27

Cen Lingqiu had promised Yu Mingjiao that she would attend her graduation ceremony, but she unexpectedly fell ill the day before.

Due to the effects of the previous car accident, even though she had used some system hacks to heal most of the physical damage, her body wasn't as healthy as it used to be. A slight oversight could lead to illness. All she did was go to sleep in an air-conditioned room after washing her hair without drying it, and the next day, her throat felt like it was being cut by a knife. Her entire body felt heavy and weak, and she couldn't get out of bed.

Zhang Li panicked and immediately called a family doctor to check on her.

—

It was the height of summer, and the school was bustling with activity. Every corner was filled with graduates in caps and gowns, taking photos to commemorate the day.

Yu Mingjiao sat in her wheelchair under a large plane tree. Unlike others who were taking nostalgic photos, she showed no signs of being sentimental about graduation.

She was very beautiful and had already secured a position at X.R., making her quite famous on campus. Many people wanted to take a photo with her, but seeing her cold and gloomy expression, they hesitated.

As a result, aside from An Wu, almost no one came over to take pictures with her.

Yu Mingjiao didn't mind; she kept looking at her phone as if waiting for someone.

She was indeed waiting—for Cen Lingqiu.

If this had been in the past, and someone told her that she would eagerly anticipate this woman's arrival, Yu Mingjiao would have thought that person was crazy.

She must be crazy to be waiting for Cen Lingqiu.

Now that she thought about it, she was indeed a little mad.

Ever since Cen Lingqiu woke up from the car accident, many of Yu Mingjiao's actions had lost their logic and meaning; she was acting entirely on impulse.

She hardly ever suppressed her thoughts anymore.

Like today, she wore her cap and gown properly, even put on a bit of makeup, and sat quietly under the plane tree, waiting for Cen Lingqiu to attend her graduation ceremony.

The sun was high in the sky, and sweat began to form on Yu Mingjiao's forehead, but she remained stubbornly in place, waiting.

But she waited a long time, and Cen Lingqiu still hadn't arrived.

She couldn't believe that Cen Lingqiu wouldn't come.

An Wu, seeing that she had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help but ask, "Mingjiao, is that sister really going to come? Maybe she's just teasing you."

"She'll come," Yu Mingjiao said calmly, with determination.

"How can you be so sure?"

Why was she so sure?

Because that woman had said she wouldn't lie to her.

A few male students had been wanting to take a picture with her for a while, and they'd been watching her. Seeing that she was alone, they finally approached.

"Hey, classmate, can we take a picture together?" one boy with glasses and a face full of acne asked with a smile, his eyes roaming over Yu Mingjiao in a way that made her feel disgusted.

"No," Yu Mingjiao said coldly.

"Oh, come on, we're all classmates," the boy with glasses said, laughing as he slung an arm around his friend's shoulder. "It's just a picture; it won't kill you, right? Hahaha."

The boy with glasses and his friends started laughing together.

Annoying fools.

Yu Mingjiao was getting increasingly irritated, her face growing colder by the second. Her icy demeanor seemed completely at odds with the sweltering heat.

As the boy with glasses reached out to grab her shoulder, camera in hand, intending to take a photo, Yu Mingjiao felt a wave of nausea at the thought of his touch. Just as she was about to rebuke him, her vision suddenly went dark as a pair of hands covered her face. A cool, clear voice spoke above her head.

"Sorry, she doesn't like taking pictures."

Cen Lingqiu had blocked her face and addressed the boys without emotion. "Perhaps you two should learn the meaning of the word 'respect.'"

The boy with glasses looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared.

In the heat of summer, she wore a light, breathable black trench coat. She was tall, her feet clad in stiletto heels, and she wore a mask, revealing only a pair of serene and cold fox-like eyes.

Her aura was unique, cold like spring water, different from Yu Mingjiao's sharp chill.

Not wanting to cause trouble, the boy with glasses awkwardly laughed, "Just kidding, if she doesn't want to, that's fine."

The boys quickly left.

Yu Mingjiao blinked, her long, dark lashes fluttering against Cen Lingqiu's hand, causing a slight tickle.

Cen Lingqiu withdrew her hand, then stood in front of her, holding a large bouquet of lisianthus. She handed it to her and spoke in a slightly hoarse yet gentle voice from behind her mask.

"Mingjiao, congratulations on your graduation."

The white petals were pure and elegant, and they looked freshly picked, with tiny droplets of water still clinging to them.

Cen Lingqiu stood there, holding the bouquet of white flowers, her eyes slightly curved in a smile. Even though she wore a mask, it couldn't hide her unique serenity. From a distance, it looked like she was offering the bouquet to a lover.

Yu Mingjiao's cold, closed heart suddenly felt a rush of spring warmth. Her fingers and heartbeat both trembled slightly as she realized she felt warm inside.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Her heart was beating a bit faster.

How strange.

Yu Mingjiao accepted the flowers and quietly said, "Thank you."

Cen Lingqiu covered her mouth, turning her head to cough a few times. After soothing the itch in her throat, she turned back to Yu Mingjiao.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Yu Mingjiao answered honestly, "Three hours."

Cen Lingqiu smiled. "You waited for me for so long. Why?"

Yu Mingjiao was silent for a moment. "You said you would come."

Cen Lingqiu seemed surprised by the answer. She paused, then casually said, "You trust me so much? Aren't you afraid I was lying?"

"I'm not," Yu Mingjiao said, holding the flowers and quietly gazing at the white petals. "I trust you."

Her tone was calm and emotionless, yet sincere.

Cen Lingqiu truly felt that since she had returned to this world, Yu Mingjiao had become more straightforward and adorable.

It was like a kitten that had retracted its claws and was now just soft and fluffy.

She really had changed a lot.

Cen Lingqiu put away her thoughts and gently patted Yu Mingjiao's head as she explained.

"I suddenly developed a fever last night. It only broke this morning, but I'm still not fully recovered, so I'm wearing a mask. Please keep your distance from me today."

Yu Mingjiao looked up at her.

Under her eyes were faint dark circles, and there was a trace of fatigue in her pupils from her recent illness.

No wonder she was so late.

While waiting, Yu Mingjiao had mentally prepared herself for the worst-case scenario—that Cen Lingqiu wouldn't come.

But she hadn't expected that it was because she was sick that she was late.

"Are you better now?" Yu Mingjiao asked softly, her eyes downcast.

"It's nothing serious," Cen Lingqiu said, pushing her wheelchair. "I haven't had a chance to tour your school before. Why don't you show me around today?"

Yu Mingjiao responded with a quiet "Mm."

Yu Mingjiao's school was one of the top universities in the country, with a large campus. Everywhere they went, they saw graduates in their caps and gowns taking photos.

Cen Lingqiu suddenly remembered something and casually remarked, "Come to think of it, we haven't taken any pictures together. After all, it's your graduation day."

Yu Mingjiao didn't like taking pictures, so when she heard Cen Lingqiu's suggestion, her expression became one of suppressed, awkward calm.

"Do you want to take a picture?"

"Oh? Can we?"

Cen Lingqiu wasn't sure what their relationship was at this point. Taking a photo together seemed like something for people who were either very close or had no barriers between them. So what was their relationship now?

Had all barriers been removed?

Or did gaps still remain?

Yu Mingjiao was a difficult girl to understand, and Cen Lingqiu couldn't fully grasp her.

Yu Mingjiao nodded.

Given her affirmative response, Cen Lingqiu didn't refuse. She took out her phone, crouched in front of Yu Mingjiao, and opened the camera for a selfie.

Yu Mingjiao held the bouquet, her expression a bit stiff, her face cold. Cen Lingqiu told her, "Don't look so fierce, Mingjiao."

Yu Mingjiao replied, "..."

"I'm not trying to look fierce."

She just wasn't used to being in front of a camera, so it didn't come naturally.

Cen Lingqiu wasn't used to taking photos either, but since she was much older, she didn't show any signs of discomfort.

"Alright, alright," Cen Lingqiu said. "Just look at the camera."

She adjusted the angle and pressed the shutter.

In the photo, Yu Mingjiao's expression was still cold, but her eyes unknowingly looked toward Cen Lingqiu, revealing a hint of softness.

As for Cen Lingqiu, her expression wasn't much better—indifferent, with only the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, softening her otherwise cool and serene face.

Cen Lingqiu was pleased with the photo. It was her first time taking a picture with someone else. She usually didn't like having any personal connections on her phone, let alone something as intimate as a photo.

But when she saw Yu Mingjiao, dressed in her cap and gown, quietly waiting for her under the plane tree, looking so beautiful and delicate, like a vibrant cherry blossom—beautiful yet aloof—Cen Lingqiu couldn't help but want to take a photo with her. She wanted to capture this seemingly warm and harmonious moment between them.

She sent the photo to Yu Mingjiao.

"Alright, let's keep walking," Cen Lingqiu said, putting her phone away and pushing Yu Mingjiao forward. Ahead, a group of students in white lab coats had gathered for a photo, creating a lively scene.

Cen Lingqiu's eyes narrowed as she noticed something.

What caught Cen Lingqiu's attention wasn't the group of students but a woman standing not far from them.

The woman wore a hat and a custom-made black, waist-cinching dress. She was slender, with strikingly beautiful yet cold features. Her almond-shaped eyes gazed quietly at the group of students, and although Cen Lingqiu couldn't quite see clearly, she had a feeling that the woman's eyes were filled with deep sadness.

Her demeanor was indifferent, yet she seemed to be in great sorrow, a stark contrast to the lively students.

This woman looked somewhat familiar.

Yu Mingjiao followed Cen Lingqiu's gaze and explained, "That woman in the black dress is the CEO of CG Entertainment. She's probably here to commemorate someone."

"Someone?"

"Remember the short-haired girl who bumped into me at the seaside park six months ago?"

Yu Mingjiao's voice was slow and steady. "She jumped off a building and committed suicide. She was in the same graduating class as me, a chemistry major. She was supposed to graduate today too."

Yu Mingjiao learned about this from someone at her company who had mentioned that the woman had once ordered a pair of butterfly earrings from them. During a conversation, they had shared some details about her life.

"Oh, so she's looking at the students, thinking of that girl?" Cen Lingqiu asked.

"Maybe," Yu Mingjiao replied.

"Was it inevitable after all?" Cen Lingqiu sighed. "In the end, she chose to end it."

Back then, Cen Lingqiu had felt that the girl's eyes were just like Yu Mingjiao's—like those of a bird about to die, filled with a deep, bone-chilling despair.

And now, that sweet, innocent-looking girl had indeed become like a dying bird, with no hope of ever living again.

She couldn't help but look at Yu Mingjiao.

Would Yu Mingjiao end up like that too?

She wasn't particularly optimistic, and her world-weariness ran deep.

She probably didn't have much desire to keep living either. Would she end up like that girl?

Desperate, then mad, and finally dead.

The thought of such an outcome made Cen Lingqiu feel a heavy sense of unease.

Perhaps sensing Cen Lingqiu's inexplicable, pitying gaze, Yu Mingjiao lifted her eyes and tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Yu Mingjiao thought for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Are you pitying me?"

"Why would you pity me?"

Cen Lingqiu shook her head.

"I'm not pitying you."

"Mingjiao, I'm afraid."

Yu Mingjiao was slightly startled.

"What are you afraid of?" She was puzzled, then seemed to understand. "Are you afraid I'll end up like that girl?"

Cen Lingqiu asked in return, "Will you?"

Yu Mingjiao didn't answer directly. Instead, she looked at the swaying shadows of the trees on the ground and calmly said, "Living and dying aren't that different. Even if you're alive, what's the point? That girl was probably in pain, and she just wanted to end that pain."

Cen Lingqiu remained silent, saying nothing.

The woman in the black dress had already left.

Yu Mingjiao spoke again.

"Or is it that you don't want me to die?"

Cen Lingqiu let out a bitter laugh. "Have I not made that clear enough?"

Yu Mingjiao pressed her lips together tightly, as if seeking some kind of answer, stubbornly asking her again.

"Why should I keep living?"

The tree shadows swayed, and the leaves rustled in the wind.

Cen Lingqiu suddenly found herself at a loss for words.