25

Cen Lingqiu stayed with Yu Mingjiao for a while before leaving. After the incident, Wenzhi had vacated the apartment and had been abroad for the past six months. Cen Lingqiu hadn't found a new place to live yet, and Zhang Li, concerned about her recent recovery, insisted on keeping her company, often talking to her for hours, as if trying to make up for the care she couldn't give in the past six months.

As a result, Cen Lingqiu had been staying at home and didn't get to see Yu Mingjiao often. Ever since Yu Mingjiao started working at X.R., she spent all her free time at the company, even working overtime on weekends sometimes.

Cen Lingqiu still couldn't figure out why Yu Mingjiao's self-destructive tendencies had decreased. In the previous mission, she at least understood the reason for Yu Mingjiao's depression. Now, in this second chance, Yu Mingjiao had gained her freedom. Lin Dong had been kept under strict supervision by his family over the past six months, buried under a mountain of tasks, and hardly had any chance to trouble Yu Mingjiao.

Yu Mingjiao's career had also flourished, her achievements surpassing many of her peers. Her selfish father had fallen into a river and drowned after being chased by loan sharks while drunk.

All the people and things that once caused her pain had disappeared. She should have been able to live a good life.

So, Cen Lingqiu was genuinely puzzled as to why Yu Mingjiao's self-destructive tendencies were still present.

Without understanding the problem, Cen Lingqiu couldn't find a way to address it.

But this time, unlike the first, she didn't feel as urgent. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen Yu Mingjiao in six months, and when they finally reunited, she realized that Yu Mingjiao was different from her previous mission targets. She hadn't completely forgotten her.

Cen Lingqiu had a habit of forgetting people who were no longer connected to her life because she saw no point in remembering them.

She had thought Yu Mingjiao was just another one of those mission targets, but when she saw her pale and fragile face, her first reaction was to feel a pang of heartache.

What kind of feeling was that?

It was like having raised a stray kitten for a long time, making it beautiful and delicate, only to see it return to its former weak and broken state after you've been away.

These strange feelings mixed inside her, lowering her desire to complete the mission. Since she was already confused about the mission, she figured she might as well spend more time with Yu Mingjiao and gradually figure things out as they spent time together.

After all, she did miss Yu Mingjiao a little bit.

So, whenever she had the time, she would go to Yu Mingjiao's school to pick her up. But Yu Mingjiao was close to graduating and didn't spend much time at school, spending most of her days at X.R.

Whenever she managed to escape from Zhang Li, she would go to X.R.

Yu Mingjiao had taken on a client who was a bride-to-be and had specifically requested her to design the wedding jewelry. The client had very high standards, and even after several drafts, she was not satisfied.

So, Yu Mingjiao had been staying late at the office, working overtime until seven or eight in the evening to revise the designs. When the client was finally satisfied and praised her, the task was complete.

After shutting down her drawing tablet, a female colleague came over, patted her on the shoulder, and smiled, "Mingjiao, your sister is here to pick you up again."

Cen Lingqiu had been coming by frequently to pick Yu Mingjiao up, and it had become a common sight for her colleagues.

Yu Mingjiao pursed her lips, "I know."

Her tone was calm, but her actions quickened as she packed up her things.

The colleague, who had spent a long time working with Yu Mingjiao, knew her as someone who was incredibly beautiful but also very quiet and introverted, not fitting in with those around her. Her doll-like face always carried a strange coldness and gloom.

She was peculiar and lifeless.

But since her "sister" had started picking her up from work, she had begun to show a bit more life, at least having some expectations in her eyes.

After finishing her packing, Yu Mingjiao took the elevator down to the first floor, where she immediately spotted Cen Lingqiu among the crowd.

She was dressed simply in a beige blouse and black high-waisted wide-leg pants, sitting casually on the sofa in the waiting area, reading a book on X.R.'s development.

Her hair was no longer its former chestnut color but pure black. Her chin was a bit sharper, and she wore silver-framed glasses, giving her a slightly colder aura than before.

When Cen Lingqiu looked up from her book and saw Yu Mingjiao, her calm eyes revealed a hint of emotion. She waved at Yu Mingjiao and then stood up, walking toward her.

"Was today busy?" Cen Lingqiu asked, pushing her wheelchair.

"A little," Yu Mingjiao replied quietly, then asked in return, "How long have you been waiting?"

Cen Lingqiu brushed it off, "Not long."

She didn't mention it, but Yu Mingjiao knew how long she had waited. Her colleague had told her that Cen Lingqiu had arrived at the office before they had finished work and had waited an extra three hours because of her overtime. Cen Lingqiu even asked her colleague not to tell her that she was there, worried it would affect her work.

"You didn't have dinner, did you?" Cen Lingqiu asked as she took Yu Mingjiao to the garage and helped her into the car. She then took out a thermos from the back seat and handed it to her.

"I made some food at home, and it's still warm. Eat it," Cen Lingqiu said as she sat in the driver's seat.

At home, Zhang Li was overly cautious, not letting her do this or that, as if she would break if she did anything. She wasn't allowed to do any work at all.

Cen Lingqiu was too bored, so she often cooked at home. Today, she figured that Yu Mingjiao probably hadn't eaten properly again—she was always like that. If no one was around, she either didn't eat or just ate something random. So, Cen Lingqiu packed some food in a thermos and brought it with her.

Cen Lingqiu watched quietly as Yu Mingjiao ate, sitting in the driver's seat.

Under her gaze, Yu Mingjiao opened the thermos and obediently finished her meal.

Her eating manner was graceful and quiet.

After finishing her meal, Yu Mingjiao seemed to be waiting for something. But Cen Lingqiu, seeing that she had finished, started the car and didn't notice the anticipation she was hiding.

Yu Mingjiao didn't get what she was hoping for, so she pursed her lips. Her attention was soon drawn elsewhere. As Cen Lingqiu drove out of the garage, Yu Mingjiao's fingers couldn't help but curl, and she occasionally glanced at Cen Lingqiu, her movements subtle and repressed, barely noticeable.

Cen Lingqiu, being observant, noticed Yu Mingjiao's wet, uneasy gaze in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Yu Mingjiao lowered her eyes, avoiding some emotion, and turned her head to face the window.

"…Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

It took her a long time to ask in a soft voice, as if she had been struggling with it.

Cen Lingqiu didn't expect that response and was momentarily confused, letting out a puzzled "hmm."

Yu Mingjiao didn't say anything else, her gaze fixed on the window, not looking at Cen Lingqiu, her pale, delicate neck stiffening slightly.

Cen Lingqiu realized she would have to figure it out on her own again.

She thought about it for a while, and when she saw in the rearview mirror that Yu Mingjiao's neck was getting stiffer, a lightbulb went off, and she guessed the reason.

"Are you worried that I'll get into another car accident?" she asked tentatively.

Yu Mingjiao didn't turn her head, and when she heard the question, her already stiff neck became even more rigid. She didn't reply, just silently nodded, like a kitten tentatively extending its soft paw from its hiding place.

Cen Lingqiu couldn't help but smile, her lips curling up slightly as she kept her eyes on the road ahead.

"It won't happen," Cen Lingqiu reassured her as if she were comforting a child. "I'll be very careful. Thank you for your concern."

Yu Mingjiao remained in her original position, unsure of how to express her concern. It was unfamiliar territory for her.

She was silent for a while before speaking again.

"You just got out of the hospital… you don't need to keep picking me up from work."

Her tone was flat, clearly expectant but pretending to be indifferent, like a stubborn child.

Cen Lingqiu thought Yu Mingjiao seemed even softer than she had six months ago. Was it just her imagination?

"I've got a lot of free time lately," Cen Lingqiu said casually. "Picking someone up isn't a big deal, so don't worry about it."

Part of her wanted to prevent the mission from failing due to something happening to Yu Mingjiao, but another part of her simply wanted to pick her up and go home together.

Cen Lingqiu didn't see any conflict between the two.

The car window was slightly open, and the summer breeze blew into the car. In the quiet night, only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"…I'm not," Yu Mingjiao murmured quietly. Her voice was so soft that Cen Lingqiu didn't hear it clearly. "What did you say?"

Yu Mingjiao turned back into a silent kitten, as if that sentence was just self-talk.

By the time they arrived at the apartment, it was almost ten o'clock. Cen Lingqiu hadn't found a suitable place to live yet, so she was still staying at home. After safely dropping off Yu Mingjiao, she was about to leave.

Before she could turn to leave, Yu Mingjiao grabbed her wrist.

Cen Lingqiu turned back, sighing, "What now?"

Yu Mingjiao's expression was strange and stiff, her face filled with a mix of emotions, and her beautiful cheeks tinged with a slight blush.

She held Cen Lingqiu's wrist, her lips pressed together, but she didn't speak.

Cen Lingqiu thought she looked like a stubborn little dog again.

It had only been six months, but she was already finding it hard to understand Yu Mingjiao's emotions.

Cen Lingqiu prompted, "Speak up, Mingjiao. It's late, I need to go."

Yu Mingjiao's face clouded with frustration, but she finally spoke.

"Why… didn't you give me candy after dinner?"

In the past, whenever she obediently finished her meal, Cen Lingqiu would give her a piece of candy.

"......"

Cen Lingqiu took a few seconds to process this, then lowered her head, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. Her laughter was so genuine that her usually cold, narrow eyes curved into crescents.

Cen Lingqiu realized that she not only couldn't understand Yu Mingjiao's emotions but also couldn't predict her personality.

Ever since they had reunited, Yu Mingjiao had gradually hidden her sharp edges. Although she was still gloomy and didn't talk much, her subtle facial expressions were far from the cold indifference she once had.

She was becoming more awkward and strange.

Like a little hedgehog, all covered in spikes, trying to figure out how to slowly remove them.

After six months apart, Yu Mingjiao seemed more and more like a child.

Cen Lingqiu couldn't help but laugh for several minutes, even as Yu Mingjiao's face grew darker, and she let go of her wrist in a huff, glaring at her coldly.

When she finally finished laughing, Cen Lingqiu explained softly, "I forgot to buy some on the way here. I'll get you some next time."

Yu Mingjiao's tone was icy, "I don't need it."

Cen Lingqiu smiled and raised an eyebrow, looking at her calmly.

Yu Mingjiao began to regret her moment of foolishness, having said something so childish.

Seeing her expression growing colder, as if she would freeze over any second, Cen Lingqiu decided to stop teasing her.

"I won't forget next time," she said, then handed her phone to Yu Mingjiao. "But first, can we add each other on WeChat? And can you take my number off the blacklist?"

It was funny how they had known each other for so long but still didn't have each other's contact information.

Yu Mingjiao was silent for a few seconds, then took out her phone to scan her WeChat, and removed her number from the blacklist in front of her.

Cen Lingqiu was satisfied and put her phone away.

"Then I'll head out now. Have a good rest."

She turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, Yu Mingjiao called out.

"Wait."

Cen Lingqiu paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned to look at her.

Their eyes met, and Yu Mingjiao's lips moved before she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

She added.

"Thank you."

Her words were abrupt and out of place, but Cen Lingqiu understood.

Sorry for the argument that day, for the harsh words that led to your car accident and six-month coma.

Sorry for not visiting you in the hospital.

And—

Thank you for the birthday gift, and for always taking me home.

Cen Lingqiu smiled, her expression warm and casual.

"I'll accept your thanks."

"But I won't accept your apology."