Fall - Chapter 24

Bo Wanzhao left alone.

Yue Can remained in place for a moment, dazed, before following her out of the alley. She saw Bo Wanzhao hail a tax at the intersection, but the car didn’t get far before getting stuck at a busy crossroad.

Another empty tax approached from behind, and Yue Can immediately flagged it down.

After getting in, the driver asked, “Where to, miss?”

“Follow the car ahead with the license plate ending in 355,” Yue Can replied.

“What’s going on?” The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, curious. “Why all the secrecy?”

“Just follow them,” Yue Can said.

The driver warned, “I’m not responsible if I lose them.”

“Fine. I’ll give you extra if you keep up.”

“Really?” The driver perked up at the mention of extra money, focusing intently on the car ahead.

They didn’t lose them. Over half an hour later, the two taxis pulled up one after the other at the entrance of a sanatorium.

Yue Can read the sign: Mental Illness Sanatorium.

Bo Wanzhao rushed to the sanatorium, only to find that Bo Qin had already returned to her room. The staff assured her that Bo Qin’s emotions had stabilized.

Earlier that morning, Bo Qin had suddenly attacked a patient’s relative at the sanatorium. The incident began when Bo Qin saw a man scolding a child. Her trauma-induced emotional dysregulation kicked in, and she lunged forward to snatch the child away. When the man tried to stop her, Bo Qin erupted into a torrent of curses and physical violence, requiring several staff members to restrain her.

“We’ll see how this gets resolved,” the middle-aged man with a buzz cut said, his face scratched with angry red marks. “She clawed my face to shreds. I didn’t dare retaliate because I could tell she was mentally unwell, but now the child is terrified…”

“I’m so sorry, truly. I’ll cover all medical expenses,” Bo Wanzhao apologized sincerely.

Xu Yuwen, having finished her rounds, joined them and offered an explanation: “Sir, I apologize. The woman who injured you is my patient. She likely misinterpreted your actions as threatening the child and reacted impulsively to protect the child. She has a history of trauma related to this. She’s simply very fond of children and meant no harm.”

Bo Wanzhao lowered her head. She remembered Xu Yuwen mentioning how gentle and kind Bo Qin was to the children and young people at the sanatorium.

Yet Bo Qin refused to face her.

The man sighed. “Everyone here has been through trauma. I’m a family member of a patient too, so I understand the difficulties… Ah, forget it. Your apology seems sincere enough. It’s never easy when someone in the family gets sick. You don’t need to pay the medical fees.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” Bo Wanzhao said, but she still insisted on compensating the man for the medical expenses.

After resolving the issue, Bo Wanzhao thanked Xu Yuwen again.

Xu Yuwen asked, “Are you going to see her today?”

Bo Wanzhao paused, then nodded. “Yes.”

In the hospital room, Bo Qin sat propped up in bed, resting and staring blankly into space.

“Sister Qin, Wanzhao is here to visit you,” Xu Yuwen greeted her warmly. “Why don’t you two have a good talk?”

Bo Qin glanced at Bo Wanzhao, her eyes still devoid of warmth.

“You two chat. I need to get back to work,” Xu Yuwen said, waving goodbye as she left.

Bo Qin’s expression remained blank. “I’m just causing you more trouble.”

Bo Wanzhao sat down on the chair beside the bed. “It’s okay.”

Bo Qin murmured, “I’m a burden. Why do you still care about me?”

“Don’t think like that,” Bo Wanzhao replied. “Just focus on getting better. I’m capable now.”

“Because of me, you can’t go anywhere. Why do you still care?” Bo Qin’s voice trembled before turning cold again. “I wasn’t a good mother anyway. You don’t need to be a good daughter. That way, neither of us owes the other anything.”

Bo Wanzhao said softly, “It’s not your fault.”

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…” Bo Qin suddenly burst into tears, tears streaming down her face. The next moment, she shrieked, “It’s all my fault! I should never have given birth to you!”

“Don’t come see me again. Leave Naxia, please! I’m begging you! I’ll kneel if I have to!” Bo Qin grabbed at Bo Wanzhao, her voice alternating between desperate pleading and furious resentment. “Just pretend you’re an orphan, that you don’t have a mother.”

Faced with this sudden emotional breakdown, Bo Wanzhao remained calm, letting Bo Qin pull at her roughly. She pressed the call button for a nurse, thinking Bo Qin might need a sedative.

Yue Can entered the sanatorium but lost track of Bo Wanzhao. She waited in the lobby on the first floor of the inpatient ward, feeling a bit lost. She wondered if she should call or text Bo Wanzhao—standing there like a fool wasn’t getting her anywhere…

Just as she was hesitating, she spotted a familiar figure emerging from the elevator.

Bo Wanzhao didn’t notice Yue Can and walked silently toward the exit.

Yue Can hurried over and asked, “Are you okay?”

Only then did Bo Wanzhao focus on Yue Can. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Yue Can stammered, unsure how to explain.

Bo Wanzhao quickly guessed, “You followed me here?”

Yue Can nodded.

Bo Wanzhao quietly asked, “Why did you follow me?”

Yue Can froze, sensing rejection. She explained, “I was worried about you. I wanted to keep you company. Having someone with you might make things a little better…”

Bo Wanzhao murmured, “I don’t need it.”

Those three words, like a gentle knife, pierced Yue Can’s heart. If Bo Wanzhao had said “I don’t need it” before, it might have been to avoid troubling her. But this time, the words were clearly meant as cold indifference.

After all this time, all her gradual efforts to get closer and show concern had been for nothing. It was all just an unwanted, one-sided infatuation. So those gifts, the companionship, the well wishes—they were all just superfluous, unnecessary things to Bo Wanzhao…

Yue Can’s eyes stung, her rims faintly reddening, but she gritted her teeth and fought back the tears. Proud and fiercely independent, she refused to show weakness.

Bo Wanzhao watched her silently.

Yue Can pressed her lips together stubbornly, staring at Bo Wanzhao for a long moment. Then, mimicking Bo Wanzhao’s usual calm composure, she said lightly, “I understand.”

And walked away alone.

Yue Can went straight home, locked herself in her room, and refused to see anyone. She stayed cooped up until Tan Ming and the others returned that evening. Her parents were arguing again, and the noise finally drove her out of her room.

“What’s with all the arguing, day in and day out? If you’re so capable, just get a divorce!” Yue Can stormed into the living room, shouting irritably.

The couple fell silent, exchanging awkward glances.

Yue Can retreated to her room immediately after speaking.

Tan Ming glanced at Yue Chengtuo and muttered, “What’s wrong with her? Did she swallow dynamite?”

Yue Chengtuo shrugged. “How would I know?”

Noticing their precious daughter’s visibly foul mood, the couple’s argument temporarily ceased. Tan Ming knocked on Yue Can’s door. “Can Can, what’s wrong?”

Yue Can’s muffled voice came from inside the room. “Nothing. I just want to be alone.”

Aunt Hu rushed over and whispered to Tan Ming, “She didn’t eat lunch and said she had no appetite for dinner either. She seemed upset when she got back, like she’d been crying.”

Tan Ming rarely saw her daughter so unhappy. Concerned, she pressed further, “What happened? Tell Mom.”

Yue Can had no intention of opening the door. “It’s nothing. Just let me have some peace and quiet.”

Tan Ming was at a loss. “Then come out for dinner later.”

Aunt Hu added, “She was so cheerful when she left this morning, saying she was going to a friend’s house for the day. I don’t know what happened, but she came back silent as a clam at noon.”

“What friend?” Tan Ming asked.

“She didn’t say.”

Yue Can remained dejected. She checked her phone several times that afternoon, but Bo Wanzhao hadn’t sent her any messages, which only deepened her disappointment.

The word “unnecessary” kept echoing in her mind.

She had never been so brazenly forward with anyone before. Bo Wanzhao was the first. Yue Can had believed she was Bo Wanzhao’s “special case,” but today she realized that in Bo Wanzhao’s eyes, she was no different from anyone else.

A WeChat notification chimed.

Yue Can immediately opened it, only to feel her heart sink again. It was just Tan Ming asking her to come out for dinner.

She knew Bo Wanzhao wouldn’t reach out first. After all, to Bo Wanzhao, Yue Can was merely optional. Yue Can curled up on the sofa, her thoughts churning endlessly…

Bo Wanzhao returned to her rented room to find the table covered with snacks Yue Can had brought. When she learned Yue Can had secretly followed her to the sanatorium, her initial reaction was resistance, and her tone became colder than usual.

She had always been aloof, resisting others’ attempts to get close or understand her. She knew her detachment could hurt people and push them away, but she had never cared. Maintaining relationships seemed like a troublesome affair to her, and keeping her distance was a convenient way to avoid complications.

As usual, Bo Wanzhao worked late into the night before washing up and going to bed. She tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep—not because she was reliving painful memories, but for another reason.

She had hurt Yue Can today, despite Yue Can’s valiant efforts to act as if nothing was wrong.

The vacation continued.

Yue Can moped in her room all day. The next day, she acted as if nothing had happened, just as Luo Yang returned. The group made plans to eat, drink, and wander around together.

“Can Can, what’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?” Even the usually reserved Luo Yang noticed Yue Can’s unusual behavior.

“Nothing much,” Yue Can forced a smile.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Zhong Ran said, seeing through her act. “You look like you’ve just gone through a breakup.”

“Really?” Yue Can wasn’t good at faking cheerfulness. Being in a bad mood was already annoying enough; having to pretend to be happy just made it worse.

Zhong Ran pressed, “What’s bothering you? Spill the beans and let us have a good laugh.”

Luo Yang shot Zhong Ran a warning glance, telling her to mind her own business.

Zhong Ran returned the look, annoyed by Luo Yang’s seriousness and lack of humor.

Yue Can didn’t know where to start, and it wasn’t a big deal anyway. If Bo Wanzhao wasn’t thinking about her, she wouldn’t think about Bo Wanzhao either. She’d always been good at letting things go.

After their visit to the sanatorium, the two hadn’t contacted each other for three days. Their next meeting was two days later when Bo Wanzhao came to the Yue family home to visit Tan Ming.

Apart from the time she tutored Yue Can, Bo Wanzhao rarely visited the Yue family, maybe once or twice a year.

Yue Can wasn’t home when Bo Wanzhao arrived. Tan Ming greeted her with a smile, saying, “That little troublemaker is out playing again.”

“Have you decided about your job yet?” Tan Ming asked with concern. “Will you be staying in Naxia after graduation?”

Bo Wanzhao had been contemplating this matter for some time. Her original plan was to leave Naxia with Bo Qin after graduation, and she now had the means to do so. However, Bo Qin refused to leave with her.

“It’s not finalized yet. I want to do a few more interviews.”

Tan Ming smiled. “That’s good. Someone as talented as you will have no shortage of offers. It’s just a matter of choosing the right one. If you stay in Naxia, my connections could still be helpful to you.”

“Thank you, Auntie. You’ve always been so kind to me,” Bo Wanzhao replied with a smile. She had maintained contact with Tan Ming for two reasons: first, because Tan Ming had provided her with crucial assistance in the past; and second, because Tan Ming was a valuable connection she needed to cultivate. Given her background, it was rare for her to have access to someone like Tan Ming.

“We’re practically family. Seeing you thrive makes me so happy,” Tan Ming said, recalling Bo Wanzhao’s unpleasant experiences in Naxia. Leaving the city might be Bo Wanzhao’s preferred choice. “I’m not trying to pressure you to stay in Naxia. Moving to another city would also be a great option. I have faith in your abilities—you’ll succeed wherever you go…”

As Tan Ming was speaking, the door opened.

It was Yue Can, who had been summoned home by several urgent phone calls. After days of playing outside, Tan Ming had insisted she come home for dinner tonight.

Tan Ming glanced at Yue Can. “The little troublemaker’s back.”

Yue Can opened her mouth to reply, but her words caught in her throat when she spotted Bo Wanzhao sitting on the sofa. What’s she doing here? She’s definitely not here to see me…

“Why aren’t you greeting her?” Tan Ming prompted Yue Can.

Yue Can shot a sullen glance at Bo Wanzhao and remained silent.

Tan Ming sighed helplessly and whispered to Bo Wanzhao, “She’s been in a bad mood lately, very irritable.”

Yue Can overheard this and barely restrained herself from snapping at Tan Ming, The root of the problem is sitting right next to you.

Tan Ming continued, “Wanzhao, stay for dinner tonight.”

Bo Wanzhao didn’t decline. “Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Yue Can was surprised that Bo Wanzhao would stay for dinner. In the past, when Bo Wanzhao visited Tan Ming, she would bring gifts, chat briefly, and rarely stay for meals.

“I’m going back to my room,” Yue Can said curtly, offering a perfunctory greeting before retreating to her bedroom alone.

“I don’t know what’s been wrong with her these past few days,” Tan Ming sighed. “Whenever I ask, she clams up and locks herself in her room as soon as she gets home…”

Bo Wanzhao knew exactly what was wrong. She glanced toward the bedroom and heard the soft click of a door closing.

That evening, Yue Can remained in her room, glued to her phone playing games. But her teammates were so terrible that her frustration grew with each match. She kept starting new games, but her mind wasn’t fully focused, and her performance suffered badly.

After losing several rounds in a row, Yue Can put down her phone and drifted into thought. Bo Wanzhao came to see Tan Ming, right? She wouldn’t just leave without saying a word to me, would she?

Actually, that’s exactly the kind of thing Wanzhao would do.

A soft knock came at the door. Yue Can dragged herself over to open it, only to find Bo Wanzhao standing there instead of Aunt Hu or her mother.

“Dinner’s ready,” Bo Wanzhao said softly.

The gentle tone didn’t work on Yue Can anymore. She barely reacted.

Bo Wanzhao stood there, watching her for a long moment. “Are you still mad at me?”