Chapter 12 She was sick, but she still wouldn't let it go...
Before she even got home, Yu Kui couldn't stop crying.
The feeling of her heart being torn apart and her mental world collapsing caused her unprecedented pain.
She had considered many reasons why Qin You ignored her, but she never imagined he would say such resolute words, turning her worries and tests into self-humiliation.
He truly no longer considers her a friend, while she remains stuck in the past and unable to turn back.
Yu Kui stood in the dark stairwell, the intense pain preventing her from even crying out; only tears kept falling.
Despair, embarrassment, self-loathing...
Negative emotions that had never appeared in her life before suddenly took over at this moment.
Qin You...
She silently repeated the name in her heart; it was her best playmate from childhood and the person she secretly loved during her adolescence.
He was like a cold lake that gradually softened over the long years. She thought the lake would ripple because of her companionship, but instead she was met with a storm that shattered her to pieces.
So a lake is just a lake; it was cold from beginning to end.
She thought she could bring a scorching summer to the lake, but he only ever gave her a cold winter.
Now, this lake, which has witnessed countless winters with her, has finally said goodbye to her.
Yu Kui didn't even know why he chose to stay away; he just left her on this cold, snowy night.
Memories flashed through her mind, those shared experiences that made her tremble and feel her heart suffocate.
But she couldn't control her mind, and she couldn't stop herself from crying.
If she can't cry, she'll probably choose to hurt herself.
She was afraid she would do something foolish.
Yu Kui squatted on the ground, gradually losing consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a door opening came from upstairs. When Yu's mother came downstairs anxiously to look for her because she had returned too late and she could not reach her, she found her collapsed on the ground.
"Yu Kui!" In the dim light of the passageway, the woman's voice was filled with terror, "Yu Kui! Baby! Wake up!"
——
Yu Kui has taken leave.
When Qin You and Tao Jiang heard the news, they were having lunch together. The atmosphere was warm and they didn't care whether Yu Kui came to school or not.
Sun Shuya walked over and sat down next to them, sneered, and said, "Yu Kui took sick leave today, didn't you know?"
Qin You's arm stiffened, and he looked up at her.
“Friends, my foot!” Sun Shuya scoffed. “What kind of friends are you if you don’t even know something this important?”
Qin You looked at Tao Jiang with obvious doubt in her eyes. Her seat was only separated from Yu Kui's by an aisle. Tao Jiang must know whether Yu Kui came or not, but she didn't tell her.
"Yu Kui didn't come?" Tao Jiang asked with surprise and apology. "I wasn't feeling well today and didn't notice."
"You didn't notice?" Sun Shuya was amused by her words. "Don't you eat together every day? You didn't even remember lunchtime?"
"I..." Tao Jiang's expression changed slightly. She was very popular at school and had never met a girl as aggressive as Sun Shuya. Sun Shuya was like a sharp sword, making Tao Jiang afraid to confront her directly.
After all, a sword that is too sharp can hurt yourself.
“I thought she went to the bathroom,” she offered a very lame excuse. “I sent her a message before she left. I really didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”
Her apology only made Qin You feel sorry for her. He said to Sun Shuya, "Yu Kui didn't tell us when she asked for leave, and Tao Jiang didn't do it on purpose."
"And what about you?" Sun Shuya stared at him with a half-smile. "You go to and from school with her every day, didn't you know?"
Qin You lowered her eyes and did not meet Sun Shuya's gaze. "What happens between us is none of your business."
“It has nothing to do with me,” Sun Shuya stood up and looked down at him, “I’m just afraid that some people don’t know how lucky they are, and they’ll throw away the pearl for the fish eye, and regret it in the future.”
After saying that, she didn't even look at the two of them, turned around and left, as if she had come here on purpose just to annoy them.
"Qin You, I really didn't know Yu Kui was sick," Tao said, feeling extremely aggrieved. "I was in class the whole time, how could I possibly keep an eye on her all the time? Why did Sun Shuya suspect me?"
"It's alright," Qin You said softly, holding his hand. "This has nothing to do with you."
He knew the reason Yu Kui had asked for leave, and said calmly, "I already made it clear to her yesterday that she won't bother me anymore."
"What?" Tao Jiang's eyes widened. "You and Yu Kui..."
"She and I are no longer friends." Qin You looked into her eyes and said softly, "You don't need to worry about anything between us anymore. I will no longer have anything to do with her."
Tao Jiang's eyes lit up with a smile upon hearing this. "Did you really tell her?"
“I explained it to her yesterday when I got back,” Qin You said, her mood not as cheerful as hers. “I didn’t expect her to get sick because of it.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Tao Jiang said casually. “Even if you don’t say it now, you will eventually. It’s bound to happen sooner or later.”
Qin You looked at their clasped hands and said, "Actually, I could have been more tactful."
“She won’t give up then,” Tao Jiang said, giving his fingers a suggestive squeeze. “I will treat you better than she does in the future, and you don’t need to worry about those trivial things.”
Qin You's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and a clear smile appeared in his eyes. "Okay."
“Oh, right,” Tao Jiang said, as if suddenly remembering something. “Did you tell her about us? Does she know we’re together…?”
“No,” Qin You said, “I’m afraid she can’t handle it.”
Tao Jiang laughed upon hearing this, "You said you didn't care about her, but you've been hiding it quite well, haven't you? You were even afraid she couldn't handle it."
“Her health isn’t very good,” Qin You explained patiently. “I’m afraid something might happen to her, which would be troublesome for both of us.”
“That’s true,” Tao Jiang nodded. “Then let’s keep it from her for now. Even though you’ve broken up with her, I still quite like being friends with her.”
Qin You unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand, "If you're with me, you won't have to..."
“But I really like her,” Tao Jiang’s eyes became somewhat deep. “I’ve had very few friends growing up, especially female friends, almost none. She’s the only one who makes me feel comfortable.”
"Don't you think it's a very enjoyable thing to be cared about by her?"
Tao Jiang's expression was somewhat serious when she said those words.
Qin You didn't know if she was testing him or analyzing his true thoughts.
But no matter which one he said, his answer was the same: "We should not have anything to do with her anymore. We have already hurt her."
“Look, you’re thinking of her again,” Tao Jiang couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if you break up with her, you’ll still be thinking about her.”
“She grew up with me,” Qin You said patiently. “Until yesterday, we were friends. Now that you’ve decided to distance yourself from her, you shouldn’t continue to have contact with her. You’re unhappy, and I don’t like it either.”
"Are you blaming me?" Tao Jiang's smile gradually disappeared. "Do you think you'd still be friends without me? Is that what you mean?"
“I’m not,” Qin You said, seeing her angry. He immediately forgot about Yu Kui and held her hand tightly. “You know very well who I care about.”
Upon seeing this, Tao Jiang felt immense pleasure.
Even the most aloof boy will turn into an obedient dog under her attraction.
Childhood sweethearts, growing up together since childhood—none of that matters.
It wasn't until the next morning that Qin You remembered Yu Kui. He went downstairs and looked at the familiar window, but he could no longer see the girl running towards him eagerly.
Yu Kui still didn't come to school that day.
Qin You clicked on the extremely familiar profile picture, typed a line of text in the chat box, then deleted it. After repeating this several times, he put his phone aside.
That's settled then.
He looked out the window at the gloomy sky, which seemed like it was about to snow again.
Yu Kui was very ill and developed a high fever after being sent to the hospital that night.
Yu's mother stayed by her side the whole time, and felt extremely distressed looking at her swollen eyes and furrowed brows in her sleep.
Mr. Yu also took leave to come and be with his daughter. Seeing her haggard and pale face, he wanted nothing more than to beat up the person who had upset his daughter.
The two stayed by the bedside until Yu Kui groggily opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her parents' concerned gaze.
She slowly opened her arms, and Yu's mother bent down and hugged her tightly, "A-Kui, you scared your mother to death!"
Mr. Yu brought over some warm water. "Are you hungry? I brought you some porridge, your favorite vegetable porridge."
Yu Kui's eyes reddened, and she almost cried again.
"Cry," Yu's mother patted her back. "No matter what happened, cry it out. Mom and Dad will always be by your side."
"Mom..." Yu Kui buried her head in her mother's arms, like a child who had lost his way home and finally found a warm harbor.
"I'm here, I'm here." Yu's mother stroked her back. Although she was very worried about her, she did not put any pressure on her. "Eat after you've finished crying. This porridge was specially made for you by your father."
Yu Kui's shoulders trembled slightly. After a long while, she raised her head, looked at her mother and then at her father, and said, "I'm hungry."
"Alright!" Mr. Yu ladled out the porridge and placed it on the small table. "Eat more, you'll feel better once you're full."
"Okay." Yu Kui slowly finished her porridge, looking at her parents' concerned faces, unsure how to tell them about her relationship with Qin You.
That was the longest nightmare she had experienced in sixteen years.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't," Yu's father said, rubbing her head. "But you need to know that no matter what happens to you, your parents will always be by your side. We didn't give birth to you so that you could do something foolish and suffer. You need to protect yourself."
Yu Kui wanted to cry again upon hearing this, but she held back.
She didn't tell her parents what Qin You had said to her, because she was afraid they would be sad too.
After all, she wasn't the only one who had feelings for Qin You; there was also Yu's mother, who treated Qin You like a son, and Yu's father, who had helped Qin You with kindergarten crafts.
When Qin You was a child, his mother was often unable to be by his side, and he spent most of his time at the Yu family home, a time that they all cherish.
Now, everything is broken.
She was afraid that her parents wouldn't be able to accept the truth.
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