

"Miss Lin," a woman behind the bar called out as she approached them. "Up so late, coming to my little bar for a drink?"

The woman was Cen Lingqiu's aunt, dressed in a red dress that barely reached her thighs, with strikingly red lipstick and a seductive smile.

Cen Lingqiu replied, "I'm just here to stay for a while."

"Stay as long as you like," her aunt said, glancing at Yu Mingjiao with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "What a beautiful girl."

Yu Mingjiao remained expressionless.

Cen Lingqiu gently blocked her from view. "She's a friend. We're here to watch the sunrise and just wanted to sit for a while."

"Okay," her aunt nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

Cen Lingqiu led Yu Mingjiao to a seat by the window.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

Yu Mingjiao shook her head.

Cen Lingqiu ordered two lemonades, handing one to Yu Mingjiao. "Let's wait here."

"Don't you find this boring?" Yu Mingjiao couldn't help but ask in a low voice as she held the glass in both hands.

"Boring?" Cen Lingqiu took a sip of the lemonade, wincing at the sourness before sticking out her tongue. "Why would you say that? Pursuing what you love is never boring."

Yu Mingjiao had always loved watching sunrises and sunsets, especially by the sea.

When she was little, she had begged her father to take her to see a sunrise by the ocean. He had dismissed it as a silly, sentimental thing and hit her, calling her foolish for enjoying such things.

After that, she never mentioned it again.

When she lost the use of her legs, she began to hate everything outside her room, rarely leaving the house, let alone going to the beach to watch a sunrise.

Her father's words had stuck with her—such things were pointless, not worth doing.

"This is too sour," Cen Lingqiu complained after another sip, setting the lemonade aside. She couldn't drink it anymore.

A singer on the stage was softly singing a folk song, her voice light and raspy.

Yu Mingjiao looked out the window. The moon was bright tonight, casting a silver light across the vast ocean like sparkling stars on the waves.

"I want to go outside," Yu Mingjiao said suddenly.

Cen Lingqiu, who had just ordered a hot milk tea, looked up at her. "You want to go to the beach?"

Yu Mingjiao nodded.

"Then let's go."

Cen Lingqiu grabbed the milk tea and a few other drinks, pushing Yu Mingjiao toward the shore.

At this hour, the beach was almost empty. The vast stretch of sand was theirs alone.

Yu Mingjiao felt the wind on her face and heard the crisp sound of waves crashing against the rocks. The surrounding stillness was calming.

Cen Lingqiu leaned in close and whispered, "Let's ditch the wheelchair for now."

Yu Mingjiao looked at her, puzzled. "What?"

Cen Lingqiu smiled mysteriously. "Hold on tight."

With that, she lifted Yu Mingjiao out of the wheelchair. Yu Mingjiao's eyes widened slightly as Cen Lingqiu gently placed her on the sand, using her own jacket as a cushion.

Cen Lingqiu arranged Yu Mingjiao's legs as if she were a delicate doll, making her sit on the sand as if she were perfectly normal.

After ensuring Yu Mingjiao was comfortable, Cen Lingqiu looked at her for a few seconds before letting out a light laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Yu Mingjiao's voice was as cold as the sea.

"I'm not laughing at you," Cen Lingqiu reassured her.

She had just thought that Yu Mingjiao looked like a mermaid from a fairy tale who had lost her legs, needing someone to carry and place her down gently. The thought had amused her.

Yu Mingjiao remained silent, assuming Cen Lingqiu was acting strangely again. Recently, she'd been doing odd things, like bringing her to the beach in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise.

Without the wheelchair, Yu Mingjiao could touch the soft sand and the cool waves.

As if discovering something new, her pale, slender fingers dug into the sand, feeling its coolness.

Cen Lingqiu sat beside her, resting her chin in her hand as she watched Yu Mingjiao's expression.

Her usual cold demeanor remained, but there was a faint sparkle in her eyes, like stars reflecting on still water.

It seemed she really did enjoy this.

Bringing her to the beach had been the right choice.

Cen Lingqiu sometimes thought that, in certain ways, Yu Mingjiao was like a child.

"Why did you bring me to the beach?" Yu Mingjiao asked, her gaze empty as she looked out at the distant sea.

Cen Lingqiu sighed. "You sure ask a lot of questions. As for why…"

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Maybe because I wanted to make you happy?"

Yu Mingjiao: "… Is my happiness that important?"

"It is."

Only when Yu Mingjiao was happy and not consumed by her hatred would Cen Lingqiu's mission be accomplished.

Besides the mission, Cen Lingqiu found Yu Mingjiao's happiness endearing, like a withered flower blooming again.

Yu Mingjiao fell silent again.

After a while, she asked without reason, "Can a person suddenly forgive those who've hurt them?"

The question was too complex, and Cen Lingqiu couldn't give a perfect answer. She hesitated for a moment before replying softly, "Objectively, it's unlikely."

But subjectively, anything was possible.

Cen Lingqiu couldn't predict Yu Mingjiao's subjective possibilities.

The wind continued to blow.

"Do you think I'll forgive you?" Yu Mingjiao asked bluntly.

Cen Lingqiu sighed. Sometimes, this girl was too straightforward.

"I don't know," Cen Lingqiu replied. "But I hope you don't."

Yu Mingjiao was surprised by this response. She turned to look at her. "Why?"

Cen Lingqiu didn't answer directly. Instead, she said something cryptic, "Yu Mingjiao, summer is ending."

"And what does that mean?"

Yu Mingjiao didn't understand, her face growing colder.

Summer ending meant that winter, the deadline for her mission, was approaching. Whether she succeeded or failed, she would have to leave this world.

She didn't want Yu Mingjiao to forgive her because it wouldn't be fair for her to forgive the original "Cen Lingqiu" who had caused her so much pain.

Only recently had Cen Lingqiu realized she wanted to get closer to Yu Mingjiao, which was unfair to her. If Yu Mingjiao truly forgave her, it would make all the past pain meaningless.

Cen Lingqiu didn't want that. She just wanted to bring some love and happiness to the heroine's life, hoping that she would survive.

Since she would eventually leave, Yu Mingjiao's forgiveness wasn't that important.

Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Cen Lingqiu smiled to lighten the mood. "Your birthday is in winter, right? I'll get you a gift then—you'll like it."

Realizing Cen Lingqiu was changing the topic, Yu Mingjiao was displeased and coldly replied, "I don't celebrate birthdays."

"Everyone celebrates birthdays," Cen Lingqiu chuckled. "Or is there something specific you want as a gift?"

Still upset about the topic shift, Yu Mingjiao responded flippantly, "I want all the people I hate to disappear."

Cen Lingqiu raised an eyebrow and played along. "Oh? And who do you hate? I can help you get revenge."

"My dad, my sister, Lin Dong, and…"

"And who else?"

Cen Lingqiu smirked. "Oh, and me."

Yu Mingjiao: "…"

"That's not a hard problem to solve. We all die eventually."

"And you'll leave too," Yu Mingjiao stated matter-of-factly.

Cen Lingqiu's expression remained calm. "Yes."

Yu Mingjiao's dark eyes remained fixed on Cen Lingqiu's face. In the moonlight, she scrutinized her closely for the first time.

Cen Lingqiu's face was cool and serene, her eyes clouded with a mist that made it impossible to discern her true emotions.

Yu Mingjiao always separated the woman before her from the one in her memories.

She couldn't figure out this current version of Cen Lingqiu.

Why did her heart feel uneasy?

The horizon began to lighten as the sun approached. More people gathered on the beach to watch the sunrise.

Yu Mingjiao, feeling a bit thirsty after waiting so long, reached for a soda she had been shaking earlier out of boredom.

Just as she was about to open it, she realized it might spray everywhere. But before she could stop, Cen Lingqiu reached over, thinking Yu Mingjiao couldn't open it, and took the soda from her.

"Let me help—"

"No—"

Before Yu Mingjiao could finish her sentence, Cen Lingqiu had already opened the can.

Pop

The soda sprayed all over Cen Lingqiu's face.

Cen Lingqiu: "…"

Her expression froze, the shock momentarily replacing her usual calm demeanor.

Yu Mingjiao couldn't hold back her laughter.

Seeing her smile, Cen Lingqiu's bewilderment faded. She stared at Yu Mingjiao's laughing face, her eyes sparkling.

This was the first time since coming to this world that she had seen Yu Mingjiao genuinely smile.

Before, her smiles had always been devoid of warmth.

Now, her eyes were curved, her teeth gleaming white, and a small dimple appeared at the corner of her lips.

For a moment, Cen Lingqiu thought there was no brighter smile in the world.

She wiped the soda from her face, and, influenced by Yu Mingjiao's laughter, she found herself smiling too.

As the orange sun finally broke over the horizon, the soft glow bathed the two women in a warm, golden light.

Yu Mingjiao turned her head and gazed at the brilliant sunrise over the blue ocean.

It was as if a painting she had once created had come to life before her eyes.

She didn't blink once.

–

After watching the sunrise, Yu Mingjiao returned home and slept for a long time.

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was the day of the competition.

The night before the competition, Cen Lingqiu seemed troubled as she told Yu Mingjiao, "I have to go to A City for work tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll make it back in time."

Yu Mingjiao responded with a simple, "You don't need to come."

"But this competition is important to you. I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

The competition was in the afternoon at an art museum. When Yu Mingjiao arrived at the venue, she was early, so she waited in the rest area.

There were many people around, most accompanied by someone. As Yu Mingjiao entered alone, several people turned to look at her.

Half the attention was due to her beauty, the other half because of her disability.

Yu Mingjiao didn't like the stares, feeling a prickling discomfort. She gripped the armrests of her wheelchair, her expression darkening as she silently waited in a corner.

All around her, people were chatting.

"I'm so nervous. What if I don't pass the first round?" a long-haired girl fretted, her friend reassuring her. "Don't worry, you've done this before. You're experienced. You'll do fine, just relax."

"What if I don't pass, Mom?" a girl next to her whined.

Her mother smiled. "It's okay, sweetie. It's just a hobby. If you enjoy it, we'll support you no matter what. Just have fun."

"…"

Surrounded by these warm, supportive words, Yu Mingjiao's corner remained cold and isolated.

The silence around her contrasted sharply with the chatter nearby, as if she had been abandoned in a wintry void.

Her eyes lowered, seemingly accustomed to this scene. Her expression didn't change much.

Ten minutes before the competition was set to begin, it was time to enter the venue.

Yu Mingjiao moved her wheelchair, ready to head in, when a woman rushed in, looked around, and then walked over to her.

"I made it," Cen Lingqiu said, kneeling down to meet her gaze. "Are you nervous?"

Yu Mingjiao stared at her for a few seconds, as if not quite believing this woman had actually made it.

It wasn't necessary for her to come.

Yu Mingjiao shook her head.

"Good luck," Cen Lingqiu said, patting her shoulder encouragingly. "I'll be waiting for you. Afterward, we can go see a movie."

Cen Lingqiu's amber eyes were clear and cool, and in the sunlight, they had a calming effect.

Yu Mingjiao's nerves, which had been slightly tense, suddenly eased. She nodded. "Okay."

Yu Mingjiao went in.

Cen Lingqiu waited outside.

She knew Yu Mingjiao would win. She was the center of this world, with talent and skill. Whatever she set her mind to, she would succeed.

The competition's director, Director Zhou, paid special attention to Yu Mingjiao, curious to see what talent Cen Lingqiu had recommended.

The X.R. competition was unique. Instead of an online format, all participants were gathered in one location and given a limited time to design a piece based on a given theme.

Yu Mingjiao quickly designed a pair of earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace, finishing first.

Director Zhou was impressed by her speed. She examined the designs—flawless in color, shape, and use of gemstones.

After handing in her work, Yu Mingjiao left.

Cen Lingqiu had waited for two hours when Yu Mingjiao emerged.

"Finished?" Cen Lingqiu glanced at her watch. Two hours had passed.

The competition was supposed to last three hours, but Yu Mingjiao had finished an hour early.

Her expression was calm, betraying no hint of whether she was confident or uncertain.

But Cen Lingqiu was sure she would pass.

"Let's go eat," Cen Lingqiu said, pushing her.

"Why don't you ask how I did?"

"Because I know you'll win. There's no need to ask."

"What if I don't?"

"There's no such possibility."

"…"

Instead of eating out, Cen Lingqiu bought some groceries, intending to cook.

Since Wen Zhi had accidentally wrecked their kitchen last time, it was still being renovated. So Cen Lingqiu suggested they cook at Yu Mingjiao's place that evening.

After a moment of silence, Yu Mingjiao said, "My kitchen… has nothing."

Cen Lingqiu assumed she was exaggerating, but when they reached the kitchen, she realized Yu Mingjiao was simply stating a fact.

There was nothing in her kitchen.

Not even spices or a pot. The kitchen looked brand new, as if it had never been used.

No wonder she was so thin. She didn't cook or order takeout, so how could she gain weight?

With no other option, Cen Lingqiu bought a new pot and various ingredients, stocking up Yu Mingjiao's kitchen.

At first, Yu Mingjiao resisted. "I don't need these things."

With her mobility issues, she rarely ventured into the kitchen.

Cen Lingqiu was unfazed. "You'll need them eventually."

Since Yu Mingjiao couldn't stand for long, Cen Lingqiu only asked her to help with the vegetable prep. But when she saw Yu Mingjiao nearly discard half the vegetables, she sighed.

"Why don't you wait in the living room?"

Yu Mingjiao was gently nudged out of the kitchen.

It was already evening. Every time Cen Lingqiu visited, she would pull back the curtains, seemingly enjoying the light in the room.

Yu Mingjiao watched from the kitchen door as Cen Lingqiu cooked. Her movements were skilled, chopping with quick, precise strokes, as if she had been doing this for years.

But Yu Mingjiao recalled that the original Cen Lingqiu never cooked, finding the kitchen dirty and unappealing.

When had she learned?

As Cen Lingqiu prepared the meal, Yu Mingjiao leaned against the doorframe, her expression unreadable. From a distance, it looked like a warm, domestic scene.

The meal was soon ready.

Cen Lingqiu had made seafood tofu stew, cheesy chicken cutlets, sweet and sour pork, tomato and corn rib soup, and blanched vegetables.

"I made extra to celebrate your passing the first round," Cen Lingqiu said, washing her hands and drying them with a paper towel. "Eat up."

As usual, she didn't sit at the table, instead standing nearby, occasionally helping Yu Mingjiao with the food.

It had become a routine. Since Yu Mingjiao had a habit of only eating the food directly in front of her, Cen Lingqiu would help by passing over dishes that were out of reach.

This time was no different.

But Yu Mingjiao's suspicions began to grow.

Was she so disgusting that Cen Lingqiu couldn't bear to eat with her?

Clearly willing to do everything for her, yet even sharing a meal was too much?

Was she really that revolting?

The thought gnawed at her, her mind spiraling into darker, more extreme thoughts. She even wished her suspicions were unfounded.

When Cen Lingqiu reached over to serve her some food, Yu Mingjiao grabbed her arm.

Cen Lingqiu was confused.

"Sit down and eat," Yu Mingjiao said coldly.

Cen Lingqiu froze, staying silent for a moment. "Do you want to eat with me?"

"… You're annoying, walking around," Yu Mingjiao didn't want to admit her true feelings.

"Are you sure?"

Yu Mingjiao didn't see why something so trivial needed confirmation, so she just nodded.

But Cen Lingqiu didn't move.

Yu Mingjiao felt her suspicions intensify. Her heart sank, her expression turning icy.

"What, do you find me disgusting?"

Cen Lingqiu: "…"

She was simply reminded of her past and had hesitated.

Yu Mingjiao's eyes were cold, with a hint of fragile self-esteem, like dark pools tinged with vulnerability.

Cen Lingqiu's melancholy was abruptly interrupted. With no choice, she relented.

She picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of sweet and sour pork.

Only then did Yu Mingjiao's icy glare soften.

Because of Yu Mingjiao's peculiar, sensitive nature, Cen Lingqiu had, for the first time in years, shared a meal with someone at the same table.

After dinner, Cen Lingqiu remembered she had promised to take Yu Mingjiao to a movie. Since Yu Mingjiao didn't like crowds, they watched it at home.

Cen Lingqiu had bought a projector, setting it up in the living room.

The movie was an old French film called Black Flowers.

The heroine, Fuier, was a highborn princess, while the hero, Grinens, was just an ordinary soldier. The film was a romance about how they met, grew to know each other, and fell in love.

Yu Mingjiao wasn't interested in movies, especially romance, but Cen Lingqiu seemed to enjoy it.

In the movie, Grinens waited for Fuier in prison for years, all because she had jokingly said, "Wait for me." Unbeknownst to him, Fuier had long forgotten him and was now happily dancing at the palace.

"Is he an idiot?" Yu Mingjiao couldn't help but sneer. "Wasting so much time on someone meaningless. He could have escaped."

Cen Lingqiu couldn't understand it either. She had a simple, cool temperament and couldn't grasp the movie's message, but she knew the main theme was love.

She forced a smile. "Maybe… for love."

Yu Mingjiao scoffed. "How boring."

Cen Lingqiu didn't argue.

Halfway through the movie, Cen Lingqiu's phone rang. She stepped out to the balcony to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello, are you Wen Zhi's roommate?"

"Yes."

"It's like this, your friend is drunk. Can you come pick her up?"

"Where?"

Returning to the living room, Cen Lingqiu said, "Something came up. We'll finish the movie another time."

After she left, Yu Mingjiao turned off the movie halfway through.

"Boring film."