26

After returning home, Cen Lingqiu accepted Yu Mingjiao's friend request.

Her username was simple, just the letter "Y," and her profile picture was a hand-drawn smiley face, just like the one Cen Lingqiu had taught her in the past.

Cen Lingqiu checked Yu Mingjiao's Moments, but it was empty.

That made sense—Yu Mingjiao didn't seem like the kind of person who would post on social media.

Recalling her unusual behavior tonight, Cen Lingqiu couldn't help but smile slightly.

There was something oddly cute about it.

She typed out a message and sent it to her.

——Good night.

After sending the message, she put down her phone and went to take a shower.

When she came out of the shower, her phone buzzed. She unlocked it and saw that Yu Mingjiao had replied.

——Hmm.

Still short and silent.

Very much like her style.

Cen Lingqiu typed back.

——Get some sleep. I'll bring you candy tomorrow.

It took a few minutes for Yu Mingjiao to respond.

——Okay.

Cen Lingqiu didn't send any more messages. Zhang Li, hearing sounds from her room, urged her, "Xiao Qiu, go to sleep soon. Staying up late isn't good for your health."

"I know."

_

The next day, when Cen Lingqiu woke up, she noticed her throat was a bit sore, but she didn't think much of it. After getting up, she first translated a document she had received the previous day. Zhang Li, thinking that she had just been discharged from the hospital, didn't want her to work, but Cen Lingqiu couldn't stand being idle at home every day. Feeling bored, she would occasionally take on some online translation work.

Today, Zhang Li wanted to visit X.R. to check out any new products. She was a jewelry enthusiast and would always go to see the new items whenever X.R. released them.

She asked Cen Lingqiu to accompany her, and Cen Lingqiu agreed. Before leaving, she sent a message to Yu Mingjiao.

——Are you going to X.R. today?

It took over an hour for Yu Mingjiao to reply, with just a single "hmm."

Cen Lingqiu typed back.

——Got it.

She put away her phone and got into the car with Zhang Li. The driver soon took them to X.R. The moment the receptionist saw Zhang Li, she came up to greet them.

"Madam, long time no see."

Zhang Li nodded and said, "I really liked the set of starry sky jewelry from last time. Which designer made it? Could you please arrange for me to meet her? I'd like to commission another set."

Zhang Li was a VIP customer, so the staff didn't dare to be negligent.

"Certainly, Madam. I'll have her come over right away."

Zhang Li and Cen Lingqiu waited in the lounge.

Noticing that Cen Lingqiu's wrists were bare, Zhang Li said, "Xiao Qiu, how about I buy you a set of jewelry to wear? Your wrists look so bare, it's not pretty."

"No need, Mom," Cen Lingqiu politely declined. "I'm not fond of wearing these things."

She had little interest in jewelry and didn't like wearing it. The only thing on her wrist was a watch, nothing else.

"You child," Zhang Li scolded lightly, "a little jewelry would look so nice."

Cen Lingqiu was about to say something to brush her off when there was a knock on the door, and then the receptionist from earlier entered.

"Madam, this is the designer you were asking for. She's a recent addition to our company. I hope you'll understand if our service isn't up to your standards."

As she spoke, she stepped aside, and a girl in a wheelchair slowly entered.

The receptionist stepped back and left the room, closing the door behind her.

When Cen Lingqiu saw who it was, her eyes widened slightly. Yu Mingjiao noticed her as well, and the two of them exchanged a look but said nothing.

Yu Mingjiao nodded at Zhang Li. "Hello, Madam."

Zhang Li looked at her, frowning slightly, feeling that she looked familiar. After a few seconds, she remembered who she was.

"You're… that disabled girl my son was so obsessed with?"

Yu Mingjiao remained silent, her expression calm.

"And you're the new designer?" Zhang Li clearly didn't believe it. "Are you really that capable?"

Because of the obsession Lin Dong and Lin Qiu had with her in the past, Zhang Li had a negative impression of Yu Mingjiao. In her mind, the girl in front of her was just a pretty face with nothing else to offer, and on top of that, she was disabled. She couldn't understand why her son was so infatuated with her, and because she couldn't understand, she felt estranged from her.

Yu Mingjiao was already used to this kind of doubt. She replied distantly but politely, "Madam, what can I do for you?"

Zhang Li narrowed her eyes, still holding a deep grudge against her. "I don't trust you. Get your supervisor over here. I want to choose a different designer."

If Zhang Li actually did this, Cen Lingqiu could already imagine how hurt Yu Mingjiao, who was proud and sensitive, would feel. Thinking of this, she sighed and called out, "Mom."

Zhang Li responded gently, "What's wrong?"

"I actually really like her designs." Cen Lingqiu kept her expression neutral. "Didn't you just say my wrists looked bare? I want something designed by her."

Yu Mingjiao looked up, stealing a glance at Cen Lingqiu, who caught her gaze and winked, signaling her to relax.

"You trust her?" Zhang Li couldn't understand her daughter's thinking. She remembered that her daughter didn't like Yu Mingjiao very much.

"Yes," Cen Lingqiu replied calmly. "Mom, she's a very talented designer. Please don't doubt her."

Yu Mingjiao, who had been sitting quietly, couldn't help but curl her fingers slightly.

Zhang Li was easily swayed, especially by her daughter's words, which she believed without hesitation.

"Is that so?" Zhang Li scrutinized Yu Mingjiao a bit more closely, then softened her tone. "Alright, design a necklace for me. I've been liking lilies recently. You can work with that."

She then turned to ask Cen Lingqiu, "Xiao Qiu, what kind do you like? Tell her."

Cen Lingqiu was at a loss for a moment, unsure of what she liked.

"I'll talk it over with her later."

"Alright." Zhang Li nodded and then told Yu Mingjiao her preferences. "I don't like anything too complicated, and I dislike green."

Yu Mingjiao noted it down. "Got it."

Having stated her preferences, Zhang Li dismissed her. After Yu Mingjiao left, Zhang Li still wanted to look at other new items, with someone there to introduce them to her. Seeing that she wasn't needed, Cen Lingqiu slipped away.

As she wandered around, she spotted Yu Mingjiao in the break room on the fifth floor.

She was making coffee at the machine, seemingly lost in thought, not noticing that the cup was about to overflow. Just before it spilled, Cen Lingqiu turned off the machine.

"What are you thinking about?" Cen Lingqiu waved a hand in front of her.

Yu Mingjiao snapped out of her thoughts, pursed her lips, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Leaning against the table, Cen Lingqiu replied, "My mom's got company. I'm not needed."

Yu Mingjiao took a sip of coffee and softly asked, "What did you mean by that message this morning? Were you trying to confirm something?"

Cen Lingqiu grabbed a disposable cup, poured herself some coffee, took a sip, and then casually said, "I just wanted to know if you were at X.R."

She took another sip, found it too bitter for her taste, and set the cup down after only a tiny sip.

"And what if I am?"

"If you're here, I'll have something to look forward to on the way." Cen Lingqiu didn't see anything wrong with her statement. After all, Yu Mingjiao was the only person she was familiar with in this world.

Yu Mingjiao was unique, carrying many meanings. She wasn't just a mission target; she was someone who could stir slight emotions in her otherwise numb state.

Spending time with her wasn't bad, not uncomfortable at all.

Yu Mingjiao's usually calm eyes seemed to ripple with emotion. She held her cup in both hands, taking small sips of coffee, and spoke.

"You—"

"But—"

They spoke at the same time.

"You first," Yu Mingjiao said.

Cen Lingqiu asked, "I wanted to ask if your WeChat profile picture, that smiley face, was perhaps something I taught you?"

Yu Mingjiao blinked and nodded honestly.

"Why?"

"…Because I'm always scared when I'm alone. I don't feel safe."

Cen Lingqiu was momentarily taken aback, realizing that this reason stemmed from something she had said in the past. On the night of the blackout, she had told Yu Mingjiao, "If you don't feel safe, just draw a smiley face."

It was just an offhand, somewhat presumptuous remark. She hadn't expected Yu Mingjiao to take it seriously. At that time, Yu Mingjiao had hated her so much; how could she possibly take her words to heart?

But she really had.

This wasn't the first time Cen Lingqiu had noticed that Yu Mingjiao had taken something she said to heart. Since Yu Mingjiao disliked confined, suffocating spaces, finding them too oppressive, Cen Lingqiu had often urged her to open the curtains. When she visited Yu Mingjiao's home a few days ago, she noticed that the living room and bedroom curtains were open, letting in plenty of daylight, unlike the dark, stifling spaces of the past.

The red string on her wrist, the brightly lit room, the black smiley face—everything seemed to tell her that Yu Mingjiao had indeed been listening to her.

She wasn't just talking into the void.

Unlike the brothers and sisters in her memory who never took her words seriously, leading her to often take the blame and suffer punishments, Yu Mingjiao actually cared about what she said.

For a moment, Cen Lingqiu felt a sense of "Oh, so my words aren't just useless nonsense."

She couldn't help but smile.

But soon, the smile faded, replaced by a bittersweet feeling.

Yu Mingjiao said she was afraid to be alone, that she didn't feel safe.

Had she been feeling uneasy all this time?

What was she afraid of?

Why didn't she feel safe?

Cen Lingqiu slowly realized that perhaps Yu Mingjiao hadn't been living as smoothly and happily as she had imagined over the past six months.

She was still that delicate and melancholy child.

Cen Lingqiu reached out and gently patted her hair, remaining silent.

Yu Mingjiao let her do it without protest.

"Oh, right, what were you going to say earlier?" Cen Lingqiu remembered.

Yu Mingjiao asked, "What kind of jewelry do you want?"

"Hmm?"

She added, "You said you liked my designs earlier."

Oh, so it was about that.

Cen Lingqiu replied nonchalantly, "I don't really know what I like. Don't worry too much about what I said earlier."

Yu Mingjiao's expression turned slightly awkward, her voice growing cold and firm, "Were you lying when you said you liked my designs?"

Cen Lingqiu hadn't expected her to take it that way and quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I really don't know what I want."

She had lived for so many years and had never worn much jewelry. As a child, she wasn't deemed worthy of such things; her grandparents wouldn't buy her anything like that. Her parents were entirely focused on their son, showering him with everything and completely forgetting they had a daughter.

After she died, Cen Lingqiu lost interest in these things altogether.

Upon hearing her explanation, Yu Mingjiao's frosty expression finally softened a bit.

"I'll design something for you," she insisted, with a childlike determination.

Cen Lingqiu didn't refuse this time, not wanting her to overthink.

"Alright, alright. I'll be waiting. Thank you in advance."

Cen Lingqiu's phone rang—it was Zhang Li, urging her to come back.

"I've got to go," Cen Lingqiu said, giving Yu Mingjiao's soft, dark hair one last pat. "See you."

Just as Yu Mingjiao remembered something she wanted to say, Cen Lingqiu was already gone.

She pursed her lips and touched the spot where Cen Lingqiu had patted her hair.

It seemed to still hold a trace of her warmth.

After returning home, Cen Lingqiu received a message from Yu Mingjiao. It was just a single period.

Cen Lingqiu stared at it, puzzled, trying to decipher its meaning.

She kept her eyes on her phone, mulling it over.

The chat window showed that "the other person is typing," but Cen Lingqiu waited a long time without receiving any more messages.

What was so hard to say?

Cen Lingqiu patiently waited, but after nearly half an hour, nothing came.

Finally, she couldn't wait any longer and sent a message first.

——Mingjiao, did you just learn how to type?

The other side went quiet again, falling silent.

Cen Lingqiu rested her chin on her hand, deciding to wait a bit longer.

Ten minutes later, Yu Mingjiao finally sent another message.

——I'm graduating the day after tomorrow.

——Will you come?

Cen Lingqiu realized that Yu Mingjiao was indeed a very awkward person, reluctant to say much and hesitant to speak up. It was only when someone pushed her that she would begrudgingly offer a few words.

Like Zhang Li's spoiled yet aloof ragdoll cat.

She was even cuter and more delicate than she had been six months ago.

Cen Lingqiu smiled to herself as she typed back.

——I'll be there.

——Don't hesitate next time. Just say what you want to say.

This time, there was no reply from the other side. It seemed that being called out on her awkwardness had left her silent once more.

Finally, after a long pause, she responded.

——Oh.

It seemed she was a bit upset; she hadn't even bothered with punctuation.