Fall - Chapter 9

Yue Can felt this was unfair.

Everyone thought Bo Wanzhao was gentle and easygoing, but Yue Can didn’t see it that way. She believed Bo Wanzhao was the coldest and most unapproachable type of person.

A rebellious streak flared within her. Bo Wanzhao forbade her concern, yet Yue Can stubbornly insisted on showing it. Why should she let Bo Wanzhao get close when Bo Wanzhao wouldn’t allow her to do the same?

Bo Wanzhao bit her lip, the pain distracting her from arguing further. She leaned gently against Yue Can.

Yue Can’s arm circled her waist. Beneath the loose clothing, Bo Wanzhao’s body felt excessively slender. Yue Can had felt this same fragility when she had last held Bo Wanzhao’s wrist.

At the alley entrance, the driver, who had been waiting for a long time, saw Yue Can supporting Bo Wanzhao. “Oh dear, are you feeling unwell?”

“Take us to the hospital first,” Yue Can said.

The driver navigated to the nearest hospital, a journey of less than twenty minutes.

In the back seat, Yue Can glanced at Bo Wanzhao from time to time. Though Bo Wanzhao remained silent, Yue Can could clearly see her condition was deteriorating rapidly. Does she really need to maintain such composure even when she’s sick and in pain?

Traffic was light, and they arrived at the emergency department in just over ten minutes.

Yue Can opened the car door and stepped out.

The driver turned to look at them, a hint of concern in his eyes. “Are you two going to be alright?” Yue Can didn’t exactly look like someone who could take care of others…

“We’ll be fine,” Yue Can snapped.

Yue Can was indeed terrible at taking care of others. She had always been the one being cared for, and her grasp of basic life skills was woefully lacking. However, she had visited the emergency room once last year due to food poisoning, so she at least knew the general procedure.

After registering for an emergency appointment, their turn came quickly. Yue Can accompanied Bo Wanzhao into the examination room, where the doctor asked her to describe her symptoms.

Bo Wanzhao’s voice was weak, but she calmly and precisely described the pain, pinpointing its location to within a few inches above her navel.

Yue Can was stunned. How can she maintain such rationality and composure even in this state? She was completely dumbfounded. An exemplary student in school, and now an exemplary patient at the hospital?

Based on the description, the doctor quickly diagnosed acute gastritis and prescribed several tests for the two women to undergo.

Yue Can held the test forms, feeling a bit lost. She had a terrible sense of direction, basically zero. Every time she used navigation, she had to walk a few steps and watch the arrow’s movement to figure out if she was going the right way. But her social skills and sweet talk compensated for this deficiency. She addressed everyone as “Sister” or “Auntie,” asking for directions, and managed just fine.

When the test results came back, the doctor’s diagnosis was nearly spot-on.

“Your eating habits must be very irregular, right? And you have severe anemia. You need to take this seriously. Don’t abuse your body just because you’re young. If you cause irreversible damage, you’ll regret it too late…”

Yue Can wholeheartedly agreed with the doctor. Bo Wanzhao was practically squeezing the life out of her own body. She had never seen anyone work so relentlessly.

After the doctor finished explaining, Bo Wanzhao said, “Thank you.”

In addition to the prescription, the doctor also prescribed an IV drip.

The infusion room was nearly empty. After taking the medication, Bo Wanzhao’s condition had improved significantly, but the IV drip would take a while to finish. She looked at Yue Can and said, “You can go home now. Thank you for today.”

Yue Can was sitting beside her. How could she leave a sick person alone in the hospital? “I’ll stay with you,” she said.

“I’m fine now,” Bo Wanzhao said. “You don’t need to stay.”

Yue Can remained stubbornly in place. Instead of arguing, she pulled out her iPad from her bag and started working on practice problems. “I’m not wasting time,” she said. “I can ask you about the ones I don’t understand.”

Bo Wanzhao asked, “Aren’t you hungry? You haven’t had dinner.”

“I’ve been gaining weight lately,” Yue Can replied. “This is a good chance to lose some.”

Bo Wanzhao fell silent, studying Yue Can’s lowered profile. Her lips were pressed into a thin, stubborn line.

Despite Yue Can’s usual laziness, she was undeniably stubborn. Once she set her mind on something, no one could dissuade her. Tan Ming often complained about her bullheadedness, saying she was as stubborn as a mule.

Yue Can worked on the problems half-heartedly, wondering if she’d lost her mind. A slacker like her, diligently studying in a hospital? That didn’t fit her character at all.

After struggling with a problem for ages without making progress, Yue Can simply wrote “c” on the screen. “When in doubt, choose ‘c’,” Zhong Ran had taught her.

“Wrong. The answer is ‘a’.”

Yue Can looked up at Bo Wanzhao.

Bo Wanzhao met her gaze and said softly, “You’ve gotten this type of problem wrong three times already. You must have been daydreaming again when I explained it this afternoon.”

Yue Can: “……”

Demon.

“Keep going,” Bo Wanzhao said.

Yue Can: “……”

Demon among demons.

After the IV drip was finished, Yue Can, being the good person she was, offered to take Bo Wanzhao home. The family driver had already left, so they called a ride-sharing car. Yue Can had expected Bo Wanzhao to refuse again, but surprisingly, Bo Wanzhao didn’t say anything.

As they got out of the car, Yue Can noticed a chain restaurant and suggested, “Let’s grab something to eat?”

Bo Wanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. “Aren’t you supposed to be dieting?”

“I suddenly feel like starting tomorrow,” Yue Can replied.

The two walked into the restaurant, one behind the other. Bo Wanzhao, who had been restricted to liquid foods for days, ordered a bowl of congee, while Yue Can opted for a double-combination wonton soup.

Tan Ming called Yue Can to check on the situation. Yue Can had told Tan Ming earlier that evening about accompanying Bo Wanzhao to the hospital.

Yue Can assured her that everything was fine and that she’d head home after finishing her late-night snack. Tan Ming, who had just gotten off work, offered to pick her up on the way.

After finishing their meal and waiting a while at the restaurant, Yue Can saw Tan Ming’s car pull up to the curb. She and Bo Wanzhao walked out together.

“Mom!” Yue Can called out from a distance.

Tan Ming hurried over, her energy radiating. “Wanzhao, is it serious? What did the doctor say?”

Bo Wanzhao smiled faintly. “It’s nothing serious. Just need to watch my diet from now on.”

“You need to take better care of yourself,” Tan Ming scolded gently. “Even hard work has its limits.”

Bo Wanzhao nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Auntie.”

“Why are you still being so polite with me?” Tan Ming turned to Yue Can, patting her head with a smile. “Our little troublemaker finally decided to be sensible for once.”

Yue Can retorted, “Are you complimenting me or teasing me?”

Tan Ming chuckled. “Complimenting you, of course.”

Most of the time, the atmosphere between mother and daughter was warm and relaxed. Tan Ming wasn’t a strict, traditional mother; otherwise, she would never have raised a daughter with Yue Can’s spirited personality.

“Wanzhao, don’t have Yue Can come for tutoring tomorrow. You need a proper day of rest. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Bo Wanzhao replied, “Just resting tonight will be enough. It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry, Auntie.”

“You’re always pushing yourself too hard. You should share some of that energy with Yue Can,” Tan Ming teased. “Listen to your auntie—take tomorrow off.”

Yue Can felt like she’d been unfairly dragged into the conversation again.

“Auntie, I’ll head home now. Goodbye!”

Seeing Bo Wanzhao turn to leave alone, Yue Can called out, “Bo Wanzhao.”

Bo Wanzhao turned back.

Remembering how unwell she had looked earlier that evening, Yue Can asked, “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Bo Wanzhao replied.

Every time Bo Wanzhao said “thank you,” Yue Can felt she was putting distance between them.

After Bo Wanzhao left, Tan Ming led Yue Can to the car. “How many times have I told you to call her ‘Sister’? You were so rude just now.”

“She’s not that much older than me,” Yue Can protested.

“Five years isn’t enough to call her ‘Sister’?” Tan Ming poked Yue Can’s forehead. “And after she’s been taking care of you like a younger sister!”

That evening, after returning home, Tan Ming specifically instructed Aunt Hu, “Tomorrow, please make some nourishing, stomach-friendly porridge and send it to Wanzhao. Make sure it’s not too thick—a thinner consistency will be easier to digest.”

“Is she sick?” Aunt Hu asked.

“Yes.”

“President Tan, you’re such a kind-hearted person.”

Tan Ming knew Bo Wanzhao’s situation better than anyone. She had considered offering more help, but Bo Wanzhao’s stubborn pride prevented her from accepting. Tan Ming admired Bo Wanzhao’s tenacity and resilience, qualities she deeply understood from her own hard-won success.

The next morning, Bo Wanzhao woke to the sound of rain and a gloomy sky. After getting up and washing, she went to the living room. The first floor received little natural light, so she had to turn on the lights on such a rainy day.

Yue Can wasn’t coming over today for tutoring, but Bo Wanzhao didn’t have time to relax. After a bowl of plain congee for breakfast, she opened her laptop and started working. She had majored in English as an undergraduate before switching to business administration for her postgraduate studies. Besides tutoring, she also took on freelance translation work.

The only sounds in the room were the rain outside and the soft tapping of her fingers on the keyboard. Perhaps because she was used to having a lively companion around on weekends, Bo Wanzhao suddenly felt an unsettling sense of quiet…

It was nine o’clock when she received a WeChat message:

Yue Can: Can I come over today?

Bo Wanzhao thought Tan Ming probably didn’t want to interrupt Yue Can’s tutoring and was asking if they could still have class today.

She replied: Yes.

Soon after, there were two knocks at the door.

When Bo Wanzhao opened the door, Yue Can stood on the threshold, her umbrella closed, her bangs slightly disheveled by the wind.

“Come in,” Bo Wanzhao said.

Yue Can followed her inside, the air in the room damp from the rain.

“Do you want to rest before we start class?” Bo Wanzhao asked as usual, then walked to the desk to organize her things.

Yue Can placed her umbrella by the door. “Didn’t you say we weren’t having class today?”

Bo Wanzhao paused, turned to look at Yue Can, and asked slowly, “Then why did you come?”